Lin Chaodong and his two brothers did not need to personally look after the shop, so even if the old lady of the Yue family came to town, she was destined not to be able to find them.
"I am the owner's own mother! Quickly give me a hundred or eighty taels of silver, and arrange a few shops for my eldest grandson to manage, otherwise I will go and tell your owner that you are bullying her mother! Bullying her eldest nephew!"
Is my grandson not here?
This was no challenge for the old woman; in fact, it made it easier for her to achieve her small goals!
In the days since she returned, she has finally come to understand her little girl's status in the surrounding area; she is absolutely comparable to the county magistrate!
That's right, this daughter is so disobedient. She doesn't know how to be filial to her mother, nor is she friendly to her sisters. She's even unkind to her nephew. Doesn't she know that her eldest grandson is the only heir of her in-laws' family? Why can't she lend a hand? It's not like it's her fault!
The more Grandma Yue thought about it, the angrier she became. She became increasingly arrogant towards the shopkeeper and the shop assistants. Even the customers who came into the shop thought she was a weirdo and watched the spectacle with amusement.
How can that not be considered bizarre?
Everyone in the surrounding area knows which shops in town belong to whom. Even if this old lady really is Yu'an's biological mother, so what? In the countryside, once a daughter is married, she's considered water spilled from a cup. Besides, they've all heard that during the famine a few years ago, Yu'an's family left without a word, not even leaving a message for Yu'an. How dare they come to Yu'an's shop to cause trouble now?
"Oh my! Madam! Look at you, you're all sweaty. Please come in and have some tea and rest your feet."
While leading the people to the back, he instructed the waiter:
"You clueless idiot, hurry up and serve tea, serve the best tea!"
The old lady saw that the shopkeeper was being very polite, so she immediately snorted and went inside with her equally arrogant grandson.
One of the shop assistants ran off to pour tea and water, while another quickly scurried off to tell Yue Jiuyue on the matter.
Upon hearing this, Yue Jiuyue waved her hand and dismissed the person.
She had anticipated her stepmother's behavior. Anyway, all three sons knew what was going on. As long as they didn't cause trouble for her, she would just pretend she didn't know. Less worry meant a longer life, and she wanted to enjoy her retirement life like this for a few more years.
What worries her most now is her second son, Lin Chaoxi, who is far away on the border. She doesn't know if the crops they are growing will yield a good harvest, or if they will be able to eat their fill every day. She knows that in ancient times, the soldiers guarding the border were usually paid very late, and they might encounter layers of "checks," so the soldiers had a hard time, especially in winter and when there was war.
Yue Jiuyue hoped that they could be self-sufficient and ideally have surplus grain, so that they would no longer be afraid of hunger and cold in winter, and would not have to tighten their belts to fight the enemy in times of war.
"No, I have to go and see for myself before I can feel at ease."
Yue Jiuyue thought to herself.
Although she was unwilling to travel such a long distance to such a barren place, she now had the luxury of being willful and could do whatever she wanted. She instructed her servants to pack all her things. She had originally planned to tell her three sons, but they had been too busy to see them for several days. So she simply left a letter, took most of her family, hired a team of镖人 (bodyguards/escorts) in the county town, and left.
The three brothers: ...
Who would understand? They were just busy for a few days as usual, and when they got home, they found that their elderly mother had run away from home!
If they leave now, they'll probably still be on the road by winter, right? Their mother is really too willful!
"I'll go and bring Mother back!"
The third brother was about to get up, showing no sign of giving up until he got the person back.
"Alright, do you think you can change Mother's mind? Since Mother wants to go, then let her go. You escort Mother to Second Brother's place. If it's inconvenient for Second Brother, you can take care of Mother there until she's at ease with Second Brother before escorting her back."
The eldest brother, Lin Chaodong, tried to persuade him.
“What you said makes sense, brother! I’ve been wanting to see what the border town is like, so why don’t you let me take care of escorting our mother there!”
The fourth brother, Lin Chaobei, spoke first.
"What are you going to do? Is it appropriate to leave your wife home alone? If anyone's going to go, it's me. My older brother has to take care of his two nephews and nieces, and I'm all single, so it doesn't matter where I go!"
Lin Chaonan was very proud. Luckily, he hadn't gotten married, otherwise he wouldn't have had such a good opportunity.
"snort!"
Lin Chaobei was unconvinced, but couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
"Then you should get ready quickly and set off first thing tomorrow morning."
After Lin Chaodong finished speaking, he patted Lin Chaonan on the shoulder and said:
"Be careful on the road, and take good care of our mother!"
"I will!"
Lin Chaonan made a solemn promise.
"Hmph! If you dare to slack off, just wait till we get back, I'll gang up on you and beat you up!"
As he spoke, Lin Chaobei brandished his fist.
"Tch! You won't have a chance!"
Lin Chaonan turned his head away dismissively, ignoring this sour grapes comment.
Lin Chaonan didn't have much to pack. He had a few changes of clothes, with his winter cotton coat taking up the most space. He also stuffed some silver notes into various places, and carried some loose silver and copper coins on his person. He waved goodbye to his two brothers, mounted his horse, and left.
Although Yue Jiuyue was traveling in a carriage, it was not much better than fleeing. After all, they were in a hurry, and they were afraid that the journey was long and they would be traveling in the cold winter, and that something might happen in the freezing cold.
Yue Jiuyue was starting to regret it. Every day she had to sit in that car all day, and after getting off the car and having dinner, she would rest. After waking up in the morning and having breakfast, she would have to keep going. It was a non-stop journey. The only time she could stop for a while was at noon, which was also to make things easier for Yue Jiuyue and other women.
Ancient roads weren't like modern asphalt or cement roads; staying in those vehicles was truly unbearable! Yue Jiuyue missed all kinds of modern transportation immensely. They were not only comfortable but also fast. Unlike now, a journey of only a few hundred miles could take half a year.
That day, it was finally noon. Yue Jiuyue got off the carriage with the help of her maids and servants, intending to go to the woods that the bodyguards had specially chosen to take care of personal matters. Unexpectedly, she saw a person riding a horse coming towards her in the distance. Yue Jiuyue even wondered if she was seeing things. Otherwise, why would the person's figure look somewhat familiar? She was clearly not old enough to have failing eyesight!
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