Ch 162: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

After the banquet ended and the guests had left, the servants began to clean up. Old Madam Wu, Shen Fu, and Wang Xinghua were somewhat uncomfortable with this and instinctively wanted to help, but Shen Yunxuan was already accustomed to such a lifestyle.

She pulled the three elders aside and reassured them, “Take your time; you’ll get used to it. We hired servants to do the work. If we do everything ourselves, they will feel uneasy and on edge.”

Only then did the three agree to rest, though they still felt a bit overwhelmed. It turned out that even becoming wealthy required time to adjust.

During this time, Yang Bin had grown into a competent steward, and since there were no major issues in the county princess’s residence, he managed everything well. Shen Yunxuan was quite satisfied with his performance.

The servants in the household had first been screened by Yang Bin and then carefully selected by Shen Yunxuan. They were all quick-witted and diligent. Yang Bin’s parents had also moved in with him, and Shen Yunxuan allocated them a spacious courtyard in the front yard, large enough to accommodate his future wife and children. She even provided money for his parents’ medical treatment.

Yang Bin was deeply grateful and worked even harder. During his free time, he would listen in on Zhang Lishan and the others’ academic and martial arts lessons, striving to improve himself and repay Shen Yunxuan’s kindness.

A few days after moving into the county princess’s residence, the New Year arrived, bringing a lively atmosphere. This was Shen Fu’s first New Year away from the Shen family, making it especially meaningful and cherished. For Old Madam Wu, it was a rare occasion in recent years to celebrate with family.

For Shen Yunxuan, it was the first New Year since her rebirth. Everyone she cared about was with her, she had been granted a noble title, and she was running the food business she loved. She felt a sense of fulfillment. As long as life continued like this year after year, she would have no regrets.

The whole family treasured this New Year. Shen Yunxuan personally prepared the feast while the rest of the family helped, joyfully preparing for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

In the county and the villages, every household was doing the same. No matter how life was throughout the year, the New Year had to be festive. People only spoke of good things and put aside grievances, choosing to enjoy the holiday before worrying about the future. It was the happiest time of the year.

Zhang Lishan and the other students, after helping at home, gathered under the big tree at the village entrance to discuss when to visit Shen Yunxuan for New Year’s greetings and what gifts would be meaningful.

Shen Xing suggested, “Let’s bring the best New Year’s goods from home!”

Xiao Feng added, “We could check the traps in the mountains and see if we caught any game.”

Xiao Yue proposed, “Why don’t we dig through the snow in the mountains to see if we can find any herbs?”

Zhang Lishan disagreed. “New Year’s goods are prepared by our elders for the holiday. They might already be planning to send them to our master, so bringing the same thing would be redundant and too simple. The mountains aren’t safe, especially in winter. The ground is slippery, and if someone falls down a slope, we’ll end up causing trouble.

Instead, why don’t we write poems and essays, and perform a martial arts routine to show our master our progress? She’ll definitely be happy.”

“That’s a great idea! It’s a gift that comes from our hearts!” Shen Xing immediately agreed. “Let’s write poems and essays praising our master!”

The group all agreed and decided to hurry home to start writing.

At that moment, a man walked toward the village entrance. He was tall, with a straight posture, a powerful stride, and a stern face—his entire presence exuded strength. Xiao Feng and the others, who practiced martial arts, immediately sensed that this man was highly skilled. They tensed up. There were no such people in the village—who was this stranger showing up on New Year’s Eve? Was he here to cause trouble?

As the village head’s grandson, Shen Xing was the first to step forward and ask, “Who are you looking for? What brings you to our village?”

The man halted and glanced at the children. “I’m going home.”

The children were stunned. They exchanged looks, then all widened their eyes and scrutinized the man from head to toe. None of them recognized him.

Shen Xing asked curiously, “Which family are you from? We’ve never seen you before.”

The man looked at them again. “I left to join the army when you were still little. Maybe you don’t remember me. My name is Wu Feng, from the Wu family at the west end of the village.” He sized up the kids, noting their boldness, intelligence, and clear, fearless eyes. He casually asked, “Do you know Old Madam Wu? She’s my grandmother. How has she been all these years?”

“What? You’re Wu Feng?”

“Wait, who did you say? Great-grandmother is your grandmother?”

“You’re our master’s husband?”

The children were completely shocked. Zhang Lishan quickly composed himself and said, “Uncle Wu, Grandma Wu moved to the county. We didn’t expect you to return so suddenly. The Wu family’s house hasn’t been heated or cleaned—it’s not suitable for you to stay there. How about coming with us to the village head’s house to confirm your identity? If everything checks out, we’ll take you to the county to meet your family.”

Wu Feng was taken aback. This was ridiculous. What were they saying? His grandmother had moved to the county?

His grandmother had always been deeply attached to the village, especially since most of their family had sacrificed themselves for the village’s well-being. She had never had high demands for her lifestyle—she just wanted to live out her days in peace in the village. Why would she leave? And besides, the cost of living in the county was far beyond what she could afford. How was she managing food and shelter?

And now, he had to verify his own identity just to return to his own home? Then he had to be escorted to “meet his family”?

These kids were no older than ten. Village children at that age were usually still clueless about most things. But these children spoke with clarity and confidence, their eyes were steady and unafraid, and they seemed to have been well-taught. Wu Feng found himself astonished. When had the village changed so much?

He no longer regarded them as mere children. After some thought, he said, “I’ve been away for many years. I’ll first go home to take a look, then visit the village head to ask about the situation. Once I find out where my grandmother lives in the county, I’ll go there myself. It’s cold—play for a while and then head home.”

Just as Wu Feng took a step forward, he suddenly remembered it was the New Year. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag of copper coins, handing it to Zhang Lishan. “This is a red envelope for you all. Share it among yourselves for good luck.” With that, he strode away.

Zhang Lishan initially hesitated to accept it, but refusing a gift from an elder was impolite. Since Wu Feng was their master’s husband, he could be considered their elder in some way. Just as he hesitated, the pouch was already in his hand, and Wu Feng, with his long legs, had quickly disappeared into the distance.

Zhang Lishan and Shen Xing exchanged glances before dashing home. Their families all had members working for Shen Yunxuan, and Wu Feng’s return was a major event. Their first instinct was to inform their families and figure out how to relay the news to Shen Yunxuan.

The adults were just as shocked upon hearing the news.

“What? Wu Feng is back? Old Madam Wu’s grandson?”

“I thought he was dead? Didn’t the old Shen family even come to curse Old Madam Wu, saying she had jinxed her entire family? How is he suddenly back? Could he be an imposter?”

“I know Wu Feng. I’ll go check if it’s really him.”

Qin Shi became anxious. “If it’s true, we must inform the county princess immediately. She married him hastily and barely knows him. What if he treats her badly? We can’t let him just show up at her door unannounced—she needs time to prepare.”

Zhang Lishan quickly pulled her back and sighed. “Mother, calm down. It’s almost dark, and the village ox cart won’t take us to the county just for this. The roads are covered in deep snow and slippery—how do we expect to outrun him? Don’t worry, our master isn’t some weak woman who can be easily bullied. She is a county princess, her residence has guards and servants. No matter how skilled Wu Feng is, he can’t harm her.

What we need to do is follow him to the county. If anything seems off, we can run to Lord Lin for help. It’s easy since we’re all in the county.”

Qin Shi thought about it and realized he was right. She quickly tidied up at home, dressed warmly, and set off with Zhang Lishan. When they stepped outside, they saw that it wasn’t just the students’ families—many villagers had heard the news and gathered, including the village head.

With so many people, there was nothing to fear. Together, they marched toward the Wu family’s house on the west side of the village.

Upon arrival, they found the front door still locked, but a window in the house was open. Xiao Feng went to the side wall and said, “There are footprints here. He climbed over the wall and jumped through the window.”

Just then, Wu Feng jumped out of the window and was momentarily stunned to see dozens of people standing in the courtyard. “What is this about?”

Everyone stared at his face.

“Is this really Wu Feng?”

“Hard to say. He was still young when he left. Now he’s grown into a full-grown man—how are we supposed to recognize him?”

“He doesn’t look much like Old Madam Wu.”

“Not necessarily. He might take after his mother’s side.”

The village head cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Do you have your travel documents? Can we take a look?” He was actually a distant uncle of Wu Feng, a real blood relative, but after so many years apart, he couldn’t recognize him.

“Of course.” Wu Feng readily pulled out his documents and handed them over.

Zhang Lishan and Shen Xing moved closer to take a look. The name on the document was indeed “Wu Feng of Qingshan Village”!

The scene was rather odd, with the two sides separated by the courtyard gate. Wu Feng keenly sensed that the villagers were treating him like some kind of dangerous person. Everyone seemed tense. Realizing his actions—climbing the wall and jumping through a window—he explained, “I’ve spent the past few years on the battlefield. I don’t know what’s happened at home. When I saw my grandmother wasn’t here, I wanted to investigate to make sure she wasn’t in danger.”

To be precise, when he saw the empty courtyard that looked abandoned for a long time, his heart sank. He feared that his grandmother, left alone with no news of him for years, might have thought he was dead and passed away from grief. That’s why he rushed in to check. Fortunately, all her belongings were neatly arranged, suggesting she had moved rather than something bad happening to her.

As he climbed out over the wall with swift, precise movements, the villagers collectively took a step back. He found it strange and somewhat amusing. Was he really that intimidating? His soldiers had mentioned he smiled less and looked colder, but he had tried to appear as approachable as possible. He hadn’t done anything—why were they reacting like this?

Something felt off, but finding out his grandmother’s whereabouts was his priority. He stepped forward and asked the village head, “Could you please tell me where my grandmother is now? Who did she move with? And why did she leave?”

The village head thought for a moment. There was no reason to hide it. It was only because Shen Yunxuan had become a county princess that the matter had become more serious and required careful handling. But Wu Feng was a soldier, not a bandit, so there was no reason to keep the truth from him.

Choosing his words carefully, the village head briefly explained, “A few months ago, the Shen family’s third branch was helping your grandmother renovate her house. At the same time, the Shen family had been treating them unfairly and constantly oppressing them. Your grandmother couldn’t stand it, so she helped them out. She facilitated their adoption into your great-uncle’s family, making them her maternal relatives.”

Someone interjected, “That’s right! It happened just after news of your disappearance arrived. Your grandmother decided to renovate the house and even planned to find you a wife to bring good fortune, hoping you would return safely.”

Wu Feng looked up, but the person who had spoken immediately shrank back into the crowd. The village head continued, “After that, their family has been doing quite well. Your cousin started making food, and the whole family went to the county to set up a stall and earn money. Your grandmother married your cousin to you—”

“Village head, the way you’re saying it makes it sound like Shen Fu’s family tricked the old lady. Let me explain!” someone interrupted. “Wu Feng, their family of three has been extremely filial to your grandmother. They’re the most dutiful in the village! At the time, it was the Shen family who refused to give up and tried to manipulate your cousin’s marriage. That’s when they decided to hold the wedding quickly, so she could marry you and stay in the family.”

“That’s right! That old Shen family from the east side of the village is truly heartless. At first, they wanted to sell your cousin, and even after she was adopted, they had the nerve to claim she had a childhood engagement. What nonsense! That old scoundrel only knows how to harm people—no wonder he ended up half-paralyzed!”

“Your cousin has always been thinking about you, knowing how hard it is to be a soldier. She figured out a way to help and came up with the compressed bun. She presented it to the imperial court, and the emperor personally praised her and rewarded her with a huge chest of treasures!”

Wu Feng was puzzled as to why the entire village seemed to know so much about his family. Hearing this, he was suddenly shocked. “Compressed bun? My cousin—she’s the same Shen girl?”

“That’s right! You know about it?”

“How do you know? Do you recognize your wife?”

Wu Feng explained, “Compressed buns have already been introduced throughout the army. They’ve been a huge help to us. Everyone knows they were developed by a woman named Shen, and we’re all deeply grateful to her. I just didn’t expect it to be such a coincidence.”

Someone slapped their thigh. “Of course, it’s a coincidence! She came up with it specifically for you!”

Zhang Lishan felt that things were getting out of hand and quickly interjected, “Everyone, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Our master doesn’t actually know Uncle Wu. She only has deep affection for Great-Grandmother Wu and didn’t want her to worry day and night, so she did what she could to bring her peace of mind.”

He couldn’t let rumors spread that his master had been longing for Wu Feng. Until she made a decision about this marriage, any such gossip would be unfair to her.

Wu Feng glanced at him. The title “master” wasn’t something given lightly. What was going on here? But seeing how sharp and composed this boy was, with such a confident presence, he figured that for Shen Yunxuan to be his teacher, she must be remarkable. Was there really such an outstanding woman among his peers? Why had he never heard of her?

The village chief hurriedly steered the conversation back on track. “The day Shen Yunxuan went to the county to receive her reward, your grandmother was home alone. The Shen family came to cause trouble, nearly injuring your grandmother, and tried to steal from her. In the end, Shen Yunxuan had them arrested and locked up in the county jail for several days.”

“My grandmother wasn’t hurt?” Wu Feng frowned. “Which Shen family? The one from the east side of the village that only cares about having grandsons?”

“That’s right! And their grandson is a real disgrace—he almost ended up in prison himself.”

“Hey, why are we talking about other people’s business? We’re discussing the county princess!”

“Let me explain!” Zhang Lishan stepped forward beside the village head. It was getting dark, and he didn’t want the villagers to keep making wild guesses.

Zhang Lishan’s explanation was much more structured. As Wu Feng listened, he was astonished. This child hadn’t even grown to full height, yet he clearly commanded a great deal of respect in the village. The moment he spoke, everyone fell silent, and even the village head stepped aside. Why?

The only special thing about him was that he was Shen Yunxuan’s apprentice. Was that why?

As he listened to Zhang Lishan describe Shen Yunxuan’s incredible talent, how she had opened Yunlai Eatery in the county and how his grandmother had gone to live with her, Wu Feng’s impression of her improved greatly. It seemed that Shen Yunxuan was genuinely good to his grandmother.

Then Zhang Lishan continued, explaining how she had discovered persimmons and potatoes and presented them to the imperial court. The emperor was so pleased that he granted her the title of county princess. Just a few days ago, his grandmother had moved with her into the county princess’s estate, living a life of luxury.

Wu Feng was stunned. “She was granted the title of county princess?”

“You didn’t know?”

Wu Feng shook his head. “I was wounded and rescued, but as soon as I recovered somewhat, I rushed back to the front lines and went deep into enemy territory. Most of the time, I had no way of contacting the outside world. Now that our country has achieved a major victory, I rushed home without hearing any of this news.”

A county princess—such a high title. It was clear that Shen Yunxuan had made an extraordinary contribution. For a farm girl to earn a noble title through her own abilities was an unprecedented achievement. It would surely be recorded in history!

Now Wu Feng finally understood why the entire village knew about his family’s affairs and why they had all gathered instead of celebrating the New Year. They were all curious about him—the long-lost husband of the county princess. They wanted to see what he was like and what his situation was.

Having figured everything out, Wu Feng was now reassured about his grandmother’s safety. But he still needed to see her with his own eyes. He asked for the location of the county princess’s estate.

Zhang Lishan said, “My mother and I will take you there. Village head, can we use the ox cart?”

Niu Er called out from the crowd, “Use it! Use it! I’ll drive you all there! Wait, I’ll go get the cart now!”

Shen Xing pulled the village head aside. “Grandpa, we should go too—I don’t feel at ease leaving Master alone!”

Xiao Feng, Xiao Yue, and the others quickly said, “We’re also worried about Master.”

Wu Feng looked at them—it was the same group of children he had met under the big tree at the village entrance. He couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “Your master is… the county princess?”

“Exactly!” Zhang Lishan answered simply. “The ten of us are all Master’s students.”

A woman taking in ten students, teaching them both academics and martial arts—this was truly unheard of. Wu Feng felt a growing admiration for this legendary county princess.

In the end, the village chief led the ten children and Wu Feng together. The children’s elders all agreed, and Qin Shi and Cui’er, worried about Shen Yunxuan, also went along.

They hurried along the way, and by the time they arrived at the county princess’s estate, the sky was completely dark. However, the lanterns at the entrance of the estate were bright, casting a warm glow.

The gatekeeper, seeing Zhang Lishan and his group, immediately smiled, but upon noticing an unfamiliar figure among them, his expression turned cautious. “And who is this?”

Zhang Lishan said, “This is Wu Feng, the old madam’s grandson. He just returned today.”

The gatekeeper was stunned. The old madam’s grandson—that meant he was the county princess’s husband?

Zhang Lishan reminded him, “We’ll wait here. Go and report this quickly.”

The gatekeeper snapped back to attention, hurriedly invited them inside to wait in a side room, and then ran to inform Yang Bin. Yang Bin, in turn, rushed to report to Shen Yunxuan.

Upon hearing the news, Grandma Wu dropped what she was holding, grabbed Yang Bin’s arm, and anxiously asked, “Who? Who did you say came back? Is it my grandson? Is it Wu Feng?”

Yang Bin nodded. “Yes, Lishan said it’s Wu Feng.”

“Xiao Feng!” Wu Laotai immediately ran outside.

“Grandma, be careful!” Shen Yunxuan and the others quickly followed after her.

From a distance, Wu Feng saw a small old woman running toward him. His eyesight was excellent, and he immediately recognized her—it was his grandmother! He rushed forward to catch her, his voice shaking with emotion. “Grandma! Your unfilial grandson has returned!”

Grandma Wu trembled as she reached out to touch Wu Feng’s face, staring at him intently. Once she confirmed that he was truly her grandson, that he hadn’t lost an arm or a leg, she burst into tears and began hitting him with her fists. “You heartless child! You’ve been gone so long, and you never thought to send a message home! I was worried sick, terrified that I’d receive bad news…”

“Grandma, I’ve returned. I’m completely fine. Don’t cry.” Wu Feng held her close, feeling at a loss. It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted to send a letter home, but he had been risking his life in countless battles, infiltrating enemy lines where one wrong move meant death. Sending a letter simply wasn’t an option.

He had fought so hard to earn military merits. Everyone on the battlefield faced the same dangers, but only those who dared to fight and succeed could rise through the ranks. Since childhood, he had overheard people whispering behind his back, calling his grandmother a curse. He had fought so many battles just to defend her name.

He had wanted to build a career, to return home in glory, and to give his grandmother a good life so that no one would dare speak ill of her again. He had believed in this path completely, and he had thought it was worth it.

But now, seeing his grandmother crying her heart out, realizing that she had genuinely believed he was dead, he felt a pang of regret. Perhaps he had been wrong. His grandmother had never cared about him achieving great things—she had only wanted him to be safe. He should have found a way to send her news the moment he was out of danger.

But at the time, he hadn’t known that his general had informed his grandmother of his disappearance. It was only after his latest victory that the general casually mentioned it to him. Since he was already on his way home, he had figured there was no need to send word.

By accident, he had made his grandmother worry for months. If it hadn’t been for the county princess’s family, his grandmother might not have been able to bear it alone.

With this thought, he looked toward Shen Yunxuan, Shen Fu, and Wang Xinghua, who had followed Grandma Wu outside. He immediately cupped his hands and bowed deeply. “Thank you all for taking care of my grandmother.”

Shen Fu and Wang Xinghua instinctively looked at Shen Yunxuan, stumbling over their words. “Uh, no… no need to thank us. We were adopted into the family, so your grandmother is our real aunt. It’s only right, only right.”

The village head and the others also watched Shen Yunxuan anxiously. After all, a young woman suddenly having a husband appear out of nowhere was quite a difficult situation.

For anyone else, it might not have been a big deal. These kinds of marriages had happened before. But Shen Yunxuan was different. She had long surpassed the status of an ordinary village girl. She was now a county princess, with a noble rank and influence. Could someone like her really be content with marrying a soldier? Shouldn’t she choose someone with an even higher status?

To their surprise, Shen Yunxuan was the calmest of them all. She even smiled at just the right moment. “Brother Wu, my family and I have been doing good deeds, praying every day, just hoping for your safe return. Today, our wishes have finally come true! Come, let’s go inside and talk.”

She stepped forward to support Grandma Wu. “Grandmother, Brother Wu is home now. You should be happy! Today is New Year’s, and our family is reunited. Isn’t this a great occasion? Don’t cry anymore. It’s freezing outside, and Brother Wu must have traveled a long way. He must be frozen through. We should get him settled in, warm him up, and have a proper New Year’s dinner.”

Grandma Wu quickly wiped her tears away. “Yes, yes, yes! Xuanxuan is right. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up. A hot bath and some warm goat’s milk—that will help you recover from the cold. Come, let’s go!”

Grabbing Wu Feng’s arm, she pulled him inside. Wu Feng was a little surprised that Shen Yunxuan was so good at comforting people. He nodded at her in gratitude before being dragged away by his grandmother.

Shen Yunxuan smiled at the village head and the others, saying, “It’s fine. Having him return safely is the best news. Grandma has shown great kindness to my whole family, and no matter what, I have always hoped for Brother Wu’s safe return. Come, let’s go inside and sit down. Let’s celebrate the New Year together tonight.”

The village head quickly said, “I’m the village head—I have to spend the New Year in the village. I just came to check in because I was worried. Since everything is fine, I’ll head back now.”

Shen Yunxuan turned to Qin Shi and the others. “You all should stay. It’s freezing outside, your faces have turned pale from the cold. Let’s celebrate together—it’s livelier with more people. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have someone take you back so you can visit your relatives.”

The children had originally wanted to spend the New Year with Shen Yunxuan, so upon hearing this, they cheered excitedly. Qin Shi and Cui’er naturally had no objections, so they all stayed.

Shen Yunxuan had red envelopes and gifts prepared for the village head and Niu Er to thank them for making the trip. Yang Bin made sure they had hot tea and even gave them two warm hand stoves to hold on the way back before sending them off properly.

As Shen Yunxuan led the others inside, Want Xinghua walked beside her and quietly asked, “Xuanxuan, what are your thoughts? If you don’t want to be husband and wife with him, I’ll go speak to your grandmother. Don’t be afraid.”

Shen Yunxuan chuckled. Everyone was too worried about her. Now that she had everything she needed, she was fully in control of her own fate—what was there to be afraid of?

🌸˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧🩷˚⋆