“Shu Rui.”
Lu Ling hurried upstairs, finding him leaning against the wall, unseated, eyes fixed on a spot.
Seeing him so, Lu Ling’s heart ached. He poured a cup of warm water and carefully guided Shu Rui to the table. “It’s alright. I’m here.”
Shu Rui steadied himself slightly, holding Lu Ling’s hand. “How… did she speak? Did she say anything?”
“No. She went back to her room herself, seemingly too timid to raise a fuss.”
Lu Ling knew this woman must have been familiar to Shu Rui but did not know who she was. “What’s your connection to her?”
“She was my aunt’s housekeeper at the Bai household for many years,” Shu Rui explained. “She’s recognized me. I just don’t know if she’ll cause trouble.”
When he first arrived at Chao Xi estate, he feared discovery by the Bai family. He would dream of it frequently, waking in cold sweat. Only after being with Lu Ling and following a clear path with the Lu family did he slowly find peace. This year, he rarely dreamt of the Bai family at all.
Now, with Uncle Lu preparing to return home and matters at the Bai household unresolved, this unexpected encounter startled him.
Shu Rui was usually calm, but unexpectedly running into Li Mama and having her recognize him naturally caused alarm.
Lu Ling, knowing Shu Rui’s longstanding fear of the Bai family finding him, held him close protectively. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here, and your family will back you.”
“If that woman dares to cause trouble here, I’ll handle her without mercy,” Lu Ling added.
Shu Rui looked at him, seeing the cold resolve in his eyes, and shivered. He knew Lu Ling meant business; any confrontation could be dangerous.
He quickly pulled him back. “No. Li Mama did not come here to find me. Qing’er said she came to Chao Xi estate for a funeral. Her mother remarried and lives here. She’s likely buying things for her mother. Running into me is just coincidence. The agent brought her to the inn.”
Indeed, in the city, agents busily secured guests, so it was unsurprising she ended up at their inn.
“If she behaves, we act as if we never met. If she seeks me out, there are other ways to handle it.”
Lu Ling scolded himself inwardly for frightening Shu Rui. “She’ll probably tell your aunt about seeing you.”
Shu Rui nodded. “I know. But now that we’ve run into her, we can’t ignore it. If she’s coerced or tempted, she may say anything. For now, I haven’t admitted I’m the person she recognizes. Tomorrow, we’ll see and keep our distance.”
As Shu Rui suspected, Li Mama, fearful and anxious, could not sleep at the inn. At dawn, she packed her things and checked out.
Not seeing Shu Rui, she encountered Lu Ling instead. Head down, eyes lowered, she quietly withdrew her deposit and left, afraid of being detained.
Only after leaving the inn did she feel a sense of relief.
She considered inquiring about Shu Rui in the area but, remembering the innkeeper had other businesses and property in town, feared asking around might bring trouble. She abandoned the idea.
Her mind no longer on purchasing gifts for the Jiang family or her second brother, she quickly bought a few items unavailable locally, hired a carriage, and returned to Jizhou.
After five or six days of travel, Li Mama arrived at the Bai household.
For Bai Dalang’s convenience working at the county office, the Bai family had secured a city residence and relocated the entire family, living in a grand house, showing their status.
“Returned so quickly? Brought so few things, and spent a lot of silver on this old woman, only bringing back these few items to impress?” Jiang Shi exclaimed, displeased at seeing only three trunks.
“My dear, do you know what happened to me this time at Chao Xi estate?”
Li Mama assumed that Jiang Shi would have already learned she had encountered someone at Chao Xi estate, so she skipped the minor details and went straight to the main point.
Jiang Shi, seeing Li Mama so agitated, thought: at her age, still fussing over such things! She said irritably, “What could possibly happen with you, old woman? If the errands weren’t done properly, we’ll see what excuses you make.”
Li Mama stopped pretense and said plainly, “I ran into Brother Rui at Chao Xi estate!”
“Who?”
Jiang Shi’s expression changed immediately. She had been leisurely leaning against the cushion, but now she stopped fanning herself and sat upright. “Say that again—who?!”
“He’s our cousin, Ji Shu Rui!”
Li Mama continued, “I left my mother and took a boat to the city. As soon as I disembarked, an agent guided me to a small inn. When I opened the door, the boy delivering the soup was none other than Brother Rui who had run away from our family!”
Jiang Shi, skeptical, asked, “Are you certain your eyes saw clearly?”
“How dare I joke about such a thing? Over the past year, you fretted so much over him. I would not make light of this to amuse myself.”
Li Mama recounted everything that happened at the inn in detail.
“I don’t know if Brother Rui was ashamed or afraid of the innkeeper and therefore kept quiet. In any case, he looked pitiful. His face was darker, pockmarked, and he was crouching at our feet cleaning the spilled soup, while the innkeeper’s expression was as cold as if he’d stepped out of an ice cellar.”
Hearing this, Jiang Shi’s disbelief turned to certainty. If it hadn’t been that little brat, why would he have been so shocked and frightened by Li Mama?
“I suspected where he might have gone—his short-lived parents were at Chao Xi estate. I never imagined he could manage to run off to such a distant place!”
Jiang Shi’s tone turned cold. “According to what you said, that little brat was probably imprisoned by that fierce innkeeper, made to work like a laborer. Just desserts! Back then, he ran off secretly, nearly costing Dalang his position, and poor Erge ended up marrying into the Li family. I was furious; it almost severed our mother-son bond.”
“That brat enduring a hundred miseries outside still wouldn’t repay the debts he owes at home!”
The resentment Jiang Shi had harbored all year found release upon learning of Shu Rui’s circumstances.
Li Mama stepped closer to ease her temper. “The innkeeper is truly fierce. I heard he’s trained in martial arts. Just looking at him is intimidating, and he carries a large sword. I shivered just watching him.”
“Brother Rui is clever. With that temperament, he likely tried to escape but couldn’t. When I saw him that day, he was terrified. The innkeeper said one thing, he dared not say another.”
Jiang Shi loved hearing this. “Not killed him, and he still has some use doing work.”
Still dissatisfied, she shook her head. Li Mama asked cautiously, “Madam, now that we know Brother Rui’s whereabouts, should we bring him back?”
Jiang Shi cast a cold glance at Li Mama. “Bring him back? I’d rather he rot outside. Ungrateful brat—fed and spoiled these years, and now his wings are grown. Let him endure hardships there, made to serve like a servant. That’s where he belongs.”
Li Mama knew Jiang Shi’s resentment ran deep and said nothing. Jiang Shi continued, interrogating her until Li Mama’s mouth went dry, before finally allowing her to rest.
Though Jiang Shi still felt unsettled, she considered: now that the brat’s location was known, how could he be made to suffer a bit more?
Before a conclusion could be reached, Bai Dalang returned home from work. Excited and enraged upon learning of Shu Rui, Jiang Shi could not contain herself and recounted the story to him.
“Why didn’t Li Mama bring Brother Rui back? Seeing him after so long and not caring to manage it—why leave him behind?”
Bai Dalang, hearing the news, was somewhat angry. “Where is that old woman? I’ll have her bring him here so I can ask him myself.”
Seeing her son’s attitude, Jiang Shi retorted, “Traitor! Why bring him back? Hasn’t he already suffered enough?”
“That’s past. Erge lives well in the Wu family. If Shu Rui isn’t fortunate enough to marry into the Wu household, it’s fine.”
Bai Dalang’s tone was magnanimous, as befitting the head of the family. “Now that we know where he is, he should be brought back. No matter his mistakes, as long as he understands and repents, it’s enough. Later, we can arrange a proper marriage. After all, he’s a child raised by the Bai family. Leaving him to drift outside is unacceptable.”
Jiang Shi nearly fainted in anger. “You! Planning for that ungrateful brat—have you forgotten last year’s hardships?”
“Brother Rui is handsome and talented—an ideal match for a government family. Madam’s short-sightedness aside, bringing him back and arranging a suitable official match, with my position in the county office, he will surely learn gratitude.”
Bai Dalang continued, “The county magistrate Wang, though plain-looking, is learned. Widowed long ago and now near fifty, with no children, he recently asked me to act as a matchmaker. Shu Rui, talented since childhood, would be suitable.”
Jiang Shi pictured the unattractive Wang, small-eyed, big-nosed, sour-tempered. But his position surpassed Dalang’s—he was Dalang’s superior. Capturing his favor would smooth Dalang’s future.
With this reasoning, her anger cooled. Forcing the brat to suffer outside was satisfying, but ultimately useless. Bringing him back to serve in a proper position benefited the family—better than raising him in vain.
She changed her tone. “You’re right. As a senior, I can only vent my anger on Shu Rui, not truly let him suffer outside.”
“But now he’s held by a fierce innkeeper. Bringing him back won’t be cheap; we’ll need money.”
Bai Dalang said, “Money isn’t an issue. My second brother has plenty, and recently I helped him with business. He’ll be glad to assist.”
Jiang Shi nodded. “Then I’ll make arrangements.”