The Eldest Brother is Handsome but Sick. - Chapter 18

The Great Pursuit

“I think you’re simply trying to climb a ladder to heaven purely looking for trouble,” Zhou Qingheng said, hauling Yan Jin back. “The boy is seventeen already. By all rights, he’s at the age where he should be starting a family. What’s the harm in him going out for a bit of travel?”

“He’s at an age where he hasn’t even finished his nine years of compulsory education! What if he gets swindled?” Yan Jin snatched the reins back from his uncle and prepared to leave. He rarely rode horses, and it took several strenuous attempts before he finally managed to mount. “I must go and bring him back.”

“Nine… nine what?” Zhou Qingheng picked at his ear, trying to hear more clearly.

In recent days, the case regarding the Yan family estate had been settled. The local authorities had sent someone to return the land deeds. Before leaving, the Prefect had repeatedly warned his subordinates to be respectful; ideally, they were to coax Yan Jin into a state of blissful joy so they could properly report back to the Marquis of Dingyuan’s men.

The high-ranking officials took this matter so seriously that the young bailiff sent to deliver the deeds was practically beaming with a forced smile. He spent the whole walk rehearsing compliments, terrified of upsetting Yan Jin. However, upon arrival, he was met with the sight of Yan Jin sitting atop a tall horse, his face so dark he looked ready to decapitate someone.

The bailiff’s hand shook, and the land deeds dropped directly to the ground. A sudden gust of wind sent them fluttering into the sky, making the poor man fear for his life.

“Pardon me, move aside.” Yan Jin didn’t spare even a glance for the deeds. He turned his horse around and galloped away, the wind from his departure sending the deeds into yet another mid-air spiral.

“Quick! Find someone to take the shortcut and stop the Young Master! Prepare the carriage and get more men to follow him, hurry!” Zhou Qingheng grabbed a servant and barked orders. “Go tell the Madam that Xiao Jin and I are going to Huaian for a few days and will be back soon. Tell her to focus on her pregnancy.”

With that, he pulled a horse over and gave chase, leaving behind a chaotic mess of people and a bewildered bailiff clutching the deeds in the wind.

The Disguise in Huaian

While Yan Jin charged toward Huaian with a murderous aura, Lin Jiebai, who was still enjoying his freedom, had no idea that disaster was imminent.

Lin Jiebai was a man of unbridled spirit. As long as Yan Jin wasn’t around to manage him, he was bound to make a fool of himself in eye-searing ways.

He was a master at squandering money generous to others and even more so to himself. Usually, in the blink of an eye, a large sum of silver would find its way into someone else’s pocket, and he would be left with a pile of bizarre, useless trinkets.

“Junior Brother, do you think the ones on my head look good?”

Su Huai looked at the multicolored chicken feathers stuck in Lin Jiebai’s hair, and his eyelid twitched. “…They look good.”

Lin Jiebai immediately beamed. “You have good taste, kid! If Eldest Senior Brother were here, he would have ripped them out and thrown them away long ago.”

Yan Jin’s views on clothing and appearance have always been excellent, Su Huai thought in silent agreement.

At the mention of Yan Jin, Lin Jiebai’s face fell again, and he began to sigh. “I’m worried to death. I only managed to get away because my work was finished and Master is there to hold down the fort. Why did you insist on coming with me? If Eldest Senior Brother finds out, won’t he skin me alive?”

Seeing that Su Huai remained silent, Lin Jiebai leaned his entire weight against him in a shameless manner. “Junior Brother, you have to save me when the time comes.”

Su Huai shifted away imperceptibly and said calmly, “Yan Jin does not resort to violence.”

Having not seen him for months, Su Huai appeared much thinner, though not gaunt. Instead, he had shed his original childishness, gaining an air of refined, noble poise.

He had left the Hall of Three Lives with Lin Jiebai on the third day after Yan Jin’s departure. Usually, he only cared for that one medical clinic and that one person; consequently, when the slightest thing went wrong, he would become restless, wishing he could cut open Yan Jin’s heart just to prove he was still inside.

When he first learned Yan Jin had left alone, he worried that Yan Jin’s health was poor and Yangzhou was far away. Yet Yan Jin refused to let anyone accompany him. The other seniors couldn’t leave, but what about him? He couldn’t do much, but he could at least handle food and clothing.

This thought had plagued him for days and nights, stealing his sleep. Eventually, he began to feel resentment resentment that Yan Jin hadn’t even considered taking him along. Now that he had been out for some time and seen many things, he had gained a bit of ability to talk himself into a state of peace.

“That’s more like it! Anyway, since we’re out, Third Senior Brother will show you the world.”

Lin Jiebai began to talk grandly about their carefree days of traveling, but suddenly, he paused. He looked around warily. “Why do I feel like… there are more people on the street?” And they all seemed to be looking at them.

He didn’t dare say the second half out loud. With a trembling hand, he tugged at Su Huai’s sleeve. “Ju… Junior Brother, do you think Eldest Senior Brother would really hire this many people to come all the way from Yangzhou to catch us?”

Su Huai recalled Yan Jin’s usual style and replied, “If Senior Sister sent word that I was with you, he likely would.”

As the words fell, the two stood on the street, quiet as mice. In the silence, the gazes from their surroundings became even more obvious.

Whoosh—

A gust of wind blew past, fluttering the chicken feathers on Lin Jiebai’s head. The entire world seemed to go still.

Lin Jiebai pulled Su Huai back step by bit, slipping into the crowd. They ducked into a clothing shop, where Lin Jiebai grabbed two sets of clothes and tossed a silver ingot to the stunned shopkeeper. “Keep the change! We’re borrowing the back room to change!”

The two quickly donned their disguises. Soon, a commotion erupted outside. Su Huai was in the middle of letting down his hair when he heard someone shout: “Go tell Master Yan! They’ve run off!”

His movements paused. It really was people sent by Yan Jin to find him. His heart was a chaotic mix of emotions, yet he felt a hint of comfort. Yan Jin still cared about him; otherwise, he wouldn’t have rushed here with men so quickly.

“Stop dazing! Quick, quick, climb out the window! I checked; the outskirts of the city aren’t far. If we shrink into the woods, I guarantee Senior Brother won’t find us.”

Seeing Su Huai dawdling, Lin Jiebai personally helped him tie up his hair, even sticking his own chicken feathers into Su Huai’s hair as decoration.

Su Huai: “…”

He felt as though he were being torn in two, not even caring about the undignified feathers on his head. One half of him was being pulled by Lin Jiebai to escape through the window; the other half heard the growing noise outside, and a dark thought began to take root. If I take this chance to make myself look pitiful when I see Yan Jin, will he out of guilt for abandoning me a second time follow me back and never leave again?

With that thought, his movements stopped.

Because of that pause, the door behind them was thrown open.

Lin Jiebai shuddered violently, and the foot he had already placed outside the window trembled as he pulled it back.

Su Huai lowered his eyes, calming himself for a long moment before turning around. When he looked up, he wore a normal expression.

A man stepped into the room, surrounded by a crowd. He had clearly traveled without a single moment’s rest after receiving the news; his forehead was drenched in sweat.

Yan Jin leaned against the doorframe to catch his breath. His gaze skipped over Lin Jiebai and landed squarely on Su Huai. He suddenly smiled.

“Didn’t expect this, did you? Your Senior Brother is still your Senior Brother. You can’t escape.”