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69.56% Learning To Live As A Cultivator / Chapter 224: Chapter Twenty Four - My family matters are complicated too!

Chapter 224: Chapter Twenty Four - My family matters are complicated too!

The wooden carriage was a larger model with four wheels, crafted from a heavy, rich hardwood requiring two strong horses to pull it rather than a lone beast.  It was not as ornate as many of the other family carriages, but it was clearly not so plain that the occupants might be mistaken as servants.  Therefore it was not surprising that a certain country bumpkin was completely overwhelmed when it paused at the southern gate and opened its brocade curtains to allow him entry.  He shook with nervousness, worried about marking the wood with his bitten nails, or dirtying the step with his dusty boots.  His fears were only made worse when he came to see the inside of the carriage.

The opening was near the front of the carriage, which also lead to the carved bench that the driver nestled upon, while the masters sat comfortably in the rear of the carriage.  Along the very back was actually nestled a bed with short curtains for privacy, while along its exposed length was cushioned seating.  Nailed in front of this was a small table for tea and snacks.  There was also a narrow bench, likely for servants nearer the entrance to the carriage and along the opposite wall.  It was all a bit fancy for Russ, he wasn't sure what to do with himself.

The rear sofa was occupied by his friend Leo and the tall Martial Artist that had stood awfully close to his friend when he last saw them and was just as close to him now.  Then leaving a more decent space was the young master he'd also met that day.  A stranger, a man wearing simple cut clothes that were still better than his own, sat on the narrow bench with a straight spine and at readiness to move.  And two other men sat in the driver's seat.  The Young Master seemed to have no maids serving him, which was the only good point about this whole thing; he wouldn't know where to look at all if there were women on board too!

Leo waved him over and attempted to make room for him on the cushioned seating, pushing the Martial Artist over, who made a strange sound with his teeth and tongue... it sounded like he was a bit irritated.  Russ wasn't sure what he had done, just scratched his head, before nervously making his way over.  The Young Master hadn't said anything about him sitting on the sofa, so it should be alright.

"Hi, Russ," Leo smiled warmly as he gingerly took his seat next to him.  "Ah, I d-d-didn't introduce you the other d-day, b-but these are m-my friends Sun and J-Jin Li."  Russ failed to notice the slight shy tone as Leon said the latter's name, but he did see the Martial Artist give his friend a very unhappy glare.  It seemed like the man named Jin Li really didn't like him, this fellow from the same village as Leo, maybe he had a dislike for mortal commoners...

"Er, hullo," Russ greeted the two other young men.  The sunny faced Young Master gave him a bright grin, which put him a bit more at ease, despite the indifference from the Martial Artist.

"This is exciting!" Sun cheered.  This was like going on an adventure!  The hero, the best friend of the hero and the hero's wife, all travelling with a guide to the middle of nowhere to find the hero's wife's lost family members and reconnect with them!  Perhaps at the end of the day, there would be a family heirloom that was stolen and the hero's entourage would need to go liberate it... Sun quickly became lost in his own fantasies, dreamily glancing out at the rolling green pastures and burbling brook outside the carriage's wooden window.

Of course, Russ wasn't aware of this, he was too busy trying to eat a flaky pastry given to him by Leon without the crumbs falling upon the silk cushions and carpeted floor.  Leon and Jin Li were not worrying over Sun either as they leaned lightly together drinking hot tea.

Inwardly, Leon was actually quite nervous.  All of his knowledge regarding his family in this life came from his own diaries and while they had only mentioned his grandfather, he felt as if there should be someone else as well.  Vague impressions had disturbed his dreams this last few nights and he even recalled the image of a crusty old man with white bushy brows and thick glass spectacles, believing this must be his elderly relative.  But what then had happened to his parents, his mother and father in this world, why couldn't he recall nothing about them?  The diaries hadn't mentioned either,  indicating that he was raised by the elder.  The curiosity got the better of him and he turned to Russ and began to inquire.

"M-my m-m-memory is still n-not g-good," he mentioned to Russ, "I only remember m-my G-grandfather.  Is there n-no one else in m-m-my family?"

Russ looked at Leon with heartfelt sympathy, before finding his own feet more interesting as he shook his head.  "I heard tha' yer mamma died when ye were like one or two.  Of sickness.  Don' know about ye da'.  Oh but I guess there is yer aunt, just tha' yer granda' don' really get on with her."

A flash of fragmented memory came to the fore.  In it, there was the figure of a petite, scowling woman with her arms crossed about her ample bosom.  Leon felt that she should have been pretty, but her frown wrinkled her forehead and her almond eyes were narrowed due to her scowl.  Her lips were stretched thin and curved downward as well.  His aunt was his mother's older sister, he suddenly recollected and he liked her no more than his old grandfather. 

"She married landlord Arion as his second wife and she bore him like four kiddies, they bein' ye cousins," there was a slight glint in Russ' eyes as he warmed to the subject and began to share gossip.  "Me mam said tha' this made ye old granda' mighty unhappy, 'cos like old Arion already had a couple of kiddies by his dead wife.  So ye aunt married in as a stepmam.  Me mam said tha' she only married him 'cos he has some money, bu' he inna all that rich really.  There was this big arguemen' when ye aunt wanted t' move the family to town, bu' old Arion refused.  Me mam said tha' was 'cos it's expensive t' move int' town."

"So I have c-cousins as w-well?" Leon asked after absorbing all of this information.  He didn't recall anything about this argument that had clearly become the gossip of the entire village at some point, perhaps it had happened once he'd already left, but he did feel as if this was in line with his feelings regarding his aunt's character.

"Aye," Russ continued and began counting them off on his fingers as he named them. "Yiaren and Eries being Arion's from his first wife.  They be married an' gotten theirs wives pregnant a few times so ye aunt can be counted as a grandma herself.  Then there be Sanri, Siri, Wuren and Luron.  Sanri be ye senior by two years and Siri be ye only girl cousin, and Wuren and Luron be twins.  Sanri be engaged, due to marry the village chief eldest daughter in the spring, so I reckon ye aunt'll tell ye tha' when she hears ye back."

"Okay," Leon felt that his cousin's marriage had nothing to do with him anyway so had no opinion on it.  However, Jin Li caught some unspoken words in Russ' narrative and reached sneakily about Leon's waist.

"Could it be that your aunt wants to steal the family heirloom from you to gift to your cousin on his wedding day?" Sun said suddenly, causing all attention upon him.

The other three stared at him in complete confusion. "What are you talking about?" Jin Li sneered. Sun shrank in his neck realising he'd let his imagination run away with him again.

"Um... nothing?"


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Ebonsolaris Ebonsolaris

Author's note; Because some of this chapter is from Leon's friend's point of view, there was some switching between Leon's two names on how I deemed it was more appropriate.  It’s not necessarily a mistake.

Chapter 225: Chapter Twenty Five - We arrive at my home village

They travelled with only a couple of short breaks, in order to let the horses and the Coeurl following behind, eat and drink before carrying onward at a sedate pace and being that the road was a main thoroughfare for many farming villages and established towns, it was peaceful for the most part. This was not because there were no bandits in these regions, more that in these rolling plains without much tree coverage and with guard towers placed at forks and divisions, a bandit might as well be a beggar for all the wealth that could be taken from carriages and wagons on this route.

Despite this, when they stopped for the night, they did so fairly close to one of these guard towers, but not so near as to give the guards concern regarding their identities and still the two drivers and Sun's manservant set up rolling duties to be on guard. All were highly trained in the arts of martial combat, something required by the General of his servants. In the meantime, the four youths slept more or less comfortably within the carriage.

It possibly would come as no surprise that the Dao couple claimed the bed to rest upon, or rather Jin Li pushed Leon upon it to rest and dared Sun to complain. Of course this Young Master was not courageous enough to! The bed was spacious enough for two and who else would share one mattress anyway? Sun slept on the cushioned sofa instead. This left poor Russ the choice of the carpeted floor or the hard wooden servant bench. He chose the latter, it was still fairly good and the Young Master had thrown him a blanket, so he couldn't complain about being cold. Plus, two scaled felines stretched out on the carpet anyway and those beasts made him nervous.  All in all, it was better than sleeping outside on the cold ground or huddled with strangers in the open bed of a wagon.

By lunch the following day, they reached a small town known as Cedar Town, due to the cedar wood trees that lined its streets. The houses scattered over the area were a mix of small stone cottages and old courtyard buildings, both were built in terrace lines with cobblestone roads connecting entrances and gates. Shops clustered together either side of the widest streets, which had a smattering of stalls down the centre. Naturally, large carriages could not breach the crowds of people gathering here, one would have to take a small, two wheeled cart drawn by horse or person if one did not wish to use their own legs.

Sun and the others got out here, planning on grabbing something to eat for the midday meal before moving on towards the village.  In the meantime, Sun's drivers took a backstreet in order to avoid the crowded area as advised by a local guard.

Seeing the silk dress of a Young Master, the waiter eagerly guided them to a room with a balcony and made a suggestion regarding food and wine before rushing off with Jin Li's suggestion that it all sounded good (aka "That will do.")  As they waited, Leon's eyes were drawn to the bustling streets below and an unfamiliar memory flashed before his eyes...

Those stalls were replaced by tables and proud looking men and women all of whom appeared no older than their mid-twenties and who were sitting or standing at those tables. Youths in various states of clothing, mostly of hemp for there was only a handful of families who could afford silk in town, lined up at the tables. The boys, for he did not recall any girls in amongst them, just a handful of mothering women, would step forward one by one and were tested for age and aptitude. He himself eventually reached the front of the queue and placed his hand upon the thick plate.

"Age sixteen, primary cultivation, body root..." the adult glanced up looking at him with some pity and resignation.  "Look kid, I'm saying this for your own good, but are you sure you wish to study at the Ascending Mountain Institute?  With your aptitude, it really will not be easy."

"Want t-t-to," he replied as firmly as he could.  Everyone knew that people that studied at school could have a better life in the future, but it was costly to go to ordinary school, most commoners could not afford it.  So once his grandfather had heard that the school for Cultivators, the Ascending Mountain Institute was recruiting in their area this year, he sent his close grandson to try his luck.  Neither of them knew whether he'd have a chance to be a Cultivator in the future, not knowing if Leo had the fortune, they could only hope.  And though it seemed his luck wasn't great, it wasn't awful either and he did not pass up the opportunity to study for his future...

Leon's mind came back to the present.  The memories felt odd to him, for while he knew that they belonged to him, they still somehow felt as if they had occurred to someone else.  Perhaps it was due to the fact that he had believed that he and Leo were two separate entities for so long before learning otherwise, he was still not quite as resigned to the fact that they were one as he had originally thought.

A steamed, white bun was placed in the bowl before him, its scent distracting him from his thoughts and he glanced up at the man who had placed it there.  "Eat," Jin Li commanded, before he began to devour the various plates of food without reserve.

"En," he agreed. 

Sun was quick to fill his own bowl before slowing down to at least show he had some manners, but seeing the country bumpkin beside him shocked silly by the volumes disappearing into one stomach he instructed; "If you don't grab something now, there really won't be anything left."  This jolted Russ from his frozen state and he quickly followed Sun's example, though he shared Leon's awkwardness when it came to using chopsticks.

Quickly the plates were cleared and the four had satisfied stomachs at last.

*****

The name of the Village was Herb and the men and women that lived there raised pigs and chickens, grew vegetables in their gardens and potatoes and common herbs in their fields.  There was also an abundant woodland close to the village's eastern outskirts and this was where many wild herbs grew, therefore the villagers were easily able to supplement their small incomes after harvest and before winter came.  But that did not make it any easy life.

For example, Russ' family was large, consisting of his grandmother, his own folks, uncle and aunt-in-laws, plus numerous sisters and cousins. However, there were far more women than men and his grandmother had spoiled her sons to the point that they were lazy and only did the minimum of work necessary. His father also liked to drink, so whatever money he did not give to his old mother, he kept for himself and his habit, forgetting that he had a wife, son and three daughters to feed.

Therefore it could be said that his wife and children lived on his mother's charity, but in actual fact, for sometime, they had lived by earning their own pennies, selling embroideries, selling wild herbs and the earnings Russ had obtained by taking odd jobs. Actually, it was not that his old grandmother gave them nothing, more that she only gave allowances based on the number of grandsons born and Russ' mother had just one son and many daughters. Russ really wanted for his mother to divorce his wastrel father and separate from the rest of the family, but this was against the rules of filial piety and respect, so he could only hope to improve his immediate family's lot in other ways.

The carriage caused quite the alarm as it entered the village, the old village chief dragged himself from his dinner to meet the wealthy dignitaries, but their carriage did not stop before his house. He watched as crowds of curious onlookers followed the carriage as it finally came to a stop outside old man Leonard's house. His wife then helped him put on his coat and boots that he might see what was going on.

A driver leapt down and pulled back the thick curtain and a man with a straight posture and plain, but well tailored clothing stepped out, before turning back to focus on the exiting occupants. The first was a boy with long, brown hair tied neatly in a white silver crown, a thick furred coat about his shoulders and a curious, but sunny expression upon his face.

"This is your home, right?" He called into the carriage.

"En," came the reply and another boy with Yin yang hair stepped out, all in white and also wearing a silver crown to tame his wealth of hair.  He adjusted his glasses upon his nose as he looked about.

"Eh?" The village chief suddenly blurted out. "In't tha' our village's Leo?"


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