Chapter 68 : Chapter 68
Chapter 68. Relatives
“It’s been a long time since I last came home.”
Now that he had finished dealing with all his affairs in the Residence, Xu Yuan had finally found some free time. It was only right that he go see his elder brother and sister-in-law.
He had advanced to the Fourth Meridian and become a Retainer. They ought to know, if only so they would not worry.
Xu Yuan specifically bought some fine rice, meat, and high-quality cloth at the market. Carrying large and small bundles in his hands, he strolled toward home.
Yet the moment he arrived at the gate, he heard a loud jumble of voices from inside the courtyard. It sounded unexpectedly lively.
Xu Yuan frowned slightly and pushed the door open.
He saw that the once-quiet courtyard was now crowded with seven or eight people, making the already small space feel even more cramped.
Aside from his elder brother and sister-in-law standing at the entrance to the main room with awkward, helpless expressions, the rest were all unfamiliar faces. Some were standing, some were sitting, talking noisily and laughing as though this were their own home.
‘Who are these people?’
Suspicion rose in Xu Yuan’s heart as he walked in.
The moment they saw him enter, the noise in the courtyard came to an abrupt halt.
Everyone’s eyes fell on him at once, sizing up the tall, upright bearing he could not quite hide even in ordinary clothes, as well as the gifts in his hands.
“Oh my, this must be A’Yuan, right? You’ve grown so tall—what a spirited young man you’ve become!”
A somewhat better-dressed middle-aged woman was the first to react. Beaming from ear to ear, she hurried over and said, “I’m your Third Auntie! I even held you when you were little!”
“A’Yuan’s back? I’m your distant second uncle!”
“Brother Yuan, do you remember me? I’m Uncle Wang! Your father and I were bound by life-and-death friendship!”
Everyone started talking at once, each declaring who they were, their faces full of warm smiles as they surrounded Xu Yuan.
Xu Zheng squeezed his way over and said in a low voice, “A’Yuan, these people... they’re all relatives who came knocking after hearing you’ve made something of yourself.”
‘Relatives?’
Xu Yuan immediately understood. He could not help finding it a little funny as his calm gaze swept across those unfamiliar, fawning faces.
When his parents had both died, and when his elder brother had been driven to the brink by debt, where had these “relatives” been?
Now that they saw he seemed to have gained some status, they had pounced like flies smelling blood.
Just then, a young girl in a goose-yellow dress, with delicate features, walked quickly over carrying a bowl of tea. Her cheeks were slightly red as she said softly, “Brother Yuan, you must be thirsty after walking so far, right? Here, have some tea.”
As she spoke, she wiped the sweat from her brow, clearly having been busy for quite some time.
Xu Yuan examined her carefully. Only after a while did he vaguely remember that she seemed to be the daughter of the Li family from the neighboring street—Li Xiaoqian.
She and the original Xu Yuan had often played together in childhood, so they could be considered childhood sweethearts.
But ever since that deadbeat father of his had squandered the family fortune and provoked the Wild Wolf Gang, her family had deliberately distanced themselves. Later, they moved to the inner city, and he had not seen them even once since then.
His sister-in-law had run into her before. Compared with the cold arrogance in her words back then, the way she looked now was like night and day.
“Thank you, but I’m not thirsty yet.” Xu Yuan did not take the tea bowl. His tone was flat.
Li Xiaoqian’s smile stiffened, and she lowered her head, holding the bowl somewhat helplessly.
Seeing this, the woman calling herself Third Auntie immediately stepped in to smooth things over. “A’Yuan has really made something of himself now. Working in the Shangyang Family and broadening his horizons—that’s a good thing.”
“But as your aunt, I still have to say a couple words to you. Xiaoqian came over first thing in the morning to help, rushing about so much her feet never touched the ground. As a young man, you ought to be a little more generous. That’ll make it easier to find a wife too.”
In the span of a few sentences, she had already completely settled into the role of Xu Yuan’s aunt. As she spoke, she even threw him a familiar, suggestive look.
Xu Yuan ignored her and instead looked toward his elder brother and sister-in-law, asking what had happened.
Xu Zheng gave him a helpless shake of the head and mouthed that they would talk later.
Seeing that, the woman changed tack again and sighed. “A’Yuan, now that you’ve become successful, you can’t forget relatives like us.”
“Your younger cousin still doesn’t have a proper job. Do you think you could put in a word for him at the Shangyang Family? And as for our house, it’s so broken down we really can’t live in it anymore, so maybe you could...”
“That’s right, Brother Yuan. After all, one brushstroke can’t write two Xus. We’re real family!”
“You’ve got ability now. Pulling up your own people is only natural, isn’t it?”
The crowd started clamoring again, all staring at Xu Yuan with eager eyes, as though he were some unmined treasure trove.
“Third Auntie, A’Yuan just got back, and you’re already bringing this up. It’s not very appropriate...”
Xu Zheng and Madam Zhang both looked troubled. They wanted to say something, but could not get a word in. The atmosphere in the house grew increasingly vexing.
Xu Yuan sneered inwardly and was just about to tell them all to leave.
At that moment, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and a young man dressed in a front-fastening long gown, looking like a shop clerk, hurried in, calling out, “Dad, Mom, why did you run over here? Come back with me already!”
The newcomer was none other than Third Auntie’s son, Liu Anping, who worked as a clerk at a rice shop in the city and usually considered himself somewhat knowledgeable.
“The craftsmen are already at the house. They’re asking what kind of material you want to use for the floor tiles inside!”
Liu Anping sounded annoyed. He had not even finished his work at the shop before someone rushed him over. When he went back, he would probably get another scolding from the shopkeeper.
‘Renovating the house?’
At those words, everyone in the courtyard showed different expressions, and the atmosphere instantly turned strange.
So you have money to renovate your home, yet you came here crying poor?
Xu Yuan shook his head and laughed, not even knowing what to say.
Third Auntie could not quite save face. Sweeping a glare across the crowd, she planted her hands on her hips and shouted, “What are you all yelping for? It’s precisely because the place is too broken down to live in that we have to renovate it!”
“Mom, what are you saying? Didn’t we just buy a batch of birchwood not long ago for the attic renovations?” Liu Anping saw that the people around him were plainly dressed, mostly poor relatives. Not only did he not care, but he even felt a bit smug.
After all, birchwood was not cheap. For ordinary people, being able to use it to make a decent piece of furniture was already not bad.
But their family could use it for interior finishing. That was undoubtedly a considerable mark of status.
The moment those words fell, the whispered discussions around them grew even louder, and Xu Zheng and Madam Zhang’s faces darkened somewhat.
“You little brat, that was for saving up your wedding house—”
Third Auntie had been so thoroughly exposed by her own son that her face flushed red with anger. She was just about to scold him when Xu Yuan cut in in a deep voice:
“That’s enough!”
His voice was not loud, but it carried a hidden infusion of qi and blood. Everyone who heard it felt their chest tighten, as though they could hardly breathe.
“What are you yelling fo—”
Liu Anping, displeased that someone had interrupted his mother, turned his head and began to snap back. But halfway through, the words abruptly caught in his throat.
Only then did he clearly see the black brocade texture faintly visible at the collar and cuffs of the other man’s clothes, as well as the four horizontal embroidered stripes on his shoulder. His face turned deathly pale in an instant, and even his legs began to go weak.