Der Himmel über den Flüssen und Seen ist sehr klar

Kapitel 41

Final Chapter

The two had originally planned to stay for two or three days before leaving, but were persuaded to stay longer. Finally, after four or five days, they took their leave. Madam Qin was extremely reluctant to part with them and personally escorted them to the dock before bidding a tearful farewell to Danmei and Xiaobao.

Half a month later, Huai Chu finally arrived.

The bow of the boat bumped against a large, moss-covered blue stone at the waterline of the Huai-Chu Wharf, swayed slightly, and then came to a steady stop. Danmei stepped onto the bow and looked around. Years had passed, but the wharf was still the same as when she first arrived with Xu Jinrong, bustling with people and vehicles, and the air was filled with a faint smell of the water.

Several carriages were already parked on the open space on one side of the wharf. Waiting nearby for some time was Steward Xu.

Steward Xu received the news a few days earlier that his master's trip south had not only brought back his long-lost wife, but also a three-year-old son. Even though he was not usually a believer in gods or Buddhas, he now wished he could kneel before a deity and kowtow several times. He had played a significant role in helping his wife escape years ago, only the second twist of fate was unexpected. After the incident at the Prince Chong's mansion, seeing that Xu Jinrong's arduous search had yielded no results, he originally thought that in another year or two, his master's heart would have grown weary and the matter would naturally pass. Unexpectedly, three or four years flew by, and Xu Jinrong had become increasingly silent, showing no intention of giving up the search. Although his master had not blamed him much, he himself was extremely uneasy. Therefore, in recent years, he had secretly been diligently searching, hoping to find out the wife's whereabouts as soon as possible, so as to make up for his mistake years ago. After repeated disappointments, he was overjoyed. Not only did he find his wife, but his children were running around everywhere. He was so excited that he couldn't sleep for several nights. He ordered his men to renovate the entire inner quarters in preparation for his wife and son to return and move in. This morning, he led his men to the dock to wait for them.

Xu Jinrong carried Xiaobao in one arm and gently helped Danmei down the boat and onto the stone steps with the other. He saw Steward Xu running over quickly. This usually extremely reserved person was now standing just a few steps in front of him, neither bowing nor speaking, but staring intently at Xiaobao, his lips trembling slightly. Knowing that he was excited, Xu Jinrong smiled slightly and walked around him.

Xiao Bao noticed that the man was staring intently at him. Although he was still a little uncomfortable, he remembered that his grandparents had done the same thing to him a few days ago, so he was used to it. He turned around and leaned on Xu Jinrong's shoulder, only showing half of his face to look at him. After a moment, he gave him a sweet smile.

Steward Xu was so excited that he almost burst into tears. Seeing Danmei pass by him, he quickly straightened his expression and said, "Young lady was overjoyed to know that Madam and Young Master were returning today and insisted on coming here to pick them up in person. I couldn't refuse, so I brought her along. She's waiting in the carriage up ahead now."

Danmei was thrilled to hear that Sister Hui had personally come to the dock to greet her. Several years had passed since she left; Sister Hui should be a graceful thirteen-year-old girl by now. She had inquired about Sister Hui's condition from Xu Jinrong on the way, and now, about to see her again, she felt a little nervous. When they arrived at the carriages parked on the dock, the wet nurse and Duan'er, who were waiting, rushed forward to greet her and Xiaobao. The wet nurse looked much the same as before, perhaps even a little plumper. After exchanging greetings, she first complimented Danmei on her increased vitality, then kept praising Xiaobao's blessed appearance, saying he was a spitting image of his parents. Duan'er was no longer the naive girl she once was; she had grown taller and looked quite pretty. After addressing her as "Madam," she kept looking at Xiaobao with a curious, pursed-lip smile. Xiaobao, not being shy, smiled back, which made the wet nurse even more enthusiastic in her praise.

The servant brought over a small stool. Danmei was about to get on when she saw the carriage door being pushed open from the inside. A young girl emerged, her cheeks like fresh lychees, her hair styled in a double bun, wearing a light green dress. She was quiet and elegant. Who else could it be but Sister Hui?

Danmei stared intently at Huijie, who was also staring back at her, her eyes unblinking. Gradually, her eyes reddened, but she held back her tears. After a moment's hesitation, she tentatively called out softly, "Mother."

Before Danmei could reply, Xiaobao, who was standing nearby, heard this and immediately rushed to stand on the stool, struggling to stand on tiptoe and waving his hands at her, trying to get her attention: "You're my older sister now. Sister, I'm Xiaobao."

Sister Hui looked down at Xiao Bao for a moment, a smile slowly spreading across her face. She reached out to take his little hand, but Xu Jinrong had already come over, picked up Xiao Bao and carried him inside, then helped Danmei up as well. After everyone was seated in the carriage, she smiled and said, "I know you two have something to say, but it's too conspicuous here. You can talk about it on the way." With that, she closed the door and told the driver to carefully drive back to the prefectural government office.

Inside the carriage, Danmei held Huijie's hand, looked her over carefully for a moment, and sighed, "It's been several years since I last saw you, and you've almost grown into a little adult. You used to call me 'Mother' so readily, but I didn't take good care of you. Have you ever blamed me for that...?"

Hui-jie lowered her head slightly, her eyes reddening again. After a moment, she sniffed, then shook her head, looked up at her, and said, "Mother must have had a reason for leaving that day. From childhood to adulthood, I've only ever felt a connection with you, and you even risked your life to save me. How could I not call you Mother? These past years, with you away from home, I've often thought of the past and felt very worried. Seeing Father so depressed all the time, I imagine he misses Mother terribly and longs for her to return soon. Now my wish has finally come true, and I have such a lovable younger brother. I'm overjoyed, how could I possibly blame you?"

Once Xiao Bao was in the carriage, he leaned against the window, peeking through a crack at the bustling street scene outside. Suddenly, he heard himself being lifted up. Turning around, he saw his mother and the new sister he had just met sitting close together, chatting intimately, seemingly ignoring him. He quickly stopped looking outside, turned around, and squeezed between the two of them, grabbing Danmei with one hand and Huijie with the other. Only then was he satisfied. His adorable expression made the two people beside him laugh. Danmei then asked him about her daily life and studies, and with Xiao Bao occasionally interjecting, the somewhat dull atmosphere gradually became much more lively.

"Liang-ge is eleven years old now, right? How's your health? When you came back, your father said he's better than before..."

Danmei thought for a moment, then finally couldn't help but ask.

Sister Hui sighed and shook her head, saying, "He's a bit better than a few years ago, but his health is still very weak. He takes medicine about ten days a month, and these past few days he's been lying in bed, barely able to get up. Even when he's feeling a little better, he doesn't like to go out much. Sometimes I can't bear to see him like this and ask him to come out and walk around in the yard more, to get some sunshine, but he just ignores me, like a clay statue. It really worries me to death. Maybe he's still thinking about his concubine..."

Hui-jie stopped abruptly at this point and glanced cautiously at Dan-mei.

Danmei felt a pang of pity. The adults' scheming and sordid dealings had dragged a child of such a young age into the mess. No matter how unlikeable the child was, he was ultimately innocent. Looking down, she saw that Sister Hui seemed somewhat uneasy, so she reached out and patted the back of her hand over Xiaobao, comforting her, "I know. It's alright."

Sister Hui let out a soft breath and smiled at her, but in the blink of an eye, she was entangled by Xiao Bao again, so she whispered to him and the two of them laughed from time to time.

Danmei leaned against the wall of the room, listening to the conversation and laughter of the two siblings beside her. She was somewhat lost in thought, recalling the first night she met Xu Jinrong, when he told her some secrets about this house.

The carriage finally came to a stop. The door opened, and Xu Jinrong leaned in, smiling, "We've arrived." As he spoke, he reached out his hand to Xiao Bao, who cheered and rushed over to him, lifting him off the carriage.

Danmei got out of the carriage and walked inside with Xu Jinrong. Most of the servants and attendants she encountered were familiar faces, and they all looked quite cheerful. Seeing that the scenery around her was the same as before, she felt a little sentimental. When she passed by her old peony garden, she saw that the gate was closed and couldn't help but take a few more glances.

"Go take a look. Your flowers haven't seen you for so many years, they must be quite lonely."

Xu Jinrong turned his head unintentionally and saw her eyes looking over, so he stopped and smiled. Danmei smiled and simply followed his lead, turning over. A maid had already pushed open the door and saw that the inside was lush and green, without a single weed. Although the flowering season had passed, the peonies and peonies inside were growing very well, and the Xiaozhuangxin peony looked particularly vibrant, clearly indicating that someone had been taking good care of it.

"I thought..."

Danmei was both surprised and delighted, and looked at Xu Jinrong.

"You thought this garden was abandoned?" Xu Jinrong looked at her and laughed, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes. "When you weren't here, I specially hired a gardener to take care of it. I thought that when you came back one day, how could I let it be a desolate place to welcome you? Now it seems that my idea was quite good."

Danmei felt a surge of heat in her chest and stared at him, speechless. Xu Jinrong reached out and gently pinched her cheek, saying softly, "You must be tired from your journey. Go back to your room and rest first. You can thank me properly when you've recovered."

Danmei glanced around and saw that the maids were all standing outside the garden, and that Xiaobao had followed Xiqing back to his room first. She reached out and pulled his head down, then tiptoed and gave him a quick, fleeting kiss on the lips. Before he could react, she had already turned and left with a smile. Xu Jinrong stood there, touching his lips. Seeing her graceful figure already at the door, he shook his head, smiled, and followed her out.

Because Hui-jie was growing up and Dan-mei had passed away a few years ago, she had long since moved to a separate courtyard to live alone. The room she used to live in had now been cleaned up to serve as Xiao-bao's bedroom. Upon returning, there was naturally a flurry of activity. After everything was settled, Hui-jie formally greeted Dan-mei again, but Liang-ge did not appear. Xu Jin-rong thought for a moment and then said to a maid, "Go and call Liang-ge over." The maid responded and turned to leave hurriedly, but Dan-mei stopped her.

“There’s no need to call him over. I just heard Sister Hui mention that he hasn’t been coming in the last few days because he’s taking his medicine. Why don’t you come with me to visit him? He’s just a child.”

Xu Jinrong glanced at her and finally hummed in response. Xiao Bao, who was standing nearby, heard this and said he wanted to see his brother as well. Danmei had no choice but to take him with her.

Liang Ge still lives in the courtyard where he used to live with Aunt Zhou. Upon entering, they saw that the flowers and trees in the courtyard were very neatly arranged. Although the crabapple tree had passed its flowering season, it was already bearing some green, bean-like fruits, clearly indicating that someone regularly tended to it. A maid was standing at the door of the house. Seeing them approach, she called out and hurriedly lifted the curtain.

As soon as Danmei entered, she was hit by a pungent medicinal smell. The smell of medicine alone would be fine, but it was mixed with a stuffy atmosphere, as if the room had not been ventilated for a long time, making it extremely uncomfortable to smell.

"The sun is shining brightly outside, why don't you open the window to let the wind out?"

Xu Jinrong asked a maid who had rushed out of the inner room upon hearing the noise. Seeing his face darken, the maid said somewhat flusteredly, "Young master wouldn't let it be turned on, saying he doesn't like the wind."

Xu Jinrong frowned and said, "Go open it. From now on, when the weather is fine, leave it open like this every morning and evening to let in some fresh air."

The girl quickly agreed and went over to prop up all the windows one by one.

As he spoke, Xiao Bao had already slipped past the screen separating the inside from the outside and slipped through. Danmei followed, and immediately saw Liang Ge lying stiffly on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling. Whether it was intentional or because he was too immersed in his own thoughts, he remained motionless even as someone entered the room.

Liang Ge is now an eleven-year-old boy. He lies there, pale-faced, and although he is taller than before, he looks as thin as a rake.

This was probably the first time Xiao Bao had seen such a scene. The man was quite different from the "brother" he had imagined. He tilted his head and stared at him for a long time before taking a step forward and whispering, "You... are you my Brother Liang?"

Liang Ge seemed to come to his senses, turned to look at Xiao Bao, paused for a moment, neither shaking his head nor nodding, his expression still blank.

"Brother Liang, it's me, Xiao Bao. Get well soon. I have a big white goose; let's feed it together from now on..."

Xiao Bao, however, was not shy at all. Thinking that he hadn't heard him, he simply hopped over to him and said with a grin.

Liang Ge finally realized what was happening, a slight change in his expression. He looked away from Xiao Bao, and only then did he seem to notice Xu Jinrong and Danmei standing a few steps away from his bed. He murmured, then called out "Father" in a low voice. He glanced at Danmei, paused for a moment, and when she nodded and smiled at him, he glanced at Xu Jinrong's face and finally called out "Mother," struggling as if to sit up.

After several years, the sinister aura he had in his childhood was gone, but his fear of Xu Jinrong seemed to have not diminished. He looked completely lifeless, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a little old man.