Chapter 25: Reunion with Old Friends

“Then you should thank them properly!” The old lady Qi sincerely appreciated the care that their child had received on the journey.

“Yes, yes! We’ll invite them over to play tomorrow,” Madam Qi chimed in, already discussing the dishes they would prepare to treat Qi Lian’s friends.

Qi Lian himself was worried about Shangguan and the others; he didn’t know whether they had settled in for the night. Chewing on his chopsticks, he planned to go find them early the next morning.

Old Master Qi was losing his appetite with each passing moment, but seeing his son return with a bit more masculine vigor than usual warmed his heart. His tone softened, “It’s indeed time to express our gratitude. Nowadays, finding a place to stay is tough, so let’s have them stay at our estate and ask the servants to prepare a few guest rooms.”

With Old Master Qi’s recommendation, everyone felt relieved and agreed that it was a good idea.

The next morning, Qi Lian packed his things in a hurry, eager to head out and find his buddies. However, the gatekeeper informed him that someone had just come to provide their address.

As someone who once ruled the local area, Qi Lian recognized the region well. It seemed his brothers had found an excellent place to stay. He wondered if there was space for him as well; if not, he could always squeeze in with Zhang Yan—it wasn’t as if they hadn’t done so before.

Turning back toward the house, he hastily gathered a few sets of clothing, ready to leave. It wasn’t that the home was unwelcoming; he just felt overwhelmed and thought his father was the smartest person alive.

He had barely taken two steps outside when that familiar voice resonated again. “Qi Lian, where do you think you’re going?”

The old lady Qi looked at her grandson, whom she saw carrying a large bundle of items, puzzled by his early morning antics.

“I’m just packing some stuff to give to my friends,” he said sheepishly, patting his chest after he spoke.

“Well, take your time and don’t forget to invite them to dinner!”

Having escaped a reprimand, Qi Lian quickly complied, running out to seek his freedom.

“Ha ha ha ha ha! I’m finally free! Zhang Yan, hurry up and open the door to welcome your brother in arms!”

Xu Nuo and the others were in the house; even through the closed doors, they could hear his voice, muffled by the blanket, wishing they could report a noise complaint. They couldn’t understand why he seemed so energetic.

The knocking stopped shortly after. Then they could hear talking and faint noises coming from the yard. Xu Nuo rubbed her temples and resigned herself to getting out of bed and changing; there were still many tasks waiting for her outside.

Just seeing this house made her heart ache. She wanted to resume her previous work; all her tools were in place, ready for her to start selling again. Every day brought expenses without profit accounting, and her hands were itching to get back to work.

As Xu Nuo finished tidying up and stepped into the courtyard, she heard Shangguan saying, “No way!” while Qi Lian was trying to persuade him eagerly.

“What’s not allowed?” Xu Nuo looked confused; she realized she needed to understand the full context of the situation to not feel frustrated.

“Sister-in-law, you have to help me! I just want to invite everyone to my house to thank them. Older brother completely shut me down without any subtlety!”

With a few simple sentences from Qi Lian, Xu Nuo understood the situation. However, this matter involved their mothers, and it was wiser to avoid trouble. She agreed with Shangguan’s approach and decided to stay out of it, donning a helpless expression toward Qi Lian as she headed to the kitchen to prepare food.

Madam Wang knew her son’s intentions. She both longed to see those people and was scared of encountering them. But even so, just hearing a bit of news from them was a comfort.

“They’re coming with you today. I’ll just stay at home, watching the house like an old lady!”

“Aunt, you’re not going with us? That’s not right!” Qi Lian originally intended for everyone to go together.

Shangguan, though silent, also disagreed.

“Enough; it’s decided! No one is allowed to argue with me!” Madam Wang spoke firmly, exuding an air that left no room for opposition. This posture reminded Shangguan very much of the old matriarch at home.

Seeing her demeanor, Qi Lian suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Could it be? Could it really be?

Connecting the dots that everyone was reluctant to go to his house, he believed he had discovered something monumental. If this were true, he could certainly walk around his house with confidence from now on; even his father wouldn’t dare to say anything.

However, noticing Aunt’s resolute stance made him switch gears. Oh! No, he needed to call her “Auntie” now. This meant Shangguan was his cousin, and Xu Nuo was his cousin-in-law! Ha ha ha! Who would have thought? Who would have thought that he and Shangguan were family? After going around in circles, Zhang Yan couldn’t compare to him.

Everyone just looked at Qi Lian grinning like an idiot, unsure what was making him so happy.

Now that Aunt had spoken, Shangguan and the others felt they had no choice but to comply. They began to gather gifts to bring along. Of course, they couldn’t arrive empty-handed. Fortunately, Xu Nuo had a habit of preparing snacks regularly. She had made pork jerky, beef jerky, and even some salted egg yolk pastries a few days ago, all of which would be taken along.

Finally, they arrived at the Qi estate, passing through the grand courtyard and entering the main hall. Shangguan, Xu Nuo, and Zhang Yan saw two ladies who obviously belonged to a wealthy family, with glossy black hair, fair and smooth skin, and elegantly fitting clothes. “Greetings, Old Lady!” “Greetings, Madam!”

The three of them respectfully bowed. The old lady Qi and Madam Qi observed the three young ones: each was handsome and bright-eyed, clearly well-bred. From the moment they entered, they kept their eyes on each other and presented themselves in a poised manner, indicating they had good family upbringing. Old Lady Qi felt assured that Qi Lian could engage with these kids.

“It’s getting late, and mealtime is approaching; let’s get to the dining table so we won’t keep the guests hungry!” The old lady pulled Xu Nuo by the hand and led her to the dining table. Among the three children, she particularly favored the little girl; not only was she lovely, but her clean and fair features, along with her childish face, were utterly adorable.

As they gathered around the dining table, there were no particular dining rules; the old lady and Madam Qi eagerly served the children. It had been a long time since the house had seen such liveliness, and today, the old lady was especially happy.

She kept asking Shangguan and the others about their experiences along the way. In this deep courtyard, they had never imagined that the outside world could be so vibrant.

They had never thought that women could face the public, manage businesses, and even become the economic pillars of their families. Just this notion was enough to earn their respect.

Learning that Madam Wang had to stay home to recuperate made everyone feel quite unfortunate. They truly wished to meet this remarkable mother and exchange parenting experiences, considering how well she had raised her children and how much they excelled compared to any aristocratic offspring.

The meal passed comfortably for everyone. On their way back, Xu Nuo looked over at Shangguan several times, relieved as she said, “Good thing you don’t look like your mother!” The two exchanged glances of exasperation, both breathing a sigh of relief that they didn’t resemble their mother, or else their mother would have clung to her secret, which would have been a disaster.

Just as they had stepped out of the door, the old lady felt increasingly uneasy. She sensed something peculiar about the children from today, especially about the one named Shangguan, who looked strikingly familiar. That pair of eyes reminded her only of her little niece.

The more she thought about it, the more restless she became, and she hurriedly summoned Qi Lian into her room.

“Qi Lian, speak honestly with your grandmother: Is Shangguan Ziqian your cousin? Is his mother also called ‘Wang’?”

“Is this Ziqian boy just turning fifteen?”

The old lady gripped Qi Lian tightly, her remarks becoming more urgent, her eyes glistening as she stared at him, as if afraid to miss any detail.

Qi Lian hadn’t anticipated that this secret would be uncovered so soon. He felt overwhelmed as his grandmother had guessed everything.

Seeing his grandmother, who was already anxious to the point of tears, Qi Lian had no choice but to nod. “Yes, as you said, Grandma, but I can’t be certain that she is my aunt.”

After all, there are many people with the surname Wang in this world. It might just be a coincidence, right? They could end up being happy for no reason.

Watching his grandmother’s despondent expression made Qi Lian apprehensive. Although this aunt wasn’t his biological relative, she had been raised by his grandmother since childhood and was like a daughter to her. After not hearing from her for over ten years, the sudden news was immensely complicated.

“But…” Qi Lian had just begun to speak when he was interrupted.

“But what? Hurry and tell us! Can’t you see your grandmother is almost in tears?”

Madam Qi wished she could speak for her son. Normally, he was quite a talkative kid, but when it came to critical moments, he faltered.

Qi Lian closed his eyes, steeling himself. “But Aunt said that she and my father were old acquaintances; when they first met, she mentioned my father’s name. The key point is that she told me not to tell anyone.”

“Exactly, exactly! It must be my Yu Niang! My Yu Niang has finally returned!” The old lady Qi was overwhelmed with emotion, tears welling in her eyes, wishing she could bring her sister home immediately.

“Quick! Quick! Notify your father that Yu Niang has returned!” The old lady Qi wished to inform everyone in the family. Yu Niang was back, and she wanted those old folks in the family to see that she was still alive and had raised such wonderful children.

Half an hour later, the old lady finally ceased her crying. Just as things settled in the house, a hurried voice came in. “Mother, what did you say? Yu Niang is back? Where is she? Why haven’t I seen her?”

Hearing news from home, Old Master Qi rushed back, only to find nobody there, anxiously inquiring with those around him.

“Yu Niang hasn’t returned. It was her son and daughter-in-law who came back today; she must still be recalling what happened over ten years ago and doesn’t dare come back.”

“I saw these two children today, and it’s clear Yu Niang has gone through hardships; they are both exceptional! I heard that Ziqian has amazing academic talent; truly a credit to our family bloodline!”

Old Master Qi regretted greatly for not returning for lunch at noon, missing out on such a wonderful opportunity.

“Where do they live? We should go and bring them back home right now!” He forgot to change his clothes, only concerned about asking the steward to prepare a carriage to bring his cousin back.

The steward was excited about returning the young lady home. Did anyone ever expect a big family reunion to happen in their lifetime? That alone was satisfying enough.

“Keep it down! What kind of behavior is this? Do you still have the appearance of a governor?” The old lady Qi looked at her son with disdain.

Qi Lian hadn’t anticipated his father’s next erratic moment.

“We must think about how we’re going to talk to your sister about this and how to persuade her to meet us. Also, the house needs to be tidied up; they need rooms prepared, right?”

Madam Qi smiled, saying she could handle the room preparations. Despite not having seen her childhood best friend for over ten years, she believed not much had changed in her preferences.

When everything was ready, it was already afternoon. Qi Lian sat in the carriage, clearly feeling the tense atmosphere inside. His usually calm father appeared deep in thought, his mouth pressed down, hands tightly gripping his sleeves, and his torso straightened up as if he was on high alert.

Finally, they reached the mouth of the alley. The alley was a bit narrow, preventing the carriage from entering. Qi Lian led Old Master Qi and his grandmother to the entrance of Shangguan’s rented house. The courtyard door was slightly ajar, through which they could see a middle-aged woman bent over washing vegetables in a large tub.

The old lady Qi suddenly burst into tears, covering her mouth with her hand. It was—yes, it was her Yu Niang! Even if it was just a silhouette, she recognized her. Her Yu Niang was now personally washing vegetables, enduring a life of hardship. In the past, those hands had only known music, chess, painting, and calligraphy, and rarely did any manual work.

Old Master Qi had no concern for so-called propriety and pushed the door open. “Yu Niang? Is that you?”

Wang Shi’s body stiffened, thinking she had misheard, but continued to focus on washing vegetables.

“Yu Niang, it’s me! I’m your sister!”

The old lady Qi spoke, her voice choked with emotion, and Wang Shi realized she hadn’t misheard; tears welled up uncontrollably in her eyes, streaming down her cheeks.

“No, I’m not Yu Niang. You’ve got the wrong person,” Wang Shi struggled to contain her emotions. She stood up but didn’t turn around, preparing to escape into her house.

“Yu Niang, will you just look back at us?”

“Even if you don’t turn around, we will recognize your voice and figure. We won’t mistake it! You are indeed my sister!”