Chapter 94 Happy Family

Chapter 94 A Happy Family

A Wu sobbed uncontrollably, almost unable to catch her breath.

Her elder brothers, standing nearby, also wiped away tears, with the eldest and third brother patting A Wu’s back, while the second brother stood guard beside her.

Passing seafarers couldn’t help but glance over, seeing a middle-aged man and three burly young fishermen surrounding a weeping young lady, their faces filled with concern, and a sturdy youth standing beside them.

It was clear they had just experienced some form of life-and-death separation.

A Wu clung to her father’s shoulder, crying, “Mother is gone…”

She hiccuped through her sobs, recounting how the villagers had helped bury her mother, whose grave was now buried under mud and sand, lost forever.

Ning Yinhuai had already heard some news earlier, but hearing A Wu’s words now, he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt as he thought of his wife.

“On that day, when the pirates from the Eastern Sea caused chaos, we were implicated, and thus our path to the imperial examinations was cut off. It was your mother who sold her dowry and jewelry to gather several dozen silver taels, allowing me to abandon my scholarly pursuits for commerce to support our family! I never imagined that our parting three years ago would mean we could never meet again, separated by life and death!”

His eyes were red-rimmed: “I have wronged your mother, and I have wronged you!”

Hearing about their mother’s final days, the brothers naturally felt distressed, and they all lowered their heads to wipe away tears, Ye Han’s eyes also reddening.

Though men do not easily shed tears, after years of wandering overseas, returning home only to find everything changed, who could remain unaffected?

They had endured hardships in business, all for the sake of providing a better life for their families. Now, having earned money, the people they loved were gone.

In the end, it was A Wu who calmed down first. She wiped her tears and said, “Father, brothers, crying will not bring Mother back. We must focus on living well together and rebuilding our lives. We can build a cenotaph for Mother and properly honor her memory. Her spirit will surely find solace.”

Gradually, everyone’s emotions began to ease. Seeing A Wu and Ye Han’s weary appearance, they quickly led them home.

This house was hastily arranged by the four Ning family members. Though not overly luxurious, it was still considered generous in the town, being a two-courtyard residence. The Ning father and sons brought Awu and Ye Han into the yard, asking them to freshen up first before having some food.

Ning Father led Awu to sit down, while his sons busied themselves. Ning Dalang hurriedly fetched a basin and towels, Ning Erlang brought newly boiled hot water from the kitchen, and Ning Sanlang carried in a bundle of brand-new dresses.

He thrust them all at Awu: "These are all for my sister. See if they fit."

Awu opened the bundle to find exquisite dresses, some undergarments even made of fine raw silk, something she had never seen before in her own home.

She was somewhat surprised.

Ning Sanlang said, "We knew you were coming back, so we went around buying many things to make your return easier. There are also some rare cosmetics and hair accessories we got from overseas, all good stuff, which we kept for you. We didn't even sell them!"

Ning Erlang, having prepared the hot water, wiped his sweat: "Sister, we even have silver plates and forks. Those shiny silver items are used only by wealthy families outside, but we managed to get them. We won't sell these either; we'll keep them as part of your dowry."

Listening to this, Awu felt an overwhelming sense of care and affection. It was genuine and unconditional.

These were her family, who would do anything to protect and love her.

She suddenly hugged Ning Erlang: "That's great, they're all mine!"

Being the only daughter in the family, no one would compete with her; everything was hers!

*************

After bathing, Awu changed into new, soft dresses and stepped out of the bathhouse, where the gentle sunlight greeted her.

At that moment, she felt an immense sense of happiness!

The sun was so warm, her body smelled fresh, the dresses were soft, and the house was her home.

In the main hall, her father and brothers had already set the table, filled with a sumptuous meal, waiting for her to eat.

She felt an overwhelming sense of ease, as if she were lying on a soft cloud, and even thought that the whole world was revolving around her.

Would she envy Princess Dening at this moment? Would she be jealous of the love others received?

She envied no one; what she had at this very moment was the best in the world.

As soon as Afu reached the main hall, Ning Dalang couldn't wait to take out a box. The box was cloisonné, which, though not rare in the palace, was a rare treasure for a family like the Nings.

Ning Dalang opened it and showed Afu: "Afu, look quickly, do you like them?"

Afu leaned in to see, and found inside were head ornaments with exotic styles, including a gold ring inlaid with carnelian and makara patterns, a gold bracelet with inscriptions, and even a pendant made of red spinel!

Afu was overwhelmed with surprise and disbelief: "So many?"

Gold head ornaments were precious even overseas; how did they manage to get so many!

And the red spinel was even rarer!

Could they really have struck it rich?

Ning Erlang smiled: "Afu, you don't know. This time we bought a batch of goods overseas, all pepper. We bought it cheaply, one tael of silver could buy a hundred catties, but once the pepper was transported back to Great Hui, one catty could sell for over ten taels of silver. Even after paying the government's share, we still made a lot!"

Afu listened and laughed out loud: "To make so much."

It sounded like a thousandfold profit!

However, doing business overseas was always like this, with astonishing profits, but it involved many hardships. They had to prepare ships, sail long distances, face various dangers at sea, reach the origin, purchase goods in unfamiliar places, and then transport them back, all while guarding against pirates. A single mistake could cost not only the cargo but also lives!

For her father and brother to return safely and make such a fortune, it must have been their lucky day.

A Wu took the pendant made of red thorn stone and put it on herself.

Emperor Jingxi had once given her many, and later, when she became close to Princess Dening, she could naturally wear them as she pleased. However, she no longer wished to wear them.

Now, her father and brother had also bought her jewelry made of red thorn stone. Though not as fine as those from the emperor, they were still very beautiful.

When A Wu wore it, she looked even more charming.

Several young masters of the Ning family gathered around their sister, examining her. After her bath, her face was rosy, her eyes bright and clear, just like how she was a few years ago—still that sweet and innocent little sister. They couldn't help but ruffle her hair and hold her hand, wishing to embrace her.

Ye Han had also bathed again, and so the whole family sat down for a meal.

As they ate, they naturally talked about their experiences over the past few years.

It turned out that after Father and the elder brothers set sail, they encountered pirates and nearly lost their lives. Fortunately, the four of them managed to escape by supporting each other. After escaping, they ended up in a remote area near Java.

At that time, they had lost all their money and capital. To make a living, they had to work as laborers at the docks, striving to earn money. Gradually, they saved up and moved to other places, starting to trade goods.

Finally, they accumulated enough capital to buy ships and purchased rhinoceros horns, corals, carnelians, shark skins, and large quantities of pepper, which they secretly transported back, avoiding the pirates, and thus finally returned home.

This story sounds simple, but in reality, it took them three years to come and go.

Listening to this, A Wu said, "Father and the elder brothers faced many difficulties in business because our Great Hui does not trade with the maritime countries and has a maritime ban. Therefore, the journey was fraught with hardships. But we don't need to worry anymore. The court has lifted the maritime ban, and we have established trade agreements with various countries. As long as we pay the required duties upon return, we can sell our goods openly without hiding."

She said this casually, but the Ning family fathers and sons were surprised: "How did A Wu know this?"

After all, this was big news, and they only knew it because they were well-informed about maritime matters. How did A Wu know?

Seeing her father and brother's astonishment, A Wu was also surprised. Hadn't the news spread yet?

Beside Ye Han naturally understood the reason, but seeing that Awu didn’t want to mention it, he said, "There are some rumors outside, and Awu has heard them too."

The Ning father and son then talked about trade and the government's tax collection. This time they made money and also paid taxes to the government.

Actually, what the government takes as a cut is not scary; what’s scary is the lack of rules, the ambiguity. Now that the sea ban has been lifted, there are precedents to follow, so there’s nothing to fear.

The Ning father and son then spoke about their future plans, mentioning they would go to the city, open a shop, hire a few assistants, and that the shipyard in Linhai was also building ships. They heard that ordinary people could purchase ships, but only those up to 200 tons, and they needed to apply for a permit, which wasn’t easy to obtain and might take some time.

Awu smiled, "Open a shop? That’s great! I’ve learned how to keep accounts. When Father and Brother do business, I’ll handle the accounts!"

Ning Sanlang was delighted, "Awu is becoming more capable!"

However, Ning Erlang mentioned that this time when they returned from overseas, they not only brought various goods but also some seedlings.

They had once stayed in Luzon, which was called Ma-i in the previous dynasty. In the past, Ma-i had recognized Great Hui as its suzerain state. Later, the Franks invaded and occupied Luzon. Due to frequent food shortages, the Franks introduced a crop from afar called sweet potato, which was drought-resistant and easy to grow, and could be eaten raw or cooked.

The Ning family members secretly carried a few sweet potato seedlings, hoping to plant them upon return. After much hardship, they managed to bring them back, and now the seedlings were thriving in their courtyard.

Hearing the detailed account of the sweet potatoes from her father and brother, Awu was surprised. She recalled the words of Emperor Jingxi in the imperial study that day, about prosperity and grain.

She frowned in thought for a moment, "If we can cultivate these, and promote them widely, wouldn’t everyone be free from worrying about food?"

Ning Erlang replied, "That’s exactly what we thought, but whether it will succeed is still uncertain."

For a while, they talked about other things, the family lively and animated. But amidst the laughter and conversation, Ning Yinhuai looked at his daughter with a pang of pain.

This time, Awu seemed taller and even more beautiful, her features more delicate and charming. This made Ning Yinhuai feel that his daughter must have experienced something, perhaps she had found a lover...

But since his daughter never mentioned it, he couldn’t help but worry. The lover certainly wasn’t Ye Han, and perhaps it wasn’t a proper marriage either.

Indeed, it made sense. A delicate and beautiful woman like Afu, once she left the protection of her father and brother, encountering misfortune was to be expected.

However, he did not wish to ask directly at this moment, for fear of causing her sorrow.

After the meal, the family held hands and chatted for a while. Ning Dalang, fearing his sister's fatigue, let her rest early. Having finally returned home, she was utterly exhausted and needed a good sleep.

Ning Dalang added, "Once you've had a good rest, we brothers will accompany you to the streets. Whatever you want to eat or buy, we'll get it for you. Brother has plenty of silver now; even if you want to fill a room with things, we can afford it!"

Afu's heart bloomed with joy: "Alright, we'll go to the streets in the evening. I hope we can buy some fresh fish and shrimp to grill."

Seeing his sister's gentle and charming demeanor as she laughed, Ning Dalang felt his heart melt. Thinking of what she might have endured, he was overwhelmed with pain and gently coaxed her, "Go to sleep now."

Afu entered the bedroom her brothers had prepared for her. As soon as she stepped in, she saw that the bed and bedding were all brand new, the best available here. Surprisingly, there was even a sachet hanging beside the bed!

Afu picked up the sachet and sniffed it, recognizing its scent from overseas, similar to what she had in the Langhua Palace. It was said to be a tribute item, hard to come by. Yet, upon returning home, her father and brothers had provided it for her.

... They must have kept the best for her, unwilling to sell it.

Lying on the bed, she breathed in the light fragrance and felt the softness of the bedding. In her heart, she thought about how her brothers, usually rough men, had managed to be so thoughtful. They must have prepared everything well in advance.

While these household items, no matter how meticulously arranged, could never match the grandeur of the imperial palace, Afu found them perfect.

Returning home and seeing her family, her heart felt secure. She no longer feared anyone forcing her into a sacrificial burial, choking her neck, or giving her away to a nobleman.

She would never again fear betrayal or need to flatter others insincerely.

Thinking this, she touched the ring hidden in her clothing.

In fact, she now understood that on that day in the imperial study, when they looked at the map, this man already knew. He knew that her hometown had become nothing but a sandy wasteland, long gone.

But he did not say it then; there seemed to be a trace of compassion in his eyes at that time.

He was unwilling to shatter his own dreams.

Later, when his father and brother returned, he must have received the news, which is why he asked Ye Han to send him back.

Thinking of this, she could not help but feel moved.

She also sensed dimly that what he did was not truly letting go, but fulfilling all her wishes. Only after she had reached the pinnacle of satisfaction would he begin to let go, and perhaps turn back.

Yet, she could never forget certain moments from the past...

No matter how much he cherished her later, even if he knelt before her and offered her his heart, she felt it was merely for her beauty.

In truth, she knew she was being unreasonable, getting stuck in a rut, but she could not change her mind in an instant.

She caressed the ring, which was originally cool to the touch, but had become warm from constant contact with her skin.

If the jade ring could warm up, could a heart do the same?

She closed her eyes, gently pressing her cheek against the brocade pillow, feeling a mix of bitterness and tenderness.

She had gone through so much, yet in matters of love, she remained naive and somewhat stubborn. Now, with family around her, she felt a sense of security. Reflecting on these things now, they tasted different.

But in the end, she only sighed softly.

The past no longer mattered; it was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. She was home, loved by her father and brother. She needed to stay grounded, enjoy the company of her family, and make up for the lost years.

***********

At this moment, the four Ning family members were surrounding Ye Han, pressing him for details about what Afu had endured during her three years of hardship. They did not want to ask Afu herself, fearing it might upset her, but they had to know, no matter how painful it might be.

Ye Han actually didn't want to speak, but under the persistent questioning of the Ning family father and son, he eventually recounted the general course of events.

It could be said that before Ye Han spoke, the Ning family father and son had also considered the worst possible scenarios, such as her ending up in a brothel.

Everyone had already taken a deep breath, bracing themselves for the worst.

However, after Ye Han finished speaking, the four members of the Ning family were still shocked.

Ning Dalang: "You mean... the Emperor? The Son of Heaven in the Imperial Capital, the Emperor?"

Ye Han nodded: "Yes, it was the Emperor who let us leave this time. So, the previous notice from the authorities about Afu's return must have been his order."

Ning Sanlang frowned: "You mean to say that a few months ago, when the Son of Heaven was blessed with a pair of dragon-phoenix twins and granted amnesty to all, the one who gave birth to those imperial heirs was Afu?"