One day, Zhao Yunyue invited Fang Zichen and Li Yisheng out for drinks. Eunuch Huang came to the house and took Zhao Ger to the palace.
Xia Jinghong had originally wanted to send Xiao Dezi along to keep an eye on Fang Zichen. But after thinking it over, he realized the only person who could actually rein Fang Zichen in was Zhao Ger—Fang Zichen wasn't afraid of the emperor himself, and Xiao Dezi loved to nag. Fang Zichen would probably get so annoyed that he'd end up beating Xiao Dezi and sending him back to the capital.
Xia Jinghong told Zhao Ger how lazy Fang Zichen was—how he'd work in the morning at the Hanlin Academy and sleep in the afternoon, slacking off every chance he got. Zhao Ger's face turned red with embarrassment; he'd always thought Fang Zichen was exhausted from going to work every day...
"Once you're in Hezhou, keep a closer eye on him. He's got the ability—he should be doing more for the people. Zhao Ger, I have high hopes for you!" Xia Jinghong spent a good while encouraging and hyping him up. By the time Zhao Ger left the palace, he felt a tremendous weight of responsibility on his shoulders.
The babies changed day by day. At first, Zhao Ger had been too embarrassed to show them to anyone. But after just one month, they'd transformed completely—white and tender, with long lashes, big eyes, and moist, rosy little mouths. Whenever someone teased them, they'd kick their legs and giggle with delight. Guaizai adored them so much he didn't even want to go to the Imperial Study anymore. Every morning, he'd dash straight to Zhao Ger's room to see his little brothers.
And it wasn't just Guaizai—all the gers in the household were smitten too. Before, they'd treated Zhao Ger as their master, regarding him with a mix of respect and fear. Now they only respected him, without the fear. After work, they'd wash their hands and rush to the room to play with the babies.
On the day of the full-month banquet, Fang Zichen took the chance to rake in another haul.
He'd even thought about holding a three-day bathing ceremony, but doing too many made even him feel a bit embarrassed.
Even though working outside the capital wasn't as prestigious as being a close official by the emperor's side, Xia Jinghong had pushed past all opposition to grant Fang Zichen the direct rank of third rank—a clear sign of imperial favor. If he did well in his local post and returned with a strong record, he'd be promoted straight to second rank.
So it was best to curry favor now.
Thus, even more guests came than when they'd moved into the new house. The gifts were a dazzling array—all sorts of things, none of them cheap. Fang Zichen accepted every single one, grinning so wide he couldn't find his way north.
Most of these people were just sucking up, but a few were genuinely happy for Fang Zichen.
Having been through this before, the guests automatically tossed their gifts into the burlap sacks upon arrival. Though this behavior was terribly undignified, no one dared say anything unkind—if word got back to Fang Zichen, they'd be flayed alive.
The man's tolerance was nowhere near as good as one might imagine.
During the confinement month, Zhao Ger ate well. Knowing they'd be traveling soon, he dared not slack off in the slightest. Fang Zichen had also prepared all sorts of things for him, so now Zhao Ger had a round, full face and was in excellent health.
Xia Jinghong also sent Eunuch Huang with gifts.
It was too cold to bring the babies outside, so they stayed in the main hall of the inner courtyard, where a brazier had been placed. The ladies who came in gathered around the children and showered them with praise.
It wasn't flattery—the twins were genuinely adorable. Though they were brothers, they didn't look alike at all. They were still too young to tell who they took after, but dressed in yellow outfits with little red hats, pale faces, and big eyes, they were absolutely adorable to look at.
Whenever someone teased them, the two little ones would kick their tiny hands and feet and smile back, their eyes crinkling with joy. They weren't shy around crowds at all—quite lively, in fact.
The ladies present were absolutely charmed. They took turns holding the babies, and when the little ones cooed and blew bubbles and grinned, those ladies simply didn't want to let go.
"What are the two young masters' names?" someone asked.
Zhao Ger pursed his lips. "They don't have their official names yet—just nicknames for now. The second one is called Gungun, and the third is Dandan."
[Gungun (滚滚): rolling; Dandan (蛋蛋): egg]
One lady didn't catch on right away: "Oh, those are lovely childhood names! They suit the children perfectly—Gungun and Dandan, Gun..." She trailed off, unable to finish.
In the countryside, people believed that lowly names made children easier to raise. But calling them Gouzi (Doggy) or Tienu (Iron Ox) didn't sit right with Fang Zichen either. After much deliberation, he'd settled on these nicknames. Said together, "Gungun Dandan" sounded humble enough—surely his two children would be easy to raise. Just toss them a couple of steamed buns each meal, and they'd grow up on their own.
Fang Zichen was thoroughly pleased with himself.
They were set to leave at the end of the twelfth lunar month.
This New Year would inevitably be spent on the road.
In previous years, it would still be snowing around this time, but this year the snow had stopped earlier than usual.
Fang Zichen was worried the children might fall ill on the journey and had planned to hire a physician to come along. But Li Yisheng came over first and said he'd go with them.
Physician Li's ancestral home was in Qinzhou, and Qinzhou was just below Hezhou. He and his wife were getting on in years. Before, when their son was still alive, they'd stayed in the capital for his sake. Now it was just the two of them, and after much thought, they decided they wanted to return to their roots. They were still healthy and able to get around on their own, so they decided they might as well travel together with Fang Zichen.
From the capital to Hezhou was over two months' journey, with the most treacherous mountain roads and rampant bandits. Traveling in a larger group was safer.
Li Yisheng wasn't in a rush to return to his hometown — he wanted to personally accompany his master and his wife all the way back. Xie Xiaoyu naturally insisted on coming along too. Zhao Ger had originally thought that if they stayed in the capital, they could transfer their shop to Xie Xiaoyu, but now they'd have to close it down. Yu Ger and the others would naturally come along as well.
The house on Guangfu Street was sold through a real estate agent. The Fang residence was kept—the IOUs that Fang Zichen had left with the agency manager had already been returned by Xia Jinghong. They'd need a place to stay when they came back, so the Fang mansion couldn't be touched.
With the Zhao family around, they could have someone check on it from time to time.
There was simply too much to arrange and pack. They were busy for nearly half a month before everything was finally settled.
Near the end of the month, Zhao Song sent someone to invite Zhao Ger's whole family back to the Zhao residence for a meal.
A big crowd should have meant a lively atmosphere, but everyone at the table was silent. No one could muster any cheer.
This parting would last several years, across mountains and rivers—it wouldn't be easy to see each other again.
Zhao Song held Guaizai and gently stroked his head, calling him by his formal name for the first time: "Lanze, when you go to Hezhou, you won't see your grandfather anymore. Don't forget me, all right? Grandfather will be here in the capital, waiting for you to come back."
Then he turned to Fang Zichen: "Young Fang, I'm at ease knowing Xiao Xu is with you. I won't say much else. Once you're out there, take good care of them. Keep a cool head when trouble arises. I know you used to be a young master from a wealthy family, inexperienced in the ways of the world—that's why back then I... I don't blame you. The way things fell apart between you two, I share the blame, I won't deny it. How Xiao Xu treats you, even an outsider like me can see clearly. You should know it too. From now on, live well together. His mother once said you weren't good enough for Xiao Xu, but truth be told, it's my Xiao Xu who isn't good enough for you. My ger has suffered! He's different from others—left home when he was still young, and I never got the chance to teach him much. He can't play the qin, paint, or compose poetry like other noble ladies and gers. He can't be the perfect cultured spouse for you. Don't look down on him. If he ever does something wrong, please—for this old man's sake—be patient with him."
For his child's sake, he humbled himself greatly, his tone almost pleading.
Zhao Ger's heart ached. He sniffled and choked out, "Dad, don't worry. My husband will be good to me."
"I know," Zhao Song said. "But if I don't say this, my heart won't rest easy."
Fang Zichen knew he wanted a promise.
"Father-in-law, you worry too much. I don't need you to tell me to be good to Zhao Ger. And honestly, if you're going to worry about anyone, it should be me—Zhao Ger's always hitting me! Last time he came at me with a club this thick. Lucky I ran fast, or you'd have lost your perfect son-in-law."
He gestured with his hands, still looking traumatized.
"That's right," Guaizai chimed in, gnawing on a chicken leg. "Grandfather, don't worry about Daddy—you should worry about Guaizai and Father. Last time Guaizai fed Little Brother some chicken meat, and Daddy spanked Guaizai so hard his butt turned into three pieces!"
The whole table burst out laughing.
Zhao Yunyue poked Guaizai's forehead. "You deserved that."
With that little commotion, the heavy atmosphere of parting instantly lightened.
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