Chapter 33: No More Reunion

The Zhang family was the first noble household to return to Kaifeng City. At that time, most of the houses in the northeast and southwest parts of Kaifeng were still submerged in water, but their own large mansion had finally seen the water recede.

Standing at the entrance of their mansion, looking at the mess of mud inside, the dirty stains on what used to be clean pink walls, and the terrified servants who came out to greet them, Lady Gu’s face showed not the slightest emotion. Behind her, her three daughters-in-law also had varied reactions upon seeing the ruined scene.

Lady Feng had always lived in Nanjing. Although she brought back many boxes, she didn’t have much property. Though she felt some regret, at least nothing serious was lost, so she remained calm. Lady Sun had always been low-key; the western courtyard where her family lived didn’t contain any valuable items, so she assumed the losses would be limited. With her husband by her side, she had nothing to fear. The most pitiful was Lady Dongfang—seeing the desolate entrance and not knowing what lay inside, she even felt like dying.

Hadn’t she chosen antiques, porcelain, and paintings instead of purchasing land in Henan due to the frequent floods there? But she never imagined the floods would come so suddenly, leaving her no time to pack up!

Seeing Lady Dongfang enter the mansion like a soulless figure following Lady Gu, Lady Sun felt a surge of relief, though she dared not show a smile. However, after walking around the mansion with her mother-in-law and seeing the condition everywhere, her sense of schadenfreude vanished like smoke.

Although the house hadn’t collapsed and it was still standing, whatever furniture was made of wood—whether it was red sandalwood, rosewood, paulownia, or agarwood—had all been ruined by the water. In some rooms, furniture was completely scattered, with clothes and belongings floating in the filthy water, a sight that made one’s hair stand on end.

Almost everyone thought the same thing—how much time would it take to clean this place? How great would the losses be?

Ruiqing Hall, located on the highest ground, was the best-preserved part of the Zhang family’s mansion. Not all of the Zhang family’s servants were idle. At first, they wandered around like lost flies, but eventually a senior steward returned and brought order to the situation.

Everything hastily rescued from the rising waters was piled up in this place that used to accommodate guests. Naturally, as the water rose so quickly, most of what could be saved were the ancestral items and dowries from the Gu family’s residence; items from other branches were extremely limited. Even so, after seeing the dire situation and then looking here, everyone felt somewhat relieved.

“Take your time cleaning it up.”

It took the Gu woman a long while to utter just a few words, overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness. While the family had suffered significant financial losses, what worried her even more was her eldest son, Zhang Xin. The river channels, which had been repaired just last year, had problems again this year, and countless fields in Henan had been flooded. Although the Zhang family had a strong foundation, fate was unpredictable, and it was unclear if any disasters might follow.

The Zhang family needed time to clean up, so their grandchildren had to stay at Daxiangguo Temple for a while longer. Zhang Yue had Du Zhen for literary matters and Peng Shisan for martial arts, so his life was hardly different from when he was at home. He studied when it was time to study and practiced martial arts when it was time to do so; aside from the absence of his parents, everything else remained unchanged. Yet while he could live so leisurely, the other three—or rather, six—people were like ants on a hot pan.

Leaving the three brothers who had run away aside for now, Zhang Qing was worried that her brother would be punished, while Concubine Luo and Zhang Yi were concerned that rushing out with Zhang Yue might lead to gossip and other punishments upon their return. After all, the third branch was showing signs of improvement, while they were completely marginalized and couldn’t afford any mistakes.

“Brother Yue, I and Yi were able to hide safely here at Daxiangguo Temple thanks to your quick thinking for not abandoning us.”

Sitting across from Zhang Yue, Concubine Luo glanced at her timid daughter, who dared not speak, her face showing unmistakable worry. But she quickly forced a smile and said, “I shouldn’t say anything, but I’m really worried about gossip when we return. The old lady and our mistress have always disdained Yi, not to mention someone like me…”

“Concubine, you’re overthinking it,” Zhang Yue said. He really didn’t want to get involved in the second branch’s affairs, but seeing that Concubine Luo had brought it up, he hurriedly interrupted, “This was a natural disaster. Even if Grandmother and Second Aunt want to blame someone, it’s my own decision—none of it has to do with others. Eldest Sister and Second Sister get along well; even if something happens, they will surely speak up for us.”

Looking at Zhang Yue’s self-righteous expression, Auntie Luo felt both grateful and still harbored lingering worries. She had long given up hope for herself, only wishing that her daughter would find a good husband and live a peaceful life. There were many intrigues in the grand mansion, and the lower-ranking servants were always eager to exploit others. If rumors started spreading, life for her and her daughter would become even harder.

Even though he could guess where Auntie Luo’s worries stemmed from, Zhang Yue really couldn’t offer much comfort—given his age and status, he had no right to interfere in such matters. The only thing he could do was to ask his mother, Lady Sun, to take care of Auntie Luo and Zhang Yi after he returned, but such care would undoubtedly be very limited.

After seeing Auntie Luo and Zhang Yi leave the meditation room, he noticed a young monk leading three people over. He ordered Hu Bo and Qiu Hen to send them away, then approached them with confusion.

“Young master, who are they… Huh?”

At first glance at the couple-like man and woman, Zhang Yue didn’t react much. But when he saw the girl who resembled a thin stick, he suddenly remembered who this family of three was. Seeing that they were now dressed neatly, the man’s wound from earlier had healed, and the girl’s pale cheeks had even gained a hint of color, he unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

It was the woman who spoke first, choosing her words carefully and speaking in a very polite manner: “These days, we owe our survival to the Great Prime Minister Temple. The flood has mostly receded, and we must return home. Although everyone says the Third Young Master doesn’t receive guests, I still dared to ask Master Juehai for his mercy. Since the Third Young Master has forgiven us and taken us in despite our past mistakes, we have nothing to repay him with, so we would like to kowtow three times here as our thanks.”

Seeing the man, who no longer showed the roughness he had at first, obediently kneel down following his wife and pull the girl along to kowtow as well, Zhang Yue felt an indescribable sense of panic.

Forgive them despite their past mistakes? How could that be called forgiving them? He had indeed persuaded Master Juehai out of kindness to give them some food, but if it weren’t for the Imperial Guards arriving just then and exposing a failed plot, he would have almost turned them away. The word “gratitude” seemed rather absurd in this context.

But no matter how he tried to stop them or reach out to help, the family of three paid him no attention. Even the little girl kowtowed three times earnestly. After getting up with her parents, she hid behind them as before, only glancing at his face with her bright black eyes. The woman said nothing more either; she bowed deeply once more and then took her husband and daughter and left.

“Wait!” Zhang Yue suddenly called out to them. He stepped forward quickly, took out a few small silver coins from his sleeve and placed them in his right palm, then reached out with his left hand to touch the little girl’s head. Seeing her pull back abruptly and fail to touch her, he could only look up at the woman sheepishly and say, “Auntie, I doubt we’ll meet again in the future. I’ll leave these as a memento for you…” He had intended to say it wasn’t charity, but he swallowed those words instead.

The woman remained silent for a long time before finally lowering her head and giving a few instructions to her daughter. Soon, the little girl stepped forward hesitantly, reached out, and took the silver coins from Zhang Yue’s hand. A faint, reluctant smile appeared on her shy face, and a few indistinct words came out of her throat.

“Wish you a safe journey!”
Zhang Yue didn’t pay close attention. After saying that, he rushed back to his meditation room as if fleeing. Only after entering the gate did he turn to look—only to see that the family of three had already gone far away.

They were going home to rebuild their home, and he too had to return to that large mansion. From then on, they would have nothing to do with each other—truly a parting without a chance of reunion. Thinking back on these days away from home, he couldn’t help but sigh again.

This trip had given him a truly clear understanding of the world. At least, power and wealth are not trivial things in critical moments; they are essential supports.