Long Time No See

In the past few days, Xujia Village has been flooded with visitors. It was an affordable destination, perfect for families that could manage basic needs.

Inside the governor's residence in Baohe Town

"Yao'er, why are you back so soon? How did things go?" Governor Lu asked.

"Father, don't get me started! The Xu Family is incredibly arrogant. I tried to be friendly and approachable, but they didn't appreciate it at all. They even beat me up and dislocated my jaw." Lu Yao winced at the lingering pain.

"How outrageous!" Governor Lu exclaimed: "Didn't you tell them who you are?"

"Of course I did." Lu Yao replied: "I even mentioned the Prime Minister's Mansion, but they didn't care a bit. They called Uncle and Young Master Lan wastrels and threatened to take on even the Prime Minister's Mansion."

This news puzzled Governor Lu: "How dare a mere peasant speak so boldly! Yao'er, are you sure you haven't mistaken them?"

"How could I be wrong?" Lu Yao insisted: "It was definitely the Xu Family. I'm sure of it. But the person who said those things wasn't from the Xu Family, they seemed very familiar with the capital."

Governor Lu pressed: "Describe this person! What did they look like?"

Lu Yao answered: "It was a young man, probably about ten or fifteen years old. Handsome-looking, and he was wearing clothes that most people couldn't afford."

"Is that all? Think carefully. Were there any other details that stood out?"

Lu Yao stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment before exclaiming: "Oh! Right, I remember now. He had a jade pendant at his waist. I think it had some kind of 'Su' character on it."

"Su..." Governor Lu murmured, his expression shifting as realization dawned, he stood up suddenly.

"Yao'er, are you sure about that?"

"Absolutely." Lu Yao replied: "I saw it clearly when he kicked me a few times. The pendant definitely had the character 'Su' on it."

"It all makes sense now!" Governor Lu exclaimed: "Anyone who would speak like that and has the name 'Su' can only be from one place!"

"Father, which place is that?" Lu Yao asked, perplexed.

"The Taifu Manor in the Capital." Governor Lu explained: "That's where the Emperor's current tutor lives."

Lu Yao was stunned: "But Father, how could someone from the Taifu Manor be involved with the Xu family?"

Even Lu the Governor wasn't sure about the purpose of it all, and he was just guessing: "Maybe their goal is the same as ours."

"Father, why does the prime minister want us to befriend Xu Wenwu?" Lu Yao asked.

"It's not just Xu Wenwu. He's only the most outstanding of the ones who should be our targets. All those who ranked high in the recent exams should be on our list." Lu the Governor replied.

"Why would the prime minister want us to do this?" Lu Yao asked.

"I don't know for sure." Governor Lu admitted: "Maybe he wants to gather talented people to work for him! It's not just me, even officials of the fourth rank who are close to the prime minister have his orders."

"Father, what should we do now?" Lu Yao asked.

Hearing his son's question, anger boiled up inside Lu the Governor: "You've really made a mess this time. The prime minister wanted us to win them over secretly. By running into Su and Wenwu like this, you'll likely give everyone away soon enough. We need to tell the prime minister right away."

Lu Yao felt utterly frustrated. Not only had he gotten a beating, but now his father was giving him a scolding. How could he have known that the man would be from the Taifu Mansion?

......

"Master, Xujia Village has changed a lot in the past few years." Ye Feng exclaimed as he drove the carriage.

Jingchen lifted the carriage's curtain slightly, peering out at the steady stream of people passing by. The village's transformation was nothing short of astonishing, leaving him mildly taken aback.

As the carriage approached the village entrance, it was unexpectedly halted by the patrol squad.

"I'm sorry, young master." The leader apologized: "For your safety and the safety of others, all carriages must be parked at the village entrance. There are many visitors, and we don't want any accidents."

"Master, what should we do?" Ye Feng asked for guidance.

"Get out." Jingchen replied firmly: "Leave the carriage here."

"As you wish, young master." Ye Feng acknowledged.

"Could you please give me the reins? I'll make sure the carriage is parked safely. Here's a number tag, that will help you find it later."

Ye Feng took the wooden sign and put it in his arms.

With the master and servant in tow, they stepped out, heading straight into the village.

"That young master is quite handsome." One voice remarked.

"I know! I've never seen someone so dashing before." Another agreed, eyes sparkling with admiration.

"This young master is clearly either rich or noble—no ordinary person would carry themselves like that."

As soon as Jingchen entered the village, eyes followed his every move. Some bold girls even flirted with him.

Jingchen turned a blind eye, and Ye Feng followed behind him, also suffering from the gazes of the crowd.

Finally, the two arrived at the door of Xu's house, and Jingchen reached out and knocked on the door.

After a while, Uncle Fu limped open the door.

Seeing Jingchen, Uncle Fu was stunned for a moment and asked: "Sir, who are you looking for?"

Jingchen replied: "I'm looking for Xu Linyue."

Uncle Fu was surprised. He had never seen this man before, so how could he be looking for a lady?

Uncle Fu said cautiously: "Please tell me your name, so I can inform her."

"Jingchen."

"Okay, sir, please wait a moment." Uncle Fu said and then slammed the door shut again.

Ye Feng was speechless, his master had never been treated like this before, but seeing his master's still indifferent expression, he said nothing.

When Su Chenyu heard the name Jingchen, he spat out a mouthful of tea, which happened to splash all over Cui Cancan.

"I'm sorry, Fatty, I didn't mean it." Su Chenyu said a little embarrassedly.

"It's okay, Brother Chenyu, I'll just change into clean clothes later." Cui Cancan said.

Qibao said: "Uncle Fu, he is our friend."

Uncle Fu immediately understood what the young lady meant, and turned around to open the door. He was still confused. He had been in the Xu family for several years, but he didn't know that the young lady had such a handsome friend.

Mrs. Wang said happily: "We haven't seen Jingchen for a long time, and I don't know what he looks like now."

Su Chenyu said: "Except for being taller and looking a little more sinister, he is still pretty much the same as before."

"Committing a sin? What do you mean?" Mrs. Wang asked in confusion.

Su Chenyu said: "I don't know how many young ladies and wives have been charmed by his looks. Isn't this a sin?"

"Cousin, how are you?" He asked in a calm tone.

Su Chenyu chuckled and said: "Cousin, why are you here in Xujia Village? Aren't you usually the busiest?"

Jingchen said: "If I hadn't come, I wouldn't have known that my cousin evaluated me in this way."

When Cui Cancan saw the person coming, she wanted to kneel down and salute, but was stopped by Su Chenyu.

"Grandma Xu, long time no see." Jingchen said to Mrs. Wang.

Mrs. Wang smiled and said: "You have grown taller and more handsome. The old man is not at home at this time. If he knew you were here, he would definitely be very happy."

"Madam, I'll go find grandpa right away." Chunlan said.

Mrs. Wang nodded and said: "You can't go wrong by going to the village chief's house."

"Yes!"

"Jingchen, you must have had a hard time coming all the way here. You must stay for a while this time. I'll ask the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes for lunch." After saying this, Mrs. Wang rushed to the kitchen.

A faint smile appeared on Jingchen's face. This warm feeling was still very familiar.

His eyes fell on the pretty girl standing beside him, who also had a smile on her face: "Long time no see."