Chapter 418: Chapter 184: Longing for Homecoming

Just then,

a carriage came trundling over and stopped a short distance away.

An old woman with graying hair and tear-filled eyes got out. Without even bothering to grab the luggage from the carriage, she ran straight for Li Wenrou’s stone house.

A few disciples tried to step forward and stop her, but Steward Sun sharply ordered them back.

"That is Steward Li’s mother. For the foreseeable future, she will be staying here to take care of Steward Li."

At these words, the surrounding Outer Disciples who didn’t know the situation immediately showed looks of respect. They all made way, allowing the old woman to rush into the stone house.

A moment later,

the sound of extremely stifled sobs came from inside the house.

Everyone outside was moved. Some turned their heads away, others lowered their gazes. Su Bing and the other two female disciples instantly felt their eyes well up.

For a moment, it was as if most of the air had been sucked away, leaving a heavy silence that was hard to breathe in.

Chen Cheng stood rooted to the spot, listening to the stifled cries seep out from the crack of the door. He didn’t speak, nor did he leave. He simply lowered his gaze slightly, his knuckles slowly tightening.

He knew about Li Wenrou’s family situation. Her father and brother had joined the army, leaving behind their elderly mother, a sister-in-law, and a young niece.

Li Wenrou was supposed to be the one supporting the family, but unexpectedly, she was the first to fall.

Fortunately, she had a good mother who had rushed here to take care of her, disregarding everything else.

At this thought, Chen Cheng couldn’t help but think of his own mother, far away in the south. If he were to encounter a similar situation...

The thought had barely formed when Chen Cheng forcibly suppressed it.

Rather than waste mental energy imagining such terrible scenarios, he should constantly remind himself—

’Work harder! Be more cautious! Grow stronger!’

’Never let the same thing happen to me or my mother!’

Composing himself, Chen Cheng walked over, took the Treasure Fish he was carrying out of its net, killed it with a jolt of Transforming Force, and gently placed it on the stone step by the door before turning to leave.

...

「Fifteen days later.」

Zhao City, the Chen Mansion.

The fragrance of sizzling oil wafted from the kitchen, mixed with the crisping sound of scallions. It swirled around the courtyard a few times before drifting through the crack in the gate and out into the alley.

Li Family stood before the stove in an apron, her spatula moving deftly. A thin sheen of sweat beaded on her forehead, but the corners of her mouth were turned up in a slight smile.

Her cooking had improved more and more; guests could smell the aroma even from outside the gate.

"Second Sister-in-law, your skill is truly incredible! This aroma could almost rival that of a restaurant’s head chef!"

Chen An and Bai Family arrived with their hands full of gifts. After setting them down inside, Bai Family immediately rolled up her sleeves to help Li Family.

Seeing this, Li Family wiped her hands on her apron and tried to push Bai Family out by the shoulders.

"I can manage on my own! You two have been busy at the shop all day. Go inside and rest."

"Second Sister-in-law, I’m not tired."

Bai Family smiled and dodged her, then simply pulled over a small stool, sat down by the water basin, and began washing vegetables with practiced ease.

Chen An said nothing and walked straight to the well, drawing up bucket after bucket of water.

He first filled the large vat used for daily water, then cleaned the two large vats in the middle of the courtyard that had been used for raising Treasure Fish.

The vats had long been empty of Treasure Fish, but he still washed them with meticulous care.

It wasn’t just these two vats; the family took extra special care of anything Chen Cheng had left behind.

Every single item was in its original place, never moved an inch, and was cleaned regularly.

It was as if Chen Cheng could walk through the door at any moment and immediately settle back into his familiar life, with no preparation or adjustment needed.

"You two are now the shopkeepers managing six bustling shops on Rushan Street. How can you still be doing these menial tasks?"

Li Family glanced at Chen An, then at Bai Family. From their clothes to their demeanor, the two of them had undergone a world of change.

"Hurry inside and rest!"

Li Family urged,

"We’ll have other guests arriving soon. You’re both people of status now. It wouldn’t look good if outsiders saw you doing chores here."

"What’s not good about it?"

Bai Family said,

"Everything we have today is thanks to Cheng. If it weren’t for Cheng, we would have probably starved to death in the slums long ago."

"We’re only just starting to make a name for ourselves in the business world by helping Cheng manage his shops. But without Cheng, how many people in that world would give us the time of day?"

"Anyway, there’s only one thing I know for sure in this life: compared to how well Cheng has treated us, nothing else matters! Status? Who gives a damn about status? Let outsiders say whatever they want. I don’t care."

"That’s the truth."

Chen An chuckled, working with even more vigor.

"Alright, alright, I can’t win an argument with you two."

Li Family shook her head and sighed, but a proud and gratified smile graced her lips.

Though her son wasn’t by her side, the actions of those around her constantly reminded her how wonderful it was to have a son like him.

Besides Chen An and his wife, Shen Mi, Wu Ziyu, Yu Feng and his wife, Fatty Fang, and even Lady Sun from next door with her group of officials’ wives would visit every so often, always arriving with bags and boxes full of gifts.

Li Family knew as clearly as if looking in a mirror that all of this was due to Chen Cheng’s reputation.

And today, Li Family was planning to host a banquet for everyone to express her gratitude and, at the same time, share a piece of happy news.

"Second Sister-in-law, you’ve bought so much food today. It’s enough for two big tables."

Bai Family asked probingly with a bright smile,

"Is there some happy news to celebrate today?"

"I’ll tell you when everyone is here."

Li Family said, deliberately keeping them in suspense.

"Fine... Well, I have a strange story I wanted to tell you, Second Sister-in-law."

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