Chapter 747: The Child Has Something on His Mind 【Thank You! Again! 36 Chapters Owed】

“Sixth Brother, have some tea.”

Xu Zaijing reached out with a smile.

Liang Han nodded, sipping the tea while glancing at the tall sword placed in the room.

After just one sip, Liang Han’s eyes brightened as he nodded eagerly, about to speak—when the cotton curtain at the door was pulled aside.

Qingyun stepped in, glanced at Qingcao standing beside Xu Zaijing, and bowed: “Young Master, word has come from the front courtyard—the Yu family has returned the person.”

“Good! Let’s go take a look.”

As Xu Zaijing spoke, he glanced at Qingcao, who looked slightly tense.

“Let’s go!” Liang Han rose with a smile.

They donned their warm cloaks, gripped their hand-warmers, and stepped out of the room together.

As they walked toward the front courtyard,

Xu Zaijing smiled: “Sixth Brother, how did you think to send him first to Brother Yu?”

Liang Han lifted his chin proudly: “Brother Jing, I’ve been around Kaifeng for so long—I’ve heard and seen plenty!”

“Who knows if that boy is just a fraud pretending to be someone? Taking him to Doctor Yu for a check-up is always safer.”

Xu Zaijing nodded: “Brother Yu was once a constable and is a master physician—Sixth Brother, you’ve thought of everything!”

Hearing this,

Liang Han bowed with a smile.

Passing through corridors and doors, they arrived at the main hall of the front courtyard.

Inside the room,

Xu Zaijing looked at Yu Huguang, who wore a triumphant smile, handed the hand-warmer to Qingyun, and bowed with a grin: “Brother Yu, thank you for your help today!”

Yu Huguang chuckled, feigning sternness: “Fifth Brother, if you keep speaking like that, don’t come to me next time!”

Xu Zaijing quickly smiled: “I won’t dare again.”

“Hahaha!”

As they spoke, Liang Han bowed and greeted them.

Then Xu Zaijing turned to look at Qingcao, then at Yu Huguang.

Yu Huguang’s smile softened slightly as he nodded: “Fifth Brother, don’t worry—I asked the boy a few questions while taking his pulse. No signs of lying.”

Glancing at Qingcao, Yu Huguang’s lips twitched: “He bears some resemblance to this girl.”

“Good—this is best!” Xu Zaijing nodded repeatedly: “Qingcao.”

“Huh?” Qingcao blinked.

“Go see him in the side chamber,” Xu Zaijing smiled.

“Yes, Young Master!”

Qingcao bowed, then bowed again to Liang Han and Yu Huguang before stepping out toward the courtyard.

After Qingcao left the room,

Yu Huguang’s smile vanished as he looked at Xu Zaijing: “Fifth Brother, I think that boy has something on his mind.”

Xu Zaijing froze, astonished, then raised his thumb at Yu Huguang: “Brother Yu, you’re amazing!”

“What’s bothering him? Do you know?”

“I know, Brother Yu.”

Seeing Liang Han’s curiosity, Xu Zaijing shook his head: “Sixth Brother, this is a private matter—I can’t speak of it.”

Liang Han raised an eyebrow slightly, disappointed.

In the side chamber of the courtyard,

Bright midday light filtered through the paper windows, filling the room with clarity.

In the center of the room stood a brazier, its charcoal barely burning—clearly lit only recently.

The boy, his complexion improved from morning after taking medicine, stared absentmindedly at the carved patterns on the brazier, his thoughts drifting back to when his sister left home over a decade ago.

“Sister, don’t go!”

“Sister, I’ll be good from now on—don’t leave!”

“Mother, Brother—I’ll be obedient, don’t sell my sister!”

His memory of his sister was of him clutching her sleeve, wailing in heartbreak.

Even though he’d tasted his own snot, his throat ached for days afterward—he still couldn’t make her stay.

“Creak.”

Footsteps sounded outside the door.

Hearing the noise, Yuan Feixing looked up toward the door, his eyes filled with a complex mix of tension and hope as he stared at the shadow on the paper window.

Outside,

Qingcao’s hand paused before the door, her face filled with hesitation.

She glanced back at the main hall of the Xu household, took a deep breath, then pushed firmly against the door.

“Squeak.”

The door opened.

Seeing the boy seated on the chair, Qingcao’s eyes first held a flicker of unfamiliarity—but as she studied his features, his face gradually merged with the memory of the crying child she once knew.

Yuan Feixing, however, stared at his sister with even greater unfamiliarity—after all, girls change greatly with age.

His memory of his sister was still that of a dark, thin girl no taller than he was.

Now, his sister stood a full head taller than him!

Her appearance and bearing made him barely recognize her.

Back in Xiao Liangshan, a local gentryman had claimed to be a relative of the Wei family’s Xuesnow, helping them adopt a son and giving them silver.

Yuan Feixing had once glimpsed the gentryman’s legitimate daughter among the crowd.

He’d thought her clothes and jewelry were extravagantly luxurious—but today, even he could see at a glance that those were nothing compared to his sister’s.

His mother and older brother and sister-in-law had said she worked as a maidservant in a grand household—but why did she seem even more refined than that gentryman’s daughter?

Looking at the dazed boy before her, Qingcao whispered: “Little brother…”

“Sister…”

The two locked eyes—and the bond of blood slowly dissolved years of distance.

“You’ve grown so tall!” Qingcao smiled, but as she smiled, tears welled in her eyes for no clear reason.

The boy on the chair wiped his eyes with his sleeve and grinned: “Sister, you’re so beautiful now! Like… like a fairy!”

Qingcao smiled through her tears.

As he spoke, the boy tried to rise from his chair—but halfway up, he slumped back, weak.

Qingcao rushed forward, her eyes full of concern, gently pressing him back into the chair: “Don’t move! Let me look at you properly!”

“Ah!” The boy nodded obediently.

After studying his face for a moment, he smiled: “Sister, Mother used to say she was the prettiest girl in the surrounding villages—I never believed her, thought she was just boasting.”

“Now I see you—I know she was telling the truth!”

Hearing this, Qingcao smiled.

After watching her brother for a moment, her smile faded as she saw his frailty and said softly: “You’ve suffered a lot on the journey, haven’t you?”

The boy pursed his lips: “It’s fine—mostly, thieves stole my travel money, otherwise I wouldn’t have…”

The pity in Qingcao’s eyes vanished; she tapped his forehead sharply: “You’ve gotten bold! Sneaking away from home and traveling a thousand miles to Kaifeng without telling anyone!”

“What if something had happened to you on the road? What would you have left Mother, Brother, and Sister-in-law to do?”

The boy lowered his head: “Sister, my betrothal was set—but the girl ran off with someone else! What face do I have to stay in the village?”

“If I don’t leave, won’t everyone point and laugh at me?”

Qingcao took a deep breath: “A girl betrothed and then eloping becomes a concubine—it’s not your fault! The shame is theirs! She left—find another!”

The boy stared at the brazier, murmuring: “But… but people say it’s because I’m useless, that I’m not good enough for them!”

After a pause, Qingcao said: “Rest well, recover fully, then go straight home.”

The boy turned his head, frowning weakly: “I won’t go back.”

“Now that Sister-in-law runs the household, I’m just extra weight at home. Better to come to Kaifeng and rely on you—I’ll earn my own living!” he added.

Seeing his sister shake her head, he frowned: “Sister, if you won’t agree, I’ll go find Lord Liang Six—I won’t stay in Kaifeng, I’ll join the army!”

“You! When I left, how did you cry and promise to be good and stop being naughty?” Qingcao asked.

“No matter what you say, I won’t go back!”

As Qingcao opened her mouth to speak again, Huaxiang entered carrying a tray, smiled at the siblings: “It’s time for meals.”

“Where’s the Young Master?” Qingcao asked.

“The Young Master and Lord Liang Six went out to eat,” Huaxiang said, glancing at Qingcao and Yuan Feixing: “Truly, brother and sister—they look alike!”

Seeing Huaxiang enter, Yuan Feixing smiled shyly.

After setting down the tray, Huaxiang exchanged a few words with Qingcao before leaving.

Qingcao and her brother sat at the table, staring at the food; Qingcao handed Yuan Feixing the chopsticks: “Eat.”

“Oh! Smell that! This rice porridge is so fragrant!” Yuan Feixing grinned.

After a few sips, he beamed: “Sister, I’ve got to say—I’m lucky! First I fainted and was rescued from the roadside and carried to the city wall, then someone brought me meat soup when I woke up, otherwise…”

“Crack.”

Qingcao slammed her chopsticks hard onto the table.

Yuan Feixing immediately fell silent, hesitantly asking, “Sister, what’s wrong?”

Qingcao frowned, her chest rising and falling as she said, “You’re lucky? Do you know why they saved you beneath the city wall?”

“Uh… because they’re kind-hearted.”

“Yes, the person who took you outside the city was kind-hearted! But why did the imperial guards bring you meat soup? Because the young master spent hundreds of strings of silver, treating several gate guards to days of soybean paste and meat soup!”

“All just to keep an eye on you!”

Looking at her silent younger brother, Qingcao continued, “Without all that, who would have bothered asking after you?”

“If no one had found you outside the city and brought you to the wall, do you think you’d still be sitting here talking to me?”

Looking up at his sister, whose eyes were filled with tears, Yuan Feixing lowered his head in shame and murmured, “Sister, don’t cry… I’m sorry, alright?”

“I’ll earn money myself to repay the Xu family young master for what he spent!”

Qingcao picked up her chopsticks and said coolly, “Fine! If you want to stay in Bianjing, stay! When you’re well again, I’ll ask Qingyun to help you find work—start paying off your debt slowly.”

“Oh!”

In the afternoon,

not far south of Pan Lou’s main street,

by the roadside,

there stood an abandoned courtyard of a temple,

where tents had been erected; beneath them, donkeys, horses, and other livestock lowered their heads to eat from wooden troughs, while several flatbed carts and enclosed carriages stood nearby.

A few drivers with no work sat on their cart shafts, basking in the sun, chatting intermittently.

Side rooms in the courtyard echoed with the sounds of drinking and dice games.

A burly man, his face flushed from drink, stumbled out, pulling aside a cloth curtain.

Suddenly,

the sound of hooves rang out as two fine steeds galloped into the courtyard.

“Neigh!”

The two fine steeds reared slightly and neighed.

The drunken man leaned against the wall, glaring and shouting, “What’s going on?! Who dares rein in their horses here! Do you know where you are?!”

At his shout, the drivers sunbathing nearby rose and walked over.

The riders on the two fine steeds ignored the man, instead turning their gaze toward the house nearby.

“Where’s Tian Xinglao?” one of the younger riders called out loudly.

The drunken man, ignored and emboldened by liquor, stormed toward the two riders, cursing, “You damn—”

Before he could finish,

someone behind him grabbed his hair and yanked him aside.

A young man in brocade stepped forward quickly, bowing with a smile, “Young master, are you the carriage driver from Sixth Young Master’s retinue?”

“Tian Xinglao has sharp eyes. Today, my young master has questions for you,” the carriage driver said, not dismounting, only tugging the reins.

The once-belligerent drunkard, hearing the exchange, instantly sobered up, swallowed hard, and shrank to the side.

“Young master, ask away—I’ll answer everything truthfully!” Tian Xinglao bowed, then glanced at the Qingyun beside the carriage driver.

“A few days ago, a carriage driver with white hair and beard transported the Kang family’s womenfolk out of the city—who was he?” the carriage driver asked.

Hearing this, the young man known as Tian Xinglao frowned, thought for a moment, then bowed hesitantly, “Young master, is this good news or bad?”

“Hmm?” The carriage driver frowned.

“To be honest, that driver is a senior relative of mine,” the young man bowed.

The carriage driver nodded: “Good news. The matter I mentioned before to your people—your relative handled it.”

“What?” Not only Tian Xinglao looked astonished; the other staff in the stable also began whispering among themselves.

Xi Guozi Alley,

the Kang family estate,

in the reception hall,

Jin Chui, Jin Mama, who served Wu Dangzi, heard footsteps behind the screen and rose with a smile.

Soon, Kang Wangshi emerged from behind the screen, accompanied by a maid.

“Greetings, Lady Wang!” Jin Mama bowed slightly with a smile.

“Jin Mama, don’t be formal—please sit!” Kang Wangshi smiled.

Previously, Old Lady Wang had directly dismissed Qi Mama and her family from Kang Wangshi’s side; now, only the maid sent by Old Lady Wang remained.

“Your servant dares not!” Jin Mama smiled. “I’ve come uninvited to your esteemed home mainly to express my gratitude to Lady Wang.”

Hearing this, Kang Wangshi looked puzzled. “Why would you say that, Jin Mama?”

Jin Mama smiled. “Earlier, a distant relative of mine came to the capital seeking aid, but lost contact along the way! Today I learned he had run out of money and collapsed from hunger outside the city.”

“Yesterday, your young lady returned to the city, saw my relative lying unconscious by the roadside, and out of kindness gave him a string of copper coins—enough for him to buy food and survive.”

“Oh!” Kang Wangshi nodded in sudden understanding.

Then, after a thoughtful glance at Jin Mama—and recalling her mistress, Wu Dangzi—she turned aside and said, “Go, tell Zhao’er’s young lady to come to the reception hall to meet our guest.”

(End of Chapter)