Chapter 401: Home Is Still Home

Sun Fu’s voice was filled with astonishment. If it hadn’t been for this wooden sign that had hung there all this time, he wouldn’t have been able to suddenly remember Ji Yuan. After all, the appearance of this once extraordinary man from Ning’an County had long been blurred in his memory.

Hearing that Sun Fu could still call him by his name, Ji Yuan smiled at him and swallowed the noodles in his mouth.

“Indeed, it is I, Ji.

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So you do remember me, brother!”

Sun Fu wiped his hands with a rag from the cart and then wiped them again on his clothes. He quickly came out from behind the cart and looked at Ji Yuan with surprise and complicated emotions.

“Mr. Ji, is it really you? May I…shall I add some more braised meat and offal for you?”

He looked closely at Ji Yuan. The latter saw that he was about to go back to the cart to get more ingredients, so Ji Yuan quickly called him back.

“No need, no need, this is enough, this is enough. You go ahead and do your work. If you’re not busy, sit down and let’s chat.”

Ji Yuan pointed at the empty seat at his table with his chopsticks.

Other diners, who were familiar with Sun Fu, asked curiously.

“Uncle Sun, who is this gentleman?”

Sun Fu looked at the young man who had spoken, and after a moment of recollection, he replied.

“This is Mr. Ji. My Uncle Sun used to talk about him a lot, and he mentioned him several times when you came over to our house!”

“Huh? I don’t remember that…”

“How old were you back then? Besides eating and playing, what else could you possibly remember?”

Sun Fu said a few words to the man, then sat down somewhat awkwardly next to Ji Yuan, holding a rag in his hand.

Ji Yuan glanced at him and continued eating his noodles slowly and methodically. He picked some offal from the other bowl and put it into his noodle bowl, mixing it with the braised meat and noodles, then shoved it into his mouth with relish.

“Sir, why haven’t you come back to visit after all these years?”

Ji Yuan, holding his chopsticks, bowed apologetically.

“I had a lot to do, and being away from home meant I often encounter things beyond my control. Thank you for your concern.”

“Oh, that’s true. You can’t just come back whenever you want when you are away traveling. When my dad was still alive, he would always talk about you. Sometimes he would ask me, ‘How long has it been since Mr. Ji last ate noodles at our stall?’ I almost always said you haven’t been by. Occasionally, I would lie to him and say you had just stopped by to eat here. Uh, Mr. Ji, you won’t blame me, will you?”

Ji Yuan nodded to him.

“How could I? These words stem from filial piety, which is a great virtue. Old Sun has always remembered me. I am deeply touched!”

Sun Fu smiled.

“That’s right. My father always said at home that you are not an ordinary person and that we must treat you well.”

“Haha, that Old Sun… did he have any unfulfilled wishes when he passed away?”

Ji Yuan smiled and asked.

“Hey, my dad’s wish was for my eldest brother’s son and me to be able to study literature and pass the imperial examinations to become high-ranking officials. But we common folk are not cut out for that. The two boys did attend a private school, but they couldn’t keep up with their studies. They just went about their business. That’s alright, though. I’m already holding my granddaughter now.”

Ji Yuan smiled knowingly upon hearing this, but continued eating his noodles without saying anything. After finishing the noodles, he finished the offal.

“Mr. Ji, I’ve heard people say before that you might not come back… It’s so good to see you!”

Ji Yuan understood the implication in Sun Fu’s words. He guessed that someone had claimed that he might have died far from home. Such things were not uncommon, so it was not surprising that someone would think so.

“It is good to be able to eat the Sun family’s noodles and offal again.”

Ji Yuan said, putting the last bite of offal in his mouth, chewing it carefully before swallowing. Then he turned to look at Sun Fu. Seeing that the latter looked healthy and didn’t seem concerned, he concluded that the man was obviously doing well. However, he still asked a question.

“Are you facing any difficulties at home? You can tell me anything.”

Sun Fu waved his hand repeatedly.

“No, no, Mr. Ji, don’t let this humble noodle stall fool you. It’s just because I don’t want our Sun family’s craft to be lost. Actually, we’re doing quite well and we lack nothing!”

Since he was an outsider, Sun Fu didn’t reveal the story of the gold nugget,

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but he did imply that his family was quite wealthy.

Ji Yuan understood immediately. As the saying went, poverty brings misfortune. While this saying was an exaggeration, it also made some sense; after all, money couldn’t solve everything, but it could certainly solve most problems. This held true in Ning’an County as well.

“That’s good. Contentment brings happiness.”

Ji Yuan placed his chopsticks on the bowl, shook out the sleeves he had folded back to avoid getting soup on them, and settled at the table to chat with Sun Fu. He also waved to the little girl, but she was too shy and hid behind the cart.

“This child, although she seems quite shy, she actually has a strong personality, just like a little boy. I’m planning to send her to a private school too!”

“Oh? Girls can go to private schools now?”

Ji Yuan was slightly surprised. He was aware that, in the past, although Dazhen did not explicitly prohibit girls from attending school per the law, it was practically an unwritten rule. Women’s social status was still relatively low. At the very least, women would rarely be seen in schools.

Even the daughters of wealthy families had to be taught to read and write by private tutors hired by their families.

“Hey, a few years ago, I wouldn’t have dared to imagine doing that. But in Ning’an County? This place has outstanding people and abundant resources. It produced a high-ranking official like Star Scholar Yin. One of the policies he has implemented in recent years is to allow women to go to school as well.”

“Oh, he must have encountered significant resistance.”

Sun Fu put away Ji Yuan’s bowl and chopsticks.

“I don’t know anything about that, but Star Scholar Yin’s words still carry weight in Ning’an County. At least, when I mention his identity, no one disagrees with my actions.”

Ji Yuan smiled and gave a thumbs up.

“Good point, insightful.”

After speaking, Ji Yuan dusted off his pants, stood up, and took out a few copper coins from his sleeve.

“The price hasn’t changed, has it?”

“Oh, Mr. Ji, you’ve been away from home for so many years, and you’ve only just returned to the county. Consider this a treat from me. How could I possibly accept your money? Please put it away!”

Sun Fu’s attitude was very firm, and it was not a feigned politeness.

Ji Yuan glanced at him, and actually put the money away, nodding in agreement.

“Alright, I appreciate your kindness. I’ll head home now. If you need anything, you can come find me at Ju’an Pavilion. Ah, if can be for any matter.”

With that, Ji Yuan left his seat, strode out to the entrance of Tian Niu Lane, and headed towards Ju’an Pavilion.

Once he had left, conversation resumed among the other diners at the noodle stall, who had finished eating but deliberately stayed behind

“Uncle Sun, who exactly is this Mr. Ji? You keep mentioning him, is he very famous?”

“Yes, Mr. Sun, this man doesn’t look that old, but from what you’re saying, he seems…”

The speaker couldn’t quite describe the feeling; it was as if Sun Fu, who was already a grandfather, was talking to his father.

Sun Fu watched Ji Yuan’s figure disappear from sight before leaning closer to the group of people at the tables and whispering.

“What do you know? This is Master Ji Yuan. He was quite famous in our county ten or twenty years ago. Go back and ask your fathers or grandparents, they’ll surely remember him!”

“Ten or twenty years?”

“This man is that old!?”

Sun Fu gestured for the others to quiet down before continuing.

“This man was rumored to be an extraordinary individual back then. The previous magistrate and county captain both treated him with great respect. By the way, you all know Star Scholar Yin, right?”

“Yes we know him!”

“What are you saying, Uncle Sun! How could we not know about Star Scholar Yin?”

“Yes, Star Scholar Yin used to live on Tian Niu Lane. Back then. He and Mr. Ji were the best of neighbors. When he was still a teacher at the county school, he would visit Ju’an Pavilion almost every day. He and Mr. Ji had a very deep friendship!”

“Oh!”

“I see!”

“I understand!”

The diners around all exclaimed in surprise. Their expressions pleased Sun Fu greatly. Meanwhile, the little girl on the side giggled at the exaggerated expressions on their faces.

Meanwhile, Ji Yuan returned to Ju’an Pavilion. He had not been back for quite some time. Few people he met along the way recognized him. When he arrived at the pavilion, he took out his key, unlocked the gate, and pushed it open.

With a creak, a layer of dust fell out of the door frame, but all of it just brushed past Ji Yuan, and even immediately sliding off his shoulders.

“Whoosh…whoosh…”

A gentle breeze rustled through the courtyard, causing the jujube tree branches and leaves to sway and make soft, melodious sounds.

“Shh…shh…”

Ji Yuan sniffed the air. It smelled very fresh, perhaps due to the jujube tree.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

Ji Yuan knew that he couldn’t stay in Ning’an County permanently, at least not now. The upkeep of his home depended entirely on the jujube tree for protection. Even though there wasn’t much to steal, it was still his home.

He opened all the doors to let in some fresh air. This time, Ji Yuan didn’t hold back with his supernatural abilities. With a wave of his hand, he created a gust of wind that swept away all the dust in the house, restoring it to a clean and tidy state.

When Ji Yuan looked into the kitchen again, he couldn’t help but slap his forehead.

“Oh dear, what a waste!”

The small jar of honey in the kitchen had naturally deteriorated adfter ten years, but when Ji Yuan opened the jar and looked closely, he found that a layer of crystals had formed at the bottom. After scraping off a layer of wax from the surface, he could smell a faint, refreshing sweetness.

“It seems like it’s still edible?”

At this moment, the paper crane squeezed out of the brocade pouch and flew out of Ji Yuan’s arms, circling around the jujube tree. The jujube tree in the courtyard rustled its branches and leaves, as if greeting the paper crane.

Ji Yuan came out of the kitchen. He had intended to fetch water, but then he also brought out the “Sword Intent Inscription” and placed it in the courtyard.

The next moment, the scroll opened automatically, and a series of chattering characters suddenly emerged from within.

“Oh my! Ju’an Pavilion!”

“Yes, yes, we’ve come back to Ning’an County!”

“Ahhh, the jujube tree!”

“Hahaha…Finally back in Ning’an County!”

“Can’t the jujube tree talk?”

“Idiot, the jujube tree is a tree; it needs to gather spiritual energy!”

“Shh… There are mortals all around us, let’s keep our voices down!”

“Yes, yes, keep your voices down…”

A group of small characters whispered and murmured to each other for a while, before jumping out of the “Sword Intent Inscription” one by one.

The branches and leaves of the jujube tree in the courtyard fell silent, clearly startled by the small characters.

T/n: happy April Fools! No pranks from me today, I tend to be more of a spectator. I shall content myself with a Jojo reference, and the fact that the fates have conspired for chapter 401 to fall on 4/01 XD

T/n: IT IS I, DIO!

For reference, LSJ left the gold nugget there a couple chapters ago