Chapter 97: Insatiable Human Hearts

Chapter 97: Insatiable Human Hearts

Traveling from the prefectural city to Du Village by carriage would take at least three days at the fastest. Qiu Huanian and his party were in no hurry, allowing the carriages to move leisurely, stopping occasionally for breaks, and it took them five or six days to reach Zhang County.

Along the way, whenever they stopped, people would come seeking them out, some trying to offer gifts to establish connections, others hoping to absorb some scholarly aura to boast about back home.

Du Yunse rejected all of them without exception.

Now that he was a Juren with an official status, even if he was curt, those people remained polite, not daring to show any dissatisfaction.

When the carriages finally arrived in Zhang County, Qiu Huanian lifted the beautifully embroidered curtain and looked outside.

"It's been almost a year since we last returned, but the county town seems unchanged."

Jin San, sitting outside, chuckled, "Township Lord, you jest. How much could change in just a year?"

A large convoy of carriages entering Zhang County drew the attention of many.

Qiu Huanian and his group planned to have a hot meal in the county town, rest for a while, and then return to Du Village. The village was already within sight, so there was no need to rush.

Upon entering the county, Qiu Huanian asked Jin San to go and inquire about the best eatery in town.

Jin San acknowledged the order, but before he could take two steps, Qiu Huanian heard a familiar voice.

"Might I ask if the carriage carries Jieyuan Du and Township Lord Qiu Shu?"

Qiu Huanian lifted the curtain again and saw the owner of the stationery shop from Qingfu Town standing outside.

"Wang Cheng? Mr. Wang, what brings you to the county today?"

Seeing Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse inside the carriage, Wang Cheng beamed with joy.

"Indeed, the noble ones have a good memory, still remembering me."

When Qiu Huanian first crossed over, his family was very poor. He earned a significant sum at the time by painting sacrificial papers for Wang Cheng before the Qingming Festival.

Wang Cheng paid promptly and even bought food for Qiu Huanian while he painted, leaving a good impression on him.

Wang Cheng asked proactively, "Are Jieyuan and Township Lord returning to your hometown to visit relatives?"

"Yun Se has achieved the Jieyuan title, so we're back to worship our ancestors and stay for a while," Qiu Huanian said. "We're just stopping in the county for a meal and a rest before we go."

Wang Cheng invited them, "Let me take you to a good place. The food there is excellent, and there's a large courtyard where you can park all your carriages."

"It's a new eatery opened by a friend of mine. I'm sure the Township Lord will like it," Wang Cheng teased.

Qiu Huanian had no objections, so Wang Cheng led the way, with Jin San and the others slowly following with the carriages.

Wang Cheng led them to the southern part of the city, stopping in front of a two-story building.

"Second Brother Meng, we have distinguished guests. Come out and see."

Qiu Huanian was momentarily stunned to see Meng Wudong, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, emerge from inside.

From the carriage behind, Meng Yuanling had already jumped down upon hearing the voice.

"Second Brother? Second Brother! When did you open an eatery in the county town? I didn't know!"

Meng Wudong smiled and patted his younger brother's head.

"How come Brother Ling seems to have grown taller? It seems Yun Cheng has been taking good care of you."

Yun Cheng got off the carriage and greeted Meng Wudong.

Brother Ling wasn't so easily fooled now.

He put his hands on his hips, exuding confidence, "Don't talk about me, quickly explain what's going on with your restaurant."

Meng Wudong coughed twice, "It just opened this month, I didn't have time to write to you. And it's not entirely my restaurant, I just invested some money and have a share."

Brother Ling narrowed his eyes, his intuition telling him there was more to it.

Meng Wudong pleaded, "Alright, alright, stop interrogating me. With so many of you, quickly park the carriages in the backyard and come in to order food. This meal is on me."

Brother Ling has been away for over half a year, how come he seems so much smarter?

Meng Wudong chuckled.

Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse got off the carriage and caught up with Meng Wudong for a few words.

Meng Fuyue and others were also surprised and teased Meng Wudong about his new restaurant in the county town.

A large group of people sat down in the first-floor hall. It wasn't meal time yet, so there weren't many people in the restaurant.

Qiu Huanian asked Meng Wudong to prepare some home-style dishes for a few tables. They had been traveling for several days and shouldn't eat anything too greasy.

Meng Wudong went to arrange it, and Brother Ling leaned over to Qiu Huanian to whisper.

"Brother Hua, why do I always feel like Second Brother is hiding something from me? Help me think about it."

Qiu Huanian smiled and glanced at Yun Cheng, who calmly pulled Brother Ling back by the waist.

"Hey! Hey!" Brother Ling grabbed Yun Cheng's hand, "What are you doing!"

"Let's eat first, we'll ask Second Brother later."

Brother Ling nodded and clenched his fist, "We must ask him properly!"

Yun Cheng picked up a fruit from the table and fed it into Brother Ling's mouth.

After waiting for a while, Meng Wudong and the waiters brought out several large tables of dishes. As Qiu Huanian had requested, they were all home-style dishes, but the taste was excellent and the portions were generous.

This restaurant was located in the southern part of the city, in a commoner's area. The decor was simple and unpretentious, aiming for affordability and high sales.

Accompanying Meng Wudong was the owner of the restaurant, who was also the chef.

"Greetings, Township Lord, greetings, Scholar. Since the esteemed guests didn't order, I prepared dishes I'm good at. You've all seen the world, so if there's anything not to your liking, please let me know. It would be my fortune."

The girl was around twenty years old, dressed in plain clothes with an apron tied around her waist. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, and she had a sharp chin, looking very capable.

Qiu Huanian admired her straightforward, enthusiastic, and unflattering attitude.

"Second Brother Meng, could you introduce us to this friend?"

Meng Wudong quickly said, "Her name is Shen Sai. She came from the neighboring county with her widowed mother. Her late father was a chef, and she learned excellent cooking skills. I met her while selling goods in the county town, and we hit it off. We each invested some money and opened this restaurant."

"It's been open for less than ten days, and we haven't even decided on a proper name yet." Meng Wudong explained this to Brother Ling.

Brother Ling crossed his arms and pouted, reluctantly accepting the explanation.

Miss Shen Sai's name seems a bit unusual for this era, not like a name typically given to a girl.

However, Qiu Huanian didn't ask further. As long as one likes it, any name is good; there's no need to strictly define what boys should be called and what girls should be called.

Seeing Shen Sai and noticing the way Meng Wudong looked at her, Qiu Huanian guessed most of what Meng Wudong was hiding.

Meng Yuanling also caught on and whispered something into Yun Cheng's ear.

Meng Wudong, unusually embarrassed, cleared his throat.

"Brother Hua, you all eat first. If you find it delicious, cough, could you possibly name our eatery and ask Yun Se to write a plaque for us?"

Meng Wudong rubbed his rough hands, his face turning red.

Although he had a deep friendship with Brother Hua's family, and it wouldn't be difficult to make such a request under normal circumstances.

But after all, Brother Hua had become a Township Lord, and Yun Se was a Jieyuan whom even the county magistrate treated with great respect...

"Please prepare the ink and brush, Second Brother Meng. I will write it after the meal," Du Yunse spoke up.

This was the first time he had agreed to write a plaque for someone since they started their journey.

Qiu Huanian also smiled and said, "I'll come up with a name. How about 'Sai Bai Wei'?"

"Good, good, all good," Meng Wudong quickly responded.

Shen Sai also smiled and repeatedly expressed her thanks.

Qiu Huanian felt a bit overwhelmed, "The name 'Sai Bai Wei'... I was just joking. Let me think of another one."

Meng Wudong was puzzled; the name was clearly good, how could it be a joke?

Qiu Huanian couldn't very well say that it was the name of a sandwich chain from another world, so he just laughed it off.

However, perhaps the three characters 'Sai Bai Wei' were too catchy, as he couldn't think of any other suitable names at the moment.

Seeing this, Shen Sai said, "The Township Lord said it was a joke, but I find this name both pleasant and fateful. If the Township Lord doesn't mind, I'll choose it."

With the person involved saying so, Qiu Huanian naturally had no further objections. From now on, the Yu Dynasty would have a 'Sai Bai Wei' named by him, which was quite amusing to think about.

"Write this name handsomely later," Qiu Huanian whispered to Du Yunse.

Du Yunse nodded with a smile.

After the meal, Du Yunse wielded the brush to write the plaque, the coachmen brought out the carriages, and they prepared to set off again.

Meng Wudong came out to see them off.

He said to Meng Yuanling, "After you return, stay in Du Village for a few days, and also come home for a few days. It's very convenient since it's close by."

Meng Yuanling tugged at her second brother's sleeve, "When I come home, you must also return. I have something to ask you."

Meng Wudong looked pained, "Brother Ling, I beg you, don't randomly bring up Sister Sai's matter at home."

"Why not? At your age and still unmarried, our parents are anxious. Isn't this a good thing?"

Meng Wudong quickly gestured for Meng Yuanling to lower her voice, looking around to ensure Shen Sai wasn't nearby and hadn't heard.

"Ah, it's hard to explain in a few words. Wait until I return and find a chance to tell you. Just don't bring it up randomly for now."

Meng Yuanling was puzzled but could only nod.

The carriage left Zhang County town and after about two hours of travel, finally arrived at Du Village.

Qiu Huanian lifted the carriage curtain, looking at the familiar scenery outside, feeling as if a gentle stream was flowing continuously in his heart.

He pulled Du Yunse over to look together.

"Look there, once we went to the town to buy things together, halfway the mule's hoof got uncomfortable and wouldn't walk, so we got off the mule cart to rest there for a while, and you picked willow branches and wild flowers to weave a garland for me."

"And there, the water in that stream is particularly cool, and there are river shrimps inside. You held me as I played in the water, and I almost slipped and fell, which scared you and made you gloomy for days."

"Look, look, isn't that our field ahead?"

"It's a pity the crops have all been harvested now, otherwise we could still see the cotton and wheat fields."

...

Qiu Huanian spoke excitedly, recalling the bits and pieces of life here, and from the moment they approached Du Village, his mouth hardly stopped.

Du Yunse acted as the perfect sole listener, with one arm around Qiu Huanian's waist, a smile on his lips.

The images treasured deep in memory blossomed like flowers with Qiu Huanian's voice.

After tiring of speaking, Qiu Huanian leaned back into Du Yunse's embrace.

"Yun Se, I..."

He suddenly didn't know what to say.

Du Yunse put down the carriage curtain and kissed his lips deeply.

...

When they truly reached the entrance of Du Village, it was almost evening.

Someone saw their carriage from afar and ran back to inform, and all the villagers came to the village entrance to welcome their Juren and Township Lord.

The patriarch of the Du clan, Du Zhenhe, stood at the forefront with a cane.

After a year's absence, he had aged considerably, and his back was not as straight as before.

Time always passes faster for the elderly and children.

Qiu Huanian noticed that several children in the village had grown a lot, some reaching adolescence, even making him hesitate to recognize them.

After Du Yunse and Qiu Huanian got out of the carriage, the patriarch hurried forward, and Du Yunse and Yun Cheng behind him quickly supported him.

The patriarch patted Du Yunse's arm.

"Good, good! Our Du Village has produced a Juren, and a Jieyuan at that. If our ancestors in the netherworld knew, they would be so happy!"

"After I pass away, I will have the face to meet our ancestors."

Du Yunse said, "Patriarch, you are still strong, why speak such ominous words."

The patriarch laughed and shook his head.

"At my age, how long I can live is already clear to me, and it's hard enough to control myself not to make big mistakes in my old age."

Knowing that Du Yunse's family was coming back to worship their ancestors, their courtyard had been tidied up early by Meng Fuyue.

When Qiu Huanian and others opened the door and entered, they were momentarily speechless at the familiar living scene.

Jin San, old lady Jin, and Coral were busy cleaning the inconspicuous dust, then unloading the luggage and arranging it according to the habits of the master's family.

The peach tree transplanted when the main house was built had grown a bit larger, its leaves not yet fallen, and the stone table and stools had some slight cracks but were still usable.

Qiu Huanian walked around the main room, and everything was just as he had left it.

Jin San fetched water from the small river behind the village to heat, old lady Jin made the beds, allowing the tired master's family to wash up and rest for a while.

Qiu Huanian instructed, "We've been tired from the journey for several days, and you all must be tired too. Take some money to buy some common ingredients from the neighbors, make something simple to eat, and let everyone rest early today."

Old lady Jin smiled and agreed.

In all her years, she had never seen a master as considerate of servants as Township Lord Qi Shu.

Being bought by the Township Lord half a year ago was truly a blessing for her and her grandchildren.

Qiu Huanian thought he might not sleep well after being away for so long, but in fact, after washing up, he took off his outer clothes, and as soon as his head touched the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep.

Du Yunse turned back, looked at the defenseless sleeping posture of the person who had just been talking to him, walked over to tuck in the quilt, and bent down to plant a kiss.

He turned off the lamp, got into bed, and tightly held his bedmate in his arms. Qiu Huanian mumbled a few times in his sleep but did not struggle.

From the next day on, Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse became busy.

Du Yunse took the drafted clan rules to the clan leader to discuss the details.

Qiu Huanian, while receiving various visitors at home, also had to check on the matters related to ancestor worship.

The news of Du Village's Jieyuan and Township Lord returning quickly spread throughout Zhang County, stirring up many people.

After Hu Qiuyan brought her son Yun Kang home, she felt relieved when her husband Baoshan didn't bring up any more nonsense.

Who knew that after just two days of peace, Baoshan mysteriously closed the door to talk to her.

"Darling, how do you like this silver hairpin? It cost a full one and a half taels of silver, and it's even set with two pearls."

Hu Qiuyan avoided his hand that was trying to place it in her hair.

"Where did you get the money to buy this? Didn't I tell you not to accept things randomly?"

Baoshan looked embarrassed.

"They just wanted to be friends with me, it would be impolite not to accept."

Hu Qiuyan didn't believe him, "Tell me the truth, what does your 'friend' want Yun Se and Brother Hua to do for them?"

Seeing that he couldn't hide it, Baoshan confessed, "They just want Yun Se to write a plaque for their shop, it's just a matter of moving his fingers, how could that be difficult for him?"

"I heard they wrote one for the second son of the Meng family in Qingfu Town, come on, whether it's about closeness or past friendship, how can our family be less than Meng Wudong's!"