"Oh, I really don't know what my second brother is thinking!"
Wang Qiaozhen lifted the curtain with her little finger and peered out at the Heqin market. Disdain filled her eyes. She flicked the curtain aside with her finger, leaned back in her chair, and sighed in disappointment. "Look at this Heqin County! It's shabby everywhere. It's no wonder it can't compare to the prosperity of the provincial capital, and it's even worse than Changping! Are we going to stay in a place like this from now on?"
"Honglei's consideration is not unreasonable."
Wang coaxed her eldest grandson to sit between her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Glancing at her daughter-in-law, she said helplessly, "Who doesn't know that the capital is prosperous? Who doesn't know that Changping is better than Heqin? But our family is no longer what it used to be. How can we afford a house in the capital? Even if we could manage to buy it, we wouldn't have to live there. Changping is a good woman, but unfortunately Honglei is highly regarded in Heqinwei, and the higher-ups won't let him go. He can't leave, so we have no choice but to move here. We shouldn't be separated from our family forever."
Life on the farm didn't offer a life of luxury. Wang Qiaozhen, naturally tanned, couldn't easily brighten. Her complexion was dark, and she felt irritable. She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and muttered, "Heqin is so remote, and there's chaos and war—"
Wang frowned and interrupted, "Yongzhou has been recovered, and there's no more chaos and war! I'm not afraid, so why should you be afraid?"
"...I'm not afraid." Wang Qiaozhen thought for a moment, opened her eyes, and asked anxiously, "It's true that the family should be reunited, but Honglei is busy with military affairs and probably has little free time. I heard Yushu has also received an official position and is probably busy too - then, won't it still be just the rest of us keeping each other company? Compared to before, it won't be much different."
Years of physical and mental exhaustion, with a head full of white hair, Wang sighed as she coaxed her grandson, "Not much difference? A lot of difference! I'm old now, and I don't care about anything else, I just want the whole family to be together. When I get old, who can I rely on if not my son? Heqin is indeed a poor county, but there is no other way. You can stay here for the time being. I hope Honglei will be promoted soon and move out as soon as possible." After a pause, she said earnestly,
"Not only you and I, but even Yu'er has to rely on his second uncle! Reunion is a great joy. A harmonious family brings prosperity, don't you understand? From now on, we must tolerate each other and live our lives anew."
Humph, grandma is just afraid that I'll offend my second brother and his wife. Wang Qiaozhen knew what grandma was saying, but she suppressed her anger and replied with a smile, "Of course. From now on, we can finally be reunited."
"Yes." Wang was full of emotion and anticipation.
At this moment.
Jiang Yushu sat on the bed, leaning against a cushion while holding her child. Guo Honglei embraced his wife and child, the three of them enjoying themselves. He leaned in closer, taking a closer look at the sleeping baby, and praised, "Well, not bad, you've grown a bit."
"Really? I looked left and right, but I couldn't tell. Poor thing, he's so skinny."
"If you were too fat, wouldn't you suffer a lot? Nanny said this is just right." Guo Honglei was satisfied.
Jiang Yushu nodded, "That's true." Because the baby was indeed thin, although the birth was difficult for a whole day, her body was not torn. After resting for seven or eight days after giving birth, she was able to move freely and her energy and spirit gradually became full.
"I took the child's birth date and time to the abbot of Nanpu Temple. The master was reluctant to make a fortune, but after I asked him repeatedly, he said that the child was a 'blessed person'," Guo Honglei said.
Jiang Yushu was delighted, her face beaming. "'Lucky Person'? That's great! Oh, time to come up with a name, right? I've been thinking over and over, my eyes are swamped, and I'm having a headache, but I still can't pick the one that satisfies me."
Guo Honglei smiled, then he and his wife put their cheeks close together, gazing at their son. He replied seriously, "I thought about it a lot and chose the character 'Ye'. 'Ye Ye, lightning-like, brilliant and clear.' What do you think?"
"Ye? Guo Ye?"
Jiang Yushu repeated this over and over again, pondered for a moment, and quickly made up her mind, "That's a good name. I've considered this name too. How about calling him Guo Ye?"
"Okay! Since my wife agrees, then it's settled. The host master also said it's good." Guo Honglei raised his head, his eyes bright and his spirits high.
Jiang Yushu's eyes sparkled, and a smile graced her brows. "Finally, an important matter has been settled. It saves me from worrying about it day and night! By the way, how's the house selection going? The old lady and the others are waiting for news, so we need to get it done as soon as possible."
"I've been looking at a lot of houses these past few days, and I've fallen in love with a two-story house. It's not big, but very well-maintained. The owner is a wealthy businessman, originally from Xinyang. His business expanded to the provincial capital, so he moved his family there. He's asking for 1,000 taels of silver, and with Master Zhuang accompanying him, he's not asking for an exorbitant price. What do you think?"
Jiang Yushu hesitated for a moment and asked, "Bring furniture?"
"The valuable wood was moved long ago." Guo Honglei stretched out his finger, trying to use as little force as possible, to straighten his son's tiger-head hat. He couldn't stop looking at it, even though the baby was fast asleep. He lowered his voice and continued, "But there are still many tables, chairs, beds, screens, and other things left. After careful cleaning and some simple additions, we can move in."
Jiang Yushu nodded. "I can't go out for the time being. You can discuss it with my third brother. It's rare to find a house that suits your taste. This neat two-story house in the county town is priced at one thousand taels, which is not expensive. Let's just buy it."
"Okay, I'll do as you say! Tomorrow morning, my third brother and I will talk to the owner of the house and sign the deed." Guo Honglei readily agreed. On a whim, he stretched out his right palm, pointed at the baby's face, and said with emotion, "Look, this kid, his face is not even half the size of my palm."
This kid?
Jiang Yushu burst out laughing. "Don't you even look at how big your palm is! Forget about Ye'er. I'm afraid cousin Liao's daughter's face isn't even half the size of your palm. Is Baozhu feeling better?"
Guo Honglei replied in a low voice: "You've been taking the medicine for a few days and you've gotten much better. You should be cured soon. Not to mention Baozhu, even your face is not as big as my palm." As he spoke, he leaned over and kissed her deeply.
"Hmm! Um... Be careful, I'm holding the baby—"
After a while, their foreheads touched. Guo Honglei's eyes were bright as stars. He held his wife and child tightly and whispered, "Don't worry, the child is sleeping soundly."
As soon as he finished speaking, the baby's breathing changed and he slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were clearly black and white, and his eyes were clear and watery.
Jiang Yushu teased, "Look, you woke him up."
"Hold me for a while." Guo Honglei was very excited.
Jiang Yushu let go. After giving birth, she tried every possible way, asking Nanny Pan for advice, and insisted on eating the same food as her wet nurse, but she still had no milk. She felt very regretful and whispered, "I must be hungry."
"He's not crying, so he's probably not too hungry. Hmm... maybe he just wants to wake up and play for a while," Guo Honglei said seriously. As a new father, he carefully held the baby, as if he were holding a rare treasure. As father and son looked into each other's eyes, he deeply understood the meaning of "flesh and blood," "bone and blood," and "bloodline."
The young couple huddled close together, and Jiang Yushu said cheerfully, "What's the baby, not even a month old, playing with? Nine times out of ten, he's woken up from hunger. If you don't give him to the wet nurse, he'll definitely cry soon!"
"Crying is a way to practice breathing. Practicing breathing often will make your body stronger." Guo Honglei said seriously.
Jiang Yushu's eyes were filled with anger. Just as she was about to speak, there was a knock on the door. Nanny Pan reported anxiously:
"Sir, the old lady and the others are here! The carriage has stopped at the door, and the third young master has rushed to greet them. You should hurry up too."
"What?"
The couple were both stunned. Jiang Yushu asked curiously, "Didn't you say you wouldn't move until you bought the house and land? Why are you here so suddenly?"
Guo Honglei calmed himself down, handed the swaddling clothes to his wife, stood up and replied, "I don't know. You two rest, I'll go get mother. Now that we're here, we have to settle down as soon as possible."
"Yes." Jiang Yushu looked up and said, "I can't greet you. I'll pay my respects to my mother-in-law when we meet later."
Guo Honglei nodded and hurried away.
It won't take a moment
Three carriages were parked outside the side door leading to the rear yamen, and servants were busy moving luggage.
Guo Honglei's feet were so fast that he caught up with Guo Hongzhe, who was dawdling involuntarily, at the doorstep:
"Third brother!"
Guo Hongzhe's eyes lit up, as if he had been pardoned. "Second brother, you're here. Let's go and welcome mother together."
Guo Honglei nodded and led his brother out of the door.
Beside the carriage, Guo Hongxuan turned and ran away, shouting excitedly, "Second brother! Third brother!"
"Fourth brother." The older brother supported his younger brother. Guo Honglei patted his brother's arm vigorously and sighed: "You've grown taller and stronger. But I wonder if you have made any progress in your studies? I'm going to test you seriously."
Guo Hongxuan suddenly frowned, "Oh, we're just meeting and we're already talking about academics..."
Guo Honglei asked sternly, "Why? Are you afraid to talk about academics? Have you not studied hard enough?" As he spoke, he led his brother towards the carriage where their mother was riding.
"How dare I? Of course, of course I worked hard." Guo Hongxuan lacked confidence and felt guilty.
After a moment, the three brothers stood still, and Guo Honglei bowed and called out, "Mother?"
Reunited after a long separation, Wang Qiaozhen, upon hearing her second son's voice, was instantly overwhelmed with a mixture of joy and sorrow, her eyes welling up. The maid drew aside the curtain, and Wang Qiaozhen, holding her son's hand with her left hand and her mother-in-law's with her right, bent slightly as she stepped out of the carriage.
Wang held onto the car door, looked down at her second son, and spoke in a trembling voice, "Honglei..."
After several years of separation, Guo Honglei looked up and examined the old woman with a head full of white hair. He felt very uncomfortable and extended his right hand and said, "Mother, please get off the car."
"Mom, slow down." Guo Hongzhe also reached out his hand hurriedly.
Wang raised her hand, held her second son's arm, lowered her head, stepped on the seat, and slowly got out of the car.
Guo Hongzhe was dejected, but not surprised at all. He silently pulled himself together and supported his nephew instead, "Sister-in-law, Yu'er. Yu'er, come here, slow down."
"Third brother." Wang Qiaozhen responded, "Yu'er, this is your third uncle? Don't you recognize him?"
Guo Yu looked at Guo Hongzhe and vaguely remembered, "Third Uncle."
"Hey, so good!" Guo Hongzhe smiled and rubbed his nephew's head. In fact, whenever he faced his stepmother and eldest sister-in-law, he was always nervous and on guard, worried that he would say the wrong word or take the wrong step. He was afraid from the bottom of his heart.
Beside him, Guo Honglei felt distressed. He knelt on his knees, kowtowed, and said sadly, "It's been so long since we've been apart. I haven't been able to visit my mother during this time. I'm an unfilial son. I hope you can forgive me."
Guo Hongzhe hurriedly knelt down, fearing that he was even a step late.
Wang burst into tears, her heart unbearable. She bent down to support her second son, choking with sobs as she said, "My son! Hurry, hurry up! It's all because I was imprisoned and had no choice. How could I blame you for being 'unfilial'? I, an old woman, had never dared to hope that we would meet again in this life. Fortunately, you have made a difference, and our whole family has been pardoned and spared from exile."
Guo Honglei stood up with his mother's help. Wang took the handkerchief handed over by her eldest daughter-in-law, wiped her tears, and then said, "Azhe, get up quickly. We are family, no need to be polite."
"Yes." Guo Hongzhe stood up and breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, Guo Honglei saluted, "Sister-in-law."
Wang Qiaozhen returned the greeting, "Second brother." Then, she nudged her son and said, "Yu'er, this is your second uncle. Do you remember him?"
Guo Yu looked up, questioningly gazing at the tall, handsome stranger. A sense of awe welled up in his heart, and he timidly called out, "Second Uncle."
Guo Honglei sighed, "When we parted, Yu'er was only three years old. In the blink of an eye, he's already six."
When these words were spoken, everyone was deeply moved.
Guo Honglei cheered up and supported his mother, saying, "It's windy outside, come inside and sit down. Mother, we've already picked out a house with two courtyards. We'll sign the contract tomorrow morning and move in on an auspicious day. As for the rest of us, most of us will be arranged to stay at the farm. After all, times have changed now, and we can't afford to support hundreds of servants at home. What do you think?"
"You have always been steady and prudent in your work. You make the decision." Wang was exhausted and had little energy.
"yes."
Wang was worried. She examined her second son's left shoulder and asked with concern, "The letter said your left shoulder was injured. How is it now?"
Guo Honglei replied casually: "I will soon recover, mother, don't worry."
"Don't hide it, I can see it." Wang sighed, "Just now you helped me get out of the car with only your right hand, which means your left hand is still very inconvenient."
Guo Honglei smiled and said, "Mother is wise. Nothing can be hidden from your eyes. But please rest assured, he is almost fully recovered. He is not disabled."
"You are so outspoken! Don't say such unlucky words in the future." The family was reunited, and Wang's sadness gradually turned into joy.
Guo Honglei nodded and replied: "Yes!"
Guo Hongzhe held his nephew's hand, while Wang Qiaozhen looked carefully at the rear office of Heqin County with empty hands, secretly feeling disgusted.
The group was talking and laughing as they walked. When they reached the entrance of the Moon Cave, they met Liao Xiaodie who was coming with her daughter in her arms.
"Oh?" Wang Qiaozhen was greatly surprised and was stunned for a moment. Then old hatred and new grudges surged in her heart, and she smiled.
The author has something to say:
Young Master Guo: I have a name now, it’s Guo Ye, yeah~ [raises both hands and makes a V sign]
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