Lin Luoluo watched the two elderly men cry for quite a while. Considering their age, she was worried that too much grief might harm them.
She comforted them, saying,
“My father died protecting the people of an entire city. His death was meaningful. He is our pride.”
“Yes! Qing was determined to defend the nation from the time he was a child. He fulfilled his dream. We should be proud of him.”
The clan leader wiped away his tears.
“Xiao Wu, don’t be too sad.”
Fifth Granduncle also dried his tears.
“He is the pride of our Lin family.”
“Old Sir, our General once said that he built an ancestral home here. Do you know where it is? Could you take us there?”
Lin Zhong interrupted them. His mistress was still pregnant, and after traveling all day, he was worried she would be exhausted. It would be better to let her rest at the ancestral home as soon as possible.
“Are all of you planning to stay there?”
The clan leader looked at the long procession and frowned. There were simply too many people to accommodate.
“How about everyone splitting up and staying with different families for the night?”
he suggested kindly.
“No need, Clan Leader Grandpa. Just have someone take us there. We’ll make do for one night.”
The clan leader, Fifth Granduncle, Lin Jingming, and all the villagers twitched the corners of their mouths at the same time, each wearing a strange expression as they looked at her.
Lin Luoluo thought to herself, Why are they all making that face? My father was the Great General who defended the nation. Even if the ancestral home isn’t particularly grand, it should still be more than enough to house our hundred or so people.
In the end, Lin Jingming sighed and stepped forward.
“I know where it is. I’ll take you there.”
“Clan Leader Grandpa, Fifth Granduncle, please go home and rest first. I’ll come visit you tomorrow.”
“Alright then! Jing boy, take them over first. I’ll go home and have your grandmother prepare some food to bring over.”
“Yes, yes! I’ll go back and tell them to cook more,” Fifth Granduncle added.
“Grandfathers, there’s no need. We have everything we need, so there’s no need to trouble yourselves.”
Lin Jingming also nodded, indicating that Lin Luoluo was telling the truth. Along the way, he had seen their carriage, which was like a treasure chest, filled with every imaginable necessity.
Seeing Lin Jingming nod as well, the two old men could only give up.
Lin Jingming led them toward the ancestral home, while everyone else dispersed after seeing the group leave.
Standing before the ancestral home, Lin Luoluo stared at the blue-brick tiled house in front of her.
It felt as though a flock of crows flew over her head.
Why was the ancestral home that her father had personally returned to build comprised of only three main rooms? Even the courtyard fence was woven from bamboo and wood, making everything inside visible at a glance.
The courtyard itself was quite spacious. Several peach trees had been planted there, and when they blossomed, the scenery would surely be beautiful. Unfortunately, it was not the season for peach blossoms.
Not far from the peach trees stood a stone table, while vegetables were growing on the left side of the yard. The arrangement was rather charming, and it was obvious that someone regularly took care of the place.
But…
Dear Father… You were a Great General. Why does your ancestral home only have three rooms?
“Uncle Zhong, didn’t my father ever mention that the ancestral home only had three rooms?”
“The General never said so. When he returned to the capital that time, he excitedly told Madam that next time he would bring her back here, where they would have a blue-brick tiled house to live in. He looked as pleased as if he were showing off a priceless treasure. I thought it would be…”
After speaking, it seemed as though the sound of crows cawing echoed everywhere.
“I thought all of you already knew.”
“I heard my father say that when Uncle Qing came back, he gave every family twenty taels of silver and donated another two hundred taels to build a school for the village.”
“So Uncle Qing didn’t have much money left to build his house.”
Seeing Lin Luoluo looking at him, Lin Jingming answered weakly.
So my father was actually this poor?
“A dignified Great General was this poor?”
“Mistress, the General used all of his salary to subsidize the families of fallen soldiers, so he truly was poor.”
Lin Luoluo could only helplessly accept the reality.
“Alright then. It looks like we’ll have to sleep out in the open tonight.”
“Is anyone living here? No… Actually, it was my parents who looked after this house, and they planted these vegetables as well.”
“Oh, look at my memory! Miss, please wait here. I’ll go back and ask my mother to bring the key.”
Lin Jingming suddenly remembered, slapped his forehead, and immediately turned to run.
He had barely run a few steps when he encountered his parents, who were coming to find him.
“My son! My son! You’ve finally come back! Your mother thought she’d never see you again! Wuwuwu…”
Seeing that her son had returned alive, Lin Jingming’s mother, Madam Yu, rushed over, hugged him tightly, and burst into tears.
“Alright, Jing’er is back, and that’s a good thing. Let him go already. There are so many people watching.”
Lin Wu stepped forward to comfort her.
Only then did Madam Yu reluctantly release Lin Jingming and wipe away her tears with her sleeve.
Lin Wu gave Lin Jingming a hearty slap on the shoulder.
“Good boy! It’s enough that you’ve come home.”
“Hiss—”
His father’s strength was still as terrifying as ever.
“Take it easy! You hurt our son!”
Madam Yu glared angrily at him.
Lin Wu thought to himself, I already used very little strength. It’s our son who doesn’t exercise enough. His body isn’t sturdy enough to withstand a pat.
Father, you can punch a wild boar to death with one fist. How can I possibly compare to a wild boar?
Lin Jingming looked at his father with a resentful expression.
“It was my fault for making you both worry.”
“Haha… My son is blessed with great fortune and a long life. But from now on, you have to practice martial arts with me.”
“I’ll listen to you, Father.”
This time, Madam Yu did not object.
In the past, she had always refused to let her son learn martial arts, fearing he would become as burly and rough as his father.
But after this incident, her thinking had changed.
On the way back, she had met Fifth Granduncle and learned that her son had been captured by mountain bandits. If he had known martial arts, perhaps he might have escaped.
“Father, Mother, your timing is perfect. I was just about to come look for you.”
“Uncle Qing’s children have returned to settle here. Please give them the key to their house.”
“Look at our memory. We were so happy to see you that we forgot all about it. We met your Fifth Granduncle on the way, and he told us everything. So we went back to get the key, which is why we arrived late.”
After saying that, Lin Wu led them toward Lin Luoluo and the others.
“Miss, you must be Brother Qing’s daughter. You really look just like him—just as handsome as he was. Hehe…”
Lin Luoluo thought to herself that she actually resembled her mother more.
“Yes, Uncle. Aunt, greetings.”
“Ah! Good, good. Auntie thanks you for saving Jing’er.”
“You’re heavily pregnant, and after such a long journey, you must be exhausted. Go inside and rest first. The house was cleaned just today. You only need to spread out the bedding.”
Then she turned and shouted to Lin Wu,
“Children’s father, hurry up and open the door!”
Lin Wu, who had been chatting enthusiastically with Lin Zhong, quickly responded,
“Alright!”
“Auntie, you can all just call me Luo’er. We’re family, so calling me ‘Miss’ feels too distant.”
“Alright then. From now on, Auntie will call you Luo’er.”
After entering the house, Madam Yu helped Lin Luoluo make the bed.
“These quilts were all aired out in the sun just a few days ago. Auntie will head home now and won’t disturb your rest.”
“Auntie, take care!”
Madam Yu waved her hand and left.
After Lin Wu and the others departed, everyone immediately got busy. Some pitched tents, while others prepared dinner.
After returning home, Madam Yu also had Lin Jingming bring over some vegetables that were not already growing in the courtyard.
With so many people working together, everything was finished quickly. Before long, they were all enjoying steaming hot food.
Having traveled continuously for several days, everyone went to bed early after dinner.