Chapter 116: Departing Today, Returning Another Day!

On the way back from the Du family estate in Zhupo, Du Shiniang sat alone in the ox cart, leaning listlessly against Zhuying’s shoulder. Zhuying, who had not understood a word of what Du Siwen had said, felt deeply unsettled. She opened her mouth several times to offer comfort, but her thoughts were in such a tangle that she did not know where to begin.

After a long while, she heard Du Shiniang murmur in a low voice, "Zhuying, it is clear that we cannot live at home anymore. I had hoped to beg our great-uncle to lend my brother a room in the estate, but I never expected..."

Du Shiniang buried her head in her hands. She had not imagined that Du Siwen would say such things. The Du clan of Jingzhao was a prominent family of Guanzhong, yet now her brother was forced to reside at the Cui residence in Pingkang Ward!

Outside the cart, Du Shiyi and Du Shihan rode side by side in silence.

Du Shiyi was well aware of the advantages of living in the Cui residence in Pingkang Ward. However, he was genuinely worried about becoming increasingly entangled. If the Cui family truly intended to make him marry that quick-witted, eccentric Ninth Young Lady, he would never have a moment of peace again! As he pondered, he resolved that while he would borrow their dwelling for the sake of convenience, he would absolutely not use the Cui family to build his own reputation. He had to find another way!

Du Shihan, after holding back for as long as he could, finally lost his patience. He spurred his horse into a trot, then pulled on the reins and let out a loud shout. The sharp sound broke the silence of the surroundings, startling countless birds in the forest.

Ignoring the astonished looks from those around him, he turned to Du Shiyi and said, "Nineteenth Brother, why don't you and Shiniang come and live at my place instead?"

Du Shiyi was slightly taken aback, then realized that Du Shihan must have been feeling just as stifled by Du Siwen’s words. He slowly urged his horse forward and said with a faint, polite smile, "I appreciate your kindness, Thirteenth Brother. But your household is large, and space is already tight. Since I must prepare for the exams, I need a quieter place. Do not take our great-uncle’s words to heart. When the time comes to rebuild our family home, I will certainly ask for your help!"

Du Shihan stared at Du Shiyi for a long time. Seeing that he had no intention of changing his mind, he could only hang his head and mutter, "If that is how it must be, then so be it... Honestly, what a shame to have to go live in someone else's house!"

When they returned to Duqu, Du Shiyi bade farewell to Du Shihan and his party, then beckoned Liu Mo over. When he mentioned that he would be staying at the Cui residence in Pingkang Ward during the examination period, Liu Mo immediately beamed, nodding repeatedly without hesitation. "The Cui residence is currently unoccupied, quiet, and spacious—perfect for you to prepare for the exams. The Mistress and the Fifth Young Lady have already given instructions. There is no time to lose; let us head back at once!"

"The day is still young; there is no rush. Let us make a detour to the home of my old nurse. Since my sister and I will not be staying in Fanchuan for the time being, I must at least let her know."

On the journey from the Eastern Capital to Chang'an, Liu Mo had already grasped Du Shiyi's temperament. Though usually gentle, he was not without a temper—otherwise, he would never have been able to subdue the young master of the Cui family. As for the servants and attendants, Du Shiyi never mistreated or belittled them, often treating them with kindness; thus, it was no surprise that he would show such respect to his childhood nurse. Liu Mo agreed and relayed Du Shiyi's decision to the other servants. Everyone was pleased to hear they were returning to the Cui residence in Pingkang Ward.

When Du Shiyi told Du Shiniang through the window that they were going to visit Nurse Qiu, the distracted girl’s face lit up with joy. She nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes! I also want to see how the child she had after leaving us is doing!"

As the group traveled back along the original path, they saw a crowd of villagers gathered in front of a dilapidated cottage. Before the villagers, several servants surrounded a young man, while a man in a short tunic was shouting and making a scene at the wooden gate. Suddenly, he pulled out a small hand axe and began to hack fiercely at the door.

"Nurse Qiu! Don't think that by hiding inside you can get away with it! When your husband and children fell ill, if you hadn't used the title deeds to your house as collateral, who would have lent you money? Don't think you can renege on the debt just because they're dead! Get out here!"

Hearing the brazen shouting and the rhythmic thud of the axe against the gate, Du Shiyi was filled with fury. Before he could give an order, Liu Mo made a gesture. Several Cui family servants spurred their horses forward, shouting and brandishing their whips to scatter the curious onlookers. They were well-practiced in such matters; the whips whistled through the air, never striking flesh but driving the villagers far away.

This unexpected arrival caught the servants by surprise. The young man who had been standing behind with his arms crossed looked toward the newcomers with irritation. When he spotted Du Shiyi sitting on his horse, his expression changed instantly. Although they had met once at the Cui residence in the Eastern Capital, he had realized too late that the man was Du Shiyi, so this was their first face-to-face encounter in three years. His eyes flickered, and he stepped forward with a smile. "When did you return from the Eastern Capital, Nineteenth Brother? If I had known, I would have come to meet you!"

If Du Shiyi had not seen Du Wenruo at the Eastern Capital—and known that the man had left without a word after paying his respects at the funeral of the Lady of Qi—he might have been deceived by this display of false intimacy. Seeing that the onlookers had been cleared, he dismounted and said nonchalantly, "I only returned yesterday. What is the meaning of this shouting and gate-smashing? If I recall correctly, my old nurse lives here."

Seeing that Du Shiyi was steady and strong, with no signs of lingering illness, Du Wenruo felt a pang of resentment. However, he quickly pushed it aside. He had not known Du Shiyi would return to Fanchuan today, but now that they had crossed paths, he was not afraid.

After the great fire, Du Shiyi had been left with nothing. He was now under the protection of the Cui family, but would the Cui family really pay off debts for an old nurse of Du Shiyi?

"Is that so?" Du Wenruo feigned ignorance, widening his eyes before smiling. "It is a pity that I do not know what is going on either. The weather is fine today, so I decided to take a walk, and I happened to see this commotion. Since you ask, Nineteenth Brother... men, drag that fellow over!"

At his command, the servants brought over the burly man who had been hacking at the gate. The man glanced uneasily at Du Wenruo. Seeing Du Shiyi’s cold, sharp gaze, he swallowed hard, stepped back, and offered a forced smile. "Young Master Du... no, I didn't expect you to be back! I am forced by circumstances. Nurse Qiu owes me a large sum of money, and she has already missed the year-end deadline. If this continues, my family will have nothing to eat..."

Du Shiyi ignored him and walked straight to the gate. The locked gate had been half-hacked through. The door of the house, previously tightly shut, had now been pulled open. Standing there, looking utterly devastated, was none other than Nurse Qiu. As she dragged her heavy footsteps forward and opened the lock with trembling hands, Du Shiyi asked gently, "Nurse Qiu, how much do you owe him?"

Nurse Qiu’s lips quivered. She glanced at the sweating man, then bit her lip hard. After a long while, she spoke. "Young Master, paying one's debts is a matter of heaven's justice. I pledged the house to him for my children's medical expenses. Now that he is collecting, I will simply move out..."

At this moment, Du Shiniang jumped down from the cart. She walked over, supported by Zhuying, and asked hesitantly, "Nurse, where are Liu Da and your two children?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Nurse Qiu’s eyes turned bloodshot, and she collapsed to the ground, covering her face and weeping. Faced with this obvious reality, Du Shiniang felt both sorrow and regret. She knelt down and hugged her tightly. After a long time, she whispered, "Nurse, I am sorry. It is all my fault..."

At this, Du Wenruo walked behind Du Shiyi and remarked bluntly, "Nineteenth Brother, your heart is in the right place, but even if she was your nurse, that is all in the past. It is said that she not only cursed her husband to death two years ago but also her two children last year. She is a woman of ill omen; you would be better off keeping your distance."

Du Shiyi, too, had lost both his parents; was he not also a man of lonely and cursed fate?

Hearing Du Shiniang's familiar, gentle voice and recalling the warmth of being held by her in childhood, Nurse Qiu looked up in a daze. Upon hearing Du Wenruo’s words, she trembled violently. Seeing Du Shiniang’s tear-filled eyes and Du Shiyi standing silently, ignoring Du Wenruo, she struggled to her feet. She took one last look at the house that had once held her husband and children, and said in a strained voice, "Young Lady, could you take in a homeless person like me?"

Du Shiniang was shocked beyond measure. "Nurse, what are you saying!"

Du Shiyi, acting as if Du Wenruo did not exist, called the burly man over and asked in a low voice, "How much does she owe you?"

"Principal and interest... five... no, six strings of coins." As soon as he finished, he felt two piercing gazes on his face. Seeing Du Wenruo’s displeased expression, he knew he had underestimated the amount. However, facing the servants on their imposing horses, he dared not offend Du Wenruo, but he also dared not be too greedy. He rubbed his hands together and said, "Actually, it is not much..."

Before Du Shiyi could reply, Nurse Qiu stumbled toward him and knelt down. Startled, he reached out to help her, but she pressed her hands to the ground and kowtowed.

"Young Master, I am all alone now, with nothing to my name. I only ask that you take me in. Whether it is washing or cleaning, I can do it all." Before Du Shiyi could answer, she looked up and said, "I really do not want to stay in this place of sorrow anymore. You do not need to trouble yourself to pay off the debt and save this house. When the people are gone, what use is a house?"

"Are you sure you do not regret this?" Du Shiyi asked again. Seeing Nurse Qiu bite her lip and nod firmly, he thought of the despair of losing three family members in a few years, and the fact that she was being called a woman of ill omen in this place of sorrow, and finally nodded. "Very well. Go inside and gather your belongings. Zhuying, help the Nurse into the cart later."

Since Nurse Qiu had made up her mind, Du Shiyi did not dally. Once she had packed and been helped into the ox cart by Zhuying—with a distraught Du Shiniang following—he turned to the stunned Du Wenruo, offered a casual bow, and said, "Sixth Brother, farewell for now."

Du Wenruo never expected that Du Shiyi would not struggle to find cash to pay the debt, nor ask the Cui family for help, but would simply abandon the broken house to the creditor and take Nurse Qiu in. He forced a smile and asked feigned surprise, "Why, Nineteenth Brother, did you not just return today? Are you leaving already?"

"The old home is in ruins, and I have no time to repair it, so I must leave it as it is for now. As for me..." Du Shiyi bowed slightly after mounting his horse and said calmly, "Thanks to the kindness of Minister Cui and Prefect Cui, I am allowed to stay at the Cui residence in Pingkang Ward. The hour is late; I must take my leave!"

As Du Shiyi gave the order, the attendants gathered, surrounded Du Shiniang’s ox cart and the carriage behind it, and slowly headed toward Chang'an. Du Wenruo stood rooted to the spot. After a long time, he angrily shouted at his servants, "What are you staring at? Let's go!"

The Cui family would rather help a complete outsider than pay any mind to his legitimate relative—it was absolutely preposterous!

When they left the city early that morning to visit their old home, Du Shiniang had been filled with the joy of returning to her roots, and Du Shiyi had held his own expectations. Now, as they left Duqu, both siblings felt a heavy weight in their hearts. Not until the imposing outer walls of the Great Tang capital came into view did Du Shiyi pull on the reins to stop. He waited until the ox cart caught up, then went to the window and said, word for word, "Shiniang, the past is in the past. One day, we will return in glory!"