Struggle in Ancient Times

Chapter 107

Arriving at the familiar city gate, Liao Tingyu suddenly burst into tears.

“We’re here!”

Huang Zilan popped his head out excitedly, “We’re really back. Xiao Qiu, hurry up.”

Liao Tingyu was in a hurry, but the oxcart was still walking slowly.

Not understanding the ox’s mood at all, Liao Tingyu was so angry that he came out and threw a straw at him.

Mother Deng was brewing new wine to drink when her son came back.

The wine made by Mother Deng’s was unique in the village, and Liao Tingyu liked to drink it very much. It was made from flowers and had a floral fragrance.

It was a pity that it didn’t have much kick. Liao Ming didn’t like drinking and always buys wine from outside.

In the past, Mother Deng thought that no one in her family liked drinking, so she stopped doing it.

But after Liao Tingyu accidentally saw it and drank a few times, he became obsessed with it.

After all, no one had finished the drink. The previous inventory had been stored in the hometown for decades. If it hadn’t been opened, it would probably be strong liquor.

Now Mother Deng has picked up this craft.

Now the family basically lived in the house that Mother Deng arranged for Liao Tingyu before.

So, Liao Tingyu directed Xiao Qiu to rush home.

Mother Deng was just busy greeting the guests in the shop.

She saw Liao Tingyu at the first sight. She looked at her son on the bullock cart in surprise and shouted: “Son, you are back. Come in quickly. Look at this tired man who has lost a lot of weight. You have worked hard on the road. I will let your sao-zi cook you something delicious to replenish your body.”

She turned around and announced the good news loudly into the house: “Eldest son, your little brother is back, come out quickly.”

Liao Shi quickly put down his hand and ran out of the house, Wen Xiuer followed, and Liao Shi took over the work from Mother Deng.

The little brother was the first priority in Mother Deng’s heart.

“Mother, you can take care of little brother first. I’m here. Come quickly, wife, come and help.” Liao Shi said understandingly.

Mother Deng took Liao Tingyu’s hand and walked inside.

The two people at the back became foils as they exchanged greetings with all their strength.

Liao Ming also heard Mother Deng’s loud shouting and ran over quickly.

“You finally came back after being away for so long. Where is your ox cart?” Liao Ming looked left and right but didn’t see the ox cart.

“You didn’t come back on foot, did you? Did you sell the bullock cart? Or what happened to the cow?”

“Dad, what are you talking about? I’m not that powerful. The bullock cart was parked outside. The cow has been remodeled and can’t come in. I’ll come over to see you as soon as I get back. I’ve been missing you so much these days.”

“You know how to talk nonsense after being away for so long. You know your dad. Are you worried about us? I always worries about you, I can’t sleep every night,” said Deng.

“Mother, thank you for caring about me so much. Didn’t you say I’m quite smart? I hired a guard; Xiao Qiu was a hunter. He protected me all the way.”

“That’s it! Xiao Qiu, Thank you for your hard work along the way.” Mother Deng thanked the man.

Xiao Qiu was flattered and waved her hands repeatedly: “I didn’t do anything; it was the young master and the others who took care of me.”

Only then did Mother Deng realize that the clothes on her daughter-in-law were different, these two strange spirits.

Seeing that Mother Deng was in a good mood, Liao Tingyu quickly expressed his gratitude:

” Mother, I miss you every time I go to a place, so I write you letters home every time I go to a new place, and I also buy you these local specialties every time I go to a new place.”

“It’s a fact, but why didn’t I see the specialties there.” Mother Deng looked at Liao Tingyu who had empty hands.

“There are too many things. I asked the escort to deliver them. I guess they haven’t arrived yet but they will be here soon. Just wait a few days.”

“How many things did you buy? You actually need the escort to help you. Can’t your ox cart hold it??” When Mother Deng heard that the gifts were being escorted, she stared at the prodigal son with her eyes wide open.

“There are several carts of things. Many of them are brought for you, as well as for Dean and the others. Some are given to friends. After all, it is rare to travel far away, so you have to bring some back. And it is easy to use the escort agency. No matter how expensive it is, it’s only a dozen taels of silver.” Liao Tingyu explained.

When Mother Deng heard about the dozen taels of silver, she looked at her son and felt that she didn’t seem to be her own. She was not such a prodigal thing at all!

The key point was why hire escort when you could hire someone else as a guard!

Mother Deng said he didn’t understand.

In fact, this was also related to the couple wanting to live a small life.

Many of the specialties they bought were not expensive in the local area, but they became scarce after traveling dozens of kilometers, so Liao Tingyu also inspected the local environment and sent some to his father-in-law to see if they could do business.

.

Because Liao Tingyu returned from a long trip, Mother Deng made a special journey to the market and bought some delicious food.

They sat at the table, recollecting. He had lost weight and gotten darker, but he should actually be stronger.

People weren’t as delicate as they used to be.

But no matter how it appeared, in a mother’s eyes, even if her child was fat, she would say they were thin and had suffered.

Liao Tingyu didn’t refute. Mother Deng kept putting meat and vegetables into his bowl, fearing he’d eat less due to politeness. Liao Tingyu didn’t add any vegetables during this meal, enjoying emperor-level treatment.

Finally getting through this challenging mealtime, he rubbed his full belly. His parents missed him, so Huang Zilan stayed home and slept overnight.

As he enjoyed the cool night, he shared with Mother Deng what he saw on his journey.

“We are in the Valley of Flowers, where flowers abound, surrounded by mountains and forests. In the early morning, the fog was hazy, butterflies and bees flying, fragrance everywhere. It was simply a wonderland on earth.”

“You see, Zilan was standing here at that time, surrounded by blooming flowers. If you go there, you will definitely like it. And here, we were by the lake. White egrets were flying, and we sat in the attic eating fish and watching turtles climb the tower. One turtle was particularly foolish. It moved a little, then fell, and then all the turtles fell. Dropped…”

Huang Zilan listened to Liao Tingyu’s description of various strange animals, watched him took out his paintings, and pointed out the mountains and rivers. It was an ordinary journey but described as full of ups and downs.

“I hear you’re having a really good time during your study tour. I don’t know when I can go and see it with my own eyes.” Liao Shi said longingly.

“Next time I go to take the exam, I’ll take you with me. If father, mother, brother, sao-zi are willing to go, we’ll go as a family and never be separated again. I’ll be there every time we go to a new place. I miss you.” Liao Tingyu promised.

“When I’m alone outside, I often miss you. I miss my family all the time. What did you do after I’m gone?”

“Father takes a walk every day in the city. Mother makes wine and buys vegetables. Me? I’ve been busy with business. Business has been very good recently, especially cold noodles.” Liao Shi said foolishly.

Mother Deng gave him a critical hit directly.

The family chatted very late, and Liao Tingyu couldn’t bear it anymore. He went back to the room, hugged the warm and fragrant person beside him, feeling a little groggy.

.

Xiao Qiu came to say goodbye the next day. He now wanted to go home as soon as possible to see his mother and share his decision.

News of Liao Tingyu’s return quickly spread throughout the town.

Yang Shu and Zhang Yi visited together, seemingly inseparable like conjoined twins.

Liao Tingyu always felt a bit strange when he saw these two people, especially when they were together—perhaps because of their inseparability.

A few days later, the specialties escorted by the team also arrived.

“Young Master Liao, take a look to see if these are the ones.” said a strong man.

Liao Tingyu examined them and thought they were about right. “Thank you very much, that’s it. You can help me deliver these things to my place, and I will collect the money for you.”

Huang Zilan watched as several people moved in a few boxes, and Liao Tingyu counted them in front.

The items in the box were delicate, with no perishable food. There were cloth dyes, wooden toys, farm tools, seeds, and more.

“What are you doing with these things?” Huang Zilan asked, puzzled. He hadn’t realized Liao Tingyu had bought so much.

Huang Zilan looked at the farm equipment, a bit confused. “This is no different from what we have here.”

“I saw this when I was getting water in a village. You were sleeping! Look, there are so many here. I don’t know how the piece of wood is inlaid, but it is extremely labor-saving,” Liao Tingyu explained the difference in his farm tool.

“Although our family says we don’t need it, we can give this thing to the village chief and ask them to do the same, making it more convenient during busy farming days. People won’t be so tired.”

“And this dye, you see, this is the cloth’s dye. Although its color is almost the same as ours, if you look carefully, it will reflect light in the sun. If used well on clothes, it can be the finishing touch. I remember that my father-in-law also had a workshop specializing in dyeing cloth, so I bought these ingredients as well,” Liao Tingyu explained to his family members.

“Also, this thing may not look small, but it is extremely fun. It is specially made for Mi Gao to play with. According to the old master, it is for his little baby to use to enlighten his mind. I also bought this drawing and waited for our doll to come. When it does, we will give him a few,” Liao Tingyu pointed at these items and explained them one by one.

When he said the last sentence, he looked at Huang Zilan, who felt a bit shy. It was clear why he was mentioning this in public.

Liao Shi held Mi Gao’s toy curiously, “This little kid is so lucky. I only have a bamboo dragonfly, and it’s a bad one.”

“That was given to me, his uncle. Don’t play with it when you are so old,” Liao Tingyu snatched it away—a toy that Liao Shi couldn’t put down.

After playing like this for a few times, it would break down.

What was given to Liao Shi was some delicious food, to Mother Deng was cloth, and to Liao Ming was a beautiful pipe.

This pipe was the most expensive among them.