Chapter 241: Returning Home
The entrance to the Wen family’s old residence was packed with people. Old Man Wen stood at the doorway holding his tobacco pipe, calling out names one by one.
When Wen Yao arrived, she saw her grandfather acting just like a commander, ordering this person and that person around, while Old Madam Luo stood nearby with a face full of disdain.
Although the old lady didn’t say a word, not a single person present dared to cut the line or say a single unnecessary word.
Wen Yao walked over and linked her arm through the old lady’s.
“Grandma, what are you looking at?” Wen Yao asked.
Old Madam Luo jutted her chin toward Old Man Wen’s direction. “If I don’t keep an eye on him, your grandpa will get hoodwinked by someone again in a bit.”
Wen Yao couldn’t hold it in and let out a sudden burst of laughter.
Old Madam Luo shot her a reproachful glare, then pulled her past Old Man Wen and into the old residence.
“Why did you come over? People are constantly coming and going here, be careful not to get jostled,” Old Madam Luo said.
Wen Yao grinned hehe and slipped a banknote into the old lady’s hand. “Grandma, keep this.”
“What’s this?” Old Madam Luo took a look at it and was about to stuff it back to her. “You wretched girl, I already said we don’t want your money; we have our own.”
Wen Yao dodged far away, calling out, “Grandma, if you don’t accept it, my dad will beat me to death when he comes back.”
“He dares! I’ll beat him to death first.” Old Madam Luo’s face instantly turned solemn.
“Grandma, just keep it, it’s a token of our filial respect.” Wen Yao leaned against Old Madam Luo, acting spoiled.
Old Madam Luo let out a helpless sigh and checked the denomination of the banknote—one hundred taels.
“This is far too much, it won’t take this much anyway.” How was this a mere token? This was completely paying for the house for them.
“Take it back, Grandma cannot take any more of your money.” Old Madam Luo stuffed the banknote back to Wen Yao, and seeing her open her mouth to speak, she cut her off first to block her words: “And don’t you go saying your dad owes us anything either. The financial holes we patched up for your dad over those years have long since been completely repaid by you two. If we truly calculate it that way, we are the ones who owe you now.
Yao’er, you helped Grandma, and you helped your second uncle and second aunt. Grandma knows all of this; Grandma isn’t stupid. These ideas in your head seem scattered all over the place, but which one wasn’t tailored to what the family members can actually do?
Grandma knows you want to compensate the people in this family, but we can’t rely entirely on you. Grandma won’t say anything else, but this house must be built using our own money. Take this money back. If your dad wants to scold you when he returns, tell him to come look for me.”
After speaking, no matter how Wen Yao tried to dodge, Old Madam Luo stubbornly managed to stuff the banknote back to her.
Wen Yao had no choice but to take back the banknote, pouting her lips. “Grandma…”
Old Madam Luo glared at her. “Don’t put on an act with me here, as if I don’t know your little thoughts. Alright, this matter is settled.”
“Okay then.” Seeing that she couldn’t win the argument against the old lady, Wen Yao could only let the matter drop.
“Grandma, have you selected the plot of land?” Wen Yao asked as she put away the banknote.
Old Madam Luo nodded. “It’s right next to your house. The old house beside it belonged to someone in the village; your grandpa bought it together when he went to the village chief’s house this morning.”
Wen Yao was delighted. “That’s wonderful! When the time comes, it will be right next to ours. We can just open a door in the courtyard wall, and we’ll still be living together.”
Old Madam Luo shot her a reproachful glare, though she didn’t say anything to object.
Once Old Man Wen finalized the workers, since the old residence wouldn’t be demolished anyway, the workers went straight home to fetch their tools and headed over to clean up the selected plot of land, first clearing the debris and completely tearing down the old house belonging to that family.
Half a month later, when Wen Xiuyi returned, he saw that a house was actually being constructed right next to his own home.
“Yao’er, Yao’er, I’m back!” Wen Xiuyi pushed open the door to enter the house, shouting the moment he stood at the entrance.
Nanny Du heard the commotion and ran out. “Master, you’re back?” As she spoke, she quickly stepped forward to take Wen Xiuyi’s bundle.
“Nanny Du, whose family is building a house next door? Such a grand commotion,” Wen Xiuyi asked. The house looked quite large.
“Mine,” Old Madam Luo emerged from the kitchen, an apron still tied around her waist.
“Mother?” Wen Xiuyi blinked.
Nanny Du quickly explained, “Next door is the courtyard for the Old Master and Old Mistress. It’s been under construction for over half a month already. The Old Mistress converted the old residence over there into a soybean paste workshop, so the Old Mistress and the others have been staying here during this period.”
Wen Xiuyi quickly ran up to his own old mother, speaking with a wide grin, “Mother, you and Father have finally seen the light, huh?”
Old Madam Luo rolled her eyes with disdain. “Why did you return at this time? Is the work over at the prefecture seat all finished? The prefectural magistrate didn’t make things difficult for you, did he?”
It had been nearly a month; it would be a lie to say Old Madam Luo wasn’t worried. But seeing her son return safe and sound now, the heavy boulder in the bottom of her heart finally dropped completely.
Wen Xiuyi: “No, he didn’t make things difficult. Everything that needed to be taught has been taught. I also gave the diagrams for the curved plow and the waterwheel to the magistrate, and he even rewarded me with fifty taels of silver.”
As he spoke, Wen Xiuyi fished a fifty-tael silver ingot out from his bosom and handed it to Old Madam Luo.
Old Madam Luo didn’t take it. “What are you giving it to me for? Give it to your daughter. Alright, it’s good that you’re back. Are you tired? If you’re tired, go rest; if you’re not tired, go up the mountain to find your father. He stares at those fruit trees all day long, as if staring at them can make them bear fruit.”
Listening to the familiar sounds of complaints, Wen Xiuyi let out a silly grin hehe. As long as his father and mother were doing well, he was doing well.
Not having been in the village for so long, Wen Xiuyi truly missed the village’s situation quite a bit.
“Then I’ll head over to the fields and the mountain for a stroll.”
Seeing that he was about to leave, Old Madam Luo added another line: “Go to the winery and call your daughter back too. Day after day, not a glimpse of her can be caught. If she’s too idle, have her come back to embroider together with Wen Di.”
Wen Xiuyi burst into straight laughter. “Then she would definitely tell you to just chop her hands off instead.”
A single sentence caused Old Madam Luo to chase him for a few steps, cursing and swearing, “Where is there a father who speaks of his daughter like this? Beat it, beat it quickly. I get annoyed just looking at you.”
Wen Xiuyi slipped away instantly.
Nanny Du stepped forward to support Old Madam Luo. “Why must the Old Mistress bicker with the Master? Seeing the Master return safe and sound, your heart can rest easy now.”
Having her thoughts exposed didn’t make Old Madam Luo angry, but her tongue remained unyielding: “If he weren’t my own flesh and blood, see if I wouldn’t thrash him.”
“Yes, yes, yes, you are the most kind-hearted elder.”
The two talked as they returned to the kitchen to continue preparing the meals. Nowadays, food was provided for all the workers, and day after day, the fires of the several stoves had never gone out.
The moment Wen Xiuyi returned and appeared in the fields, he was instantly surrounded by people. Either they wanted him to check this family’s field, or they wanted him to check that family’s field. It was everyone’s first time planting potatoes and sweet potatoes, and they were deeply afraid they might plant them wrongly, preventing them from yielding such a high production in the future.
With this hustle and bustle, let alone looking for his father and daughter, he didn’t even catch a glimpse of the other members of the Wen family; all of them had wandered off to other parts of the village.
It wasn’t until night fell and it was truly impossible to continue looking that they finally let him return. Old Man Wen was quite surprised to see him.
“Oh, Eldest Brother is back.”
The moment Old Madam Luo heard these words, she knew Wen Xiuyi hadn’t gone to look for the old man at all.
