Chapter 734 - 736: Nervous Close to Home, Ridiculous Sickness
In the two days following, Jiang Yichun became somewhat reserved and silent, often standing alone on the deck, gazing out at the river in a daze. A number of guards on the official ship thought there was another situation and became very tense, frequently looking out at the river in fear that another hook might come flying out.
Bai Ruozhu looked at Jiang Yichun’s state and felt somewhat worried. She often joked with him, acting cute to cheer him up, but although there was a smile on his face, there was no real mirth in his eyes.
Moreover, he hadn’t been chasing after Bai Ruozhu as persistently recently...
Bai Ruozhu felt both elated and slightly let down. She was glad to have some time to rest - who could stand being pursued relentlessly every day by such an eager man? But she was also disappointed, questioning her own attractiveness.
On the third night, Bai Ruozhu began to plan a way to tease him back. After they had lulled little Dengdeng to sleep, they put out the candle and lay down on the bed together.
Bai Ruozhu began to plan her moves. Although she wasn’t stage shy, this was her first time initiating, and she had no experience, so of course she needed to plan it out carefully. As soon as she had an idea, she rolled over and straddled Jiang Yichun, reaching out with her hand, only to be met with his soft snores.
In an instant, she felt like she’d taken an icy bucket of water to the face. Reeling, she rolled back and lay down again. What kind of bad luck was this? If she had known Jiang Yichun would fall asleep so quickly, she would have acted sooner. Now, he was sound asleep, and she had no desire to wake him.
Bai Ruozhu felt extremely frustrated. Was it really so difficult to get the upper hand once? Why couldn’t she be successful?
Feeling somewhat gloomy, combined with the disturbing images she’d conjured earlier, she felt a strange warmth blooming in her chest, and found herself unable to fall asleep.
She couldn’t help but think about the upcoming trip to Capital City. For some reason, she felt the bustling city would be overwhelming. Hadn’t she heard that if you don’t go to Capital City, you wouldn’t know how terrifying the tide of officials could be? The idea of a place she had never visited unnerved her, even instilled a bit of fear.
Very soon, she smacked her head to snap herself out of her worries. She reminded herself that she was a transmigrant. When she first arrived, hadn’t she had no experience here? But she still managed to master the changes, leading her entire family to wealth and a good life. Now, just going to the Capital City could scare her?
"No, I am not returning, I would rather die than go back!" All of a sudden, Jiang Yichun’s voice rang out beside her. Bai Ruozhu, lost in her thoughts, jumped in shock, and almost let out a shriek.
"Since you cast my father and me out, I never want to return for the rest of my life, you might as well give up on your hopes..." Jiang Yichun mumbled on.
Bai Ruozhu was flabbergasted. Was he sleep-talking? Although they hadn’t been together for too long, they had spent quite a few days together. How had she not known he had a habit of talking in his sleep?
"I am not afraid of you, I just do not want to return to the Capital..." He continued speaking, but his tone sounded rather desolate.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but sympathize with him, guessing that his excessive anxiety was causing him to talk in his sleep, with those dreams revealing his current thoughts.
So, she ended up spending half the night listening to Jiang Yichun’s ramblings. It seemed like he had probably spoken more tonight than in the entire month they had been together. Somehow, it made her realize his nature was more talkative and humorous than she had realized before. Quite a few of his stories had her almost bursting into laughter, like the time someone had wet their pants and even got him soaked. It had been years since they had seen that person, and she wondered what had happened to them.
His speech predominantly expressed one feeling—that he did not want to return to the Capital. However, he remembered the people and events he had come into contact with when he was growing up in the city. He did not want to return to the Capital as he was scared of thinking about his parents and even more unwilling to face his cruel grandfather.
So, if Bai Ruozhu were to summarize what he was feeling, he was basically getting cold feet about going home. Only, his cold feet melded nervousness with many other feelings.
The next morning, Bai Ruozhu looked at him grinning from ear to ear, and asked, "Do you remember what you did last night?"
Jiang Yichun looked at her in confusion, and asked, "Did I...did something to you in my sleep?" He started to laugh mischievously.
Bai Ruozhu blushed angrily. It had been him who almost got... Well, if she hadn’t been so considerate and held back as he slept, would he be acting so smug?
"Don’t you remember what you said?" Bai Ruozhu asked, sounding annoyed.
"What?" Jiang Yichun arched his eyebrow; he had no recollection of anything.
"You said you wouldn’t always hold Dengdeng from now on!" Bai Ruozhu decided to stretch the truth a bit. If he knew that he had been complaining all night long, more so than a woman, he would probably be depressed, right?
Men always have their pride. She decided not to expose him. Besides, considering his mental pressure, which was quite substantial, it was not unnecessarily bad for him to have a way to vent.
Another two days passed, and finally, the ship arrived at the shore. Bai Ruozhu breathed a sigh of relief and followed Jiang Yichun onto the land. Even if the official ship was more comfortable than a horse carriage, being cooped up on it every day was enough to drive her mad. Ancient transportation methods were truly a nightmare.
The party entered Luohe City, quickly freshened up, and immediately hired a horse carriage to continue their journey. Little Dengdeng sat in the horse carriage, able to lift the curtain to view the landscape outside. He felt cheerier and occasionally giggled.
"Did I really say that I would hold our son less?" Jiang Yichun asked, a look of gloom on his face. "You’re not pulling my leg, are you?"
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but laugh. She moved Dengdeng into his arms and said, "You, you are what’s known as a ’child slave’!"
"Child slave?" Jiang Yichun didn’t quite understand.
Bai Ruozhu explained the modern term ’child slave’ and its origin to him. Probably due to their different backgrounds, Jiang Yichun didn’t quite grasp the behavior of a modern ’child slave’.
"Enough about that, where are we going to stay after we reach the Capital? Surely we aren’t going to stay at an inn all the time?" Bai Ruozhu asked.
"Wherever you stay, I will too. Don’t forget, I married into your family." Jiang Yichun replied with a cheeky smile.
"..."
Generally, which man would admit that they married into their wife’s family? This man really was one-of-a-kind!
"Well, I will stay at the establishment arranged by the Commerce Association. That way, I can get to know the people at the Capital’s branch of the Commerce Association as quickly as possible." Bai Ruozhu said.
"Sounds good, I have your back."
"Aren’t you the son-in-law?"
Like this, with their playful banter, and after three more days of travel, they finally arrived in Capital City.
Upon seeing the towering city gates of the Capital, Bai Ruozhu felt a sense of unreality. So this was what the Capital was like, with its city gate built so high. No wonder in period dramas, once the city gate was closed, nobody could get in or out, not even if they had superhuman agility.
As soon as they entered the Capital, they went to the Commerce Association intending to find a place to settle down first before wandering around. Of course, Jiang Yichun went directly to the Palace. The trip to the Capital had already been delayed for quite some time. If he didn’t go to see the Emperor as soon as he arrived, it would be considered disrespect to the royal power.
When Bai Ruozhu arrived at the Commerce Association, she showed her identity, indicating that she wanted to stay in the Capital for a while and needed the Association to arrange accommodation for her. The person in charge naturally knew that she was the disciple of an elder, and even a possible future young elder, but when he looked at Bai Ruozhu, there was a touch of disdain in his eyes.