Chapter 2519: Returning Home

The discounts seemed generous, but ordinary folk weren't buying. Tian Liang found himself with strength and nowhere to apply it, utterly at a loss. Fortunately, Hou Qing had been traveling through Nanhai County lately, overseeing the "Rural Health Training" initiative. Their partnership was a small comfort amid the frustration.

"Sister Qing, if only that scholar would agree to teach here..."

"You silly goose!" Hou Qing laughed. "Do you even know who he is?"

"Who?"

"That's Kuang Lu! The Kuang Lu!" she exclaimed. "One of the most famous gentry masters in all Guangzhou! Him becoming our teacher? You'd sooner see the sun rise in the west!"

"Gentry from a great household? He didn't seem like it to me. Quite easygoing, actually—wrote spring couplets for everyone and was the first to donate."

"Who says gentry must have monstrous faces and jagged teeth?" Hou Qing replied. "This Kuang Lu is no ordinary gentleman. Even the Senate values him highly. When you return, you must file a report with the municipal government notifying them of his arrival."

"Is he some kind of reactionary?"

"Well, I wouldn't call him reactionary exactly. He's simply... an important figure." In truth, Hou Qing couldn't articulate precisely why Kuang Lu mattered. She had merely seen his name on the Administration Council's list of key gentry to monitor.

"Then I'd better write that report immediately. But how did you know all this?"

"Don't you ever read the official documents?"

"Documents?" Tian Liang scratched his head, embarrassed. "I don't read very well. It's a struggle to get through them."

"How on earth did you become a captain?" Hou Qing sighed. "A company commander has plenty of paperwork to handle."

"There was a lieutenant in my company—military academy graduate. He took care of all that..."

"Played the hands-off manager quite well, didn't you?"

"Sigh. That's precisely why I ended up as a principal..." Tian Liang's dejection was palpable.

"Even principals must apply themselves. If you can't understand basic documents, how will you manage anything?" Hou Qing grew earnest. "Tell you what—whenever I have free time in the evenings, I'll help you work through the documents. We can improve your reading along the way."

Kuang Lu and his servant departed from Dali and traveled steadily southward. Within a few days, they arrived outside Guangzhou City. It was the depth of the Little Ice Age, and even in Lingnan, the cold wave brought weather as bitter and bleak as the northern provinces. Trees that had flourished in previous years now stood withered and listless. Yellow leaves carpeted the ground nearby while dead grass stretched to the horizon.

Gazing toward his homeland, Kuang Lu saw only desolation. His thoughts turned to the chaos of war spreading across the realm—the people suffering in deepest misery, the disorders plaguing both imperial court and provincial offices. He had carried the ambition to serve his country, yet failed to ease his ruler's burdens. Instead, a moment of rash anger had condemned him to wander foreign lands for years.

Sorrow welled from within, and his eyes grew wet. Then the city wall appeared, and Guangzhou—the city he had dreamed of day and night—materialized before him.

But what Guangzhou was this? No longer Guangzhou Prefecture of the Great Ming, but "Guangzhou Special City" of the Kun bandits. Seeing it again now stirred strange and bitter feelings.

Above the city tower, the Kun banner snapped in the wind. Soldiers patrolled with rifles. Below, bailiffs in black jackets and short coats monitored the stream of commoners and vehicles, stopping travelers at random for inspection.

So this was what it meant to be a citizen of a conquered nation.

"Master, it grows late. We should enter the city," Kuang Yan reminded him.

"Let's go."

Kuang Lu swallowed his bitterness. He settled accounts with the porter, dismissed the mule and hired carrier who had brought them this far, and walked through the Great North Gate with his servant.

His home lay in Xianlin Lane beside the Temple of the Five Immortals. This day happened to be the twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month—the day when every household bade farewell to the Kitchen God. The year 1636 had blessed them with favorable weather, and the Senate had undertaken extensive construction, infrastructure projects, and industrial investments throughout Guangzhou. The markets hummed with prosperity, and the streets presented a scene of abundance.

The Farewell to the Kitchen God was among the most significant days of the twelfth month. Crowds thronged the streets, and everywhere was noise and celebration.

Since the "New Life Movement" began in 1635, and with the extensive demolition and rebuilding within the city walls, Guangzhou's appearance had transformed dramatically since Kuang Lu's departure.

As he walked, taking in these changes, his heart churned with conflicting emotions. Suddenly, Kuang Yan called out, "Isn't that Second Master approaching?"

Looking up, Kuang Lu spotted a handsome young man racing toward them on a two-wheeled rickshaw. Before reaching them, the young man leaped from the vehicle, covered the remaining distance in a few bounding steps, threw himself forward, embraced Kuang Lu, and burst into tears. Kuang Lu wept openly with him. Passersby, though ignorant of the circumstances, sighed at the sight. Born into troubled times, they had witnessed too many partings of life and death; they understood what reunion meant.

"Eryu, this is hardly proper. In broad daylight, before everyone's eyes—have you no sense of decorum?" Though Kuang Lu scolded, he could not suppress the smile spreading across his face.

Eryu wept as the words tumbled out: "When we learned that Brother had met with disaster, we worried night and day. Uncle missed you so terribly he fell ill, constantly asking after you, never knowing when you might return. Gone for years, with only scattered letters reaching us. Big Brother, how could you be so heartless..."

"If you have something to say, say it plainly! Why carry on like a little girl?" Kuang Lu blinked back his own tears. "Every day abroad, I worried about Father and all of you. But correspondence was difficult, and my wanderings were unpredictable—I could rarely find anyone trustworthy to carry letters. All these years, I've relied entirely on you brothers to care for the family..."

"Say no more, Big Brother. Uncle, Sister-in-law, and the children are all waiting." Eryu wiped his face. "Come home with me now."

He signaled for the rickshaw to approach, secured the luggage to the vehicle, and the brothers walked homeward together with the servant.

Along the way, Eryu could barely contain his joy as he recounted family news. During Kuang Lu's absence, they had subsisted on rent-rice from their rural lands while old friends and relatives provided occasional assistance. Life had not been prosperous, but neither had it descended into poverty. This brought some comfort to the long-wandering exile.

Soon they arrived at the house. The Kuang family residence had been built after his grandfather passed the jinshi examination, and now showed unmistakable signs of decay. The ceremonial jinshi flagpoles that once stood before the entrance had vanished, leaving only their stone bases. Since his father had only achieved the rank of Stipend Student—never passing the provincial examination or obtaining the jinshi degree—the family's fortunes had inevitably declined.

In his earlier years here, coming and going, Kuang Lu had never given the place much thought. Returning now as a wanderer after so long, gazing upon the old house again, he felt the ancient sorrow of seeing grain grow wild among palace ruins.

Yet knowing his aged mother dwelled here pierced his heart. Before he could dwell on such thoughts, a young servant at the gate spotted him and flew into the courtyard crying, "He's here! He's here! The Eldest Master has returned!"

Kuang Lu stepped through the gate, turned past the spirit screen, and saw his white-haired old father being supported toward him by two nephews.

Remembering his own willfulness—how he had offended the magistrate and been forced to abandon his elderly father, his wife, his children; how he had roamed foreign lands for years, failing in his duties as both son and husband, causing them endless worry—guilt overwhelmed him. Covering the distance in hasty strides, he reached his father, dropped to his knees, and wept bitterly.

Though Kuang Sihao had received word of his son's return, only now—with the young man weeping before him—did the reality strike home. His long-missed son had truly arrived. For a moment words failed him. He could only stroke his son's head with trembling hands while tears streamed down his own face. At this sight, everyone present began to weep. For a time, no one spoke in the main hall; only soft sobbing filled the silence.

At last, Kuang Lu looked up at his father through tear-blurred eyes. "This son is unfilial. This son is guilty. This son deserves ten thousand deaths." He kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead striking the floor with dull thuds.

Father Kuang lifted his son. Though a thousand words pressed upon his heart, none would come. After a long pause, he finally managed: "You're home. That's what matters. I am well enough—it was your wife and children who suffered most. Go to them. Quickly now."

The household helped Father Kuang to his seat, then assisted Kuang Lu to his feet, urging him not to weep—this was a joyous occasion, they said; too much grief was harmful to one's health. Gradually, after much consoling, father and son regained their composure. Someone then led Kuang Lu to the rear hall to see his wife and children.

Husband and wife had been separated for years; their reunion naturally brought an outpouring of long-suppressed feeling. Only his son remained somewhat distant—unfamiliar with this father who had been absent for so long, and perhaps a little afraid.

This was the Kitchen God Festival. Ordinarily, relatives and old friends would all be offering sacrifices at their own hearths. But hearing of Kuang Lu's return, they came in droves to congratulate him. Soon the house rang with laughter and joyful voices.

Even the neighbors emerged to watch. Several families who had long been close to the Kuangs prepared gifts and arrived to offer their congratulations. Kuang Lu hurried out to exchange bows with each visitor. In the midst of this bustle, he spotted several servants approaching with two loads of gifts. He recognized the leader—Zhang He, servant to his good friend Zhang Mu.

Zhang He caught sight of Kuang Lu from a distance. Leaving the gift-bearers behind, he hurried forward, knelt, and announced: "Greetings to First Master Kuang! My master learned of your arrival and has prepared local delicacies along with two hundred taels of silver to welcome you home properly. My master wishes you to know: he understands you must attend to your father with filial devotion these next few days, so he will not intrude today. After the New Year, he will personally present his card and pay a formal visit."

Kuang Lu smiled. "Please convey my thanks to your master. I will accept everything with gratitude. Once I have settled family affairs, I shall certainly call upon him to express my appreciation in person." He instructed Eryu to provide a suitable tip, and the servants departed.

No sooner had he finished than he returned to the main hall to reminisce with relatives and friends, only to learn that acquaintances from various districts had heard of his return and sent gifts as well. Even the family of the late Liang Yuanzhu presented offerings. The front of the Kuang residence—normally so quiet—suddenly bustled like a marketplace. Eryu rushed about directing servants to record and tally each gift while distributing tips to the bearers and porters. The heavy gloom that had long hung over the household lifted entirely.

Kuang Lu was returning from a neighbor's house when a few more young pages approached bearing gifts. Their leader did not announce himself loudly at the gate as others had done, nor did he present a card with ceremony. He simply stood aside, watching. When Kuang Lu passed, the young man stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and whispered: "My master is Chen Zizhuang. Learning of First Master's return today, he has sent this servant with gifts and congratulations. Here also is an invitation." He pressed the gift list and invitation into Kuang Yan's hands, set down the presents, and slipped away as quietly as he had come.

(End of Chapter)