Chapter Forty
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Tucheng, Dapu Prefecture.
Time flies like an arrow; it has been five years since Chancellor Lü and his family moved back to their ancestral home in Tucheng, Dapu Prefecture.
That early morning, just as the first light dawned on the horizon, Chancellor Lü rose early as usual. Standing in the modest farmhouse courtyard, he gazed at the fields before the gate and the mountains gradually brightening in the distance. He seemed lost in thought, yet at the same time, thoughtless. Today was his fiftieth birthday, the age of wisdom. Fifty years felt like a thick tome, each page recording the path he had walked. Especially the page etched with the humiliation and suffering endured by the laboring masses of the Southern Han—whenever he recalled it, his heart tore with grief.
“Grandpa, Grandma says you can eat your birthday noodles now!” came the voice of his six-year-old grandson, Xiao Yuyu.
Xiao Yuyu was a bright and clever child, especially with his large, beautiful eyes. Aunt Zhou said those eyes were cast from the same mold as Gu Yusheng’s.
Chancellor Lü looked down at his little grandson and smiled, asking, “Can I really eat now?”
“Grandma has already served you a big bowl!” Xiao Yuyu’s innocent smile lit up his face.
Lü crouched and scooped up Xiao Yuyu in his arms. “Let’s go, let’s eat our birthday noodles.”
According to local custom, a man turning fifty does not celebrate his birthday. Folk wisdom holds that at fifty, most parents are still living, and to celebrate one’s own birthday with elderly parents alive is considered unfilial. The saying goes: “While grandpa lives, do not grow a beard; while mother lives, do not celebrate your birthday.” If both parents are alive, no matter how old you are, you remain a child.
Though Chancellor Lü’s parents had long since passed, he still never celebrated his own birthdays. Neither here in Tucheng nor when he was in the capital. But today was his mother’s “difficult day,” a day of remembrance and gratitude for her nurturing love. So, he always had the family prepare a large pot of longevity noodles for all to share, including both the masters and the servants.
As Lü sat at the round table, Aunt Zhou brought over a steaming big bowl of noodles. “Master, as custom dictates, this year’s birthday noodles are just like every year—a big pot for everyone. This bowl is my humble offering; please enjoy it while it’s hot!” She set the bowl before him.
Lü looked at his gentle and lovely wife, took up his chopsticks, and tasted a bite of the noodles—sweet. He noticed two peeled native eggs at the bottom of the bowl. Turning his head, he saw Aunt Zhou looking at him with sparkling eyes full of love.
Lü was moved, taking her hand with one of his own. “Having you in my life is my greatest blessing!”
Hearing this for the first time, Aunt Zhou was deeply moved, wiping away tears. “Master, I am so happy! I hope to hear you say this every day!”
Xiao Yuyu had finished his small bowl and stood beside them, his bright eyes darting playfully at Grandpa.
Seeing this, Lü Qianqian asked, “Xiao Yuyu, you’re full—why aren’t you playing outside? Why are you just standing there?”
Xiao Yuyu said, “Mother, look at Grandpa! For an old man, he’s so disrespectful! He’s not eating his noodles quickly but keeps holding Grandma’s hand—how shameless!” His words made everyone in the room burst out laughing, and someone even choked on their noodles.
After the meal, Aunt Zhou took Xiao Yuyu for a walk by the village pavilion, while Chancellor Lü and Lü Qianqian retreated to the study. These days, the two spent almost every day there.
Lü’s study was quiet and filled with the fragrance of books. All the books were brought back from the Chancellor’s residence in the capital.
In the center of the room, a large desk commanded attention, neatly arranged with the four treasures of the study—brush, ink, paper, and inkstone—all cherished by Chancellor Lü. The walls were adorned with his own calligraphy. He was a master calligrapher; his strokes were vigorous and strong. His characters appeared plump, not because they were fat, but because of their weighty presence. His calligraphy reflected his character—open-minded and embracing all things. Recently, Lü Qianqian had been diligently copying her father’s writing.
The bookshelves were densely packed with all manner of works—from classics and histories to military strategy and agriculture, from astronomy and geography to medicine and divination—a veritable treasure trove of knowledge. Among them was a special book, the “Martial Legacy,” a copy of the volume once held by Gu Yusheng. It was kept in a locked cabinet in the study, and since Lü Qianqian did not have the key, she could not see it. Had she seen it, given her nature, she would surely have begged her father to add her name to the copy.
During the first three years back in Dapu, Lü Qianqian read all kinds of books indiscriminately. She once became obsessed with a classical masterpiece, reading it until she wept bitterly and wrote many commentaries. Chancellor Lü, upon reading her notes, was astonished. “My daughter’s insight surpasses even the learned scholars of old.”
In the past two years, Lü Qianqian developed an interest in agricultural texts and even put them into practice. She had the family clear a patch of land by the front gate to plant mulberry trees and raise silkworms. Recently, she rediscovered the book “Grain Records” on her father’s shelf and, while reading it, ordered the family to cultivate rice in the newly reclaimed paddy field in front of the house.
As the sun set behind the western hills, Lü and his daughter finally left the study. Truly, they had become book enthusiasts.
Dinner was already set on the table. Lü, Aunt Zhou, Lü Qianqian, and Xiao Yuyu sat around sharing the meal.
Xiao Yuyu stopped chewing and said to Lü Qianqian, “Mother, no carriages passed the village gate all day. It looks like Father has really forgotten us!”
Lü Qianqian replied, “Xiao Yuyu, your father wouldn’t forget us! He said he would send a carriage to pick us up to the capital. Maybe he’s still on the road. Tomorrow, you and Grandma keep waiting by the pavilion at the village entrance. He’ll surely come!”
Xiao Yuyu happily said, “Okay! I’ll listen to you, Mother!”
Lü said to Lü Qianqian, “Qian’er, you shouldn’t always deceive the child like this!”
Lü Qianqian replied, “Father, I’m not lying! I feel he’s coming soon.”
Qi Wei, owner of the Qi family salt shop, seemed to grow more attached to his wife as he aged. Even when traveling by carriage, he insisted on sitting beside her.
In his youth, Qi Wei was different. To manage salt supplies, he often traveled far, sometimes for months, leaving his wife Yin Yuanyuan and children behind. But since securing a steady salt supply from Uncle Gu's salt fields, Qi Wei rarely traveled far.
Now, he and Yin Yuanyuan sat together in the back of the carriage. Unaccustomed to travel, he was a bit excited, occasionally gazing out the window. But after a few months, he regretted coming along.
On the carriage, trying to make conversation, he asked Yin Yuanyuan, “Madam, if… I mean, if the court had assigned that girl Gui Mu to another garrison instead of Dapu, wouldn’t we have come all this way for nothing?”
Yin Yuanyuan said, “Not wasted! We’ll keep looking until we find her.”
Qi Wei continued, “If, after arriving at Dapu garrison, we learned she had been transferred north of the capital, would we still go?”
Yin Yuanyuan responded, “Of course! As the saying goes, help someone to the end, escort the Buddha to the West. We won’t rest until we redeem that girl Gui Mu!”
Qi Wei said, “But the north of the capital is so far!”
Yin Yuanyuan asked, “Do you want to back out now? You can tell the driver to turn back to Yangcheng. Stop the carriage and get out, Boss Qi.”
“Driver, don’t stop!” Qi Wei called to the coachman. Turning, he glared at Yin Yuanyuan beside him. “You woman, who’s backing out?”
Yin Yuanyuan rolled her eyes. “Then shut up and sit still.”
Qi Wei, always afraid of his wife, obediently sat quietly like a big boy.
Yin Yuanyuan smiled, pleased, then teased, “Why so silent now? Missing our maid Qing’er at home?”
Qi Wei looked out the window and muttered, “You’re impossible! If I talk, you say I blabber; if I’m silent, you say I’m mute!” Then he fell silent.
Yin Yuanyuan couldn’t resist asking, “Are you angry? I’m just teasing.”
Qi Wei turned, smiling. “Who’s angry? Not me!”
They resumed their trivial banter on the carriage—this was their daily life.
At noon, they stopped at a crossroads in a small town.
As the carriage halted, a little boy ran up and asked, “Grandpa, is this the carriage sent by the Ministry of War?”
Gu Datong squatted down. “No. Little brother, our carriage came from Yangzhou.”
The boy looked disappointed. “Oh, sorry to bother you!”
Gu Datong liked the boy at first sight and asked, “Little brother, are you waiting for a carriage from the Ministry of War?”
The boy nodded.
Gu Datong asked, “Do you know where the Ministry of War is? How far is it from here?”
The boy said, “My mother told me! The Ministry of War is in the capital, very far away.”
Gu Datong said, “So far, the Ministry’s carriage wouldn’t come here.”
The boy suddenly widened his eyes at Gu Datong. “You’re wrong! My mother said my father will definitely come to pick me and mother up to the capital!”
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Gu Datong asked, “Is your father an official in the Ministry of War?”
The boy said, “Yes.”
Gu Datong asked, “What’s your father’s name?”
The boy looked at Gu Datong with a discerning gaze. “Grandpa, are you asking my father’s full name? My mother said we shouldn’t tell strangers his name casually.”
“Oh?”
The boy stepped forward. “Grandpa, you seem like a good person, so I’ll tell you. My father’s name is Gu Yusheng, Vice Minister of War.”
“Vice Minister of War? Gu Yusheng?” Gu Datong repeated the name. Suddenly, he recalled that years ago, his youngest son Gu Yusheng had sent him a vague letter mentioning his close relations with Chancellor Lü’s daughter and spoke of ‘recommended suitors’ and other nonsense.
Gu Datong had once been a palace guard when Chancellor Lü was a scholar at the Hanlin Academy. He not only knew Lü but also knew his ancestral home was in Tucheng, Dapu Prefecture.
He involuntarily widened his eyes and looked the boy over from head to toe. The boy had a delicate, round face, bright eyes, and white teeth—a handsome child. Seeing him, an image of another little boy flashed in his mind. He remembered that boy’s appearance clearly, especially his heartbreaking words during the great famine: “Father, I’m hungry too!”—words etched in Gu Datong’s memory forever.
He looked again at the boy and whispered, “He looks just like he did as a child!” Filled with joy, he slowly stood and approached the boy, wanting to hug him.
“Yuyu, come home for lunch!” a gentle young woman called out to the boy.
The boy quickly turned and replied, “Mother, this grandpa is asking for Father’s name.”
“Oh?”
Gu Datong smiled sheepishly. “Young lady, I’m sorry! We’re just travelers from Yangzhou heading to the Dapu garrison. I saw this clever, adorable boy and spoke with him a bit. Please forgive me.”
Lü Qianqian glanced at Gu Datong, then at Huier, Qi Wei, and Yin Yuanyuan, then waved her hand. “Uncle, it’s all right! My child is naive and delayed your journey. Sorry!” She took the boy’s hand. “Yuyu, give your grandpa and grandma a proper farewell.”
Yuyu faced Gu Datong and the others, waving his little hand. “Goodbye, Grandpa and Grandma!”
Gu Datong waved reluctantly. “Goodbye, little brother!”
Yin Yuanyuan approached Gu Datong. “Brother Gu, do you remember how your second son looked as a child? He looked just like this boy…”
Gu Datong suddenly understood and called out, “Young lady, please wait…”
Lü Qianqian turned. “Uncle, is there something else?”
Gu Datong said, “May I ask, is this town called Tucheng?”
“Yes.”
Gu Datong stepped closer. “I have an old friend who was once the court’s chief minister. I heard he recently retired and returned to live in Tucheng. Have you heard of him?”
Lü Qianqian asked, “What’s his family name?”
Gu Datong replied, “The character with two mouths on top: Lü.”
Lü Qianqian said, “That’s my father.”
Gu Datong was thrilled. “Then you must be Lü Chancellor’s daughter, Lü Qianqian?”
Lü Qianqian asked, “Uncle, how do you know my name?”
Gu Datong laughed. “I am Gu Datong, father of Vice Minister of War Gu Yusheng.”
Lü Qianqian exclaimed, equally excited. “What a small world! Family fails to recognize family!” She knelt down. “Yuyu, this grandpa is your real grandpa. Kneel and greet your grandpa!”
Yuyu knelt before Gu Datong, looking up. “Grandpa, are you really my father’s father?”
Gu Datong knelt down. “Yes, Yuyu, I am your father’s father.”
Yuyu beamed and bowed. “Yuyu greets grandpa.”
Gu Datong opened his arms and embraced Yuyu warmly.
At the Lü residence in Tucheng.
That day, the Lü family butchered pigs and sheep to entertain “passing” guests.
In a hall decorated with southern rustic charm, several large round tables were set with sumptuous dishes.
Chancellor Lü, Gu Datong, and Qi Wei sat together at one table. On another round table, Lady Zhou, Lü’s elegant wife, held her beloved grandson Yuyu. Around them sat Huier, Yin Yuanyuan, and two of the Lü family’s aunts.
Reunited after a long separation, Lü and Gu Datong were deeply moved. More than twenty years ago, they served together in the court and were listed as “comrades” on the “Martial Legacy” roster. Now, they were family by marriage. How could they not be emotional? Yet the atmosphere was heavy. Lü remained composed but silent, while Gu Datong’s sorrow was etched on his face. Glass after glass of wine was consumed.
Finally, Gu Datong stood, clasped his fists, and bowed. “Datong has been apart from you, Chancellor, for twenty-six years. Do you still remember the oath we swore before the pledge ‘Restore Our Rivers and Mountains’?”
Lü rose and returned the bow. “Brother Datong, that vow is ever in my heart.”
Gu Datong laughed heartily.
Lü asked in confusion, “Did my answer amuse you?”
Gu Datong stopped laughing. “In these times of shattered mountains and rivers, treacherous ministers in power, and people suffering, the gentle Princess Rouya endured humiliation for over twenty years. No one avenged her; instead, traitors beheaded her! Yet you, Chancellor Lü, a high official, have retired and hidden away in this small town to enjoy life! Isn’t that laughable?”
Lü replied, “So it is laughable. But I ask you: these years, General Gu Datong, why have you hidden away as a salt worker in Yangzhou?”
Gu Datong was speechless.
Lü looked at him. “Brother-in-law, you misunderstand me! Come with me to the study—I want to show you something.”
Gu Datong hesitated, then followed Lü into the study. When they emerged, both were radiant.
Qi Wei asked, “Master, what did you show Brother Gu to make him so happy?”
Gu Datong said, “Brother Qi, I misunderstood the Chancellor. I was rude earlier; please forgive me, brother-in-law.”
Lü raised his cup. “Since you call me brother-in-law, lift your cup! Only after we drink together will I forgive you!”
Gu Datong raised his cup and drained it.
Lü scolded playfully, “I meant we clink cups and drink together! Not you drinking alone before we toast! That doesn’t count—again!”
Gu Datong knew the etiquette. This time, he filled his cup, lifted it with both hands, gently clinked with Lü’s cup, and drank in unison.
Lü put down his cup. “That’s the style of an imperial guard! I thought you’d lost these manners working at the salt fields. Luckily, you haven’t!”
Wine, regardless of who drinks it, loosens even the mute tongue.
Lü liked to be slightly tipsy—then he could speak freely.
Today he entered that relaxed state, loosening his heart.
He raised his cup to Qi Wei. “Brother Qi, do you know what kind of relationship Brother Gu and I had when we were young?”
Qi Wei thought a moment. “Colleagues, perhaps?”
Lü smiled. “Colleagues, yes! But there was a special connection…”
Qi Wei asked, “What kind of special connection?”
Lü squinted, smiling. “We were rivals for Sister Lou Mingxuan’s affection!”
Gu Datong said modestly, “Brother Qi, at that time Chancellor Lü was a top scholar, handsome and refined, already sought after by noble daughters in the capital. Why would he notice someone like Sister Lou, who only knew swordplay?”
Lü quickly said, “Lou Mingxuan is not a crude person…”
Gu Datong said, “She married a crude man like me, so she must be crude too!”
Lü retorted, “That’s nonsense!”
Gu Datong said, “Chancellor, haven’t you heard ‘Birds of a feather flock together’? I’m a rough man, so is Lou Mingxuan.”
Lü said, “That’s absurd! Now we’re family—are we really the same kind? I’m a scholar; are you?”
Gu Datong was speechless.
The atmosphere grew tense.
After a while, Qi Wei asked, “Chancellor, you must have hated Brother Gu back then?”
Lü said, “I didn’t hate him, just envied him.”
Qi Wei said, “What did he have to envy?”
Lü said, “I envied that he and Lou Mingxuan were senior and junior disciples; I envied his noble birth and the chance to serve as a palace guard, close to Lou Mingxuan, the favor of proximity.”
Qi Wei laughed. “Who would have thought you two former rivals would become in-laws? Fate, perhaps?”
Lü said, “Perhaps it is fate.”
Gu Datong raised his cup. “If so, brother-in-law, Brother Qi and I propose a toast to ‘Fate’.”
Lü and Qi Wei said in unison, “Agreed!”
They drank glass after glass. But with each cup, a woman nearby trembled—not for the wine, but out of concern for her husband’s health. That woman was Chancellor Lü’s beloved wife, Lady Zhou.
She said to Xiao Yuyu, “Yuyu, your grandpa and granddad are old; they shouldn’t drink too much. Go persuade them.”
“Okay!” Xiao Yuyu climbed down from the wooden chair and tugged at Grandpa’s sleeve. “Grandpa, Grandma says to drink less wine and eat more vegetables at home.”
Then he turned and did the same with Gu Datong. “Grandpa, Grandma Huier says travelers should eat more vegetables and drink less wine.”
Lü and Gu Datong both reached out to pat Yuyu’s head and said together, “Good boy!”
…
The next morning, Gu Datong and the others continued their journey, eager to reach the Dapu garrison to redeem Xiao Gui Mu.
Lü Qianqian and Xiao Yuyu also took the carriage with them.
Xiao Yuyu, having not traveled much, happily played a bamboo flute for his grandpa along the way.
Gu Datong listened to the tune, both unfamiliar and familiar. Unfamiliar because he hadn’t heard it in over twenty years; familiar because he had played it often in his youth.
He asked, “Yuyu, who taught you that tune?”
Yuyu said, “My grandpa taught me.”
Gu Datong was startled, whispering, “So he really loves her too…”
The tune was composed by Lou Mingxuan, often played by Gu Datong in his youth.
At the gate of the Dapu garrison, Lü Qianqian blamed herself. “It’s all because of me. I insisted on taking you all back to the Lü residence, wasting your precious time.” She knelt, tears flowing.
Huier and Yin Yuanyuan comforted her, “Qianqian, it’s not your fault. Fate arranged it this way; there’s nothing we can do.”
Gu Datong, Huier, Qi Wei, Yin Yuanyuan, Lü Qianqian, and Xiao Yuyu had rushed to the Dapu garrison, met the new commander, and explained their purpose.
The commander asked, “Are you here to redeem the camp prostitute Xiao Gui Mu?”
Gu Datong said, “Yes.”
The commander said, “You’re too late.”
Gu Datong asked, “Why?”
The commander said, “She was redeemed yesterday.”
Gu Datong, Qi Wei, and the others repeated, “She was redeemed yesterday?”
The commander nodded heavily, “Confirmed yesterday.”
Gu Datong asked, “Who redeemed her?”
The commander said, “I can’t say. I only know a young gentleman came with silver, saying his wife just died and he wants Xiao the camp prostitute as a concubine.”
…
The group left the garrison crestfallen. Gu Datong sat dazed at the gate. Lü Qianqian knelt before him, weeping and blaming herself.
Xiao Yuyu, understanding, knelt behind his mother. “Grandpa, it’s all because of me that we wasted your time. I was wrong. Please spank me!” He lifted his little bottom, waiting.
Gu Datong laughed. He scooped up Yuyu and said to Lü Qianqian, “Qianqian, get up! This is fate, no one’s fault—not yours, not mine or Brother Qi’s, nor our grandson’s.” Then he turned to Qi Wei. “Brother Qi, let’s split up and inquire around Dapu. Let’s find out who redeemed her.”
Qi Wei agreed.
In the following days, Gu Datong, Huier, Qi Wei, Yin Yuanyuan, and Lü Qianqian searched everywhere for Xiao Gui Mu, but she seemed to have vanished without a trace. Finally, they had to leave Dapu and return by the same route.
Passing the Lü residence in Tucheng, Lü Qianqian stubbornly refused to get off the carriage. She wanted to follow Gu Datong back to Yangzhou with Xiao Yuyu. But Lady Zhou lay down to block the carriage, saying if Lü Qianqian and Yuyu left, the carriage would have to pass over her. In the end, Lü Qianqian had no choice but to pull Xiao Yuyu off and return to the Lü house.
Chancellor Lü sighed wryly to Gu Datong, “Gu the palace guard, salt worker! You must be secretly pleased! I raised my daughter for old age companionship and my grandson for Lü family succession, but now it’s all for nothing…”
Gu Datong comforted him, “Chancellor, from now on let Yuyu carry the Lü name.”
Lü really smiled this time. “Brother-in-law, that’s what family says.”
During these days, Xiao Yuyu waited by the village pavilion every day. Though no carriage from his father Gu Yusheng came to fetch him, he did meet his real grandpa. These days, he was overjoyed, dreaming only of grandpa.
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