Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 676 - 0629: Why Not Walk Together? (2)

Li Xingsheng was feeling irritated and hearing Lou Chengye’s silly question made him even more angry.

He kicked Lou Chengye’s leg, "Shut up!"

Bringing up the wrong topic at the wrong time!

Li Xingsheng stormed to the bed, kicked off his shoes, and climbed up to sleep.

Lou Chengye walked over, "Er, why are you sleeping in my bed instead of going back to your own room? Did you argue with Miss Ling?"

"Don’t mention that woman!" Li Xingsheng said through gritted teeth, turning his back to Lou Chengye, wrapping himself in the blanket, and closing his eyes to sleep.

Regardless of the fact that it’s still August, with cool weather outside and warm inside.

Lou Chengye scratched the back of his head.

Not mentioning Ling Yuezi must mean they quarreled.

"But Er, my bed isn’t wide. If you sleep here, where will I sleep?"

"It’s not freezing cold, find somewhere else to sleep." Li Xingsheng said irritably.

"But there are mosquitoes outside the tent." Lou Chengye pulled at Li Xingsheng, "Er, Miss Ling’s bed frame is wide and big, you should go back and sleep there."

Li Xingsheng moved further inside the bed, making some space for Lou Chengye, "I’m not going, just squeeze in, that’s how we’ll sleep."

Seeing that he refused to move, Lou Chengye gave up, wondering how Ling Yuezi had provoked Li Xingsheng.

Maybe they fought because their lovemaking didn’t work out?

Well, it seems he needs to accommodate Li Yu En in the future, if Li Yu En wants to kiss him, then let her, what’s the big deal.

Li Er really isn’t flexible with things; is it necessary to have separate beds over a small issue?

Lou Chengye couldn’t argue with Li Xingsheng, so he squeezed onto the bed, and the two of them slept cramped together.

.

Ling Yuezi actually wasn’t asleep.

When Li Xingsheng opened the room door and she fell against his leg, she was awakened.

Li Xingsheng carried her to bed, mumbled some words, and she held her breath, quietly listening, pretending to sleep.

After Li Xingsheng left the room with low complaints, she opened her eyes.

She waited for a long time, but Li Xingsheng didn’t come back.

Clearly, Li Xingsheng was quite angry.

Ling Yuezi didn’t know how to explain things to Li Xingsheng properly.

He’s a man, she’s a woman.

They grew up in different environments, their backgrounds are different, he can’t understand her thoughts.

He doesn’t know her circumstances.

Ling Yuezi couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning on the bed, but she didn’t go looking for Li Xingsheng.

Later, when exhaustion finally caught up with her, she gradually fell asleep.

.

The next day, the maid Ah Qing woke up Ling Yuezi.

"Miss?" Ah Qing called from outside the tent.

Ling Yuezi rubbed her eyes, lifted the tent, "Oh, Ah Qing, is it daylight?"

"Miss, Mr. Li slept in Xiao Yezi’s room last night? At dawn, I saw him walking out of Xiao Yezi’s room." Ah Qing looked at Ling Yuezi, puzzled.

Ling Yuezi responded indifferently, "Probably, he went to Xiao Yezi’s room to discuss things. They’ll leave the village after midday."

Ah Qing glanced at her again, lifted the tent to tidy the bed.

The quilt was messier than usual.

Ah Qing was intrigued.

However, Ling Yuezi kept her mouth shut, if she didn’t want to talk, she wouldn’t, so Ah Qing didn’t ask.

But she could guess that something unpleasant had happened between Ling Yuezi and Li Xingsheng.

Though the two of them had a sham marriage with an amicable demeanor, always courteous to each other.

Yet, this morning, one walked out of the guard’s room, and the other unusually slept till the sun climbed above the house before waking.

And Ling Yuezi didn’t look well, it was obvious she hadn’t slept well last night.

Ling Yuezi got out of bed, dressed, and sat in front of the dressing table to comb her hair.

The reflection she saw in the copper mirror shocked her.

She noticed some bite marks on her neck.

Ling Yuezi quickly turned to look, Ah Qing was arranging the bed, she hurriedly pulled up her collar to cover the bite marks.

But as she moved her arms, the neckline still pulled aside.

Ling Yuezi had to find a scarf and tie it around her neck to cover those bite marks.

Ah Qing finished making the bed, turned to assist Ling Yuezi in washing up, and noticed the scarf around her neck, puzzled, "Miss, why are you wearing a scarf in this hot weather?"

"Some mosquitoes got into the tent last night, and my neck was bitten, made a lump, it’s unsightly, better cover it." Ling Yuezi feigned calmness, picking up the comb to tidy her hair.

Ah Qing was even more confused, just now she clearly hadn’t seen a lump; what she saw were...bite marks.

.

Ling Yuezi tidied up and went out to see Li Yuzhu.

In the courtyard of the guest room, she encountered Li Xingsheng.

Li Xingsheng finished talking with Li Yuzhu and turned around to leave.

He looked coldly at Ling Yuezi, ignored her, and brushed past her.

"Li... Mr. Li?" Ling Yuezi called out to his back with an embarrassed face.

Li Xingsheng didn’t turn back, his steps were hurried, and soon he disappeared.

Lou Chengye, who had followed him, greeted Ling Yuezi with a smile, "Good morning, Miss Ling. The young master sleepwalked into my room last night and was troubled by mosquitoes all night, so he didn’t sleep well. He’s heading back to catch up on sleep."

Ling Yuezi didn’t allow Lou Chengye to call her "young mistress," nor did she let Li Yuzhu call her "second sister-in-law." So Lou Chengye and Li Yuzhu, Mu Yuanxiu, had to address her as Miss Ling.

Ling Yuezi awkwardly responded, "Oh."

She turned and walked toward the main room of Li Yuzhu’s guest house.

Ah Qing glanced at the distant Li Xingsheng and followed Ling Yuezi away.

Lou Chengye scratched the back of his head with a puzzled look, wondering what kind of misunderstanding had occurred between them that they walked past each other like strangers so early in the morning.

Li Yuzhu, in the main room, had already seen the two in their emotional turmoil.

Ling Yuezi’s warm face was met with Li Xingsheng’s cold shoulder.

It was the first time her second brother showed a girl a sour face.

Moreover, it was a girl he was fond of.

How unusual.

When he was in the Capital, even when encountering girls he disliked, he would pretend to smile and never acted discourteously enough to be disliked.

Thus, he had a rather good rapport with women.

But today, he directly left Ling Yuezi aside, and didn’t he fear that Ling Yuezi would get mad?

"Miss Ling, please come in and have a seat." Li Yuzhu welcomed Ling Yuezi inside, smoothing things over, "I asked my brother to check on the carriages and horses. He’s an impatient person and walked a bit fast."

The implication was that Li Xingsheng walked quickly, so he didn’t have time to chat with Ling Yuezi, hoping Ling Yuezi wouldn’t mind.

"Mm." Ling Yuezi awkwardly responded, and to cover her embarrassment, she immediately changed the topic, "Third Lady, I have some mountain goods for you. When you return home, you can give them to others, so it won’t be a wasted trip."

She nodded at Ah Qing, "Go to the storeroom and retrieve those pelts for Third Lady."

"Yes, Miss." Ah Qing agreed and went to fetch the items.

Li Yuzhu smiled and said, "Miss Ling, no need for such courtesy. Didn’t you already give me a box of golden beads? Why send more items?"

"That was my adoptive father’s consultation fee, and this is my own good intention." Ling Yuezi pressed Li Yuzhu’s hand, "I am a rustic girl with nothing of value on me, only some pelts. I hope you won’t disdain them, Third Lady."

Li Yuzhu looked at her, "Miss Ling, why don’t you leave with my second brother?"

Ling Yuezi appeared slightly startled, she awkwardly smiled, "Third Lady, the reason... please ask your second brother. I have some matters and can’t leave the village."

"Miss Ling, do you disdain my second brother?" Li Yuzhu looked into her eyes and asked.

Ling Yuezi’s face became even more awkward, "Third Lady, there are certain matters you don’t understand, and you needn’t ask further."

Li Yuzhu nodded, "Alright then, everyone has their own aspirations, I won’t ask."

Ah Qing returned, along with Ah Lan, each holding a pile of animal pelts.

There were deer hides, tiger skins, and some muntjac pelts.

Several assorted furs, eight in total.

The two girls were exhausted and sweating after carrying them all the way.

Ling Yuezi mentioned that Zhen An Prefecture was in the south, and Feihu Village was even more southern, winters were short and not cold there, so Ling Yuezi had no use for these furs. Li Yuzhu, who would be going elsewhere later, would surely find them useful.

She insisted that Li Yuzhu accept them.

Unable to resist the generosity, Li Yuzhu had to accept them.

.

The lunch was personally arranged by the Big Master, and it was a sumptuous meal.

He raised his wine cup to see off Li Xingsheng and his siblings.

During the feast, the Big Master asked Ling Yuezi to pour wine for Li Xingsheng.

However, Li Xingsheng claimed his alcohol tolerance was low and that he couldn’t drink any more. Facing the wine Lady Ling poured, he didn’t even take a sip.

Not only that, he didn’t spare a glance at Ling Yuezi.

The Big Master looked at Li Xingsheng, then at Ling Yuezi, hesitated to speak.

The farewell banquet ended in an awkward atmosphere.

Outside the village gate, Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu’s mule cart was parked.

The luggage of Li Xingsheng, Lou Chengye, and theirs had all been loaded onto the cart; the pelts sent by Ling Yuezi were also piled in the corner, along with the box of pearls there too.

Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu, after bidding farewell to Ling Yuezi and the Big Master, boarded the mule cart for their journey.

Li Xingsheng rode a horse, Lou Chengye rode a donkey, following the mule cart from behind.

After bidding farewell to the Big Master, Li Xingsheng waved his hand, whipped his horse, and rode away.

He didn’t acknowledge Ling Yuezi.

Ling Yuezi bit her lip and didn’t call out to Li Xingsheng.

Yet, in her eyes, there was a deep sense of loss and reluctance.

Lou Chengye sighed, unsure of what to say, and drove his donkey after Li Xingsheng.

After they had left, Ling Yuezi went over to support the Big Master, "Adoptive Father, they have gone, let us return to the village."

The Big Master looked at her, "Why didn’t you go with Mr. Li?"