Chapter 280

In the evening, the members of the Shen family who had gone to the prefectural capital to participate in the provincial exam finally returned.

The Shen family’s residence had changed since their departure.

With the continuous addition of family members, the Shen family had acquired the neighboring houses and expanded the original courtyard.

Considering that Shen Dalang and Shen Erlang were getting older, and although the last matchmaking hadn’t been successful, there was still a chance of them marrying in the future.

Several smaller courtyards had been built adjacent to the original yard. These yards weren’t very large, but they were just the right size for one family.

For now, these courtyards remained unoccupied.

Upon their return, the family members were delighted to see Fei Yanchen and Shen Sanlang, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time.

That evening, the Shen family’s small courtyard became lively once again.

With people coming and going, there was plenty of chatter and laughter. Initially, they gathered around Shen Dalang and the others who had participated in the provincial exam, showering them with care and attention.

The one who seemed the most relaxed among them was Shen Erlang. Judging by his appearance, he should have performed well in the exam.

The rest of the people, though their performance might not have been as ideal, explained what they had written and answered.

They all received a nod of approval from Mr. Ji.

With Mr. Ji’s approval, everyone knew that they hadn’t made any major mistakes, so they put it out of their minds.

Fei Yanchen had just returned from the capital, and compared to the small village where they had always lived, they were obviously more curious about the capital. So they quickly gathered around Fei Yanchen.

Grandma Shen and the others bombarded Fei Yanchen with questions, and he responded to each one without showing any signs of impatience.

Fei Yanchen glanced at Shen Yu’an and then smiled, saying, “In the future, when An’an and I take Grandma Shen and all of you aunts to the capital, you’ll be able to see the splendor of the city with your own eyes.”

Hearing this, everyone was delighted and didn’t notice that Fei Yanchen was referring to taking them to the capital along with Shen Yu’an.

Grandma Shen clapped her hands and said, “That’s a deal! We’ll wait for you to take this old lady to see the capital. I’ll have to live a few more years with my eyes open!”

Shen Yu’an replied with a smile, “Grandma, you’re going to live to be a hundred. When Big Brother and the others pass the imperial examination and become scholars, they’ll have official positions. By then, Grandma, you’ll truly enjoy a life of comfort.”

Grandma Shen glanced at her determined grandsons one by one before smiling.

“Well, I’ll look forward to that life of comfort then.”

Everyone chatted joyfully until the moon was high in the sky, and then they dispersed to their respective rooms.

Since expanding the courtyard, the Shen family had prepared rooms for Fei Yanchen and the others who had left, so they could stay whenever they returned. However, this time, Fei Yanchen couldn’t stay for long. There were many matters to attend to on the mountain with the large number of troops and General Xiangnan, so he left after everyone had dispersed.

Fei Yanchen ruffled Shen Yu’an’s head as he saw her to the door and said softly, “Rest well, and I’ll come to see you again after I finish my tasks tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Fei Dong and Fei Xi waited outside the door for the two to bid farewell, sneakily watching the scene with rosy bubbles rising in their hearts.

After a while, the two finally separated.

After parting ways, Shen Yu’an remembered that she had forgotten to discuss with everyone whether they wanted to go to the western border.

But now, everyone had returned to their rooms, so she would have to find the right time to bring it up again.

The next morning, as soon as the day broke, Shen Yu’an took advantage of the fact that everyone was still in the courtyard to bring up the matter.

The expressions of the crowd became somewhat troubled.

The western border belonged to Fei Yanchen, and the fact that he was willing to take them all away and provide them shelter was a heartfelt gesture on his part.

However, they were no longer newcomers, fleeing from hardship. They had put down roots here. For example, Song Shi’s maternal family was also in this place, and their workshop was here too. Everything was not so easy to give up.

Unlike the rest of the Shen family who were torn, Shen Sanlang, who had been allowed to stay at the Shen family the night before, heard Shen Yu’an’s words and immediately expressed his desire to go to the western border with Fei Yanchen.

Shen Sanlang’s words also brought everyone back to reality.

After exchanging a glance, Grandpa and Grandma Shen said, “An’an, express our gratitude to that young lad Fei for his kindness. But as you mentioned, he came here to avoid people. It might not be convenient for him to take our entire extended family.”

“What about the rest of us? Do you all want to go?” Shen Yu’an asked.

“If you want to go, this old man won’t stop you. But my wife, my eldest brother, and I are too old for the rough journey, so we won’t be going,” Grandpa Shen stated.

With the patriarch speaking, one by one, the others nodded in agreement, effectively deciding not to go to the western border.

Shen Yu’an had no objections to this; she had merely asked the question and would follow everyone’s wishes.

She looked at Shen Sanlang, who continued to make his presence known, and said, “I will tell Ah’Chen about your desire to go with them.”

Shen Sanlang was delighted and sweetly praised Shen Yu’an, saying, “Thank you, Sister.”

As they were discussing this in the courtyard, someone from outside came in with a message.

“Some guests have arrived, claiming to be friends of several young masters. Their last name is Fang.”

Shen Dalang stood up and said, “It should be Fang Chun. I’ll go and see.”

Outside the Shen family’s gate, Fang Chun helped his sister, Fang Nian, down from a carriage. Their servant followed, carrying gifts from the carriage.