When the sun rises high in the treetops, it's time to receive the bride.
The bridal sedan chair departed at midday.
The banquet was held after dusk.
Busy until midnight.
Even if there are only three or five tables, hosting a wedding banquet at home still requires working until dark, seeing off all the guests, cleaning up the leftovers, and tidying up the tables, chairs, and dishes at You Ran Ju so that someone can come and collect them the next day.
Even with help, after cleaning the bluestone floor, Jiang Sheng just wanted to lie on the bed and not move at all.
"Everyone says the bride is most tired on her wedding day. We're already like this, how hard must it be for Auntie?" she asked, huddled in the small rattan chair, puzzled.
No one answered.
The only elder, Zhang Xianglian, had already married into the Kong family; the rest were just young men and a few inexperienced girls.
"If you're tired, get some rest." Xu Mo rubbed his sore fingers.
His job was the easiest, requiring only collecting and recording money, but he still felt soreness in his shoulders and neck, and his steps were slow.
"Should we take stock of today's money?" Zheng Ruqian looked at the large bag full of copper coins, and for the first time, he had no interest in counting money. "Are these to be given to Aunt?"
According to the customs of the countryside, the gold and silver in the wedding register of the newlywed should belong to her family, because the family still needs to return this money.
But these gifts were given by Zhang Xianglian herself, so they should rightfully be returned to her.
"Should we send it back to Auntie tomorrow, or do we send it back when she returns to her parents' home?" Fang Heng was the only energetic one among the siblings, and these chores seemed trivial to him.
"Let's go back to her parents' home. Auntie will have to come back eventually," Xu Mo decided. "Weddings are so tiring, let Auntie rest well for these three days."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Wen Zhiyun arrived with Xiaozhu at some point. One lifted the lid, and the other filled a bowl. "Everyone has worked hard today. Drink some Eight Treasures Soup to relieve fatigue and calm the nerves."
Having a doctor at home is really great; I never have to worry about minor injuries or pains, and I can always have a constant supply of nourishing foods.
Eight Treasures Soup sounds like a delicious dish.
Jiang Sheng immediately sat up, took the large bowl, and drank it all.
Zheng Ruqian, Fang Heng, and Xu Mo did not refuse, and the eight ginger and Wang siblings also drank it.
The last bowl was for the fifth brother.
Wen Zhiyun held it carefully, looking around, but did not see Chang Yan.
"Where's Fifth Brother?" Jiang Sheng also noticed something was wrong. "Where did Fifth Brother go?"
The six siblings weren't exactly inseparable; everyone had their own things to do, such as Xu Mo going to school, Fang Heng going to war, and Zheng Ruqian traveling around.
But as long as they are in this courtyard, they will not leave each other's sight, and even if something happens, they will explain it in advance to prevent their family from worrying.
If Jiang Sheng still had to go out to Jiuzhenfang and the workshop to handle matters, and Wen Zhiyun still needed to go to the clinic for treatment, then Chang Yan was the most leisurely person in the family and almost never left the courtyard.
Where could he go if he's not home?
Was it an encounter with danger, or a direct abduction?
Jiang Sheng became increasingly frightened as she thought about it. She had just put the large bowl down on the table and hadn't even gotten up to check when there was a knock on the courtyard door.
Her eyes brightened, and she jumped up from the wicker chair. "It's Fifth Brother! Fifth Brother must have been locked out by one of you. Luckily, none of you were asleep yet, so we managed to open the door for him..."
But as Wang Xiaosong moved over, what appeared outside the door were Zhang Xianglian and Master Kong, who should have been celebrating their wedding night.
It wasn't a long banquet, so Fifth Brother wasn't there.
Before Jiang Sheng could feel disappointed, she walked over in surprise, "Auntie, what brings you here? Is something the matter?"
What could be more important than the wedding night?
For the first time, Master Kong's round face was extremely solemn, and Zhang Xianglian trembled as she asked with lingering fear, "Where is Xiao Wu? I've come to find Xiao Wu."
They exchanged glances, and all of them unconsciously tensed up.
They were also looking for Changyan, and for Xiao Wu from their family.
“I… when I was sorting through the wedding gifts tonight, I opened the envelope that Xiao Wu gave me.” Zhang Xianglian said, tears streaming down her face. “Inside was a land deed, a land deed!”
That was bad enough, but when she called over Master Kong, who was literate, to take a look, it turned out to be a land deed for a two-courtyard house.
They had rented this courtyard for two years, paying a hundred taels of silver in rent each year, so the value of the courtyard itself was considerable.
Changyan was always well-behaved and reserved, and was the only one among the siblings who had no income.
Where did he get the money, and where did he buy the land deed, and even give it to Zhang Xianglian as part of her dowry?
These countless questions lingered in the minds of the siblings, and without much thought, they went straight to each room.
There was none. There were none. There were none. There were none. There were none.
Until Zheng Ruqian cried out in surprise.
Everyone gathered around and saw six exquisitely crafted wooden figures on a large desk. Underneath the figures was a sheet of flat Xuan paper with several large characters written on it, clearly the handwriting of "Long Banquet".
"I have been away from home for too long, and it is time for me to return. Don't worry, you will always have my little Wu."
After Xu finished reading, there was complete silence.
We've been like siblings for five years, and I've never heard of him having any family. It's time for him to return home. Who leaves their child out to be raised for five years and then comes back to them?
“Besides, didn’t Fifth Brother say he had amnesia?” Jiang Sheng said, her tone tinged with grievance.
Could it be that he has regained his memories?
“Xiao Wu never said he had amnesia. You're the one who made that assumption, and he didn't deny it.” Xu Mo glanced at his sister and picked up the six small wooden figures.
The long banquet has been under carving since last year.
He was a very serious person. Lacking basic skills, he slowly honed his craft, discarding batch after batch of wood and developing calluses on his fingertips. Finally, he sculpted the six siblings, capturing their spirit and form.
The eldest brother is always reading, the second brother is always counting money, the third brother is always carrying a long stick, the fourth brother is always carrying a small medicine box, and the younger sister is always holding a candied hawthorn.
And then there's him, calm and collected with his hands behind his back.
They are a family, and even when they encounter difficulties, they will work together, just like the wooden carvings, walking side by side, relying on each other for survival.
But now, Changyan has gone home.
“We never said he wasn’t allowed to go home. Why didn’t he say goodbye to his brothers in person? Why didn’t he tell them where his home was?” Zheng Ruqian sat angrily on the edge of the bed. “Why did he sneak away, especially on Aunt Zhang’s big day?”
"I think it was so that we would discover he was missing later," Xu Mo said softly, his fingers gripping the wooden figure tighter, turning faintly bluish-white.
He had calculated everything, truly deserving of being the smartest fifth brother in the family. But did he not foresee people's hearts, the disappointed looks in his brothers' eyes, or his sister's heartbroken sobs?
"Could Xiao Wu be being coerced?" Fang Heng thought of himself back then, gripping the knife handle tightly. "Then I must find him, I must save my brother."
The crowd grew increasingly silent. These were all speculations; no one knew the truth about why Changyan had left or where he had gone.
In the utter silence, a frail, thin figure huddled together, tears streaming down her face.
"Xiao Wu, are you going to leave me? How could you... leave me?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
