kvmb Chapter 25 Farewell at the City Gate: A Glimpse into the Lives of People (2)
Chapter 25 Farewell at the City Gate: A Glimpse into the Lives of People (2)
When Lord Ren arrived before the Wen family's grandfather, he bowed and said, "My dear in-law, I am but a humble man and cannot stand up for the Wen family. I hope you will take good care of yourself on this long and arduous journey."
The Wen family grandfather led the Wen family members to return the greeting with clasped hands.
"What brings you here today, my dear in-law?" The grandfather of the Wen family asked with a face full of guilt.
Ren Zu'an waved his hand, "It's alright, it's alright. My dear in-law, you may not know this, but I am currently lecturing at an academy in the suburbs of Beijing. I am living a leisurely and carefree life."
The grandfather of the Wen family sighed, thinking to himself that the Wen family had still dragged down those around them.
Ren Zu'an, however, disagreed, saying, "I am simply going with the flow, my in-laws, there's no need to overthink it. The journey must be very arduous, my wife has prepared some medicine and food, I hope you won't refuse."
"We will forever remember our in-laws' timely help," said the Wen family's grandfather, expressing his heartfelt gratitude.
All they could do was say to each other, "Take care."
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Marquis Dongbo and his family were also among the crowd who came to see him off. Although his youngest son had made a scene by asking to leave the clan, angering the emperor and disgracing the Marquis's mansion.
When the time of parting finally came, the family was still filled with sorrow.
Lady Dongbo, holding Xiaomi, wept uncontrollably, her hands still pounding her young son, "You unfilial son, you acted rashly and now my little grandson is suffering. You deserve to be beaten!"
The eldest aunt stood awkwardly to the side and said softly, "Mother, it's my fault, it's the Wen family's fault."
Lady Dongbo interrupted her aunt, "No, Lanling, it's not like that, it's all this unfilial son's fault."
Marquis Dongbo stepped in with a bitter expression to defuse the situation, saying, "Madam, please say less."
After speaking, Dongbo Hou stuffed the bundle in his hand into his young son's arms, "Is this the bundle your mother prepared for you?"
"The journey north will be freezing cold, so please take good care of yourselves. I've also prepared some extra money. There are many people being exiled this time, and the Wen family is mostly composed of the elderly and weak. Spend what you need on the journey, and don't hesitate to take care of things when necessary. As long as you're alive, that's more important than anything else. Remember that."
The eldest uncle, his eyes red, glanced at each of the children and replied, "I know, Mom and Dad, please take care of yourselves."
Xiaomi and Maisui simultaneously received a hint from their father.
Xiaomi hugged Lady Dongbo's neck and said in a childish voice, "Grandmother, take good care of yourself, eat and drink well, and wait for Xiaomi to come home."
Mai Mai hugged the arm of the Lady of Dongbo and comforted her, saying, "Grandmother, please take care of yourself. Your granddaughter will miss you."
Sui Sui hugged the other arm of the Lady of Dongbo, "Grandmother, when we've grown up and become strong enough, we'll fly back to see you."
"Oh, my dear grandchildren." Lady Dongbo patted each of their heads.
"Grandma is waiting for you. Listen to your parents on the way."
After saying this, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
The Marquis of Dongbo patted his young son on the shoulder, "Talk to your mother."
After giving his instructions, he turned and walked towards Wen's grandfather.
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Zhou Yanzhi, the eldest son of Grand Tutor Zhou, and his family were also in the farewell procession, but in a relatively late position.
It wasn't that the Zhou family was unwilling to spend the money, but rather that there were simply too many people from the Zhou family—more than a dozen in total, all clamoring to say goodbye to Master Zhou. No one would give way to anyone else, so they all simply stood at the back and waited.
When Master Zhou arrived at the city gate, he spent a considerable amount of time searching for his family members amidst the sea of people.
Master Zhou led his wife and children through the crowd to approach his family. Before he could even speak, a chorus of greetings rose and fell around him.
"Fourth brother, how are you?"
"Si Lang, you've suffered."
"Nephew, how are you?"
"nephew…"
"Fourth brother..."
"Fourth Brother..."
"Fourth Uncle..."
Master Zhou was very experienced in dealing with such situations. He simply looked around at everyone and responded to each one in turn.
"Father, Mother, Second Uncle, Eldest Uncle, Eldest Brother, I'm fine, don't worry."
"Sixth brother, why aren't you at home with Grandpa? What are you doing here?"
"And you bunch of brats, it's not a day off today, why did you all skip class? Go home and accept your punishment."
The Zhou family members were collectively speechless.
When other families send someone off, they weep and wail, tears streaming down their faces.
When she arrived at the Zhou family's place, not only did she not shed a tear, but Master Zhou also seized the opportunity to scold her.
To ease the awkwardness, the younger sister led Rui Rui closer to Madam Zhou.
"Mother, please take care of yourself. I will take good care of my husband."
Little Rui Rui chimed in, "Grandma, Rui Rui will protect Daddy and Mommy, don't worry!"
Madam Zhou picked up Rui Rui and said meaningfully, "Rui Rui, learn more skills from your maternal grandfather, listen to your maternal grandmother, and get along well with your older brothers and sisters."
Lord Zhou coughed lightly a few times, "Ahem, Fourth Brother, you two chat, I'll be right back."
After saying that, he squeezed through the crowd and walked toward the Wen family's grandfather.
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At the very front of the farewell procession was Wenwen's group.
Madam Ren finally couldn't resist and whispered in Madam Ren's ear, "Aying, why don't you all come home?"
Madam Ren raised her head, her eyes red and swollen, and shook her head resolutely: "Mother, Aying will never leave the Wen family. My husband, Dalang, and the others are currently missing, and I still have Yu'er and the others. Since I married into the Wen family, my husband has loved me, my parents-in-law have treated me well, and my sisters-in-law have helped me. Especially in recent years, the Wen family has taken good care of Wen'er. How could I abandon this whole family? Now that the Wen family is in trouble, we must face it together. I am not afraid. Besides, Yu'er still has her third uncle and so many older brothers and sisters. Mother, please rest assured."
Hearing her mother speak so much in one breath, Wenwen finally felt a little relieved. Since regaining consciousness, she hadn't heard her mother say more than a few words. Her mother always seemed absent-minded. Although she didn't say it outright, Wenwen knew that her mother was worried about her father and older brother. Only now, in front of her maternal grandmother, did her mother show a little bit of life. Wenwen was afraid that her mother would suffocate herself.
After hearing her daughter's words, Madam Ren knew that her mind was made up and that nothing could persuade her otherwise. She sighed and handed her daughter a bundle, saying, "Here, take this. It will get colder the further north you go. You must be very careful on the road. I've prepared some money for you. You are the eldest daughter-in-law of the Wen family, so take care of the elderly and children. Staying alive is the most important thing."
Mrs. Ren held back her tears and kept giving her instructions.
At this moment, Wenwen's eldest uncle and aunt, and second uncle and aunt squeezed through the crowd and returned to this side.
Madam Ren looked up and asked, "Have you sent the bundles to their second and third uncles?"
The eldest aunt replied, "Don't worry, Mother, everything has been delivered."
Upon hearing this, Wenwen also prepared gifts for her second and third uncles' families!
My maternal grandparents' family truly extended their love to everything related to my family.
Regardless, she needed to express her gratitude: "Thank you, eldest uncle and aunt, second uncle and aunt."
The eldest and second aunts came over and took the hands of the eldest sister and Wenwen, saying apologetically, "Your sister Dandan and brother Ping insisted on coming to see you off, but your aunt was worried about too many people, so she didn't let them come. Please don't mind."
Wenwen wouldn't mind this at all: "My aunt told Sister Dandan and Brother Ping that I'll come back to visit them when I have time."
The aunt didn't expose the child's words, and went along with it, saying, "Okay, I'll tell them when I get back."
The eldest uncle picked up Wen Chengyu, patted Wenwen and Wenxia on the shoulders, and asked directly, "Would you like to come back to live with your uncle?"
The three siblings all looked at Madam Ren.
Ren understood her brother's meaning but didn't respond.
He firmly told his two elder brothers, "Take good care of Father and Mother."
Ren Zihao and Ren Zixin nodded in agreement.
Suddenly someone in the crowd shouted, "Hey, look, look! The Wen family gentlemen are here!"