Chapter 20

Chapter 20

At the end of summer, the sun was still scorching hot.

Zhong Youtong fanned herself restlessly, still feeling irritable from the heat. She threw open the curtain and snapped, "How much longer until we get there?"

Wang Shun sat on the shaft of the cart, his face flushed red under the sun, but he still managed a fawning smile as he replied, "Almost there, Fourth Miss. Just around the next bend, and we'll be at the house. Please bear with it a little longer, Miss—it'll be shady there."

Zhong Youtong withdrew her hand and looked at her elder brother, whose face was also flushed with the heat, and couldn't help complaining again.

"Mom and Dad really had to send us on this miserable trip. It's been two months since Second Uncle passed away, and we've replaced all the old staff in the incense shop with our own people. Who are we putting on this show for?"

Zhong Yourong wiped his sweat. Being portly, he felt the heat more than Zhong Youtong and was already irritable. Her complaints only made him more annoyed.

He lacked the patience to coax her as he used to, and tossed his handkerchief in frustration.

"You think I want to come? Sure, we've taken over the entire incense shop, but if none of us from the third branch show up for a memorial, how will the families we deal with see us? 'Putting on a show'—use your brain for once, will you?"

Zhong Youtong was the only daughter in the family, doted on by her parents and looked after by her elder brothers. She had never been scolded like this. Shocked by Zhong Yourong's outburst, she pouted and started crying.

After venting, Zhong Yourong felt much better. He wouldn't have come to this godforsaken place if not for his grandmother and father's persuasion.

Ordinarily, he had no troubles to speak of and was always gentle with his beloved, sweet-talking younger sister. But now, feeling uncomfortable himself, he had no mood left to attend to her emotions. Hearing her sobbing pitifully, he spoke with a hint of impatience.

"Alright, I shouldn't have yelled at you. Stop crying. Didn't you hear Wang Shun say we're almost there? Aren't you the one who hates Zhong Yizhu the most? I heard from Uncle that he was forced to marry a hunter who's said to bring bad luck to his family. Don't you want to see how miserable he is now?"

Zhong Youtong's sobbing paused, and she indeed forgot her grievance.

The third branch of the Zhong family had four children: the eldest, Zhong Yourong, twenty-two; the second, a young man named Zhong Youzhi, who had married out three years ago and thus didn't return to the village this time; Zhong Youtong, seventeen, a year younger than Zhong Yizhu, ranked fourth in the family; and the youngest, Zhong Youyao, a little lad of seven, still too young to come along.

Because of their similar age, Zhong Youtong had always compared herself to Zhong Yizhu in everything. Whatever he had, she wanted; if he didn't have it, she still wanted it. With her grandmother's favor, she had rarely been denied anything.

But when they both reached marriageable age, the situation slipped out of her control.

Almost every family that came to propose to the Zhongs was interested in Zhong Yizhu. Only after he rejected them would they turn to inquire about her. She had cried and thrown tantrums many times, but it was useless—even her grandmother couldn't sway the decisions of prospective grooms.

From then on, she regarded Zhong Yizhu as a thorn in her side. When the Zhong family's fortunes changed and Zhong Yizhu lost his support, being sent off like a commodity, no one rejoiced more than she did.

Hearing Wang Shun say they were about to enter the village, Zhong Youtong quickly wiped her tears and found some face powder to powder her nose.

Yes, she was still the honored young miss of the Zhong family, while Zhong Yizhu was now a village farmer. She'd heard from her uncle that he was even fighting tooth and nail over thirty mu of land—he must be utterly desperate.

Before, even in marriage, she could only pick what he discarded. Now he was married to a rustic hunter, while she was betrothed to the second son of the Liu family in the prefectural city. Their positions were worlds apart. How jealous Zhong Yizhu must be of her when they met!

At this thought, Zhong Youtong could hardly contain her eagerness.

It was the season for sowing and transplanting rice seedlings. In Liushan Village, the fields were full of bent backs. Thus, as soon as the shadow of a carriage appeared on the village road, it drew widespread attention.

When they realized there were not just one but three carriages, almost everyone straightened up and craned their necks to look.

The wheels rolled, raising dust. As they neared the village, the speed slowed. Someone recognized the servant sitting at the front of the lead carriage as one who had come before from the Zhong family, and people started whispering.

Some guessed that the Zhongs had sent people to bring supplies to Sun Yunniang and her son—after all, they were family; even if a grave mistake had been made, they wouldn't just abandon them in the village. Others speculated that someone had come to pay respects to the deceased second son; although the seventh-week mourning period had passed and the hundred-day memorial was still some time away, the Ghost Festival was approaching, so an early visit might make sense.

Chen Xiaorong, still holding rice seedlings, couldn't be bothered to plant them. Anxiously watching the three carriages enter the village, he feared it spelled trouble. Especially when he heard someone sarcastically remark that perhaps the Zhongs were here to take Sun Yunniang and her son back, and since Zhong Yizhu was already married, he might have to bring Pei Mu, that jinx, along too.

Chen Xiaorong knew that was meant to provoke him, but he paid it no mind, his mind occupied with another concern.

He didn't understand the rules of city households, but he knew how serious it must be to send a pampered young man back to the village. The village rumor was that Zhong Yizhu had been punished for some mistake, but after getting to know him over the past days, no one believed those baseless rumors.

This visit from the Zhong family might not be good news for Sun Yunniang and her son.

Chen Xiaorong thrust his seedlings into Wang Pingan's hands and hurried toward the edge of the paddy field.

Brother Pei had finally found a spouse he was happy with—they had to help keep an eye on things for him.

...

By the time Zhong Yizhu received Chen Xiaorong's warning and reached the old Zhong residence, Zhong Youtong was already ordering servants to throw out the belongings from his old room to make space for herself.

Sun Yunniang tried to block them, but Zhong Youtong, arms crossed, stood in stark contrast in her bright, fine silk against Sun Yunniang's plain clothes. Chin raised, she spoke with malicious glee.

"Second Aunt, you've only been in the village for two months—how have your standards dropped so low? Treating such junk as treasure? Don't worry, just tell me how much that chest is worth, and I'll pay you for it."

With a wink, Zhong Youtong signaled Wang Shun and his men to push Sun Yunniang aside and throw out the chest containing Zhong Yizhu's belongings.

"Stop!"

Zhong Yizhu rushed over to shield his mother, glaring fiercely at Wang Shun. "You ungrateful dog! My father should never have saved your life."

He then turned to the instigator, his voice icy. "Zhong Youtong, have you no manners? She is still your elder. Is this how you treat a senior relative?"

Zhong Youtong shifted her gaze to Zhong Yizhu, taking in his less striking appearance compared to his days in the mansion, and his simple cotton clothes. She couldn't hide her smirk behind her hand.

"So imperious! I thought it was someone important, but it's just Third Brother. I almost didn't recognize you—thought you were some poor, shabby relative."

Noticing that Zhong Yizhu's expression remained unchanged, she darted her eyes and continued.

"I heard you married a ruthless jinx who brings misfortune to everyone? Now that you're married, what right do you have to meddle in Zhong family affairs? I'm afraid your stuff might bring bad luck to me—after all, I'm about to marry Second Young Master Liu in the second half of the year. If anything goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility, Third Brother?"

She fanned her nose theatrically and ordered, "Wang Shun, throw that chest out—far away, so it doesn't offend your young miss."

"How dare you!" Even the usually mild-tempered Sun Yunniang was pushed to her limit. She stepped in front of Wang Shun and refused to yield.

Even though Zhong Yizhu was married, Sun Yunniang had kept his old room spotless every day. There wasn't much of his stuff left, nor was it valuable—most of their possessions had been left behind in the mansion. But for Zhong Youtong to try to humiliate her son this way, she would not stand for it.

Seeing Wang Shun about to shove them, Zhong Yizhu knew they were no match, so he lunged forward and pushed Zhong Youtong hard.

As she shrieked, Zhong Yizhu said coldly, "If you don't call them off, I'll call all the villagers—men, women, young, old—to witness your insolence toward your elders. There are fifteen surnames in Liushan Village, nearly three hundred people. If even one of them has any connection to the Liu family, guess whether your 'good news' will reach their ears?"

"Aunt Zhao—" Before Zhong Youtong could react, Zhong Yizhu shouted loudly.

Zhong Youtong panicked. "Shut up!"

"Enough! Stop your quarreling!"

It was only then that Zhong Yourong emerged from the side room. He perfunctorily scolded the servants, then changed the subject. "Time is getting late. We should go pay respects at Second Uncle's grave. We brought many offerings to honor him."

At that, Zhong Yizhu fell silent, merely turning his head away and refusing to look at Zhong Youtong.

Zhong Yourong shot a warning glare at his sister, then ordered the servants to ready the offerings for the hills.

Zhong Yizhu's belongings were returned to his room, and Zhong Youtong stopped insisting on taking it over, but she still glared at him bitterly.

Zhong Yizhu ignored her, supporting his mother as they walked out the door.

Zhong Yourong and Zhong Youtong had come with only two people but three carriages, two of which were loaded with offerings.

Meanwhile, Zhong Yourong and Zhong Yizhu had just gone up the mountain when the news spread throughout Liushan Village. Everyone said that the Zhong family was generous, buying offerings by the cartload.

It was also said that since Zhong Laosan and his wife had to stay home to take care of their sick elderly parents and couldn't come in person, they sent their eldest son and their grown third daughter to fulfill their filial duties on their behalf. Now that Zhong Yourong and Zhong Youtong had traveled a long way to get there, and had barely rested at the Zhong house before hurrying up the mountain, it really showed how sincere they were.

The villagers all gave thumbs-ups, saying that even after his death, Second Master Zhong was still honored, and that Zhong Laosan's family was indeed loyal and devoted.

They then praised Zhong Yourong for his youthful success and promising future, and Zhong Youtong for her grace, propriety, and filial piety—how rare for a delicate young lady like her to travel that far to pay respects to an elder.

The same people who had once flattered Zhong Yizhu when he wasn't yet down and out now heaped praise on the two siblings. Some went even further, using Zhong Yizhu as a foil, claiming that if not for his "troublemaking" back then, the two siblings—so filial and sincere—would have surely returned for the funeral at the time, and Zhong Laoer wouldn't have been left with no one to smash the mourning basin.

Chen Xiaorong came home after a long day, fuming. He looked at Wang Pingan, fuming with anger and anxiety. "When the hell is Brother Pei coming back?"

Wang Pingan was also anxious, but for a different reason.

Given Pei Mu's temper, if he really came back and ran into the current situation, no telling if it'd be a good thing or a bad thing.

At the same time, deep in the mountains, Pei Mu tightened the rope and securely caught a buck that had stepped into his trap.

The buck struggled with all its might, thrashing wildly, but the noose was cleverly set. The more it struggled, the tighter it became, until finally it collapsed from exhaustion.

Once he was sure the buck couldn't break free, Pei Mu tied the rope to a tree trunk by the stream, refilled his bamboo canteen, and prepared to return to his temporary shelter before dark.

He counted the days he had been in the mountains—only three—yet somehow it felt like time was passing unusually slowly. Normally, he would stay in the mountains for eight or nine days without ever feeling this way.

Since he had caught a live deer, he couldn't take it along while hunting other game. But this deer alone would fetch a good price, so his haul was already substantial. He might as well head down tomorrow.

Pei Mu closed his eyes, but a pair of beautiful, smiling, peach-blossom-shaped eyes flashed through his mind.

I'll catch two rabbits tomorrow before heading down, he thought.

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Author's note: Hey everyone, I still need to figure out the update time, but for now let's say 11 PM.

Thank you for your nutrient solutions and mines~