Chapter 9: Parting with the Xu Family

It wasn’t that the government soldiers weren’t urging them to hurry on their way, but rather that these nobles, accustomed to a life of comfort, were simply too exhausted to walk any further.

The pebbles on the ground bruised the blisters on their feet, causing them to burst and then re-form. The oozing blood glued the skin and foot wraps together, making each step an agonizing pain.

Yan Huan gathered some medicinal herbs along the roadside as they walked and applied them to the Yan family members, which eased their discomfort somewhat. As for the Jiang family, each one was thick-skinned and didn’t need it at all.

Just outside the capital was the territory of Luyang.

Luyang Prefecture was not far from the Yan family’s old residence. Yan Huan knew that once they reached Luyang Prefecture, the people from the Yan family’s old residence would be sent to join them, along with the Xu family.

There were also quite a few people in the Yan family’s old residence, including her grandparents and her three uncles’ families.

Her eldest brother’s wife and her little niece had also been living in the old residence. Her little niece had been weak since birth and couldn’t travel long distances, so she stayed behind in the old residence to recuperate.

Although she was worried about her little niece’s health, the thought of seeing the Xu family soon filled her with a little joy.

Even though she had been living with the Yan family for five years, she still missed her days with the Xu family immensely.

The family had a rare reunion, but there was no mood for pleasantries.

Everyone sat together, and no one spoke for a long while. Finally, it was Madam Xu who spoke first, greeting the old lady and breaking the silence.

The old lady didn’t have time for small talk with her at the moment. Moreover, she had never liked this eldest daughter-in-law. She directly turned her gaze to Yan Qingyi.

“Eldest son, what are your plans for the future?”

Yan Qingyi kept his head lowered, and his expression couldn’t be seen.

“We’ll take it one step at a time. The court is in chaos, and the north is also in turmoil. This world is probably going to fall into chaos. Perhaps leaving the capital will be a good thing for us.”

The hidden information in these words was too great, and everyone was stunned for a moment.

Yan Huan had originally wanted to wait for her mother to go see the Xu family together. Seeing that her mother wouldn’t come out for a while, she thought of going over first. She had only taken two steps when a little figure hugged her leg.

“Little Aunt, where are you going? Xiyao wants to go too. Xiyao hasn’t seen Little Aunt for a long time and misses you so much.”

The soft words were very cute.

Yan Huan knew without looking back that this was her eldest brother’s daughter, and her heart melted instantly. In the past, she could only see her little niece during the New Year, and she hadn’t seen her many times in total. She didn’t expect the little one to still remember her.

Her eldest sister-in-law, Madam Qian, had been following closely behind the little girl. Seeing her cling to her little aunt, she quickly stepped forward and said, “Your little aunt has things to do, don’t be naughty.”

Yan Huan smiled, squatted down, and picked her up.

Although the little girl was already three years old, she looked much smaller than her peers because of her poor health since childhood. Her large, grape-like eyes were set in a palm-sized face, making her particularly endearing.

“Eldest Sister-in-law, just let her come with me. I’ll go over and say a few words to Grandpa, and I’ll be back soon.”

The little girl probably felt the heavy atmosphere on the Yan family’s side and didn’t want to stay, so she came to find her. She was quite a clever little thing.

Old Master Xu knew that they would have a lot to say when the whole family met, so he didn’t rush forward. He went to the camp of the escorting officials first.

After some arrangements, the Xu family, in front of the officials, stuffed a bundle into Yan Huan’s arms.

Old Madam Xu, Madam Zhu, stepped forward, her eyes filled with tears, and took Yan Huan’s hand, saying, “Nannan, keep these safe. Your mother is unreliable, so you need to be more mindful. You have to take care of the old and young in the whole family. Your eldest sister-in-law, Qian, is reliable. Talk to her more if you encounter any problems. These are medicinal pills made by your grandfather. Don’t panic if there are minor illnesses on the way. Don’t worry, your eldest uncle has already rushed to Ganzhou to decide. Once you reach Ganzhou, you won’t have to fear anything.”

While speaking, Yan Huan felt Madam Xu slip something into her sleeve. Seeing her wink, she didn’t take it out to look but secretly hid it away.

Seeing Madam Xu cry so sincerely, Yan Huan’s own tears couldn’t stop flowing.

Although she wasn’t the original owner, she felt the original owner’s emotions – that kind of reluctance and attachment was so strong that she couldn’t ignore it at all. She could only follow her heart, holding Xiyao in one arm and using the other to wipe Madam Zhu’s tears.

“Grandma, don’t cry. Don’t worry, I will always take good care of Mother and myself. Once we reach Ganzhou, I will ask someone to send a letter back to you. Maybe I can even find some rare items to bring back for you.”

Madam Zhu knew that Yan Huan was comforting her, and her nose felt even more sore. Clearly, she was still a child, but after encountering this, she seemed to have grown up overnight. Not long ago, she was still a little girl who only knew how to be spoiled and obedient.

Seeing the smile in Yan Huan’s eyes, she didn’t want to disappoint her granddaughter’s good intentions after all. She took a few deep breaths to suppress the sadness in her heart and forced a smile on her face, saying in a slightly annoyed tone, “What rare items are there in that broken place? I only hope that your whole family can reach there safely, and I will be content.”

Speaking of this, her brows furrowed again, “I heard it’s very chaotic there now. I wonder how your eldest uncle is doing.”

Yan Huan’s heart was even more moved, touched by the selfless dedication of the Xu family to their own. Knowing that Ganzhou was in chaos, her eldest uncle still rushed over without hesitation, just to make their journey less difficult.

Yan Qingyi then also brought Madam Xu and his sons to pay respects to his father-in-law.

Old Master Xu probably felt that he had burdened his precious granddaughter. He didn’t give him a good look, snorted coldly, and ignored him. He only instructed his grandsons a few words, nothing more than that they were boys and should take good care of their sister and must not let her suffer. He even pretended not to hear Madam Xu calling him several times.

This parting might mean they would never see each other again. At the time of departure, Madam Zhu held Yan Huan’s hand for a long time without letting go.

Even after the convoy had gone quite a distance, Yan Huan hadn’t recovered.

What Madam Zhu had slipped into her sleeve were silver notes, a full three thousand taels. The silver notes were just a few light pieces of paper, but they weighed heavily on Yan Huan’s heart.

The Xu family had been practicing medicine for generations and had always been fond of doing good deeds and charity. These three thousand taels were probably all the family’s assets.

This kindness was something she could never forget in her entire life.

Afraid that the silver notes wouldn’t be safe on her body, she naturally put them into her spatial dimension. As soon as the soldiers announced a rest stop, Jiang Duo’er excitedly rushed over and pulled Yan Huan to go find wild vegetables.

Yan Huan was speechless. This fellow was probably craving something delicious again.

However, Yan Xiyao had been following Yan Huan like a little tail ever since she saw her, never leaving her side.

Jiang Duo’er was afraid that having her around would make it inconvenient to go into the spatial dimension, so she secretly teased her, wanting to make her angry and leave. But she didn’t expect this little girl to fall for it. She just blinked her big, round eyes and looked at her innocently, completely unaware of the ways of the world.

Yan Huan, holding the little girl’s hand, glared at Jiang Duo’er in annoyance and smiled, “Alright, you’ve even learned to play tricks on a child. Let’s go, let’s go. The little one is very well-behaved, and I like her a lot.”

Xiyao immediately turned her head and smiled, saying in a childish voice, “Xiyao also likes Little Aunt. In Xiyao’s heart, Mommy is first, and Little Aunt is second.”