Xia Liu was tall and strong, carrying loads back and forth several times before finally moving everything into the courtyard.

Gu Qingyan looked and thought, well, now the small courtyard was truly packed full.

“Are all these things from Big Brother Pei?”

It seemed that all the effort he had spent building favor points over the past days had paid off. Pei Xuan had been gone for so long—Gu Qingyan had thought it might be three or five years before they met again and would be strangers to each other.

But who knew his big brother cared so much? He had actually sent so many things from far away.

Gu Qingyan felt a moment of guilt. He had been too busy recently and hadn’t thought about Pei Xuan even once.

He shouldn’t have—he really shouldn’t.

Seeing Gu Qingyan’s excitement, Xia Liu smiled sheepishly, “Lord Pei has always been thinking about young master, worried you’d be too weak and get bullied.”

Gu Qingyan was even more moved.

He had only considered Pei Xuan as a mobile checkpoint, but now he realized Pei Xuan truly cared about him.

“I didn’t expect Big Brother Pei to think of me so much. Brother Xia Liu, how long will you stay in Lingchuan County? I want to prepare some local specialties for you to take back.”

Xia Liu was naturally happy to hear this: “Once the things arrive, I have to leave tomorrow.”

“Then I’d better get ready soon,” Gu Qingyan felt the time was pressing.

He asked again, “Did Big Brother Pei send only gifts? No letters?”

Xia Liu chuckled sheepishly, “Lord Pei didn’t give any.”

Gu Qingyan sighed slightly, thinking Pei Xuan was really a good person—quiet and not good with words, but very good at sending gifts.

Having received a good person card, Gu Qingyan decided he couldn’t be stingy either.

Xia Liu moved all the things into the courtyard but absolutely refused to stay the night, turning around and running off after promising to return tomorrow.

Inside the courtyard, Mrs. Liu and the others were all stunned.

“Brother Yan, all these were sent by that Young Master Pei? Why did he send so much?”

Gu Qingyan opened a bundle and found dried lychees and longans inside, which looked of very good quality.

He peeled one and tasted it—very sweet.

“Mom, second sister, third sister, you sort these out. I’ll go out for a bit and buy some things to send back with Xia Liu.”

This time Mrs. Liu didn’t object: “Of course, it’s proper to send some return gifts.”

Gu Qingyan hurried outside. Local specialties in Lingchuan County were easy to buy, but mostly consisted of mountain goods like dried mushrooms and bamboo shoots—nothing very rare.

After buying some items, Gu Qingyan turned his attention to the sign-in system.

---

[Host: Gu Qingyan]

[Age: 15]

[Points: 8]

[Profession: Child (Basic Education Completed)]

[Skill: Medicine Intermediate 5%]

[Skill: Summon Lord Huai’s Spirit]

A few days ago, the “Summon Lord Huai’s Spirit” skill was on a gray cooldown, but now it had recovered.

However, it cost 100 points to use once, a huge expense, so Gu Qingyan was reluctant to spend it.

After entering the intermediate level of medicine, the learning difficulty increased exponentially. Gu Qingyan had been studying diligently at home for three days, but had only reached 5%.

Even adding the daily updated points, he only had a pitiful total of 8 points.

Gu Qingyan looked toward the city’s sign-in points, deciding to carefully choose, hoping to sign in for things Pei Xuan might need to show how thoughtful he was.

Passing by the escort agency, Gu Qingyan glanced inside.

The escort agency’s main gate had already been sealed off, even the signboard had been taken down. Only the wonton shop outside was still open.

“The county magistrate Hong really is an upright official. If not for him, we wouldn’t have known how long we’d been scammed. All these years of hard-earned money was taken by the escort agency, and some even lost their lives.”

“Exactly, that Bai Yu is the most hateful—thousands of cuts wouldn’t be enough to calm the anger of the people.”

“No wonder the mountain bandits couldn’t be eradicated—turns out they were his vicious dogs.”

Gu Qingyan curled his lips. Without the broken road Asura, the lives of Lingchuan’s people would become much easier.

Soon, Gu Qingyan selected a sign-in point.

[You have successfully signed in at the Lingchuan County Blacksmith. Obtained: One iron sword.]

Gu Qingyan frowned after looking at the iron sword—it was very ordinary.

Besides being heavy, it was hard to gift.

[You have successfully signed in at the Lingchuan County East City Pharmacy. Obtained: One bottle of antidote pills.]

Gu Qingyan’s eyes lit up. After checking, although the antidote pills couldn’t cure all poisons, they were sufficient for emergencies and effective against common poisons.

This was very suitable for Pei Xuan, who was constantly on the move.

While Gu Qingyan was signing in around the city, someone arrived at the county office.

County Magistrate Hong’s expression changed slightly when he saw the visitor’s appointment letter: “Please come in quickly.”

If Gu Qingyan had been there, he would have immediately recognized that it was Xia Liu entering.

Unlike the goofy look in the small courtyard, Xia Liu now had sharp eyes, spoke little, and carried a very imposing presence.

“Your servant pays respects…”

“I’m just a low-ranking soldier under Lord Pei; please, County Magistrate, no need for formalities.”

County Magistrate Hong’s eyes flickered with hesitation.

Just recently, the Imperial City’s secret service had come to investigate the cave tomb, and now there was a visitor bearing a Pei family’s formal invitation. This made Magistrate Hong feel quite uneasy.

When did this small Lingchuan County become important enough to draw the attention of such big players?

“What instructions does Lord Pei have?” Hong asked.

Instead of answering directly, Xia Liu said, “County Magistrate Hong, these past few days have been quite lively in Lingchuan County.”

Hong frowned, unsure of his meaning, and recounted the recent events carefully.

He emphasized again: “As per the Imperial City’s orders, I have sealed all information about the mountain incident. The deputies are forbidden to mention it. Externally, we only say that Bai Yu colluded with the bandits to commit a major crime, but rumors occasionally circulate among the common people and cannot be completely stopped.”

Xia Liu’s eyes flickered slightly. “Is there really a Prince Huai’s tomb?”

“Well…” Hong could only answer, “I have not seen it with my own eyes. As for the rest, you’d have to ask the gentlemen from the Imperial City.”

Xia Liu didn’t press further. “Has anyone come recently bearing the Pei family’s invitation seeking an audience?”

Hong shook his head. “No one.”

“But if any junior members of the Pei family came to Lingchuan, I would definitely have entertained them properly.”

Xia Liu frowned. “Forget it, Lord Pei said if the young master does not wish for any trouble, then I need not meddle further.”

After saying that, he left behind a generous gift and turned to leave.

Hong opened the thick gift and was taken aback. He frowned, deep in thought.

“What do you think Lord Pei means by sending someone all this way?”

The County Deputy pointed out, “Although that person said there’s no need to cause trouble, the fact he came personally means he wants you to keep a close eye on things. Otherwise, why bother making this trip?”

Hong frowned. “But he didn’t say who exactly. No one has ever come with a Pei family invitation asking to meet.”

“Your honor, since he came from Guangzhou Prefecture, surely he wouldn’t just want to meet you. He must visit others as well. You can find out by checking.”

Hong thought it over and nodded.

Those people above always did things in a roundabout way. They wouldn’t just say ‘please take care’ outright—they wanted him to investigate identities and watch quietly.

Soon, news arrived from the people he had sent out.

Hong laughed. “So it was him all along.”

“No wonder, no wonder.”

No wonder Gu Qingyan managed to get those ledgers and survive the Taiping Sect—he was from the Pei family.

Hong’s thoughts kept running wild. All the strange things he’d noticed suddenly made sense.

If he was a Pei family member, of course he had some skills.

Hong had always liked Gu Qingyan, and now he paid even more attention.

Gu Qingyan didn’t know that Xia Liu had gone specially to see Magistrate Hong, convincing him to take good care of him.

Meanwhile, Gu Qingyan was busy writing a letter to Pei Xuan.

Pei Xuan didn’t talk much, but Gu Qingyan did. Emotions needed nurturing, and letter exchanges were important.

Biting on his pen, Gu Qingyan wrote eight full pages in one sitting.

From every little detail since arriving in Lingchuan County, to the recent shocking case, and also his longing for Pei Xuan.

For that last part, Gu Qingyan used a subtle, literary style. Even just thinking about it made him miss Pei Xuan very much, so he wanted to write it properly.

The next day, Xia Liu came as promised.

“These are all gifts I want to give to Brother Pei. Xia Liu, is it convenient for you to carry?” Gu Qingyan pointed to two large bundles.

Xia Liu nodded. “It’s fine.”

Compared to what Lord Pei sent him, it wasn’t much.

Gu Qingyan then solemnly took out his own letter.

Because there were so many pages, the envelope was oversized. “This is my letter to Brother Pei. It’s okay if some things get lost, but don’t lose the letter.”

Xia Liu took it and slipped it inside his robe.

“Rest assured, young master. I guarantee I’ll deliver it safely.”

Gu Qingyan felt relieved and then pulled out a small bundle.

“Brother Xia, take these for the road to eat. Thanks for your hard work.”

Xia Liu hadn’t expected a gift for himself, and his smile grew a little more genuine.

Before leaving, he said, “Lord Pei also said that if you meet difficulties, just show the invitation and don’t hesitate.”

“All right, I’ll remember.”

Gu Qingyan smiled in reply but didn’t actually plan to use it.

After all, he had already settled matters with Clerk Bai. The county magistrate now had a good impression of him, so there shouldn’t be any trouble in Lingchuan County.

After seeing Xia Liu off, Gu Qingyan packed up and returned to Meiling Village.

The goods sent by the Liu family and those sent by Pei Xuan wouldn’t even fit in one ox cart, so Gu Qingyan had to hire another cart.

On the cart, Gu Shuyan couldn’t help but say repeatedly, “I wonder how things are at home? Has my cousin helped feed my chickens? If they don’t get fed enough, they’ll get skinny and stop laying eggs.”

“No worries,” Gu Wangqing comforted her little sister. “If they get thin, we’ll just dig up some earthworms and feed them. They’ll recover.”

Gu Qingyan listened amused and said with a smile, “If the chickens stop laying eggs, just kill them and eat them. I love chicken soup the most.”

The two girls fell silent; they couldn’t bear the thought of killing the chickens they raised.

Liu Mama reached out to tap him. “Stop teasing your sisters. With two carts full of good stuff, you won’t even get to eat all of it.”

Among the things the Liu family sent was a big ham—enough for them to eat for ten days or half a month.

The little girls realized he was teasing and giggled, covering their mouths.

“If brother wants to eat, then kill some. Kill as many as you want.”

“Then I’m serious now.” Gu Qingyan laughed.

As soon as the ox cart entered the village, it was spotted.

“It’s Qingyan boy back!”

“Qingyan, are you okay? Is your health getting better?”

“You’ve become a great hero of our Lingchuan County this time. You’ve really brought honor to our Gu family.”

“The county magistrate even praised you. The nearby villages all say our Gu family has someone capable now. Thanks to you, there won’t be any more mountain bandits in Lingchuan County.”

When the village chief uncle heard the news and came over, he saw a group of people gathered around Gu Qingyan.

“Let’s go, let’s go. The boy just came back, and instead of letting him go home to rest, you’re all blocking the village entrance chatting. What kind of behavior is that?”

Gu Qingyan looked relieved.

“Uncle, it has to be you, or else we wouldn’t be able to get home.”

The village chief uncle smiled warmly, first asking about his health. Seeing his rosy complexion and no signs of trouble, he relaxed.

Then he praised him: “My big nephew, well done. You’ve brought honor to our Meiling Village. Your father, if he knew, would surely be proud of you.”

Gu Qingyan replied modestly, “It’s nothing yet. When I pass the imperial exams, I’ll build an archway at the village entrance to make my father, grandfather, and ancestors happy.”

The old village chief laughed heartily, patting his shoulder, too moved to speak.

Gu Qingyan quickly stepped aside.

Although the uncle was old, he was sturdy from years of farming and still very strong.

“Uncle, some of these things are rewards from the county magistrate, some are gifts from those I saved, and some are local specialties from friends.”

He had already divided everything: “There’s too much stuff, we can’t use it all ourselves. You can take some back with you.”

The old village chief’s face turned serious: “If others gave you these, how can you keep them all for yourself? You should share them.”

“It’s not just for you. The village elders all get some.”

Gu Qingyan felt that even if he didn’t live long-term in Meiling Village after passing the exams, this was still the ancestral home of the Gu family.

Moreover, over the years, the Gu family village had been united, and after Gu Tongsheng’s death, they had taken good care of Gu’s siblings.

He cherished this bond and didn’t mind giving a little more.

Besides, since coming to Meiling Village, he had been busy studying and hadn’t gone out much. Before heading home, he and Liu Mama had agreed to take the opportunity to deliver gifts, visit relatives, and build good relations.

The old village chief was both moved and helpless, advising, “I know you mean well, but your father is gone, and you still need to study. Studying costs money. If you sell some of these things, you can get some silver and ease your expenses.”

Gu Qingyan smiled, “Uncle, I have money. You don’t need to worry about that.”

He added, “The county magistrate said that if I want, I can start studying at the county school tomorrow.”

“Really?”

“Of course it’s true.”

The old village chief’s whole face lit up.

Since he took Gu Qingyan to the schools and got rejected by three private academies, it had been a lingering worry.

He had seen Gu Tongsheng study and knew how hard it was for common villagers to get an education. He hated Li Jingtin bitterly.

The Gu family had been wholehearted to him, and it was one thing if he had just left, but why block Gu Qingyan’s path forward?

Fortunately, things had turned around.

The old village chief, eyes brimming with tears, said, “Good, good. I knew you were capable and wouldn’t be stopped by petty people.”

Gu Qingyan could feel his genuine happiness and smiled as well.

It was truly good — Meiling Village was poor, but the Gu family was united and sincerely treated him as one of their own.

After Gu Qingyan insisted repeatedly, the old village chief finally agreed to accept the gifts, but only those valuable or easy to keep.

He personally helped the two sisters sort through the items and set aside the valuable ones.

“Qingyan, since you call me uncle, listen to my advice: farmers don’t need these things much. Keep them yourself or sell them, but giving them away might cause trouble.”

Gu Qingyan nodded in agreement.

The old village chief then personally led him to visit elders one by one, carrying the gifts.

They were mostly perishable pastries or local specialties sent from Guangzhou Prefecture — large quantities and rare in Lingchuan County.

“This is your great-uncle, the eldest elder in our village.”

“Great-uncle.”

“Oldest elder. Quickly cook a bowl of brown sugar eggs with four eggs.”

“This is your third uncle.”

“Third uncle.”

“Do we still have the smoked bean tea for New Year? Brew some more. Child, try it and see if you like it. If you do, take some home to enjoy slowly.”

“This is your paternal elder uncle. Although he’s not from the same mother, we’ve played together since childhood. When your father was still alive, they had a very good relationship.”

The paternal elder uncle’s eyes reddened when he saw him.

Gu Qingyan made a round and got to know all the elders.

Most people in Meiling Village share the surname Gu, and because of these family ties, they are all relatives in one way or another.

Because of that, Meiling Village is very united.

Seeing the old village chief personally bringing Gu Qingyan and even carrying gifts, the Gu family elders all got teary-eyed.

Especially the great granduncle—he’s over seventy and one of the rare elders in the village to live so long.

He grabbed Gu Qingyan’s hand and wouldn’t let go, saying: “You look so much like your father, like you were cast from the same mold. Child, study hard. If you ever need money, just ask. Great granduncle has saved some for you.”

He insisted on putting the red envelope into his pocket.

The old village chief nodded for him to accept it.

After leaving, he smiled and said, “This should’ve been given to you long ago, but… they didn’t know your temperament and didn’t dare come without permission, afraid you’d be upset.”

Another reason was that when Li Jingtin was still Gu Fengmian, he saw himself as a scholar and had poor relations with the village elders.

The elders thought Gu Qingyan, raised by a wealthy family, might be even more arrogant and didn’t want to visit and annoy him.

Gu Qingyan held the red envelope, feeling its weight.

The smallest red envelope had at least ten wen (small currency), and the largest contained one or two taels of silver.

For farming families, that was a large sum.

After walking around the village, Gu Qingyan realized that Meiling Village was not a wealthy place.

There were very few brick-and-tile houses; most were made of yellow clay. Two were even thatched huts, looking drafty and unsure how people survived the winters.

Walking around the village took quite some effort.

But the old village chief’s face was full of smiles, clearly pleased: “You’re the junior generation. If you ever face difficulties, just come to us.”

Gu Qingyan promised one by one.

Looking at the rickety thatched hut, Gu Qingyan asked in puzzlement, “Uncle, does our village just rely on farming to get by?”

“We’re close to the county town. During the farming off-season, many folks go to the town to find work, but jobs are hard to find and don’t pay much all year.”

Thinking for a moment, the old chief smiled: “Back when your father was alive, many village kids learned to read a few words. Now, some work as clerks in town or as shop assistants—that’s considered a good way out.”

The best among them was his son, Gu Dashan. Because he could read and was diligent, the family paid to get him a job in the government office.

Though he was just a minor official, he was on the government payroll, which sounded respectable when spoken of.

Gu Qingyan nodded thoughtfully.

No wonder the village was poor—these days, relying only on farming made it hard to even have enough food, let alone anything else.

He looked back once more and thought of a way to help Meiling Village prosper.

Otherwise, he’d be living well at home while a bunch of elders lived on coarse food—it was really hard to bear.

Just now, great granduncle wouldn’t even eat the brown sugar eggs for himself, yet Gu Qingyan came and ate four of them straight away, filling his belly.

He made a note to himself, determined to bring wealth to Meiling Village.

He had a golden finger—he could definitely do it.

The old village chief didn’t know of Gu Qingyan’s big plan and only sent him off at the gate before heading home.

As soon as he got home, the auntie pulled him inside: “Husband, these were just brought by Qingqing and Yanyan. I told them not to bring so much, but they just dropped it off and ran. We couldn’t even catch up.”

“Why so many things? Qingyan just arrived, and kids usually don’t have much, so hurry and send some back. The child will be glad to listen to you.”

The village chief entered and saw a whole table set.

There was food and daily necessities, even a bag of pastries. Opening it revealed peach crisps, which he could eat despite his poor teeth.

“Keep them.”

Auntie was surprised: “So much, how can we accept it? Those three kids work so hard. Even if they have money, they can’t spend it like this. The big nephew still has to study.”

The village chief told her everything that happened earlier.

After hearing it, auntie’s eyes reddened and she started wiping tears: “That child, how can he be so caring?”

“The child’s sincerity—if we don’t accept, he’ll be unhappy.”

The village chief whispered: “Use that money to have Dashan get a set of scholar’s writing tools. The county magistrate guaranteed his admission to the county school; those will definitely come in handy.”

As soon as Auntie heard this, she immediately nodded.

After a while, she added, “Qingyan is such a good-hearted child, truly sincere toward our Gu family. You can tell he’s the real third son, just like him.”

“Unlike that one before, I don’t even want to say anything. Just mentioning him feels unlucky.”

The village chief, thinking of Li Jingtin, who was also quite annoying, shook his head and said, “Then let’s not mention him.”

“Qingyan has a bright future ahead. If we can help, we should help more. Such a good child—don’t let him be discouraged.”

Gu Qingyan gave out some of the gifts and didn’t keep the rest, making sure to eat and drink what was needed.

At first, the two sisters were reluctant; eating one treat would make them happy for a whole day, always wanting to save the rest for New Year.

Gu Qingyan disagreed: “It’s freshest now. If you save it till New Year, it might get moldy.”

Then he stuffed handfuls into their hands.

Mother Liu showed off her cooking skills—frying, steaming, boiling, and stewing in turn—feeling that since Gu Qingyan had lost blood, he needed good care and nourishment.

The gifts from Pei Xuan and the Liu family contained medicinal herbs, and Mother Liu used them all.

Gu Qingyan felt he was suffering too, taking everything offered and daily swallowing a ginseng nourishing pill.

But after a few days, he was overdoing it and got a nosebleed.

Mother Liu was frightened and wanted to take him to the doctor in town.

Gu Qingyan covered his nose and took his own pulse: “Mother, I’m fine. Just overheated from too much tonic. Rest for a few days and it’ll be fine. You three are too weak; you can eat more.”

“Really okay?” Mother Liu wasn’t convinced. “Qian’er, when did you learn to take pulses?”

“I learned from books, self-taught.”

Gu Qingyan smiled and said, “Mother, I’m clever, right? Want me to check yours?”

Mother Liu gave him a sharp look.

Gu Shuyan happily came over: “Brother, check mine too.”

Gu Qingyan extended his finger and took her pulse, sighing inwardly.

He had always thought the two sisters were too skinny, looking malnourished. Now, carefully taking their pulses, he realized their bodies were too weak. Luckily, they’d been eating well lately, or their longevity would be affected.

“Everything else is fine, just not enough nutrition. From now on, every meal must have two bowls of rice, and every meal must have meat.”

Gu Wangqing also curiously held out her hand.

“Qingqing is the same as Yanyan. No big issues otherwise, just needs proper nutrition.”

Mother Liu smiled: “I remember, from now on every meal will have plenty of food and meat.”

Gu Qingyan coquettishly said to her, “Mother, let me check you too.”

“All right, check then,” Mother Liu sighed helplessly, thinking the child was just playing around, happy to cooperate.

Gu Qingyan put his finger on Mother Liu’s wrist.

Suddenly, he furrowed his brows.