Chapter 402: Home Is Still Home

Sun Fu's voice was filled with astonishment. If it weren't for the wooden plaque always hanging there, he wouldn't have immediately thought of Ji Yuan, as the appearance of this former eccentric of Ning'an County had long blurred in his memory.

Hearing Sun Fu still call out to him directly, Ji Yuan smiled at him, swallowed the noodles in his mouth, and spoke.

"That's right, it's me. Brother Sun, you still remember me!"

Sun Fu wiped his hands with the rag from his cart, then wiped them on his clothes again, and quickly came out from behind the cart, looking at Ji Yuan with a mix of surprise and complex emotions.

"Mr. Ji, is it really you? I... I'll add some more broth and offal for you, alright?"

He looked closely at Ji Yuan, who was about to go back to the cart for something, but Ji Yuan quickly stopped him.

"No, no, that's enough, this is plenty. You go about your business. If you're not busy, just sit down here and chat with me."

Ji Yuan gestured with his chopsticks to the empty seat beside the table.

At that moment, other diners, who were quite familiar with Sun Fu, curiously asked a question.

"Uncle Sun, who is this great gentleman?"

Sun Fu looked at the young man who spoke, and only replied after a moment of recollection.

"This is Mr. Ji, the one your paternal grandfather often spoke of. He also mentioned him several times when you visited our home!"

"Huh? I don't remember that..."

"How old were you back then? What could you remember besides eating and playing?"

Sun Fu said a few words to the person, then, still holding the rag in his hand, he sat down a little awkwardly next to Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan looked at him, still calmly eating his noodles. He scooped some offal from the other bowl into his noodle bowl, mixed it with the braised meat and noodles, picked it up with his chopsticks, and ate with great relish.

"Sir, why did you leave for so many years and never come back to visit?"

Ji Yuan, holding his chopsticks, cupped his hands apologetically.

"I had many things to attend to, and when one is away, there are many things beyond one's control. Thank you for your concern."

"Oh, yes, that's true. When you're out, you can't just come back whenever you want. My father used to mention you often when he was still alive. Sometimes he would ask me, 'How long has it been since Mr. Ji came to eat noodles at the stall?' I almost always said he hadn't been here. Occasionally, I'd lie and say he had just been here. Uh, you won't blame me, will you, sir?"

Ji Yuan nodded at him.

"Of course not. Those words came from filial piety, which is a great virtue. It's Old Man Sun who always remembered me, which touches me deeply!"

Sun Fu smiled.

"That's right, my father always said at home that you were no ordinary person and that we must treat you well."

"Heh heh, Old Man Sun... Did he have any unfulfilled wishes when he passed away?"

Ji Yuan smiled slightly and asked this question.

"Ah, my father's wish was for my son and my elder brother's son to study literature, become scholars, pass the imperial examinations, and become high officials. But how could ordinary folks like us be suited for that? The two boys did attend school, but later they just couldn't continue studying. They went on to do what they were meant to do. That's fine, I even have a granddaughter now."

Ji Yuan smiled knowingly upon hearing this, but continued eating his noodles without speaking. Once the noodles were gone, he ate the offal.

"Mr. Ji, I used to hear people say you might never come back... It's so good to see you!"

Ji Yuan caught the unspoken meaning in Sun Fu's words. He guessed someone had probably said that he, Ji Yuan, might have died away from home. Such things were not uncommon, so it was not surprising that they would think so.

"It's also very good to eat Sun's noodles and offal again."

As Ji Yuan spoke, he put the last mouthful of offal into his mouth, chewed it carefully for a while before swallowing. Then he turned to look at Sun Fu, seeing that he looked full of vigor and showed no signs of worry, clearly doing well. But he still asked a question.

"Are there any difficulties at home? You can tell me."

Sun Fu waved his hands repeatedly.

"No, no, no, Mr. Ji, don't look at me still running this noodle stall here. It's because I don't want our Old Sun family's craft to be lost. Actually, our family is doing quite well; we lack for nothing!"

After all, Ji Yuan was an outsider, so Sun Fu didn't mention the gold nugget, but he did indicate that his family was prosperous enough.

Ji Yuan understood immediately. As the saying goes, 'a poor family faces a hundred misfortunes.' While this might be an exaggeration, there was some truth to it. After all, money couldn't solve everything, but it certainly could solve most things, and that was effective even in Ning'an County.

"That's good. Contentment leads to lasting happiness."

Ji Yuan put down his chopsticks. He shook out his sleeves, which he had rolled up earlier to avoid getting soup on them, and then sat at the table chatting with Sun Fu. He also waved to the little girl, but she, being shy, hid behind the cart and didn't come over.

"This child, though she seems shy with strangers, actually has a strong personality, just like a boy. I'm planning to send her to school too!"

"Oh? Girls can attend school now?"

Ji Yuan was slightly surprised. It was important to know that in the past, although there was no explicit law in Da Zhen prohibiting girls from attending school, it was almost an unwritten rule. The social status of women was still somewhat low; at least, women were almost never seen in schools.

Even young ladies from wealthy families were taught to read and write by tutors hired for private schooling at home.

"Heh, in earlier years, this would have been unthinkable. But what kind of place is Ning'an County? It's a wonderful place, rich in talent and spiritual energy. It produced Yin Wenqu, a high-ranking official in the current court. One of the policies he has promoted in recent years is that women can also attend school."

"Oh, the resistance must be considerable then."

Sun Fu collected the bowls and chopsticks from in front of Ji Yuan and said.

"I'm not sure about that, but Yin Wenqu's words are still very effective in our Ning'an County. At least when I mentioned his status, no one dared to argue with me."

Ji Yuan smiled and gave a thumbs-up.

"Excellent, very insightful."

After speaking, he patted his trousers and stood up, taking a few copper coins from his sleeve.

"The price hasn't changed, has it?"

"Oh, Mr. Ji, you've been away for so many years, and you've just returned to the county. Consider these noodles my treat for you. How could I possibly take money from you? Please put them away, put them away!"

Sun Fu's attitude was very firm; it was not feigned politeness.

Ji Yuan looked at him and actually put the money away, then nodded and said.

"Alright, I'll accept your kindness then. I'll head home now. If you need anything, you can find me at Ju'an Small Pavilion. Yes, anything at all."

After saying this, Ji Yuan left his seat, strode through the gate of Tianniu Alley, and headed towards Ju'an Small Pavilion.

After he left, the conversation among the other diners at the noodle stall, who had finished eating but intentionally lingered, became lively again.

"Uncle Sun, who exactly was that great gentleman? You kept saying 'Mr. Ji, Mr. Ji,' is he very famous?"

"Yeah, Boss Sun, he doesn't look very old, does he? But listening to you, it feels like..."

The speaker couldn't quite describe the feeling; it was as if Sun Fu, who was already a grandfather, was talking to someone from his father's generation.

Sun Fu watched Ji Yuan's back disappear from sight, and only then did he lean closer to the tables and whisper.

"You lot, what do you know! This is Ji Yuan, the great Mr. Ji. He was quite famous in our county fifteen or twenty years ago. Go back and ask your parents, or better yet, your grandparents, and they'll surely remember something!"

"Fifteen or twenty years?"

"He's that old!?"

Sun Fu gestured for them to quiet down, then continued.

"This man, it was said back then, was an extraordinary person. The previous county magistrate and county captain both treated him with great respect. Oh, and you all know Yin Wenqu, right?"

"Yes, we do!" "Uncle Sun, what are you saying? How could we not know Yin Wenqu!"

"Well, Yin Wenqu's old home was in Tianniu Alley back then. He and Mr. Ji were the best of neighbors. When he was still a tutor at the county school, he would visit Ju'an Small Pavilion almost every day. His friendship with Mr. Ji was extremely deep!"

"Oh!" "Is that so!" "So that's how it is!"

The diners nearby exclaimed in surprise, and their expressions greatly pleased Sun Fu. Meanwhile, the little girl, seeing their exaggerated faces, also giggled.

Ji Yuan returned to the Ju'an Small Pavilion, which he had been away from for a long time. Few of the people he encountered along the way recognized him. Arriving at the small pavilion's entrance, he found his key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.

With a creak, a layer of dust fell from the doorframe. However, all the dust drifted past Ji Yuan; even if some touched his shoulder, it instantly slid off.

"Whoosh... whoosh..."

A gentle breeze stirred in the courtyard, and the branches and leaves of the large date tree swayed, making light, ethereal sounds.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle... rustle, rustle..."

He sniffed. Perhaps because of the large date tree, the air in the house was very fresh.

"You've worked hard!"

Ji Yuan knew he couldn't stay permanently in Ning'an County now; at least, this return might not be for long. The house was entirely dependent on the large date tree to watch over it. Even though there wasn't much to steal here, it was still home.

He opened all the doors of the house to air it out. This time, Ji Yuan did not hold back on using magic; with a wave of his hand, he conjured a gust of wind which swept away all the dust indoors, restoring the house to a clean and tidy state.

Upon checking the kitchen, Ji Yuan couldn't help but tap his forehead.

"Oh dear, it's all wasted!"

The small jar of honey in the kitchen, naturally, was no longer as it was ten years ago. But when Ji Yuan opened the jar and looked closely, he found a layer of crystals at the bottom. Gently scraping away a layer of wax from the surface, he could smell a faint, refreshing sweetness.

"It seems like it might still be edible?"

At this moment, the paper crane squeezed directly out of the brocade pouch, flew out from Ji Yuan's embrace, and circled continuously around the large date tree. The large date tree in the courtyard rustled its branches and leaves, as if greeting the paper crane.

Ji Yuan came out of the kitchen. Besides planning to fetch water, he also thought to take out the "Sword Intent Scroll" and placed it in the courtyard.

The next moment, the scroll opened automatically, and chirping sounds immediately erupted from it.

"Oh! Ju'an Small Pavilion!" "Yes, yes, back to Ning'an County!"

"Ah, ah, ah, the large date tree!" "Hahaha... finally back to Ning'an County!"

"The large date tree still can't speak?" "Idiot, a large date tree is a tree; it needs to condense a spirit!"

"Shh... there are mortals all around here, let's be quiet!"

"Right, right, right, quieter..."

A group of small characters lowered their voices. After a rustling conversation, they one by one jumped out directly from the "Sword Intent Scroll."

The branches and leaves of the large date tree in the courtyard fell silent, clearly startled by this group of small characters.