Chapter 249 Arrangements Before Departure

Seeing that he had teased her enough and that the girl was about to cry, Gao Yuan finally changed his expression.

"Alright, alright, I didn't come for a loan this time. I have good news for you."

"You're going to repay another loan?"

"Uh..."

Gao Yuan scratched his head awkwardly.

"Is that the only thing you consider good news?"

"Hehe, then why don't you tell me, what other good news do you have?"

Gao Yuan sat down across from Yang Xin, picked up the teapot on the table, took a swig directly from the spout, and then spoke.

"I have a way to send you home."

"Oh, I thought you were going to say... what? Say that again!"

At first, Yang Xin clearly wasn't paying attention, but then she reacted instantly and stood up in excitement.

Gao Yuan reached out and pressed her shoulders, pushing her back into her seat.

"Don't get excited yet, sit down and listen to me explain slowly."

How could Yang Xin stay seated? She walked around the desk to stand before Gao Yuan, her lips trembling slightly with excitement.

"You... you're not lying to me, are you?"

"What benefit would I get from lying to you?"

Gao Yuan spread his hands and proceeded to explain about the portal he had obtained from the lucky draw yesterday.

"In short, I can send you back. I also plan to go back myself to purchase some supplies."

After the initial excitement, Yang Xin finally calmed down and returned to her seat.

"You mean, you're coming back?"

"Yeah, I have no ties in that world. My few loan collections have probably been confiscated, I likely don't even have a grave, and my ashes have probably been scattered at sea. Why would I stay there?"

Gao Yuan shrugged, then looked at Yang Xin with a mysterious air.

"By the way, Rich Lady, you'll have to give me some money when we get back, otherwise I won't be able to buy anything."

"That's true..."

Yang Xin looked deeply at Gao Yuan.

"So... when do we leave?"

"In a while. You need to hand over the bank's affairs to Yao Yao, and I need to arrange things for the time I'll be gone. It'll take about a month; we'll leave after the New Year."

Now that she was certain she could return, Yang Xin's sense of urgency faded. She nodded and went back to work.

Gao Yuan also went home and first summoned the one thousand Baier Soldiers, handing them over to Chen Dao.

After dinner, Gao Yuan gathered the five women of the household and told them he would be away for a while. Of course, he couldn't say he was leaving this world, so he claimed he was going on an inspection tour of various regions.

This was considered a normal operation, so the women naturally didn't object, as long as he wasn't going off to war.

In terms of government affairs, with Zhao Xiyao, Zheng Wan, and Wu Xu, he didn't need to worry at all. Only the military power and the Hidden Guards needed someone to temporarily manage them.

After finishing a pleasant bout of 'exercise' with Zhao Xiyao that night, Gao Yuan brought up the matter.

"Although I'll only be gone for a month or two at most, to avoid any accidents, I think someone needs to hold the military tally and the Hidden Guard token."

Knowing her husband was asking for her opinion, Zhao Xiyao fell into deep thought. After a good while, she made a decision.

"Military power is the foundation of our existence; it's not appropriate to hand it to anyone else, nor could they control it. So, I will handle it personally. As for the Hidden Guards... Xian Ying is the best candidate, but..."

Gao Yuan knew Zhao Xiyao's concerns. Xian Ying hadn't been with them long, and her history of falling out with her husband's family was a mark against her.

Gao Yuan thought about it and showed a smile.

"Isn't that perfect? We can use this opportunity to test her. Give her the token, but I will send separate secret letters to Wan Sanqian and Gao Zhong, ensuring the ultimate control remains with you and Meiniang."

Zhao Xiyao also thought this was a good suggestion. The couple smiled at each other and began another round of shameless exercise.

Hearing that Yang Xin was leaving—and the kind of leaving where she wouldn't return—the women were very reluctant to see her go. They specifically invited Yang Xin and her younger brother General Yang Zhan for the New Year's Eve dinner.

Hearing that the sister he depended on was leaving, General Yang Zhan was devastated. He had a long face all day, and even during the New Year, his expression was clouded with sorrow.

Having spent so many years together, Yang Xin was also loath to leave her brother, but she couldn't take General Yang Zhan with her. If they both left, the Yang Family of this era would truly cease to exist.

Gao Yuan patted General Yang Zhan's head and gave Yang Xin a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, from now on he is my own brother. I will take good care of him."

This was absolutely sincere. A genius youth who had reached B+ rank at only ten years old—Gao Yuan would naturally give him his full devotion.

Yang Xin finally felt a bit more at ease. She crouched down and patiently comforted General Yang Zhan.

Perhaps because he had been by the sides of Liu Rengui and Xia Luqi for years, the little guy appeared very strong.

Wiping away his tears, he came to Gao Yuan's side, pulled on his sleeve, looked up, and said seriously,

"Brother-in-law, I'll follow you from now on."

"Good. In the future, I'll take you to ride across the lands."

Perhaps because of the impending departure, the New Year's Eve dinner was somewhat somber.

On the fourth day of the first lunar month in the fifth year of the new era name, amidst the holiday atmosphere, Gao Yuan and Yang Xin completed all their preparations.

Following the system's instructions, the two went to a deserted spot outside the city.

Their hands were tightly clasped, and the sweat from their palms was almost dripping.

"Are you afraid?"

Yang Xin looked down at their joined hands, shook her head, and showed a faint smile.

"I'm not!"

"Good, let's go!"

With that, Gao Yuan summoned the system in his mind.

"Use the portal."

"Host is using the Space-Time Portal..."

As soon as the words fell, a massive circle of light appeared before them, flashing with a dazzling white glow.

Exchanging a look, the two stepped inside hand-in-hand, and the circle of light vanished.

When they opened their eyes again, they saw a scene both familiar and foreign: a road filled with heavy traffic.

Checking the road sign—yes, it was indeed a highway on the outskirts of Yangcheng.

Two people dressed in ancient costumes standing hand-in-hand on a highway was as out of place as could be.

The two had clearly not recovered yet and just stood there on the emergency lane in a daze.

After an unknown amount of time, a police car came roaring up. Two officers stepped out, gave them a salute, and spoke in a rather unfriendly tone.

"What's wrong with you two? How can you stand on a highway? Don't you know how dangerous this is? You're being irresponsible to yourselves and others."

Yang Xin—no, in this timeline her name was Chu Xi—just stood there blankly, clearly not knowing how to handle the situation.

Gao Yuan's mind worked faster, and he immediately came up with a story.

"We came here with others for an ancient costume event. We were kicked out of the car after an argument, and our phones are dead, so..."

The two officers looked at their outfits, checked Chu Xi's ID card and that phone which had been dead for who knows how many years, and reluctantly believed them.

In the end, the two were taken off the highway in the police car and temporarily settled at a police station.

Chu Xi's domestic-brand phone was of truly good quality; after all these years, it actually turned on after being charged.

Opening the phone, the first thing they did was check the time, and both were shocked.

"It's only been a little over a month since I fell off the cliff."

"And it's only been two months since my car accident."

This timeline is a bit of a mess!