The Family Reunion

Qin Father had already come over carrying Qin Mother’s hoe, and behind him were Qin Grandpa and the rest of the Qin family. “Is it really your elder brother back?”

Just as Qin Siya was about to respond, Niudan ran over, shouting, “My elder brother is back! … My elder brother is back! … He’s riding a horse back!”

That settled it; no one questioned Qin Siya anymore.

They all believed that Qin Fang had returned.

Thus, Qin Grandpa led the way, and the entire family made their way back home.

Unlike when Qin Fang had brought things back before, this time everyone’s faces were filled with joy, especially since Qin Fang had returned safely.

In contrast to everyone else’s joy, Qin Mother felt a tinge of nervousness.

It wasn’t just the daughter-in-law feeling anxious about meeting her in-laws; the in-laws felt nervous about meeting their daughter-in-law too.

In a farming family, the parents-in-law meeting a daughter-in-law from a well-off family also stirred unease.

Though to others, Yang Haiyan came from a slave background and had a low status, the court had abolished her status as a slave.

She was from a prominent family, had been educated, could read and write well, and to the common folk, she was akin to a young lady from a wealthy household.

Qin Mother asked Qin Siya once more, “How does your sister-in-law look? What is she like?”

The eight-year-old Qin Siya didn’t understand Qin Mother’s underlying worries and replied, “My sister-in-law looks really beautiful, even prettier than the girls in town!”

That was enough for Qin Mother; she felt that there was no more to be learned by asking.

Upon arriving home, they saw Qin Fang unloading items from the carriage.

However, they didn’t recognize him.

The reason was the same as Qin Shoucheng’s; the sixteen-year-old Qin Fang and the twenty-one-year-old Qin Fang were quite different in height and appearance.

It was Qin Siya who said, “Big Brother is unloading things.”

Qin Mother froze for a moment. “Is that really your brother?” My heavens, has my son grown this tall?

As someone trained in martial arts, Qin Fang had naturally developed better hearing than most.

He heard Qin Siya and Qin Mother’s voices, which were close by.

Turning around, he saw the Qin family.

At that moment, they all recognized him.

Despite the five years apart, Qin Fang had grown taller and stronger, and his features had matured, but as they say, parents see their sons not just by appearance but also in spirit.

Qin Mother’s eyes turned red. “My Ah Fang…”

She rushed over and embraced her son. “You’re finally back! You really made me worry to death!”

Though he sent a letter home each year, they still worried.

Especially a mother—her worry was like having her heart cut out.

Qin Fang embraced Qin Mother. “Mother, I’m back. I’m fine, and I wasn’t injured. My wife had a doctor check me and has taken care of my health, so don’t worry.”

Qin Grandpa chimed in, “It’s good you’re back. Good to be back.” His voice was a bit hoarse.

Qin Father looked at his son.

He had always been a man of few words, with the household mostly led by the women.

But now, seeing his son return, he felt joy bubbling up that he could hardly contain.

Second Uncle Qin said, “Finally back, it’s good you’re back.”

Third Uncle Qin added, “Ah Fang has grown so much.”

Second Aunt Qin remarked, “The food in the military camp must have been good, right?”

Third Aunt Qin remained silent.

Qin Mother shot a glance at Second Aunt Qin, who always spoke without thinking; she didn’t want to argue with her.

“Son, do we still need to move these things? Let your father and the others do it. You’ve traveled a long way and must be tired; go back and rest.”

“Right, right, we’ll handle it,” Qin Father agreed.

“There’s nothing left; just this box of things,” Qin Fang replied. “But the carriage and the horse are ours. The gate to the courtyard is too small, so we can’t bring the carriage inside; it will have to stay outside.”

Qin’s Second Uncle suggested, “Just take down the courtyard gate and make it a bit bigger. It’s quick to fix.”

The courtyard wall was made of stone, and with clay, it was already not very sturdy, so removing some for width wouldn’t be a big deal.

After all, none of them wanted to leave such an expensive carriage outside.

“Right, right, let’s take down the wall,” Qin’s Second Aunt agreed.

Qin Grandma interjected, “What are you all mumbling about outside? Ah Fang’s wife is still inside; let’s all go meet her.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Mother hurriedly tugged at her clothes and looked at herself.

Oh no, she was a bit dirty from working in the fields, but there was no time to change.

With some apprehension, she walked into the courtyard, feeling the jitters of a daughter-in-law meeting her in-laws.

Yang Haiyan was inside, organizing the boxes Qin Fang had brought.

Although the Qin family had prepared the house, they hadn’t prepared bedding or quilts, fearing that if they prepared everything, it would be too long before Qin Fang and Yang Haiyan returned.

So, Qin Grandma said to Yang Haiyan, “Later, we’ll go to town to buy you and Ah Fang a new wedding quilt. Since you weren’t here during the wedding, we didn’t prepare anything.”

Yang Haiyan replied, “Thank you, Grandma. You’re always so thoughtful. My husband often mentions you, saying that with you as the backbone of the family, he feels a hundred percent secure. I just worry about your health; I’m afraid you’re getting old and not taking good care of yourself.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Grandma didn’t care whether Yang Haiyan was speaking the truth or not; as long as her granddaughter-in-law could flatter her, she felt happy.

“My grandson is really filial. The military service wasn’t originally his duty, but he…”

Yang Haiyan smiled and said, “He is his father’s son, so he should be filial. It’s his duty to serve in the military in place of the elders. Besides, if he hadn’t gone, I wouldn’t have met such a good husband.”

Qin Mother heard this and walked in, saying, “It’s our Ah Fang’s good fortune to marry such a wonderful wife.”

Yang Haiyan turned around and saw a sharp-eyed woman entering the room.

Qin Grandma said, “This is Ah Fang’s mother. Come, come, let’s not crowd in here; let’s go outside and enjoy the sun, so we can all get to know each other. We’ll have a feast to celebrate your and Ah Fang’s wedding later, and then you can meet the rest of the family. Oh, by the way, do you plan to return after this visit?”

Yang Haiyan first gave a slight bow to Qin Mother. “Mother, I’m Haiyan, Ah Fang’s wife.”

Qin Mother quickly helped her up. “Oh!”

Indeed, just as Siya had said, she was even prettier than the girls in town.

Look at her complexion; it’s as fair as flour.

And listen to her voice—it’s soft and gentle, unlike the loud mouths of other families.

She’s refined; if my grandchildren come out like her, they’ll surely be just as wonderful.

Qin Mother looked at her again; her eyes were sincere, without any sign of disdain, and her heart felt satisfied.

If possible, wouldn’t she want her son to marry such a good wife?

Yang Haiyan straightened up and continued, “My husband has a month of leave this time. However, it takes ten days for us to travel back and forth, so we can only stay for twenty days at home. Grandma, Mother, if there’s a good day during these twenty days, we can have a feast to celebrate my and my husband’s wedding so I can meet the relatives and friends in the family.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Grandma felt this was exactly the idea she had: “Good, good, good!”

This granddaughter-in-law was truly wonderful, speaking everything so clearly.

Qin’s Second Aunt said, “Ah Fang’s wife, I’m Ah Fang’s Second Aunt.”

Qin Mother added, “This is your Second Aunt, and this is your Third Aunt.”

Yang Haiyan smiled gently, performing a respectful gesture, “Second Aunt, Third Aunt.”

Qin’s Second Aunt responded, “Oh!”

Thinking to herself, her big nephew was truly fortunate to marry such a beautiful girl.

Just looking at her demeanor was enough to tell she was different from the rest.

Qin’s Third Aunt, having only daughters and no sons, felt less confident than Qin Second Aunt and was softer in temperament.

She politely replied, “Ah Fang’s wife.”

Qin’s Grandma clapped her hands and said, “Children, come over here and meet your sister-in-law.”

Leading the way was Qin Shouye, followed by everyone else.

Initially, they had all kept their distance, quietly observing them.

Qin Grandma began the introductions: “Ah Fang’s wife, this is Shouye, Ah Fang’s second brother.

This is Shoucheng, Ah Fang’s third brother.

Ah Fang’s eldest sister, Daya, isn’t here;

this is his fourth sister, Siya.

And this is Niudan, the fourth son from the family of Ah Fang’s Second Uncle.

Dier and Saner aren’t here; they went to the embroidery workshop to learn embroidery.

Dier is also from his Second Uncle’s family, fifteen years old, while Saner is from his Third Uncle’s family, twelve years old.”

It’s been exactly five years since Qin Fang went to serve in the military.

During these five years, Qin Third Aunt hadn’t conceived, so not only did she feel unsteady at home, but Qin Third Uncle also felt as though he had lost his backbone, fearing his line would end.

Therefore, he treated his nephews especially well.

Yang Haiyan said, “Younger siblings, hello! Wait a moment.”

Saying this, she entered the house and brought out some pastries she had bought from the county. “Here, take these and share them among yourselves.”

She handed the items to Qin Shouye, as he was the eldest among them.

Qin’s Second Aunt glanced at the pastries but didn’t follow.

In their family, food was shared equally, so there had never been any quarrels over it.

Qin Grandma said, “You should thank your sister-in-law!”

Qin Shouye and the others responded, “Thank you, Sister-in-law!”

Then, a group of them happily went to the hall to share the food.

Niudan was the most talkative: “Second Brother, Second Brother, let me have a piece first; I’ll take less later!”

Qin Siya retorted, “No way! If Niudan finishes it, he’ll just ask us for more. We should eat together, or it will all go into his belly!”

Niudan protested, “Siya, you have to call me Fourth Brother! I’ve told you so many times, and you never listen!”

Qin Siya shot back, “You’re only a few days older than me!”

Niudan was born on December 18, while Qin Siya was born on the fifth day of the first month of the following year.

Although it seemed like a one-year difference, it was only a seven-day gap, which was quite annoying for Qin Siya.