Chapter 26: Re-entry

Mrs. Chen Li was leading an ox in front, while Chen Tiezhu followed behind carrying farm tools, walking slowly toward this direction.

Since the Chen family had become well-off, they had purchased an ox and an iron plow, meaning they no longer had to borrow from Chen Rongcai, saving them a significant amount in rental fees.

Little Sister, with a wild flower tucked behind her ear, skipped along behind the two of them.

The three of them could not see Chen Yuan from a distance, but upon approaching, they saw his appearance clearly. Little Sister let out a joyful shout, spread her arms, and ran toward them.

"Second Brother, you're back!"

Chen Yuan released the reins, met her halfway, picked her up, and affectionately nuzzled her cheek, smiling as he said, "Little Sister is getting prettier and prettier. Did you miss me?"

"I did! I miss you every single day! Why did you take so long to come back?"

Holding Little Sister with one arm, Chen Yuan turned to the horse, opened a cloth bag, and revealed the white sugar, rice cakes, hairpins, and toys inside. "Look what I brought back for you!"

Little Sister's eyes lit up. She picked up an exquisitely shaped wooden hairpin, looking at it from every angle, unable to put it down.

Chen Yuan picked up a piece of rice cake and held it to her lips. "I picked this out especially for you. Taste it and see if it's good..."

Little Sister took a bite, her large eyes sparkling. "Mmm, it's delicious! Mmm... thank you, Second Brother. You're the best..."

Seeing her happiness, the smile on Chen Yuan's face deepened. "Eat slowly, there's two pounds of this. I'll give it all to you..."

Mrs. Chen Li walked over leading the ox. Looking at the items on the horse, she complained, "You child, it's fine to come home, but why buy so many things? You're wasting money. It would be better to save it for when you marry a wife."

Chen Yuan smiled. "It's alright, Mother. These things didn't cost anything. The shopkeeper saw how hardworking I am and gave them to me as a reward."

Only then did Mrs. Chen Li break into a smile, her wrinkles folding together. As she unlocked the gate, she said, "Then you must work hard and not make the master angry."

Chen Tiezhu laughed. "Alright, Erniu is grown up now; you don't need to worry about him. Stop nagging!"

Mrs. Chen Li pushed the door open and turned to glare at him. "No matter how capable Erniu is, he's still a child! Boys his age in the village are already having babies, yet he hasn't even married. If I don't worry, who will?"

Chen Tiezhu followed her inside, snorting. "With Erniu's talent, do you think he'd settle for a village girl? You have long hair but short vision. Erniu is definitely going to find a wife in the county town, aren't you, Erniu?"

Carrying Little Sister and leading the horse, Chen Yuan finally walked through the door. "Father, Mother, you don't need to worry. It's not time to marry yet. I came back this time because I have something important to tell you."

Chen Tiezhu asked, "What is it?"

Instead of answering, Chen Yuan set Little Sister down, placed the rice cakes, hairpins, and toys in her hands, patted her head, and said softly, "Go put your things away, and Second Brother will play with you in a bit."

"Okay!" Little Sister nodded obediently, took the items, and skipped back to her room.

Chen Yuan brought the pork, cotton cloth, and fine flour into the main room, set them on the table, and then spoke. "I'll be transferred to the prefectural city in a few days. I came back this time to bring you some silver."

He pulled twenty taels of silver from his bosom and handed it over.

Chen Tiezhu's expression changed. He took it, weighed it, and exclaimed, "This must be over ten taels!"

Chen Yuan smiled. "This is twenty taels. It was a reward from the head hall's deacon. He thinks highly of me and wants to take me to the prefectural city to work. This is my settlement money. Keep it safe and don't let anyone else know."

Chen Tiezhu said with gratification, "Erniu has truly made something of himself. Going to the prefectural city is good; you can rise in the world. This is a glorious thing for our ancestors!"

"Husband, let me see." Mrs. Chen Li took the silver, inspected it carefully, and then silently set it down. She looked at Chen Yuan and asked, "Erniu, when you go to the prefectural city, will you have to draw swords against people?"

Looking at Mrs. Chen Li's worried face, a sense of warmth rose in Chen Yuan's heart. He smiled. "Don't worry, Mother. I know what I'm doing. Nothing will happen."

Chen Tiezhu sighed. "Alright, Mother, in this world, how can one rise without taking risks? Erniu has been smart since he was a child; let's not worry needlessly. Erniu, don't push yourself too hard. Our life is good enough. Your mother and I will keep this twenty taels for you. If you find it too bitter or tiring, just come home. We have our own ox and plow, and if we buy a few more acres of land, we won't worry about food or clothes. Life won't be bad..."

Chen Tiezhu rambled on. Because he had spent years speaking loudly in the fields, exposed to wind and sun, his voice sounded very coarse and raspy.

But when Chen Yuan looked at Chen Tiezhu, his expression was far more sincere than when he faced Wei Wuding or Shopkeeper Sun. He grinned. "Alright, Father, I'll listen to you."

A smile appeared on Mrs. Chen Li's face as she picked up the pork and walked toward the door. "You two sit down. I'll go cook. Erniu has finally come home; he deserves a good meal..."

Just then, Little Sister ran in, nearly bumping into Mrs. Chen Li. She stumbled a few steps and threw herself into Chen Yuan's arms.

In a good mood, Mrs. Chen Li scolded playfully, "You're so big now, yet you don't act like a young lady at all. I wonder how you'll ever marry!"

Little Sister hugged Chen Yuan's arm tightly and shouted, "I'm not getting married! I'm staying home to be with Father, Mother, and Second Brother!"

Chen Yuan laughed loudly, pinched Little Sister's cheek, and said, "Fine, Second Brother will support you. If you want to marry, you can; if you don't, you don't have to!"

...

After Chen Yuan and Little Sister played for about half an hour, Mrs. Chen Li finished cooking, and the family sat at the dining table.

Mrs. Chen Li had prepared four dishes and sliced two pounds of pork. As soon as the food hit the table, Little Sister's eyes gleamed; she scooped the meat into her bowl and began eating heartily.

Although the Chen family's life was improving, they were not wealthy. They could only eat meat a few times a month, usually only during feasts or festivals.

Chen Yuan placed more meat in Little Sister's bowl and smiled. "Eat slowly, don't overstuff yourself."

Mrs. Chen Li watched the two children with a smile. "Erniu, you eat too. You have a big appetite, so I specifically sliced two pounds of meat. The rest will wait until tomorrow when your older brother and sister-in-law return. I'll cook more dishes then, and our whole family can have a proper meal."

A smile also appeared on Chen Tiezhu's face. "Exactly. You used to only come home during the New Year, and you couldn't even make it back for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Since you've finally made it back today, let your brother and sister-in-law know."

Chen Yuan paused, looked at Little Sister, and nodded slightly without speaking.

After dinner, Chen Yuan played with Little Sister for another hour. After coaxing her to sleep, he returned to the main room.

Chen Tiezhu and Mrs. Chen Li had not yet retired. Chen Yuan said to them, "Father, Mother, I have urgent business and must leave tonight. If anything happens, tell Uncle Erhua to pass the word; I can receive it in the prefectural city."

Chen Tiezhu asked in surprise, "What business is so urgent?"

"Yes, it's so late at night, it's quite inconvenient. Why not leave tomorrow?" Mrs. Chen Li tried her best to persuade him to stay.

But Chen Yuan shook his head. "I want to stay home for a few more days too, but there is truly no other way. If Little Sister asks tomorrow, please just comfort her."

The two exchanged a look and stopped persuading him. Chen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and asked Mrs. Chen Li to prepare some dry rations.

While Mrs. Chen Li lit the stove to make flatbreads, Chen Yuan, with Chen Tiezhu's help, packed two large sacks of fodder for the family's ox.

Both Chen Tiezhu and Mrs. Chen Li were somewhat puzzled. The prefectural city wasn't that far, and they would pass through two county towns along the way, so food wouldn't be an issue. Why did Chen Yuan act as if he were going on a long journey?

But they did not ask. Chen Yuan also instructed them that if anyone asked, they should say he had returned to the county town.

An hour later, carrying enough dry rations for four days and the two large sacks of fodder, Chen Yuan left Chen Village.

It was a clear night; the bright moon hung high, and the Milky Way spanned the sky, casting moonlight and starlight that illuminated Chen Yuan's path.

He did not head toward the county town, nor did he return to the manor. Instead, he followed the Yuanping Ridge and entered the Chiman Mountains.

At night, there were very few travelers on the Yuanping Ridge.

Chen Yuan rode his horse at a gallop. Relying on his extraordinary five senses, he avoided any travelers from a distance, ensuring they passed each other peacefully.

Two hours later, he suddenly stopped, turned into a mountain path, dismounted, and walked into a secluded, dense forest.

Chen Yuan tied the reins to a tree, scanned the surroundings, and then climbed to the top of a tree to observe carefully. Once certain no one was nearby, he pulled out the coarse cloth bag he kept close to his body and took out the jade pendant.

Bathed in starlight, the jade pendant emitted a faint green glow.

The stars in the sky flashed in unison, converging into a thin beam of starlight that descended from the heavens, enveloping Chen Yuan. A sensation of cool numbness spread through his entire body.

Chen Yuan was ecstatic; the jade pendant had not lost its effectiveness—it could still induce starlight infusion!

This time, Chen Yuan did not close his eyes. Instead, he kept them wide open, looking down to carefully observe the starlight on his skin.

He discovered that the starlight was slightly deeper than before; it was no longer a faint white, but an extremely pale silver.

After twenty breaths, the green light dissipated, the starlight receded, and the familiar sensation of hunger surged forth.

Chen Yuan took out his last remaining Essence-Nurturing Pill and swallowed it. The hunger eased slightly, remaining within a tolerable range.

Then, he carefully put away the jade pendant. Without eating any more dry rations, he endured the hunger, led his horse out of the forest, and resumed his journey along the Yuanping Ridge.

Chen Yuan rested his horse during the day and traveled at night, moving much faster than the main group of the Tiger-Subduing Gang. In two days, he returned to the scorched remains of Black Wind Fortress.

Looking at the collapsed, blackened houses before him, a smile appeared at the corner of Chen Yuan's mouth. He tied up his horse and, following the route in his memory, walked toward the cliff where the bodies had been dumped in Black Wind Fortress.