Chu Qing did not dare to delay and quickly went to find Feng Jin, informing her of the entire incident.
"Young Madam, will what I said be alright? What if Granny Sun doesn't believe me?"
"What you said is very good. Granny Sun will believe it."
Granny Sun was suspicious by nature. If Chu Qing had answered too confidently, she would have been even more suspicious. However, with such an ambiguous and vague answer, she was more likely to believe it.
"Really?"
Chu Qing's tone carried a hint of surprise. She had thought she had said the wrong thing, but to her surprise, she was even praised by Feng Jin. This made the smile on her lips deepen.
With this success, she felt instantly confident. With the first success, she would know how to handle future interactions.
"However, in the future, you still need to be careful when interacting with people dispatched by Granny Sun."
"I will remember that."
"Alright, you can go rest now. You don't need to attend to me here."
"But Young Madam, in the past, the mistresses in the palace always had palace maids guarding outside. Why don't I stay outside and guard, so you can sleep more peacefully, and I can attend to you at night?"
"I have hands and feet, and I can manage anything I need at night myself. You don't need to attend to me. You've also been traveling all day, so go get some rest quickly."
Feng Jin tried to dismiss Chu Qing. It was true that in ancient times, people were treated with such disparity, with clear distinctions between ranks, as if they were not considered human.
"Chu Qing, go back."
Sensing the hesitation in Chu Qing's eyes, Feng Jin urged her to leave again. She also truly disliked having someone guard outside when she slept, as it always made her feel like she was being watched.
"Then I will take my leave. Young Madam, if you need anything, please be sure to call for me."
"I know. You can go now."
Feng Jin nodded in agreement, and after some persuasion, she finally managed to send Chu Qing away.
Feng Jin had just sat down and hadn't even had time to take a sip of water when she heard the sound of a door opening behind her. She thought it was Chu Qing returning.
"I told you, I don't need your service here. Go back..."
As she turned around, she saw that it was Ling Mo Han.
"Why did you come back so early?"
Normally, Ling Mo Han would never have returned at this hour. The contrast today made Feng Jin suspect that something must have happened.
"Did you encounter another difficult situation?"
"Can't you wish me well? Do you feel uneasy if I don't encounter any trouble in a day?"
He had just entered and had not even sat down, yet Feng Jin launched into this.
She truly did not wish him well. Did he only return so early because something had happened? She really didn't know what went on in Feng Jin's little head.
"I'm just worried about you. If I wasn't worried, why would I ask you these things? Don't you agree?"
"If your worry is to ask me if something has happened, then I would rather you not worry about me."
Ling Mo Han sighed, feeling truly helpless when it came to Feng Jin.
"You're really taking kindness for foolishness. Then I won't care about you anymore."
Truly unappreciative of kindness, Feng Jin glared at Ling Mo Han fiercely and, with impatience, brushed past him, sprawling onto the bed.
This bed was really quite hard. After sleeping on it, she would surely have a sore back tomorrow morning.
She really missed her bed at home. It had been at least half a month since she left home, and she was truly missing it.
"Ling Mo Han, how many more days until we reach the capital?"
She now somewhat regretted traveling with Ling Mo Han. If she had stayed in the capital, she could have gone shopping every day, or met up with friends for afternoon tea. Now, she could only spend her days in the carriage.
Thinking about the hardships she had endured these past few days made her feel truly miserable.
"Another two or three days."
If there were no unexpected delays, it would take two or three days to reach the capital under normal circumstances. If there were further delays on the road, then it would be uncertain.
"So long!"
Feng Jin slumped onto the bed like a deflated ball, listless.
When would they finally reach the capital? She missed the listless life in the capital so much; that was truly living.
Her current life was simply enduring suffering. She truly suspected that this journey was meant for her to undergo trials and tribulations.
"We've been delayed quite a bit on this journey. If you had listened to me earlier and killed them all, we would have reached the capital by now, and there wouldn't be so much trouble."
Ling Mo Han still felt that Feng Jin's method was a waste of time. If she had listened to him, it would have been much simpler, and she wouldn't be so vexed about these matters now.
"The matter has come to this. It's already a done deal. Whatever you say now is too late, and you can only listen to me."
Feng Jin retorted unceremoniously. So much time had passed, and it was already set in stone. Saying anything more now would be futile, just plain nonsense.
Paying no mind to Ling Mo Han's words, Feng Jin threw open the covers and lay down.
"You continue to worry about these things. I'm going to sleep now."
With that, Feng Jin adjusted herself to a comfortable position. Although the bed was not as good as the one at home, she was not that picky when traveling and decided to make do.
Ling Mo Han sighed helplessly. Indeed, it was now a fait accompli. No matter what he wanted to do, it was too late. Now, he could only proceed according to Feng Jin's plan.
After a moment's pause, Ling Mo Han lay down on the bed. By then, Feng Jin was already fast asleep, not even aware of Ling Mo Han lying beside her. The man reached out, pulled the sleeping young woman into his embrace, and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, when Feng Jin woke up, the space beside her was already cold. Ling Mo Han was nowhere to be seen.
What time was it already? He had disappeared so early. He must be extremely busy.
Feng Jin took a moment to compose herself before getting up to wash. She was still wearing the clothes from yesterday. Since they were rushing to travel, they didn't even have time to change clothes, so she had to make do.
Once they reached the capital, she would be able to end this苦日子 (kǔ rì zi - bitter days). A beautiful life was beckoning her.
With this thought in mind, Feng Jin's mood improved significantly throughout the day. The smile on her lips never faded.
"Young Madam, did you encounter something good today? You seem so happy?"
Cai Qing had not seen Feng Jin smile so happily in a long time and leaned closer to ask.
"We're about to reach the capital, and I won't have to sit in this cramped carriage all day. Aren't you happy?"
"I am naturally happy. The capital is indeed better."