Chapter 207: Chapter 208: Return to the Village

Ancient Wen Heng shook his head. "Why don’t you go back and talk to the dean now? You could say you’re helping your family through a tough time, so it’s not like you’d be completely falling behind on your studies."

Deng Yuanhang shot him a look. "No way, I’m not looking to get an earful. The dean might seem all smiles, but if he finds out I can’t get my priorities straight, he’ll definitely hold it against me."

Ancient Wen Heng, "..." ’So you did it on purpose, knowing full well it was wrong?’

"Wenheng, your senior brother here... how have I always treated you?" Deng Yuanhang said, walking over and trying to sling an arm around his shoulder, only for Ancient Wen Heng to easily dodge him.

"If you have something to say, just say it. No need to get physical."

"I know Wenheng always makes notes in his books," Deng Yuanhang said, winking and waggling his eyebrows. "You get me."

Ancient Wen Heng sighed. "Fine, come home with me first. But remember to return them when you’re finished."

"But of course," Deng Yuanhang’s face instantly broke into a wide smile. "See? This senior brother’s kindness hasn’t been in vain. If you ever need anything in the future, just say the word. I’d go through hell and high water for you."

Ancient Wen Heng, "..." ’That sounds vaguely familiar.’

"Well, well, if it isn’t the master’s star pupils, back already," Li Hesen said, blocking their path with a grim face. "What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? Or are you too important now to recognize me?"

Ancient Wen Heng greeted him, "Senior Brother Li," but Deng Yuanhang immediately stepped in front of him. "What? Don’t you recognize *me* as your senior brother either?"

"I wouldn’t dare. You’re both Scholars now. How could a humble child student like myself presume to call you ’brother’?" Li Hesen glanced at the academy behind them, then turned and left.

"What was that all about?" Deng Yuanhang was stunned. ’I hadn’t even had a chance to retaliate, so why did he take off like that?’

Ancient Wen Heng patted his shoulder, walked past him, and headed off.

"Hey, and what’s *that* supposed to mean?"

"..."

* * *

Ancient Wen Heng led the donkey cart, which was piled so high with goods on one side that only a small corner was left for Jin Qianqian to sit. Qing Mei and Qingzhu, the two maids they had brought with them this time, walked alongside, curiously observing the scenery on their journey.

They would have preferred to bring the horse-drawn carriage, but the roads in this area didn’t permit it. With the width of its cabin, it simply couldn’t squeeze through these narrow country lanes.

Song Xiuyang clung to Gu Lejia’s arm with one hand, trying her best not to fall behind, all the while asking incessantly, "How are we still not there? We’ve been walking for nearly half a day!"

"How am I supposed to know?" Gu Lejia had never been here before either, but his heart was fluttering with excitement. He was about to see his parents and brothers again, and to him, a walk of this length was nothing at all.

"But I can hardly walk anymore," Song Xiuyang complained, feeling sharp pains throbbing in the soles of her feet. "Why did we have to bring so much? Couldn’t they have cleared some space for me? Go on, go talk to your aunt. My feet hurt so much I can’t go on."

’Since when do elders give way to their juniors?’ Gu Lejia thought. Even he wasn’t dense enough to think that asking would get him what he wanted. ’Why would I go looking for a scolding?’

"Then just how many elders does your family have?" Song Xiuyang asked through gritted teeth.

"Haven’t I told you before?" Gu Lejia replied absently, his gaze fixed on the houses in the distance. "Besides all the uncles and aunts in the immediate family, there are the clan elders too."

"Seventh Uncle, are we almost there?" Gu Lejia asked, dragging Xiuxiang along as he broke into a short jog to catch up.

"Almost," Ancient Wen Heng replied, pointing to the village ahead. "These are all villages built by people who fled the calamities with us. We just have to go a little farther. The next village is ours."

Seeing the rows of thatched huts, with only a few brick-and-tile houses built among them, a chill went through Song Xiuyang’s heart. ’What good are houses like these? What could they possibly protect you from?’

Gu Lejia, however, saw nothing unusual about it. After all, back in their old hometown, most of the houses had also been thatched huts like these.

"We’re just ahead," Ancient Wen Heng’s words were like music to his ears. Gu Lejia immediately gazed into the distance and quickly discovered that the houses here seemed even better constructed than those in the last village.

The moment they reached the village entrance, Ancient Wen Heng stopped the donkey cart. "This is my house. Wait here a minute, I’ll put my things inside, and then I’ll take you to your home."

Gu Lejia sized up the brick-and-tile house before him, his heart filling with even greater anticipation for his own family’s home. Peering down the lane from the entrance, it looked as though every house was quite well-built.

Song Xiuyang also let out a sigh of relief. ’Thank goodness. This village looks a little more prosperous than the previous ones.’

Jin Qianqian stood at the entrance, gazing at the stretch of fields and the fishpond before her. The rice seedlings in the paddies were already thirty to forty centimeters high. They must have been planted by the clan members, and from the looks of it, they were being diligently tended to.

Then again, it made sense. Aside from everyone’s personal plots, this land was a crucial source of income for the clan’s future expenses. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"These crops are growing so well," Qing Mei, who came from a rural village herself, remarked as she looked at the vast paddy fields with envy. ’If my family had land like this, would they still have sold me to raise money for my brothers’ betrothal gifts?’

Jin Qianqian pointed to the few plots of land in front of them. "Those belong to us, but for now, we’re letting the clan cultivate them."

Just then, Ancient Wen Heng opened the main gate. Jin Qianqian, Qing Mei, and Qingzhu helped guide the donkey cart into the yard.

They took out the gifts prepared for Gu Lejia’s parents and set them in a pile, then told Gu Lejia to gather his and his wife’s baggage.

In reality, apart from a set of bedding and a few changes of clothes that Ancient Wen Heng had prepared for him, Gu Lejia had come back virtually empty-handed.

Xiuxiang had even less—just a small bundle in her hands containing a single change of clothes. Their belongings were as meager as could be.

Looking at what little he held, Gu Lejia felt a bitter taste in his mouth. ’So all my hard work was for nothing? All I got out of it was a wife?’

’No, that’s not right. I also owe Seventh Uncle a mountain of debt.’ At this thought, Gu Lejia began to worry about how his parents would react. ’They probably won’t welcome a son like me back, will they?’

"Who’s in there?" Gu Mingqiu asked, peeking his head inside. "Aunt Dashi, is that you?"

Everyone in the village knew that most of the time, Li Cuicui was the one who came to clean the yard.

"It’s me," Ancient Wen Heng said as he walked out of the house. "Mingqiu, come on in and have a seat."

"Oh, so it’s you, you’re back! You were gone for quite a while this time. You didn’t even return for the New Year festival."

Ancient Wen Heng smiled. "This trip took me pretty far. What brings you over here? Are you on your way out of the village?"

"Nah. You let the clan farm this land, didn’t you? So we’re all taking turns looking after it. It just so happens to be my family’s turn for the next few days, so I came to check on the water. You haven’t been to see your parents yet?"

Seeing the look of utter sympathy in Gu Mingqiu’s eyes, Ancient Wen Heng could guess what was happening. ’The old man must be stirring up some new kind of trouble again.’

He just smiled. "I just got back. I’ll head over after I’ve tidied up a bit."

"Is that your eldest brother’s boy?" Gu Mingqiu’s eyes suddenly widened as he spotted Gu Lejia emerging from the backyard. "Is this the oldest one, or the third?"

After all, the three brothers looked somewhat alike, and after not seeing them for so long, Gu Mingqiu couldn’t quite tell them apart.