Family

Back in Luanze.

At the Guan’s business headquarters.

Guan Qing had read the letters in her hands so many times, the paper was starting to get crumpled. They were the letters from Guan Wan and Song Caitang to assure her that they were safe and well.

“If you’re so worried, why don’t you go over and watch over them yourself?”

As a voice resounded in the room, a figure somersaulted in from the window and landed perfectly next to Guan Qing.

It was Cao Zhang.

Judging from how accurately he had made it through the window and how beautifully he landed, as well as his cool yet flirtatious pose, he probably did this a lot.

He didn’t even have to take a step out as he picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup as though this was his own place. He peeked at Guan Qing’s cup and refilled hers as well.

“Bianliang isn’t very far from Luanze, actually. If you take my express boat, I guarantee you’ll be able to get there and back in five days.”

Guan Qing raised an eyebrow and turned slightly to stare at him.

Cao Zhang immediately put on a serious expression, straightened his back and made sure his face was facing her at its best angle. His lips curled up very slightly to make himself seem like a lofty person of high character.

Guan Qing’s lips curled into a smile, but it was a smile that remained only on her lips. She was still as beautiful as ever, but it was clearly not a genuine smile.

It was as though she was smiling at an idiot.

Smiling at him out of pity for his lack of intelligence.

After a long time, Cao Zhang figured out why she was giving him such a look. He rubbed his nose awkwardly and said, “Well… they did run into trouble earlier on and I can understand why you would be worried, but everything’s over and they’ve reached Bianliang safely. So… you don’t have to be so worried anymore?”

Then again, come to think of it, while Guan Qing had really gone into a panic and nearly murdered him when Song Caitang and Guan Wan went missing, she had clearly relaxed again once she received these letters from the two ladies and did not ask about them again.

In short, Guan Qing’s concern right now was not about the safety of the two girls. Even if she was concerned about them, it had not been apparent.

Cao Zhang narrowed his eyes slightly. No wonder all his subordinates had praise for her, complimenting her for being bolder, more motivated, and more detailed than their own leader. She dared to trust others and dared to let go when she needed to.

Guan Qing turned away from Cao Zhang as she used her slim fingers to pick up the teacup and took an elegant sip.

But Cao Zhang still couldn’t figure it out. Guan Qing was clearly worried about something. If it wasn’t the two younger women, then…

“You’re worried about the lack of grain?”

The fields in the central part of the country had gone through a drought followed by a flood, so the grain harvest had been reduced drastically. When there was a lack of grain and everyone had different opinions on how to deal with it, it was easy for things to go awry. Guan Qing had been dealing with this all day recently.

She put the teacup down on the table with a soft clink. “I’m not that ambitious. I’m just trying to protect the small piece of land that I own. The rest is up to the government to settle.”

Cao Zhang scoffed. “You’re able to say that only because you have confidence in that letter.”

Actually, he was really curious about who the recipient of the letter in Song Caitang’s hands was, but given their relationship now… He didn’t want to admit it, but he knew they weren’t close enough for him to ask such a question and get an answer. He had to work harder to get there.

But if she wasn’t worried about her sister and cousin and wasn’t worried about the grain shortage, then…

“You’re worried that your sister and cousin will run into trouble in the capital?” Cao Zhang narrowed his eyes. “If I remember correctly, your uncle and cousin are both there.”

Guan Qing turned suddenly and glared at him.

But Cao Zhang wasn’t afraid and didn’t dodge her glare as he went on, “Speaking of which, your uncle isn’t too young, yet he only has one son and one daughter, and they are both younger than you…”

“I did not expect the notorious leader of the Green Gang who strikes fear in the hearts of everyone who hears about him would turn out to be a gossipy man.”

Guan Qing lowered her gaze as her water eyes flickered mysteriously. She said in a quiet and threatening voice, “Things can get very dangerous if you poke your nose too far into certain matters.”

Cao Zhang knew at that moment that he could not keep asking about this anymore. Guan Qing had built a high wall between them and he couldn’t move forward anymore.

Actually, it was easy for him to find out more about the Guan family. Guan Qing knew that too. But… she didn’t want him to come any closer.

He had failed to close the distance.

“I still have matters to attend to. Please excuse me,” said Guan Qing before standing up and walking out of the room without even turning back.

Cao Zhang sat there with his mouth open. He hadn’t even managed to ask her for a meal before she had disappeared out of sight.

This wasn’t the way she had treated him before! Before this, she had dared to press him against the wall of his own home and forced him to do what she wanted him to.

And now, she was just throwing him away because he wasn’t useful to her anymore?!

The horse carriage with the Guan family emblem on the side waiting at the entrance to the capital city of Bianliang was indeed sent here by Guan Song.

Guan Song was the eldest son of the late patriarch of the Guan family. He was Guan Qing and Guan Wan’s uncle on their father’s side, and Song Caitang’s uncle on her mother’s side.

But this uncle’s mother was not Madam Bai.

He had sent the horse carriage, but he had not come along. The butler who had come with the horse carriage fell to his knees, kowtowed a few times, then gave an explanation with tears in his eyes.

“When Third Young Mistress and Cousin Young Mistress ran into trouble and did not arrive as scheduled, Master became very worried but he didn’t know how to find out where both of you could possibly be, so he could only instruct me to come and wait here every day… Thankfully you sent a letter to say that both of you are safe and Master was relieved. And both of you have finally arrived today! Both of you are indeed blessed!”

The butler wiped his tears, then stared at Guan Wan with trembling lips, “Third Young Mistress is all grown up now…”

He was really excited to see her.

Guan Wan’s eyes brimmed with tears as well, as she helped the butler to his feet and introduced him to Song Caitang, “This is Butler Hu, he served Grandmother in the past too…”

Butler Hu turned toward Song Caitang and fell to his knees again. “Greetings, Cousin Young Mistress… You look exactly like Madam Guan… I heard that you met with a terrible accident and was very badly injured. But you’ve come home now, so Madam Guan must be watching from heaven and feeling very relieved…”

The Madam Guan he was talking about was Song Caitang’s mother.

Song Caitang suddenly felt a little lost. She knew a little about this body’s past and when she was first welcomed into the Guan family in Luanze, she didn’t feel much. But after a year had passed, she felt like… she was no longer the same as before.

She had emotional attachment to the family now.

When there was mention of her mother, she was no longer as unaffected as she initially was.

She closed her eyes to calm down, then helped the old butler to his feet. “You don’t have to be so formal around me, Butler Hu. Let’s head back first, we can talk more later.”

“You’re right, you’re right, let’s head back first,” Butler Hu wiped his tears, stood up, then stretched his arm to invite Guan Wan and Song Caitang to board the carriage. “Let’s go home! Master did not come to pick both of you up, but he already said that I must inform him once you arrive. Young Master has also returned from the academy two days ago and he’s at home now!”

The Guans’ horse carriage was not a luxurious one, but it was wide and comfortable enough for both girls to enjoy a pleasant ride.

The wheels turned as the horses started walking. The carriage was soon on its way into the city.

Song Caitang pulled the curtain back and waved at Zhao Zhi.

When they spotted the Guan family carriage earlier, Zhao Zhi had already walked away. Butler Hu had not noticed that Zhao Zhi was with them, so he did not greet Zhao Zhi either.

The late autumn sun blazed a brilliant gold, illuminating the roads and leaving shadows beneath the roofs and trees.

In the light, Song Caitang’s bright smile and slim, fair hand was exactly the same as he remembered.

No matter how old she was, his girl had never changed.

Zhao Zhi clenched his fists as he calmly watched the horse carriage roll out of sight.

The nightmare he couldn’t seem to shake off was now far away from him. He wasn’t going to be scared anymore. He wasn’t going to be separated from his girl again…

He was definitely not going to allow the tragedy that befell Liao Xingjian and Ye Nan to happen to them!

Zhao Zhi turned sharply and walked away, the corners of his robe drawing cheerful and resolute lines in the air.

Both Guan Wan and Song Caitang were in the capital city for the first time, so everything felt new to them. They weren’t afraid of the cold either, so they kept the curtains up so that they could see anything they wanted.

Bianliang was fit to be called the capital city, alright. The streets were wide and there were so many people. There was a huge variety of shops along the way to look at too.

Some sold flowers, some sold cakes, some sold fabrics, some sold makeup… everything and anything was available here. They had more than what Luanze had. The things here included things the girls had never seen before and things they never even thought could be sold.

Guan Wan kept pointing out things along the way to Song Caitang, her cheeks propped up by her big smiles. She seemed as excited as a little bunny waiting to gobble up a yummy carrot.

But the more Song Caitang looked outside, the harder she frowned.

There were a lot of people here, but… almost no women.

The only women on the streets were clearly older, married women. There were almost no young women.

She lowered her gaze as she recalled what she had heard when she was in Luanze, especially the things she heard when she was investigating the boat courtesan case. She thought about Liu Qinian and the Mi family, and sighed inwardly.

Bianliang was the capital city, the city where the greatest living example for all women, the empress, lived. Of course the people here would observe all the “rules” the women were supposed to live by.

The Guan family’s residence in Bianliang was very far from the palace and it was much smaller than their house in Luanze. That was how expensive land was in the capital city. There were also areas that one couldn’t purchase even if you had money.

Guan Wan and Song Caitang went into their rooms to freshen up, but before they could even unpack their things, a servant came to tell them that their uncle had returned.

They quickly made their way to the living room to greet him.

This was the first time Song Caitang was seeing her uncle.

Guan Song had a squarish face, thick brows, round eyes and prominent collarbones. He… didn’t really look like a merchant. There was a heroic air about him, an honest and blunt air about him. In other words, not the smartest of people.

But the frown lines between his brows were very deep. It wasn’t that he had a bad temper, but he had spent too much time thinking.

He marched into the living room in a hurry. He had clearly just gotten changed, but it wasn’t to receive his two nieces. He had a thick coat and padded shoes, so it looked more like he was about to leave the house.

Guan Song walked in and immediately waved at his two nieces to stop them from bowing to him. “We’re all one family, so there’s no need for these pointless formalities. Wan’er, you’re all grown up now. Take this, it’s from me.”

He raised his chin and his longtime subordinate came forward to present a box to Guan Wan.

“Feel free to buy anything you like!”

Then, he looked at Song Caitang and smiled. “Your name is Song Caitang, right? This is the first time we’re seeing one another, but I see you’ve grown into a fine young lady! This is for you.”

The same subordinate gave Song Caitang a different box.

“Go ahead and buy anything you like. If there’s something you want but can’t find, let me know and I’ll get it for you!”

The box wasn’t locked, so Song Caitang opened it after taking it from the subordinate and got a shock.

The box was filled with nothing but gold!

There were gold bars and gold coins that looked newly minted. They were so shiny, they nearly blinded her.

She threw Guan Wan a quick glance.

Guan Wan winked at her to tell her to just take it. This was their uncle’s way of doing things.

While the two girls were sending messages to each other with their glances, Guan Song picked up the teapot on the table and poured its contents into his mouth without bothering to pour the tea into a teacup first.

He was seriously thirsty.

The fact that he had chosen to give the girls money before downing the entire pot showed how sincere he was.

“The house in Luanze is ours, but so is this place. Make yourselves at home and do whatever you like. If you need something, just instruct the servants. If they can’t get it done, I’ll deal with them! We’ve got plenty of money, so go ahead and order the servants around. I’m very busy during this time and I have to leave the house now to collect the accounts, so I can’t stay and chat with you girls. Go ahead and do whatever you like within the house, but watch yourselves when you go out. The culture here is different from Luanze…”

Guan Song spoke extremely quickly, but it was because he was really in a hurry. They had only been standing here for a few minutes and several people from the family business had come in to either seek approval or an opinion from him.

“Yes, yes, I’ll be going out soon,” said Guan Song before giving the girls one last instruction, “Bianliang is the capital city and it’s full of court and palace officials everywhere you go. We’re a family of merchants, so our status here is very low. Both of you are still young, so you’re easy targets for others to bully and all that, so it’s best not to go out if you can. But if you must go out, remember to bring along enough people. You can shop in areas that are bustling with activity, but do not go to the north of the city. The temple there, Zhaoze Temple, has been filled with activity recently and there are way too many people there now. If anything happens while you’re there…”

As he spoke, Guan Wan nodded with each point he made like an obedient little girl.

Song Caitang quietly listened to him and suddenly felt like this uncle… was actually a pretty decent man.

He was completely different from how she had imagined him to be. She thought he would be just like his wife, Madam Zhang.

After Guan Song was done, he turned to leave the house.

As he walked out, he yelled, “Guan Lang! Guan Lang! Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and greet your older sisters and have a meal with them! I have to go out now!”