She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 587 - 585: Farewell and Goodbye

Chapter 587: Chapter 585: Farewell and Goodbye

For an essential journey, even the most difficult sorrow of parting cannot block the steps of departure. Qi Younian, as the head of the family, bid farewell first to the village head, He Quantai, and then turned around to deeply bow to Qi Yougui.

He left home in his youth, failing in his duty as a son to his parents, leaving his elder brother to care for them in their old age. Forty years later, when he returned destitute, his brother didn’t hold his unfilial behavior against him, instead helping him out. During those initial days when he and Ye Zi settled down, his brother made life much easier for their family of the old and the weak.

This bow, his brother truly deserved.

Ye Xinyan had also finished bidding farewell to Lady Wang, Madam Xu, and others, standing to the side, waiting for Qi Younian and Qi Sanshun to bid farewell to their family and start their journey.

Qi Yougui hurried to support Qi Younian and said, "Don’t be like this. If it weren’t for you, neither our home nor our village would enjoy the prosperity we do now. If anyone should be grateful, it’s me and the villagers who should be thanking you.

Even our parents, knowing how you’ve brought such honor to the Qi family, certainly wouldn’t blame you for leaving home those years. Seeing the you of today and the Qi family of today, I believe that if our parents are looking on from below, they’d be smiling."

Qi Younian sighed, "The greatest regret of my life is not being able to show filial piety in front of our parents. Both of them were supported by my elder brother until the end. I will always owe him that debt."

Qi Yougui waved his hands, saying, "Stop talking such nonsense. You’ve brought glory to our family. Our ancestors would surely be proud of you, not to mention you bringing Sanshun to the capital.

Regardless of whether he ends up with a good career, the mere experience he will gain from living in the capital is invaluable. In so many years, apart from you, Sanshun is the first person from our family to step outside of Qingyuan County."

After Qi Yougui finished speaking, he turned to Qi Yourong hiding behind him and said, "Why are you lurking back there? Your second brother is about to leave; say a few nice words at the very least."

This younger brother of his really had been spoiled rotten. It was bad enough that he couldn’t endure hardship or take responsibility, but what was truly insufferable was his lack of gratitude. Both Second Brother and Ye Zi from the Second Branch family were not the type to bear grudges over every little thing. If the Second Branch had even a little sense of gratitude, or at least knew right from wrong, they wouldn’t have ended up so estranged from the Second Brother’s family.

Qi Yourong stepped out from behind Qi Yougui, awkwardly greeting Qi Younian with a cupped-hand salute, saying, "Second, Second Brother, it was all because I was foolish and didn’t understand things in the past, but Second Brother is meant for greater things. Don’t hold it against your brother. Have a safe journey."

Qi Younian looked at the rest of the Second Branch family not far away, their forced and stiff smiles evident. With deep grudges between the two families over the years, their farewell was likely done out of obligation rather than genuine willingness.

Since he was moving his family to the capital and would no longer have any dealings with the Second Branch, he might as well grant his elder brother this favor.

Qi Younian returned the gesture to Qi Yourong, saying, "I was unfilial in front of our parents, so I have no place lecturing you. Let’s leave the grudges in the past. You’re old enough now. In the future, listen more to our elder brother, and focus on making your own days better. That’s the proper thing to do."

Qi Yourong nodded repeatedly, then glanced at Qi Jiaer who had just separated from the village children and was now being held by Qi Ye’s hand. He was tempted to mention that this child originally belonged to his family. Remembering the repeated warnings from his elder brother, though, he swallowed his words, not daring to speak. In his heart, he felt quite aggrieved; his excellent grandson was given to the Second Branch for just twenty taels of silver, which was a terrible loss.

Following his elder brother’s wishes, Qi Younian made the required pleasantries with Qi Yourong, said his goodbyes to everyone with repeated bows, and completed the farewell.

At Qi Sanshun’s side, the farewell ceremony with his mother was still in progress.

Lady Han held Qi Sanshun’s hand and the tears never stopped. Despite Lady Wang and Lady Xu attempting to console her from all sides, they couldn’t stop her weeping.

In the end, it was Qi Yougui who sternly kicked Qi Dagen, and it was only then that Dagen, also reluctant to see his son leave, came to his senses. He approached Lady Han and said gruffly, "Enough already, if you keep crying, we’ll even miss the time for departure."

Seeing Lady Han still shedding tears, he asked angrily, "Do you really want your son to go to the capital or not? If you are unwilling, simply leave him behind. Don’t delay Second Uncle’s journey."

Startled by his words, Lady Han quickly let go. She had already hindered one son’s prospects—she couldn’t allow her younger son’s brighter future to be delayed as well.

"Sanshun, once you leave, who knows when you’ll be able to return. You are still young and don’t understand many things. You must follow your eldest cousin sister closely and listen to her, listen to Second Uncle’s words. Be diligent on regular days, and don’t cause trouble or bother Second Uncle and your eldest cousin sister, do you understand?"

Lady Han rambled on as she walked Qi Sanshun to the carriage, watching him board the carriage and settle in. Then, she rushed over to Ye Xinyan’s carriage to express her heartfelt gratitude once more before being pulled away by Lady Wang and Madam Xu.

As the carriage started moving, Lady Han’s tears once again welled up.

Through her blurred vision filled with tears, she saw the long line of carriages and horses slowly fade into the distance, gradually disappearing into the fields after the autumn harvest.

The villagers, although not as reluctant or mournful as Qi family’s main branch and Lady Han, felt a sense of emptiness inside.

The patriarch of the second branch of the Qi family and Miss Ye had assured that even in their absence, the operations in Clear Water Village would continue as usual. The hiring for the industries would follow the original regulations, and the pasture’s purchase of fodder would still be conducted at fair prices to ensure no delays or debts... and so on.

But without a fair official in charge, who knew whether after a year or two, things would still remain as they were?

Only now did the villagers, who had never felt overly sentimental and merely thought of getting their fair share for their work, realize that the Qi family’s business dealings weren’t just about making money for themselves; they truly benefited the community and brought prosperity to them.

...

This trip to the capital was different from the last time Ye Xinyan returned to the capital. That time, she was protected by Lian Gui and Jinrong’s men, with fewer carriages and more mounted escorts, which made the journey much faster.

This time, Madam Yin was accompanying, along with numerous maid-servants and old woman servants, as well as Lady Zhao and her niece.

In addition, there was Qi Younian and a few of his skilled craftsmen. Although Qi Younian was robust, he was of an older age, after all, and he and his craftsmen also traveled by carriage.

Thus, the journey, despite the weather not being too cold, took twice as long as last time. By the end of October, when it had already started to freeze, they barely arrived at the capital.

From afar, the city gates had just come into view when several riders came galloping towards them.

When Qi Sanshun was still in Qingyuan County, having just left Lady Han’s sight, he began to ride his own horse and, posing as an escort, traveled alongside Guan He.

With his broad view and sharp eyes, he recognized the approaching riders from a distance, turned his horse around, and came back to tell Ye Xinyan, "Eldest cousin sister, it’s Steward Lian leading people to meet us."

Upon hearing this, Qi Jiaer couldn’t sit still anymore and peered out from the lifted carriage curtain to look ahead, "Yes, yes, I see them too, it’s Uncle Lian."

While they spoke, Lian Gui, leading five followers on horseback, had already galloped over. He stopped a few steps away from the carriage train, waiting by the roadside.