The weather was neither cold nor hot, so Chang'an didn't stay in the carriage the whole time. She sat with Old Gu Six on the shaft, taking in the scenery along the way.
They watched farmers busy in the fields and children playing and laughing by the roadside.
They saw willow branches hanging over embankments, flowers in full bloom, and clouds drifting across the sky.
Chang'an and Old Gu Six were planning their future life. How many acres of land to buy? How many farmhands to hire? How many rooms to build?
"Let's just build a small courtyard house, just enough for us to live in. If we really need to hire farmhands, we can build a few more rooms for them to stay in," Chang'an suggested.
Old Gu Six thought it was feasible. "With just the two of us living there, we don't need a big house, or it will feel empty."
"Ah! Get out of the way!" A loud shout interrupted their daydreaming.
They saw a young man riding a pig, racing down the road ahead of them, with a group of villagers wielding various farm tools chasing after him.
Just as it seemed the pig was about to crash into their mule, it stumbled, sending both the pig and the young man tumbling into a water ditch by the side of the road.
The villagers jumped in after them, pulled the pig out of the ditch, and carried it away, leaving the young man still climbing out of the water.
The father and daughter had just witnessed a prime example of how sometimes pigs are treated better than people.
The young man, soaking wet and cursing, crawled up the bank. "If they don't let me eat more meat when they slaughter the pig, I'll flip their table," he grumbled.
As he looked up, he saw two pairs of bright eyes staring at him. The handsome young man's face instantly turned as red as a monkey's bottom.
He scratched his head and stammered, trying to explain, "I-I'm very, very sk-skilled. My, my ma-master says I can be-become a gr-great general."
It's good for children to have dreams; one shouldn't discourage them.
Chang'an and Old Gu Six nodded in unison, "You can definitely do it."
A great general riding a pig into battle – now that would be unique, enough to make the enemy die of laughter.
Seeing that they believed him, the young man's smile suddenly shone like the sun.
Even his parents didn't believe in him, saying he was daydreaming, but he wasn't just talking nonsense – he was determined to make it happen.
Before he left, he made a formal ancient bow to them from afar, saying, "My name is Yun Zhiheng. One day, my name will resound throughout the Great Ye Dynasty."
From that moment on, the young man rode forth on his dreams, bravely venturing into the world.
As he had said, when warlords vied for power across the land, the young man left his hometown behind.
The young general Yun Zhiheng would become renowned throughout the land for his godlike military tactics, by which time the Great Ye Dynasty had already changed its name.
Of course, that's all in the future. For now, he was still just a bedraggled young man who couldn't even outdo a pig.
Chang'an and Old Gu Six jumped down from their cart and returned his bow. Seeing this, the young man's smile grew even brighter.
His parents said he only knew how to cause trouble, but look – this wasn't trouble-making, it was reciprocating courtesy, it was social etiquette.
After watching the young man leave, the father and daughter returned to their cart and continued their journey.
Chang'an felt that this leisurely journey should be accompanied by some music, so she took out a clay flute and played the only song she knew how to play: "Forest Rhapsody."
As they traveled further north, they saw fewer and fewer refugees on the road, until there were none at all.
They didn't go all the way to the far north, though. Old Gu Six brought Chang'an to a place called Ningbei County, right next to the land of exile.
The two areas were close, with trade between them, and people from the exile land often came to Ningbei County for the big market fairs.
The entire county town was quite large, but it had a somewhat dusty feel to it. On the outskirts were thatched huts, and further in were houses made of yellow mud bricks.
The inner city presented a different scene altogether. The shops lining the streets were built of gray bricks with tiled roofs. The east side was where the nobles lived, and the west side was home to wealthy merchants.
The north and south were where ordinary people resided, further divided by class. The wealth gap was clearly visible.
Old Gu Six led Chang'an to the County Magistrate's mansion, asking for directions along the way. Before entering the town, they had restored their original appearances, so now they looked clean and tidy. The guards at the gate didn't immediately turn them away.
He took out a round, exquisite jade pendant from his bosom, with two characters inscribed in seal script. Chang'an glanced at it a couple of times.
After confirming with a look, she realized they were strangers to each other.
Old Gu Six amusedly patted Chang'an's head and said to the guard, "Please trouble yourself to take this jade pendant to the County Magistrate and announce that the son of Ji Xiaosheng seeks an audience."
Although the guard couldn't understand the inscription, it didn't stop him from being cautious. He carefully took the jade pendant with both hands and said, "Sir, please wait a moment. I'll go and announce you right away."
"Thank you, I appreciate your help," Old Gu Six replied.
After the guard entered the mansion, Old Gu Six explained to Chang'an, "Before your grandfather passed away, he instructed that if we ever encountered a major problem we couldn't solve on our own, we could bring this jade pendant to seek help from Rong Hong, the Magistrate of Ningbei County. Although he's only a county magistrate, his influence far exceeds his official rank. The jade pendant belonged to your grandfather, with his name inscribed on one side and a dragon on the other."
"The biggest issue we're facing now is settling down and establishing a household, so it's time to use this connection."
About a quarter of an hour later, the guard returned with a tall man with deep-set features and a serious expression, dressed in official robes. They hurried out of the mansion.
The man's identity was obvious. He approached the father and daughter, holding the jade pendant, his serious face showing signs of excitement.
"Is this jade pendant yours? Is Ji Xiaosheng your father?" His deep, magnetic voice suddenly rang out, sounding somewhat urgent.
Gu Qingming bowed to Rong Hong and replied calmly, "This humble one, Gu Qingming, greets the County Magistrate. In response to your question, Ji Xiaosheng was my adoptive father."
Rong Hong waved his hand, appearing somewhat impatient. "Never mind all these tedious formalities. Where is your adoptive father? Has he come with you?"
He had come, but Gu Qingming couldn't say that. "My adoptive father passed away three years ago. Due to natural disasters in our hometown, I brought my child to the north to seek survival."
They had indeed been fleeing for almost two years, so three years was accurate.
"What? He's dead?" Rong Hong looked as if he had heard something utterly unbelievable, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Gu Qingming quietly put away the jade pendant and pulled his daughter back a couple of steps, as if ready to flee at any moment.
Rong Hong's eyes reddened, and his booming voice became somewhat hoarse, "How... how did he die?"
That man was two years younger than him, and he himself was still alive and kicking. How could that man have gone so early?
"My adoptive father died of illness," Gu Qingming said, his mood low and sorrowful.
"The dead are gone," Rong Hong sighed deeply. He patted Gu Qingming's shoulder and said, "Your adoptive father treated you like his own son. He must have wanted you to live well."
Why else would he have given him the jade pendant of the Ji family? This jade pendant was proof of identity and a symbol of authority. Given the current situation in the world, perhaps this jade pendant could never be shown in public again.
He sighed once more and looked down at Chang'an, asking, "Is this your daughter?"
The little girl was fair and plump, like a white, chubby steamed bun, quite adorable.
Chang'an looked up at him. This man was really too tall, half a head taller than Old Gu Six. Looking up at him for too long could cause neck problems.
However, she still maintained proper etiquette. When Gu Qingming introduced her, she obediently greeted him.
"Yes, this is my daughter. Her name is Chang'an, meaning 'eternal peace.' It was given to her by my adoptive father."
"Chang'an greets Magistrate Rong."
"Don't call me Magistrate, call me Grandpa Rong," Rong Hong said, patting Chang'an's head.
"Grandpa Rong," Chang'an readily complied.
"Good, good. Come, follow Grandpa Rong back to the mansion. You must be tired after such a long journey. Rest for a few days first."
Rong Hong held Chang'an's hand as they walked in front. His strides were quite large, forcing Chang'an to jog to keep up.
She was too shy to ask him to slow down, so she could only bounce along, running to keep pace.
Seeing this scene, Gu Qingming realized for the first time that his daughter actually had short legs. What to do? He really wanted to laugh!!!
(PS: Sorry for the late update. Let me tell you a joke – the author attended the wrong banquet today, haha ｡◕ฺˇεˇ◕ฺ｡)
