Chapter 269: The Tagalong

Lu Ayao stared at me for a moment, his strength locked in a brief stalemate with my hand. Suddenly, he twisted my wrist, wrenching me up off the floor by force. He turned to Lu Qianshan and said, “See our guest out.”

My hand was brushed aside, and I watched as Lu Ayao slipped out of the room. Seeing this, Lu Qianshan immediately stepped forward with a quick stride to block me. Speaking in a normal tone while looking at me, he asked, “Young Master Gan, isn’t this persistent pestering getting a bit tiresome? Are you going to walk out yourself, or do I have to throw you out?”

I sniffled and gave Lu Qianshan a fierce glare. Turning back, I grabbed my bag from the chair and headed for the door. As I brushed past Lu Qianshan, he said in a cheekily smug tone, “Safe travels. Hope we never meet again.”

I was escorted down the stairs and out the door. Standing with my back to the main gate, I looked out at the deserted street. Hearing the two doors slowly close behind me, I suddenly felt pretty pathetic.

I shook my head with a bitter smile and shouldered my bag, planning to find a hotel first. However, before I could take a single step, I reached into my pocket and realized I only had two large bills left. If I stayed at a hotel, I basically wouldn’t have enough money to get back to Kaifeng.

I sighed and turned to look at the gates of the western-style house. As I stared, a sudden surge of defiance rose within me. I thought to myself, You think I’ll just leave because you told me to? I didn’t spend all that time traveling here just to walk away with nothing and waste several hundred yuan for the privilege.

After thinking it over for a moment, I figured that as long as I camped right by the gate, there was no way he wouldn’t come out eventually!

With that in mind, I simply picked a spot on the curb near the main gate and sat down, clutching my backpack. Having stayed up all night, I started to feel uncontrollably drowsy the moment I sat down. The early morning breeze was a bit chilly, so I tucked my legs in. As sleepiness washed over me, I held my bag tight and dozed off for a while.

I napped until morning, then found a breakfast stall to buy some soy milk. After a quick bite, I went back to my spot and crouched down. Since money was tight, I skipped lunch and waited until evening to find a little food to fill my stomach. I toughed it out for three days living like this.

Lu Qianshan had to go out every day to buy supplies, which meant he saw me sitting by the door every single day. At first, he would either point at me and curse or come over to threaten me, saying things like if I didn’t leave he’d find someone to break my legs, or he’d have someone carry me away in the middle of the night. Later, when he saw me, he would just walk past in silence, not even sparing me a glance.

I sat at Lu Ayao’s front gate for three days. I ate a total of six meals, but even that cost a fair amount of money. By the fourth day, I didn’t dare eat anymore. When my stomach growled at night, I just hugged my bag and forced myself to sleep, because once you’re asleep, you don’t feel hungry.

On the morning of the fourth day, I was woken up by birds chirping in the trees. My back and waist were aching. I stretched and pounded my numb calves. As I rested my hand beside me, I touched something warm. I turned my head and saw a bag of steaming hot buns sitting there, along with a bowl of sweet tofu pudding.

I was stunned. It was highly unlikely that someone had just dropped this. I lifted the plastic bag containing the buns and looked around. The gates nearby were tightly shut. The sun was just rising, and the city hadn’t yet fully woken up. The aroma of the buns hit my nose; for someone who hadn’t eaten in a day, it was practically a crime.

I looked around and saw no one, so I sat down and began to wolf down the buns. I had never eaten so fast in my life. After finishing the buns, I gulped down the tofu pudding in one go, then sat on the curb, stuffed and hiccuping.

Just as I was soaking up the comfortable sunlight, Lu Qianshan came out the door humming a little tune. He seemed to be in a very good mood. He took out a large padlock, hooked it through the door, and began to lock up. Watching from behind, I felt something was wrong and immediately rushed over to call out to him, “What are you doing?”

“Locking the door.” After locking it, Lu Qianshan tucked the ring of keys into his bag. He glanced at the dirt on my trousers and asked, “What are you still doing here? We’re all going back to Suzhou. Why are you guarding an empty courtyard?”

I was struck with dismay. “W-what do you mean? What do you mean you’re all going back to Suzhou? Your… your Boss left too? When did he leave?”

“Last night. Didn’t you see?” Lu Qianshan looked at me like I was an idiot.

I stammered, “I… I fell asleep…”

As Lu Qianshan started walking down the road, he said, “Just go. Don’t wait here anymore. Go back to whatever you’re supposed to be doing. Why be so stubborn?”

I suddenly snapped to my senses and followed Lu Qianshan down the slope. There were only two people named Lu here. One had slipped away last night while I was sleeping, which left only this Lu Qianshan in front of me. To find Lu Ayao, I had to stick to this guy like glue. I couldn’t relax for a second; I absolutely couldn’t let him get away. If he slipped off too, I would truly be at a dead end.

I asked him, “Where are you going?”

The little brat didn’t see through my intentions at all. He probably thought I had finally given up and was leaving, so he spilled everything. He said, “I’m going to catch a bus. What, are you looking for the long-distance station to head back too?”

I hummed a couple of times in vague agreement, then followed him all the way to the bus station to buy a ticket. I stealthily bought one for the same destination as his. Fearing he would notice my plan and slip away, I waited until literally the last minute before the bus departed to scramble on board, plopping right down into the aisle seat next to him.

He had been napping and was startled by the commotion. He adjusted the clothes he was using as a blanket and opened his eyes. Seeing me beside him, Lu Qianshan said in shock, “Why are you here? You must be on the wrong bus. This is the bus to Suzhou.”

I pulled the ticket with the exact same destination from my pocket and waved it in front of him. When Lu Qianshan saw it, he finally realized he’d been played. But the bus was already out on the highway. He pursed his lips, clearly wanting to start a shouting match with me right then and there. I gave him a pointed look, signaling that the bus was full of people. He could curse if he wanted, but he’d be the one making a fool of himself. He’d better weigh the consequences before opening his mouth.

Lu Qianshan opened his mouth twice but ultimately shut it in silence. When he sat back, he slammed against the seat with a loud thud. The flames of his suppressed rage looked like they were about to set his hair on fire. I thought to myself, You little fool. You’re still a bit too green to try and outmaneuver me.

At the service area, I stuck to Lu Qianshan like glue. I didn’t even need the restroom, but I stood there watching him go, then “escorted” him back to the bus. Once we were seated, I stretched out my legs to block his path entirely. He was so annoyed he just kept muttering about his bad luck, too exasperated to even bother swearing at me.

By noon, the sun drenched our seats, leaving us both feeling warm and sluggish. Lu Qianshan narrowed his eyes and looked at me. “Listen, let me give you the real story. Believe it or not, following me to the Lu Clan in Suzhou is pointless. If the Boss wouldn’t agree to help you in Nanjing, he certainly won’t do it once we’re in Suzhou.”

“Why? It’s not like you’re the worm in his belly,” I countered, leaning back against my seat.

He gave a dry chuckle. “You probably haven’t heard, but the Lu Family Ancestral Hall is in Suzhou. Every year, a new Lamp Keeper enters the hall to clean and tend the lamps. The chosen Lamp Keeper holds an incredibly high status within the clan. Besides cleaning and tending the lamps, they even have the power to keep the Head of the Family in check. As it happens, this year it’s my Linggu’s turn to be on duty. Technically, she’s of the same generation as the Boss, so she isn’t someone you can easily fool. Meeting her is just your bad luck; I’d be surprised if she doesn’t kick you out.”

I remained skeptical of his words for the time being. To me, no matter what happened later, the main thing was reaching the Lu Clan’s stronghold first. As the saying goes: when troops arrive, send generals to block them; when water rises, dam it with earth^[1].