Chapter 90: It seems you really do know.
It's worth noting that the wages during the training period are half of what they would normally earn if they were officially employed, yet these individuals showed no dissatisfaction whatsoever and seemed to have no urgency to make money.
Yu Wan watched their retreating figures thoughtfully, recalling how He Suzhi, when he was around, could help with the investigation simply by asking him.
These people have only broken plates so far, so we can't fire them. We can only continue to observe and send someone to keep an eye on them.
Time flies, winter has arrived, and the end of the year is just around the corner.
Yu Wan has been in low spirits these past few days, unable to muster any energy. All her businesses are thriving; both the branches in the capital and in Jiangnan are doing very well, and she receives letters from Jin Yifei and Zhu Zhifeng every few days.
She herself didn't know why she could never be happy.
On New Year's Eve, Yu Wan kept her promise and invited all the employees and their families to the food court for New Year's Eve dinner. The county magistrate also came with his family. Zhu Zhifeng wrote that business would be even busier during the New Year, so she did not come back.
The magistrate's wife knew this was just one of the reasons her daughter wasn't coming home—she was worried about being pressured to get married upon her return. She'd come to terms with it now. She used to want her daughter to find a good husband for her future happiness, but now that her daughter had her own goals and was happily busy with her business every day, wasn't that already happiness? As for marriage, that was up to her.
The magistrate's wife pulled Yu Wan aside and explained her thoughts, thus finally letting go completely.
Yu Wan knew exactly what she meant; she wanted her to pass on a message.
"Parents' hearts are always full of love and concern. Madam is so considerate of Afeng. She must be grateful to you and the sir."
The magistrate's wife sighed, "If only she truly thought that way about us. I'm afraid I pushed her too hard before, and now she's determined to stay far away from us."
Seeing his wife holding Yu Wan's hand and nagging for a long time, the magistrate hurried over and said, "Madam, our daughter is not young anymore. She has always had her own ideas. Let her do what she wants. As long as we know she is safe, healthy, and happy every day, that's enough!"
The magistrate's wife chided, "Sometimes I really envy your carefree attitude. Your daughter isn't by your side, and I haven't seen her for so long. You don't miss her, but I do!"
Unable to argue with her, the magistrate touched his nose and went to eat.
Yu Wan offered a few words of comfort and promised to make sure she could go home when she had time, which finally calmed her down.
That night, the whole city revelled, and every household was filled with joy, no longer having to suffer from hunger and cold. After the New Year's Eve dinner, everyone went out of their homes, dressed in warm clothes, and stood at their doorsteps to set off fireworks.
The fireworks display at the food court was undoubtedly a spectacular event, and many people booked guesthouses and banquets in advance to eat and stay there. Others, who couldn't get reservations or didn't want to spend the money, watched from a distance near the food court.
They didn't go home until late at night.
After Yu Wan finished washing up, she was about to return to her room when she passed by her mother's room and faintly heard sobbing.
Yu's mother hasn't been behaving well these past few days; she's become quiet and withdrawn, especially since the Lunar New Year. When asked what's wrong, she always says no. Even when they consulted Dr. Rong, he said there was nothing wrong with her body, just some emotional distress.
Yu Wan gently knocked on the door. "Mother, may I come in?"
With a trembling voice, Yu's mother replied, "A-Wan, come in, no need to knock."
Yu Wan pushed open the door and found that she was hiding something, which seemed to be a few old clothes.
Upon closer inspection, the clothes looked familiar; they were the patched-up clothes they wore when they were poor.
"Mother, are you missing my father and brother?"
Yu's mother hastily wiped away her tears, her eyes still red.
"After they were conscripted, we haven't heard from them since, and we don't know if they're alive or dead now."
Yu Wan pursed her lips. When she parted ways with He Jing in the capital, she had asked him to help her inquire, but she had never heard back.
All they knew was that Jin Kingdom was still putting up a fight, and the fact that they hadn't been defeated meant that He Jing was still alive. But their father and brother didn't have such formidable skills, and on the battlefield, swords and spears were merciless; they could lose their lives at any moment.
“Mother, there’s a list of the dead every now and then, right? We haven’t seen Father’s and Brother’s names yet, they must still be alive.”
Yu's mother sighed, "I hope so."
Yu Wan's gaze fell on the clothes in her mother's hands—clothes belonging to her father, her brother, and herself.
She still remembered last year when the mountains were blocked by heavy snow. She went up the mountain in this thin garment to try her luck, and that's when she met the seriously injured He Jing.
Memories of her time with He Jing flooded her mind. She realized that he was reliable and obedient. Although he had a bit of a temper, he would always help when needed and had even saved her several times.
I don't know if we'll ever have the chance to meet again. If not, I hope he has a smooth life ahead.
That said, why did the mother only have clothes for three people in her hands? It's understandable that she was holding her father's and brother's clothes to ease her longing, but why was she also holding hers? If the mother was thinking of the whole family, then why weren't her younger brother, Acheng's, clothes included?
Could it be...?
A bad feeling suddenly came to her mind.
Noticing the change in her expression, Yu's mother quickly explained, "Seeing this dress reminds me of this time last year when you went to the magistrate's house to cook the New Year's Eve dinner. Awan, you are truly smart and good at making money. Our family's success today is all thanks to you. I've always told your younger brother that all the money in our family belongs to you alone, and he shouldn't think about spending your money recklessly in the future. Even if he gets married, that's his own business. I'll say the same thing when your father and brother come back."
Yu Wan smiled and said, "Mother, what are you saying? I earn money so that the whole family can live a good life. You are good to me, and I will definitely repay you a hundredfold or a thousandfold."
"Good, good child." Mother Yu agreed, but couldn't help looking at the thin garment in her hands, tears streaming down her face.
She explained, "Mother is happy, very happy."
Yu Wan's heart tightened; a bold guess was about to be made.
"Mother, do you know that I am not..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yu's mother interrupted her, "No, no, don't think such things."
Her appearance further confirmed Yu Wan's suspicions.
"Mother, it seems you really do know."
Yu's mother buried her face in her clothes and cried loudly. After crying for a long time, she finally looked up at her.
Yu Wan squatted down and lay on her lap. "I'm sorry, I took her body."
Yu's mother shook her head, stopped crying, but tears still streamed down her face.
"It's not your fault. What did you do wrong?"
Yu Wan asked, "When did you find out?"
Yu's mother recalled, "Did you come on the eve of the Lunar New Year last year?"
Yu Wan nodded. Could this be the bond between mother and daughter? She had actually noticed it long ago.
“That night I had a hazy dream, I dreamt of you… I dreamt that she said goodbye to me, and said that she was incompetent and couldn’t take good care of me and Acheng. She also said that an older sister would take care of us in her place, and told me not to be sad. I initially thought it was just a dream, that I was so hungry that I dreamt something bad, because when I woke up I found you were perfectly fine, lively and energetic. But from the first time you went out to sell kebabs, and then how you made our lives better and better, I knew that dream was real. My daughter is kind and sensible, a good child, but she doesn’t have your abilities. I, as their mother, am also incompetent and haven’t taken good care of them.”
Yu Wan quickly comforted her, "You're all right. I'll take care of you in her place from now on."
She finally understood why, even as life got better, Yu's mother always had a deep sadness in her eyes.
It turns out that she was not only missing her husband and son, but also her daughter.
Knowing that the daughter in front of him is not his real daughter, he must be very sad.
Mother Yu sighed, “I know you’re a good child. I’ve seen how good you’ve been to us this past year. I’ve long considered you my other daughter. If it weren’t for you, A-Cheng and I would have gone with her long ago. Child, I don’t blame you. I just miss her sometimes. She would be happy to see us doing well.”
Yu Wan chatted with her for a while longer, and both of them calmed down considerably.
After her mother fell asleep, Yu Wan returned to her room. It seemed that her recent lack of happiness stemmed from the original owner's lingering attachment to her family. However, after talking with her mother, she felt much more relaxed.
Having put an end to my worries, I slept quite well that night, and when I woke up, I found a sandalwood box next to my bed.
"What is this? Was I sleeping so soundly that someone sneaked into my room and I didn't even wake up?"
This is outrageous!
She opened the box and found a thick stack of silver notes inside, totaling 100,000 taels, with gold and silver jewelry at the bottom.
What's going on?
She carried the box out of the room and saw her mother wiping the stair railing.
"A-Wan, why didn't you sleep a little longer?"
Yu Wan asked, "Mother, what time did you get up? Did you see anyone enter my room?"
Yu's mother was in good spirits, better than ever before, with a happy smile on her face and radiant.
"I've been up for an hour, and I haven't seen anyone enter your room."
Yu Wan was puzzled. It couldn't be a thief. Thieves only steal things, how could they deliver things? Unless these things were shady and they wanted to frame her.
Unaware of her worries, Yu's mother took her hand and excitedly said, "Awan, I heard some fantastic news this morning. You'll be very happy to hear it too! General He has won another battle! He killed the Liang Kingdom's commander-in-chief, that regent, and the Liang Kingdom, along with the reinforcements they brought from other countries, have all retreated! The war is over!"
"Oh? Really?" Yu Wan exclaimed in surprise, "There won't be any more wars?"
Mother Yu smiled and said, "Yes, Su Zhi told me, so it must be true. He also said that your father and brother are still alive and will be back in a few days!"
"He Suzhi? When did he tell you?" Yu Wan was a little confused. Wasn't that person on the battlefield?
Mother Yu chuckled and said, "He told me this morning that he hadn't seen me for months, and I thought he wouldn't come back. You didn't mention him after you came back from the capital, and I didn't dare to ask. Has he been in the army these past few months? Otherwise, how would he know about these things?"
Yu Wan asked, "Where is He Su? Where is he now?"
Mother Yu smiled and said, "He's cooking in the kitchen. This young man is really good; he's handsome and can cook too."
Yu Wan carried the box to the kitchen and, sure enough, saw that tall figure; the boy was diligently preparing breakfast.
He was a martial artist, so he quickly noticed someone approaching. He turned around, glanced at her, and smiled.
Yu Wan felt like she was dreaming, and the dream was so unreal. How could that guy smile at someone else on his own initiative?
She pinched her cheek; it hurt a little. "Ouch..."
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