Chu Chu immediately widened her eyes. "Why?"
"We'll talk about that later... Let's pack first. We'll set off as soon as it gets dark."
"Why leave at night?"
"For secrecy and speed. No one can know until we reach the northern frontier military camp."
"Wang Ye, what... what exactly are we going to do?"
"Catch ghosts."
☆ 66 Roasted Whole Lamb (2)
Chu Chu's eyes became perfectly round. "Catch ghosts?"
Xiao Jin Yu tried hard to find any trace of fear in those eyes. If he could find even a little, he would have a way to make her obediently stay in Chu Shui Town. Unfortunately, all he found was excitement and curiosity.
"I've never seen a live ghost before!"
"..."
"No, no... Ghosts are already dead to begin with."
"..."
"That's not right either—how could ghosts die?"
"..."
"I'm all confused now! Wang Ye, is the ghost you want to catch dead or alive?"
"I don't know much about it either... We'll find out when we reach the northern frontier."
Chu Chu turned to leave. "I need to tell Grandma. She was planning to make fish soup for you tonight."
"I'll go tell her... You're not good at lying."
"Even Grandma needs to be lied to?"
"This matter is too important—it must be this way... I'll apologize to Grandma properly later."
"Okay, Grandma definitely won't blame you."
"Hmm..."
Grandma Chu looked at Xiao Jin Yu in surprise. "You just got married yesterday, why are you leaving already?"
Though Xiao Jin Yu claimed he would lie, what he actually said was all truth—just not the complete truth.
"I've been urgently summoned to the capital to handle some official business. It's rather complicated, so I must depart immediately... I apologize for any breach of etiquette."
Lying completely to Grandma Chu would have made him feel uneasy.
"It's not about etiquette..." Grandma Chu looked worriedly at Xiao Jin Yu's still pale complexion. "You haven't fully recovered yet, and now you're going to travel by carriage... Are you taking a carriage back to the capital?"
"It's farther than that..."
"Farther than the capital?"
"Liangzhou."
Seeing how startled Grandma Chu looked, Xiao Jin Yu quickly added, "If you're worried about Chu Chu, she can stay here... I'll come back for her as soon as I finish my business."
Grandma Chu paused slightly, then waved her hand with a smile. "Silly child, how can husband and wife live separately?... Liangzhou is such a desolate and cold place. That Chu girl might not be much help to you, but at least you'll have hot meals..." Grandma Chu reached out and gently patted the back of Xiao Jin Yu's head. "You need to take care of your health. If your body fails, then nothing else matters."
Xiao Jin Yu nodded slightly. "I'll remember that, Elder."
Grandma Chu sighed softly and nodded. "Alright then... I'll have a word with that Chu girl, tell her to be more attentive."
"Grandma," Xiao Jin Yu called out in a deep voice as she turned to leave the kitchen, "there's something I'd like to ask you... Please forgive me if this offends you."
"Child, you're already married, why so formal... Go ahead, what do you want to know?"
"May I ask, Elder, who presided over your maiden family's case back in the capital back then?"
Grandma Chu's smile froze. "You... why are you asking about that?"
"As long as the case records still exist, it won't be difficult to investigate and punish those corrupt officials who treated human life as worthless."Grandma Chu was stunned for a moment, then let out a long sigh and waved her hand. "Forget it, it's been decades... I appreciate the sentiment."
"Might I ask your maiden name, Grandma?"
"It's He, the character with 'person' and 'possible'."
"Thank you, Grandma."
As soon as Xiao Jin Yu mentioned leaving on official business, all three men of the Chu family nodded readily. Before their nighttime departure, Grandpa Chu brought Xiao Jin Yu several jars of prepared medicated wine, while Grandma Chu stuffed their bags with plenty of homemade cured meat and dried fish.
Only when they actually set out did Chu Chu understand what it meant to travel in haste.
For four consecutive days, the carriage only stopped briefly during meals, racing along at full speed the rest of the time.
On the fifth day, when they reached a desolate wilderness area, the two guards were replaced by eight guards, and the two nearly exhausted horses were swapped out.
Besides Zizhu County, Chu Chu had only been to the capital. She had only heard of places like the Northern Desert a few times before, mostly when uncles and elders in town mentioned them casually while discussing war stories. All she remembered was that it was an extremely cold place.
Chu Chu very much wanted to ask Xiao Jin Yu, but he had long been unable to endure the jolting of the carriage. From the second day onward, he could only lie in bed suffering bitterly, vomiting severely whenever he ate anything. Yet he had to eat, making even meals a form of torture.
As they approached Liangzhou territory, Chu Chu was feeding him medicine one evening. Xiao Jin Yu struggled with great difficulty to swallow it, but before he could finish the bowl, everything he had drunk earlier came back up. His stomach cramped painfully, and sweat poured from him like rain.
Chu Chu's heart ached terribly. Supporting him, she placed her hand on his stomach and carefully massaged and warmed it. "Wang Ye, let the carriage stop for a while... just a little while."
Xiao Jin Yu shook his head slightly, forcing a faint smile. "It's alright... I drank too quickly..."
Chu Chu blinked, putting on a pitiful expression. "Wang Ye, I'm feeling uncomfortable from sitting too long. If we don't stop soon, I won't be able to eat either."
Xiao Jin Yu could see right through the girl's intentions, but he still couldn't help worrying. Frowning slightly, he said, "If you don't want to ride in the carriage anymore, tomorrow I'll have Jing Yi take you horseback riding..."
Chu Chu threw herself into his arms, clinging to his weakened body as fiercely as a crab that had just caught its prey. "No! I want to stay with you!"
Xiao Jin Yu raised his hand to gently stroke her hair. He hadn't wanted her to come along precisely because he knew he wouldn't be able to withstand such rough travel. No matter how careful they were, he would inevitably fall gravely ill. Xiao Jin Yu wasn't afraid of being sick, but he dreaded seeing her so worried, fearful, and cautious. Every time he saw her like this, he wished he could swallow all the medicine in the world at once and recover immediately.
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