Chapter 478 Farewell
“Madam Xue, there’s no need for you to go to such trouble. You’ve gone to so much expense.” Jiang Nuanzhi quickly pulled Madam Xue aside. “You’ve come all this way to see me off, I will cherish it. I’ll just have Linchun help me revise it later.”
"Dr. Jiang, this is a potsticker that my wife specially asked me to bring you, saying that you like it." Master Du took a moment to deliver the food, and seemed a little unaccustomed to it, giving a stiff smile: "Please don't mind it."
"How could that be? Thank you, Master Du. I will definitely ask after my elder sister."
"Yes, that's right."
Ping'er rarely saw Master Du, so she went up to him and bowed. Master Du seemed relieved and immediately followed Ping'er.
Jiang Nuanzhi never expected that telling only Lü Shizhu about this trip would lead to everyone else finding out.
She originally wanted to hold a farewell banquet, but Sanqi kept urging her, and Jiang Nuanzhi was also afraid that there would be too many dreams in the daily life, but she did not expect so many people to come today.
The village was not large to begin with, and the noise attracted groups of people from the village entrance to gather around.
Everyone was surprised to hear that Jiang Nuanzhi was leaving. The news spread through the village like a thunderclap.
Before long, Jiang Nuanzhi's house was almost completely surrounded by villagers and her friends.
"Girl Jiang, are you really leaving? Take these eggs with you on your journey! And these pancakes, quick, quick, pack them away."
Aunt Niu and Uncle Niu squeezed to the front and handed over their baskets of eggs.
Jiang Nuanzhi quickly declined, "No need, Uncle Niu, you two can keep it for yourselves."
Jiang Nuanzhi knew that farm eggs were precious. The old couple were always meticulous, and upon closer inspection, there were more than twenty of them. She wondered how they had obtained them.
"Why are you being so polite with us? Good child, take this with you for the journey." Aunt Niu put it directly into the car.
Aunt Wang smiled and said, "Ah Nuan, I sewed you a set of knee pads. Kyoto is not an ordinary place, so keep these; you'll need them. Also, I noticed your shoes weren't comfortable, so I made you two pairs. I've only finished one pair so far, so take this. I'll definitely finish the other pair when you come back, and you can wear it then." Aunt Wang smiled gently and handed the package to Jiang Nuan.
"Tsk, what are you saying? Doctor Jiang is going to the capital to become a high-ranking official, he's not going back to this poor, remote place!" After watching the commotion for a while, Grandpa Ma, who had already taken his cane back from Old Lu, stretched his neck and said.
"Yes, you'll be going to Beijing to enjoy a life of luxury from now on." Aunt Wang paused for a moment, then smiled and instructed, "Go ahead, I'll take care of things at home for you."
"There's fruit too, there's fruit too! Take it with you and eat it on the way." Aunt Ma also took her own things.
The village head and his wife brought over two catties of meat: "Doctor Jiang, please accept this."
Uncle Zhang then mysteriously handed Jiang Nuanzhi a wooden box: "Inside is a small crossbow that I carefully crafted. It looks like a small wooden bracelet when worn on the wrist, but it can save your life in a critical moment. Doctor Jiang, please take it."
"Uncle Zhang, thank you."
People in the village who had received some help from Jiang Nuanzhi were now standing behind her, watching her, and stuffing things into the car. Dates, dried radishes, and some even stuffed live chickens into the car.
Jiang Nuanzhi's already cramped carriage was completely packed to the brim in the blink of an eye. Lord Feng and his entourage were stunned; they had never seen such a sight before.
"Hey, Fatty Jiang! I don't have any eggs or meat for you, nor can I make you any clothes. We're not that close. But I can look after your yard for a bit. If you come back in the future, I'll charge you for looking after it."
At this moment, Aunt Liu was leaning over the wall and shouted loudly at Jiang Nuanzhi.
Jiang Nuanzhi looked at Liu Ma's expression and chuckled to herself, "Okay."
Aunt Liu was taken aback, then turned her face away, scoffed, and stopped talking.
Seeing everyone's expressions, she felt a lump in her throat. She then instructed Linchun, "Go and bring those jars of apricot wine."
Then, Jiang Nuanzhi took a deep breath and bowed to everyone, saying, "I am sorry, I should have had a good drink with you all today to say goodbye, but I have an imperial mission and my journey is urgent. This cup of wine is my toast to you all. Thank you all for going to such lengths to see me off. If I return to my hometown in the future, I will definitely hold a grand banquet to entertain you all. Then we can drink and chat together again!"
These words immediately caused a lively atmosphere. Everyone busied themselves pouring drinks, and the noise rose and fell.
Jiang Nuanzhi couldn't help but look over, vaguely recalling the first day she arrived in Qingquan Village.
Back then, everyone who saw her would spit on her; now look at her like this.
After spending a lot of time with the people in the village, I found them incredibly adorable.
Not only Aunt Wang and Uncle Niu, who were closer to her family, but also Aunt Liu, who had a sharp tongue but a kind heart; Uncle Lizheng, who was sometimes confused but protected the villagers very well; Aunt Ma, who was feisty and forthright; and Uncle Zhang, who had extraordinary skills...
At this moment, everyone raised their glasses.
In a daze, her encounters with everyone flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.
Now that she's about to go to the capital, she always feels like she's hiding in the back. The widow Wang, who is overjoyed to be leaving and grinning from ear to ear, has become somewhat adorable.
Of course, what Jiang Nuanzhi was most reluctant to part with was her big house, which she had worked so hard to build and hadn't even lived in for long.
I'm going to work in Kyoto now, and I don't know if I'll get any time off.
As she prepared to leave her familiar surroundings, Jiang Nuanzhi felt a sense of confusion.
Ultimately, we must move forward; all good things must come to an end.
There were many people here today. Jiang Nuanzhi originally wanted to bring some of her apricot wine for Xuan Ting, but everyone shared a little, and it was all gone. Some people didn't even get to drink it.
There were plenty of apricots in Qingquan Village, but it was no longer the season, and it would be too late to soak them. With a little regret, Jiang Nuanzhi bid farewell to everyone, then hugged Ping'er and gave her some more instructions before getting into the carriage in everyone's sight.
As the sun rose, the carriage swayed and rattled out of the village, gradually disappearing from everyone's sight.
Jiang Nuanzhi peeked out the window and looked back. Everyone was waving at her. Jiang Nuanzhi smiled and waved back.
At that moment, she felt that she would be back soon.
Little did they know that when they returned, their state of mind had been completely transformed.
"What did you say? That fatso, she actually went to the capital to become an official?"
Chun Tao stared wide-eyed at A Fu in disbelief.
"How could it be fake?" Afu said, "This morning when I woke up, I saw so many people going to Jiang Pangya's house to see her off! Tsk tsk, so many good things, all for her!"
"Impossible! Impossible!" Chun Tao exclaimed in surprise.
"Grandma, don't shout. Young Master hasn't been acting right these past few days. I think we absolutely can't let him know about this," Afu said, secretly glancing back. The next second, she shuddered in fright.
"Young Master, what are you doing here?"
At the doorway, Xie Liangchen stood pale-faced, his fingers gripping the doorframe until they bled. He pressed his lips tightly together and asked, "You mean she... went to the capital?"
(End of this chapter)
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