Once the boat crossed the river, the other side was mostly mountainous paths. As autumn arrived, leaves withered and fell; a gust of wind sent them scattering across the hills and plains.
As they neared home, Zhao Wan Niang recognized the increasingly familiar mountains on both sides, and tears began to trickle down her face.
Though she had returned, this experience was hardly honorable…
Gu Lang wiped her tears and comforted her, "Don't worry. Your parents won't make things difficult for you."
Those two old wretches—he hadn't seen them in years, and hadn't yet had the chance to deal with them. Now, just ten li from the Zhao estate, her parents were already waiting.
Perhaps troubled by their guilty conscience, when they saw their daughter, they couldn't help but weep bitterly.
Relatives and friends tried to soothe them, smiling, "Such a rare visit from your beloved daughter—why cry like this? Hold back your tears, for your son-in-law is here."
As the old saying goes, fortunes change. Those two, facing their new son-in-law, would have kowtowed to him right then if not for the fear of losing face.
Master Zhao held back his tears and forced a smile. "Thank you for coming all this way, son-in-law. Please, come in. Your mother-in-law and I have yearned for this day, and now it's finally here."
Gu Lanyin ignored them and simply helped Wan Niang into the carriage.
The relatives and friends who witnessed this saw it as a joke.
Yet, despite his son-in-law's disrespect, Master Zhao breathed a sigh of relief.
Back when He Ping'an had fled the wedding, they had feared offending the Gu family, their patron, and had rushed to apologize and make excuses. They had thought their scheme to substitute the bride was airtight, but their son-in-law had seen right through them. They had been mocked until they couldn't lift their heads and were eventually driven out in disgrace.
At home, afraid of losing face, they insisted their daughter had married and followed her husband to do business elsewhere. But gossip filled the village, and the couple couldn't sleep from worry.
A few days ago, the Gu family had sent word that they had found their daughter and would soon return home. The Zhaos were overjoyed, as if clutching at a lifeline.
They waited at the crossroads every day, and invited relatives and friends, all to make up for the lack of a return visit, to silence the gossip, and to cling firmly to the Gu family's support.
As for his son-in-law's disrespect, Master Zhao was philosophical. In this world, nothing was more real than money. A single hair from the Gu family was thicker than the Zhao family's thigh. The wealthy looked down on others—wasn't that just the way of the world?
Their poor relatives might laugh on the surface, but who among them wasn't secretly envious?
*
The Zhao residence was a compound with three courtyards. The crowd arrived noisily at the gate, and the steward immediately set off firecrackers.
Red paper scraps covered the ground. Zhao Wan Niang, holding Gu Lanyin's arm, timidly entered.
Great changes had taken place inside. All the furniture had been replaced with new pieces. Tables were set up in the courtyard and in the main hall, laden with food. Relatives and friends had brought their entire families—it was a welcome-home banquet so grand it hardly seemed fitting.
Zhao Wan Niang saw her parents sitting in the main hall, smiling at her, and couldn't help but shed a few tears.
She had thought her parents would despise her, but seeing the lively atmosphere and their doting expressions, she relaxed completely and knelt before them.
"Father, Mother, your daughter has been unfilial. After all this time without news, I've made you worry."
"My dear daughter, after marriage, a woman follows her husband. Since you became another man's wife, you can't always have your way. Your father and I are old now. As long as you still think of us, we're content…"
Embracing her daughter, Mother Zhao felt the fine fabric of her clothes. Tears fell from her face, but inside she felt a hint of pride. So what if he was a noble son of the Gu family? For her daughter, he would still bow his head.
The three of them had a good cry in the hall. Amid congratulations from the crowd, the Zhao couple returned to their seats of honor.
After Wan Niang offered tea, they turned their eyes to Gu Lanyin.
The youth, not yet capped, had an elegant appearance—refined, gentle, and composed. His beautiful, jet-black eyes were warm and soft; when he smiled, he seemed utterly good-natured.
He offered tea: "Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, please have some tea."
Seeing he was unwilling to kneel, Wan Niang quickly explained, "Gu Lang recently injured his leg and has difficulty moving. Please forgive him, Father and Mother."
Master and Madam Zhao couldn't stay seated. Hearing this, they quickly stood up and helped him to sit down.
Looking at the teacup now in his own hands, Gu Lanyin raised his eyes and smiled.
Master Zhao looked at him eagerly. "This is tea picked before Qingming this year. How does it taste?"
"Excellent."
Master Zhao's eyes nearly disappeared into his smile.
Afraid that poor relatives would disturb his precious son-in-law, Master Zhao personally escorted him to the inner courtyard to rest. His deferential manner left Wan Niang utterly astonished.
Just a few months ago, he had wanted Gu Lang dead. How had things changed so completely?
She stood by the door like a wooden goose, the autumn sun falling on her, and she shivered. Was this really not a dream?
Gu Lang called for her again.
Zhao Wan Niang pulled herself together, turned, and returned to her own boudoir.
After months away, it was almost unchanged.
Her favorite zither hung on the wall, spotless. On the desk, brush and paper were neatly arranged… The inkstick Gu Lang had given her was half-used. Beneath the Four Books and Five Classics, there seemed to be a worn-out book.
She pulled it out. It was a copy of *The Art of War* with the spine about to split. The annotations were clumsy, and the punctuation was often wrong.
Wan Niang laughed. She was about to show it to Gu Lang when she turned and found him standing right behind her.
Gu Lanyin lowered his eyes, reached out, and slowly drew the book from her hands.
There was a musty smell. He flipped through a few pages, looking absorbed.
"This book must belong to some maid. It was left here."
Gu Lanyin closed the book and set it aside. He looked around the room, and suddenly the sunlight seemed dazzling.
"Wan Niang."
"What's wrong?"
The youth covered his eyes. His voice was weak, and he slowly crouched down, as if struggling to breathe. "Close the window. I got dazzled and couldn't find you."
Zhao Wan Niang quickly closed the window and helped him sit down. Tenderly, she said, "You must be tired from the journey. Perhaps you've caught my illness. I'll fetch a doctor—"
Gu Lanyin held her and shook his head. "Don't call a doctor. I won't die yet."
"What are you saying! If you were dying, why call a doctor?"
He was stubborn, clinging to her like a child. No matter what she said, he wouldn't let go.
Wan Niang had no choice but to give in. She touched his forehead. Luckily, he had no fever.
Zhao Wan Niang was a little troubled. Gu Lang was sensitive and often kept things to himself.
Seeing him with his eyes closed, his face pale, she took a deep breath and coaxed him like a child, whispering in his ear, "Is something troubling you? Too embarrassed to say?"
"Even I can't hear it?"
She stroked his back and pressed his face against her chest, like a mother soothing a child, continuing to coax him.
Lost in the darkness, the youth's long, clean fingers unconsciously climbed up her sleeve. Slowly, they moved upward—but in an instant, she pushed him away.
His shoulder knocked open the half-closed window, and bright sunlight streamed in.
A maidservant was staring at them, hand over her mouth, eyes wide with shock.
Blushing, the girl stammered, "Bao Niang."
"Miss, what are you two doing?"
Gu Lanyin lazily lifted his eyelids, emerging from the darkness. At the familiar voice, he turned his head.
He saw her face clearly. Memories from over a decade ago came flooding back.
"So it's you." He Ping'an's dowry maid.