usatvline Chapter 316 Former Classmates Visit
Chapter 316 Former Classmates Visit
"Young Master, everything has been settled, and the people have been taken care of as well."
Jiang Xiaoqi put down his paintbrush; it wasn't until he returned to Xinghe Prefecture that he was able to capture the essence of this peacock painting.
I wonder how my mother is doing in the south. Judging by the time, the people that Master Lin Feng arranged should have arrived by now.
It's further from Beijing, but we'll be able to get there in a few days, and then we'll have enough manpower.
"Li Mo, you should go and rest too. You've had a bumpy journey and had to keep watch over the goods all night. You've been on edge the whole time. Now that you're home, relax and have some rest."
"Young master, I'm not tired. I'll keep watch tonight as usual."
"We're already home, why would we need you to keep watch at night?"
"Young Master, there are still outsiders in the house. I won't feel at ease if I don't accept you."
"You mean, the River of Oblivion?"
Li Mo nodded. Although he had tested the man several times and found that he was indeed unskilled, he was still uneasy about someone of unknown origin.
"You don't have to keep watch, but let him stay next door to you."
“In this line of work, I can keep an eye on him. If he makes any moves, I’ll be the first to notice.”
"As long as you're happy, don't overwork yourself."
At night, the gaunt young man Wangchuan lay on the couch but did not fall asleep. He touched the clean bed but did not sit down directly.
He turned around, pushed open the door, and filled several buckets with water himself.
"Hey, if you don't want to catch a cold, you'd better go and boil some water on the stove."
"Uh, Brother Li Mo, thank you so much, thank you for your kindness!"
"Hey! Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to check on you out of boredom. I'm just worried you might catch a disease and be unable to work."
"You've eaten a lot of our provisions on the way here, and now that you're in the Jiang residence, we'll have to continue providing for your food and clothing. Our young master isn't a living Buddha; how can we allow you to spend the Jiang family's money?"
"Yes, yes, I won't get sick, and I won't eat too much. Thank you for taking me in, Young Master Jiang, and thank you for your guidance, Brother Li Mo."
"Alright, hurry up and go wash up. It's getting late. If you don't sleep, others will too."
Li Mo let the other party fetch and boil water without saying another word.
He waited until the other person calmed down before going back to his room to lie down. "They really know how to make a fuss!"
After washing up thoroughly, Wangchuan returned to his room and finally lay down on the bed, which still smelled of soap.
Who am I, really?
Wangchuan is a name I gave myself, because I've forgotten many things—no, I should say I've almost forgotten everything.
Only a few vague figures appeared and disappeared in my mind, and Young Master Jiang was one of them.
Those fragmented thoughts flow through my mind like a never-ending stream, but they can never converge into a complete lake or ocean.
That's why I casually came up with the name "Wangchuan" (River of Oblivion). I must have been a scholar before, right?
Otherwise, why would someone like Jiang Xiucai seem familiar?
I used to have... a lot of family and friends, right?
Wangchuan fell into a deep sleep on the clean bed in the Jiang residence, pausing his thoughts and pretending to be Wangchuan.
Southland Flower Nursery
"Madam, the people the young master found are almost here. What should we do?"
"Once they arrive, bring them here to meet me. The house behind the flower garden is also ready. After I've met them, you can take them downstairs to settle them in."
"Alright, the young master's men have arrived. I suppose Peony and the others will be here soon too. You don't know, they've all been vying to come here."
Fu Ling wiped the sweat from her forehead and bottled the newly made flower dew.
"What? Don't they like staying in the capital?"
"The capital is prosperous, but it also has strict rules. The master is the magistrate of Tongzhou, and the old master and madam are now living in the Jiang residence with their young ladies."
The family follows the rules set by the old lady. Peony and the others are used to being wild, and it's very difficult for them to follow the rules every day.
They can no longer practice swordsmanship and spear fighting like before, nor can they go camping and training in the mountains. Master Zhao is also eager to join them when he hears that they have come to seek refuge with you.
Lin Yueniang smiled and said, "How can that be? Master Zhao still needs to cooperate with Master Su to continue teaching the young ladies."
They started later, so naturally they had to put in several times more time and effort. Like studying literature, martial arts training doesn't yield results overnight.
As Lin Yueniang spoke, she regretted her past stinginess. If she had been more generous back then and let the younger ones learn martial arts, they would probably have achieved something by now.
Times have changed. Back then, I was probably still resentful that children born to concubines could receive the same treatment as my own children.
Although she no longer cared about her husband at that time, she still couldn't do anything selfless and fearless...
But why do I really not care at all now?
Perhaps it was because the daughters of the Jiang family were well-educated that they were able to find good husbands. Only by finding good husbands could they, like Dong Jin, Li Haisheng, and Xue Xu, support and help their sons.
Lin Yueniang noticed another change in her mindset, but couldn't find the specific reason.
But if she looked up, she would find that she already had a garden full of flowers, some charming and beautiful, others aloof and reserved, all of which now belonged to her alone.
The fragrant and beautiful flowers were enough to brighten her eyes and mind, so why would she care about anything else?
"Madam, this newly made flower dew smells sweet. What kind of flower is it?"
"It's jasmine and hibiscus. These two flowers have a sweet fragrance, and when made into floral water and essential oil, they naturally have a sweet scent. This fragrance is most suitable for young girls like you."
"Ah, I remember, young master said before that jasmine can also be used to make tea. The jasmine tea we drank before was made by fumigating with jasmine."
Fuling misses the days when she soaked in hot springs, drank flower tea, and ate flower cakes in Chunyi. However, there is no shortage of flowers here, so she can make some more and send some to the young master later.
Xinghe Prefecture
“Young master, a scholar who claims to be your former classmate has come to the door. He says he wants to go to the provincial capital together to take the provincial examination.”
"Which classmate? From the clan school?"
"Ahem, um, young master, it seems you only attended the clan school."
Before Jiang Xiaoqi returned, he already had people with him to take the provincial examination. His cousins Jiang Lin and Jiang Yan were planning to participate in the examination.
When we went back to Puyang to pay respects to our ancestors last time, we all made a pact that if anyone wanted to take the provincial examination, we would all set off together from Xinghe Prefecture so that we could look out for each other along the way.
The Jiang family would also send clansmen to escort him along the way. Jiang Xiaoqi wasn't after the Jiang family's protection, but rather he felt that he could take care of a few of his cousins as well.
"Yes, let them in. Let's go to the flower hall in the front yard."