Chapter 130: Parting

Chapter 130 Parting

Thirty people left, but more than forty came back.

A Zheng had already left before Gu Chaoning took off, while Lao Lin, cleared of suspicion, was back to his usual porridge, flatbreads, and steamed buns—though he was sad to see Gu Chaoning leave.

The party of forty-two included ten skilled guards the Marquis had sent—two flanking Yin Hongxue, four clearing the path ahead, and four covering the rear—making the trip back way less nerve-wracking than the ride there.

Some refugees spotted their group of tall, sturdy men and tried to tag along for protection, but when they saw they were heading a different way, they gave up.

Everyone had seen the Marquis lose his cool the day before, and later, they'd all been invited to the courtyard where the Marquis was staying in Tong County. So those who'd come along, like Gu Zi, didn't know the full story but had their suspicions.

But with the Marquis involved, nobody dared ask or say anything.

The first leg of the trip back was quiet, and their looks at Yin Hongxue were tinged with curiosity and respect.

Gu Zi, Chen Youliang, and the others thought about how Yin Hongxue's dad had been sold by the trafficker into a village, and their hearts skipped a beat.

Could that young man... be the Marquis's kid?

Just the thought made them freeze—imagining the Marquis's stern face, feeling those eyes on them.

It barely snowed on the way back, so the trip was a lot more comfortable than the ride to Tong County.

As they got close to Little River Village, before even stepping inside, they spotted two figures standing out in bright colors against the snowy white landscape.

Gu Wen and Gu Zi recognized them right away—one was their husband, the other their mom.

Both felt their eyes well up and quickened their pace, shouting out.

"Yan Geer!"

"Mother!"

The shouts startled the two at the village entrance, who'd been hesitating to come forward. Chen Youyan had been quietly counting heads—forty-two—and was just about to go get the village chief when he heard Gu Wen's familiar voice.

He ran forward a few steps and saw a familiar face peek out from under a thick scarf.

Then Yin Hongxue and Gu Wen came out from behind Gu Wen.

"Father!"

"You're back!" Chen Youyan first called out with a smile, then his voice choked, and he called again, "You're back."

The family piled into a hug, and Chen Youyan, seeing how much thinner the father and sons had gotten, couldn't hold back his tears anymore.

Villagers near the entrance, drawn by the noise, came out to see—happy to find Gu Wen and Gu Zi back. Some joined in to ask how things were outside, while others hurried off to tell the village chief and everyone else.

As the group headed into the village, they ran into Gu Changhe, Gu Daniu, Wang Xiuxiu, and others coming partway to meet them.

Gu Changhe, Gu Daniu, and Wang Xiuxiu, once they recognized them, could barely hold back their own tears.

Everyone was eager to get back to their own folks, so nobody stuck around to pry. Gu Changhe took Gu Zi home, while Gu Daniu and Wang Xiuxiu brought Gu Wen, Gu Chaoning, Yin Hongxue, and Chen Youliang back with them. The other two villagers were likewise taken home by their families.

Hot water was already on at home, and Wang Xiuxiu whipped up a bowl of ginger, brown sugar, and egg soup for each of them. Gu Daniu, along with Gu Chaoning and Jian Shan, paid the hired men their grain wages and sent them off politely.

They'd thought about keeping them for a meal, but most were eager to get back to their families waiting outside Dukou Town, so they didn't stick around.

Chen Youliang, missing his own family too, left first after finishing his soup.

When Chen Youyan tried to give him grain, he refused and slipped away while Chen Youyan went to grab some meat.

Once everything had calmed down, Gu Wen and the other two quietly told their families about Yin Hongxue's situation and explained the ten guards who'd come along.

After hearing all that, everyone was stunned—except Gu Muan, who was too busy cuddling up to Gu Wen, Gu Chaoning, and Yin Hongxue.

Wang Xiuxiu and Gu Daniu stared at Yin Hongxue, stammering, "This... this... Xue Geer, this..."

Chen Youyan, looking at Yin Hongxue, was also speechless.

Yin Hongxue's heart raced, and he secretly clenched his fingers.

Gu Chaoning looked at the elders and asked, "Just because Xue Geer is the Marquis's son, does that mean he's not Xue Geer anymore?"

They were taken aback, not quite getting it at first.

Gu Chaoning first turned to Gu Daniu and Wang Xiuxiu. "If Xue Geer is the Marquis's son, does that mean he's not Grandma and Grandpa's grandson anymore?"

Gu Daniu and Wang Xiuxiu answered at the same time without missing a beat: "Of course he still is!"

Then he turned to Chen Youyan. "If Xue Geer is the Marquis's son, does that mean he's not Father's child anymore?"

Chen Youyan answered the same way without hesitation: "Of course he still is."

And that was that.

That round of questions opened everyone's minds, and they stopped being afraid of Yin Hongxue's identity—instead, they started worrying about whether he'd do okay in the capital.

Gu Muan, though, was thrilled: "If Xue Age is the Marquis's son now, can I go around saying I'm the Marquis's son's little brother?"

Yin Hongxue laughed and reached out to pinch Gu Muan's chubby cheek. "Of course you can."

After that, everyone went back to normal.

That night, after everyone had gone to their rooms, Chen Youyan tossed and turned, unable to sleep, thinking about Yin Hongxue.

Chen Youyan asked Gu Wen, "Once the Marquis finishes the disaster relief, he'll come take Xue Geer back to the capital? So in at most half a month, or as little as seven or eight days, Xue Geer will be gone?"

Gu Wen sighed and said yeah.

Chen Youyan was quiet for a long time—so long that Gu Wen was dozing off—before he heard his husband whisper, "Wen Ge, I can't bear to let the kid go."

Even now, he still clearly remembered the day they first brought Yin Hongxue home—how the little boy had sat curled up in his arms, so light he weighed less than Gu Muan.

He remembered the bath afterward, the little boy sitting in the basin, his skinny frame covered in big bruises.

He remembered the timid, watery eyes that had stolen glances at him.

They said the capital was a den of wealth, and Marquis Anding's status was beyond compare—worlds apart from him, Gu Wen, and Chen Youyan.

Yet it was from that den of wealth, from that sky-high Marquis, that his only son had been sold to their remote Little River Village.

And for over ten years, he hadn't been found.

Now Yin Hongxue was going back to that den of wealth—how could he not worry?

...

The meal the day before had been simple, but early the next morning, Chen Youyan and Wang Xiuxiu got up early.

The two exchanged a glance, seeing the look in each other's eyes that said they were ready to take on a big task, and couldn't help but laugh.

Breakfast was a spread of six dishes: scallion and egg stir-fry, preserved meat stir-fried with chili peppers, dried shrimp and wild mushrooms simmered with frozen tofu, pork belly stir-fried with cabbage, radish meatballs, and shredded potatoes dressed with chili oil.

The staples had variety too: salted duck egg and pork shred congee with cabbage, layered flatbread rolled with scallions, pepper-salt, and crispy pastry, plus sweet steamed buns.

The household now had a lot of mouths to feed—not just the original seven family members, but also the five servants Jian Shan, Zhen Xia, Zhimo, Guan Qi, and Tingfeng, the five hired hands Gu Chaoning had brought on before heading to Tong County, and the ten personal guards who'd come with Yin Hongxue.

With twenty-seven people total, there was no way Wang Xiuxiu and Chen Youyan could handle it alone, so all the servants pitched in, and they set up a big cauldron in the courtyard to cook congee and steam buns.

Everyone bustled about, then sat down to a fragrant, hearty breakfast.

In the days that followed, they no longer all ate together—the servants made their own meals, and so did the ten guards who'd come with Yin Hongxue.

But Wang Xiuxiu and Chen Youyan didn't stop; the seven family members' three meals a day—morning, noon, and night—were all made by them, along with Gu Daniu, Gu Wen, and the others.

For seven straight days, all three kids ate until their cheeks were rosy.

On the evening of the seventh day, the sound of horse hooves announced the arrival of Marquis Anding and Song Diyun at Xiaohe Village.

Thanks to Gu Chaoning's seven days of preparation, the Gu family, though still a bit nervous meeting Marquis Anding and his companion, managed to keep their composure.

And with the Marquis softening his expression and making an effort to put them at ease, the first meeting between the two sides could be called harmonious.

That day, Marquis Anding first toured Xiaohe Village, checking out the bamboo tube waterwheel Yin Hongxue had developed, looking at his paintings, the wooden toys Gu Wen and Yin Hongxue had made, and the clothes and shoes Chen Youyan and Wang Xiuxiu had sewn.

The next day, he toured Chen Family Village.

When they reached Yin Li's house, the door was wide open, and no one was inside.

Marquis Anding saw the look on Yin Hongxue's face and knew this was the courtyard where Li Yin had lived ten years ago, as his trusted men had reported—the Yin family home.

He ducked into the courtyard, stood in the very center, and slowly turned to take in the small, square yard that looked even more shabby and run-down against the monotonous white of winter.

His Li Yin had married here, given birth to Xue Geer here, and then died alone.

Yin Hongxue hadn't been back in seven or eight years and felt a pang of emotion too.

Since he'd left, things had been added to the Yin family courtyard, but overall it was much the same as when he'd left.

Marquis Anding pressed his big hand to his face, roughly wiping away his tears, and said loudly, "Let's go. Let's get out of here."

The three had just stepped out of the courtyard when they saw several people approaching, eyeing them curiously. "Who are you? What are you doing at the Yin family home?"

Another person spotted Yin Hongxue behind them and said in sudden realization, "Oh, it's Xue Geer! Your dad went to town about ten days ago to do who knows what, and the town magistrate had him locked up. Then they went and arrested your stepmother and little brother too. Oh dear..."

What he said after that was quieter, but his tone was full of regret.

Yin Hongxue glanced at Marquis Anding, gave them a brief reply, and then continued on his way.

The three then walked to the foot of the mountain. The villages near the back mountain—Xiaohe, Chenjia, and several others—all buried their dead up there.

The back mountain was now covered in snow, impossible to climb anyway, so Marquis Anding told Yin Hongxue to head back to the Gu family while he stood alone at the foot of the mountain for a long time.

Before Yin Hongxue and Song Diyun left, they turned back to look.

The world was a vast expanse of snow, and Marquis Anding stood alone at the mountain's base, wind and snow falling on him, making him seem especially small and fragile.

...

Marquis Anding set his departure for two days later, which seemed a bit rushed, but the emperor in the capital was still waiting for his report on official business and couldn't be delayed.

Chen Youyan was quiet for a long while after hearing the news, then asked Yin Hongxue what he wanted to eat.

For the next two nights, the lamps stayed lit until well past midnight.

No matter how much everyone hated to see him go, the sun still rose on the day of departure.

The four elders all got up early. Gu Daniu slaughtered a chicken and a duck—the chicken stewed with wild mushrooms, and the duck braised with pickled cabbage and chili sauce.

After breakfast, Yin Hongxue took out his trunk and strapped it on his back, while Guan Qi and the guards hauled the luggage.

At the moment of parting, everyone was smiling, but tears welled up in all their eyes.

Everything that needed to be said had been said over the past few days. Chen Youyan only told Yin Hongxue to take care of himself and to write back once the snow melted and the roads opened.

Yin Hongxue respectfully agreed.

Marquis Anding had somehow gotten hold of a carriage with bigger, wider wheels that could travel over the snow.

Yin Hongxue boarded the carriage, turned to look at everyone one more time, then suddenly knelt and kowtowed to the four elders before getting in, with Guan Qi accompanying him.

For warmth, the carriage windows were tightly shut and sealed with padded quilts. Yin Hongxue didn't go back out, but pressed against the quilt and peered through the gap in the window at his family outside, and the tears he'd been holding back finally fell.

Marquis Anding bowed deeply to the Gu family, then swung onto his horse, and under the gaze of the Gu family and the other villagers of Xiaohe Village, rode off.

Gu Chaoning stood beside his family, watching the convoy's silhouette until it disappeared, and stood there in silence for a long time.

From this day forward, he had finally returned to the path he'd envisioned after his rebirth.

He would go back to being Gu Chaoning, the ordinary man of Xiaohe Village in Dudu Town.

And the pitiful little boy Yin Hongxue, who had unexpectedly appeared in his life after his rebirth, was finally going back to being his brilliant self as the Marquis's Young Master.

But...

Why did he feel so sad at this moment?

...

Although Marquis Anding's convoy was only two carriages, they traveled slowly, mindful of Yin Hongxue and the thick snow on the road.

They traveled for an entire day and managed to find an inn to stay at just before sunset.

Yin Hongxue opened his trunk and froze at the sight of the red garment on top.

He picked it up and shook it open, realizing it was a newly made cloak, with auspicious cloud patterns Chen Youyan had just learned to embroider stitched along the collar.

Beneath the cloak were two pairs of thick cotton shoes, and next to them, a bundle of oil paper wrapped around a set of fine silk undergarments.

Yin Hongxue reached out and gently touched them, let out a soft laugh, and then the tears came.