Lin Wanrong led the horse, gesturing to Sida and Xiao Feng. The group headed directly out of the city.
Wan Ying looked at the carriage of the young lady, wanting to call out but hesitated, her face showing a sense of grievance. As Lin Wanrong passed by her, he suddenly smiled at her.
Wan Ying had suffered a lot under him, and when he inexplicably smiled at her, she jumped back in fear, asking, "What do you want?"
Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Just passing by, everyone saw it. Why are you so guilty? Did you do something shameful?"
Wan Ying said, "Did I do something shameful? Am I afraid of you?"
As she spoke, she quickly took two steps back. Lin San was dangerous, and she had suffered several times under him. She needed to keep her distance.
Lin Wanrong smiled and looked her up and down, then suddenly said, "Not bad, you look quite good in this uniform."
Seeing him smile, revealing a neat row of white teeth, Wan Ying inexplicably felt a creepy feeling, as if she were a lamb that had fallen into a wolf's mouth. She had suffered under him several times, and an inexplicable fear arose in her heart. Despite that, she refused to show weakness, and said with surprise and anger, "What are you going to do?"
Lin Wanrong looked at the "female officer" in uniform and said with a smile, "Miss Wan Ying, today's incident is quite interesting. Let's do it again next time."
After saying that, he urged the horse and left. Wan Ying took a few more steps back. She was afraid that she wouldn't forget this incident for a lifetime, and she had no idea what would happen next time.
Lin Wanrong urged the horse to catch up a few steps, and the group left the city. The young lady urged the carriage faster. Lin Wanrong had to use his whip to keep up with her speed.
Beside him, Xiao Feng walked alongside Lin Wanrong and said, "Brother Lin, the way you fought just now, where did you learn it? It seems quite effective."
Lin Wanrong laughed, "I didn't learn from anyone. It's self-taught. Practice makes perfect, and I've become skilled through repeated fights."
The curtains of the carriage moved. It seemed like Xiao Yuruo had heard his words. Lin Wanrong glanced at the carriage and thought, "This young lady, her mood changes too quickly."
The group remained silent, urging the horses to move forward. After two or three hours, around noon, the young lady didn't stop at a small town for a break. Instead, seeing a grove along the road, she ordered a rest and lunch in the woods.
After three hours of travel, Lin Wanrong was quite uncomfortable on horseback. Upon hearing this, he quickly dismounted.
The young lady got off the carriage, and upon seeing Lin Wanrong and Sida and Xiao Feng sitting under a distant tree, she made a sound of disapproval. However, she sat far away with her little maid.
Seeing the young lady's displeased expression, Lin Wanrong asked Sida, "Who is she angry with?"
Sida shook his head, "I don't know, but as soon as the young lady left the city, she seemed unhappy. I don't know what happened."
The bookish Xiao Feng suddenly said, "Brother Lin, perhaps the young lady is angry with you."
"Angry with me?" Lin Wanrong was puzzled. He had given her face today. Why would she be angry with him? But thinking about it, since leaving the city, the young lady seemed to be in a bad mood, and it seemed that it might have something to do with him. This Xiao Feng, usually a blockhead, seemed to have some insight this time.
Lin Wanrong, who had no shame, walked to Xiao Yuruo's side with a smile and said, "Miss, we've been rushing for a few hours. Be careful with your health. You're a girl, and your body can't compare to us strong men."
The young lady turned her head and said to the maid, "Xiao Cui, you and Xiao Feng and Sida go get the food from the carriage, warm it up, and have lunch here at noon."
Sending away the maid, the young lady still turned her head and didn't look at him. Lin Wanrong confirmed that Xiao Yuruo was indeed angry with him. Given the favor she had shown him today, he felt somewhat moved. He took the initiative and said, "Miss, on the way here, you helped me resolve a big trouble. Thank you. That Wan Ying, like a wild little mare, is not easy for an ordinary person to tame."
"Thank me? Thank me for what? Did I resolve that trouble for you?" The young lady's face was cold. "Miss Luo and Governor Luo had already helped you resolve it. You were well-prepared, and what help could I, a young lady of the Xiao family, provide?"
Although the young lady's words had a hint of resentment, they were accurate. She knew that if she hadn't stopped Lin Wanrong today, Wan Ying might have suffered a lot under Lin San. Lin Wanrong said, "I reported to Miss Luo about this yesterday. I am friends with Luo Yuan and Miss Luo, so this matter could naturally be resolved."
The young lady snorted, "With the backing of Governor Luo's son and Miss Luo, can you casually flirt with other young ladies? Even though that girl wanted to kill me, she didn't need you to humiliate her like that. Your methods were too much."
"Too much? I just gave her a lesson. If I didn't have some skills, she would have suffered a lot today. If someone weaker had encountered her, they might have fallen victim to her tricks. I just taught her a lesson, isn't that reasonable?"
"Do you have to put her in that position? It's so embarrassing. It seems like you deliberately took advantage of her," said the young lady, blushing.
Lin Wanrong smirked, "Miss, do I look like someone who takes advantage of others casually? Besides, I'm only interested in women I like."
The young lady blushed even more. She lightly scolded, "You shameless person."
"I'm just telling the truth. I may speak crudely, but my intentions are not crude."
Seeing the young lady blush and not speak, Lin Wanrong sighed lightly, lay back, and looked at the withered branches, lost in thought. "Miss, I really admire you. As a young girl, working hard all day, facing so much hardship, you, a weak girl, can support everyone in the Xiao family. This is something many men can't achieve."
The young lady bit her lip and asked, "What do you mean by admire?"
"I mean, when there's too much pressure, you burden yourself and develop psychological depression."
"What psychological depression?" asked the young lady.
"Let me give you an example. Do you often worry about the Xiao family's business failing, making it difficult to sleep?"
The young lady glanced at him and asked softly, "How do you know?"
"It's easy to guess. Your worries are written all over your face. In fact, your insomnia is a manifestation of excessive psychological pressure. You
must vent your emotions in a timely manner."
"How to vent?" the young lady asked.
"It's simple. When you're tired and exhausted, lock yourself in your room, tie up two sandbags, hit them hard, and scold as much as you want. Since you're alone, you can do whatever you want."
"You're the one who's doing whatever you want," the young lady scolded with a smile. "If I want to hit someone, I'll start with you. You like to bully people the most. I won't feel relieved even if I punch you a hundred times."
The young lady's laughter dispelled her previous depression, and her beautiful face, like the flowers of spring, became charming and alluring.
Lin Wanrong laughed, "By the way, that's how it should be. Laugh more, be more cheerful, and you'll become more beautiful."
"You're asking for it." The young lady scolded him, her face showing a blush with a hint of shyness.
Lin Wanrong sighed and lay back, holding his head and looking at the withered branches. "Miss, do you have any goals in life?"
After chatting with Lin San for a while, the young lady's mood unexpectedly improved. She smiled and said, "My goal is to manage the Xiao family well and make everyone proud of being part of the Xiao family."
"Very noble," Lin Wanrong praised with a thumbs up.
The young lady, also in her youthful years, felt that talking to him was easy and comfortable. She smiled and asked, "What about you, Lin San? Do you have any goals?"
"My life goal?" Lin San grinned and said, "Money and beautiful women!"
The young lady snorted, "Vulgar!"
"Vulgar?" Lin Wanrong smiled. "Alright, let's elevate it a bit. Career and love. Are you satisfied now?"
The young lady, with a smile, glanced at him and said, "I don't believe you! You are so unserious."
"I'm just telling the truth. Rough words, but a refined goal."
Seeing the young lady blushing and not speaking, Lin Wanrong sighed lightly and lay down, looking at the withered branches. "Miss, you don't really understand me. I'll be serious now. Why is it that when I'm most serious, no one believes me?"
"Because you've never been serious," the young lady laughed. "If you want to be serious, you'll be the first one not to believe it."
Lin Wanrong chuckled, "I'm really wronged. Why is it that when I'm most serious, no one believes me?"
The young lady giggled, "Because you've never been serious."
The two chatted for a while, and the distance between them seemed to have shortened. The young lady no longer had a stern face. The maid Xiao Cui brought over a plate of freshly heated pastries, handed them to Lin Wanrong, and said, "Young Master, the young lady said this pastry suits your taste. She's not used to it."
Lin Wanrong, who had just eaten half a piece of pastry, was surprised. Was this enough for her to eat? She had a good figure, didn't she need to diet? This little girl was really easy to take care of!
When the group set off again, the young lady lowered the curtain, and Lin Wanrong couldn't see what she was doing inside.
Lin Wanrong thought about how she had only eaten half of that piece of pastry. He handed the remaining pastries to Xiao Cui and asked her to bring them into the carriage. In a short while, Xiao Cui brought the pastries back exactly as they were, looking embarrassed. She said, "Third Brother, the young lady said this pastry suits your taste. She's not used to it."
The young lady's mood seemed to be changing unpredictably, and Lin Wanrong really couldn't understand. He also didn't intend to understand. Helplessly shaking his head, he flicked the reins and took the lead to rush forward.
Jinling was hundreds of miles away from Hangzhou. In the middle of the journey, they changed horses in a large town. Under the young lady's urging, the group continued forward. By the time they entered Hangzhou, it was already midnight, and everyone was tired.
Hangzhou was more lively and bustling than Jinling. Even though it was late at night, the towers and pavilions were brightly lit, and many inns were still lively.
Lin Wanrong, riding on the horse, felt drowsy and unintentionally raised his head to take a look. On the restaurant beside him, someone sat with their back facing him, a somewhat familiar figure.