Just in time—since they were running two days late—Lu Yang muttered again that this official road really ought to be renamed.
When Old Chen spotted him, his gaze flickered.
He actually felt a strange familiarity toward Lu Yang. So many things were different now, yet that familiar feeling clung to him in an indescribable way.
Hoping to cozy up to the Xie family, he greeted them with a broad, eager smile.
It was Xie Yan’s first time seeing anyone from the Chen clan. He glanced over—both father and son were short. The old man’s face was all smiles, looking kind enough, but the eyes were sharp; every sentence came with eight rounds of scrutiny.
The younger one looked slow and stubborn, the kind of strong-headed simpleton that was hardest to reason with.
Xie Yan’s displeasure grew as he caught Old Chen staring at Lu Yang.
“You’re his uncle. Why are you staring at a younger junior like that?”
Old Chen had an explanation ready.
“My adopted boy is his blood brother—they look so alike. Seeing him reminds me of that child. You wouldn’t know, but last winter, that little one of mine also married out. Haven’t seen him in a while…I really do miss him.”
During the county exam period, Miao Qing had eaten at the Chen family’s tofu shop for several days and forced the topic of adoption into the open. After stewing over it for a while, Old Chen realized he couldn’t hide it anymore and admitted openly that Lu Yang had been adopted.
Hearing him speak now only deepened Xie Yan’s frown.
They raised Lu Yang into a bundle of illnesses, worked him until exhaustion was second nature—and this man still had the nerve to talk about “missing” him.
Xie Yan’s voice went cold.
“You miss him all you want, but don’t stare at my husband.”
Old Chen leaned in with that same oily smile.
“We’re all relatives…”
Xie Yan had no desire for that kind of kinship.
“Relatives come in degrees. Near and far, close and distant. Don’t try to get familiar with us.”
He snapped the reins and urged the horse forward. A horse outran a mule easily; in no time, the Chen father and son were left behind.
Xie Yan had a good memory. Suddenly, he recalled that he’d seen them before.
Back in winter—freezing weather—they’d gone to town to sell buns. Lu Yang had suddenly curled up, stripped down, and tried to hide under his clothes. Lu Lin had kept urging him to get up so he wouldn’t catch cold.
That day, they’d run into Old Chen, and that fool Zhapillar had even cursed the man out.
He should’ve asked more questions back then.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Lu Yang, amused, reached over and poked his cheek.
“What are you mad about?”
Xie Yan said, “I feel like you’re afraid of him.”
Lu Yang went quiet. It was true.
He’d grown up under Old Chen’s thumb—no need to revisit the details—and the weight of “gratitude” hung over everything. Too many things had been impossible to handle back then.
But thinking again…he wasn’t afraid anymore.
He had a home now. He didn’t fear hunger or hardship. He had savings. A husband who loved him. A mother-in-law who cherished him. And skills that earned money.
Old Chen could no longer starve him, threaten to kick him out, or force him into a marriage he didn’t want.
The sky had opened wide for him.
Lu Yang told him, “I’m not scared of the man. I’m scared of filial duty.”
“Filial duty.”
Xie Yan lowered his gaze, then said after a moment, “Don’t worry. The world isn’t that strict. They say: ‘At home obey your father, once married obey your husband.’ If I don’t let you associate with him, he can’t get past me.”
Lu Yang adored this clumsy, domineering tone of his.
“If you step in like that, it’ll only make things harder. How can a scholar be accused of being unfilial?”
Xie Yan said, “There’ll be a solution.”
Then added, “You don’t have to bother with Brother Liu either. What’s Li Feng there for?”
It actually made perfect sense.
Lu Yang decided to trust him this once.
With Old Chen, nothing would fall apart. The man cared only about profit—at worst they’d let him lose a little silver. Good practice for their future top scholar.
As for his little brother, he couldn’t help worrying just a bit. When they saw Li Feng, he’d have a proper talk.
The village of Shangxi was close. Before long, they arrived.
No need to go home first; they headed straight for the burial grounds.
Shangxi Village was a mixed-surname settlement with no true ancestral graves. The graveyard naturally split into clusters—families of the same surname buried together—barely passing as ancestral plots.
Xie Yan’s father had been a scholar and had worked hard to educate his son. He truly wanted to lift the family into a better class. He’d begun buying land, hoping to slowly transition their household from farmers to a respectable, learned family. Future children would rely on rents, study diligently, and perhaps one day succeed.
But his plans had barely begun when he passed. Now his coffin lay among the mounds of the Xie family plots.
Lu Yang looked around and felt the place wasn’t ideal. They still needed to buy land someday and build an estate. Then moving the graves would be easy.
They brought shovels. Xie Yan went to clear weeds on the mound. Lu Yang and his mother cleaned the area in front, setting up incense, candles, offerings, and burning paper money.
Someone had dug drainage ditches nearby. After clearing the mound, Xie Yan went to dig some soil from the ditch to add on top, preventing rain from washing the earth away and exposing the coffin below.
He’d even brought a copy of the Imperial Examination Answer Manual to burn, for his father to “have a look.”
The mourning period was over; they were doing well again.
He and Lu Yang bowed together.
“Father, you can rest easy now. We’ll take good care of Mother.”
—
The Li Tribe
During Qingming, they climbed the mountain to honor their dead.
Lu Liu woke early, prepared fruits for offerings, and carried a jar of wine. He and Li Feng joined the long line of villagers heading into the mountains.
It was Lu Liu’s first time. Li Feng had already explained that Qingming here meant honoring the departed whose remains rested in the mountains. They didn’t go deep—just to the communal grave marked by a large wooden stele carved with names.
They lit incense there and left the fruits.
Families who could afford it left wine as well.
Not everyone in the tribe was wealthy. As evening fell, someone would come gather the fruit—another form of mutual aid.
Lu Liu had also heard that some families trekked deep into the mountains to find individual graves, journeys that took days—truly arduous.
But Li Feng’s family didn’t need that. Further down the mountain, past the village, lay a patch of burial mounds—his father rested there.
Chen Guizhi had already prepared incense and paper money. When the boys returned, she picked up the wine and dishes so they could go pay respects.
A light rain fell—typical Qingming drizzle.
The mountain paths grew muddy and slick.
Walking along, Li Feng kept a firm hold on Lu Liu’s hand, worried he’d slip.
Li Feng had planted two jujube trees by his father’s grave. They’d never borne fruit, but the leaves came back each year. In summer, at least they cast a little shade.
When they arrived, Er Tian and Wang Dongmei were already there.
When it came to honoring his father, Er Tian was dependable.
He had brought a shovel and cleared the weeds, then shaved the grass off the mound and began adding fresh soil.
By the time their mother and eldest brother’s family arrived, he was already halfway done.
Li Feng picked up a shovel to help.
When everyone was finally gathered, Chen Guizhi lit the incense and candles.
This year had brought much good news, and she recounted it all—but first she poured half a jar of wine over the grave for her late husband to enjoy.
The ground was wet. They’d brought woven mats so their knees wouldn’t get soaked.
Lu Liu knelt with little Shun in front of the grave, lit a firestick, and used it to ignite the candles, then the incense, then the paper money.
Wang Dongmei watched a moment, then came over to kneel beside Shun.
The offerings they brought were about the same—dishes and wine.
When Li Feng and Er Tian finished their work, Lu Liu and Shun could finally rise and step aside.
