At the suggestion of his sister-in-law, he met with his parents and brother before they left.
After learning the truth, he wanted to formally apologize, but he didn't know how to say it yet, so his father spoke first.
"……How are you?"
Shui Qiancheng nodded silently, and his mother smiled with concern.
"You should have heard that Ah Xiao plans to marry Shuying. After autumn, Shuying will marry into our family.
"Congratulations……"
Hearing his nervous voice, Ah Xiao laughed.
"We will have a wedding during the Hungry Ghost Festival, will you come too?"
"..."
Shui Qiancheng shook his head.
"In autumn... I should no longer be here."
"ah?"
"I plan to leave...leave the village."
Father and mother looked at each other, and the elder brother frowned in surprise.
Shui Qiancheng hurriedly added: "Of course, I must obtain your consent first."
"...Where do you plan to leave the village?"
"I don't know, but I have to get out of here."
If you continue to stay in the village, you may be dependent on others for the rest of your life.
I can't continue like this... I can't just sit back and watch this happen.
"……Yeah?"
My father said this quietly and breathed out softly.
That evening, his brother came to see him again.
"The Emperor left a letter for you."
"……letter?"
The mailbox his brother gave him was a bit heavy.
"We didn't read what was written in it. When you came back, the emperor gave it to my father and kept it at home."
"So...this was written last year?"
"The Emperor has told me that I will give you this letter when you start thinking about your future... Now that you have decided to leave the village, it should be time."
After his brother completed his mission, he was about to leave when Shui Qiancheng stopped him.
"What?"
"I'm sorry...thank you."
"..."
"Please help me tell everyone."
Ah Xiao looked at Shui Qiancheng's face, and then narrowed his eyes.
"You finally look like a human being."
"..."
"I am leaving."
Ah Xiao walked out and started on his way home, his relaxed attitude as if they would meet again tomorrow.
Shui Qiancheng watched his back and admired the village under the setting sun.
The gentle wind, the smell of earth and grass...
"goodbye……"
My family, my hometown... I never realized that they were so important to me before I lost them.
The emperor's letter mentioned his encounter with his sister, his attitude towards the throne, and suggested that Shui Qiancheng should be independent. He also said that leaving the familiar land even for a short period of time would be the best punishment.
It turned out that the emperor had long known that he planned to leave the village one day.
There were a lot of travel expenses and maps in the mailbox. Shui Qiancheng couldn't help but laugh.
...that guy is really annoying...
In this way, that guy proved that I was no match for him, and it made me realize once again how stupid I was.
However, I will embark on a journey...
Go to a place where no one knows you.
The next day, before dawn, Shui Qiancheng was ready to hit the road, and his sister-in-law was the only one to see him off.
"This is too sudden. Why don't you go home and take a look?"
"I'm leaving directly."
"I'll wake Shuying up."
"No."
Shui Qiancheng smiled and shook his head.
Yesterday, he asked Shuying to give him more than a dozen books. Although it was heavy to carry around, he planned to continue reading... even if there was no use for them anymore.
"Thank you for taking care of me during these days. Please take care of me."
"...Where are you going?"
"have no idea."
He has no goals...because he has always lived here and been protected by his family.
The sister-in-law looked away, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.
"Listen to me, there is a place called Huangshan Village in Chenzhou..."
"yes."
"That's my hometown. If my mother is still alive, she should still live there... But after I left, I never wrote a letter home. Because no one in the village can read..."
"..."
Shui Qiancheng straightened his body and asked with a smile: "What kind of place is that?"
"The winter is very cold and the snow is very thick..."
"I'm afraid of heat, but not cold."
Shui Qiancheng picked up his luggage and stood up.
"I am leaving."
He is ready to set off.
Go to a place where you can rely on no one.
Go to a place where someone might need you...
Soon after, my sister-in-law received a letter from Shui Qiancheng, saying that he had arrived in Huangshan Village in Chenzhou.
Four years later, my sister-in-law received another notification of her mother's death. After that, there was no news. Shui Qiancheng never returned to Sanhu Village.
More than thirty years later, in the annual examination, young people from Huangshan Village in Chenzhou topped the list for three consecutive years.
None of the three of them had attended a private school in the capital or the capital, and everyone wanted to know where they studied.
These young people from Huangshan Village all said that they were students of Teacher Shui from their hometown.
…
Zhuge Qing doesn't like holidays very much.
It's not because he loves work...it's just that on rare holidays, he is restless at home.
"Madam, the cloth for the servant has been delivered!"
"For daily use? Or for occasions?"
"Uh...it's made of satin."
"That's for the occasion! Take it to the tailor right away! ... Ah, remember to tell them not to get the color wrong! If you need a look, go get it from the old lady!"
"As you command!"
"Madam, the Liu family sent someone..."
"Which Liu family sent someone here? If it's the Liu family from the Ministry of Revenue, ask him to wait a moment. If it's the Liu family, drive him away!"
"Madam, I have something to ask you..."
…Why is she always so busy when I’m on vacation?
Zhuge Qing opened the door to the room and poked his head out into the corridor. He saw the maids and servants walking around busily, constantly calling: "Madam, madam."
Not long ago, when someone called me "ma'am", my mother would always answer. Now when I hear someone call me "ma'am," it's Qing'er who turns around.
Zhuge Qing also knew that the reason why his family was so busy was because of his big business.
The Zhuge family has a high status among the nobility, and the house is very large. There are also many young guests staying in the house. The hostess of the Zhuge family must handle household chores and take care of the single officials who stay in the house.
Qing'er is really busy all day long.
Mother always sits and gives orders, but Qing'er always takes the lead and handles chores with the maid.
"Mr. Yuan will be sent to deal with this matter today. All he needs to do is tell him before evening. Send these letters to the study. When the master comes back, tell him that he has these letters. Then..."
Zhuge Qing leaned against the door and stared blankly at Qing'er holding many things in her hands and walking busily down the corridor to hand over the work to the maid.
It has been two months since Qing'er married into the Zhuge family. Zhuge Qing knew that she was working hard to learn to be a hostess, but couldn't she spend more time with her husband during the holidays? Zhuge Qing couldn't help but think so.
Doesn’t everyone say that the wedding period is the sweetest?
...They are happy and carefree now...
He couldn't help but think so.
"They" refer to the emperor and queen of Chunying Palace.
Although they had their troubles, judging from the way the emperor was smiling from ear to ear all day long, it was at least impossible for him to be without his wife's company during the holidays.
Zhuge Qing sighed, and Qing'er, who was very busy, happened to walk over and stopped.
"...What are you doing standing here?"
"It's okay...are you busy?"
"Don't you know it after seeing it? If you're fine, just go to your room and rest. Wandering around will be a hindrance."
"good……"
Not only was he unable to be accompanied by his wife, but he was also scolded and hindered. It really made me want to cry without tears.
"Do you need my help?"
He asked Qing'er's back, who was holding a lot of things. Qing'er turned around, tilted her head and said: "...You have a day off today, you can have a good rest!"
"I'm tired of taking vacations."
"You are so blessed that you don't know how blessed you are."
Qing'er came back, took out a stack of letters and handed them to him.
"This is the letter I sent to my father today. Can you read it and separate the ones that need a reply and those that don't? Although I think there shouldn't be any important content."
"Anyone who needs a reply?"
"Go and give it to mother."
"good……"
"Please, ah, you can go have lunch first."
Someone in the distance of the corridor called "Madam, Madam" again, and Qing'er hurriedly ran over.
"Those who need a reply and those who don't need a reply...?"
When he returned to his room and sorted the letters at his desk, he found that there were nearly twenty letters in total, all of which were addressed to his father, Zhuge Ciyun. However, he had no idea before that his family received so many letters every day.
"What are you doing..."
These letters are almost all written by nobles and relatives, and there is little communication between them.
He opened one of them and scanned it briefly.
"..."
Zhuge Qing immediately opened the second letter, and then one after another... After reading the last letter, he excitedly kicked off his chair and stood up. He grabbed the letters scattered on the table and crumpled them into a ball.
Zhuge Qing clenched the crumpled letter with both hands, opened the door roughly, and appeared in the corridor angrily. The servants passing by looked back at him curiously.
"Mom, what are these letters about?"
Zhuge Qing rushed into his mother's room, held the letter's fist and stretched it out in front of his mother.
"Your expression is really ugly. What happened?"
"Qing'er was very busy, so I helped her read the letters. She asked me to give you the letters that needed replying, but I felt that every letter was garbage."
"Those are just rubbish." Mother tilted her head slowly and said, "You don't even have to look at it to know that it's just that you want his daughter to be your second wife, or to take care of you when you get promoted in the fall. Just take it.
Just burn it for the servants. I was preparing to have lunch, and you came just in time."
"oh……"
His mother's answer was too simple, which made Zhuge Qing feel a little discouraged.
"...Do you often receive letters like this?"
"In the past, my relatives asked me to take care of them when I was promoted."
"Don't we have almost no contact with our relatives...?"
Zhuge Qing's father, Zhuge Ciyun, was the adopted son of the Zhuge family. His adoptive father had no children. Many relatives hoped that their children could inherit the powerful Zhuge family. However, the old man decided to adopt Zhuge Ciyun, who was not related by blood, as his adopted son. Zhuge Ci
Yun also married a family concubine who was not related by blood to the Zhuge family. Therefore, the current Zhuge family and the previous relatives only have a nominal relationship and rarely interact with each other.
After Zhuge Ciyun rose to prominence, every year during the personnel transfer season, letters seeking friendship would fly in like snowflakes.
"It's just about making excuses for promotion. What else is there about marrying the second wife? Isn't Qing'er usually responsible for sorting out these letters?"
"Even if she deliberately doesn't let her see the letters, visitors will still come to her door."
"..."
Zhuge Qing was not surprised... When he was in the palace, many people still came into the palace with flattering faces, hoping that the emperor would accept a concubine. It would not be surprising even if someone came to the house to talk about this.
"So, I gave these letters to Qing'er and told her to tear them up and burn them."
"Yeah……?"
Zhuge Qing feels more and more powerless... It turns out that he will make many new discoveries at home during the day.
"Qing'er is so busy, Mom, you seem to be very free!"
"I'm not idle either!"
Mother, who was writing, waved the brush in her hand to Zhuge Qing.
"Qing'er is so busy because she still can't figure it out. After a while, she will know how to be lazy, and now she takes everything on herself."
"...Don't you teach her the ropes?"
"This kind of thing requires personal experience."
Besides...the mother looked at Zhuge Qing and raised her eyebrows.
"As long as there are no boring guests coming and no more boring letters, Qing'er will feel much more relaxed."
"Then kick out all those boring guests..."
"Yes! This is what I am doing."
The mother rang the bell on the table, and soon the maid came in.
"Have the Liu family and others left already?"
"Although I have rejected them, they are still waiting at the door. What should I do?"
"I really don't want to give up...bring me some water."
"As commanded."
The maid immediately went out, and the mother also stood up.
"It's my turn to step forward, I'll handle it."
"Why do you need water?"
"Splash them with water! Splash their heads. Splash them twice in a row and they won't come back."
"Mom, you have worked really hard..."
Lunch was already prepared in the room, but Zhuge Qing did not move his chopsticks and used the stove to boil water.
After he took the letter to the kitchen and burned it, he asked the maid who happened to be passing by where Qing'er was. The maid replied that Qing'er was almost finished.
So, he planned to make tea and wait for Qing'er to come back.
"...What should I do? Do I want to soak it for a while?"
Zhuge Qing said to himself, and his posture of pouring tea was also very awkward, because he was just following others and had never made tea by himself.
After finally pouring a cup of tea for Qing'er and himself, he felt that the color of the tea seemed to be particularly dark, but he could smell the aroma of the tea, so it should be fine, right?
"Ah...I'm so tired..."
Qing'er rubbed her shoulders and returned to the room, looking at Zhuge Qing with the teapot and the untouched lunch in surprise.
"Have you not eaten yet?"
"You haven't eaten yet..."
"Yeah...what's wrong with this tea? If you want to drink it, ask someone to make it..."
"No... I just thought you might want to drink..."
"No? Can you make tea for me?"
Qing'er's face was full of astonishment, which was no wonder, because Zhuge Qing had never made tea by himself.