novelSusiti Chapter 94 Uncles and Elders Visit
Chapter 94 Uncles and Elders Visit
Chapter 94 Uncles and Elders Visit
Wang Zhi took the tea bag and brought it closer to smell it. The wild tea's orchid fragrance was still so delicate, neither strong nor overpowering.
He put the tea leaves aside, picked up the peppercorn packet made of coarse blue cloth, and examined it closely in his hands. The stitches were very fine; it was Old Chen's craftsmanship.
He weighed the packet of peppercorns in his hand and placed it on the stone table.
"Let's eat first," he said.
Dinner was stir-fried cabbage with cured beef and rice.
The cured beef was delivered by Cheng Chumo a few days ago. He said his mother had cured it herself. When it was sliced thinly and fried in a pan, the oil sizzled out, and the salty and smoky flavor filled the whole yard.
Zhou Xia ate half a bowl more rice than usual, and after finishing, she took the initiative to clean up the dishes and wash them by the well.
It was already getting dark. The sparrows in the jujube tree returned to their nests, chirping noisily for a while before gradually quieting down.
Ah Huang lay under the stone bench, resting his chin on his two front paws, his eyes half-open and half-closed.
Grey sat on the windowsill, its tail drooping down, the tip of its tail swaying gently like a slow-moving pendulum.
Wang Zhi leaned back in his chair, picked up his iced tea, and sipped it slowly. After finishing his tea, he took the packet of Sichuan peppercorns and placed it on the table.
The flame of the oil lamp flickered slightly in the night breeze, then steadied itself. He picked up the scissors and untied a loose thread at the bottom of the cloth bundle.
The thread was loose, and a narrow strip of paper was visible in the lining at the bottom of the bag.
He held the note close to the oil lamp. The writing was small, but each stroke was clear: "Today I overheard the clerks at the street corner chatting, saying that County Magistrate Yuwen Ren recently reviewed the county's land registers and looked through all the registered land in Lantian Township, including the two hundred mu of land on the estate."
The clerk asked a question, but Yuwen Ren only said it was a routine review and didn't say anything more.
Also, yesterday two people from out of town with Taiyuan accents came into the store to buy salt and asked how to get to Lantian Township.
They checked out of the guesthouse this morning and headed north. I've already asked someone to keep an eye out for them.
Wang Zhi also placed the note on the oil lamp.
The flame licked at it, and the paper rolled up, turning into a small clump of ash that landed on the stone table. He wiped it away with his hand, and the ash scattered, leaving nothing behind.
He pushed open the window. Moonlight spilled onto the floor, and Ah Huang looked up at him, letting out a low whimper.
Grey jumped down from the windowsill, rubbed against his ankle, and then jumped back onto the windowsill to continue licking his tail.
A few croaks of frogs came from the distant field ridges, lingered for a while, and then stopped. Everything in the village was quiet.
He remained silent for a moment, then put the packet of peppercorns into the cupboard and turned to go back into the room.
Ever since Wang Zhihuan received the letters from his eldest uncle and third uncle saying they would visit soon, he knew that day would come sooner or later.
Sure enough, the two arrived on June 24th.
The first to arrive were three fast horses.
Although the two guards on the left and right were also covered in dust from their journey, they kept their horses firmly on the reins, protecting the middle mount.
The one leading the group was a lean man with a dark red face and high cheekbones; he looked like someone who spent most of his time traveling. That was his third uncle, Wang Luo.
Wang Luo rode his horse with a stiff posture, his back straight as if an iron rod stuck in the horse's back, his reins gripped tightly, and the yellow dust kicked up by the horse's hooves covered his face, but he didn't even blink.
A blue cloth mule cart followed closely behind. The mule walked slowly, and the driver was not in a hurry. He had the whip on his shoulder and occasionally took a puff of his pipe.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and Uncle Wang Huan peeked out, revealing half his face. He saw Wang Zhihuan standing at the gate of the courtyard in the distance and smiled.
The smile was faint, the corners of the mouth were only slightly raised, but the eyes were very gentle.
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Wang Zhi was still standing under the jujube tree, holding a handful of freshly pulled weeds in his hand, which he intended to use to feed the geese.
He watched as the two groups arrived at the courtyard gate one after the other, threw the weeds into the goose pen, patted the dirt off his hands, and went up to greet them with a bow.
"Eldest Uncle, Third Uncle."
His tone was neither warm nor cold. There was neither the enthusiasm of a long-awaited reunion nor the deliberate coldness of distancing oneself. It was just the proper way to greet two distant relatives.
He was a transmigrator and had no blood relation to these two "elders," but since he had taken over the original owner's body, he had to put on a good show.
Wang Huan got off the mule cart first.
He wore a dark blue long gown made of fine silk from the lake, but the style was simple and without any patterns, making him look like an old scholar who had retired to the countryside.
A servant followed behind him, carrying a heavy wooden box off the cart. The servant's knees bent as he carried it.
"Zhihuan," Wang Huan walked up to Wang Zhihuan, reached out and patted his shoulder lightly, "You child, it must have been tough for you, staying in this village all by yourself, you must have suffered a lot, right?"
"Uncle, it's actually not bad," Wang Zhihuan said. "There's plenty to eat and drink in the village, so we're doing quite well."
Wang Luo also dismounted.
His dismounting was even more swift than his riding; with a flick of his right leg, he tumbled off the horse, his heel slamming heavily onto the rammed earth, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
After he stopped, the first thing he looked at was the courtyard.
His gaze swept from the jujube tree to the chicken coop, from the stone table to the kitchen, paused for a moment in the direction of the winery, and then returned to Wang Zhihuan.
"Your yard," he said, "is quite well-maintained. Although it's not as spacious as your father's, it's very tidy. It's much better than your father's dilapidated yard."
His tone was as cold as a bucket of water poured out in the twelfth lunar month.
Before Wang Zhi could reply, he was unconcerned by the stranger's harsh words. He stepped aside to let the courtyard gate open, saying, "Please come in, elders, and we can talk here first."
Wang Huan nodded and stepped into the courtyard. Wang Luo followed behind, his riding whip casually draped over the saddle, and strode across the threshold.
Upon arriving at the stone table, Wang Huan didn't rush to sit down; instead, he first walked around the courtyard.
He examined the jujube tree, the chicken coop, the goose pen, and the bamboo dragonfly on the windowsill one by one, looking very carefully, as if he were checking what else was missing from the yard.
Finally, he sat down on the stone bench, took the herbal tea that Wang Zhihuan handed him, and took a sip.
"This yard is really nice," he said. "It's very well-maintained. Your father's yard back then wasn't this tidy."
Your dad just didn't like to tidy up; he'd leave things everywhere. Back then, your mom would always argue with him about these trivial things.
There was a hint of nostalgia in his voice when he said this.
Wang Zhi simply listened without responding, adhering to the proper etiquette of a junior.
Wang Luo didn't sit down. He stood under the jujube tree, not drinking tea, just standing there.
Wang Huan and Wang Zhi chatted for a few minutes about everyday matters—asking about the harvest, whether the tenants were easy to manage, and whether it was cold in winter.
Wang Zhi didn't interrupt much, only occasionally responding, as if waiting for something.
After chatting for about half an hour, Wang Huan had asked almost all the questions he needed to, and Wang Luo finally spoke up.
"Kid," he turned to look at Wang Zhihuan, "did you figure out your brewing recipe all by yourself?"