By the time Lu Yan's fever receded and she regained her strength, it was time to depart for Ning city.
Luizhu had packed Lu Yan's belongings.
Lu Yan wanted to ask her if she wanted to come along, but remembering Luizhu's absence and distance, she hesitated and ultimately closed her mouth.
Ever since the day Echo had heard the words Ning city, she hadn't stopped screaming about not wanting to go. Lu Yan had forgotten what it felt like to not have a debilitating headache.
But, Lu Yan also had a low simmering fury inside her heart. This was the first chance she had to see a new place. But this stupid crazy voice inside her head sabotaged her at every turn!
This fury was the only thing that kept the headaches somewhat manageable.
At the gates, her parents and Lu Lin had gathered to see Lu Feng and his wife off.
Seeing the cold look from her mother, Lu Yan just bowed and stepped into the small carriage. Lifting the curtain a tiny bit, she watched with envious eyes as her mother instructed Lu Feng and her sister-in-law, her father patted Lu Feng's shoulder, and Lu Lin asked his elder brother to bring him gifts. Chatter and light laughter rang out into the quiet morning.
There was a warmth between them that Lu Yan had never had directed towards her, and that old unanswered question popped into her head again: why do they hate me so much?
For the past year, she had been trying to make them see her. But at this moment, remembering how alone she had been during her illness, she no longer harbored any expectation that these people could care about her.
What remained was the question.
She remembered master's lessons and promised herself that the next time she returned to this house, she would definitely gather information and find the answer to this question.
Her mother suddenly glanced towards the carriage and met Lu Yan's eyes. The warmth she had been displaying towards her son immediately cooled.
This time, Lu Yan stared back. She didn't look away as she normally would. Unbeknownst to her, Echo also arose, and one of her pupils turned light.
Her mother remained composed on the surface, but chills passed down her spine, and for the hundredth time, she regretted softening towards her son and allowing this girl to accompany him.
Looking back at her son, she again tried to persuade him to leave Lu Yan behind, "Why do you need her to go with you? Just leave her at home."
Lu Feng stiffened slightly, then said, "Don't worry mother. It's a small trip, and Lu Yan has never been out of the capital."
Lu Yan let the curtain fall, sneering. But her heart felt like something was stabbing it.
She'd let go of all expectations, so why did it still hurt so much?
Inside, Echo whooped mockingly.
Lu Yan wanted to scream.
If she screamed she'd probably be locked up again and miss this chance. She sat there, so tense that she was almost trembling, but she didn't make a single sound.
The goodbyes finally ended.
Lu Feng jumped lightly onto his horse's saddle. Her sister-in-law climbed into the larger carriage.
With a single command from Lu Feng, the whole team composed of servants, guards, a coachman, Lu Yan's carriage and her sister-in-law's carriage all began moving forward along the road.
---
It would take them more than three weeks to reach Ning city.
Lu Yan sat in her carriage, watching the scenery go by.
The earlier resentment faded, and as the carriage kept rolling along, a strange sense of peace settled over her. Being out of the Lu ancestral house felt good.
They passed the gate of the capital, then the turn in the road that Lu Yan knew lead to the Ji family camp, and finally the turn that lead to that old farmhouse owned by the Lu family where Lu Yan had spent many miserable years.
After this, everything was new to Lu Yan and she pushed the curtain aside just enough to keep looking outside.
A couple of hours later, they stopped for a break. Lu Yan hadn't brought any servants along. Her sister-in-law glanced at her standing there outside her carriage looking around, and gestured for her to come closer.
Lu Yan didn't know much about this sister-in-law. They hadn't been introduced before. This sister-in-law lived in a separate courtyard from Lu Feng, and though she had seen Lu Yan in passing around the house and heard rumors about this little girl, knowing that her husband liked her, she wanted to get to know her.
Lu Yan hesitated, looking at Lu Feng. Only when he nodded did she approach and bow to her sister-in-law.
The older woman pulled her up, smiling, "Look how distant you're being. There's no need for such formalities."
Lu Yan felt a little flutter in her heart, and smiled back slightly.
With this first interaction, Lu Yan's good days started.
Bai Jinze was daughter of a military family from Ning city. She had been a soldier in the Bai family army since she was a young child. Ning city was close to the border, and their marriage had created an alliance between the Lu and the Bai families at a time when the border was full of unrest.
Bai Jinze was an unrestrained young woman. She didn't like her stern mother-in-law much, and was willing to approach Lu Yan without the prejudice that all Lu family members, consciously or subconsciously, had.
She found Lu Yan cautious and distant initially. But when meeting every few hours as they stopped to rest, Lu Yan slowly came out of her shell and began engaging with this sister-in-law.
As the days passed on the road, and the nights were spent in unfamiliar way-stations, Bai Jinze began to appreciate the brightness, curiosity and humor this little sister-in-law had.
Lu Yan was a sponge that soaked up all the stories of the border, the Bai family camp, the people she knew, the things she'd done. Bai Jinze appreciated having a captive audience. Soon, they were spending all day together- sitting in the same carriage, playing games, talking, eating and laughing.
Lu Feng watched them get along and felt a little jealous in his heart. Both his wife and sister seemed to like each other more than they liked him.
Realizing that Lu Yan didn't know how to ride a horse, Bai Jinze began to teach her slowly as they continued traveling on towards Ning city.