Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Invitation

When the group returned to the main courtyard, they happened to meet Mr. Tan, his son, and his daughter-in-law walking out of the main hall. Three adults, along with a baby in a swaddling cloth, created a harmonious scene of three generations under one roof.

Earlier, when the middle-aged woman mentioned Mr. Tan’s desire for a grandson, the group hadn’t felt much. But now, seeing Mr. Tan’s face nearly hidden by his joyful smile, everyone finally understood.

Even though this wasn’t the first time Qian Gui had witnessed such a scene, he still felt a little sentimental and said, “Although I don’t have a grandson yet, I was just as happy when my son was born.”

He just didn’t know if he’d ever have the chance to return and see his family again.

Jun Tao stood next to Qian Gui. Hearing this, he patted Qian Gui’s arm without saying a word.

Qian Gui was worried about his family, and Jun Tao was just as concerned about his own sect elders. Although he had faith in Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan, he was still unsure. What if they really got trapped here? Would his master come to look for them?

When Jun Tao had gone to find his senior sister and brother-in-law, he had been fearless. But now, thinking that his master might follow them into the trap, he regretted writing too much in his letter.

While feeling melancholic, someone nearby scoffed, “So happy about it. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he’s having another late-born son of his own!”

The group: "..."

The seven of them turned to look at the speaker. Not only they, but the other guests who had been present also turned their attention to the speaker.

Seeing who it was, the guests frowned. “It’s you again.”

The one who spoke carelessly retorted, “What’s your problem?”

The guest rolled up his sleeves. “What’s my problem? It’s supposed to be a joyous occasion, and here you are, mooching off the food and drink and saying such things!”

The one who had spoken carelessly responded, “What did I say? The person just now said, when his own son was born, he was just as happy as Mr. Tan today!”

This single sentence drew the attention to Qian Gui.

Under the guests’ gaze, Qian Gui was stunned and instinctively said, “What does this have to do with me? When my son marries and I have a grandson, I’ll be just as happy, won’t I?”

The guests heard this, and their expressions were all different.

Bai Zhengliu vaguely sensed that something was off. But before he could figure out what was wrong, at the front of the crowd, Mr. Tan cleared his throat: “Everyone! Everyone!”

This immediately drew the attention of all the guests.There were too many people, so Mr. Tan didn’t know about the small argument that had taken place earlier. His face was full of smiles as he cheerfully said, “Today is a great day for my Tan family! All of you are here, and that is giving me face. So, later, no guest shall leave empty-handed.”

Since they were all from the same village, the gifts prepared by the Tan family weren’t too expensive. They were simply celebratory red rice and red eggs. But these were all given freely, and not every household had the chance to taste them. Qian Gui, having been snapped out of his dazed thoughts, immediately felt, "The Tan family truly has some background. Their generosity is extraordinary, no wonder they’ve attracted bandits."

As he spoke, he noticed that the group of martial heroes around him didn't seem particularly impressed. So he added, "Look at that bracelet on the daughter-in-law’s wrist! That’s genuine jadeite, and it's worth a fortune!"

Following his indication, Bai Zhengliu looked at Lady Meng’s wrist and indeed saw a beautiful green bracelet. The bright jade covered her snow-white wrist like a pool of water reflecting the lush green mountains, complementing her new attire.

“And look at her hairpin,” Qian Gui continued, seeing Bai Zhengliu’s interest, “Don’t be fooled by the small green stone on the top; it’s even more translucent than her bracelet, and it might be worth more. Plus, her two ear pendants…”

Jun Tao couldn’t help but marvel, “Brother Qian, you seem to be quite knowledgeable about women’s jewelry.”

Qian Gui scratched his head awkwardly. “Before I left, my wife specifically told me to bring back something nice for her. I couldn’t resist, haha, couldn’t resist.”

As he spoke, he instinctively touched his chest.

Bai Zhengliu noticed this detail, but didn’t comment on it.

The sun blazed down on everyone. Up ahead, where the Tan family of four was, the ceremony had progressed to the point where a servant woman had brought out books, gold and silver items, and an abacus for the newborn to grab.

Normally, such a ceremony would only take place at a child’s first birthday, but Mr. Tan loved his grandson so much that he couldn’t wait to see what achievements the child would make in the future.

At this age, the child couldn’t yet move like a one-year-old, so the items were held by a maid and waved in front of him.

Lady Meng sat smiling to one side, while Mr. Tan kept teasing his grandson, “Wen’er, what do you want to grab? Oh, the abacus, looks like you want to do big business. Why did you let it go? A brush? Looks like you want to follow grandpa and take the imperial exams.”

Mr. Tan’s son, Tan Junqiu, coughed twice.

It wasn’t that he wanted to interrupt his father, but the middle-aged woman who had been talking to Bai Zhengliu and the others about the Tan family’s situation had been quite frank. His health was indeed poor. On such a hot day, even the one-month-old child was only wearing a thin layer of cloth, while Tan Junqiu had wrapped himself up tightly.

Not only was he dressed thickly, but his face also looked pale, causing his wife to glance at him several times, frowning, before she turned and instructed the maid to bring a cup of hot tea.

With the tea, Tan Junqiu’s complexion improved significantly. Just then, the child finally grasped a copy of The Four Books.

Mr. Tan laughed heartily and said to those around him, “When I was studying, The Four Books was the main text. Now, my grandson is born, and he’s just like me.”Tan Junqiu had just put down his teacup when he heard this. He immediately began to cough, “Cough, cough—”

Mr. Tan stopped speaking and frowned as he looked at his son.

It seemed like he wanted to say something, but at that moment, his daughter-in-law spoke up.

Instead of talking about her husband, she shifted the topic to herself. Gently rubbing her forehead with a handkerchief, she whispered, “Father. The sun is really too strong. I’m starting to feel dizzy after sitting for a while. Let Qiulang help me back to the room to rest, and you can continue entertaining the guests outside.”

Mr. Tan glanced at his son and then at his daughter-in-law before finally nodding, “Alright. You go rest first, Junqiu—”

Tan Junqiu immediately responded, “Cough, cough, Father.”

Mr. Tan casually said, “Help Yuniang back to rest.”

After a few exchanges, Tan Junqiu and Meng Yuniang both got up to return to their room. Mr. Tan sat where he was, watching his son and daughter-in-law walk away, and at that moment, his grandson once again let out a giggle.

Mr. Tan couldn’t help but smile as well. He lowered his head and started playing with the child again.

From then on, Tan Junqiu and his wife didn’t come back out, and the newborn child didn’t stay outside for long either. He was quickly carried back to the room to rest.

Only Mr. Tan remained outside, entertaining guests with the uncles and aunts of Meng Yuniang, and offering toasts at each table.

At each table, the guests would say a few auspicious words. When it was time for Bai Zhengliu and his group’s table, the task of speaking was handed to Qian Gui.

Being in business, Qian Gui knew exactly how to offer well-wishing words. Initially, Mr. Tan didn’t think much of their table, but after a few words from Qian Gui, he was so pleased that he practically treated him as a close friend, with the demeanor of someone ready to become lifelong companions.

Upon learning that his new friend had just arrived at Tanjia Village and hadn’t decided on a place to stay for the night, Mr. Tan became even more enthusiastic. He grabbed Qian Gui’s hand and invited him to stay the night before leaving.

Qian Gui was completely caught off guard by this, and Nie and Lu, who were sitting beside him, were also surprised.

However, after thinking about it, they quickly understood: “A few days ago, Old Qian was too busy worrying. We were few in number, and most of the people at the table were from Tanjia Village, so Mr. Tan wouldn’t have made the effort to speak with us. But today, we took up half the table, so when Mr. Tan came to our table, one of us had to be the one to speak. And with Qian Gui performing exceptionally well, it’s only natural for Mr. Tan to treat him differently.”

While these thoughts made sense, the real question was: Should Qian Gui stay or leave?

Qian Gui’s hand was still held by Mr. Tan, and his eyes nervously flickered toward Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan.Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan quickly exchanged glances. When they turned to look at Qian Gui, both nodded slightly.

Qian Gui squeezed his eyes shut in frustration, then, when he looked at Mr. Tan again, his face was filled with surprise. "How could I possibly accept this?"—he said this with his mouth, but his feet remained firmly planted in place, waiting for Mr. Tan to add a few more sincere words before he would truly agree.

The crowd watched as the two sides continued to compliment each other. One praised Mr. Tan for his distinguished demeanor, saying he was truly exceptional for someone who had retired from officialdom. The other praised Qian Gui for being a fateful meeting, and suggested that, if possible, he should stay a few more days… Hearing this, Bai Zhengliu couldn't help but nudge Mei Yinghan with his arm, lowering his voice to confirm, "Mei brother, the man with the horse-face earlier wanted to gamble with us, clearly with ulterior motives. But Mr. Tan insists on keeping Brother Qian here—could it really just be because we hit it off at first sight?"

Mei Yinghan also started to feel that something was off, but after all, it wasn’t Qian Gui’s first day at the Tan household. According to Nie and Lu’s account, Mr. Tan’s attitude toward Qian Gui had been no different in the past few days.

Mei Yinghan could only guess, "Perhaps it’s that Brother Qian really knows how to talk, and Mr. Tan is just in a particularly good mood?"

Bai Zhengliu clicked his tongue and recalled Qian Gui talking about Meng Yuniang’s jewelry, his hand gently touching his own chest.

He whispered, "It’s also possible that there’s something about Brother Qian that Mr. Tan can only notice when he’s close enough."

Author's note:

Brother Qian: You’re making me feel quite uncomfortable with that!