Inlaid With Jade - Chapter 15

Chapter 15 
She didn’t like younger men 
 
When the day darkened, and the group reached the foot of the mountain, the rain stopped.
  
When Li Heming saw the people coming down the mountain to pick up Lin Yu from afar, he finally understood why Mother Lin anxiously asked him to keep Lin Yu’s disappearance a secret. At the foot of the mountain, in addition to the edgy Lin Jing, there was a tall and handsome boy—Yang Jinming, the third son of the Minister of Rites, the one Li Heming had questioned in the mountain whether Lin Yu had found a suitable buyer. 
  
Yang Jinming was young, two years younger than Lin Yu, only sixteen. On Father Lin’s birthday, Lin Yu sang the song ‘Liang Xiao Yin’ behind the screen to celebrate his birthday. Her figure was graceful, and the fourteen-year-old boy fell in love at first sight. Unfortunately, the boy fell in love too late. At that time, Lin Yu had already been engaged to Li Heming, and Yang Jinming could only keep this affection in his heart. 
  
Two years passed, but the young man’s love did not die. Instead, he returned to life after hearing the Lin family had canceled Li Heming’s marriage proposal. 
  
It was cold in late autumn, and Lin Jing had been standing at the bottom of the mountain for almost two hours. He was in a hurry to go out and brought no water bags. He was so dry-mouthed that he felt depressed when he saw Yang Jinming standing beside him, especially when this kid was paying attention to his sister. Yang Jinming honored Qin Lao, the Grand Secretary of the Dali Temple, as his teacher. Every day, he was busy handling cases. Maybe he had stayed in the Dali Temple for a long time, and his personality was more stable than his peers, but how stable could he be at sixteen? 
  
Lin Jing didn’t like Yang Jinming because he was too young. He was impulsive and couldn’t restrain his feelings, which was unsuitable for Lin Yu. Lin Yu was weak, so she had to find someone older and caring enough to care for her. Yang Jinming was fine as a friend, but Lin Jing couldn’t accept him as a brother-in-law. However, Mother Lin liked Yang Jinming and intended to marry Lin Yu into the Yang family. The Lin family was better than the Yang family, and Yang Jinming was devoted to Lin Yu. If Lin Yu marries him, with the support of her natal family and Yang Jinming’s affection, she won’t suffer. 
  
However, in this matter, Lin Jing didn’t care what Mother Lin thought. He glanced at Yang Jinming, who was staring at the mountain road, and said, “It’s getting dark. If Young Master Yang doesn’t come home, your mother will be worried.” 
  
These words made Yang Jinming look like a seven- or eight-year-old child. His intention to drive him away was obvious, but the boy was not angry. He stood before the horse with his arms folded and said nonsense: “Today, the fog in the mountains is thick. It’s probably raining on the mountain. It’s a rare and beautiful view. I’ll take a few more glances and leave when the fog clears.” 
  
The mountains were covered with white, and the green forests couldn’t show up. The fog would probably not clear until tomorrow morning. He found a good excuse and even had a reason to accompany Lin Jing to stay overnight and wait for others. 
  
Lin Jing turned his back in annoyance, only hating that when he ran into Yang Jinming on the street and asked him where he was going, he blurted out, ‘To pick up my mother and younger sister at the foot of the mountain.’
  
Several shadowy figures appeared at the foot of the mountain. Yang Jinming lowered his arms and squinted his eyes. He smiled and said, “Here they come!” 
  
Lin Jing turned around and saw He San in a flying fish suit, riding a horse and leading the way out of the fog. 
  
The fog in the mountains was like smoke, and the road was slippery. Ordinary people would go astray, not to mention going down the hill. Yang Jinming exclaimed, “I heard the Imperial Guards’ tracking and finding skills are superb. Today, I have learned a lot.” 
  
Lin Jing ignored him and left him behind. When Yang Jinming saw Lin Yu in a white velvet cloak on the horse, he moved his feet and wanted to follow but stayed still. 
  
“Little sister!” Lin Jing saw that there was only Lin Yu and asked, “Why are you alone? Where is Mother?” As he spoke, he glanced at Li Heming behind Lin Yu. 
  
Lin Yu replied: “The mountain road is difficult to walk on, and Mother can’t ride a horse. When the rain stops, she will take a carriage down the mountain.” 
  
“That’s good.” Lin Jing said, reaching out to help Lin Yu: “Come on, I drove a carriage here. The horse is shaking and uncomfortable. Let’s take the carriage.” 
  
Li Heming saw that Lin Jing was about to pull her off the horse and reminded him: “Lord Lin, be careful. She hurt her leg.” 
  
Lin Jing was stunned. Lin Yu saw this and said hurriedly, “It’s okay. I just bumped my knee. My bones are fine. It’ll be fine after a while.” She remembered every word Li Heming said that day, and Li Heming looked at her. 
  
Lin Jing didn’t notice this look, and Lin Yu didn’t notice it either. Only Yang Jinming, who was not far away, saw this. The young man frowned, keenly aware that there was something wrong with Li Heming’s eyes. 
  
Lin Yu was still making up a lie to explain to Lin Jing how she got hurt. She said softly, “It rained on the mountain these two days. When I went back to the meditation room, I accidentally missed a step and fell. It’s okay.” 
  
She slowly spoke as if she were afraid she would miss something and make people hear something wrong, but her expression was calm, and there was no abnormality. She didn’t feel guilty about lying to her brother in front of others, but she was nervous because Li Heming, who knew she was lying, was following her. So, she subconsciously looked back at him while she was talking. 
  
His dark eyes met hers, and Li Heming remained silent. Lin Yu blamed herself for overthinking. Clearly, he was not a gossipy person. However, this inexplicable gaze made Lin Jing unhappy. He frowned and thought: Why are you looking at Li Heming? Could it be that he pushed her? 
  
But Li Heming helped Lin Jing bring Lin Yu back from Lingyun Temple, and Lin Jing was not ungrateful, so he would not make trouble for Li Heming at this time. He bowed earnestly to Li Heming, saying, “Thank you, Lord Li, for escorting my little sister down the mountain. Lin Jing is very grateful.” 
  
Li Heming’s attitude remained unchanged. He said lightly, “It’s just a small favor; there’s no need to thank me.” 
  
He pulled the reins: “I have important things to do. I will leave first.” Without waiting for a response, he drove away directly. 
  
When passing by Yang Jinming, Li Heming looked down at him. Yang Jinming raised his eyes to meet his gaze, straightened up, and said respectfully: “Lord Li.” 
  
Li Heming did not respond. His eyes swept across his young face and passed him directly. 
  
Li Heming would understand Yang Jinming’s thoughts, but he did not take Yang Jinming seriously for the same reason as Lin Jing: Yang Jinming was too young. 
  
In the Ming Dynasty, men could only marry when they were 18. If Yang Jinming wanted to marry Lin Yu, he would have to let her waste two more years. A girl’s youth was so precious. How could she wait for him to grow up like a new tree bearing fruit? 
  
Moreover, Li Heming knew Lin Yu did not like young men who were still w*t behind their ears.