Chapter 52: Home

Lanyang Prefecture was filled with a chilling air of solemnity.

It was foreseeable that today or tomorrow, the Emperor’s imperial envoys, high-ranking court officials, big shots from the Three Sages Palace, and even the Director of the West Yamen would arrive one after another.

After a day and night of fermenting, the public’s acceptance of the theory that the ‘Tiandao Palace’ had been struck by heavenly lightning far exceeded any other speculation.

People are just like that; compared to the exhausting effort of analyzing clues, they are always more willing to believe in legendary, bizarre, and mysterious theories.

Spreading rumors is satisfying for a moment, but spreading them continuously is satisfying forever.

All Li Fengrao could do was protect the scene and blockade the City, waiting for the various factions to gather for their battle of the gods. His greatest wish was that he, and even the people of the entire Lanyang Prefecture, would not be caught in the crossfire.

Although the policy of blockading the City was implemented, it was impossible to truly forbid anyone from entering or leaving.

In such a massive prefecture City, there were tens of thousands of permanent residents, and the daily consumption of basic necessities was no small figure.

If all communication and transport were cut off, would everyone just starve to death?

Furthermore, the delivery of official documents and internal-external communication required people to move in and out.

To be safe, Li Fengrao required that everyone leaving the City must have a legitimate reason and a guarantor from the government office.

Ding Suian’s reason for leaving the City was very legitimate. Look, a ‘Requisition Order’ issued by the Dianqian Division!

As for a guarantor, that wasn’t difficult either.

When the incident happened the night before last, Young Master Ding was drinking at the Pinshu Pavilion with Head Constable Jiao and a group of constables!

“I, Old Jiao, will be his guarantor!”

With the help of the loyal Old Jiao, Ding Suian, with all his paperwork in order, a sufficient reason, and an innocuous appearance, successfully left the City.

The two-hundred-mile official road from Lanyang to Central Heaven could be called the highest standard of Great Wu’s infrastructure, and with the divine Xieyan steed…

By the end of the Shen hour, as the shadows lengthened, the towering City walls, dyed gold by the setting sun, were already visible in the distance.

Central Heaven City, the Imperial Capital of Great Wu.

With a circumference of sixty-six li and a population of a million, its prosperity was unmatched under heaven.

Two quarters into the You hour.

The Qiansixiang Fabric Store, located inside the Desheng Gate, welcomed a wealthy customer.

The shop assistants at Qiansixiang, which mainly sold mid-to-high-end fabrics, all had sharp eyes for discerning status.

Judging solely by the young man’s fine horse, his elegant yet understated clothing, and his bearing, there was at least a fifth-rank official backing his family.

The customer did not disappoint the Qiansixiang assistant. After entering, he didn’t listen to the assistant’s enthusiastic explanations but raised his hand and pointed at the shelves. “This one, this one, and that one. Take thirty bolts in total.”

The owner was naturally delighted, but thirty bolts of fabric were certainly more than one person could carry. He hurriedly said, “May I ask which official’s residence the Young Master is from? This shop will deliver them by ox cart immediately.”

“Send them to the south of the City, Chilao Alley.”

The address the youth gave caused everyone in Qiansixiang to freeze on the spot.

“Young Master, you must be joking…”

“Who’s joking with you? Chilao Alley. Can you deliver or not? If not, I’ll go elsewhere.”

“We can, we can! Of course we can.”

The southern part of Central Heaven was already the most dilapidated area of the City.

And Chilao Alley was the lowest-lying spot in the south, frequently flooded during the rainy season.

As the name suggested, the alley was mostly inhabited by soldiers, night soil collectors, night watchmen, prostitutes, and the like. In the eyes of respectable people, it was a true den of filth and iniquity.

This fair-skinned, handsome youth didn’t look like someone who could have any connection to Chilao Alley.

The start of the You hour.

Under the old locust tree at the entrance of Chilao Alley, several half-grown boys were huddled around a millstone, whispering.

“…It was clearly those kids from Laundry Alley who crossed the line! Zhuzi went to reason with them, but they beat him up!”

“Brother Couhe, think of something! It was agreed that the broken porcelain, animal dung, scraps of cloth, and waste paper in Datong Ward are all ours! We can’t let them just snatch it away for nothing!”

The thin young man called ‘Couhe’ seemed to be the leader of this group. Hearing this, he said, “Then what should we do? How about we have a fight with them tomorrow!”

As soon as he said this, the group fell silent. They looked at each other, their eyes clearly showing some fear and lack of confidence.

After a long while, one of them grunted, “Hmph! Just wait until Brother An gets back; he’ll beat the crap out of them!”

In the twilight, fifty or sixty paces west of the alley entrance, a youth in fine clothes sat astride a tall horse, slowly approaching from the east.

Behind him followed an ox cart loaded with goods, the driver looking around curiously.

Under the old locust tree at the alley entrance, because of where they were sitting, Zhuzi, who was wiping away tears, was the first to see the newcomer. He hurriedly said, “Hey! Hey! Look, a Young Master is coming!”

Hu Couhe turned his head to look, but because the person was backlit, he couldn’t see clearly. However, that didn’t stop his natural resentment as he cursed under his breath, “Motherfucker, where did this show-off come from, coming here to act all high and mighty…”

The other party drew closer. No matter what Hu Couhe thought, the fear of nobility ingrained in their hearts made them all lower their heads and remain silent.

They only waited for the person to pass quickly, lest a single glance bring unnecessary trouble.

As luck would have it, the’show-off’ actually stopped not far from them.

Just then, a woman’s shout came from inside the alley. “Couhe, come home for dinner! Couhe, come home for dinner!”

After calling twice without a response, a woman wearing an apron walked out of the alley a few moments later. Seeing her son sitting on the millstone ignoring her, her maternal love immediately erupted. “Hu Couhe! You little brat! I’m calling you home for dinner, are you deaf? Your damn legs, wandering around like a ghost all day… Eh!”

Mid-curse, the woman suddenly let out an ‘eh’ and looked up at the handsome youth on horseback.

The more she looked, the more familiar he seemed.

At that moment, the youth on the horse said with a grin, “Heh, Aunt doesn’t recognize me anymore?”

“Oh my goodness!”

With a startled cry, the woman slapped her thigh and shouted, “Yuanxi is back! Brother An is back!”

The originally quiet Chilao Alley saw its courtyard doors open one by one following Aunt Hu’s surprised shouts.

Immediately afterward, the Aunts and sisters-in-law from every household swarmed to the alley entrance.

“Brother An! When did you get back? Your father hasn’t finished his shift yet, come to my house first…”

“Yuanxi, you’ve really become more and more handsome!”

“Little Xi, are you hungry? I just cooked some porridge. Come, follow me home and have a bowl first.”

Ding Suian dismounted and gave a solemn bow, a smile spreading across his face.

Without boasting, I’ve probably nursed from half of these Aunts and sisters-in-law before me.

In the early spring of the twenty-ninth year of legitimacy, before Ding Suian was a month old, his birth mother passed away.

At that time, the women in Chilao Alley who were pregnant or had just given birth took turns breastfeeding him to keep him alive.

The kindness of nursing is not something to be easily forgotten.

“Aunts, I’ve bought some fine cloth, one bolt per household. Everyone, please take one for yourselves.”

The Chilao Alley that others saw as a den of filth was his home.

“Brother An, you’ve really made it! Riding a big horse, wearing new clothes…”

“Ha! I could tell since he was a kid that Brother An would be successful!”

“Isn’t that the truth! When I nursed him back then, the little guy sucked with real strength.”

Inside the Ding Family’s small courtyard in Chilao Alley, the yard was packed with people.

Hearing the Aunts get more and more excited, Ding Suian hurriedly pulled a stack of silver notes from his robe and handed them to Aunt Hu. “Aunt, this is what Hu Jiangjiu saved up. He specifically asked me to bring it back for you this time. He said for you to spend it however you like and buy more good food.”

“That brat, he still remembers his old mother.”

Aunt Hu took the silver notes, cursing her son with her mouth but unable to stop herself from wiping the corners of her eyes.

“Brother An, you’ve only been in Lanyang for about three months, and Jiangjiu has already earned this much?”

The neighbors were filled with envy.

“Jiangjiu performed a great service. There was reward silver from the court and reward silver from the Princess. It all added up to this much.”

“Tsk tsk, as expected, one really has to follow Brother An!”

There was a chorus of agreement and approval.

“Brother Yuanxi!”

The thin Hu Couhe squeezed in front of Ding Suian, trying his best to stand tall. “Get me a position under you too!”

Hu Couhe and Hu Jiangjiu were twins, but the former was short and thin, while the latter was thickset and tall.

Yet, Couhe was the elder brother.

“Brother Lie! Yuanxi is back!”

While the courtyard was bustling, a shout came from outside, and everyone turned their heads toward the gate.

Outside the gate stood a man wearing the standard military uniform of Great Wu. He had a powerful build and a classic handsome middle-aged face, marked with the steady composure of one weathered by the wind and frost.

Yet, he happened to have a pair of peach blossom eyes.

Father and son stood at opposite ends of the crowd, watching each other.

“Let’s go, let’s go, time to go home and eat.”

“Brother Lie, we’ll leave you two to talk.”

The neighbors were very tactful. After greeting him, they collectively withdrew from the Ding Family courtyard.

Only Aunt Yao, who lived at the end of the alley, placed her hand on Old Ding’s arm as she passed him, warmly inviting, “Brother, you two don’t bother cooking. Bring Yuanxi to my house to eat in a bit. I’ll cook a few of my specialty dishes for you, and we’ll have a drink together.”

“Let’s go, let’s go.” Aunt Hu pushed Aunt Yao out of the courtyard. “Father and son haven’t seen each other in a long time, why are you budding in?”

After everyone left, the small courtyard became quiet.

Ding Lie looked him up and down, then suddenly spread his legs, lowered his waist, extended his arms, and beckoned with his fingers. “Come!”

“Hehe!”

Ding Suian smiled and assumed a similar horse stance.

Without a word, the father and son charged at each other and collided with a ‘thud’.

Ding Suian gave a low growl, his arm locking around Old Ding’s neck and his ankle hooking into the crook of his knee, executing a ‘Waist-Breaking Hook’ from the art of wrestling.

Old Ding, however, was like the stone pillars under the old bridge of the Yudai River, remaining rooted and unmoving.

When Ding Suian’s strength began to flag, Old Ding suddenly twisted his waist and grabbed the belt at Ding Suian’s waist, using a ‘Python’s Roll’ wrestling technique that almost threw Ding Suian right out.

Ding Suian quickly grabbed his father’s rhinoceros hide belt as well, barely stabilizing himself.

After more than a hundred breaths, Ding Suian finally relied on a ‘Breaking the Golden Beam’ move to throw his father to the ground.

For over a decade, the outcome of the father and son’s wrestling matches had remained the same.

From the first time Old Ding taught him to wrestle when he was three years old, Old Ding had never won against his son.

Old Ding was like the giant monsters in Ultraman; he would start by giving you pressure, forcing you to use your full strength, and stimulating your potential in the middle, but in the end, Ding Suian always won.

The father and son lay side by side on the ground, both panting like bulls.

In the now completely dark night sky hung a half-moon.

“Old Ding, you don’t have to go easy on me anymore. I’ve already reached Minor Achievement in the Chenggang Realm. Next time, you can use your full strength.”

“I wasn’t going easy on you.”

“You’ve been saying that for over ten years. I’m not an idiot.”

“It’s impressive that you’ve reached Minor Achievement in the Chenggang Realm at your age, but when I was your age, not only was my Realm higher than yours, but I also had a whole bunch of women! You need to learn a bit from your father in that regard.”

“Hey, hey, hey! Let’s just talk normally. Can an old widower stop bragging!”

“Believe it or not! Anyway, what do you think about the matter I mentioned in the last letter?”

“What matter?”

“Marriage!”

“Sigh! No rush. On the contrary, you… I’m grown up now, so you don’t have to worry about a stepmother mistreating me anymore. Just find yourself a companion. I’ll pay for it.”

“Eh? I haven’t even sorted you out yet, and you’re starting to arrange things for me? Who’s the father here?”

“Hehe, of course you’re the father. I’m just afraid you’ll be empty, lonely, and cold at night. I think Aunt Yao is quite good. She’s been a widow for so many years, and her interest in you hasn’t just been for a day or two.”

“No, your Aunt Yao is older than me.”

“Tsk! Dad, you’re so old-fashioned. What’s wrong with being a bit older? Older women know how to take care of people. As they say, a wife three years older is like a gold brick!”

“I’m not marrying! If you want to marry a widow, go marry one yourself!”

“If I marry one, I marry one! If I really do marry a widow in the future, don’t you get all worked up.”

I’ve been adding extra chapters for several days now, can I ask for some votes?