HNYWEF -Chapter 170 The Long Wait

At the Marquis’ estate.

By the time Zhou Xiong stepped through the gate, the sun had already climbed above the eaves.

Still dressed in his purple court robes, he walked all the way in from the mouth of the alley. Old Chen, the gatekeeper, froze for a moment when he saw him.

It wasn’t strange for the marquis to leave home in court attire.

What was strange was the way he was walking today.

His steps were quicker than usual, and his shoulders seemed more relaxed.

Old Chen opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but Zhou Xiong had already passed by him.

Zhou Yi was standing in the courtyard. Hearing the footsteps, he turned around. When he saw his father returning still dressed in court robes, he also paused in surprise.

He had never seen his father come home after court still wearing them.

“Father, you’re back.”

Zhou Xiong nodded. He stood in front of Zhou Yi and looked him over from head to toe.

“Packed your things?”

“I packed them ages ago,” Zhou Yi said. “The day you mentioned it, I started preparing. Clothes, shoes, everything I should bring.”

He paused.

“It’s just… I don’t know how long we’ll be gone, so I’m not sure how many clothes to take.”

“Bring what seems right,” Zhou Xiong said.

Zhou Yi nodded.

He looked at his father’s face. There wasn’t any expression on it, but he still felt something was different today.

Unable to hold back, he asked, “Father, where exactly are we going?”

“Xiangzhou.”

Zhou Yi froze for a moment.

Xiangzhou?

He had never been there. He only knew it was somewhere along the Hebei Circuit, some distance from Chang’an.

His father had never mentioned the place before, nor explained why they were going there.

After thinking for a moment, he asked again, “What are we going to Xiangzhou for?”

Zhou Xiong didn’t answer.

Zhou Yi waited a breath. Seeing his father remain silent, he asked again:

“Father, what are we going there for?”

Zhou Xiong looked at him for two breaths.

“There’s something that should be done.”

Zhou Yi opened his mouth slightly.

That answer was no answer at all.

What thing? What needed to be done?

After a moment, he asked again, “Then how long are we staying?”

“We’ll see.”

“One month? Two?”

“I don’t know.”

Zhou Yi looked at his father.

His father’s face still showed nothing, but those eyes—

He couldn’t quite describe them.

So he changed the question.

“When are we leaving?”

Zhou Xiong looked at him for two breaths.

“We’ll talk after your wife arrives.”

Zhou Yi froze.

His wife? Li Lizhi?

His thoughts spun several times in his head.

This trip wasn’t just going to be him and his father?

They were bringing Lizhi too?

He parted his lips.

“Father, Lizhi is coming too?”

“Mhm.”

Zhou Yi became even more bewildered.

He had assumed his father merely wanted him along. But from the sound of it, this had already been decided long ago.

After thinking for a moment, he asked again, “His Majesty approved this?”

Zhou Xiong glanced at him, his look practically saying, Wasn’t that obvious?

Zhou Yi shut his mouth.

True enough.

His father had gone out early this morning in court robes. If he had already settled everything, why was he still asking questions here?

But he truly couldn’t understand it.

Going to Xiangzhou to handle some matter—why bring Lizhi along?

After hesitating for a while, he still asked:

“Father, why must we bring Lizhi?”

Zhou Xiong looked at him for two breaths.

“You’ll know when we get there.”

Zhou Yi opened his mouth again.

That answer was still no answer at all.

“But there should at least be some explanation, right? If she asks—”

“She won’t ask.”

Zhou Xiong interrupted him.

Zhou Yi thought about it, and realized that was true.

A person like Lizhi—if his father told her to go, she would simply pack her things without another word.

She wouldn’t ask why.

But he still would.

“Father, then what about me? Am I allowed to ask?”

Zhou Xiong glanced at him.

“Haven’t you already been asking?”

That single sentence completely blocked Zhou Yi’s words.

He stopped asking.

Zhou Xiong turned and walked toward the room.

After two steps, he suddenly stopped without turning back.

“When she arrives, tell her to come in.”

After saying that, he continued forward.

The door curtain swayed twice, then became still.

Zhou Yi remained standing there, staring at the curtain for a long while.

His mind kept turning over his father’s earlier words—

Xiangzhou. There’s something that should be done. You’ll know when we get there.

He thought about it for a long time and understood nothing.

Turning around, he walked to the gate and looked outside.

The alley was empty.

No one was there.

Lizhi still hadn’t arrived.

So he stood there and waited.

After standing for a while, he returned to the courtyard and sat beside the stone table.

Several books still rested there, but he had no mood to read.

He simply sat there, staring toward the entrance, waiting.

His mind repeated the same few phrases over and over.

Xiangzhou. We’ll talk after your wife arrives. You’ll know when we get there.

What was in Xiangzhou?

His father had never once mentioned that place.

Why insist on bringing Lizhi?

Why now?

He thought about it for a long time and still understood nothing.

He stood up, walked to the gate, and looked again.

The alley was still empty.

This time, he remained standing at the entrance.

Just standing there, watching the alley mouth.

His mind stopped thinking altogether.

He simply waited.

Footsteps sounded behind him.

Zhou Xiong came out of the room. He had changed into ordinary robes and walked into the courtyard, sitting beside the stone table.

He glanced at the books on the table, then looked toward Zhou Yi standing at the gate.

“Why are you standing there?”

Zhou Yi turned around.

“Waiting for her.”

Zhou Xiong said nothing.

Lowering his head, he picked up one of the books on the table, flipped through it briefly, then set it down again.

He looked toward the gate.

The same direction Zhou Yi was watching.

One standing, one sitting.

Father and son said nothing.

Both stared toward the alley entrance.

After a long while, Zhou Yi suddenly spoke again.

“Father, is that place far away?”

“It’s alright.”

“How many days on the road?”

“Depends how we travel.”

“By horse or carriage?”

Zhou Xiong thought for a moment.

“Carriage.”

Zhou Yi nodded. After thinking again, he asked:

“Then what about Lizhi’s carriage and attendants—”

“We’ll discuss it when the time comes.”

Zhou Yi stopped asking.

He continued staring toward the alley entrance.

After another while, he suddenly asked again:

“Father, earlier you said ‘there’s something that should be done.’ What exactly is it?”

Zhou Xiong didn’t answer.

Zhou Yi waited a moment, then turned back to glance at his father.

Zhou Xiong was lowering his head, flipping through the book as though he hadn’t heard anything at all.

Zhou Yi turned back around and continued staring toward the alley entrance, no longer asking.

The sun climbed a little higher.

The shadows shortened a little more.

Zhou Yi stood at the gate with his back facing his father, never turning around.

He simply stood there, looking toward the alley entrance.

Just standing there.

Waiting for his wife to come.