A wu was trembling with sobs, barely able to catch her breath.
Beside her, several older brothers wiped their tears as well.
The eldest and third brothers patted A wu’s back gently, while the second brother stood protectively nearby.
Some passing fishermen couldn’t help but glance over—one middle-aged man, three sturdy young fishermen, all surrounding the crying young lady with tender concern.
A strong youth stood at the side.
Just by looking, one could tell they had experienced a painful parting, a life-and-death separation.
A wu leaned on her father’s shoulder, crying out, “Mother is gone already……”
She hiccupped through her tears and choked out the past.
The villagers had helped bury Mother, but the grave had been buried under mud and sand, lost and impossible to find.
Ning Yinhua had actually heard some news beforehand, but hearing A wu say this now, memories of his wife flooded him, overwhelming him with guilt.
“Back then, when the Eastern Sea was ravaged by pirates, we were caught up in the chaos, cutting off the path to the imperial exams. It was your mother who sold her dowry and jewelry, gathering dozens of taels of silver, so I could leave the scholar’s path and go into business to support the family! I never imagined that three years ago, we would part ways like this, never to see each other again, separated by life and death!”
His eyes reddened, “I have wronged your mother, and I have wronged you!”
The brothers listened to the details of their mother’s final moments, their hearts heavy.
One by one, they lowered their heads, wiping tears away.
Even Yehan’s eyes reddened at the side.
Though men do not often shed tears, after years of wandering overseas, finally returning home only to find everything changed, how could anyone not feel sorrow?
They had gone out to do business, endured hardships—all for the sake of the women at home living well.
Now that they had made money, their loved one was gone.
It was A wu who finally calmed down first.
She wiped her tears and said, “Father, brothers, crying won’t bring her back. Mother won’t return. Now that our family is reunited, we only hope to live well. Later, we will make a proper burial mound for Mother and honor her well. Surely her spirit in heaven will find comfort.”
Gradually, everyone’s emotions settled.
Seeing A wu and Yehan dusty and weary, they quickly led them home.
The house had been hastily purchased by Ning’s family of four men.
It wasn’t very refined, but in the town, it was considered quite spacious—two courtyards deep.
Ning’s father brought A wu and Yehan inside, telling them to wash up first and then eat.
Ning’s father sat down with A wu while the sons busied themselves.
Ning Dalang hurried to get a basin and towels, Ning Erlang fetched freshly boiled hot water from the kitchen, and Ning Sanlang carried a bundle containing brand-new clothes.
He stuffed them all at A wu and said, “These are all for you, little sister. See if they fit.”
A wu opened the bundle and found beautiful, exquisite clothes.
Some of the undergarments were made of the finest raw silk, something the family had never owned before.
She was surprised.
Ning Sanlang said, “We knew you’d be coming back, so we went everywhere to buy these for you. It’ll be convenient after you return. There’s also some makeup and hair ornaments from overseas—rare and precious things we kept for you. We didn’t dare to sell them!”
Ning Erlang had prepared the hot water and wiped the sweat from her brow.
“Little sister, we also have silver plates and forks here. Those silverwares shine bright—only rich families use them outside. We brought them all. We won’t sell these either; we’ll keep them as your dowry.”
Hearing this, A wu felt an overwhelming wave of protection and love.
This was genuine and unconditional.
This was her family—willing to give everything to protect and cherish her.
She suddenly hugged Ning Erlang, “How wonderful—all mine!”
She was the only daughter; there was no one competing with her.
Everything belonged to her!
***
After bathing, A wu changed into the soft, brand-new clothes.
As she stepped out of the bathhouse, the gentle sunlight poured over her.
Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming happiness like never before.
The sun was so warm; her body clean and fragrant; her clothes soft; the house was her own home.
At that moment, in the main hall, Father and brothers had already set the table, a feast spread out waiting for her.
Her heart was light and happy, as if she were lying on soft clouds, feeling that the whole world revolved around her.
Would she envy Princess Dening now?
Would she be jealous of others’ love?
She envied no one.
At this moment, what she had was the best in the world.
Just as she entered the hall, Ning Dalang eagerly presented a box to her.
The box was made of cloisonné enamel—common enough in the palace, but extremely rare for a family like theirs.
Ning Dalang opened it and showed her inside, “A wu, look! Do you like it?”
A wu leaned closer and saw exotic hair ornaments, gold rings inlaid with agate Capricorn patterns, gold bracelets with inscriptions, and even a pendant made of red spinel!
She was overjoyed and couldn’t believe it, “So many?”
Golden hairpieces were expensive even overseas—how did they get so many?
And the red spinel was even rarer!
They were truly wealthy now.
Ning Erlang laughed, “You don’t know, A wu, this time we bought a batch of goods overseas—pepper. We bought it cheap, one tael of silver could buy a hundred catties. After shipping it back to Great Hui, one catty sells for more than ten taels, even after the government’s cut, we still made a lot of money!”
A wu laughed aloud, “You made so much? That’s like a thousand times the profit!”
Overseas business was just like that—huge profits, but so many hardships: having to buy ships, sail far away, face all kinds of sea dangers, go to unfamiliar places to buy goods, and then bring them back, evading pirates.
One slip-up could cost both the cargo and their lives!
Her father and brothers had come back safely and made a fortune—truly lucky.
A wu took the red spinel pendant and wore it.
Emperor Jingxi had once given her many such gifts.
Later, when she and Princess Dening became close, she could have worn them freely, but she never wanted to.
Now, with her father and brothers buying her spinel jewelry, though not as fine as the Emperor’s, it was still beautiful.
She looked at it again and again—how good it looked on her.
Her brothers gathered around their sister, admiring her after the bath.
Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright and sparkling, just like a few years ago—still the sweet and innocent little sister.
They rubbed her head and held her hand, wanting to keep her close in their arms.
Yehan had bathed as well, so the whole family sat down to eat together.
As they ate, they naturally shared their stories over the years.
It turned out that after Father and brothers went to sea, they encountered pirates and narrowly escaped death.
Luckily, the four of them supported each other and fled, eventually ending up in a remote area near the Jawa Kingdom.
They had lost all their money and capital.
To survive, the family had to work as dock laborers, slowly earning silver.
Then they started trading goods bit by bit.
Finally, they saved enough to buy a ship and purchased ivory, coral, agate, tortoise shell, and a large amount of pepper, secretly transporting it home while avoiding the pirates.
What seemed simple was actually three long years of hardship.
Listening to this, A wu said, “Father and brothers endured such difficulty because Great Hui didn’t trade with maritime countries, and there was a sea ban. That’s why the journey was so dangerous. But now there’s no need to worry. The court has lifted the sea ban, and we’ve established trade agreements with other countries. As long as officials collect duties on the return trip, we can sell goods legitimately—no more hiding.”
She said this casually, but Ning’s family was surprised, “A wu, how do you know this?”
They knew it was big news and only heard through their own contacts.
How did A wu know?
A wu was surprised too, “The news hasn’t spread yet?”
Yehan understood the situation but saw that A wu didn’t want to talk about it.
So he said, “There are rumors outside. A wu only heard them.”
Ning’s family then spoke about trade and official duties.
They had paid the cut to the officials this time.
They weren’t afraid of paying duties—they feared disorder, unclear rules, and corruption.
Now that the sea ban was lifted and regulations set, they were unafraid.
They talked about future plans—opening a shop in the city, hiring clerks.
They heard the coastal shipyards were building ships, and ordinary people could buy vessels up to 200 tons, though permits were hard to get and sometimes required long waits.
A wu smiled, “Opening a shop? Wonderful! I’ve learned bookkeeping now. When Father and brothers run the business, I’ll keep the accounts!”
Ning Sanlang was delighted, “A wu, you’re becoming more capable!”
Ning Erlang then mentioned that not only had they brought back goods, but also some seedlings.
They had once been stranded near Lu Song.
In the previous dynasty, Lu Song was called Mayi and had once acknowledged Great Hui as their suzerain.
Later, the Franks invaded and occupied Lu Song.
At that time, the Franks often suffered grain shortages, so they imported a crop called the sweet potato from far overseas.
The sweet potato was drought-resistant, easy to grow, and could be eaten raw or cooked.
The Ning brothers secretly took some sweet potato cuttings back with them after many hardships.
They had planted them in the courtyard, and the plants were growing well.
Hearing the details, A wu was surprised.
She recalled something Emperor Jingxi had said in the Imperial Study about the prosperous era and grain.
She furrowed her brows, thinking carefully, “If these could be cultivated and spread, wouldn’t everyone stop worrying about food shortages?”
Ning Erlang said, “That’s exactly the idea. But whether it will succeed is still uncertain.”
They talked about other things, the family lively and full of joy.
Yet Ning Yinhua looked at his daughter with a heavy heart.
A wu had clearly grown taller, her appearance more striking, and a few extra touches of delicate beauty in her eyes.
Ning Yinhua vaguely sensed that his daughter must have been through something—that she might have a suitor.
But since she never mentioned it, he couldn’t help but worry it wasn’t Yehan, or perhaps it wasn’t a proper marriage.
Thinking it over, it made sense—such a delicate girl, without her family’s protection, would naturally encounter troubles.
Still, Ning Yinhua didn’t want to ask directly for fear of causing her pain.
After the meal, the family held hands and chatted.
Ning Dalang worried that his sister might be tired and urged her to rest first.
It was exhausting to finally be home; she needed to sleep.
He said, “When you’re rested, we brothers will take you to the street. Whatever you want to eat or buy, we’ll get it for you. With all the money Brother has now, you could buy a whole house, and we have plenty too!”
A wu’s heart blossomed, “Good! Let’s go to the street tonight. I want to buy fresh fish and shrimp to roast.”
Ning Dalang saw her playful and sweet smile and felt his heart melt.
Thinking of what she’d been through, he felt a deep ache and gently coaxed her, “Go rest now.”
A wu entered the boudoir her brothers had prepared.
Inside, the bed and bedding were brand new—the best available locally—and a fragrant sachet hung by the bed.
She smelled the sachet and recognized it was brought from overseas.
She had seen similar ones in Langhua Hall before.
It was said to be a tribute item, not easy to get.
Returning home, her brothers had given it to her.
They must have been unwilling to sell such good things, keeping them for her.
Lying on the bed, inhaling the light fragrance and feeling the softness of the bedding, she thought that though her brothers were rough men, it was not easy to think of such details for her.
They must have prepared all this early.
Although no matter how much they tried, these simple household items could never compare to the refinement of the Imperial Family’s, A wu felt content.
Seeing her family again made her heart feel at ease.
She no longer feared.
No one would demand she die with them.
No one would choke her.
No one would give her away to nobles.
She never had to fear betrayal, or pretend to please others.
Thinking this, she touched the jade thumb ring hidden in her clothes.
At this point, she understood that when she saw the Great Hui National Map in the Imperial Study that day, that man already knew her hometown had become a stretch of sand, long gone.
But he hadn’t said it outright then.
It seemed he still had a trace of compassion in his eyes.
He didn’t want to shatter her dreams.
Later, when her father and brothers returned, he must have received news, which was why he sent her back.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but feel moved.
She also faintly sensed that what he did wasn’t truly letting go, but fulfilling all his wishes first.
Only after reaching his utmost satisfaction could he begin to let go and turn back.
Yet she could never forget some fragments of the past……
No matter how much he cherished her later, even if he knelt before her, heart in hand, she still felt he only coveted her beauty.
She knew she was overthinking, trapped in her own mind, but for now, she couldn’t help it.
She caressed the jade thumb ring.
Originally cool to the touch, it had warmed from constant contact with her body.
If the jade thumb ring could warm, what about the heart of that man?
She closed her eyes and rested her cheek on the embroidered pillow, her heart aching and soft.
She had been through so much, but in love, she was still naive, still trapped in her own mind.
Now with family, her heart was at ease, and looking back, it felt bittersweet.
Finally, she sighed softly.
The past was not important.
Now was not the time to dwell on it.
She was home, with family to love and be loved by.
She would live sincerely with her family and make up for the lost years.
***
At this moment, Ning’s family of four pressed Yehan for details.
A wu had been through three years of hardship and wandering.
They didn’t want to ask her, fearing to upset her, but they had to know—no matter how painful.
Yehan was reluctant to speak, but faced with their pressing questions, he told the general story.
Before he spoke, the family had prepared for the worst—thinking perhaps she had fallen into a life of ill repute.
They took a deep breath, ready for the worst.
But after Yehan finished, the Ning family was still shocked.
Ning Dalang asked, “You mean… the Emperor? The Heavenly Sovereign in the Imperial Capital?”
Yehan nodded, “Yes. It was the Emperor who released us. So when officials told A wu she would be returning, it was probably on his orders.”
Ning Sanlang frowned, “You mean, a few months ago, the Heavenly Sovereign was blessed with twin heirs, and issued the Imperial Edict of General Amnesty? And the one who gave birth to those Imperial Heirs was A wu?”