144: Uncle

Jiang Yan’s voice was flat. His parents had passed away too early, and his memories of them had been washed away by the passage of time, leaving only scattered, mottled fragments.

Hearing the youth’s words, Jiang Nian felt as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Her body suddenly stiffened, and her face froze as she murmured, "Dead? How could that be?"

After becoming a Contract Master, she was able to find those familiar voices and faces hidden deep in her memory; however, the clearer they became, the more piercing the pain in her heart felt now.

Her elder brother had been a generous and gentle man; back when she was getting married, he had also desperately tried to stop it.

But he was held back by the surrounding Villagers. She heard that later, a rift formed between her father and her brother, and her brother left for the town for good.

Later, her brother had also come to find her, but she was stubborn at the time and refused to see him several times, keeping her doors closed.

She had always thought it was because of guilt that her brother stopped coming later. Could it be that an accident had actually occurred?

Jiang Nian closed her eyes, and after a long while, she stabilized her emotions.

"Jiang Yan, I do not know if you are aware of the old stories concerning me, but from the day I married out of the Jiang family, I have had no relationship with them."

"You can consider that life-saving Spirit Medicine as my way of repaying those two for the debt of my birth and upbringing. Do not engage in this behavior of sending flowers again in the future."

Jiang Yan gave a low response, "Yes. Then Jiang Yan shall take his leave."

Looking at that face so similar to her brother's, she watched as he rose to bow to her and then turned to leave.

Jiang Nian raised her hand slightly and let out a soft sigh, ultimately just silently watching him turn and depart.

Led by a Maidservant, Jiang Yan had not walked far from the front hall when, at a turn, he saw an older-looking servant standing there.

The servant smiled at the two of them. "Young Master Jiang Yan, correct?"

Jiang Yan cupped his hands. "And you are?"

The servant made a gesture of invitation. "Since you are Young Master Jiang Yan, then it is correct. My Young Master requests your presence."

The Young Master—the husband of his Aunt Jiang Nian. Jiang Yan was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly amidst the servant's unchanging smile.

A few minutes later, Jiang Yan arrived at another courtyard that looked like a place for handling official business.

This was because there were more people coming and going here than elsewhere, and servants were constantly carrying things in and out of the courtyard.

Some chests and cabinets were open, revealing many medicinal herbs inside, as well as some sparkling jade-like objects.

Walking into this courtyard, he saw a handsome man in his thirties standing on the steps under the porch. He was reviewing a ledger in his hand while scanning the items in the chests, arranging things methodically.

"Of these two chests, send one to the Treasury and one to the Medicine Storehouse. These two chests over here, pack them up and send them to the Medical Clinic in town; they have been pressing for these medicinal herbs for a long time."

Having received his orders, the servants carrying the chests immediately took action, heading out of the courtyard with the chests.

Jiang Yan silently observed this man in his thirties, thinking to himself that this uncle-in-law he had never met before seemed somewhat inconsistent with the "elegant and graceful" evaluation he had heard.

Just as he was thinking about what his first words should be, the servant beside him spoke to him.

"Young Master Jiang, please mind your surroundings. The household affairs have been busy lately, so there is a lot of traffic here. My Young Master is in the Study ahead; we are almost there."

The servant's words caused Jiang Yan to feel a moment of silent embarrassment. Fortunately, he hadn't rashly said anything just now, otherwise he would have wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

As they passed the porch of the second courtyard, the servant bowed to the man who was directing the work and called out, "Steward Zhang, I am leading someone to see the Young Master."

The man addressed as Steward Zhang glanced at Jiang Yan but didn't say much. It wasn't his place to question someone the Young Master wanted to see, so he simply nodded.

"Go on then, don't keep the Young Master waiting."

Entering the inner area of this courtyard, the servant knocked on the door of the central Study and said respectfully, "Young Master, Young Master Jiang Yan has been brought here."

"Enter."

With a "creak," the servant opened the door and stood by the side, looking at Jiang Yan. "Young Master Jiang Yan, please go in."

Jiang Yan's lowered hands rubbed lightly against his clothes twice before he lifted his foot to cross the threshold and enter the Study.

The Study was very large, almost cavernously empty, as there wasn't much decoration inside. There was only a long desk, a few pots of plants, a bookshelf, and a few chairs for guests.

The person sitting behind the long desk looked up at Jiang Yan, revealing a face with a strong scholarly air; his features were soft, exuding a noble and refined aura.

He looked at Jiang Yan with a slight smile and asked as if to confirm, "Jiang Yan?"

This uncle-in-law seemed even more noble than he had imagined. Jiang Yan did not dare to look directly at Chu Qinhui for long and lowered his head, saying somewhat restrainedly, "Yes."

Chu Qinhui pointed to the seat beside him. "Don't be so formal. Sit."

"No need, I can just stand while answering."

Chu Qinhui did not insist. "Have you ever studied any books?"

Jiang Yan didn't know Chu Qinhui's purpose, so he could only answer truthfully, "I studied for a few years when I was young, but I had no Talent for it; I am merely literate."

Chu Qinhui offered no opinion and continued asking, "Then what are you doing now?"

"Managing flower fields, or going into the mountains to gather some medicinal herbs."

Chu Qinhui glanced at the youth's somewhat rough hands and knew he wasn't lying. "At your age, there are many things you could do."

"Being confined to the fields like this—don't you feel any resentment?"

Even if he were resentful, what of it? His father had once worked in the town and should have had a bright future, but his life was taken when he was injured by the Source Beast riot of a powerful family, leaving a perfectly good home broken.

Staying at home now, guarding his grandfather and grandmother, was also quite good.

Jiang Yan shook his head gently. "Having my family safely by my side is already a very good life."

Chu Qinhui raised an eyebrow slightly. He didn't know how much this youth had experienced to realize at such a young age that a simple life is the ultimate truth.

"Has your family ever told you about the things your aunt went through back then?"

Jiang Yan lowered his eyes and nodded gently.

"This matter has nothing to do with you. Looking at it from the perspective of an outsider, what is your opinion on it?"

Jiang Yan hesitated for a moment. "It was wrong. Sacrificing one person to trade for the lives of others—the Villagers of Ziyuan Village were wrong, my grandfather was wrong, and even your father and you were wrong."

"Oh?" Chu Qinhui's eyebrows shot up, his interest piqued. "How so?"

"The Villagers were selfish, pushing a young girl into a pit of fire to save themselves. My grandfather sacrificed his daughter for the Villagers and was not a fit father. Your father, in order to find a good match for you, used a debt of gratitude to coerce her..."

After a moment of silence, Jiang Yan ultimately didn't say anything more harsh, but instead reiterated, "Everyone was wrong, everyone was at fault. The only one who was harmed was my aunt."

Chu Qinhui's expression remained unchanged. "You are a bold child to say that. But placed in the environment of that time, how can it be settled with a simple judgment of right or wrong?"

Jiang Yan bowed to Chu Qinhui. "Yan simply believes so, but in the situation back then, I do not believe I would have done any better."

Chu Qinhui rose from his seat, walked over to Jiang Yan, and carefully observed the youth before him.

"The events of that year have nothing to do with your father or you. Even if there is blame, it shouldn't fall on you. It would be a pity to sever ties because of this."

He turned to look out the door, his voice carrying a hint of gravity.

"Jiang Yan, your aunt has lived for over a decade without a Maternal family. Are you willing to become the pillar of support from her maiden home in the days to come?"