Just as he was enjoying a carefree life on the estate, news came from the Earl's mansion, or more precisely, it was Pei Han's personal servant, Amo, who delivered the message.
Amo originally went straight to the Earl's Mansion after entering the capital, but when he arrived at the gate, the gatekeeper told him that the lady had taken the young master to live on the estate and had been gone for almost two months.
Upon hearing this, Amo didn't even enter the gate of the Earl's mansion. He immediately asked for the exact location of the estate and rode his horse over there.
When Amo arrived, it was evening, so he had no choice but to knock loudly on the gate of the manor. Old Li, still sleepy-eyed, asked from inside, "Who is it in the middle of the night?"
Although embarrassed, Amo still raised his voice towards the gate and said, "I am the personal servant of the Earl's mansion. My name is Amo, and I am here to see our mistress."
Upon hearing this, Old Li was instantly wide awake. His wife had been here for so long, and this was the first time his son-in-law had sent someone over. Old Li quickly opened the gate and looked outside. At first, he couldn't see anyone, but he could clearly see A-Mo's horse.
Old Li rubbed his eyes hard before finally spotting Amo beside the horse. Amo was black from head to toe, his face completely obscured, covered in dirt, clearly having traveled a long and arduous journey.
Old Li was startled and quickly stepped forward to help lead the horse and welcome the person in.
Old Li asked a few questions on the way and learned that the child had come from the mountains in the southwest and had been on the road for nearly half a year. No wonder he was so dark and thin; he had really suffered a lot.
Old Li took the person into the hospital, explained the situation to Amei who had been woken up, and then went back to the side courtyard to quickly call someone to boil water and cook.
Amei and her companion were even more surprised to see Amo. Amo used to be the young master's page, and later became his personal servant. They were quite familiar with him, and he was originally a fair-skinned and refined person. The two of them stared at him for a full quarter of an hour before they could barely make out any of Amo's features.
Ah Mei hurriedly walked towards the main room. The young lady had waited and worried for so long, and had even fallen ill from worry. Now, she finally had news of her son-in-law.
"Amo?" Azhu asked tentatively.
Amo was stared at with surprised looks several times after entering the capital. By then, he was numb to it. For the nth time, he answered, "It's me. The master sent me to deliver a letter to the madam."
As soon as Amo spoke, Azhu regained some of the familiarity she once felt and hurriedly asked, "Grandpa, have you arrived in the Southwest? Where did you come from? Is Grandpa alright there?"
Helpless, Ah Mo had just picked up his teacup when he was bombarded with questions. However, he was good-natured and answered them one by one after finishing his water: "The old man has successfully found his place and taken office. That's where I came back from."
As for whether it was good or not, Amo didn't say. In his opinion, the master had never lived in such a simple house. The place was so dilapidated that even the government office was worse than the Hanlin Academy. The few of them who had been the master's personal servants since childhood couldn't help but secretly shed tears a few times.
Only the old man remained calm and unperturbed, as if nothing had happened.
Before they could exchange more than a few words, Amei came over and called out, "Madam, you're up. Come with me."
Amo quickly got up and followed Amei. Azhu, eager to know what her son-in-law's letter said, also followed behind.
To avoid waking Pei Ji, Min Yueqing went into the east wing to wait for them. Min Yueqing wasn't too unfamiliar with this A Mo, as A Mo was one of the servants who had served Pei Han the longest, and he appeared quite a few times in the original owner's memories.
As soon as she heard Amei's footsteps, Min Yueqing had a premonition that the news she had been waiting for from Pei Han should have arrived. Otherwise, Amei would rarely have anything to report in the middle of the night in this manor.
Now, Min Yueqing only wants to know how Pei Han is doing and whether he is safe. This is probably what the original owner is most worried about. After all, in the original owner's memories, Pei Han is the absolute protagonist. Since their marriage, the original owner's life has actually revolved around Pei Han.
For the original owner, compared to Pei Han, even her own son, Pei Ji, had to take a backseat.
As soon as Amo entered, just as he was about to greet her, Min Yueqing waved her hand and asked, "Where's the letter?"
Amo immediately reached into his chest and pulled out a flat oil paper package, took two steps forward and handed it to Min Yueqing.
Min Yueqing took the slightly blackened oil paper package without showing any disgust and immediately began to open it. After removing the outer oil paper wrapping, the envelope inside was clean. In fact, this was the cleanest thing A-Mo had on him.
The envelope was addressed to my wife Qingqing in flowing, elegant calligraphy. Min Yueqing couldn't help but tremble as she quickly opened the envelope and took out the letter.
Min Yueqing quickly ignored the polite greetings such as "My dear wife Qingqing, I hope you are well..." and went straight to the main text.
Honestly, just by reading this letter, Min Yueqing could already imagine the demeanor of her "husband," whom she had never met. Not only was his calligraphy elegant and flowing, but the writing was also beautifully phrased, and this was just a family letter.
Pei Han truly deserves his reputation as a talented scholar.
Min Yueqing closed the letter and fell into a daze.
It seems that her husband's style is to only report good news and not bad news. He didn't mention a word about the specific situation in the southwest, but he did give a detailed introduction to the unique natural landscape of the area.
In his writing, the mountains of Southwest China are not at all like the perilous places described in typical travelogues; instead, they are picturesque and full of charm.
I read more than half of the letter. When he finally mentioned himself, he made full use of abstraction and minimalism, writing in detail where nothing needed to be written, and glossing over the important points.
In short, the gist of her words was that everything was fine. Although the conditions were a little lacking, there were no major problems. The second half of the passage went on to tell her and her child to take care of themselves, and even mentioned which tutor to arrange for Pei Ji.
After reading the letter, Min Yueqing remained silent. Amei and Azhu, unaware of what was going on, became nervous and dared not utter a word.
After a long while, Min Yueqing finally spoke, asking Amo, "How is Grandpa's health over there?"
Amo hesitated visibly for a moment before saying, "It's fine."
Min Yueqing almost laughed in anger. She didn't know whether to admire Pei Han's meticulous thinking or to lament A Mo's terrible acting. She deliberately put on a stern face and gave A Mo an order, "Raise your head."
Amo had just lied, and although his master had instructed him to do so beforehand, he was still very uneasy. He raised his head tremblingly and saw Min Yueqing staring directly into his eyes.
Amo was suddenly startled, his heart pounding wildly. In his memory, his wife had always been gentle and intellectual, so why had she suddenly become so oppressive? Her bright, sharp eyes seemed to have seen right through him.
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