Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 29 Homecoming
"We're almost at the shore, get moving, don't dawdle."

"Have you packed up yet? Don't leave anything behind..."

The dock was in sight, and the ship was already busy. Almost everyone was working except Chen Xuan, who was free. He was so embarrassed to leave the room.

In fact, he is just a little kid and no one expects him to be of any help, so just don't cause trouble.

Nearing noon, the sky was gloomy and a drizzle began to fall. Although spring rain is as precious as oil, it is a bit chilly when it rains in this season.

Through the window, Chen Xuan looked towards the dock and thought to himself, this must be the Yang County dock. Looking further into the distance, he could vaguely see a series of buildings. He guessed that was the county seat of Yang County.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of the Jinxia County Wharf, the approaching wharf was ten times quieter, and the large and small boats on the river could be clearly counted.

As the ship docked and dropped anchor, thick wooden planks were set up to facilitate the landing of vehicles and horses on the ship.

There were already more than ten people waiting on the shore. They should be people from the Gao family who arrived in advance to greet them. Judging from their attire, they were exactly the same as those of the people on the boat. I don't know when they informed them in advance.

"Xuan Ge'er, are you in the room? We are going ashore," Wang Hai's familiar voice came from outside the door.

He had nothing to pack, so he walked to the door and said, "I'm here, coming."

"Come with me. I've been away for nearly two months and I'm finally back," Wang Hai nodded. Chen Xuan actually heard a hint of timidity in his tone, like a wanderer returning home.

It’s only two months in total, is that so serious?
However, what Chen Xuan didn't know was that in this era, most people who traveled far away were completely cut off from their families, and some even never returned. Many people died in a foreign land without any news. Being able to return home safely was something worth celebrating.

When Chen Xuan and his companions went downstairs, some of the guards had already gone ashore, and the carriages and horses in the cabin were unloaded one after another.

There was a drizzle in the sky, but fortunately we could get on the boat directly without getting wet in the rain or wading through the mud on the shore.

Chen Xuan was still riding in the same carriage he had taken when he left Jinxia County. The people riding with him were also the same. After a slight bump, they left the ship they had been riding on for two days.

"The clear waves are smooth, and the golden rain welcomes the returning people back home." As the auspicious words sounded, the convoy started and drove away from the dock in a mighty manner.

Chen Xuan curiously lifted the curtain and looked around. If nothing unexpected happened, he would have to live in this area for many years.

Seeing this, the maid Guoguo, who was riding with them, asked curiously, "It's raining outside, the roads are muddy, and the clouds and fog make it hard to see anything. What is Xuan Ge'er looking at so intently?"

"I didn't see anything. I just came here and I'm not familiar with anything, so I just looked around," Chen Xuan said with a smile.

Guoguo said: "Well, you see, this time I just passed by here, and I don't know if I will come again in the future."

"Ah? Aren't we almost there? Isn't this the territory of Yang County?" Chen Xuan was stunned.

Xiaojuan smiled and explained, "We haven't arrived yet. We still have half a day's walk to go. This is Shanglinping County, and next door is Yang County where our Gao family lives."

It seemed like he had misjudged it, thinking they would arrive soon. Because of what he had experienced some time ago, Chen Xuan was quite interested in the location, so he said, "This is Linping County..."

"It's Shanglinping County, and there are Zhonglinping County and Xialinping County downstream. These three counties are named after their locations because they are close to the Qingping River," the maid Qiuju corrected Chen Xuan's mistake.

Then I heard embroiderer Zhang Fen say, "The Qingping River originates from the northwest border of our Jing State, flows through several prefectures and into the territory of the Rong State in the south, nurturing more than tens of millions of families on both sides of the river. There are few turbulent places, and the water is clear and calm, hence the name. However, although the Qingping River has brought convenience to water transport, it occasionally floods and causes floods. Therefore, every year the government conscripts countless laborers to repair dams and dikes at key locations. In my early years, my father died of illness while repairing the dike, and my mother later passed away due to illness caused by overwork. I was fortunate to be taken in by the host family, which is why I am where I am today."

Perhaps because she was talking about sad things, embroiderer Zhang Fen looked gloomy.

Although he had no experience of it, Chen Xuan also understood that in ancient society, the lower classes had to face three huge challenges: labor, military service, and yamen service. Even though military service came with pay, the mortality rate was extremely high. Labor and yamen service were compulsory, tiring, dangerous, and there was almost no pay. The soldiers even had to provide for their own food and clothing.

Therefore, these three battles are similar, making people shudder when talking about them. Of course, this also depends on the dynasty and national strength, but Chen Xuan of Jingguo in this world is not sure.

Influenced by the words of embroiderer Zhang Fen, the others were not in high spirits to chat.

Chen Xuan continued to look outside, and sure enough, the convoy did not drive towards the buildings behind the dock, but instead went around there along a muddy dirt road and headed into the distance.

It is worth mentioning that, as they said in the car that day, there is a large area around Shanglinping County where there are almost no tall trees. I think they were all cut down and burned as firewood. In the distance, there are green mountains and colorful flowers.

Riding in the carriage again, Chen Xuan felt the discomfort of the bumpy ride again and could only endure it.

The spring rain was drizzling, and the car was bumpy. Chen Xuan gradually felt sleepy. He stopped looking outside and leaned against the car and fell into a light sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Xuan woke up after being reminded by Guo Guo. She said, "Xuan'er, we'll be there soon. Look, the county seat of Yang County is just ahead. After we pass the memorial archway, we'll go into the city and return home."

As she spoke, she had already lifted the car curtain, and the moist air blew in, and Chen Xuan also woke up.

Looking in the direction she pointed, Chen Xuan indeed saw the archways standing on the road ahead, and there were more than one. One of the archways was particularly eye-catching and was half a meter taller than the others.

The memorial archway was estimated to be more than three meters high, supported by several stone pillars, with three layers of flying eaves and exquisite carvings. However, it looked new, only one or two years old at most. Chen Xuan didn't understand the specifications of the memorial archway, who had erected it and why, and he didn't recognize the words on it.

Behind several archways, a four or five-meter-high city wall can be seen a kilometer away, extending far to the left and right. Behind the city wall is a continuous complex of buildings.

"It's almost time. How long have I slept?" Chen Xuan rubbed his eyes.

Qiuju said, "You've slept for more than two hours, right? It's still early before dark. You're finally back, and I feel much more at ease now."

Perhaps everyone in this era has the same mentality when traveling far away, but Chen Xuan can't empathize with them.

The convoy then passed through the archway and entered the county town smoothly without being stopped.

Are you kidding? In this small piece of land in Yang County, who dares to offend the Gao family?

Chen Xuan observed by the way that the city wall around Yang County was about four or five meters high. It was not made of bricks and stones, but of rammed earth, stones and wood. Many places were covered with moss and even damaged, full of traces of time.

After entering the city, the streets are muddy and dirty, with rotten vegetable leaves, livestock feces and even sewage everywhere. Pedestrians are hurried in the rain, most of them are dressed in rags. There are few shops on the street, and the buildings are low and dilapidated, like old people in their twilight years.

Only then did Chen Xuan understand why Butler He had said that day that if you want to see a prosperous place like Jinxia County, you can go and see it as much as you want. Compared with Jinxia County, Yang County is far behind. It is not to say that one is in heaven and the other is in hell, but that is also the difference between a big city and a slum.

This is especially true in county towns, and I don’t know what the situation is like in the countryside.

Along the way, Chen Xuan only felt poverty, backwardness and desolation, and was completely unable to experience the ancient elegance that he felt in his dream of returning to ancient times.

After going around in circles for more than half an hour, the convoy finally stopped and arrived at a huge manor. The Gao family had finally arrived, and he finally cheered up. After all, he would be living here for an unknown amount of time.

When looking at the Gao family manor, Chen Xuan thought that Yang County was indeed quite large, and there was no telling how many families lived there. However, in that era, buildings were low, and it was impossible to build higher, so they could only build wider.

Compared to what I had seen before, the Gao Family Manor before me stood out from the crowd, as if it shouldn't exist in the dilapidated environment of Yang County...

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(End of this chapter)