Chapter 173: Leaving and Reluctance
"Doctor Lu Xiao, Old Doctor Chen, are you really leaving?"
In Wei Mansion, Wei Zian heard that Lu Qing and his company were planning to leave and immediately rushed to Youzhu Courtyard.
Then, he saw that both his father and mother were there.
"Indeed, we have overstayed our time in your honorable residence; it is time to return. Otherwise, the villagers might start to worry," Lu Qing nodded.
During their trip, they had stayed in the County for nearly half a month.
Although they had entrusted someone from Wei Mansion to send a message back to Jiuli Village, the villagers could not help but worry after such a long absence.
Now that the matters in the County had been settled to perfection, there was naturally no need for them to linger in the County any longer.
And while the County was not bad, it imposed many restrictions, making many things inconvenient.
During this time, even when Lu Qing practiced his martial arts, he had to be extremely careful not to disturb others.
So home was better, where one could delve into the mountains and regardless of the upheaval, not bother anyone else.
Even Old Doctor Chen felt a strong urge to return.
There were still a few patients in Jiuli Village whose illnesses he had not fully cured before leaving.
Before departing, he had prepared their medications in advance, but they were probably running out by now. He needed to go back for follow-up consultations.
"Young Master Lu, what are you saying? Having you and the elder doctor stay here has been an honor for our Wei Mansion, so where does this talk of 'disturbance' come from?" Wei Xinghe hurriedly said.
He would love for Lu Qing and his company to live in the mansion indefinitely.
"Yes, Young Master Lu, as long as you wish, you can stay for as long as you like, how could you ever be a disturbance?" Mrs. Wei added.
She did not want Lu Qing and his party to leave, especially Little Yan.
Teaching Little Yan to read and write, and spending so much time together, she had nearly come to consider Little Yan as her own daughter.
"Thank you all for your kindness, but we have been away from home for a long time; it's also time for us to go back and check on things."
In the end, no matter how Wei Xinghe and the others tried to keep them, Lu Qing and Old Doctor Chen made their intention to leave clear.
Left with no choice, Wei Xinghe had to have preparations made.
As for Wei Shanhai, he had not appeared at all, and it was unclear whether he was not in the mansion or simply indifferent to their departure.
Before long, Wei Xinghe and the others saw Lu Qing and his party off at the city gates.
"You have been living quite comfortably, haven't you?"
Seeing the noticeably fatter ox brought to the cart by Wei Mansion's servants, Lu Qing teased with a laugh.
" Moo!"
The ox, delighted at the sight of Lu Qing and his group, gave a gentle moo and affectionately nuzzled Lu Qing's hand with its head.
Lu Qing began taking several boxes from the servants of the Wei family and placing them onto the ox cart.
They were mostly special local products he had bought for the villagers.
As for the generous thanks that Wei Mansion had prepared, they had only symbolically accepted a little, graciously declining the rest.
At the realm Old Doctor Chen and Lu Qing had reached, they no longer had much need for gold and silver.
There were large chests of gold and silver at home that they had not yet figured out how to use.
"Little Yan, let's go!"
Having finished loading, Lu Qing called out.
"Goodbye, auntie, Little Yan is going home now!"
Clutching Little Li, Little Yan said goodbye to Mrs. Wei somewhat reluctantly.
Over these days, she had grown deeply attached to Mrs. Wei by being in her company every day.
Mrs. Wei felt even more reluctant to let go, her tears almost falling: "Little Yan, be good. When auntie has some free time, I'll visit you in Jiuli Village." Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire
"Really? Then Little Yan will wait for you at home!" Little Yan's eyes sparkled.
Hearing these words, Mrs. Wei's heart sank, and tears nearly poured out, managing only to nod with emotion: "Of course, it's true."
The little one immediately brightened up, jumping and running towards Lu Qing before being lifted onto the ox cart.
Old Doctor Chen still wore his bamboo hat, sitting at the front.
Due to living in seclusion and staying deliberately low-key, other than the people of Wei Mansion, no one else in the County knew that this suddenly emerged, mysterious figure from the Innate Realm was the famed Old Doctor Chen.
"Family Master Wei, you don't have to see us off any further. After accompanying a traveler for a thousand miles, there must be a parting. Let us say goodbye here," Lu Qing bowed courteously.
"Brother Lu, once I've dealt with my family's affairs, I'll come to the big market to mooch some food and drink from you!" Ma Gu, who had just arrived at the gate, said heartily.
"Haha, that would certainly be nice. I'll prepare a couple of good dishes for you then," Lu Qing laughed heartily.
With laughter, Old Doctor Chen snapped the whip, and with a crisp sound, the ox cart slowly started moving out of the gates.
Just as when it had first arrived, the cart slowly approached from the distance.
Except now, there were two or three fewer people on it.
Mrs. Wei and Wei Zian watched as the ox cart slowly moved further away, their eyes tinged with redness.
Initially, they had returned with a heart full of anxiety.
Now, the very cart that had escorted them all the way was leaving.
In that moment, a flood of emotions welled up in their hearts, a mixture of sentiments.
"Goodbye, auntie!"
When the ox cart had traveled quite a distance and was barely visible, Little Yan stood up, waving vigorously.
As her tender voice carried from afar,
Mrs. Wei's tears finally broke free and streamed down her face.
When Lu Qing and his party had left the city, they had done so openly, making no attempt to hide their departure.
Therefore, the news of their leaving soon spread throughout the city's every corner.
"They've really gone?"
Inside County Lord Mansion, Yan Canghai looked at his subordinate, who had come to report, with a grave expression.
"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. Young Master Lu left on an ox cart, and that young lady was also in the cart, driven by what seemed to be an older man. Many people in the city saw it too," the subordinate confirmed.