Chapter 372: Chapter 294: House Servant?
According to the records, the Xu family has lived in Yukou Village for generations. The ancestral family was not particularly wealthy until his great-grandfather bought a small farm, gradually prospered, and began trading in medicinal herbs near the pier, becoming increasingly affluent.
As a result, Xu Yin’s great-grandfather entered a school to study, and later several Scholars emerged from the family.
With several generations of accumulated wealth, Xu Yin’s father, Xu Zhan, passed the provincial examination at twenty. However, he failed repeatedly in the capital’s metropolitan examinations, and at twenty-seven, he again did not make the list. At this time, the war reached his hometown, and his parents and relatives moved their entire family; thus, he set out directly from the capital to travel the world.
During those years, the Righteous Army was marching northward, with wars raging everywhere. Many people were displaced and homeless, and Xu Zhan’s situation was not uncommon.
However, in all those years, Xu Zhan never returned to his ancestral home. Until six years ago, when the court announced the list of successful candidates in the imperial examination, and on the list of the top three titled persons, Xu’s place of origin read Tanzhou of Xiangtan County. This news quickly spread. People from the capital came, and officials from Tanzhou promptly went to Yukou Village to verify this. Only then did everyone realize that the Xu family, who had left years ago to escape calamities, had such an outstanding descendant!
Tanzhou rebuilt the ancestral hall for the Xu family. Later, news continuously came from the capital about Xu Yin’s meteoric rise through the ranks, repeatedly being promoted and meanwhile becoming the Prince Consort at Prince Rong’s Mansion, thus making the Xu family’s name resound even more famously in the local area.
Over the years, Tanzhou has continuously sent invitations to Xu Yin, warmly inviting him to return home to visit his relatives, but he always postponed due to busy official duties.
Instead, later, he sent a trusted person back to repair the ancestral house and manage the ancestral hall, restoring the family’s prestige up to the present.
However, when the Xu family initially left their hometown, no family members remained locally, making the Xu Mansion appear somewhat deserted.
Furthermore, the housekeeper Zhou Yi was low-key, made few interactions with others, and people gradually got accustomed to it, only occasionally praising Xu Yin, the high-ranking official in the capital, when mentioned.
In July, the countryside of Tanzhou was filled with lotus blossoms, the paths turned muddy after the rain, and upon reaching the entrance of the village, one could see the expansive Xu’s Mansion under a low hill.
Jiang Lin dismounted, and with the guidance of the Rice Shop Manager who was leading the way, he asked along the way, "Vice Minister Xu hasn’t returned for so many years, has his old father not returned either?"
"He hasn’t returned at all. I last saw him when I was a child, and it’s been almost thirty years since then.
"They say that while his family was fleeing from danger, they encountered misfortune, leaving only Mr. Xu and Vice Minister Xu behind.
"Reportedly, there were relatives of theirs in the northwest, so Vice Minister Xu followed his father to seek refuge. Who knew that at that time, Great Zhou was at war with Dayue, and then Mr. Xu also met his demise.
"—Please, come this way, Boss Jiang!"
Jiang Lin, with his capital accent and generous demeanor, didn’t appear like someone from a small household, so the Rice Shop Manager was very attentive.
What Jiang Lin was told by Fu Zhen about Xu Yin’s background matched this segment about the Xu family quite accurately.
As they talked, they stepped into the wide earthen courtyard in front of Xu’s Mansion. The foundation was original, but the walls and houses were newly remodeled, with the plaque and couplets on the door lintel written by Xu Yin himself.
The Rice Shop Manager knocked on the door, the doorkeeper opened it, "Who are you looking for?" His tone and attitude were somewhat arrogant, fitting with the setting.
The Rice Shop Manager explained that Jiang Lin and his group intended to buy rice, and the doorkeeper stepped aside, turning his head to call for Housekeeper Zhou.
Now Xu Yin owned over a thousand acres of fertile land in the local area, yielding a significant harvest of rice every year. With fewer family members, naturally, the rice needed to be converted into silver taels and transported to the capital.
The doorkeeper cordially invited them into the front hall. Inside was a main room, and just as tea was being served, a middle-aged man of about forty entered, sporting a short beard, and dressed in a long gown, exhibiting a touch of elegance.
Jiang Lin immediately recalled the appearance of Zhou Yi that Fu Zhen had described to him, confirming it was the same person. So he focused on listening to the Rice Shop Manager mediating between them.
The Xu family’s rice had fixed traders coming to purchase in previous years. Jiang Lin intervened because he could offer a considerably higher price than the others.
Zhou Yi, after hearing their intent, smiled and looked at Jiang Lin, "Manager Jiang is originally from the capital, so you must know our master."