The sunlight shone through the window, casting latticed shadows on the floor.
The surrounding opulence seemed to fade away.
He remembered Sister Luo Xia watching the children in the room, her face filled with happiness, beaming with smiles.
It wasn't intentional to avoid suspicion or anything.
In the countryside, there was only one room, where child-rearing and cooking all happened together. Where else could one go to avoid others?
He secretly procured two fish for Sister Luo Xia.
In the village, as far as the eye could see, the rivers and mountains all had owners. If you went fishing or hunting, you had to do it stealthily, as it wasn't legally obtained.
Everyone just used their own methods to get by.
Digging up wild vegetables wasn't a problem, but if you could actually make money, someone would come to manage it.
Dying of poverty, often wasn't because of laziness, but because you simply had no resources at all.
In the end, even if you sold yourself, you wouldn't belong to yourself anymore.
Time was like the reflection of window patterns.
A gust of wind could scatter it.
A cloud could make it disappear.
"Sister," Eunuch Yan called out again.
"Third Son," Qin Luoxia was stunned.
She had never seen Third Son dressed so neatly and beautifully before. In her memory, he was always in tattered clothes, sloppy, walking without proper posture.
He often smiled, showing all his teeth.
His face was usually tanned dark, but his teeth were remarkably white and even.
He was sloppy and dressed in rags, but he himself was always clean, not dirty.
His hands were clean, and so was his face.
Now, dressed like this, Qin Luoxia was stunned for a moment before recognizing him.
"Third Son, is that you?"
"It's me." Tears rolled down Eunuch Yan's cheeks.
No one had called him Third Son in so long.
Some called him Wenxin, some Eunuch Yan, some Lord Yan, some even called him "dog eunuch."
But no one called him Third Son anymore.
He had even changed his name.
He felt he had let down his ancestors, so he was no longer called Yan Jiexi, but Yan Wenxin. He was now the most popular eunuch in the palace.
"Sister," Eunuch Yan called out again.
There was grievance, happiness, pride, and indescribable emotions in that one word "sister," a sigh for the bittersweet journey of life.
"Don't cry, Third Son. You've grown up, you look good. I'm just happy to see you again, that's enough. We've both made it through, we're both alive, that's good. Don't cry," Qin Luoxia said, her own eyes reddening as she spoke.
She was the person least likely to cry.
She had been through so much hardship.
She rarely cried.
But seeing Third Son, now a grown man, crying like a child in front of her,
Qin Luoxia couldn't help but pat Third Son on the back.
Eunuch Yan had been crying inconsolably.
But after being patted, he couldn't help but start coughing.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
His sister was still his sister, with such a strong hand, not changed at all.
As he coughed, he started to laugh again.
"Cough, cough, cough."
The Fifth Prince had never seen such a shameless person before.
Even more shameless than himself.
He couldn't help but cough several times, giving a dry laugh, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Seeing that his fifth brother had given a welcome gift, the Sixth Prince naturally wouldn't fall behind.
The Sixth Prince's welcome gift was very thoughtful.
It was a string of pearls and jade, rarely matched in various colors - red, yellow, blue, green, and white - all jade, extremely precious.
The beads were full and evenly colored, with excellent luster.
He presented it as if it were just something he had on hand.
He said, "Cousin, this string of pearls and jade, I had people search for a long time to gather all the complete colors. It's finally complete. I heard that my little niece likes to play with these things, so it's perfect to give to her."
Jiang Changtian accepted it politely.
He gratefully said, "Thank you, Sixth Brother. My daughter indeed likes these things. I thank you on her behalf. Please come visit us at home another day."
Fifth Prince: ...
Old Six was the craftiest, even finding out preferences before giving a welcome gift, specifically giving something for the child.
This cousin Jiang Er seemed a bit easily impressed, already inviting people to visit.
It was the Seventh Prince's turn.
The Seventh Prince appeared even more cautious and timid than Jiang Er.
He handed over a property deed and said, "I only recently found out that the house near your place was purchased by my good-for-nothing son. Cousin, you've just arrived in the Capital City, and I don't have anything presentable, so I'm giving you that house."
Jiang Er accepted the deed, and his eyes reddened.
"Seventh Brother, I should have called you brother-in-law, but Old Lady Jiang doesn't acknowledge me. Thank you for giving me the house. At least she lived there, it has her shadow. In the future, if I miss her, I can go to that house to reminisce. It's a keepsake."
Jiang Er's words made Old Five and Old Six want to laugh.
Old Nine laughed outright.
"Cousin, I won't bother with formalities. I like to have fun, and I've earned some money. You and your family have just arrived, so here's some money to help you settle in as a welcome gift. Buy whatever you like. When you have time, bring your wife to visit us."
Old Nine directly stuffed a handful of banknotes into Jiang Changtian's hand.
Vulgar but practical.
Jiang Changtian gratefully said, "Thank you, Ninth Brother. My in-law often speaks of you at home as the most righteous person. Now that I've met you, I see he wasn't wrong about you. My in-law has good judgment."
The Ninth Prince's face reddened a bit. He often tricked Meng Qingshe.
And Meng Qingshe still thought he was righteous...
He felt a bit embarrassed.
"His Majesty arrives."
