Once they had securely shut the front gate, everyone except Father Lu returned to the main hall, where Madam Zhang peeled grapes for Xiao Bao.
Zhao Ying brought out the writing paper Xiao Bao had been practicing on and set him back to work until he finished his characters.
Once he was done, she sent him to take a midday nap.
After his nap, Zhao Ying would usually take him for a walk in the garden or down to the river to practice swimming and learn to catch small river creatures.
She was focused on strengthening his body and preparing him for future martial arts training.
Each morning, she would take Xiao Bao running around the backyard with her, and as a result, both mother and son were now quite fit.
As for actual martial arts training, Zhao Ying planned to wait until Lu Wenyao returned to assess his attitude.
If he insisted on a divorce, she couldn’t take Xiao Bao with her, and she needed a clear plan.
Zhao Ying then went to find Father Lu, who was sitting and weaving a basket for gathering herbs.
“Father, we’ll need to deliver some herbs tomorrow.
We’re almost out of salt and flour, so please pick some up for us, if you could.”
After she finished speaking, she turned to Madam Zhang.
“Mother, you should go with him tomorrow!
We need to buy more winter fabric so that each of us has two extra sets of clothes, and we’ll need to make some for Gege as well.
I don’t know much about choosing fabric, so I’ll leave it to you.
Tomorrow, I’ll take Xiao Bao up the mountain for a bit.”
Madam Zhang rarely left the house and felt a bit nervous about going out, but seeing Zhao Ying’s encouragement, she nodded.
“All right… I’ll go tomorrow.”
Zhao Ying wanted Madam Zhang to get out more; now that they had money, she should feel free to buy what they needed.
After suffering for years under Madam He’s control, it was understandable that Madam Zhang carried some lingering fears.
Zhao Ying went to retrieve a promissory note for one hundred taels, along with another twenty taels in cash, and handed them to Madam Zhang.
“Here’s the payment for the last two herb deliveries.
Keep this for yourself, Mother.”
Madam Zhang took the money and opened the note, stunned by what she saw.
She knew about taels, but this promissory note was of a higher value than anything she could read.
“This… this is too much, Ah Ying,” Madam Zhang stammered.
“It’s not too much at all, Mother.
Tomorrow, after we deliver more herbs, there will be even more.
Keep it for yourself and buy anything you need.
We’ll earn plenty more, so don’t be too frugal with it, right, Father?” Zhao Ying said, giving Father Lu a wink.
“That’s right.
Ah Ying is giving it to you to use.
We’re going to have a much better life from now on,” Father Lu said.
Yet, despite their encouragement, Madam Zhang was still anxious about Madam He’s reaction.
“Oh dear… If we buy too many things, won’t the main house be angry with us?” she asked, worry creasing her face.
Zhao Ying said nothing, but Father Lu, who seemed to have come to terms with everything, responded.
“We’ve already agreed to provide food and money every year.
When the time comes, just send a bit extra.
And Mother, just be sure they don’t see it,” Father Lu said with a wink, imitating Zhao Ying’s expression.
With her husband’s encouragement, Madam Zhang brightened visibly.
“All right, then!
Tomorrow, I’m going to buy everything we need,” she declared, clapping her hands together in determination.
Her energetic response made everyone burst out laughing.
When Xiao Bao woke up from his nap, he shuffled sleepily out of the bedroom and came to the main hall, rubbing his eyes.
Noticing someone standing near the front gate, he couldn’t see them clearly, so he walked out into the courtyard.
Zhao Ying saw him in his groggy state, worried he might stumble or hurt himself, and quickly moved to meet him by the front door before he wandered too far.
“Xiao Bao, you’re awake!
Why didn’t you call for Mother first?” Zhao Ying asked as she knelt in front of him with her back to the door.
Xiao Bao didn’t respond, his eyes fixed on the entrance.
Suddenly, his eyes grew wide with excitement as he shouted, “Father!
Father is back!”
He pulled away from Zhao Ying and ran toward the man at the gate.
Zhao Ying rose and looked after him, spotting a young man with a satchel slung over his shoulder, dressed in a worn gray outfit.
His face was sharp and well-defined, his skin slightly tanned.
He stood around one hundred eighty centimeters tall, lean but not frail.
His face was handsome, almost like carved jade.
So this was why Zhao Yingying had gone to such lengths!
Her taste was spot-on, it seemed.
Heh.
Zhao Ying watched as Lu Wenyao smiled broadly, lifted Xiao Bao high into the air, and spun him around.
For a moment, it felt as though they were bathed in a warm, gentle light—a truly heartwarming sight.
“Mother!
Father is back!
Grandpa, Grandma, come quickly—Father is home!” Xiao Bao shouted joyfully from the courtyard, calling for everyone to come and see.
Zhao Ying smiled warmly and said, “Your father just got home and must be tired, Xiao Bao.
Why don’t you take him inside for some water?”
“Yes, Mother!” Xiao Bao replied, his voice bright as he squirmed out of Lu Wenyao’s arms.
Zhao Ying nodded slightly at Lu Wenyao.
He looked surprised, momentarily thinking there was a guest at the house.
But as he came closer to her, he was struck by her resemblance to Xiao Bao, who he was holding.
Hearing Xiao Bao call her “Mother” left him even more astonished.
But before he could process it all, Xiao Bao’s joyful chatter broke through his thoughts, and he quickly returned to his usual self.
“Yes, Father, come this way.
I’ll bring you some water, and we even have some fresh peaches too!
Mother and I picked them from the forest together…” Xiao Bao chattered non-stop, holding Lu Wenyao’s hand as he led him into the main hall.
Seeing this, Zhao Ying excused herself to heat up some water.
She prepared floral tea with a touch of sugar and brought it into the hall, where the whole family was now gathered.
At that moment, Lu Wenyao took a moment to observe everyone around him.
His family had changed so much.
“Father, Mother, I’ve returned,” he said, kneeling to formally greet his parents.
As Zhao Ying entered with the tea, she set it in the center of the table and poured a cup for everyone.
Madam Zhang, whose face was flushed with joy, immediately walked over to take Lu Wenyao’s hands and began looking him over.
“Oh, Wenyao, you’ve lost so much weight!
And just look at you—all covered in dust!” Madam Zhang fussed, pulling him to his feet.
Lu Wenyao stood up as she led him, guiding her to sit next to his father so she could continue her inspection to her heart’s content.
“I ended up walking through a cloud of dust when a carriage passed by just outside the village,” he explained, sitting down himself afterward.
He took a sip of the tea, noticing the delicate floral aroma, a scent he didn’t recognize but found calming.
The tea even had sugar in it, which was quite unexpected.
He glanced at Zhao Ying, a bit surprised, then set the teacup down as she looked back at him, calmly joining the family around the table.
Father Lu spoke up, saying, “It’s good you’re back.
I thought you wouldn’t make it home until the snow arrived.”
“Once the exams were over, I came straight back,” Lu Wenyao replied.
“There was no need to wait for the results, as they’ll be posted at the township office anyway.”
“How was the journey?
Was the exam difficult?
Oh, and are you hungry?
Let me warm up some food for you,” Madam Zhang said, asking more questions than usual.
But no one minded because they were just as eager to hear his answers.
“No need to heat anything up, Mother; I ate something in town before coming.
I’ll eat again with everyone at dinner.
As for the journey, it wasn’t difficult, and I had enough to eat and drink thanks to the money you all sent me.”
As Lu Wenyao answered each question, both Father Lu and Madam Zhang turned to look at Zhao Ying, their gaze filled with gratitude.
Noticing this, Lu Wenyao followed their gaze, looking at Zhao Ying curiously as well.
Zhao Ying was gently helping Xiao Bao sip the floral tea, as he had just woken up and was so excited that he was quite thirsty.
She didn’t notice that everyone had stopped talking and was watching her and Xiao Bao.
“That’s enough for now, Xiao Bao.
Sit down and you can have more in a bit,” she said, wiping the corners of his mouth.
This was an incredible sight for Lu Wenyao, though Father Lu and Mother Zhang were already used to seeing it.
Lu Wenyao glanced at his mother, Madam Zhang, raising his eyebrows as if to ask, ‘What’s going on?’ She just smiled back, not saying anything.
Just then, Zhao Ying realized the silence and looked up.
“Is something the matter?” she asked, tilting her head in question.
“Yes, why are you all looking at Mother like that?” Xiao Bao echoed, tilting his head just like Zhao Ying.
Seeing the identical gestures, Lu Wenyao thought, No doubt about it—they’re definitely mother and son.
They even look alike…
too cute.
He quickly shook the thought away.
“Since you’re not hungry, why don’t you go take a bath and rest first?” Madam Zhang suggested to Lu Wenyao.
“You must be tired from traveling—look at you, all covered in dust.”
But then everyone realized that they hadn’t prepared a room for Lu Wenyao.
Back at the main family house, Zhao Ying and Lu Wenyao had slept in separate rooms.
Lu Wenyao had given the reason that he needed peace and quiet to study, and no one had argued with him.
Remembering this, Madam Zhang added, “Actually, we haven’t set up a room for you.
You can stay in the east room for now.”
Little Xiao Bao, who was determined to keep his parents together to avoid having his great-grandmother insist on a divorce, quickly chimed in, “Father, come to our room.
I’ll show you the way!”
He glanced at Zhao Ying, who could barely resist rolling her eyes at her son but forced a smile instead.
“Go on, Xiao Bao, show Father the way.
I’ve already boiled a big pot of water, so you can take a bath right away.
Take good care of Father, okay?” she said warmly, adding, “I’ll go prepare the meal.
We’ll have a celebration tonight!”
Turning to Lu Wenyao, she added, “There’s a fresh set of clothes for you in the left cabinet, by the way.”
Lu Wenyao looked at her briefly, expressionless, only nodding in response.
Cold as ice, Zhao Ying thought, holding back a sigh.