Chapter 747 Arrived Home
While Guo Silang had finished his second bowl of soup noodles, Guo Sanlang was still struggling with the only bowl of soup noodles in front of him.
Guo Silang had been used to his brothers' habit of eating slowly since he was a child, so he was not in a hurry and did not urge Guo Sanlang to eat faster.
Instead of urging him, Guo Silang turned around and beckoned a servant to come forward. He took out a few copper coins from his waist and placed them on the table. Guo Silang then said to the servant, "Tomorrow we are going to visit our relatives in Chang'an. We have come from afar, so we don't know if there are any customs or etiquette for visiting relatives in Chang'an."
Which gifts should I buy?
Tell me everything.
The servant was shrewd enough to see his delight, but he first bowed, then raised his head and asked Guo Silang with a smile, "Honored guest, you've come to the right person. I, Wang Fugui, know these things best."
"May I ask, esteemed guest, is there anyone in your family who holds an official position?"
Guo Sanlang had finished his soup dumplings, leaving only some soup. Hearing this, he looked over curiously and asked, "Oh?"
Please explain in detail the intricacies of whether or not one should become an official.
After saying that, Guo Sanlang took out a string of coins from his waist and put them on the table.
Upon seeing this, the servant's joy intensified. He told him everything he knew, talking for about fifteen minutes before taking a string of copper coins and several other coins and leaving.
After the servant left, Guo Silang asked Guo Sanlang with some heartache, "Why did you give so little, brother? Didn't I already give him several copper coins?"
After coughing twice, Guo Sanlang slowly explained to Guo Silang, "How can things be done like this?"
We are now in Chang'an, the most prosperous place in the Tang Dynasty, which is naturally different from when we were in Shule.
Didn't you see that when you took out those few copper coins and placed them on the table, the servant only showed a hint of surprise in his eyes? You could tell he didn't value those few coins.
If we want to know some things, we'll have to spend more money, right?
I took out this string of money. See? Did he tell us all about the ins and outs of gift-giving?
After thinking about the servant's performance, Guo Silang had to admit that Guo Sanlang was right.
"Yes, I'll listen to my brother."
Guo Sanlang had planned that once the market opened the next day, he and Guo Silang would buy eight gifts as the servant had suggested, then send someone to deliver a visiting card to the address Li Dalang had given them. The next day, they would bring the eight gifts and the gifts that the Guo family had prepared earlier to the Li family to formally acknowledge their kinship.
Little did they expect that the very next morning, the innkeeper would knock on the two brothers' door.
"Honored guest, someone downstairs is looking for you. They say they are a relative and have come to take you home."
Guo Silang sat up halfway, still rubbing his eyes and looking half asleep. He didn't pay any attention to what the servant said. However, Guo Sanlang, who was not sleeping soundly to begin with, guessed what was going on.
"Okay, let's go down now."
After replying to the servant, Guo Sanlang coughed twice and then got up as if to get out of bed and get dressed.
Guo Silang was used to taking care of Guo Sanlang, so upon seeing this, he pressed Guo Sanlang down and went barefoot to get clothes for Guo Sanlang to wear.
"Hurry up, it must be our cousin Li waiting for us down there."
"Oh? Is that your cousin?"
Why did my cousin come?
How did my cousin know we lived here?
My cousin isn't...
Amid Guo Silang's incessant chatter, the two brothers finally got themselves ready and hurried downstairs to the lobby.
Just as Guo Sanlang had predicted, the person sitting in the main hall was indeed Li Dalang.
Early in the morning, Li Dalang, carrying his bundle, led Wang Dadan and Gao Haiping out of the camp with their waist tokens. He explained their destination and received the password to return to camp at any time.
Since the main camp was located outside Chang'an City, and these days were the peak period for soldiers returning home, there were quite a few cart drivers waiting to pick up passengers.
Li Dalang and his two companions boarded a donkey cart and arrived at Anhua Gate in less than half an hour, where they lined up to enter the city.
Earlier, Guo Sanlang had told Li Dalang where they would stay after arriving in Chang'an. So, as soon as they entered the city, Li Dalang led Wang Dadan and Gao Haiping to the inn where the Guo brothers were staying.
Li Dalang thought that since the Guo brothers had come all this way to claim their kinship, it was his responsibility to take good care of them.
Before they even returned home, Li Dalang was already thinking of coming to pick them up, personally leading the two Guo brothers back to the Li family home.
"Cousin, cousin, cousin, what brings you here?"
Guo Silang really liked Li Dalang so much that he couldn't stop calling him "cousin" whenever he saw him.
Li Dalang first patted Guo Silang's head to acknowledge his words, then turned and smiled at Guo Sanlang.
"These two are my comrades. This is Gao Haiping, and this is Wang Dadan. They are coming home with us."
"So you're my cousin's comrade-in-arms. My apologies for not being more respectful."
Wang Dadan and Gao Haiping both learned about the Guo brothers from Li Dalang. It was their first time meeting a scholar as sensitive and fragile as Guo Sanlang, so they were quite at a loss.
"The Guo brothers!"
The four of them bowed to each other, creating a somewhat comical scene.
Thanks to Guo Silang's lively personality, he became sworn brothers with Wang Dadan and Gao Haiping in just a few words.
When Li Dalang heard Guo Sanlang say that he was going to buy some gifts, he immediately said, "Then I'll hire a carriage. After we buy the things, we can drive home."
Guo Sanlang naturally agreed and went back upstairs. Guo Silang followed Guo Sanlang, who was carrying a not-so-small wooden box, downstairs.
Who visits someone's home without bringing a gift?
Therefore, Li Dalang did not stop Guo Sanlang from going to buy a gift. After all, the gift was not about its value, but about etiquette and saving face for both parties.
“That’s perfect. Dadan and I were thinking of buying some gifts to visit you. We can’t just come empty-handed.”
Li Dalang then said to Gao Haiping, "Then you'd better not buy the same things as Sanlang. He's different after all. Buying some pastries and candies will be enough for you."
Li Dalang was worried that Wang Dadan and Gao Haiping were short of money, since most of the silver they received as a reward had been taken home by someone else, and they probably only had a few taels of silver left for emergencies.
The group first went to the West Market, where Guo Sanlang bought several gifts as the servant had suggested, including six jars of the finest wine.
After shopping for so long, until the carriage was almost full, Li Dalang quickly stopped Guo Sanlang's shopping spree.
"Sanlang, that's enough, that's more than enough."
It's almost noon; we should head home.
Li Dalang, along with Wang Dadan and Gao Haiping, drove the carriage. Guo Sanlang and Guo Silang were sitting in the carriage. When they stopped the carriage at the entrance of Li Family Herbal Hall, the first person to spot him was Li Sanniang!
Li San Niang was leading Lu Zhu'er, who was at her feet, on her way to the end of the street to buy some cakes when she turned her head and saw Li Da Lang standing by the carriage at the door!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com