After the Crybaby Married the Disabled Villain - Chapter 32

An Yu woke up early. Just like the journey to the hunting grounds, he and Lu Shiyan were naturally placed at the very back of the procession. The Empress was currently too preoccupied to plot such petty slights, but the palace never lacked for those eager to curry favor by trampling others.

An Yu hadn’t cared when they arrived, and he cared even less now. He was currently so drowsy he could barely keep his eyes open.

The carriage swayed rhythmically yet steadily. By the time An Yu opened his eyes again, it was already noon. The cool autumn air paired with the high-hanging sun was incredibly comfortable.

However, after traveling for so long, why hadn’t they arrived? Even if they hadn’t reached the General’s Manor, they should have at least reached the capital by now.

He turned his head to see a relaxed man sitting on a soft couch reading a book.

A soft couch?

An Yu shook his head, suddenly snapping wide awake. The carriage they had used previously was tiny; there was no room for a soft couch. And where had his Highness’s wheelchair gone?

“You’re awake?”

An Yu nodded, then shook his head. “Not necessarily.”

Lu Shiyan couldn’t help but laugh. “We’ve already left the city and are heading south. There’s no rush; we’ll stay in towns we pass for a few days. We should reach Jiangnan in a month.”

Seeing the boy staring at him blankly, Lu Shiyan continued: “I’ve already requested leave from Imperial Father. We have four months; we only need to return before the New Year.”

The boy blinked his eyes rapidly. “We’re really going to Jiangnan?”

“Mhm. We’re on our way.”

An Yu’s brain finally processed the information. “Aaaah—Highness, I love you to death!”

Lu Shiyan froze for a moment, then happily caught the boy who lunged at him.

“Highness, is this carriage from our manor?” “Highness, do you not need to continue your leg rehabilitation?” “If you don’t sit in the wheelchair, won’t people find out?”

An Yu peppered him with questions one after another, so many they were impossible to count.

Moying and Yun Liang, sitting outside the carriage, felt like their ears were growing calluses. Yet, they could still hear An Yu coming up with new questions while their Highness answered them with endless patience.

As Moying focused on driving the horses, Yun Liang pondered for a long while before finally being unable to resist asking:

“Moying, why do you think the Prince and Young Master An haven’t confirmed their relationship yet?”

Moying frowned. “Confirm what relationship?”

Yun Liang was speechless. “The relationship of liking each other, of course.”

Moying was silent for a long time. “I feel like Young Master An hasn’t—”

“Hasn’t ‘awakened’ yet, right?” Yun Liang finished for him. “I feel like they just need a catalyst. Young Master An isn’t completely oblivious. That day, he understood exactly what I meant with just a single look.”

Moying was puzzled. “What did you mean?”

“That the Fourth Prince and Lord Shen have ‘something’ going on.”

By evening, the carriage stopped on the outskirts of a city.

Stepping down, An Yu finally saw the carriage in its entirety. This isn’t a carriage; it’s an RV! The size of the entire vehicle was larger than a modern motorhome. Inside, An Yu had already marveled that it felt like a sleeping palace, complete with a bed, a desk, and his favorite soft couch by the window. The exterior was as luxurious as a traveling palace, its intricate designs drawing gasps of wonder from passersby.

Far from the capital, Lu Shiyan no longer needed to sit in a wheelchair. He was currently sitting on a rock, building a fire and preparing to roast some chicken they had brought along.

An Yu wandered around nearby. Although they hadn’t entered the city yet, this was the perimeter of a different town; he was officially a tourist now. And on a road trip, at that.

Sitting beside Lu Shiyan, An Yu watched his skilled roasting technique and couldn’t help but marvel: Is there anything my Highness can’t do?

“Highness, you’re amazing.”

Lu Shiyan let out a quiet laugh. Yun Liang, however, teased from the side: “Young Master, I know how to roast meat too.”

An Yu blinked. “That’s great.”

Yun Liang: “Why aren’t you praising me?”

Lu Shiyan gave him a look of displeasure, and Yun Liang quickly scurried away.

The sound of galloping hooves echoed from a distance—only two horses, but the sound was heavy. An Yu looked up and saw the blurry outline of what looked like another “RV.”

Yun Liang cheered at the sight. “Mo Han is here! Our ‘sleeping palace’ has arrived!”

Once within visible distance, Mo Han slowed down to avoid kicking up dust onto the Prince’s roasted meat.

“General.”

Lu Shiyan nodded. “Did you bring everything?”

Mo Han replied, “Replying to the General: everything has been brought.”

An Yu: “Bring what?”

Lu Shiyan patted An Yu’s fox-fur cloak. “Go and see.”

An Yu followed Mo Han to the other carriage. There were two massive crates of items. His pillows, his tea sets, the novels he hadn’t finished by his bedside—even his usual set of calligraphy brushes.

An Yu excitedly poked his head out of the carriage window, resting there to watch his Highness roast the meat. The flickering orange firelight illuminated Lu Shiyan’s exquisite features. An Yu even found himself wishing he knew how to make a camera.

Lu Shiyan looked up. “Xiao Yu?”

An Yu smiled. “Keep going, Highness! I’m going to move these things to our carriage.”

The two crates were lowered and placed next to An Yu’s carriage. Moying and Mo Han moved to help, but were stopped by a look from Lu Shiyan. He wanted to watch An Yu arrange their “new home” himself.

Lu Shiyan watched as An Yu moved things back and forth—first two books, then two pillows…

“Xiao Yu, come here.”

After who knows how many trips, the boy’s cheeks were flushed from the effort.

“It smells so good.” An Yu took the roasted chicken leg from Lu Shiyan, his eyes sparkling with delight. The skin was glossy and sizzling with oil; one bite revealed it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

“You eat, Highness.” An Yu held the chicken leg to Lu Shiyan’s lips, his eyes full of expectation.

Lu Shiyan obliged by taking a bite, and the boy went back to eating it with gusto. Yun Liang looked at his Prince’s golden-brown, crispy chicken, then at his own charred-black meat. Tsk. It makes sense why Young Master An doesn’t praise me.

Well-fed and satisfied, the three guards gathered to play cards while An Yu and Lu Shiyan walked along a small stream to help their digestion. For a moment, it felt as though they were living as recluses away from the world.

An Yu loved looking at the stars; they were more numerous and brighter than in the modern world. Exquisitely beautiful.

“Let’s head back to the carriage; it’s getting cold.”

At Lu Shiyan’s words, An Yu instinctively wrapped his cloak tighter. It was indeed colder outside the city. “Mhm.”

Stepping into the carriage felt like returning to the General’s Manor. The interior had originally been designed to look like Lu Shiyan’s quarters, but now that An Yu had added various everyday trinkets, it felt much more lived-in and cozy. The only difference was that it wasn’t as large as a palace, making it feel even more warm and intimate.

“Highness, why are you so good to me?”

An Yu lay on the inner side of the bed, his eyes bright and blinking. Lu Shiyan’s hand paused as he undid his robes. He set the garment aside and looked at the boy with a smile. “Then consider it a reward for Xiao Yu’s dedicated help.”

An Yu lowered his gaze, his mood visibly less radiant than before, even though there was nothing wrong with Lu Shiyan’s answer.

“Xiao Yu?” Lu Shiyan also lay down and called out to the boy, who now had his back turned.

“I’m going to sleep.”

Lu Shiyan had no choice but to extinguish the candle. After lying there for about fifteen minutes, An Yu’s breathing became steady and even.

Lu Shiyan murmured: “Because I want to keep you here.”

An Yu had long since put the previous night’s displeasure behind him. He had never woken up this early before; the air in the forest outside the city was as cool and clear as if it had been washed by rain. Combined with the cold autumn breeze, it felt incredibly refreshing.

He washed his face in the stream, breathing in the pure air. He wasn’t sure if the air in the forest was truly different or if his mood was just exceptionally good today.

An Yu walked back to Lu Shiyan’s side. While the food available on the road wasn’t as varied as in the manor, it was still flavorful.

“Let’s go! Into the city!”

After breakfast, the two carriages drove toward the city gates one after the other. Once inside, the further they went, the more they could feel the lively atmosphere. The calls of breakfast vendors rose and fell in a chaotic symphony. The aromas wafted through the carriage window.

Before they even reached the inn, An Yu had already bought three different types of buns and wontons.

“Highness, this is so good.” “Quick, try this one.”

By the time they reached the inn, it was already noon, yet the group didn’t feel the slightest bit hungry. Yun Liang jumped off the carriage and looked at the bustling tavern, a question forming.

“Young Master An, can you still eat?”

It was no wonder he was confused; every time An Yu bought something, he bought a portion for everyone, acting for all the world like the wealthiest man in the land. They were already stuffed.

“I can eat, I can eat.” An Yu led Lu Shiyan inside happily, completely ignoring the conflicted expressions of the three men behind them. “Waiter—!”

They spent two days eating and drinking their way through the city. On the morning of the third day, they prepared to head to the next town; otherwise, they might not reach Jiangnan by next year.

Though he had spent two days playing, An Yu didn’t feel tired at all. In fact, he felt time was moving quite quickly. As he lay lazily on the soft couch reading a novel, a question suddenly occurred to him.

“Highness, I forgot to ask. What did you say to the Emperor to get him to let us leave?”

Lu Shiyan unusually didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he said, “Why don’t you guess, Xiao Yu?”

“Going out to clear your head?” “Or seeking medical treatment?”

Lu Shiyan smiled. An Yu shook his head. “I can’t guess. Tell me, Highness.”

Lu Shiyan said: “Actually, Xiao Yu, you were half right. I told Imperial Father that my body has been growing weaker in recent years, and since this autumn is exceptionally cold, I wanted to stay in the south for a while. I also mentioned seeing if the Jiangnan floods were being handled properly.”

An Yu realized the truth. He had almost forgotten about the floods. The plot had deviated so significantly now that the minor details of the original work had shattered, leaving only major events as a reference.

An Yu snickered. “Then won’t the capital be buzzing with rumors that Your Highness has suffered a sudden relapse and is at death’s door?”

“Xiao Yu is clever.”

The recently praised boy lifted his head proudly, the fox fur of his cloak snugly wrapping around him. Lu Shiyan had the brief illusion that he was looking at a fox spirit that had taken human form.

He thought it, and so he said it: “Could it be that Xiao Yu is a thousand-year-old fox demon, and I saved your life several hundred years ago?”

An Yu burst into laughter. “Highness, have you been peeking at my storybooks?”

“If I were a fox demon, I would certainly be a good one. Just as Your Highness said, I’d be here to repay a debt. I’m not some ‘indecent’ fox demon.”

Lu Shiyan raised an eyebrow. “Xiao Yu even knows about ‘indecent’ fox demons?”

“Of course.”

“And what exactly do ‘indecent’ fox demons do?”

An Yu thought for a long time before stammering: “Well… they absorb a man’s essence to boost their own cultivation.”

Hearing the man chuckle again, An Yu realized he was being teased. And to think he had answered so seriously!