From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Ancient Wen Heng and Jin Qianqian’s New Year was anything but peaceful. As the time for their return drew closer, many matters here had to be arranged in advance.

Then there were the craftsmen in the glass workshop. Even though he held their indentures, it was a problem to take so many people back and resettle them.

What’s more, the glass workshop was already running smoothly, so it really wasn’t a good idea to disturb it.

Ancient Wen Heng fell into deep thought. As long as he was here, he could immediately find a solution if an unexpected situation arose.

But once they were so far away, no matter how well he concealed it, it would eventually be discovered.

Jin Qianqian saw his furrowed brow and gently smoothed it with her hand. "Look at you, worrying all day. You’re going to turn into a little old man."

Ancient Wen Heng caught her mischievous little hand. "Have you ever seen such a handsome little old man?

I’m just thinking about what to do with the glass workshop."

Jin Qianqian sighed. "Didn’t you already make a decision deep down?"

This time, Ancient Wen Heng looked at Jin Qianqian with surprise. "You guessed."

Jin Qianqian sat down directly across from him. "You’re not a reckless person. Without any real power, you wouldn’t just reveal the method for making glass to the world.

From the moment you started cooperating with Bai Jinglie, I had a rough idea of what you were thinking.

So why are you hesitating now?"

Ancient Wen Heng pointed toward the sky. "Besides personal power, there is imperial authority from above. Although Bai Jinglie has some blood ties to the one on top, he also has Marquis Wu’an dragging him down."

’I chose to partner with Bai Jinglie because, for now, no one here dares to provoke him. But who can say what the future holds?

If I want to survive here, I have to follow the local rules and ways of survival. I certainly don’t think I can take on imperial power.’

Jin Qianqian said, "Then it comes down to a gamble. The internal situation at the Marquis Wu’an Mansion with Bai Jinglie isn’t as simple as it appears on the surface.

I’ve heard the Marchioness has her own legitimate son. For her to be able to suppress Bai Jinglie—who has ties to the current emperor—and prevent him from being named Princely Heir until he was so old, how could there not be enmity between them?

Now we’re just betting on whether the east wind will prevail over the west wind, or the west wind over the east."

Ancient Wen Heng replied, "Bai Jinglie may not be as simple as he seems, but when it comes to scheming against those old foxes, he’s still a bit lacking.

In a dynasty where filial piety rules all, it’s very difficult for him to turn the tables."

Jin Qianqian wagged her finger. "That’s not so absolute. The fact that he was able to secure the position of Princely Heir not only speaks to his own abilities but also shows that it’s the will of the one in power."

They had been here for a long time. Aside from the initial period when they were fleeing from famine and couldn’t be bothered, they had since taken the time to sort out the important interpersonal relationships of this entire dynasty.

Although they couldn’t find out about the character and conduct of these people, just understanding the tangled connections between the imperial court and the inner courtyards was enough for them to navigate by.

"Sigh, I’m still a little unwilling to accept it," Ancient Wen Heng said. He knew this was the best choice for him, but he couldn’t help feeling resentful. It was something he had created, yet he had to just hand it over.

Jin Qianqian had nothing to say.

***

「New Year’s Eve.」

The family’s newly-appointed housekeeper, Uncle Fu, was energetically directing the servants to paste up couplets and hang lanterns everywhere, decorating the entire courtyard in a particularly festive manner.

Uncle Fu, whose original name was Jiang Zhongfu, was only in his early thirties. He had been a steward for a wealthy merchant.

After the old merchant passed away, his children and grandchildren began to fight for power and profit. As the old merchant’s trusted confidant, Uncle Fu naturally fell out of favor with the new masters. They found some pretext to have his entire family sold off.

Jin Qianqian had previously asked a human trafficker to keep an eye out for potential stewards, and so he had been sent to their home.

Ancient Wen Heng had specifically taken a quarter of an hour to have an in-depth conversation with him before deciding to take him in—along with his entire family, of course.

Through his interactions over the past few days, Uncle Fu had come to understand that while his current master and mistress were not as wealthy as his former one, they had the advantage of a simple household without so much scheming and backstabbing.

"You two, place these flower pots by the rockery," Uncle Fu instructed, pointing at several pots. He remembered that the mistress of the house liked to take walks by the rockery when she had free time.

"Housekeeper Fu, there are two people at the gate who claim to be the master’s nephews." The gatekeeper rushed over. "Should I inform the Madam?"

Uncle Fu immediately guessed who the visitors were. Although he had never met them personally, he had already inquired about them from the servants who had been there before him.

’This young master is quite a muddle-head. His own uncle has been gone for so long, and he’s only now thinking to look for him?’

With a quick turn of thought, Uncle Fu immediately turned and headed for the study. He seemed to recall that the master hadn’t gone out today. It was better not to disturb the Madam.

***

The moment Gu Lejia entered the gate with Song Xiuxiang, he felt his eyes couldn’t take it all in. Looking at the vast residence and the bustling male and female servants, his heart couldn’t help but tighten.

Song Xiuxiang also felt a little anxious. Ever since the Little New Year festival, she had dragged Gu Lejia to her parents’ home to help her younger brother clean up the house he had managed to get from his stepmother. Because of this, they had missed the news of his Seventh Uncle moving.

But looking at this huge courtyard, Song Xiuxiang’s heart burned with excitement. It seemed her bet on Gu Lejia had paid off. With a family background like this, she was destined to be a madam in the future.

However, a trace of resentment also arose in her heart. ’They moved into such a large courtyard and didn’t even send someone to inform us beforehand. We went back today to a cold, locked door. If we hadn’t asked the neighbors, Lejia would have been worried sick, thinking the two of them had gone back to their hometown without a word.’

"Seventh Uncle, why didn’t you let us know you were moving? You almost made me think you’d left!" Gu Lejia complained the moment he saw Ancient Wen Heng.

Ancient Wen Heng continued to look at the book in his hands. "Did you only just find out today that no one was home?"

Gu Lejia glanced guiltily at Song Xiuxiang beside him, only to find her repeatedly giving him meaningful looks.

"What did you come here for today?" Ancient Wen Heng finally looked up at them. The sudden movement startled them both, and they froze.

"N-nothing in particular. Oh, right, so which room are we staying in?" Gu Lejia started craning his neck to look around, once again feeling that his Seventh Uncle was rather unfathomable. He had managed to acquire such a large house without anyone knowing.

Ancient Wen Heng said coldly, "There is no place for you to live here. However, the lease on the old small courtyard hasn’t expired yet. You can continue to live there for the time being."

Gu Lejia scratched his ear in disbelief. "Seventh Uncle, what did you just say?"

Ancient Wen Heng said, "I said, you can stay in the old house. We’re going back to our hometown in two months anyway, so there’s no need to go to the trouble of moving."

"How can that be?" Gu Lejia’s expression turned ugly. "There’s no one over there! How are the two of us supposed to live?"

Ancient Wen Heng stared at him intently. "Haven’t you been working for Chen Dongjia? What, is that not enough to support the two of you?"