Old Man Yun initially thought the carriage was just passing by, so he paid it no mind and continued chatting with the village chief.
However, the carriage that had turned a corner ahead unexpectedly doubled back and slowly stopped in front of Old Man Yun and the village chief.
The carriage curtain was gently lifted, revealing an aged, weathered face. "Two villagers, may I inquire, do you know where the Old Yun family lives?"
The speaker was Eunuch Ruan, who had rushed over from the county town.
Seated beside him was Murong Taotao.
Without the Emperor Ming accompanying him this time, Murong Taotao felt a sense of ease, and his smile became more frequent.
"Old Man Yun, someone's looking for you!" The village chief nudged Old Man Yun.
People visited the Old Yun family every few days, so the villagers were accustomed to it.
Old Man Yun glanced at Eunuch Ruan and asked curiously, "Do you have business with the Old Yun family?"
Observing the speaker's somewhat high-pitched voice and effeminate demeanor, Old Man Yun instinctively felt he was an eunuch.
If he was an eunuch, he must be from the palace.
Eunuch Ruan smiled slightly, cupped his hands, and said, "To be frank, my young master has come to Dashui Village this time by reputation. Hearing that Young Master Xiao Jinheng resides with the Old Yun family, my young master wished to pay a visit. There is no other intention."
Old Man Yun heard this and said, "Oh," then added, "Young Master Xiao has already left. You should come back in a while!"
"Left?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Murong Taotao, who was inside the carriage, frowned and leaned towards the window to look at Old Man Yun. "Where did Young Master Xiao go?"
Good heavens, he had traveled all this way to Dashui Village only to come back empty-handed.
"He's gone to the capital!" Old Man Yun said, patting the ash off his trousers and standing up. "He left this morning!"
Murong Taotao: "..."
Upon hearing this, he felt even more resentment towards Emperor Ming.
If that old fool hadn't feigned illness and been recuperating in the county town, would he have missed his chance?
"This young master is also from the capital, right?" Old Man Yun asked.
Seeing his fair, delicate features, like a carved jade, Old Man Yun knew he wasn't a village child.
Murong Taotao suppressed his inner frustration and smiled faintly, "Yes, this junior is from the capital!"
"Then how did you know Young Master Xiao lived at our house?" Old Man Yun retorted.
Murong Taotao: "..."
Well, this old man was quite shrewd. His words were cautious and vigilant, making it seem difficult to extract information from him.
With this thought, Murong Taotao's eyes flickered. He jumped off the carriage, cupped his hands in a bow towards Old Man Yun, and said, "To be honest, this junior met Young Master Xiao a long time ago. This visit is both a social call and to see an old friend."
This explanation seemed plausible.
Old Man Yun nodded upon hearing this, "Since you are guests who have traveled from afar, our family naturally welcomes you. If you don't mind, please come in for a cup of tea and some refreshments."
Murong Taotao had the same intention. He bowed again, "Then I will trouble the elder to lead the way!"
He decided to stay at the Old Yun family's house first, and then slowly investigate his sister's whereabouts.
It would be best if he could find that scholar named Yun Jinhe and get some information from him.
After bidding farewell to the village chief, Old Man Yun led Murong Taotao and Eunuch Ruan home.
In the study of the west wing of the Yun family.
Scholar Jiang was holding a book and lecturing Gao Jingde, Yun Xiaobao, and a group of children.
Yun Jinhe, Yao Jinsheng, Sun Tianxiu, and over a dozen village children also came to study.
"A gentleman is respectful and faultless; he is courteous and polite to others, and all within the four seas are his brothers!"
Scholar Jiang chanted, shaking his head. Finally, he looked at Fu Xiaoqiang and asked, "Student Fu Xiaoqiang, please explain the meaning of this sentence."
The bewildered Fu Xiaoqiang stood up, looked at Du Jinqiang, then at Gao Jingde, and coughed lightly. "Um, um, I think Confucius's words mainly express that he has many buddies, and everyone in the world is his close friend, so he can get by wherever he goes!"
"Hahahaha!"
As soon as he said this, Du Jinqiang and the other children covered their stomachs and burst into laughter.
Fu Xiaoqiang, if your father heard this, he'd whip you to death with a leather whip dipped in cold water.
After studying at the Old Yun family's for so long, you still haven't understood 'respectful and faultless, courteous and polite.'
And what's with this 'buddy' talk? Who did you learn these words from?
In fact, Fu Xiaoqiang learned these new phrases from Yun Xiaobao and Gao Jingde, who in turn heard them from their little aunt. They picked them up in no time.
Utterly exasperated, Scholar Jiang slammed his book down and glared at Fu Xiaoqiang, "Fu Xiaoqiang, after you go back, you will copy this sentence fifty times!"
He was truly incorrigible, and his efforts were in vain.
Fu Xiaoqiang scratched his face and replied, "Mr. Jiang, don't be angry. I'll bring you two strings of dried mushrooms when I get back."
Scholar Jiang, who was about to explode with anger, instantly calmed down upon hearing this.
Dried mushrooms stewed with small chickens and potatoes tasted incredibly good.
During his stay at the Old Yun family's, he had gained over ten pounds, and his handsome face was already showing signs of plumpness.
Yun Jinhe exchanged glances with Sun Tianxiu and Yao Jinsheng, and they could no longer suppress their laughter.
Just then, a shout came from the courtyard, "Caixia, we have guests! Please brew a pot of hot tea and bring it over."
Yun Jinhe heard this, turned his head, and looked towards the door.
Then he saw his grandfather leading a fair-skinned young boy into the courtyard, followed by an old man in his fifties or sixties.
Niu Caixia responded and hurried to the kitchen to boil water for tea.
"We'll stop here for today. You can all go back now!" Scholar Jiang said.
The village children studied in the morning and helped their families with chores in the afternoon, so they didn't spend all day in the classroom.
As soon as the children heard the dismissal order, they scattered like birds, chattering and heading home.
Murong Taotao sat on a chair in the main hall, looking around at the Yun family's decor. "This house is built in an antique style and has a sense of depth. I presume the uncle and aunt are also scholars."
If they didn't have some learning in their bellies, how could they have built such an aesthetically pleasing residence?
Gu Shi smiled and said, "This house was built by Young Master Xiao. When the house was being built, our family only provided some bricks and timber. In the end, we are temporarily residing in Young Master Xiao's house."
Even though Xiao Jinheng had already given the house deed and land deed to his youngest daughter, this house ultimately belonged to Young Master Xiao.
Murong Taotao nodded lightly. It seemed this little crown prince of Liang was quite down-to-earth.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with the elder couple, Murong Taotao tentatively inquired about the main matter.