Chapter 134: A Visit to Great-Uncle, Part 2

Wang Keyue and Xiao Hongyu arrived at the courtyard gate. It was a large, vermilion wooden door featuring a quaint, ring-shaped knocker. There was no plaque above the entrance, nor were there any stone lions to be seen; everything appeared remarkably plain and low-key.

Wang Keyue stepped forward and knocked three times, neither too loudly nor too softly. Receiving no response from within, she knocked several more times. Finally, the voice of a young man drifted out.

"Wait a moment, I'm coming! May I ask who is calling?" The voice was clear, resonant, and polite, making a very good first impression.

The wooden door opened to reveal a boy of about thirteen or fourteen. He wore a cyan long-sleeved cotton coat over a white cotton gown, his hair styled in the manner of a young scholar.

The boy looked at the two young adults standing before him—who were older than himself and leading tall, sturdy horses—with a look of bewilderment. "Excuse me, may I ask, what is this..."

"Young man, apologies for the intrusion. Might I ask if this is the home of Zhang Jingyuan?" Wang Keyue inquired.

"Oh, yes, it is! And who might you be?" the boy asked, puzzled. Zhang Jingyuan was his grandfather’s name.

"I am the grandson of your Great-Aunt Zhang. I have come specifically to visit you all!" Wang Keyue finished, and fearing he might not understand, she added, "My grandmother is Zhang Linian."

Upon hearing the name Zhang Linian, the boy’s eyes widened in realization, and his face immediately lit up with overwhelming joy.

Realizing the visitors were his own kin, he exclaimed, "Quick! Quick! Please, come in, come in!"

The boy hurriedly stepped aside, throwing both doors wide open to allow the two visitors and their horses to enter the courtyard. Once they were inside, he scurried off toward the main house.

Before long, Wang Keyue and Xiao Hongyu were ushered into the reception hall.

The room was clean and tidy, with extremely simple furnishings; only a few pieces of calligraphy and paintings hung on the walls, indicating that the Zhang family had long since turned away from martial pursuits in favor of scholarly ones.

As they examined the artwork, a woman dressed in a dark blue cotton coat entered slowly, carrying a teapot and cups. She appeared to be in her forties. Though the years had left marks on her face, her demeanor was dignified and graceful, clearly the result of a refined upbringing.

"Please, have some tea. My father-in-law will be here shortly," the woman said with a soft smile after pouring their tea, then withdrew without further chatter.

Sure enough, they had barely taken a second sip of their tea when hurried footsteps sounded outside.

An elderly man, over sixty with a head of white hair, walked into the hall, leaning tremulously on the young boy for support. He was followed by seven or eight other men and women.

"Are you... are you really Linian's grandchildren?" This man had to be the second grand-uncle of the original Wang Yue'er. He looked as though he had recently recovered from a serious illness.

Wang Keyue smiled and nodded, stepping forward to help the old man into the seat of honor. Following local custom, she knelt and bowed respectfully: "Grand-nephew Wang Yue pays his respects to Second Grand-Uncle!"

"Good! Good! Good child, get up quickly! Let me have a good look at you!" Zhang Jingyuan, moved to tears, pulled Wang Keyue to her feet and examined her closely. "Is your grandmother well?"

"Thanks to your blessing, Second Grand-Uncle, my grandmother is in good health, though she has always been worried about you all," Wang Keyue replied.

"And... that matter of the General's manor being exiled...?" Zhang Jingyuan hesitated. The Zhang family had already fallen on hard times; when he heard last year that his sister’s family had been raided and exiled, he had been so grief-stricken that he collapsed, and his health had not yet fully recovered. He had intended to send his children and grandchildren to search for them once the weather turned warm in the spring, never imagining that such a pleasant surprise would come so soon.

"Do not worry, Second Grand-Uncle. That is all a thing of the past. Under the rule of the new Emperor, we Wangs are now living in a small mountain village. While not wealthy, we are safe and at peace." Wang Keyue did not wish to reveal her true identity; living a simple life was, in its own way, a blessing.

Zhang Jingyuan sighed with relief, and the family began to introduce themselves.

The first grand-uncle had passed away early, leaving behind one son and one daughter, both of whom had families of their own and visited periodically. The second grand-uncle’s household was much livelier, with two sons and two daughters. The daughters were married, so the courtyard was shared by the families of his two sons.

The eldest son, Zhang Ankang, was humble and honest. Having studied for over a decade, he had attained the status of a scholar and was currently a tutor at a small private school. The woman who had served them tea was his wife, who also came from a scholarly family. They had three sons, the youngest of whom had opened the door.

The second son, Zhang Anshu, was worldly and sociable. Though he hadn't achieved much in his studies, he was eloquent and skilled with accounts, working as a junior manager at a textile shop. His wife, the shopkeeper's youngest daughter, was a bit snobbish and narrow-minded, though not a malicious person. They had one son and two daughters.

The fourth generation of the Zhang family consisted of seven or eight children, but because of the bitter cold, they were still asleep on the heated kang.

After meeting everyone, Wang Keyue distributed the gifts she had brought. They were not overly expensive, consisting mostly of daily necessities: fine white rice and flour, cured meats and sausages, and dried mountain goods. For the men, there was high-quality tea; for the women, there were embroidered goods from the women of their village—embroidered clothing, shoes, fabrics, and a large pile of cotton-padded winter wear.

The young boys received the "four treasures of the study," while the smaller children were given candy, snacks, and small red envelopes.

When the children woke up later and came to see Wang Keyue, they were delighted to receive these small tokens from their cousin. They had not expected to receive so many gifts after the New Year had passed, and they jumped for joy in the courtyard.

At lunchtime, the family gathered around two tables. As they were all kin, there was no need to separate by gender; the adults sat at one table and the children at another, making conversation easier. It was a warm and harmonious meal.

Knowing that her grand-uncle was living quite well, Wang Keyue had no lingering worries. The next morning, the pair prepared to depart.

Second Grand-Uncle was reluctant to see them leave in such cold weather, but hearing they had urgent matters to attend to, he could not insist. He hurriedly prepared a collection of local specialties and gifts for them to take along.

Wang Keyue did not refuse. Before leaving, she slipped a thousand-tael silver note into the room where they had stayed and departed with the Zhang family's farewells.

By the time the Zhang family discovered the silver note, the two were already long gone, disappearing into the distance.