Finest Servant

Chapter 174 Melancholy

Embracing a naked beauty in his arms, yet only allowed to look and not taste, was indeed a form of excruciating torment for a man. Holding the soft, delicate body of Qin Xian'er, Lin Wanrong was overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness. Thinking about the Lovebug in her body, aside from taking small liberties, he could only resign himself to being a good man.

‘For the sake of future happiness, I accept it,’ Lin Wanrong thought indignantly, idly giving a gentle pinch on Xian'er's jade breast. A soft moan escaped from the sleeping Qin Xian'er, extremely tantalizing.

By the time he awoke, there was a fine drizzle outside the window, lending an even greater atmosphere than yesterday. But Qin Xian'er was nowhere to be found by his side. The room still held her lingering fragrance, and a note lay gently pressed against the pillow. The ink was not yet dry, inscribed with several graceful small characters: "Urgently summoned by the sect, I must depart first. This house belongs to you and is also my home. Day and night, I think of you, your heart is my heart."

Lin Wanrong sighed, Qingxuan had left, and now Xian'er was gone too. The same haste, the same absence of trace. He stood in the courtyard pavilion, looking at the note, sighing silently. On the elegant paper, there were a few new, dried tear stains. Thinking of Xian'er's exquisite face, her tearful appearance, the soft whispers beside the pillow from last night, it was like this misty rain, dreamlike, a surreal illusion.

"Gone, gone, all gone," even the usually cheerful Lin Wanrong could only muster a bitter smile in the face of such a scene. Luckily, he still had Qiaoqiao and Yushuang by his side, which gave him a slight comfort.

In just over a month, the New Year would pass, and then he would head north, determined to find that girl Qingxuan, find a way to rid Xian'er's body of the Lovebug, marry the four girls, then build a house by West Lake, to enjoy his later years. That was his life goal.

Despite his unique experiences, he never thought about saving the nation or the people. ‘I'm just an ordinary guy, those lofty, intangible things have nothing to do with me. Ideal? Ideals are worthless. If you can live a stable life, you should be thankful.’

Leaving Longhong Village, his mood remained low. He followed the path from yesterday, returning to the West Lake. Even though it was a misty drizzle, there were still boats coming and going on the lake. Most were official boats, with people diving underwater from time to time, seemingly looking for something.

‘These must have been sent by Xu Wei, huh? They have been searching for a whole day and night, and they haven't stopped,’ Lin Wanrong thought with a smile. ‘This old Xu, he treats me well, I'm a little touched.’

"Is that Young Master Lin ahead?" a voice came. A group of soldiers searching by the lake saw him, and the one leading them was the guard who had been looking for a boat for Xu Wei yesterday. Despite changing his clothes, Lin Wanrong was recognized by him instantly.

"It is indeed Lin San," Lin Wanrong responded with a fist and palm salute. "Are you looking for me, brother? You have worked hard. I am really sorry."

"Is it really Young Master Lin?" the guard said joyfully, "Someone, go and inform the boss, we found Young Master Lin."

Lin Wanrong nodded slightly and asked, "I appreciate your hard work, brother. May I ask your name?"

The guard chuckled, "You're too polite, Young Master. I'm just a simple man, my surname is Gao and my given name is Qiu."

Gao Qiu? Lin Wanrong paused for a moment, then said, "There's a man named Gao Shou who works under our Jiangsu Governor Luo. Your names are quite similar, I wonder if there's any relation?"

Gao Qiu laughed, "He's my elder brother." Gao Qiu, Gao Shou. Goodness, their father was quite creative, monopolizing all the benefits in the world. (TL: Qiu in Gao Qiu means Chief or Chieftain)

"Did you also work in the palace, brother?" Lin Wanrong asked.

Gao Qiu nodded, "I did serve in the palace. Later, I was commanded by the Emperor to protect Mr. Xu, and have been doing so for quite a few years now." It seemed that just like Luo Min, Xu Wei was also a trusted aide of the current Emperor, otherwise, the Emperor wouldn't have sent so many palace guards to accompany him.

Seeing so many people searching for him, Lin Wanrong sighed, "Because of me, so many brothers have been troubled. I'm really sorry."

"You shouldn't say that, Young Master," Gao Qiu said, "You knew you weren't strong enough, yet you bravely fought the White Lotus bandits. We really admire you."

‘God, what a way to slap me in the face,’ Lin Wanrong thought, chuckling to himself.

In the meantime, a group of people was hurrying over. Leading them was Xu Wei. From a distance, Lin Wanrong saluted, "Mr. Xu, did you sleep well last night?"

Arriving at his side and seeing him safe and sound, Xu Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Little brother Lin, you've really worried us sick."

Lin Wanrong laughed, "Really? You and Miss Su were finally reunited after a long separation. Last night was the perfect opportunity for you two to enjoy each other's company. How could you possibly have insomnia?"

Xu Wei, a man in his fifties or sixties, blushed when teased by this young man in his twenties. But he was not an ordinary person. Even though he had only met Lin Wanrong a few times, he liked him very much. He bowed deeply to Lin Wanrong, "I am grateful for your help, Little brother Lin."

"Where did I help?" Lin Wanrong asked in surprise.

"There are two ways you helped. Publicly, you helped me capture the White Lotus and bravely fought the bandits. You are truly a model of courage. Privately, you helped me fulfill a long-cherished wish. My reunion with Qinglian is all thanks to you. In both public and private matters, you deserve my gratitude," Xu Wei stated seriously.

"Haha, never mind, never mind. I just couldn't stand the arrogance of the White Lotus cult, that's why I wanted to help. I didn't expect the bandits to be so weak. They fell into the water, and what's worse, they caught me off guard and pulled me down too," Lin Wanrong shamelessly bragged.

"Indeed, it's exactly as you said." Xu Wei stroked his beard and laughed lightly. This Lin Wanrong was not only more knowledgeable than him, but his thick skin was also quite rare. "But I wonder, how did you manage to escape?"

Xu Wei's eyes flickered, naturally doubtful of Lin Wanrong's words. He laughed and asked, "Little brother Lin, you possess good skills. But, tell me, was the bandit who escaped male or female?"

"This... I didn't touch," Lin Wanrong answered without blinking.

Xu Wei laughed heartily, "Losing one doesn't matter. Their leader has fallen into our hands, the lesser minions can't cause any trouble." While they were speaking, someone came to report, "Minister Xu, Miss Xiao has returned to Jinling."

"When did she leave?" Xu Wei asked in surprise.

"I've just returned from conveying your order, sir. I informed Miss Xiao that Young Master Lin has safely returned, and upon hearing this, she said she was setting off for Jinling immediately."

"Miss Xiao left?" Xu Wei said, puzzled, "Last night, Miss Xiao was so anxious that she and Qinglian stayed on the ship overnight without sleep, asking me to inform her as soon as there was news of Young Master Lin. Now that Young Master Lin is back, why did she leave without even seeing him?"

‘Damn, this lady is indeed heartless. Yesterday she was all smiles. I return, and she doesn't even greet me before running off. Once we get back to Jinling, I'll settle the score with you. We haven't even split the silver we've made these days.’

"Did Miss Xiao say anything about what I should do?" Lin Wanrong asked.

"Miss Xiao said that after Young Master Lin has settled the affairs here, he should return to Jinling at his own convenience."

‘Settle the affairs? I'm just a mere servant in the Xiao family, what affairs could I possibly handle? You obviously don't want to see me and are using such poor excuses.’

Xu Wei looked at him meaningfully and said, "Little brother Lin, forgive my bluntness, but with your talents and knowledge, it is indeed a waste for you to be a small servant in the Xiao family. If you don't mind, I can make some recommendations for you. With your talents, you are sure to achieve great things, your future is bound to be bright."

"A bright future?" Lin Wanrong said with a faint smile, "And what would that future be?"

Xu Wei said, "To serve in the court, to serve the country, to benefit the people."

Lin Wanrong sighed, "Mr. Xu, was this your dream when you were young?"

Xu Wei paused. Lin Wanrong's question was loaded, implying that this was only his youthful aspiration. Indeed, at Xu Wei's age, having seen so much darkness and having used so many tactics, his youthful passion had long faded, and where could he find traces of that ideal?

Ideal? What was the use of an ideal? If one asked the old farmers who work in the fields, their biggest ideal was to have food and clothing. Serving the country and benefiting the people? Such slogans sounded great, but corruption and exploiting the people were the reality for these educated men. If there were one day when there were no officials in this world, then that would be true peace.

Lin Wanrong took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Xu, I am just an ordinary man. I have not studied the sage's books, nor have I thought about saving the country or the people. As long as no one bullies me, I simply wish to live a peaceful and stable life. That's my ideal. It's just like being a servant in the Xiao family. The Madam and the young ladies of the Xiao family treat me fairly well. Being with them is fulfilling and stress-free, much more relaxed and comfortable than being an official. People, after all, shouldn't have too many aspirations. Living each day peacefully and steadily is a grace from the heavens."

Upon hearing Lin Wanrong's words, Xu Wei couldn't help but sigh. The younger man had outrightly rejected a chance that countless people dreamt of. Lin Wanrong was truly a character, full of unexpectedness, embodying a sense of grandeur in his actions.

To live each day peacefully and steadily? Perhaps, that was nothing more than a luxury. Lin Wanrong sighed inwardly, a sense of melancholy washing over his features.

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