Chapter 101: Reunion for the Holidays

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Jiaoyan was carried by her father all the way back to the Gu family residence. By then, the two visiting aunts of the Gu family had also returned. The courtyard of the Gu family was bustling with activity; Madam Li, Gu Mingcheng, and others were all there, chatting lively with their daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren.

When Gu Chengyong’s family entered from outside, sharp-eyed Gu Xiulan immediately spotted them and smiled, “Second brother is back! It’s been years, but you haven’t changed a bit.”

Gu Xiulan had married into the Lü family in the county. Her husband, Lü Liangji, had started as a steward at a tavern and gradually worked his way up to manager. The Lü family was doing quite well now. Gu Xiulan had given birth to two sons and two daughters; the eldest, Lü Xingde, was eleven, and the youngest, Lü Xueyan, was four. Gu Xiulan was also quite attractive, and after years of working alongside her husband, she had become adept at handling affairs smoothly. Life in the Lü family was very comfortable for her.

“Little sister, you’ve returned! Where’s your husband?” Gu Chengyong had a good impression of this elder sister; unlike Madam Li, Xiulan wasn’t so sharp-tongued, and their sibling relationship was fairly harmonious.

“He can’t just leave. He’s busy at the tavern, handling everything; that’s why he didn’t come back this time,” Xiulan said with a smile.

Over there, Gu Xiuyun also spotted Gu Chengyong’s family and quickly brought her husband and children over to greet them. “Second brother, you’ve been back for so long and haven’t come to visit my place. Do you look down on your little sister?”

Compared to her elder sister, Xiuyun’s looks were somewhat less striking, but her personality was straightforward and frank, making her a genuinely good person.

Gu Xiuyun was twenty-four this year, married to Guan Zhengshan, living in the town. The Guan family was doing quite well, owning several carriages and horses used for transporting goods. Xiuyun had borne two sons and a daughter: the eldest, Guan Junyan, was six; the second, Guan Junwei, three; and the youngest, Guan Yonglian, just over a year old, whom Guan Zhengshan was holding.

Madam Li had married Gu Mingcheng and bore two sons and three daughters. The year after the birth of the eldest daughter, Xiulan, the old master and mistress of the Gu family had both passed away. Madam Li had her hands full with Chengxin and Xiulan, and also had to look after Chengzhong and the others. She was honestly very busy.

Life on the farm was busy every day, and Madam Li had some preference for sons over daughters, so initially, she didn’t pay much attention to her two daughters. While at home, the daughters did all kinds of household chores and got along well with Chengzhong and the others.

By the time Madam Li gave birth to Xiuli, Chengzhong’s wife had already joined the family, and Xiulan was about ten years old — old enough to handle all sorts of work. Madam Li then entrusted all household affairs to her daughters and lavished attention on the youngest daughter. At that time, Madam Li was older and cherished her children more, so compared to her two older sisters, Gu Xiuli enjoyed a much more comfortable life.

Both Xiulan and Xiuyun were very capable and attractive at home, and both married well. Only after the two daughters were betrothed did Madam Li start to value them more. Over the years, the two daughters frequently sent gifts home, and Madam Li also occasionally sent produce and other goods back to their households. Their mother-daughter relationship was quite good.

Both the Lü and Guan families were engaged in business, and under their husbands’ influence, Xiulan and Xiuyun had become very tactful and congenial. No matter whom they interacted with, they were always amiable, especially with their own brother — family reunions were all the warmer for it.

“Second brother, this is my second son, and that’s my little daughter. You hadn’t even met them on your last visit,” Xiuyun said, pointing to her children.

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Gu Chengyong smiled and nodded. “Good, these little ones look strong and lively—truly adorable. Xiulan, Xiuyun, you go inside and rest first. I’ll take Jiaoyan back to her room. She’s a bit unwell; the doctor said she needs to lie down and recuperate. I’ll come back later so we can have a proper talk, siblings together.”

Gu Chengyong held a little girl in his arms, whose face bore injuries. How could Xiulan and Xiuyun not notice? They quickly nodded. “Second brother, please take your eldest niece back soon. How did she get hurt like this?” Xiuyun asked anxiously.

Gu Chengyong said nothing and carried his daughter back to their residence. Madam Feng followed them, and after the couple settled Jiaoyan, Madam Feng opened a box and took out some small toys and trinkets to give to the child.

With the young aunt back, and several little nephews and nieces she had never met, it wouldn’t do to give nothing at all. Fortunately, Jiaoyan had many things for children; Madam Feng selected some and added a few more, wrapping them up carefully.

“Jiaoyan, you rest here. Your father and mother will go talk with your eldest and second aunt. Be careful and don’t move around much, okay?” Madam Feng admonished gently.

“Mother, I’ll stay here with Jiaoyan. You all go ahead,” Wen Tao said. As the Gu family’s adopted son, he preferred not to get involved in this occasion. It was better to stay and watch over Jiaoyan, so she wouldn’t be alone if she needed water or had to get up.

Gu Chengyong and his wife exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement. “Good, with you here, we feel more at ease.”

Thus, Gu Chengyong and his wife took their four sons to the east courtyard, leaving Wen Tao to stay with Jiaoyan. Wen Tao looked at Jiaoyan lying on the kang and frowned with concern. “Stay away from that Qin fellow. If he can’t even protect you, what a fool,” Wen Tao muttered.

Jiaoyan rolled her eyes at this. Wen Tao and Shaoyuan seemed like sworn enemies from a past life, always quarreling when they met. It was truly exasperating. “Brother Wen Tao, don’t say that. Brother Shaoyuan was injured too. If he hadn’t protected me, I’d have been hurt even worse.” Back then, Shaoyuan had held Jiaoyan in his arms, and aside from the slap, she hadn’t been further harmed. It was Shaoyuan who had been beaten badly, covered in bruises.

Wen Tao sneered, “You say that, but wasn’t this all caused by him? The Jiang family was keeping an eye on Aunt Miao, and that Jiang fellow deliberately caused trouble. You followed Qin Shaoyuan around and got dragged into it. Today, Aunt Miao embarrassed the Jiang family publicly; that Jiang fellow will surely cause more trouble. You’d better stay away from Qin Shaoyuan, or you’ll get into trouble again.”

Jiaoyan was speechless. Wen Tao’s words might have some truth, but she wouldn’t distance herself from Shaoyuan because of that. “Second brother, I have many brothers. With you all protecting me, who would dare bully me again?”

Wen Tao shot Jiaoyan a glare, fully aware of what she was thinking. “If you don’t heed good advice, you’ll suffer losses. It’s pointless to be stubborn; you’ll pay for it later.”

Jiaoyan smiled. “Alright, second brother, I know you worry about me. I’ll be more careful, okay? I want to sleep now.” She felt her eyelids grow heavy and closed her eyes to rest.

“Sleep then. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat,” Wen Tao said reluctantly. He found a thin quilt to cover Jiaoyan and stayed by her side, watching her fall asleep.

Meanwhile, in the Gu family’s east courtyard main room, the atmosphere was warm and cheerful. Madam Feng had brought out many novel trinkets, giving them to the children of Xiulan and Xiuyun. She also gifted cloth remnants and other items to Xiulan and Xiuyun, and presented Lü Xingde with a set of scholar’s stationery.

Madam Li watched nearby, quite pleased. Compared to the last time gifts were given to the Zhang family, Madam Feng had been much more generous this time. Madam Li felt that Madam Feng had handled things well and brought honor to her, so she looked much more pleased.

It was already noon. Madam Li hurriedly told the daughters-in-law to prepare the meal. “Eldest daughter-in-law, you all get to work on the cooking. Our visiting aunts have come home rare this time, and there’s plenty of delicious food here. Let’s make it lively for lunch,” she said with a smile.

Today was a festival, and with the visiting aunts leading their husbands and children home, a warm reception was naturally called for. After breakfast, Madam Li had already ordered all sorts of good ingredients to be prepared, with stews already simmering. Now, it was just a matter of seasoning before serving.

The Wu family women didn’t bother with their usual cooking shifts today; everyone busied themselves together in the kitchen. Soon, the dishes were ready. Today was a family reunion, so Gu Chengyong’s entire family would eat here. Madam Feng, mindful of Jiaoyan and Wen Tao, separately packed some dishes and sent them back to the west courtyard.

In the east house, tables were set on both the kang and the floor. At the head of the kang sat the Gu family patriarch with his sons and sons-in-law; at the foot of the kang sat Madam Li with her three daughters, along with the children of the Lü and Guan families. The two tables on the floor were for the Wu family daughters-in-law and children like Wensheng and Wenxiu.

“Today is a festival and a good day for Xiulan and Xiuyun to be home. Zhengshan rarely visits us; you brothers should drink well with him. Zhengshan, we don’t have many delicacies here in the countryside, but there’s plenty of wild game on the table, all brought back by your second brother from the mountains yesterday. Come, try it and see how your sisters-in-law’s cooking is,” the old master said, clearly very happy, urging his son-in-law to eat more.

“Father-in-law, you don’t need to keep putting food on my plate. I can eat by myself,” Guan Zhengshan said, holding his bowl piled high with meat dishes. He just nodded and ate quickly.

With all five Gu brothers present, Gu Chengren was also very happy and kept toasting his brother-in-law. Guan Zhengshan was a good drinker and not shy at all; he toasted back with the Gu brothers, drinking heartily. He was very polite to Gu Chengyong and often asked about his experiences over the past few years, to which Gu Chengyong answered one by one, sharing amusing stories that made everyone laugh.