Chapter 154

Chapter 154

Setting Off

Zhang Xiaofeng had experienced her son leaving home after returning before, so after being comforted by Lu Fang, she quickly accepted it. Dabbing her tears, she said, "Since you're leaving, you must take food and drink with you. I’ll go buy extra eggs later and boil them for you to take tomorrow morning."

"Are you going alone?" Lu Fang couldn’t help but ask.

Lu Hang shook his head. "We’ll say it’s for his school—A Ming will come with me. Everyone’s busy at home, so they sent me along. Once I contact Commander Zhang, I’ll send A Ming back. I won’t drag him into this."

His goal was to protect his family, and he absolutely wouldn’t let anyone come to harm.

"It’s good to be cautious. Talk to A Ming first, and your mother and I will prepare the food," Lu Fang reminded him in a low voice after calming down.

Lu Hang pressed his lips together and nodded.

"Your parents are incredible," Lin Nannan sighed. "Even though they’re reluctant to let you go, they still allow you to leave." She felt moved by the tangled emotions she’d never experienced herself, her eyes growing misty.

This was the first time Lu Hang stood before Lin Nannan, catching every little expression on her face.

"What about you? Are you reluctant to let me go?" he asked.

Lin Nannan was surprised. Raising her head to meet his deep gaze, she bit her lip awkwardly and said, "You’ve already decided to leave. Whether I’m reluctant or not doesn’t matter."

She hadn’t felt much before, but the thought of fetching her own water in the future made her emotions surge uncontrollably...

Sensing her turmoil, Lu Hang simply pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "I’ll miss you!"

Lin Nannan paused, then burrowed into him and whispered, "Me too..."

She was already feeling his absence before he’d gone.

"Wait for me to come back. Look after yourself, and when you go out, take A Jian or A Da with you..." He went on detailing all the precautions, afraid she might suffer in his absence.

Lin Nannan looked at him for a while before suddenly asking, "Now that you’re better, can we have a baby?"

"Cough, cough..." Lu Hang choked and had to let go of her.

"Do I scare you that much?" Lin Nannan asked resentfully.

Lu Hang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In the end, he ruffled her hair fondly. "You’d work me to the bone before my trip?"

If he weren’t leaving, he would have agreed—after all, it wasn’t just her who longed for it; he did too.

But he was about to leave, and who knew what kind of trouble he was walking into. He didn’t dare promise...

Lin Nannan really wanted to say she was ready for a child now.

Living in the same courtyard, the couple had gone to see their son behind closed doors, and they could even make out Zhang Xiaofeng’s quiet crying from outside. So when they came out, everyone exchanged glances, unsure whether to ask.

Finally, Grandma Lu spoke up. While Zhang Xiaofeng was cooking, she quietly mentioned it, leaving Grandma Lu dizzy with excitement.

She bit her tongue hard enough to taste blood before steadying herself.

Lowering her voice, she voiced her doubts: "How’d he get better just like that? Are you dreaming?"

"Nan Nan gathered herbs that treated A Hang’s injuries. But the kids weren’t sure it would take, so they kept it quiet. After he recovered, they wanted to wait things out, but something came up, so he had to come clean sooner." Zhang Xiaofeng spilled every last detail, leaving Grandma Lu beside herself with joy.

For a granddaughter-in-law skilled in both farming and medicine, Grandma Lu truly wished she could give Lin Nannan all the finest things, just to show how much the Lu family valued her.

"This girl, why does she shoulder everything herself? If we had known, we could have helped!" Knowing how exhausting it was to care for an injured person, Grandma Lu felt the same as Zhang Xiaofeng and even blamed Lu Hang for not explaining earlier.

"Exactly! Thankfully, Nan Nan is kind-hearted and didn’t blame him at all!" Zhang Xiaofeng, overjoyed, suddenly recalled what her son had told her. Her smile stiffened before she sighed helplessly, "A Hang said he’s heading to the army base to see Commander Zhang. He mentioned our family’s being watched again."

Grandma Lu narrowed her eyes, wondering what these people were after, refusing to give up so stubbornly.

"A Hang’s careful—he’ll be safe. Don’t meddle—just let him handle it."

"I know. A Hang and the others already tried to talk me out of it." Though Zhang Xiaofeng said so, her heart was still filled with reluctance. After all, her son had been ill for so long, and now that he was finally better, she only wanted him to stay home and recuperate…

Convincing the family was easy, but persuading Lu Ming was the simplest.

As long as he could go out and accompany his authoritative elder cousin, he was overjoyed, even if there were many tasks to handle along the way.

Knowing Lu Hang would leave the next day, Zhang Xiaofeng and the others stayed up late making steamed buns, fearing the two might go hungry on the road.

Even in the quiet village at this hour, Lu Hang didn’t rise but remained seated, letting Lu Ming wheel him.

Lu Ming, who had been so cheerful the day before, never expected he’d not only have to push his cousin but also carry a heavy load of food. It wasn’t until Lin Nannan noticed and rigged up some hooks that everything was properly secured.

With the burden significantly lighter, Lu Ming finally exhaled in relief and showered Lin Nannan with praise, "You’re the best, sis!"

Lin Nannan shot him a look. "Finish the stuff that spoils fast. Don’t waste anything."

She wouldn’t tolerate food waste.

What could Lu Ming do but nod?

Though Lu Hang looked reluctant, after a few parting words, he let Lu Ming push him away…

Normally, Lin Nannan didn’t feel anything unusual about Lu Hang. She merely protected the Lu family fiercely to maintain her current life, ensuring she could farm in peace—it was her duty, after all, since the Lu family had treated her so well.

She never considered Lu Hang special, even thinking Grandma Lu and her mother-in-law, who cooked delicious meals, were more important than him.

But now, watching Lu Hang turn and leave, her chest suddenly ached, swallowed by a feeling she couldn’t name.

This unfamiliar sensation left her at a loss…

"Don’t worry. A Hang’s careful—he’ll come back safe," Zhang Xiaofeng reassured, noticing Lin Nannan’s uncharacteristically gloomy face.

Lin Nannan hesitated, wanting to say something but ultimately only nodded, bottling up the sadness…

Never having experienced such emotions before, she grew restless after Lu Hang’s departure, feeling like nothing was right. And at this moment, someone had the nerve to pick a fight—unlucky timing indeed.

Qiao Lu never saw the paralyzed Lu Hang as competition, much less some country bumpkin like Lin Nannan. She believed dealing with them would be effortless, so she openly sought to move next to the Lu family. The vacant Han residence seemed the perfect spot, so she approached the village chief, even offering double the rent—but the village chief shut her down.