Free Web NovelChapter 359: Chapter 142: Glorious Homecoming (Part 3)
Seeing a carriage approach, they craned their necks to look. "Is that Jing back?"
"It must be. Dashan brought news this afternoon that Jing and the others had made it to the county seat. After a meal and a short rest, they should be arriving right about now."
"Oh, quick, go tell everyone! Our village’s Scholar is back!"
But there was no need to call anyone. Mr. Zhao had already sent two of his grandsons to keep watch at the village entrance.
When his grandsons didn’t return, Mr. Zhao had paced over himself, arriving just in time to see Zhao Jing and the others enter the village.
Mr. Zhao slapped his thigh and immediately rushed forward to meet them. "Jing! Jing is back..."
At Mr. Zhao’s shout, the entire Zhao Village seemed to awaken from a deep slumber.
Hearing the news, the villagers all ran over, surrounding Zhao Jing and Chen Wanqing and blocking their path.
The carriage could go no further, and the two of them had no choice but to disembark.
Some of the Zhao family clansmen led the carriage driver to Zhao Jing’s home, while Zhao Jing and Chen Wanqing were so completely surrounded by people that they could barely move an inch.
A moment later, a tearful cry of "Jing!" rang out. Xiang’er came running, supporting a trembling Mrs. Zhao.
The crowd quickly made way. Zhao Jing strode forward and knelt before Mrs. Zhao.
"Mother, this unfilial son has returned."
Mrs. Zhao hugged her son’s head and burst into tears, wailing.
"My son, my dear son... Husband, open your eyes and look! Jing has carried on your legacy! He’s successful now..."
Mrs. Zhao’s cries made the eyes of everyone present turn red.
"Mrs. Zhao has had it so rough. These past few years have been so difficult for her."
"A pity about his father, passing away before he could see Jing become a success. If only he could see this moment, how wonderful it would be..."
"It’s all in the past now, all in the past. Things will get better. Everything will be all right..."
With Zhao Jing’s return, the Zhao family home was filled with people.
All of Zhao Jing’s uncles and male cousins came, not a single one was absent. Even the women of the family came to see Zhao Jing, carrying their children and leading their grandchildren by the hand.
One person said, "We should open the ancestral hall." Another said, "Buy firecrackers! We’ll honor the ancestors first thing tomorrow morning." And yet another suggested, "Shouldn’t we tend to our ancestors’ graves?"
The crowd was in a heated discussion. The sky had been dark for a long time before Mr. Zhao finally shooed them all home.
Mr. Zhao left as well, reminding Zhao Jing before he went to get a good rest and wake up early for the ancestral worship service tomorrow morning.
Zhao Jing naturally agreed and respectfully saw the elders to the door. He was about to walk them further, but Mr. Zhao waved him back. "You’ve been on the road for days, you must be exhausted. Hurry back and get some rest."
"And talk with your mother. She’s been beside herself with worry these past days, constantly fretting that you weren’t eating or living well while you were away."
"Your wife hasn’t had it easy either, going all the way to the Prefecture just to see you."
Only after everyone was long gone did Zhao Jing close the main gate, slide the bolt shut, and head inside. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Whether it was from crying so hard, from the immense relief of her son’s return, or simply because it was well past her bedtime, Mrs. Zhao looked completely exhausted and couldn’t stop yawning.
Seeing this, Zhao Jing comforted his mother. "I’m really back now, Mother. If you’re tired, please go lie down and rest. I promise I’ll be the first thing you see when you open your eyes tomorrow."
Once Mrs. Zhao was soothed and had gone to lie down, Zhao Jing took Chen Wanqing’s hand and led her to their room.
Xiang’er saw them to the door, smiling. "Go on and get some sleep, Brother, Sister-in-law. I’ll stay and look after Mother. She could never rest easy when you were away, Brother. Now that you’re back, she’s sure to have a good night’s sleep." freēwēbηovel.c૦m
In truth, Mrs. Zhao did not sleep well that night.
She dreamed of her husband, who had died young.
She woke from the dream in the middle of the night, crying alone until her body trembled, unable to suppress her whimpers.
Xiang’er was young and a heavy sleeper. Though she had promised to look after her mother, she wasn’t stirred at all by the sounds of her mother’s crying.
She was sleeping like a log, her face flushed and rosy as she lay tucked in her warm blankets.
Chen Wanqing, on the other hand, was a light sleeper. Her body was still on high alert from their travels, as if she were still sleeping in a roadside inn, and the slightest sound startled her awake.
Recognizing that they were back in the Zhao Village and that the crying from the next room belonged to Mrs. Zhao, Chen Wanqing forced open her drowsy eyes. She gently moved Zhao Jing’s arm aside, intending to get out of bed.
But before she could, an arm pulled her back, and Zhao Jing easily tugged her back under the covers.
"Jing, your mother is crying," Chen Wanqing said, thinking he was still half-asleep and hadn’t heard the sounds from the next room.
But Zhao Jing said, "I heard her, my dear. Don’t go. Let her cry for a little while."
"But..."
"Let her cry for a while," he said. "She’s holding so much pain inside. If she bottles it up too much, she could make herself sick. Letting it all out might make her feel better."
Hearing this, Chen Wanqing fell silent.
She leaned into Zhao Jing’s embrace, listening to the sound of the leaves rustling outside the window. She let him hold her tightly, and before she knew it, she had drifted back into a sweet, sound sleep.
