Noble's Woman Guide

Chapter 56 - Lingering

*Warning: The following chapter contains explicit content.*

He was supposed to piggy-back her but in the end, Ye Huaiyang was not able to overcome her shyness when they reached the busy street. Chu Jinglan was also aware of her little notion, so he just looked askance at her with a smile then carried her into the carriage.

The green curtain raised and dropped. Inside the carriage, it was as warm as spring with the furnace readily heated.

As usual, Ye Huaiyang would habitually climb up and sit on Chu Jinglan's legs. Hearing the clattering sounds of the hoofbeats, her thought gradually drifted into the distance until she suddenly asked after a long while, "Are we going back to Wangdu in a few days?"

Chu Jinglan nodded indifferently.

There is still a month before the New Year and even though he doesn't care, she will certainly want to go home to reunite with her family. Yanzhou is too far away from Wangdu and if they don't set out soon there won't be enough time.

It's just that Ye Huaiyang doesn't seem to be worrying about that. Pondering with her eyebrows knitted for a moment, she then asked, "Is it okay if we take Jinan Road back to Wangdu?"

"Why?"

"Ling'er loves to eat Yunxian cake from Jizhou and pestered me for a long time before I came here. I'm afraid she is going to make endless noise if I don't bring it back to her."

Ye Huaiyang chuckled lightly as if she was merely talking about domestic trivialities but there was some evasiveness in her eyes. Chu Jinglan stared at her quietly for a long while before he held her slender fair hand and stroked it gently with his thumb, it got damp as expected.

"When you lie, the palms of your hands will perspire."

Ye Huaiyang didn't make a sound, which was a tacit acknowledgement and there was no chagrin for being discovered either but merely some profound heaviness.

"Tell me, why don't you want to go through Yunzhou?"

The shortest journey back to Wangdu from Yanzhou is bound to pass through Yunzhou. Since she wants to take Jinan Road, Yunzhou will be bypassed but the reason for which is still unclear. However, an idea vaguely surfaced in Chu Jinglan's mind but he was not sure if it was correct.

With half drooping eyes, Ye Huaiyang's expression was obscured. He merely saw the corners of her mouth pursed slightly when several extremely light words spilled out soon after, "So far I am thinking about Xiang Yu but not willing to reach Wu River."

[Translator ramblings: Xiang Yu was an unrivalled warlord who was defeated and committed suicide at Wu River, my guess would be YHY compared CJL to Xiang Yu and worried or unwilling of the same ending for CJL... just my own thought on this :P]

Yunzhou was precisely the place where Chu Jinglan experienced life and death.

The carriage fell into silence all of a sudden.

The usually fearless Ye Huaiyang actually revealed anxiety at this juncture. Yunzhou was earnestly a place of real nightmare for both of them. This is where Chu Jinglan's wounds all came about and countless of his comrades were also buried there. She was afraid Chu Jinglan's pain will be evoked if they go back to this old haunt now and even more afraid that she will not be able to endure the fear of almost losing him.

"Jinglan, let's not return via Yunzhou, okay?"

Ye Huaiyang frowned slightly, a wisp of gentleness gleamed in her eyes filled with compassion and sadness that still wished to be expressed. Chu Jinglan was silent for a moment when he suddenly gathered and pressed her to his chest then kissed her hard.