Over all these many years, Fújī Lane was still one of the best-located residential lanes in the county.
Over the decades, quite a few new residences had been built in the lane. Aside from the lane having become somewhat longer, the overall layout and furnishings had not changed much.
Because of this, the moment Dù Héng and Qín Xiǎomǎn stepped into the lane, a familiar feeling rushed toward them. The long alley paved with bluestone, the dark-tiled roofs and white walls—one could almost hear the little ones, who had once been not even as tall as their waists, happily running through the lane.
The carriage arrived in front of the Qín family residence. It was currently summertime in the afternoon. The lane was quiet, and one of the two main doors of the residence was open, just enough to reveal the screen wall blocking the courtyard.
There was no servant guarding the gate at this hour.
Dù Héng lifted the hem of his robe and walked lightly toward the gatehouse.
The afternoon sunlight was blazing. The shadow beneath the eaves had been almost forced back into the doorway by the high sun overhead. The gatekeeper, who had just eaten lunch, had been steamed drowsy by the cloudless sky.
At this moment, he was sitting by the window of the gatehouse. Although his body faced the outer gate, his eyes were closed, and the head supported by his hand had already bobbed up and down several times.
In a moment of carelessness, he fell into a deep sleep, stumbled, and nearly toppled to the ground. He slowly opened his eyes, but the drowsiness was still thick.
The young servant was just preparing to doze off again when he suddenly saw that someone had unknowingly appeared standing before the gatehouse, giving him such a fright that he shuddered.
Once he saw clearly who had come, he hurriedly stood up and instinctively wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth.
“Master… Master, you’ve returned!”
“You recognize me?”
The boy, only fifteen or sixteen years old, hurriedly nodded. “My father showed this servant portraits of Master before. There are also portraits of Master and Madam in the residence. This servant sees them often, so he recognizes you.”
When Qín Xiǎomǎn heard Dù Héng speaking with someone in front of the gatehouse, he ignored the blazing sunlight pouring down and ran up the steps to join them.
Seeing the person in the gatehouse, although he had never seen this youthful face before, he immediately guessed who he was.
“You’re Dàzhuàng’s boy, aren’t you? His second or third son?”
The youth shyly scratched the back of his head. “Replying to Madam, this servant is the seventh.”
Qín Xiǎomǎn widened his eyes. “The seventh?!”
Dàzhuàng had been among the first batch of servants Dù Héng brought into the household when he passed the xiùcái examination. Originally, he had been a long-term farmhand taken in from a tenant farmer’s household to help with farming and other work. Later, after Dù Héng passed the provincial examination and the family estate grew larger, they needed reliable people to manage the household, so Dàzhuàng was transferred to become a household servant.
Dàzhuàng was clever, steady, and capable, and the two of them trusted him greatly. Later, when he reached the age to marry and have children, Dù Héng had intended to release his contract so that he could live his own life. However, Dàzhuàng was loyal and willing to continue following the Qín family.
Dù Héng could not bear to disappoint his good intentions, so he let him make his own decision. Later, Dàzhuàng married another household servant in the Qín family and had children. His children, being born into the household, also worked in the Qín residence.
All these years, he had been managing all the businesses and properties of the Qín family’s old residence.
Qín Xiǎomǎn remembered that Dàzhuàng’s family had originally had three children. In the blink of an eye, they actually had seven. But when he calculated it, it really had been many years ago.
Back then, he often followed Dù Héng in reading the letters sent from their old home. There were letters from relatives and servants alike. Later, after he had grandchildren and grandnieces and nephews to worry about, there was never an end to his concerns, and he gradually read fewer letters from home.
But seeing the descendants of old acquaintances now, he could not help sighing that time truly passed in haste.
“You brat! How much sleep can you possibly be lacking at night that you’re still dozing during the day? How can you get any work done!”
Hearing the commotion outside, several people hurried out of the residence. They were all servants of the Qín family, and the one leading them was none other than Dàzhuàng.
The tall and sturdy youth who had once rarely spoken was now a middle-aged man with loose skin and drooping eye bags.
Upon seeing Dù Héng and Qín Xiǎomǎn, he hurriedly led everyone in paying their respects. He had received word earlier that Dù Héng and Qín Xiǎomǎn were returning to the residence, so he had taken people to carefully clean every corner of the house and repeatedly instructed everyone to work properly. Unexpectedly, his own son had behaved like this, and he could not help scolding him.
The youth was only fifteen or sixteen. Although Dàzhuàng was six or seven years younger than Dù Héng, judging by the child’s age, he was probably the youngest child Dàzhuàng had fathered late in life.
Though they were servants, they were still human. Who did not love their own children?
Dù Héng stopped Dàzhuàng. “All right. This is precisely the time for an afternoon nap. Who doesn’t doze off at the gatehouse? The child is still young, so naturally he needs more sleep. It’s not a major matter. There’s no need to scold him too much.”
Hearing this, Dàzhuàng finally stopped reprimanding him. He said to the youth, “Why aren’t you going to tell the kitchen people to boil some water for Master to wash away the dust of his journey?”
“Hey!”
Dàzhuàng looked at the two masters, unable to hide his excitement, and hurriedly led them inside. “Master, Madam, the weather is hot. Hurry and enter the residence.”
The servants pulled both doors open. Dù Héng took Qín Xiǎomǎn through the screen wall and into the courtyard. The first thing they saw was a peach tree in the courtyard, its branches and leaves luxuriant, already bearing large peaches.
Qín Xiǎomǎn walked forward casually. Looking at the courtyard full of life, he could not help smiling. “I remember this peach tree was planted by Chéngyì and Yúnduó in the courtyard when you were taking the metropolitan examination. That little brat Yúnduó even said it was a famous variety brought back from somewhere outside. I thought he was just fooling Chéngyì. Now it’s grown this tall and is bearing so many fruits. Looks like it really was a famous variety.”
Dù Héng remembered it as well.
When he returned from the metropolitan examination, the two little brats, Chéngyì and Yúnduó, had been in the courtyard. One held a small hoe to dig a hole and loosen the soil to plant the peach tree, while the other carried a small bucket of water to water the sapling.
Now, returning to the old residence, if not for the flowers and fruit trees having grown into towering trees that provided shade, one might truly have felt that time had never changed and that everything had happened only yesterday.
Back in the main room where the two of them had lived in those years, none of the furnishings had been moved or changed. The servants had cleaned the room until not a speck of dust remained.
When the drawer before the dressing table was pulled open, the combs the couple had once used still lay quietly inside, along with wooden and jade hairpins, hair ribbons, and other items.
It was as though the two of them had merely stepped out of the courtyard and had now returned home.
There was naturally some emotion, but in such a familiar old home, the two of them soon became accustomed to this life once again.
The next morning, Dù Héng and Qín Xiǎomǎn sent servants to the market early to buy fresh vegetables and meat. They also hired two cooks and several kitchen helpers from outside.
It was not troublesome at all. After all, the family itself had such businesses.
Now that the couple had returned, the relatives naturally had to gather properly. In the past, there had not been many relatives who regularly visited the Qín family—only about two tables’ worth of people. Now it was different. One family alone needed two tables to fit everyone.
First there was Second Uncle Qín Xióng’s family. Originally, there had been Second Uncle, Lǐ Wǎnjú, and their three children, Qín Wěi, Qín Àn, and Qín Xiǎozhú—a total of five people.
Later, the three children gradually married, and with their sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, the number immediately became eight.
Over the years, they had also had grandchildren. As the children grew older, some even had great-grandchildren.
Qín Xiǎomǎn counted on his fingers. Qín Wěi’s family had two boys and one gē’ér, while Qín Àn’s family had three boys and one daughter. Qín Xiǎozhú had one boy and three gē’ér.
The grandchildren of Second Uncle’s branch had also mostly married and had children, one or two each. Counting the entire branch, Second Uncle’s family now had twenty-five descendants.
However, Lǐ Wǎnjú had passed away from illness a few years ago, so there were now twenty-four people in the Qín family.
Then there was Cousin-Uncle Qín Zhīyán’s family. The couple had raised two children.
The eldest cousin, Qín Zhīfēng, had married and had three children and two grandchildren.
The elder female cousin had given birth to a son back then, but her health had been damaged and she could no longer have children. However, her only son had married and had children, giving her three grandchildren.
Counting the wife, husband, children, and grandchildren, Cousin-Uncle’s family now numbered fifteen.
With these two large families all present, they could already fill four tables. Dù Héng and Xiǎomǎn’s own family could fill another table. Altogether, there were five large tables of people.
However, Chéngyì and Dàncè were both in the capital and could not get away, and their children naturally could not come either. Thus, they could not make this family reunion complete.
“Slow down! Oh, you little brat!”
“Fourth Little One, don’t pull your older cousin’s braid!”
A little after the hour of Chén, carriages and carts began stopping outside the residence one after another. Old people, young people, and those in the prime of life came into the Qín family’s residence one after another.
The residence, which had originally been rather quiet, became noisy as soon as the little brats came running in.
“Second Uncle!”
Qín Xiǎomǎn was peeling garlic in the courtyard when he saw an elderly man walking in while holding a little brat’s hand. His face immediately lit up. He hurriedly tossed the garlic in his hand into Dù Héng’s palm and went forward to greet him.
“Hahahaha! Xiǎomǎn!”
Qín Xióng was already quite old. His hair had long since become completely silver-white. Back then, he had been tall and powerfully built, but now his four limbs no longer had the solid strength of his prime, and even his height had shrunk somewhat with age.
His large frame was still there. Compared with the younger generation he was naturally no match, but among people his age, he remained a tall man.
Time had passed. The fierce butcher who had always looked intimidating in his youth had become gentle and kind in old age. His grandchildren and great-grandchildren all loved clinging to Qín Xióng.
When Qín Xióng saw Xiǎomǎn, his hands trembled slightly with excitement. He hurriedly tried to step forward. Although his spirit was good, he was ultimately old, and his steps were no longer as nimble as before. Qín Xiǎomǎn was the one who came forward first and took hold of his wrist.
“Your eldest brother, second brother, and Xiǎozhú have all aged. You’re the one who still doesn’t look much different from when you were little. Sure enough, the capital’s feng shui is nourishing.”
Qín Xióng laughed broadly and, just as he had in the past, rubbed Qín Xiǎomǎn’s head. His soft hair caused a faint glimmer of tears to appear in his eyes.
“You and Dù Héng went to the capital for so many years. With your official duties keeping you busy, you never had time to return to Luòxiá County. Second Uncle can see you once more before closing his eyes. That’s already more than enough.”
Seeing the relative who had treated him best after his father and mother had passed away, Qín Xiǎomǎn could not stop himself from choking up either.
“Didn’t we come back now? We can see each other hundreds and thousands of times from now on.”
Just as he finished speaking, laughter came from the corridor.
“You’re always the fastest one to run. You’re already this old, yet you’re still in such a hurry!”
An old man leaning on a cane slowly entered and laughed as he scolded Qín Xióng.
“Oh, you! If you weren’t in a hurry, you wouldn’t have come in without someone supporting you today. How fast can you walk with nothing but that stick?”
Seeing the two men, both already great-grandfathers, still bickering, Qín Xiǎomǎn could not help laughing.
“Cousin-Uncle!”
Dù Héng also greeted the two uncles and hurriedly helped them sit down.
The weather was good today, so a table was set up in the pavilion. It was just right for the elders to sit there.
Next came Qín Xiǎozhú and his husband. Qín Xiǎozhú still had some of his mischievous nature from his youth. After greeting the elders, he immediately asked Qín Xiǎomǎn, “Did you bring me some of the latest fashionable fabrics from the capital?”
Qín Xiǎomǎn pouted and raised his brows. “You’re already this old. What are you wearing fashionable fabrics for? Dressing yourself up like a colorful rooster. Doesn’t your Lǐ the Fifth care?”
“What colorful rooster!” Qín Xiǎozhú laughed angrily and slapped Qín Xiǎomǎn. “You gē’ér have been living in the capital, eating good food and drinking good things, seeing all kinds of rare objects. And you won’t let us people from this remote little place enjoy some of the benefits?”
Qín Xiǎomǎn glanced at the man beside Qín Xiǎozhú and said, “Lǐ Kāi travels all over the place. What rare things doesn’t he bring back for you?”
“He’s a rough man. What does he know? How can what he brings compare with what you bring?”
Nowadays, Lǐ Kāi’s business was no small enterprise either. He already had a merchant caravan of twenty or thirty people and had made quite a bit of money over the years.
Qín Xiǎozhú’s life was comfortable. Now that he was already over fifty, his complexion was rosy, and he dressed with considerable flair. With a plentiful family fortune, all he had left to fuss over was food and clothing. Over the years, he had often sent letters to Xiǎomǎn asking him to mail back fashionable things from the capital so that he could show them off.
Next came the brothers Qín Wěi and Qín Àn.
Qín Wěi still managed the family’s farmland. Over these several decades, he had bought and opened more land, and now had two or three hundred mu of farmland. He also raised poultry and livestock. He was now a proper landlord.
His skin was dark, and among his siblings of the same generation, he looked the oldest. However, he had always been steady and mature, so it was not surprising that he appeared the oldest now.
As for Qín Àn, he had married the daughter of the village herbal doctor’s family back then. After marrying, Cuī Qiūyuè studied medicine and achieved considerable success, specializing in gynecology.
Seeing that his wife had a talent for medicine, Qín Àn used the land he had on hand to grow medicinal herbs. The couple divided their work: one cultivated medicinal herbs, while the other treated patients and practiced medicine. They opened a medical clinic in the county and now had quite a reputation.
Then came the people from Qín Zhīyán’s family.
His daughter did not come. His female cousin had married quite far away and was no longer in the county, so she could not make the journey in time. Because of this, she could only miss this reunion.
Qín Zhīfēng and his wife were the last to arrive.
“You two really came at the right time. I just transferred back from Jīngzhōu. I still have some time before taking up my new post, otherwise I really wouldn’t have been able to make it to today’s reunion meal.”
“Cousin Brother Zhīfēng is someone who considers official business and government affairs the most important. It’s quite rare for you to put down your work and come today.”
Hearing Qín Xiǎozhú’s teasing, Qín Zhīfēng laughed.
“When I thought that the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, who is about the same age as me, had already retired and returned home, while I was still struggling with official affairs, I became irritated. What official business was there to handle? I might as well come out, attend the banquet, and have a drink!”
Everyone laughed.
Qín Zhīfēng had only passed the metropolitan examination on the second examination after Yàn Chéngqǐ ascended the throne. At that time, Dù Héng had already been in office for six years and was serving as prefect of Xǐpíng Prefecture.
Qín Zhīfēng’s metropolitan examination results had not been particularly outstanding. He had placed in the third class, making it difficult to secure a good official position.
However, by then Dù Héng was already a fourth-rank official and had built up quite a few connections. After making a little effort to smooth things over, Qín Zhīfēng successfully obtained a position as a county assistant magistrate in a relatively prosperous prefecture.
Over the years, although Qín Zhīfēng had no particularly outstanding achievements in office, he had been diligent and upright. Every time his performance was evaluated, he received a good rating. By relying on seniority and years of service, he eventually rose to become a fifth-rank Assistant Prefect in Sūzhōu Prefecture, a wealthy place with prosperous commerce.
“Come, children, come over! Your great-uncle and little great-uncle have been in the capital all these years and haven’t seen many of the children in our family. Come forward one by one and let your great-uncle and little great-uncle put faces to your names.”
Dù Héng waved to the little brats of various heights in the courtyard, calling them over one by one to introduce themselves to him.
Xiǎomǎn stood to the side, handing these younger generations and grandchildren red envelopes and gifts.
The entire extended family was filled with joy and liveliness.
In the old days, elders who hoped their children would rise to prominence, who held great expectations for their sons and grandchildren, had run around building connections and accumulating family property for the children’s future and the family’s prospects. They had labored their entire lives, and now their temples were white and their bodies old and frail.
Under the protection of their elders and through their own efforts, the children had eventually established homes and businesses. Whether in officialdom or commerce, each had achieved something.
The Qín family, which had once been an insignificant small household, had become one of the most prominent families in Luòxiá County through the unity and mutual support of two or three generations.
Step by step, they were moving toward the family’s prosperity and flourishing.
Their future would surely be full of promise!