Chapter 12: Bringing My Nephew Home

Yan Lao'er waited in the shade of a tree at the academy entrance along with the donkey.

He was still feeling a bit dazed.

The twenty taels of gambling debt that had been weighing down their family were finally paid off.

The family’s land was all sold.

His older brother had the land deeds on him, and they were handed over on the spot.

That arrogant head clerk had been stunned when his brother pulled the deeds from his robes, and he had counted the silver over and over again.

What a simpleton, unable to count. They were five-tael silver ingots, ten in total—what was there to count? Did he want a kickback or something?

Yan Lao'er couldn't stand it anymore. He walked over, ignored everything, and just scooped them up.

"Hand it over!"

Old Yan seemed to glare at him at the time, but he didn't care. Hehe! It was his turn to count the silver.

Oh, so that’s how heavy five taels felt. Honestly, the little silver ingots were actually quite cute when piled together.

After dutifully returning all the money to his older brother, the two brothers left the pawnshop and headed straight for the academy.

Yan Lao'er made an excuse about watching the cart and didn't go inside.

Just kidding, this place might be somewhere he frequented.

If he ran into someone he knew and they greeted him, he’d be completely clueless—he couldn't name a single person. How rude that would be.

Furthermore, he had noticed that Old Yan—how should he put it—didn't lead the way when walking.

He always made Yan Lao'er walk in front while he dawdled behind.

Yan Lao'er wanted to support him so they could walk together, but that didn't work either. This guy wouldn't let him; he was overly formal outside and insisted on walking by himself.

What are you being so formal for? You’ve just recovered from a serious illness, what’s wrong with a little support? You weren't this distant at home; weren't we quite close?

Well, fine. He was an empty shell inside and was terrified of making a wrong move.

Forget it, let Old Yan move on his own.

He needed to hurry up and memorize the places they had passed along the way so he could tell his daughter when they got home.

...

Yan Huaiwen vaguely mentioned his concerns about the drought to the Dean, as well as the news that some well-informed wealthy families were already preparing to leave. He also mentioned that he had recently received a letter from a fellow student, asking him to act as a bridge for his clan brother, who was about to take up a post, to hire him as a private secretary.

Upon hearing this, the Dean stopped trying to persuade him to stay and even had someone prepare a travel allowance.

After asking a few questions about life in the countryside, he saw him out.

Yan Huaiwen stood still outside the window, listening to the clear sound of reading coming from within. Through the latticed window, he could see his son, sitting as straight as a pine, silently reciting the classics with total concentration.

The instructor, Scholar Guo, saw him and gave a slight nod.

He returned the gesture and waited quietly for the class to end.

Just as it was the lunch break, the boys sent off their teacher and rushed out of the classroom in a swarm.

Passing by him, they bowed one after another.

"Master Yan!" "Teacher Yan!"

He smiled and nodded, saying warmly, "Go on to the dining hall."

Unable to resist the rumbling in their stomachs, the boys giggled and surged toward the canteen.

Yan Xiangheng watched him intently. "Father, why is your complexion so poor? Are you exhausted? Should you rest?"

"It is nothing, do not worry." He looked at his still-childish son, his eyes stinging. He steadied his mind and said, "There is a matter at home, and I have already asked for leave for you. Pack your things; you will return home with me today."

Although Yan Xiangheng desperately wanted to ask what had happened to make his father come to pick him up in person, he was wary of the crowded academy and the many ears around, so he didn't say much.

Yan Lao'er saw his older brother strolling out, carrying an extra bundle.

He asked casually, "Big Brother, is that all you have? Where’s my big nephew?"

Yan Huaiwen paused, placed the bundle on the cart, and said calmly, "This is the travel allowance gifted by the Dean. Go to my room and tidy things up. I am a bit weary and will wait here for you both."

After saying this, he climbed onto the cart himself, lay down, and closed his eyes.

Yan Lao'er was still trying to figure out what a "travel allowance" was, only to see Old Yan arranging his own rest.

What else could he say?

Go pack up!

He had dragged a child along the way to ask for directions, and the younger the child, the more he dragged them.

When he reached the door, he saw a young man turn around in surprise at the noise. "Second Uncle?"

"Aye! Big nephew!" Yan Lao'er’s eyes lit up. He greeted him enthusiastically and let the child who had led the way go.

"Your academy students are so enthusiastic; they insisted on showing me the way, haha!"

"Big nephew, have you packed your things? Shall I help you pack for your father?"

Yan Lao'er walked into the room very naturally, scanned it, and had a rough idea of what to do.

What kind of surprises could a scholar's belongings have?

Other than books, it was just things related to books.

Brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones—these things were expensive.

Can't leave them behind.

Clothes, shoes, socks, quilts, and mats—pack them all.

Some small items, not heavy, take them too.

After finishing the whole room, Yan Lao'er was very satisfied. He returned a clean and tidy room to the academy, not delaying the next teacher from moving in.

No need to thank me!

He even took a turn through his big nephew's room and couldn't help but sigh. No matter how old children are, they are still children; they can't manage without their parents. Isn't that washbasin ours? That bedding needs to be taken too. He packed it up as neatly as Old Yan's room. If his big nephew hadn't blushed and said there were items belonging to other roommates, would you believe he could have packed up the whole room?

The two of them came out with big and small bundles. Yan Huaiwen couldn't help but cough a few times and quickly turned his head away.

Too painful to look at!

There were so many things piled up that Yan Huaiwen couldn't lie down anymore and had to sit.

"Tianyou, go to the grain shop," Yan Huaiwen said.

At this moment, Yan Lao'er was incredibly glad he had carefully memorized the shops along the way.

Yan Huaiwen went to the grain shop, oil shop, bookstore, grocery store, cloth shop, pharmacy, carpentry shop, blacksmith, and the carriage rental agency...

Good heavens, he almost visited every shop in the small town.

He led the donkey the whole way, following Old Yan, watching him go in and out of every shop, asking questions, but not buying anything.

Yan Xiangheng secretly whispered to his Second Uncle, "Second Uncle, what is my father doing? What is he trying to buy? Has he not found it after visiting so many shops? What exactly happened at home? I see Father's complexion is bad; is he ill? Father has never asked for leave for me before, and he won't explain in detail. I feel so uneasy. Second Uncle, what is going on?"

"Your father is checking prices. Comparing three shops—he must be looking for the cheapest one," Yan Lao'er felt he and Old Yan had a lot in common on this point.

How can you just buy whatever you see? You have to compare prices and check the quality.

"Is Father... preparing a dowry?" Yan Xiangheng asked hesitantly.

"What dowry? What have you heard?" Yan Lao'er immediately shifted his gaze, staring intensely at his big nephew.

"It's just... some classmates said our family is marrying into the village head's family..." Yan Xiangheng stammered.

"No such thing!" Yan Lao'er said firmly. "It's all rumors; your father has already refused."

Yan Xiangheng breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. I heard the village head's youngest son isn't very good."

"Not very good"? He was rotten to the core!

Seeing Old Yan coming out again, Yan Lao'er instructed his big nephew, "Don't mention these things in front of your father."

"Tianyou, come back later to make another trip and haul these things back." As he spoke, he handed over a stack of papers.

Pickup slips for each shop...

Yan Lao'er: So it wasn't that he didn't buy anything, but that he had him pick them up himself.

Old Yan was only responsible for the "buy, buy, buy," while the heavy lifting was all left to Yan Lao'er. o(*￣︶￣*)o