Miao Cui Lan could not help walking towards Lin Fang and demanding, “How many people were on that ship? When did it sink? Do, do you know when it happened?”
Lin Fang regretted breaking the news to them. He should have gotten a clearer picture of what happened before telling them about it. Now, he only had half of the story and he had gotten Aunt Lu worried. At the same time, he was worried that Xiao Shu would hate him for the news he brought.
“It was the afternoon five days ago. Don’t worry, auntie. I’ll send more men out to continue searching. Once we get any news, I’ll inform you immediately.”
Miao Cui Lan nodded and forced a smile, “Thank you so much. You’re very considerate.”
“It’s nothing! It’s what I should do.” Lin Fang smiled politely.
Lu Xiao Shu watched her mother with worried eyes before turning to Lin Fang, “Thank you for today. You should go home. I won’t be keeping you here.”
Unsurprisingly, she was mad at Lin Fang just as he thought. Doesn’t he know that this kind of half clear news would only bring trouble to others? Who on earth gets information like he does? Gosh, and I thought we agreed to meet at the river. Why did he have to come blabbering to everyone? If anything happens to my mother, let’s see if I wouldn’t ignore you in the future!
Lin Fang felt that it was not suitable for him to linger around any longer, so he nodded with a polite smile, “Alright. Then, I, I will be on my way. I’ll send more news once I’ve gotten them!” His words came out in an awkward stammer as he left in a hurry with Cricket.
“Mother, let’s go home!” Lu Xiao Shu helped Miao Cui Lan back.
Just as they entered the courtyard, Miao Cui Lan’s legs went jelly as she staggered and held onto the door frame, tears streaming down her face.
“Mother! You mustn’t be this way! Father will be fine!” Lu Xiao Shu cried in shock. She pouted, nearly crying too.
“Good girl.” Miao Cui Lan embraced her in a hug and hiccuped.
“Cui Lan! What’s wrong?” Tong Yu Er and Miao Chu He were flabbergasted as they rushed forward to help her up.
Miao Cui Lan could not stop herself from weeping as she covered her face with her hands, “I knew it! I knew that something must have happened to him! He would never, never do anything like this!”
“Cui Lan! There’s no need to cry. Just tell us what happened.” Miao Chu He patted her shoulders gently.
“Cui Lan, we should get into the house.” Being a woman herself, Tong Yu Er could sense roughly what the problem was.
The two helped Miao Cui Lan into the house as Lu Xiao Shu followed them with red-rimmed eyes. Meanwhile, Xiao Xue was coincidentally at home. She was stunned as well when she saw them. Immediately, she rushed to prepare some tea for her mother.
Miao Cui Lan felt better after having a couple of sips of tea. She explained while holding her tears back, “Just now, Lin Fang came to our place and told us that five days ago, there was a ship that sank at Qi Lin Lake. I, I—”
Before she could finish, the words were stuck on her lips. Her tears fell like fallen beads, rolling down on her cheeks continuously. She lowered her head as her shoulders shook and trembled.
She might look tough and aggressive since she was the one who got to call the shots in the family, but that was only the surface! The pillar of the family was her husband. It always had been her husband!
Back then when she had nowhere to go, he was the only one who showed her pity and took her in. He cared for her ever since and he was the only one who could put up to her short temper.
She had never imagined that one day, she would lose him.
Miao Cui Lan felt a sharp pain in her heart as she wailed.
As she cried, Xiao Xue was the first one who could not hold back anymore. She flung herself onto her mother and started crying as well.
Miao Chu He and Tong Yu Er exchanged shocked glances as cold sweat covered their bodies.
The most dreadful thing that could happen in a person’s life was sudden tragedies like this. It would not only break a person’s heart, but it would also make them very sorrowful.
The two did not know how to console Miao Cui Lan. They just stood there and watched helplessly.
Lu Xiao Shu did not throw herself at Miao Cui Lan. She merely sat on a stool and kept wiping her tears with her sleeves as she sobbed. She had already scolded Lin Fang, who could not get anything right countless times, in her mind.
“Cui Lan, the news isn’t confirmed yet, right? There’s no confirmation that Lu Zhong boarded that ship! Cui Lan, don’t be like this.” Miao Chu He gently patted Miao Cui Lan’s shoulders, “I’ll rush to Qi Lin Lake first thing tomorrow to ask around. Who knew if I could meet him on the way there!”
Miao Cui Lan raised her head and rubbed her eyes, “Yes, yes! We can’t wait for him here at home! We have to go ask for leads at Qi Lin Lake! No matter what, I must, I must bring. Him. Back!”
Miao Cui Lan’s nose was runny and tears kept welling up in her eyes.
“Cui Lan, you should stay positive. You and Lu Zhong have been such great and kind people! You’ll definitely get good returns!” Tong Yu Er thought about the time they helped her out during her marriage to Miao Chu He. She could not help feeling saddened by this happening as she said, “Not to mention that we don’t know whether the ship was heading to or coming from Yu District. Now that we don’t have the whole picture yet, you shouldn’t torture yourself like this. It would be a waste of your energy. When Lu Zhong comes back and sees you like this, won’t he feel sad?
“She’s right. Cui Lan, get a grip and don’t worry too much about it. I’ll head there first thing in the morning.” Miao Chu He added.
Miao Cui Lan raised her head and took a deep breath as she spoke hoarsely, “Alright, I’m fine! You don’t have to worry about me too much too. I’ll head over with Chu He tomorrow because I won’t stop worrying unless I go there myself!”
Miao Chu He and Tong Yu Er exchanged glances. Knowing that there was no way to refuse her, Miao Chu He could only smile, “That works too. We’ll begin our journey at first light. Since Yu Er will be staying at home, nothing will happen here.”
“Okay,” Miao Cui Lan glances at them, feeling a little better.
“Mother, I want to go too! I want to look for Father!” Xiao Xue sniffled with teary eyes.
Miao Cui Lan tenderly wiped away the tears on her face before turning to Lu Xiao Shu. Thinking of her three respectful and thoughtful children, she could not help feeling overwhelmed again as she patted her daughter’s hands and said gently, “My dear, you should stay at home with your auntie and be a good girl. Make sure your sister doesn’t go causing trouble too. Mother will bring your father back very soon!”
Miao Cui Lan looked at Xiao Shu, knowing that her daughter had grown up so suddenly, she felt distressed because of it.
The atmosphere at home had suddenly grown solemn. No one had a smile on their face and one could hear the worry in their voices.
Jin Er could feel the atmosphere too. His dark eyes kept turning and watching everything, yet he was not as active as any other day.
Miao Cui Lan was mentally exhausted, so Tong Yu Er advised her to rest in her room.
Watching her mother’s condition, Lu Xiao Shu gave it a thought and decided that there was no need to wait for tomorrow. Thus, she left a letter and sneaked out of the house and headed to the city.
By carriage, she would arrive at Qi Lin Lake before dawn on the next day.
Lu Xiao Shu arrived at the city and as she was just about to call for a carriage, she saw Lin Fang calling out, “ Xiao Shu! Xiao Shu!” He came panting from behind her.
Lu Xiao Shu was frustrated and she cursed, saying that he was like a spirit who refused to leave. She did not turn around to wait for him, but instead, she hastened her steps.
Now, she was extremely frustrated with Lin Fang. She was not surprised that a Young Master who grew up in a rich family could not even get a simple thing right. It was a waste of her time to befriend him.
How could he bring news so irresponsibly? Did he not know that incomplete information could get others into trouble?
Even though she knew that she should not blame Lin Fang for it, she was still very, very angry at the whole mess!
Just as he returned from Feng Ye Village, Lin Fang hurriedly ordered some men to inquire for more information. When he remembered how Lu Xiao Shu glared at him grudgingly before they parted, his mood took a sour turn. Thus, he came out to take a walk since he grew more irritable by the moment at home.
Unexpectedly, Cricket kept patting his shoulder continuously and annoyingly. He was just about to get angry at him, but as he followed the direction of Cricket’s finger, he saw Lu Xiao Shu’s silhouette weaving through the crowd. He was shocked and gleeful at the same time, chasing after her and calling her name.
He noticed at once that Lu Xiao Shu was ignoring him, but how could he bear to let her go so easily? He rushed forward to block her way as he panted heavily, “Xiao Shu! How did you end up here?”
“I’ve something to do!” Lu Xiao Shu did not even look at him before escaping and walking briskly away.
“Xiao Shu!” Lin Fang urgently pulled on her sleeves and said pitifully, “Xiao Shu, are you mad at me?”
“No, I’m not!” Lu Xiao Shu said calmly, “Why would I be mad at you?”
“But—” Lin Fang was momentarily speechless, but he smiled, “If you need anything, I can help—”
“There’s no need!” Lu Xiao Shu pouted, “It’s better if you just mind your own business.” And give me less problems.
“… Xiao Shu, you really are angry.” Lin Fang forced an awkward smile, “I know that it’s my fault. I, I was just feeling too anxious and I thought that I shouldn’t hide something as big as that from you. That was why, why I told you about it! Xiao Shu, please stop being angry at me. I promise that I would never do that again!”
“He’s right, Lady Lu! My Young Master did it in consideration of you! Think about it. What’s already happened, has happened. It isn’t like if my Young Master did not tell you the news, it would not happen… erm… just ignore what I said!”
Cricket did not dare to finish his words when he saw the two of them glaring at him menacingly. He shrunk his head and lowered his voice.
Lu Xiao Shu’s face slowly returned to normal, but she still grumbled to Lin Fang grudgingly, “You had my mother in a terrible shock!”
“I didn’t know she could’ve heard us…” Lin Fang explained, “I should’ve waited for you at the river in the forest. I, I was just too worried, that was why I rushed to meet you. Oh right, why are you here?”
Lin Fang looked up at the sky. The sun was just setting in the West.
Lu Xiao Shu answered, “To look for my father, of course! How could I stay another second at home?”
“You can’t do that!” Lin Fang’s expression changed immediately after she finished. He said hastily, “That’s very dangerous! You can’t go there! You’re a girl who don’t know the way—”
“Why do I need to know the way?” Lu Xiao Shu pouted, “Wouldn’t it be fine if I just rent a carriage? Anyway, I can afford it, so what’s the problem with that?”
“But it’s dangerous!”
This would be a smaller problem for her. Lu Xiao Shu scoffed, “If anyone dares to give me any trouble, let them come at me. I’ll give them a lesson so badly that their parents wouldn’t be able to recognise them anymore! Alright, I should stop chatting with you, I— I won’t blame you anymore, and you need to stop following me. I need to rush to get a carriage before it’s too late!”
“Wait!” Lin Fang hurriedly blocked her way, “I’ll send you there. I’ll go with you!”
