Chapter 24.3

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Leave?

He didn’t have time to weigh the pros and cons; his hesitation was instinctive, lingering for a brief moment.

Fan Changyu said, “Years ago, my parents probably made some enemies while they were away. If you stay with me, those enemies might come after you too. What I’m thinking is to draft a divorce agreement to set you free, and leave you with some money for your travels. Aunt Zhao and Uncle Zhao are truly good people—I’ll ask them to take care of you until your injuries heal.”

Aunt Zhao and Uncle Zhao had no children of their own. Years ago, their only son had been conscripted into the army, taken to fight in a distant war. He never came back; word eventually spread that he’d died on the battlefield.

Fan Changyu planned to leave some of her family’s farmland to them, so they could collect rent from tenant farmers. This way, the elderly couple would have some financial security in the future.

As for leaving Xie Zheng in their care, it was purely out of concern that he might get dragged into more trouble because of her family’s affairs.

Listening to the plans she had so carefully laid out for him, Xie Zheng felt a sudden, inexplicable frustration rising in his chest. His voice turned colder than he intended. “I have my own plans. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Fan Changyu, unsure what she’d said to upset him, looked at him in confusion.

Xie Zheng realized his tone had been inappropriate. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his expression was calm. “If you’re going to leave, it’s best to do it in the next day or two. There’s no need to go through the trouble of obtaining a travel permit. Joining a merchant caravan is the safest way. When crossing city gates, avoid leaving any record of your household registration if you can.”

Even if Fan Changyu was naive, she understood that this was meant to keep their movements hidden.

She asked him directly, “Are you planning to come with me, or will you stay here to recover?”

Her blunt question caught Xie Zheng off guard. He paused, his gaze reflecting the flicker of candlelight and her silhouette. After a moment, he averted his eyes and said, “I’ll go with you for now.”

For him, Lin’an Town was no longer safe either. The Wei family’s death guards had searched her home thoroughly, clearly looking for something. He was genuinely curious about what it was.

His decision was based solely on these two reasons—nothing more.

Hearing him use the word “for now,” Fan Changyu immediately understood his intent. Once he recovered, he’d still leave.

She replied, “Alright. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the county office to settle things. I’ll sell the shop and the pigpen in the countryside at a reduced price to the officials.”

Selling farmland directly to buyers would fetch a higher price, as it only required transferring the deed at the county office and paying for the contract. However, those in urgent need of money often sold their property to the government at a discount. The officials, in turn, would resell it at market price to others.

As for Yixiang Tower, she decided to hand over the recipe directly to the manager.

Xie Zheng, thinking the death guards hadn’t yet found what they were searching for, asked, “Do your parents have any keepsakes or belongings that you’ll take with you?”

Fan Changyu answered as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Of course!”

A flicker of an unreadable emotion flashed across Xie Zheng’s eyes.

Then, Fan Changyu continued, “That set of butchering knives—I have to take them wherever I go. With those tools, I can keep making a living as a butcher. And if we run into any trouble on the road, they can double as self-defense!”

Xie Zheng: “…”

Her words reminded Fan Changyu of something else. “The county office already closed the case, but for some reason, no officials have come to remove the seal on my front door yet. I’ll climb over the wall later and grab the land deed.”

Xie Zheng’s gaze shifted slightly. “The masked men who broke into your house that day pried up several of the blue bricks in your floors. It seemed like they were looking for something.”

Fan Changyu frowned, trying to think of anything valuable in her home. “They couldn’t have been after the land deed too, could they?”

Xie Zheng: “…Probably not.”

Fan Changyu glanced at the sky outside the window. “I’ll wait until it’s dark to climb over and look.”

Climbing over the wall during the day would be too conspicuous. Her home had already gained the reputation of being a cursed place, and with the seal in place, only government officials were allowed to enter. If anyone saw her sneaking in and reported it, she’d just find herself in more trouble.

Xie Zheng asked, “Did your parents ever tell you if there was something you absolutely had to take with you, even if you had to flee?”

Fan Changyu replied, “My younger sister, of course.”

Xie Zheng: “…”

He pressed his long fingers to his brow, suddenly losing any desire to continue the conversation.

Fan Changyu noticed the bowl of medicine still untouched and urged him, “If you don’t drink it soon, it’ll go cold.”

By now, the medicine was no longer scalding, just warm.

Xie Zheng picked up the bowl and drank it all in one go. Immediately afterward, a cheerful voice chimed in, “Here, try this. It’s a tangerine peel candy—sweet and sour. It’ll help with the bitterness.”

Her outstretched hand held the candy, pale and slender, with long fingers. Unlike the delicate hands of pampered women, her fingers weren’t bonelessly soft, nor were they rough like a man’s knotted with prominent joints. They were something in between—like the difference between flowers and wood, each with its own beauty. Her hands had a distinct, natural grace.

The orange candy rested in her palm, dusted lightly with white sugar. Under the warm glow of the candlelight, an inappropriate phrase popped into Xie Zheng’s mind: a feast for the eyes.

Applying such a phrase to Fan Changyu… he fell into silence, even with himself.

To drive away these strange thoughts, he grabbed the tangerine peel candy and tossed it into his mouth, his expression stiff as he muttered, “Thank you.”

Fan Changyu, thinking he was embarrassed about disliking bitter medicine, found his awkwardness rather amusing. She collected the empty bowl and stood up. “I’ll head downstairs first. I’ll bring your meal up later.”

The curtain swayed briefly as she left the room. Only then did Xie Zheng glance at his fingertips, which had brushed against her palm when he took the candy.

His fingertips tingled, both itchy and slightly numb.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Fan Changyu saw her younger sister feeding something to their hawk, a goshawk. “Here, eat this…”

The goshawk had been cornered, its bandaged wing tucked tightly against its body as it refused to open its beak. Its wide, terrified eyes glared up at its captor, resembling a helpless maiden being bullied by a scoundrel yet unable to fight back.

Fan Changyu asked, “Ningniang, what are you feeding it?”

Caught red-handed by her older sister, Changning guiltily hid her hands behind her back. “N-nothing…”

Fan Changyu stared at her silently. Changning was most afraid of her sister’s silent disapproval. Reluctantly, she extended her hand and admitted in a small voice, “I gave the hawk a piece of candy.”