"Qi Di wouldn’t dare disobey!"
Prince Wei accepted the order with a smile, and in a fluid motion, he gave a fist-and-palm salute.
His eyes lifted lightly, just in ti to et Su Pan’er’s inquiring gaze, and the two of them exchanged smiles.
When a boat sails past, it leaves no traces in the water.
After Prince Wei left, Su Pan’er packed up so small gifts, planning to visit her foster father to express her filial piety, and then strolled around the dock for a while.
Compared to before, Zhang i, this little sparrow, was now by her side, seemingly endlessly chirping, which made Xiren beside her furrow her brows frequently.
That afternoon, only Zhang i and Xiren, along with four attendants, ca out with Su Pan’er. Thinking that Zhou’s mother had to take care of three children, she left Zhou’s mother behind.
Walking slowly along the once familiar country road, Su Pan’er paused for a mont when she passed by the Qin Family ho. Seeing no movent inside, she still stepped forward and had Xiren knock on the tightly shut doors.
Xiren knocked several tis, but still, there was no sound from within.
Just when Su Pan’er began to suspect that no one was at ho, footsteps finally erged from behind the sealed doors, growing louder until, at last, with a creak, the doors opened!
Old Qin’s back was more hunched than ever, his hair nearly all white. Using a walking stick, he opened a door, and his dim, aged eyes swept over Su Pan’er. Suddenly, his face brightened with joy, but after a brief mont, the smile faded from his weathered face.
"Father."
Su Pan’er stepped forward with a smile, handing over the small gifts she had brought.
Old Qin grunted in response, taking the items sowhat hesitantly: "What brings you here? Co in."
Saying this, he still stepped aside to let Su Pan’er into the house.
Glancing around, Su Pan’er saw that the Qin Family ho hadn’t changed much from the layout that she rembered from the year she married into the family. The firewood room where she and Qin Yi had their wedding was still filled with stacks of firewood. If anything had changed, it was that the house seed even older and more somber.
A house lacking the vigor of life always gave off an inexplicable feeling.
Old Qin, leaning on his walking stick, turned back and entered the inner room. Shortly after, he brought over so hot tea.
Su Pan’er hurried forward to take it from him.
"Father, there’s no need for you to trouble yourself like this. Pan’er isn’t thirsty. Pan’er just ca to see how you are doing. How has your health been?"
She quickly motioned for the attendants to step forward and help Old Qin to sit down.
"Good, good," chuckled Old Qin, showing a pleased deanor. He pointed at the tea: "This tea was personally brought by Third Son years ago. I’ve tried it, it tastes quite good. You should try it."
The tea leaves Qin Yi had personally given Old Qin were from years ago!
It was unexpected that Old Qin had preserved the tea all this ti!
"Alright, Pan’er will try so."
Touched by Old Qin’s sentint, Su Pan’er picked up the tea, carefully blew on it to cool it, and then took a small sip.
It was Cloud and Mist tea, still the flavor she rembered.
Su Pan’er could easily imagine that over the years, Old Qin had been living alone in this old house, a solitary figure in the vast emptiness, hoping that amidst their busy lives, the descendants, already dazzled by wealth and honor, would find ti to co back ho, to pay a visit.
Moved by the scene, Su Pan’er beca a bit emotional.
"Father, this tea tastes very good, it is the taste of Pan’er’s mory, the taste of ho!"
"It’s the taste of ho!"
Old Qin nodded solemnly, clearly very happy that Su Pan’er understood his sentints.
He instead pointed at the teacup, incessantly urging Su Pan’er, "Drink up! This tea is very tasty, drink."
Su Pan’er couldn’t refuse and had to pick up the cup, drinking most of the tea.
Seeing that Old Qin was about to refill her cup, Su Pan’er hurriedly explained her intention.
"Don’t rush, godfather."
She then gracefully pointed toward Shuanghekou, "As soon as I returned, I noticed a lot of change in the surroundings. It all seems so familiar yet so strange. I thought, since you must be familiar with this area, I deliberately ca this way, hoping to ask you to be my guide for a bit."
Old Qin hadn’t expected Su Pan’er to say this, and stared at her intently for a good while before slowly getting up.
"As for this Shuanghekou dock, there’s nothing particularly remarkable to see. However, there are so places that require attention. Let’s go, I’ll show you around."
Old Qin said, becoming quite enthusiastic.
He indeed turned around to fetch his cane, and Su Pan’er wanted to step forward and offer support, but he refused.
"Don’t worry, I’m not old, I can still walk!"
This child-like stubbornness in an elderly person added a touch of poignancy for Su Pan’er.
She wondered if she and Qin Yi would be just as disinclined to accept their old age in their later years.
"Godfather, this way."
Su Pan’er purposefully chose an easy path, and only when they had reached the main road did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Their arrival imdiately drew sidelong glances from nurous people.
Although the news of the Empress returning to Luoyan Village had gradually spread, not many people had truly seen Su Pan’er. Moreover, after returning to Luoyan Village, Su Pan’er had been dressed as a man. Now that she appeared in won’s attire, accompanied by Old Qin, she especially caught people’s attention.
"Hey, look, that is... is it her?"
"Shh! Do you want to die, keep quiet. Such a personage is not for the likes of us to discuss..."
"It must be her... They said she went to Shengjing, how co she’s here again..."
"Yesterday, I heard soone ntioning her return, but I didn’t believe it. Look... that looks like Old Qin, right? My goodness! It’s most likely true that she has co back!"
A few passersby gathered, discussing Su Pan’er in what they thought were hushed tones.
It made Su Pan’er want to laugh but not dare to.
Could these people be any cuter?
Old Qin’s normally stooped back seed to straighten!
With a beaming face, he walked alongside Su Pan’er, loudly introducing the scenery around them. Who owned which place, in what year they moved there, how many people were in their family, what kind of business they did—he knew it all by heart. Zhang i, who was nearby, would chi in with additional details from ti to ti.
By the ti they reached the dock, evening had silently crept up.
The number of boats moored at the dock in the evening was clearly greater than usual, and the barges laden with cargo had already left the dock. The porters depending on the dock for their livelihood had been busy all day and were dragging their tired bodies ho.
The afterglow of the setting sun bathed everything on the dock in a golden hue.
"It looks like the house across the river started construction about three years ago, but as for when the people moved in there, I can’t rember."
Seeing Su Pan’er looking across the river, Old Qin furrowed his brow and thought for a long ti but couldn’t recall.
"Hmm?"
Su Pan’er suddenly turned around, "Godfather, are you saying that you’ve never seen the people from the house across the river?"
This ti, Old Qin was silent even longer, "I haven’t seen them. Maybe it’s because I seldom go out, so I haven’t encountered them."
For a few years, even an old man like Old Qin had never seen the head of the household. Who was the owner of that house?
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