PFC Chapter 440 Come to the door
Chapter 440 Come to the door
Chapter 440
Luo Shuiyao opened the curtains and saw three galloping horses chasing after them amidst a cloud of dust. Guard Chang Yu reined in his horse abruptly, forcing the carriage to a halt. The remaining guards, weapons in hand, fanned out on their horses, their gazes fixed warily on the rear, as if facing a formidable enemy.
When they saw the official crest on the visitor's clothes, everyone's tense expressions relaxed.
"County Magistrate Qin!" someone blurted out.
Upon hearing this, Luo Shuiyao lifted her skirt slightly and stepped out of the carriage. Following the sound, she saw Qin Chuan, dressed in an indigo official robe, sitting upright on his horse. Two yamen runners were following behind him. Judging from their hurried appearance, they were clearly on an important business trip and had come along for the ride.
When Qin Chuan saw Luo Shuiyao's figure, a barely perceptible look of joy flashed in his eyes, and he immediately jumped off his horse.
Luo Shuiyao also stepped forward upon seeing this, bowing and saying, "Sir, County Magistrate, what are you doing...?"
Although Luo Shuiyao could guess that Qin Chuan must have gotten the news from somewhere and came to see her off, if she rashly revealed it, it would inevitably appear to be presumptuous and frivolous.
Before he finished speaking, Qin Chuan raised his hand to support her lightly, his eyes swept over the people behind her who were ready to go, and finally fell on Luo Shuiyao's face.
He cleared his throat and said as if to explain, "I was about to leave the city for some official business, and I happened to hear that you were leaving today. Since we are acquaintances, I wonder if Miss Luo would mind if Qin and you go together?"
Since she had made things clear yesterday, Luo Shuiyao felt a little uneasy. But since they had already reached an alliance, they would have to work together from now on. They couldn't deliberately distance themselves from each other because of this subtle emotion.
She secretly suppressed her embarrassment, put on a proper smile, and nodded, "I don't mind. In that case, thank you very much, County Magistrate."
Hearing her agreement, Qin Chuan's heart finally settled. Although he'd known Luo Shuiyao was in love and had come prepared for a polite refusal, his palms still broke out in sweat when he finally opened his mouth to invite her. He did have official business out of town today, but he had originally planned to leave after lunch. It wasn't until he heard from the yamen runners that Luo Shuiyao was about to leave that he hurriedly put aside his duties and rode after her.
Just this once.
He looked at Luo Shuiyao's back as she turned around and got on the car, and repeatedly reminded himself in his heart that after sending her out of the city, he would completely give up this idea.
Baihua County was not big to begin with, and the official road stretched straight. Amid the rumbling of carriages and horses, they arrived at the city gate in just a quarter of an hour.
The mottled bricks passed by her eyes. Luo Shuiyao lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked back. The setting sun dyed the plaque with the word "Bai Hua" into warm gold. The flags on the city wall fluttered in the wind. In a trance, it seemed like the scene when she first came here.
After leaving the city, Qin Chuan gently pulled the reins, slowed down the horse and walked to Luo Shuiyao's carriage. A gentle voice came: "At the next intersection, we will go our separate ways."
Luo Shuiyao leaned out of the carriage, her hair swaying slightly as she moved. She nodded at him and said with a smile, "Thank you very much for seeing me off, County Magistrate. However, in life, there will always be a time to say goodbye. I hope you can be more open-minded."
His expression was one of perfect familiarity, as if they were old friends who had known each other for years. However, the vague sense of distance between his words and his words was like a needle tip hidden in soft satin, piercing Qin Chuan's heart slightly.
How could he not hear the implicit demarcation in her words? His throat churned twice, and for the first time, he mustered the courage to look directly at this intelligent and gentle woman. Sunlight slanted across her hair, framing the subtle lines between her eyebrows and eyes with even greater clarity. Though the smile on her lips was gentle, her eyes seemed frozen with a frost that seemed to repel him, freezing his unspoken feelings into a sigh that he couldn't express.
After a moment of silence, Qin Chuan suddenly chuckled, his laughter tinged with self-mockery. He clasped his fists in a salute, the hem of his indigo official robe rising in the wind and brushing against the horse's belly. "I'll remember your kind words, young lady."
As he finished speaking, his throat seemed to be choked by a piece of unmelted ice. He suppressed his surging emotions and added, "After this farewell, I hope you have a safe journey."
Luo Shuiyao pursed her lips slightly, as if she didn't notice anything strange in his eyes. She nodded again and lowered the curtain.
The carriage slowly started, the sound of wheels rolling over gravel mixed with the sound of horses' hooves gradually fading away. Qin Chuan stood there, looking at the convoy moving away, his Adam's apple rolling up and down twice, but he found that he was not qualified.
The wind blew up the dead leaves on the roadside, and they fell in front of his eyes. A few remaining leaves stuck to the hem of his official robe, trembling slightly with the folds of the fabric.
The yamen runner stepped forward and gently reminded: "Sir, it's time to go."
Qin Chuan closed his eyes, his long eyelashes casting a deep shadow beneath his eyes. Then, as if waking from a dream, he raised his hand and swatted away the dead leaves. The dry, brittle texture of the leaves stung his fingertips, and he clenched his fist, then unclenched it. The reins left a red mark on his palm. With a shout of "Gee!", the horse's hooves crushed the mottled shadows of the trees on the ground, and he galloped off towards another path.
The wind rushed into his collar. Today's wind seemed particularly fierce, scratching his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to blink. Qin Chuan had his own pride. He liked what he liked, and let it go when he wanted to. Even if it felt like a piece of his heart was being torn out, so what? He had been solitary for so many years, hadn't he endured countless sleepless nights?
…………
On the other side, Wang Cuihua was awakened from her sleep only when the sun climbed up the window frame.
It wasn't that she was lazy or insomniac; it was simply that the toasting ceremony yesterday was too lively. She mingled with the crowd, seizing the opportunity to secretly toast the county magistrate with a few more glasses of wine.
She was a heavy drinker, and her drinking habits were terrible. Though the fruit wine wasn't strong, she couldn't handle it after guzzling several large bowls. The intoxication was so intense that it felt like walking on cotton. By the end of the night, she was completely limp. If her husband hadn't gritted his teeth and carried her back, she'd probably have been sleeping on the street until dawn.
She rubbed her swollen forehead, sat up, and slapped her face vigorously, trying to dispel the lingering drunkenness. She stared at the dappled light and shadows in front of the bed, fragmented by the window lattice. The image of the county magistrate leaning in front of Miss Luo while they poured wine last night, his back tense as if protecting a chick, his forced authority yet a hint of panic as he shielded her from the wine, replayed in her mind.
The more Wang Cuihua thought about it, the happier she became, and she couldn't help but giggle at the air.
As for why she was awakened by the nightmare just now, she couldn't remember it at all and didn't care to think about it.
Wang Cuihua's husband heard the noise, pushed open the door and walked in. Seeing her grinning foolishly at the air, he was frightened and thought his wife was possessed by a ghost. He hurriedly asked, "Mother, are you still drunk?"
Wang Cuihua immediately stopped laughing when she heard that. She raised her eyebrow and rolled her eyes: "What do you know, you blockhead?"
Before he finished speaking, he jumped out of bed, threw on his coarse shirt and started to put on his shoes. The belt around his waist dragged loosely. Without turning his head, he ordered: "You take care of the housework. I have to go out today and will be back late. Don't wait for me to eat at noon."
Her husband lifted the door curtain and stood at the threshold. He watched his wife tuck her hair neatly back and couldn't help scratching his head. "Where are you going? How can you not eat?"
Wang Cuihua ignored him. She picked up the bamboo basket by the door and slung it over her shoulder, her lips curled up: "I'm going to a big feast today!"
Her man opened his mouth, looked at her back as she hurried out of the yard, and finally swallowed the words "Are you still asleep and dreaming?"
When the sun rose to the top of her head, Wang Cuihua was already standing at the gate of the county government office in her cloth shoes.
Seeing her dressed in coarse cloth and carrying a basket, the yamen runner came forward, looked her up and down, and asked, "Auntie, what brings you here?"
Seeing this, Wang Cuihua raised her head and chest, with a hint of pride on her face, and said loudly: "I'm looking for the county magistrate. Take me to see him!"
The bailiff frowned and looked serious. The county magistrate had once instructed that if anyone came to the county office looking for him, he should ask the reason clearly. No matter what the need was, he should take it seriously and never look down on anyone.
Then he straightened his expression and, as he prepared to take Wang Cuihua inside, he asked, "But what unfair things have happened in your family? You might as well tell me first. The master is out today, I will report to him when he comes back."
"What?" Wang Cuihua stopped in her tracks, a look of astonishment on her face. She had been trying to figure out how to get things done, and had never imagined that County Magistrate Qin was actually out on official business.
Seeing Wang Cuihua's disbelief, the yamen runner thought she didn't believe him and thought he had to explain the situation clearly, so he tried to persuade her, "Auntie, you know that after what happened a few days ago, there are many things in Baihua County that need your attention. Talk to me first. If I can't handle it, it won't be too late to report back to you later."