Chapter 809 - 812: Meeting Guests

Chapter 809: Chapter 812: Meeting Guests

Knowing this trip was meant to deepen the relationship between their two families, Yang Wenlan quickly smiled and asked, "Why didn’t your two sons accompany you back this time?"

Jin Qianqian had answered this question countless times over the past few days. "Our eldest is preparing for the upcoming imperial examination, so we left him in Shangjing to prepare.

"As for our second son, that little rascal got a bit too wild when he came back, so he is currently rushing to finish his homework."

"We truly are out of the loop. I didn’t expect your eldest to be old enough for the imperial examinations already.

"It feels like it wasn’t that long ago when you wrote to tell us the good news of him passing as a scholar. He’s progressing so fast.

"With a Champion Scholar like Mr. Gu teaching him, I imagine the Gu family will produce another Champion Scholar this time."

Jin Qianqian quickly gave a modest reply. "If that child has even half his father’s talent, I’ll be at ease.

"Since he wants to give it a try, we’re just letting him. Whether he can actually pass is another matter entirely."

"You’re just being modest," Yang Wenlan said. "If you weren’t confident, you wouldn’t just let him go for it.

"It seems it won’t be long before I have to visit you again for a celebratory drink."

"I’ll take your word for it," Jin Qianqian said with a smile. "I’m going to hold you to that. If you don’t show up when the time comes, I’ll hold it against you."

"How could I not?" Yang Wenlan said, looking around the small farmhouse courtyard. "After all these years, haven’t you thought about expanding this courtyard?"

As soon as they entered the village, they had seen many sheds set up along the road, serving as temporary quarters for Gu Wenheng’s escorts and guards.

"We’re only staying for a few days, so we didn’t want to make a big fuss," Jin Qianqian said. "The village only has so much space. If we used it to build houses, who knows how much farmland we would waste."

The villagers had tried to persuade them before, pointing out that they didn’t even have a proper place to host guests whenever they returned, and offering to help expand the house. However, they had refused every time.

What she had just said was also the truth. With so many properties under her name, she really didn’t want to go through the trouble of building another one here.

Yang Wenlan gave her a thumbs up. "No wonder Mr. Gu has such a stellar reputation as an official all these years. Whenever his name is brought up, everyone gives a thumbs up."

"Really?" Jin Qianqian asked in surprise. "I thought my husband had offended countless people over the years. I didn’t expect anyone to still speak well of him."

"Now you’re the one being insincere," Yang Wenlan laughed. "Every time Mr. Gu’s great achievements are mentioned, people eagerly discuss them.

"The words ’Lord Qingtian’ are what I hear most often. You should know that in the hearts of the common people, anyone who gets real things done for them is a good official.

"I heard that wherever Mr. Gu is dispatched nowadays, the locals sing and dance in celebration. It shows just how welcomed he is by the people.

"Every time my husband talks about this, his face is full of envy and longing. He always says that an official should strive to be like Mr. Gu."

"Aren’t these rumors a bit too exaggerated?" Jin Qianqian said. "Every time we are dispatched, it’s always to relatively remote places. The locals aren’t nearly as well-informed as the people around Shangjing. Sometimes we’ve been there for months, and the locals still don’t know there’s been a change in officials."

"It can’t be that bad, right?" Yang Wenlan was now feeling a bit uncertain. Could it be that everything she had heard was just rumors?

Jin Qianqian patiently explained to her that most of the people in the Rong Dynasty made a living by farming. This was especially true for those in remote mountainous areas, who spent all day just worrying about getting three meals a day and keeping warm. Why would they care about such trivial matters?

To them, the highest-ranking officials were the village heads and the village chief; anything higher than that was beyond their understanding.

Yang Wenlan had always lived in Shangjing and within official circles. The only way she got news from the outside world was through the chatter of her servants and what was written in books.

Furthermore, the servants from an aristocratic family like theirs were generations-old household servants, making it even less likely for them to come into contact with such things. This made her even more curious about the world Jin Qianqian was describing.

"However, they aren’t completely apathetic to outside affairs," Jin Qianqian sighed. "Besides filling their stomachs, their biggest worries are the various conscriptions and labor drafts."

Yang Wenlan fell silent. She had heard of the conscriptions and labor drafts. Whenever that time came, her own husband would be so busy his feet barely touched the ground.

During those days, she didn’t even dare to go out on the streets and face the sorrowful atmosphere of partings.

"It’s not easy for anyone." Yang Wenlan knew that saying anything more would make her seem hypocritical. As a lady from a prominent family who had lived a life of luxury since childhood, that kind of world was still too far removed from her.

"How long can you stay home this time? Why don’t you come to Prefecture City and stay for a few days? Let us show our hospitality."

"I’m honestly not sure," Jin Qianqian said. "We came back on the second day after reporting to Shangjing for our debriefing. We have to wait for news from our superiors for the specifics.

"It’s rare for us to come back after so many years, so we should spend some time with our elders at home.

"When it’s time to go back, if time permits, we will definitely impose on you."

"Then it’s settled." Yang Wenlan went on to talk about the interesting things she had encountered over the years. A few times in between, she hesitated to speak, as if she had something on her mind, but she held it back.

Jin Qianqian didn’t pry. They talked and laughed, spending most of the day together before finally seeing her off.

As soon as they got into the carriage, He Nan took the initiative to ask, "You didn’t ask her, did you?"

Yang Wenlan shook her head. "We haven’t seen each other for so many years, so I really couldn’t bring myself to ask as soon as we met. What’s wrong?"

"Don’t bring this up again," He Nan said with a serious expression. "Mr. Gu’s transfer back this time is definitely not simple. His son’s marriage will probably have to be carefully considered.

"Although your niece’s family background makes her a suitable match, she certainly won’t be the couple’s choice."

"My niece isn’t bad either," Yang Wenlan said. "She’s been raised as the matriarch of a prominent clan since childhood..."

"Anyway, listen to me on this. Don’t bring this matter up again," He Nan said.

"You aren’t still thinking of favoring the He family, are you?" Yang Wenlan narrowed her eyes at He Nan. "You never learn from your mistakes. Don’t you remember how they’ve treated us all these years?

"You are obviously the legitimate eldest son, yet you had to make way for your younger brothers. Are you willing to keep enduring this forever?"

He Nan grabbed her hand and said with a firm expression, "I’ve made you suffer. I’ve already made my decision. Please rest assured, Madam."

Yang Wenlan instead panicked. "Husband, how did you suddenly figure it out?

"I remember you didn’t say that to me before. You told me to bear with it and that we’d get by.

"Why the sudden change of tune? I’m telling you, don’t think you can coax me into doing things for them again."

"What are you thinking, Madam?" He Nan said. "I just suddenly found a solution. I’ll explain it to you in detail when we get back."

Yang Wenlan observed him for a moment before slowly nodding. "Then I’ll be waiting."

Meanwhile, after Gu Wenheng finished seeing off their guests, Jin Qianqian had dragged him out for a walk at the village entrance.

"Sitting around eating and drinking all day without any exercise won’t do," Jin Qianqian said. Ever since she saw Le Hua the other day, various images of a fat Gu Wenheng kept flashing through her mind.