After He Qingzao had visited, Xie Yan prepared to return to his hometown.
His official term had a set limit; he could not wait to go back with Lu Yang. He would first return home to prepare for the ancestral rites and rearrange the household. Once Lu Yang had fully recovered, they would meet again in the county.
Luo Dayong accompanied Xie Yan back home. Almost simultaneously, Lu Liu received a letter from the mountain stronghold.
The letter was from Yao Fulang. The honey workshop business was thriving, and they were being pestered by Li Feng as usual. Arrangements at home had been made: after this year’s wheat harvest, the entire family would move to the provincial city. He looked forward to seeing Lu Liu again and hoped they could be neighbors once more.
This news delighted Lu Liu for a long time. A short letter, read over and over, prompted him to sit down and write a reply. In it, he detailed the daily happenings of Sanshui Alley and described what life in the provincial city would entail.
Life in the provincial city was different from the stronghold—full of new activities: studying, managing shops, buying groceries, strolling the streets, listening to lectures. Yet there were also familiar routines: meals, cleaning, child- and pet-care.
He also wrote about the new farmland he had acquired: fifteen acres in total, five of inferior quality and ten of good quality.
Though modest in number, it was sufficient for his family. He hired two tenant families, both with many children and insufficient labor. Some said he acted out of kindness without considering practicality, but he had thought it through.
The good land would be farmed for annual grain, with a portion given to the tenants and the rest kept, enough for daily consumption.
On the inferior land, he built a few animal pens and dug a fish pond. The pond was the most costly; otherwise, he could have purchased more good land to fully cover food and drink.
On his estate, he constructed chicken coops, raised rabbits, stocked the pond with fingerlings, and kept ducklings. Pigs would wait until the tenants’ families could manage them.
Lu Liu wrote in the letter: “Five acres may seem small, tiring to cultivate, yielding little. I’ve sectioned the inferior fields, leaving large open areas in front of the pens so chickens and rabbits can roam, which is ideal for raising them. The rest, aside from the pond, is for riding horses.”
He eagerly anticipated Yao Fulang and Daqiang moving to the city. Then Daqiang could enjoy riding and archery at the estate with Li Feng, having fun to his heart’s content.
He could also learn and accompany Li Feng for leisure, though teaching could be tedious; occasionally playing was enough. When he learned to ride and shoot well, it might be too slow.
Before Daqiang arrived in the city, he went riding with Li Fei and Li Feng.
After finishing the letter, Lu Liu picked a day to take Li Feng to inspect the small estate.
The property was small but planned with future expansion in mind, located among areas with many poor-quality fields.
Li Feng only knew his family had acquired farmland; upon arrival, he realized the scale and quality.
There was enough open space for horse riding, with the official road nearby if needed. A green wheat field awaited harvest, promising joy and abundance.
Animal pens dotted the landscape, and a mill he had long desired had been installed. What had been forsaken before had returned in better form.
Li Feng mounted a horse with Lu Liu, and they rode through the estate. Faster than walking, it made the small estate feel even more intimate.
Lu Liu leaned against him, relaxed and at ease, unafraid of falling or bumps. Er Huang and Wei Feng ran alongside, barking, a blur of speed under the sun, their coats gleaming.
Lu Liu turned to Li Feng: “I see other estates have names. What shall we call ours?”
Li Feng said, “Call it the Great Liu Estate.”
Lu Liu laughed uproariously, feeling the wind fill his lungs.
He had grown from Little Liu to Great Liu—and now he even had an estate!
They would need to transplant more willow trees on the property, an easy task for Li Feng to handle.
Time passed, and after Lu Yang’s confinement period ended, he handed a notice to Hong Chu, intending to visit him.
At that moment, Hong Chu was in his father’s study.
He had not entered this study since last year.
His father had grown older, leaning back in his chair, yet smiling with relief and satisfaction.
A desk separated father and son, atop it lay the family genealogy, opened to Hong Chu’s page. Ink and brushes were ready.
In the past six months, Hong Chu had handled many major affairs: hundreds of personnel were managed, and the interests of relatives and elders were impacted. The shops and workshops under his control exceeded even those still accounted for in the Hong family.
Yet he had come close to failure—these people would not give him another chance.
His father spoke gently, eyes fixed on him:
“You’ve been stubborn since childhood—unafraid of scolding or beating. Many times we pulled you back to the rear courtyard, yet you ran to the front, studying with other boys. Among the clan’s youths, none matched you. Over the years, you’ve distinguished yourself. Every business that fell to you, you handled clearly. Many ignored it; a few felt uneasy.
“At fifteen, some approached me to arrange a marriage, trying to secure a bride early. The more I resisted, the harder they pushed. By nineteen, they no longer hid it. You remained steady, completing the imperial merchants’ orders flawlessly.”
Hong Chu kept his gaze fixed on his name in the genealogy.
His father continued: “I let you manage household affairs for only two years. The stewards and clerks say you are capable and kindhearted. Merchants familiar with me say our family’s style no longer resembles the ‘Hong family gang.’ When asked which Hong they prefer for business, they choose the current one.
“Business cannot be conducted like outlaws, lives and property at constant risk. Acting otherwise would invite bloodthirsty rivals, endangering the entire Hong family. That year, you were twelve. I bore the pressure, keeping you in the front hall to learn commerce.”
Hong Chu reached for a brush and struck through his name.
His father, now stooped with age, stood and said: “We have tried relying on the ‘Hong’ name, but we cannot surpass the clan. They are powerful; the Hong family would not last. Take the fortune you’ve earned. I’ll select some juniors to go with you. You are the last tail of the Hong family; if the family is destroyed, you are the root.”
He took Hong Chu’s brush and struck through many names in the genealogy.
This struggle left both sides wounded.
Hong Chu remained silent for a long time, then asked, “Where should I go?”
His father said, “Go see the world. In the provincial city, the Hong family is vast. Leave the city, and the Hong family is nothing.”
Hong Chu showed no fear before him, acting calm, as if on ordinary duty. After asking, he left.
Outside, many awaited. Seeing his composed demeanor, they relaxed.
Hong Chu said, “Go home, pack your things, and follow me south. We’ll embark on a major business venture.”
Though hesitant, they met his gaze and agreed.
Xiao Si delivered a ceremonial card. Hong Chu opened it, then returned to his room to fetch his guqin before visiting Lu Yang.
From then on, one would head south, the other north, making reunion difficult.
He gifted the guqin to Lu Yang as a keepsake.
Walking out, Hong Chu perspired from the exertion.
Sitting for only a short while, he was drenched in sweat.
Yet he felt relief. Since taking over the family business, this was the first time he could step out without constant vigilance.
Lu Yang asked where he intended to go. Hong Chu hadn’t decided.
“I’ve only been north before. This time, I want to explore south. I’ve read much, yet traveled little. Rare freedom—seeing the world, observing business opportunities. I might return north eventually; I know the merchants here, the local authorities. Perhaps someday, I’ll go to the capital. I’ll write to you once I reach a place.”
