Chapter 236: Wei Yutian

Xu Fuxian returned to his mansion from the Escort Agency and immediately summoned his son and daughter-in-law, preparing to head to his younger brother's home to offer condolences for the funeral.

Xu Fuxian's son felt sorrow in his heart because his second uncle had died, but the two families had not associated for nearly twenty years; in the past, during festivals and holidays, Xu Fuxian had not allowed him to go over there.

Since Xu Fuxian had not been home, his son had not dared to act on his own, but he had still secretly prepared mourning clothes and a funeral wreath, planning to persuade his father once he returned.

When Xu Fuxian returned to the mansion and saw that his son had already prepared the items, he could not help but sigh deeply and said, "That you could have such a heart shows you are a loyal and upright child. The discord between us brothers is our own affair, but he is, after all, your second uncle."

Xu Fuxian's son and daughter-in-law put on mourning clothes and brought funeral banners and a wreath, while Xu Fuxian personally wrote a pair of funeral couplets, and the family went toward the spirit altar of Xu Shouxian.

After performing the rites, Xu Fuxian actually had tears streaming down his face, unable to restrain his emotions.

As they were leaving, the Old Butler of the Xu Mansion, Ye Tian, walked over, bowed deeply, and said in a sorrowful voice, "Eldest Master, you came after all..."

After Ye Tian finished speaking, he could not hold himself back and began to weep bitterly.

Xu Fuxian looked at Ye Tian through his tears and said, "He left too suddenly; we brothers originally still had many things to say..."

Ye Tian tremblingly pulled a letter from his bosom and said, "Eldest Master, the Master left a letter for you."

Xu Fuxian took the thick envelope, and upon seeing the handwriting on the cover, his heart trembled.

Xu Fuxian returned to his mansion, went into the study alone, and closed the door. He sat at the desk and studied the handwriting on the envelope for a long time before slitting open the seal of the letter and pulling out the dozen or so pages of letter paper from inside.

Xu Fuxian wiped the clear tears from his face and leaned over the desk to read...

As Xu Fuxian read, he stood up from his chair several times due to the fluctuations of his emotions, and a moment later, he sat back down with a look of utter desolation...

Xu Shouxian first praised his elder brother in the letter for not associating with him, saying that his own ship was bound to capsize sooner or later.

With his elder brother there, the Xu family could always be sustained.

In the letter, Xu Shouxian told Xu Fuxian that he had already returned all the money he had greedily obtained to Ruan Fengshan, and he reckoned that Ruan Fengshan would not make things difficult for his family's relatives and old friends.

Reading to this point, Xu Fuxian finally understood why Ruan Fengshan had been able to let bygones be bygones and allow his colleagues from the Escort Agency to go and offer condolences to Xu Shouxian.

So, it was because Xu Shouxian had already returned all the money he had greedily obtained to him.

Xu Fuxian stroked the letter and sighed, "Younger brother, you finally retained some wisdom, knowing to leave a backup plan to spare your descendants from disaster!"

Xu Fuxian continued reading; the letter wrote: "After I die, those concubines of mine will certainly not be able to remain faithful. Tell Ye Tian to give them some money and send them away. As for those two young sons of mine, Zhi and Han, I must trouble my elder brother to look after them more. In the afterlife, I will surely pray for you all every day."

Xu Shouxian had been childless for many years in his early life and had invited many famous doctors, but it was always ineffective. Later, he accidentally took a few doses of medicine from a scabby-headed Wandering Physician on the street, and it actually worked.

He was over fifty years old, and in three years, he had two sons in succession, which could be considered a great joy of his later years.

When Xu Fuxian saw this, turbid tears welled up in his eyes again. He was also heartbroken by the brothers' feud, and he often tossed and turned, unable to sleep, when dreaming at midnight.

At this moment, Xu Fuxian had already reached the last page of the letter:

"I, your younger brother, still have one word to admonish my elder brother: After I die, you will certainly be able to rise to the position of Chief Accountant. But in my humble opinion, your temperament is stubborn and harsh; if you take the position of Chief Accountant, you will surely offend the managers of every department. In the long run, this will certainly brew trouble! These are my heartfelt words; please forgive me for any offense. After you rise to Chief Accountant, within three years at most, you must select a capable person to succeed you, and it would be best for you to retreat to the position of Principal. This is the strategy for the long-term peace of the family. When a person is about to die, their words are good; I hope my elder brother will heed the words of his foolish younger brother, spoken from the bottom of his heart."

"Your younger brother Shouxian bows his head and kowtows again. Written on the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month."

Xu Fuxian gazed at the last page of the letter, his eyes deep and flickering, and he remained silent for a long time...

The various rumors of the audit storm gradually dissipated, and the end of the year was visibly drawing closer day by day.

Every household began to prepare New Year's goods. Although Duan Rong was a lone individual and his parents had both passed away in this realm, these past two days, he had not failed to stock up on various foods in Liu Lu, such as cured fish, cured sausages, and braised ox head...

Because after the twelfth lunar month, from the first to the fifteenth of the first lunar month, the shops on the street would not open. If he did not get some food, he would have to go hungry by then.

In an alley at quite a distance from West Street, there was a very spacious residence. Unlike the liveliness elsewhere, this residence was quite tranquil.

This residence had high walls and vermilion doors, and the main gate was kept closed all year round, with very few guests visiting.

Even the nearby neighbors, in the early years, did not even know who the owner of this residence was; the servants and maids all entered and exited through the side door of the Back Courtyard.

Occasionally, when maids or servants walked out of the residence to make purchases, some busybodies would gather to ask around, only to discover that those maids and servants were all deaf and mute.

There were also well-off families nearby who, taking advantage of the holiday period, brought some gifts and sent calling cards to knock on the door and pay a visit.

There was indeed an elderly doorman who accepted the gifts and cards, thanked them politely, and said that once the master returned to the mansion, he would certainly return the visit.

But usually, there was no follow-up, and gradually, no one came to the door anymore.

However, after several years passed, everyone still figured out who the owner of this residence was. It was said that this was the residence of Wei Yutian, the proprietor of the two gambling dens, Weiyang Workshop and Chunming Pavilion.

At dusk, Wei Yutian sat in the pavilion beside the Rockery in the Back Courtyard, sipping tea while watching the koi in the pond. A light breeze blew past, but his brows were tightly knitted, as if he had a sorrow that could not be dissolved.

As the end of the year approached, other mansions were mostly very lively, and people were already immersed in the atmosphere of the New Year, but this residence remained tranquil and deathly still.

Wei Yutian had lived a lonely and bitter life, but what shrouded him more tightly than his lonely background was the lonely and bitter heart within him!

"Who?"

Wei Yutian's hand, which was holding the teacup, stopped there, and he turned his head to stare at the Rockery not far behind him, scolding.

In this Back Courtyard, except for his three personal maids, Bai Ai, Su Di, and Pei Qing, and the old doorman Zhou Gu, no other servants or maids were allowed to enter!

And Bai Ai, Su Di, and Pei Qing all knew his temperament; without his order, they would never come to disturb him when he was drinking tea at dusk.

"What is so good about drinking tea? Yutian, I brought a jar of good wine."

As soon as Wei Yutian heard that voice, he smiled slightly, and the tension in his eyes immediately dissipated.

Luan Jingfu, holding a wine jar, walked out slowly from behind the Rockery.

Wei Yutian looked at Luan Jingfu and laughed, "Didn't the Helmsman say that the situation is tight recently and that if there are no tasks, I shouldn't let you come to my place?"

Luan Jingfu walked into the pavilion, sat on the Stone Chair opposite Wei Yutian, put down the wine jar in his hand, and said, "My craving for wine came up, so how could I care about all that? Besides, the Helmsman went to the Prefecture City Hall, so he is not in Xiangu County."

"The Helmsman went to the Prefecture City Hall?"

"He just left yesterday." Luan Jingfu lowered his voice and said, "I heard that in the past two months, three Branches within Yuanyang Prefecture have been swept, and the Hall Master is currently in a thunderous rage."

(End of chapter)