After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 856 Overcoming the Wall
After dinner, Haitang returned to her room and kept feeling conflicted.

Is it about time? Jin Jiashu said he wanted to go to the back garden to cool off, and said that no one at home would disturb his peace and quiet. In fact, he was hinting that she could climb over the wall to meet him, right?
Ever since she climbed over the wall to save his life last time, he knew that she had this skill. Now if he wanted to ask her to meet privately, he no longer had to run to the Hai family openly and cause trouble under the eyes of the elders.

But is this a bit inappropriate? Does she really want to go?
Haitang leaned out of the window and saw that the backyard of the Jin family and the backyard of the Hai family where she lived were only separated by a wall. It was just a matter of jumping for her, and she could easily climb over. The two sides were so close, and she was confident that she could climb back to the backyard before her family found out. But did she really want to climb over?

Haitang sat in front of the window, hesitating.

Or... should she climb over the wall? It wasn't too late yet, and no one in the family had gone to bed yet. Besides, she went to see Jin Jiashu not to do anything bad, but simply to inquire about his experience in the capital, to find out how he got along with his "aunt", and to test Concubine Xu's plans for his marriage. These were things that had to be asked clearly. If she didn't climb over the wall tonight, when he came again tomorrow, she would have to find a chance to talk to him alone under the eyes of her grandparents. That would be quite difficult, so she might as well just climb over the wall!
Besides, as long as she was careful, she wouldn't be afraid of being discovered. If no one else found out, what could a weakling like Jin Jiashu do to her? He was not dangerous to her at all. He was there tonight just to get information!

Haitang paced in the room, turned around twice, and finally made up her mind.

She looked outside and saw Xiangcao, the maid, doing needlework by the table in front of the candlelight. The Hai family was about to embark on the journey to Beijing, which meant that Xiangcao and her two children would also return to their hometown. Xiangcao had been very excited these days, and in order to make life more comfortable on the road, she even made new clothes for her mother and brother.

She had asked someone to find out, and her scum father was still hanging around in Chang'an, but because he had lost all his money, no casino in Chang'an was willing to let him in, so he could only do odd jobs to barely make a living. If nothing unexpected happened, he would never be able to save enough money to return home. After she, her mother, and her brother returned to the capital with the master's family, they would be able to get rid of him completely. Thinking of this, Xiangcao was particularly happy, and the originally boring needlework became interesting.

Haitang stopped her and said, "Xiangcao, there's no rush to sew. It's better to change into new clothes when you get to the capital than to keep them for the journey. The road is windy and dusty, and old clothes are more resistant to dirt. If you have some free time, why don't you go talk to your mother and brother and see if they have forgotten to buy anything? Once our family sets off, if we need something, we need to find a place to buy it. Other places are not as convenient as Chang'an."

Xiangcao thought about it and quickly put down the work in her hands, stood up and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Miss. I will go ask my mother now."

Haitang responded and went to look through her suitcase again: "Is the newly made grey cloak placed here? I might need to wear it tomorrow, so take it out in advance."

Xiangcao hurriedly turned out her cloak and hung it at the end of the kang, then went out to the front yard.

Haitang listened attentively to the noise and made sure that she had gone far away. Then she picked up the cloak, put it on, put on the hood as well, went out, jumped onto the wall, and climbed over to the backyard of the Jin family.

This new cloak was newly made, made of two layers of fine cotton cloth, with only some inconspicuous embroidery of the same color on the edges. Haitang originally wanted to make a dark cloak to cover her body at night when the weather was warm, black would be the best, dark blue would be the second, but unfortunately her grandmother Ma did not allow it.

She thought that since the family was not in mourning, how could a young girl wear such an unlucky color? Haitang used to like to make dark blue and dark green autumn and winter clothes. It was fine, because darker colors would not be so noticeable when stained by snow and water in winter, and it was more practical. But it was not allowed in spring and summer! At this time, young girls should wear bright and cheerful clothes to look energetic.

Haitang argued with her for a long time before she got a dark grey embroidered cape. This was because their family was about to go on a long journey and would be covered in dust, so grey clothes were more resistant to getting dirty.

However, when choosing the material, Haitang specially picked a kind of fabric that would never reflect light. Although the cloak made from it was not dark black, it could still function as a nightgown in the dark. With the hood on, even if she wore light-colored or bright-colored clothes under the cloak, it would be enough to conceal her whereabouts and would not be easily discovered. Haitang landed lightly in the back garden of the Jin family. Jin Jiashu had been waiting in the thatched pavilion for a while. Because he had not waited for his sweetheart yet, he leaned against the pavilion pillar, fanning himself with a fan and closing his eyes to rest. Suddenly, a breeze blew, and he smelled a familiar fragrance. He opened his eyes and saw Haitang standing in front of him.

Jin Jiashu stood up in surprise: "Sister Hai! I knew you would come!"

Haitang raised her index finger, made a "hush" sound, and looked in the direction of the back garden entrance.

Jin Jiashu lowered his voice and said, "Don't worry. The followers who stayed at home are tired from the journey today and have rested. Aunt Lu is still in the kitchen talking to Chunyu about the recent situation, and Lu Ga Wa has returned to the house. I have instructed them in advance that they will not come to the back."

Of course, even though he and Haitang were the only ones in the backyard and the back garden now, they still needed to be careful and not speak loudly, otherwise the neighbors would hear the noise and they wouldn't be able to explain it.

Jin Jiashu hurriedly gave up half of his bench to Haitang and dimmed the lantern on the small table. He had prepared some fruit tea to relieve the heat and soothe the throat. It was warm at this time and just right for drinking. He hurriedly poured a cup for Haitang as well.

Seeing that he was fully prepared, Haitang smiled and said, "Aren't you afraid that I won't come tonight?"

Jin Jiashu smiled and said, "What's the big deal? If Sister Hai doesn't come, I'll just sit here and enjoy the cool air. When I get sleepy, I'll just go back to my room and rest. Anyway, I'll go to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to pay my respects tomorrow, and I'll still go to your house. Then I'll have another chance to talk to you, Sister Hai."

He looked up at Haitang and said, "I'm not in a hurry. Some things can't be rushed. As long as I can make Sister Hai understand my feelings, and Grandpa Hai and Grandma Hai also understand my feelings, I will get what I want one day. So... I can't be in a hurry, I have to be patient."

Haitang's cheeks felt slightly hot, and she quickly looked away, whispering, "I don't have much time. I just found an excuse to get Xiangcao away, and I don't know when she will be back..."

Jin Jiashu said solemnly, "I understand. Then... we can discuss other trivial matters later. I will only tell my sister the most important thing - my aunt has agreed that the marriage is up to me. She will not object to our marriage."

What?
Haitang turned around and looked at him: "You told Madam Xu...? Did she agree? Didn't she always hope that you could marry a noble lady from the capital?!"

Jin Jiashu smiled and said, "My aunt does think so, but the noble lady in the capital can only make my life a little better, make me richer in the future, and make my career in the imperial examination smoother, but it may not save my life! I have severely offended the Sun family now. God knows when they will dislike me and want to take my life? I don't want to die. If I die, there will be no glory, wealth, and official career. Even if the noble lady's family background is noble, what use is it to me? I only want to marry a powerful wife who can protect me every day and ensure my longevity. That is the foundation of my pursuit of wealth and future!"

Huh?
What this means is...

(End of this chapter)