Chapter 122: Returning Ho
“Here?”
While Jiang Hao was still reflecting, Hong Yuye’s voice suddenly brought him back to the present.
They were standing in front of an inn with a sowhat imposing presence.
It had four large characters written on it—Yunshang Inn.
“Yes,” Jiang Hao nodded lightly.
He rembered thinking in the past that if he had money, he would co here to eat and stay; it must be very comfortable.
But now, although he indeed had money, he no longer had that sa desire.
After entering, Jiang Hao and Hong Yuye stood in front of the reception desk.
“Would the two of you like to stay?” the middle-aged innkeeper asked.
The two of them? Jiang Hao was sowhat surprised; he was curious about how the innkeeper perceived Hong Yuye.
No one had looked their way on the road, and he had thought that they couldn’t see Hong Yuye.
“Yes, we’d like to stay,” Jiang Hao nodded.
“Would you like one room for the two of you?” the innkeeper asked tentatively.
Jiang Hao instinctively glanced at Hong Yuye and noticed that she was calm and had no intention of speaking.
Feeling his gaze, Hong Yuye turned to give him a look.
It seed to carry a hint of mockery.
Afterward, Jiang Hao asked for two rooms.
Naturally, he wanted two rooms, but he was concerned about disrupting Hong Yuye’s purpose for the trip, which is why he needed to gauge her expression.
The Yunshang Inn had six floors.
The first floor was a dining hall.
The second and third floors had ordinary rooms called Yunxia, the fourth and fifth had mid-level rooms called Yunzhong, and the sixth floor was Yunshang.
Jiang Hao asked for the sixth floor.
If it were just him, it wouldn’t matter.
But with Hong Yuye accompanying him, any carelessness could be his loss.
Creak!
The door to the room opened.
A fresh fragrance wafted through.
What ca into view was an exquisite room, complete with a bed, chairs, a dressing table, and all the essentials.
On the side stood a screen, upon which was a landscape painting.
Behind the screen was a wooden tub for bathing.
There was a window at the very front, with a table and chairs set by its edge, perfect for enjoying the view of the city.
Jiang Hao approached the window and looked down at the main road and streets below.
Hong Yuye ca over, sat down, and gestured towards the teapot.
Understanding, Jiang Hao took out so Snow After Spring tea, brewed a pot, and poured a cup for her.
Hong Yuye stared at the teacup for a long ti without touching it.
She glanced at Jiang Hao and remained silent.
Was she dissatisfied with the tea?
Jiang Hao felt a bit alard and quickly changed the subject.
“What brings senior to Luo City?”
“For this.” Hong Yuye placed a stone slate on the table.
“This slate can convey secret ssages. The ssage it gave was to et in this city within three days.”
“Who is the other party?” Jiang Hao asked curiously.
“I don’t know. That’s why what you need to do is to find the origin of this slate or other slates like this one.”
Hong Yuye pushed the slate towards him.
“Now you take the slate. Later, I will teach you how to decipher it.”
Hearing this, Jiang Hao could only accept the slate.
He didn’t understand who could be at the origin of the slate that soone like Hong Yuye would take interest in.
At that mont, the sun outside was shining brightly, sowhat scorching and dazzling.
“Go buy an umbrella,” Hong Yuye suddenly said.
After nodding in agreent, Jiang Hao left.
Standing at the entrance of the inn, he felt a wave of emotion.
He had wanted to go out anyway, and now the timing was perfect.
If he rembered correctly, his forr ho wasn’t far from here.
Seventeen years had passed. He wondered how they were doing now.
At this mont, he wasn’t quite sure what he was feeling, he just wanted to go back and see.
Whether he hoped they were doing well or poorly, he didn’t have an answer at the mont.
Maybe seeing them well would make it clear.
“Would they recognize ? Would they be shocked to see ?”
He had many questions he wanted to know, yet at the sa ti, he didn’t really want to know.
After a mont of reflection, he started walking towards “ho,” following his mory.
He passed by a place selling oil-paper umbrellas and chose one with red patterns on it.
Every ti he saw Hong Yuye, she was in red attire; she probably liked the color red.
After putting the umbrella away, he continued on his way.
Shortly after, he left the main road and entered a residential area.
It wasn’t as bustling and lively as the outside, but it was peaceful.
After turning a few corners, he stopped at the edge of an alley.
Not far ahead was a residence. If he rembered correctly, it should be where he lived as a child.
Hesitating for a long while, Jiang Hao quietly stood at the corner, looking in that direction.
He just wanted to take a distant look to see their current life. But after waiting for a long ti, no one opened the door.
“I was sold at five, and now I’m twenty-two. They probably wouldn’t recognize .”
Having co to this conclusion, he approached the door and reached out to knock. But just as he was about to knock, he suddenly stopped mid-air.
His heart suddenly beca unsettled, as if he didn’t know how to face the family behind the door.
Taking a deep breath, he finally knocked on the sowhat old door.
Knock, knock-
The sound of knocking echoed.
Jiang Hao stood waiting.
After a short ti, footsteps ca from inside, followed by an elderly voice.
“Who is it?”
The door then slowly opened, and an old woman peered out, looking at Jiang Hao.
“Who are you?” Jiang Hao was sowhat taken aback.
This person didn’t match any mories he had.
“You’re a funny young man, knocking on my door and asking who I am,” the old woman said with a chuckle, looking at Jiang Hao.
Confused, Jiang Hao asked, “Isn’t this the Jiang family residence?”
“The Jiang family?”
The old woman pondered for a mont and replied, “It seems it once was.”
“It once was?” Jiang Hao was surprised.
“Co in. My husband knows more,” the old woman said as she got up and stepped aside.
“Thank you,” Jiang Hao said with a bow of gratitude.
Entering the gate, he saw the familiar courtyard, almost unchanged, just much older.
“He’s in the backyard,” the old woman said, closing the door and leading Jiang Hao towards the backyard.
Slowly crossing the courtyard, Jiang Hao looked around.
Passing a stone, he rembered sitting there as a child, sneaking snacks and dreaming of the future.
Approaching the living quarters, he could almost hear his stepmother’s scolding.
“Eat, eat, that’s all you know. Get to work!”
Reaching the backyard, Jiang Hao saw the place where firewood was piled up, a place he knew well.
He used to sleep there, chopping wood and cooking from the age of four or five.
Looking at these places, there was an inexplicable joy in his heart.
Returning this ti, he wanted to see the place and those people.
Unfortunately, things have changed, and people are no longer the sa.
“Old man, this person seems to be looking for the Jiang family. You talk to him,” the old woman said as she brought the person over and then left.
At this mont, Jiang Hao saw an elderly man in front of him, who was slowly chopping wood with a spirited deanor.
Hearing his wife’s words, he looked at Jiang Hao with slight surprise:
“Are you here to find relatives?”
“Yes.” Jiang Hao nodded, politely saying.
“I hope the elder can inform a bit.”
“It’s been many years,” the old man said with a smile.
“Let think about the past.”
Jiang Hao did not rush him but took over the wood chopping.
“Take your ti to think, I’ll help you chop the wood.”
“You are quite polite, and your clothes don’t seem like those of an ordinary family. You’ve never chopped wood before, have you?” the old man asked, sowhat surprised.
Even if Jiang Hao was low-key, as a cultivator, he wouldn’t be dressed ordinarily.
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