TATSD Chapter 59

Liu Yimian followed Ji Wei closely, and after being influenced by him for some time, he suddenly remembered that in half a month, it would be the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for family reunions.

Except for the time right after being sold, when he sneaked back home during the New Year while Ji Wei wasn’t around, only to be chased away, Liu Yimian hadn’t seen his father or brother since.

After all, having been raised by his family, the longing for them was always buried deep inside, never daring to surface.

But now, with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, these feelings surged forth all at once. He became disoriented, making careless mistakes and acting absentmindedly, clearly showing something was wrong. Ji Wei asked and finally understood that Liu Yimian was homesick.

As for Ji Wei, far away in this foreign world, he had a home he could never return to.

If it were possible, no matter the cost, Ji Wei would fight to return. But now, even the simple act of going home had become an impossible dream for him.

With a sigh of regret, he resolved not to let Liu Yimian follow in his footsteps.

Though Ji Wei couldn’t go home, Liu Yimian could.

Ji Wei thoughtfully prepared two beautifully packaged boxes of mooncakes for him to take back as gifts.

The saying goes, “The nearer one is to home, the more hesitant one becomes.”

The night before returning, Liu Yimian tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

He finally dozed off, only to be haunted by unpleasant memories in his dreams.

He woke up even earlier than usual, cooked some sweet potato porridge, steamed some eggs, washed the clothes, and shared breakfast with Ji Wei before the two set out with their things.

From Changliu Town to the other side of Daxi Town, it would take at least one to two hours by foot. To save time, Ji Wei had already arranged for Sister Lin’s ox cart, so Liu Yimian could drive it over by himself.

Though Liu Yimian was a ger (a male capable of giving birth), he had grown up doing farm work, so driving the ox cart was no problem for him. He swayed back and forth on the cart and arrived at his family’s gate in under an hour.

It had been over half a year since he last came back, yet everything seemed unchanged.

Standing at the gate, he heard a woman’s loud scolding coming from the courtyard fenced with patched-up bamboo.

He tied the ox to a conspicuous spot near a patch of knee-high weeds, a perfect resting place for the old animal.

No matter how scared he was, he had to go in.

With his heart pounding, Liu Yimian took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

“Who’s there!” A woman shouted, grumbling as she ran to open the door. When she saw Liu Yimian standing outside, she was so shocked she couldn’t speak.

“Second Mother, I’ve come back.”

“You’ve been sold. What are you coming back for? This is no longer your home!”

Yau Guizhi blocked Liu Yimian at the entrance, refusing to let him in.

He called her Second Mother because his birth mother had passed away when he was very young. Not long after, his father, Liu Shan, remarried, bringing Yau Guizhi into their family.

Back then, the family was doing well enough. His father was a hunter, and they frequently enjoyed a fair share of wild game.

But later, his father had an accident while hunting, slipping down a mountain and breaking his tailbone. After years of bedridden suffering, he eventually passed away. Without financial support from his late wife’s family, the Liu household fell into hardship.

Not only did his elder brother need money to study for the imperial exams, but Yau Guizhi also had a newborn daughter to care for. Struggling to make ends meet, she decided to sell Liu Yimian and found a broker to handle it.

She made sure the broker sold him far away, across Changliu Town. But Liu Yimian, unwilling to give up, kept coming back. Yau Guizhi, fed up with him, pushed him away and demanded that he leave.

“If that’s what you think, Second Mother, then I’ll go now.”

Liu Yimian handed the two boxes of mooncakes to Yau Guizhi, his voice tinged with sadness. “These are mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Please give my regards to Father and Brother. I’ll be going.”

Though he had reached the doorstep of his own home, he was not allowed to enter. With reddened eyes, he held back his tears, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of Yau Guizhi. After saying his piece, he turned to leave.

Yau Guizhi huffed and finally glanced at the gift Liu Yimian had brought.

The packaging was exquisite, and she couldn’t help but wonder how much it must have cost.

Where did he get it from?

Yau Guizhi thought for a moment, then hurried inside, shouting for Liu Shan and Liu Chengyin.

“What is it?” Liu Shan yawned, reeking of alcohol. He had just lain down but was dragged up, his face full of irritation.

Liu Chengyin, on the other hand, came out holding a scroll of books. His face remained calm and indifferent as he glanced at Yau Guizhi.

“Guess who sent this?” Yau Guizhi said mysteriously, placing the mooncake boxes on the table.

Liu Shan’s eyes lit up. He rushed over and inspected the boxes closely. “Who sent them?”

“You’d never guess. It was your precious son!” Yau Guizhi sneered. “Looks like he’s living much better than you are.”

“He’s already been sold to another family. What’s the point of bringing him up again? Did he say why he came back?” Liu Shan found an opening in the packaging, tore it open, and grabbed a smaller box from inside, sniffing it.

“What is this?” Liu Chengyin’s attention was drawn to the box.

“He said it’s called a mooncake. It looks nice, but who knows what it is. Can this even be eaten?” Yau Guizhi asked skeptically.

“…Mooncake?” Liu Chengyin froze, recalling how he was ridiculed by several scholars just the other day for not knowing what a mooncake was.

That incident had gnawed at him, and now, with the reminder, his face darkened.

“What’s wrong?” Liu Shan asked as Liu Chengyin snatched the mooncake from him. He tore open the box, revealing the delicately imprinted mooncake inside. The faint aroma of oil and nuts drifted up to their noses.

Liu Chengyin broke the mooncake in half, revealing its sesame and peanut filling.

After a long silence, he suddenly shouted at Yau Guizhi, “Go after him, now!”

Yau Guizhi was confused.

“Look at this carefully. You can’t even buy these mooncakes anywhere right now! He either knows someone who makes mooncakes or was sold to a family that does!”

“Huh?”

“Second Mother, Second Brother might have been sold into a wealthy household!”

Liu Chengyin continued mumbling on, but Yau Guizhi barely understood him. She only grasped this one sentence, and it hit her hard. Panicking, she dashed out after Liu Yimian, shouting for him to wait.

“Are you serious?” Liu Shan mumbled through a mouthful of mooncake, his words barely clear as he glanced at Liu Chengyin.

“Yes, the second brother seems to be living well. Look at this box—it’s exceptionally fancy, probably beyond what we could afford,” Liu Chengyin replied. He sat down with a book in one hand and a mooncake in the other, eating slowly and methodically while occasionally glancing at the book’s pages.

After the two finished their mooncakes, Liu Shan reached for more, but at that moment, Yao Guizhi returned, panting, with Liu Yimian in tow.

Liu Yimian’s eyes were still red, having been stopped midway home. When he saw his father and brother, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, he couldn’t help but rush over, wanting to reach out to Liu Chengyin. But upon seeing his brother’s indifferent expression, the hand he had extended hesitated and withdrew.

“You’re back?” Liu Chengyin’s tone was distant, lacking any joy from their reunion.

The contrast between Liu Chengyin’s detached greeting and Liu Yimian’s tearful excitement was stark.

“Big brother, father, I’ve come to see you,” Liu Yimian said, wiping away his tears, his voice trembling with happiness.

“Good, since you’re here, why don’t you stay for lunch before you leave?” Yao Guizhi, now acting much more welcoming than before, made Liu Yimian feel a bit out of place.

“No need, Second Mother. I… I was planning to head back. Brother Ji is still waiting for me to make lunch,” Liu Yimian replied.

Liu Chengyin’s gaze immediately snapped away from his book, and he repeated in a low voice, “Brother Ji?”

Liu Yimian froze for a moment, unsure how to explain.

“That’s the person who bought you, isn’t it?” Liu Chengyin asked.

Liu Yimian nodded.

“How does he treat you?” Liu Chengyin inquired.

“Brother Ji is very kind, extremely good to me,” Liu Yimian answered quickly.

Liu Chengyin let out a faint, unreadable chuckle. Standing up, he said, “I’m going back to study.”

“Alright, but come out for lunch later,” Yao Guizhi called after him as he left.

Yao Guizhi then eagerly grabbed Liu Yimian by the wrist and pulled him down to sit next to her. “What’s that Ji fellow’s full name? Where does he live? What kind of business does he do?” she asked in a flurry of rapid questions.

Liu Yimian, at first ready to answer, suddenly hesitated and fell silent, unsure how to respond.

Growing impatient, Yao Guizhi pinched him and urged, “Speak up!”

“Brother Ji is from Changliu Town. He sells pastries,” Liu Yimian eventually answered, keeping his explanation brief.

Though he had a lot he wanted to share when he first saw his family, Yao Guizhi’s barrage of questions had cooled his enthusiasm, leaving him unwilling to divulge more.

Realizing she couldn’t get any useful information, Yao Guizhi’s eagerness waned. She then asked about the mooncakes.

While he hesitated to say more about other matters, Liu Yimian was eager to talk about the mooncakes since Ji Wei had been working hard to promote them. He eagerly explained what they were.

Unbeknownst to him, this explanation sparked Liu Shan’s curiosity.

“Those mooncakes aren’t cheap, are they?” Liu Shan asked.

“No, Brother Ji hasn’t set a price yet, but they shouldn’t be cheap,” Liu Yimian replied.

“Can he make a good profit from them?”

“They haven’t started selling yet, so I’m not sure.”

Since his father was the one asking, Liu Yimian answered truthfully, without the wariness he had felt when speaking to Yao Guizhi.

Liu Shan and Yao Guizhi exchanged a glance, their eyes lighting up with hope.

Just as Yao Guizhi was about to speak, Liu Shan tugged at her sleeve. “Guizhi, I think I heard Xiao Xiu’er crying. You should go check on her.” Xiao Xiu’er was Yao Guizhi’s biological daughter. Despite not having heard anything, Yao Guizhi still hurried off, worried.

Watching her leave, Liu Yimian felt a pang of sadness. Even though Yao Guizhi was his stepmother, she was always so caring toward her child. Meanwhile, he had long lost his own mother’s love.

“Your Second Mother has a blunt nature and doesn’t always think before she speaks. Please be patient with her,” Liu Shan said kindly, patting Liu Yimian’s hand on the table, a rare moment of gentleness.

Liu Yimian was taken aback by the sudden kindness and nodded in agreement.

“We were forced to sell you back then. You know how hard things have gotten at home. Your elder brother needed money for his exams, and then Xiao Xiu’er was born. We had no choice—” Liu Shan paused when he saw the sorrow in Liu Yimian’s eyes, trying to console him with more words.

“By the way, where is Piaoxu?” Liu Yimian asked, referring to his younger sister.

Growing up, he had been close to his elder brother, Liu Chengyin, and then later, with Liu Piaoxu as they grew older. He found it odd that she hadn’t appeared since his return.

“Your sister? She got married to a good family!” Liu Shan proudly stroked his chin and chuckled.

“Married? Piaoxu is only fourteen,” Liu Yimian said, stunned.

When he was sold, Liu Piaoxu had just turned thirteen. Even if she had just married, she was still only fourteen now.

“She’s already fourteen, not that young anymore.”

Liu Shan waved off his concern. “She agreed to it herself. She married into the Yuanwai family. They have money and status. She’ll never lack for anything—what could be better?”

“You mean the Tian family?”

“Of course. Who else could it be?”

“Father…”

“What is it?”

“Nothing.”

Liu Yimian opened his mouth but felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.

The only Yuanwai in town was over fifty years old and nearing the end of his life. Yet, Liu Shan had married his young, blossoming daughter into that household. Thinking of Liu Piaoxu, Liu Yimian’s heart ached.

Not wanting to continue the conversation, he made an excuse to check on Xiao Xiu’er, and Liu Shan eagerly agreed, taking him to Yao Guizhi’s room.

Xiao Xiu’er, barely two years old, was lying on the bed babbling as Yao Guizhi played with her. When she saw Liu Yimian enter, she pouted as though she was about to cry.

Yao Guizhi turned to scold him but, remembering the mooncakes, held back her anger and instead invited Liu Yimian to sit.

“I’ll put Xiao Xiu’er to sleep and then make lunch for everyone.”

“Second Mother, you can look after her. I’ll make lunch,” Liu Yimian offered.

“That won’t do. You’re an out—” Yao Guizhi nearly said “outsider” but caught herself just in time.

“Xiao Xiu’er, be good. Mama will make you something delicious soon,” she said, calling Liu Shan over to watch the child before hurrying to the kitchen. Liu Shan, reeking of alcohol, frightened Xiao Xiu’er with his presence, making her cry. Frustrated, Liu Shan passed the responsibility to Liu Yimian and followed Yao Guizhi out.

Left alone with Xiao Xiu’er, Liu Yimian was startled when she nearly rolled off the bed. He caught her just in time, his heart racing. Holding her close, he patted her back gently, humming a lullaby from their childhood.

After a while, Xiao Xiu’er’s eyelids grew heavy, and soon she drifted off to sleep.

At lunchtime, the four of them sat around a small table. The meal was modest: bitter melon egg soup, stir-fried greens, and cold cucumber salad.

Yao Guizhi urged Liu Yimian to eat more, even serving him extra food. Her intense gaze made him uncomfortable.

“I can serve myself, Second Mother,” Liu Yimian said awkwardly.

“Maybe the second brother has grown used to finer food and isn’t interested in our simple dishes,” Liu Chengyin remarked, his tone a bit sharp after finishing his bowl of soup.

“That’s not true! Brother, I’m not! I just wanted Second Mother to eat more,” Liu Yimian hurried to explain.

“If that’s the case, then why haven’t you told us your husband’s full name or anything about him since you got here? Am I not your brother? Is the man sitting next to you not your father?” Liu Chengyin rarely spoke so much, and Liu Yimian, not used to defending himself, turned pale, his lips trembling as he struggled to respond.

“You see, just like when you were young, you can’t hide your feelings.”

“Brother Ji, he… his name is Ji Wei. Brother, he wasn’t good before, but he’s very good now!” Liu Yimian panicked, afraid his brother would misunderstand, and rushed to defend Ji Wei.

“Look at how eager you are to defend your husband. Did I say anything?” Liu Chengyin tapped Liu Yimian lightly on the head, a gesture of affection they used to share years ago. “I just thought the name sounded a bit familiar. It seems you’ve married well, little brother. I should be happy for you.”

In truth, Liu Chengyin didn’t know who Ji Wei was. He’d only come across the name once on a piece of paper and hadn’t thought much of it at the time. But when Liu Yimian mentioned that his buyer was in the pastry business, it all clicked.

Speaking of Ji Wei, one couldn’t ignore his cookies.

In a short time, these little treats had left quite an impression on almost everyone in Daxi Town. Success didn’t even begin to cover it.

It was clear Ji Wei wasn’t short on money.

Liu Chengyin smiled faintly and helped himself to another bowl of soup.