Chapter 341: A Small Gathering (1)

From the emperor to officials, merchants, and commoners, for a time there was no one who did not discuss Le Wuya.

Good or bad, praise or curse, belief or doubt, or indifference—Le Wuya cared little about any of it.

Because he was vain, he simply enjoyed everyone talking about him and making a fuss over him.

While he was at the eye of the capital's gossip storm, he took his sweet time crafting an enormous kite and boldly took his entire family to the outskirts of the capital to fly it.

Indeed, during the autumn in the capital, many official families went out for excursions and entertainment, with big entourages and a lot of fuss. But most of these were for the children of noble households to play, while the adults went off to socialize with colleagues, and the servants had to keep an eye on the young masters to keep them from taking a spill while they were having fun.

You didn't see many folks like Le Wuya, dragging the whole family out to fly kites for real.

Le Wuya was indeed skillful with his hands, but making kites was not like making Thunderclap Bombs—the latter had strict specs, but the former was all about letting your imagination run wild.

The problem was that when Le Wuya got cocky, his imagination tended to run away with him.

Because he was greedy and wanted to make a grand spectacle, he tried to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. The wings and tail were too long, the proportions all wrong, and no matter what he did, the darn thing wouldn't fly.

Even Hua Rong, who was making a kite for the first time, had his little butterfly kite soaring high.

Le Wuya stood off to the side, hugging his kite, all puffed up with frustration.

Sister Yang, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, coaxed him like he was her little brother: "You didn't pay your respects to the Wind God before we left. Never too late to do it now..."

Meanwhile, Sister He was glaring daggers at He Qingsong.

He Qingsong was hauling Le Wuya's kite with everything he had, running so hard he was practically kicking up sparks, and still couldn't get the thing off the ground.

Even Zhong Piaoping, who barely said two words, couldn't stand to watch anymore and, rare as it was, piped up: "Brother He, quit running. Let me take a look."

Zhong Piaoping and Yang Zheng went over to figure out what was wrong with the kite.

Finally off the hook, He Qingsong ducked off to the side and chugged some water. Feeling hungry, he went to rummage through the snacks they'd brought, only to have Qin Xingyue slap his hand away—Qin Xingyue was setting out tea and snacks with Hua Rong: "Eat something else. The master's got his eye on that one."

Ever since they got back from Dansui, Le Wuya had made Wang Cheng rest up for ages, and now he was fully healed.

This was the first time he'd come out with everyone since he'd recovered.

He'd made a perfectly symmetrical tile-shaped kite, let it climb halfway up the sky, made a heartfelt wish, and then cut the string, hoping his master would run into fewer troubles and have a smooth road ahead.

...And preferably that everyone who wished his master harm would just drop dead.

After making his wish, Wang Cheng was about to lower his hands when he suddenly remembered something and quickly pressed them back together:

And may Lord Zheng also have smooth sailing cracking his cases.

Le Wuya hovered around Zhong Piaoping and Yang Zheng.

Zhong Piaoping's suggestion was to trim the kite's tail.

Yang Zheng thought it was too heavy and that shaving off a few bamboo ribs might do the trick.

Le Wuya's take was that the sky was being difficult and the ground was uneven—either way, nobody was touching his precious kite.

Since his homemade monster of a kite wouldn't fly, Le Wuya had no choice but to grab the octagonal kite Sister Yang had made and take off with it.

Sister Yang watched him go, then looked at her own two quiet boys—spitting images of their father, heads together over books even out here—and smiled, thinking the master was more of a little rascal than either of them.

She almost blurted out: "Don't run so fast!"

The second the words left her mouth, she regretted it.

After all, she was just a cook. How could she go around bossing the master around...

Before she could even start to panic, she saw Le Wuya slow down and holler back from a distance: "Got it!"

Sister Yang blinked, then broke into a warm, fond smile.

The master was so good—how could anybody not like him?

...

Today the breeze was mild and the sun was warm and dry. Out in the countryside where Le Wuya had brought his crew, plenty of nobles were also out enjoying the autumn scenery, with fancy gatherings and banquets.

Seeing Le Wuya, the capital's most talked-about figure, out in the open like this, plenty of people thought to themselves: What guts.

The man really wasn't scared of dying.

Sure, this was the capital, right under the emperor's nose, where you couldn't just kill someone in broad daylight, but still—he'd pissed off the Changmen Guard and survived an assassination attempt. At a time like this, instead of lying low, he came out to play. If you dug out his guts, they'd probably be bigger than a watermelon.

The other nobles, though, weren't so bold. Scared that Le Wuya's blood might splatter on them if he got killed, they all pretended not to see him and gave him a wide berth.

The Changmen Guard, though, had a completely different take than the nobles.

They knew Le Wuya had the day off today.

But the Changmen Guard members who held official posts mostly valued their own skins and careers, and would never use this chance to deliberately get close to Le Wuya on Wang Su's behalf, just to stir up trouble for themselves. Even the few who might've wanted to roll the dice for a shot at fortune found that by the time they got the intel, it was already too late to put in for leave.

Changmen Guard members planted among officials and nobles couldn't just ditch their masters to go snooping on other people.

Lower-ranking Changmen Guard members couldn't just waltz into places where the nobles were hanging out.

As a result, Le Wuya's surroundings were actually clear for once.

Le Wuya followed his kite string around a little hill when he suddenly heard an excited shout from behind: "Is that Lord Wenren?"

Le Wuya turned around.

The guy who'd called out saw him and got even more excited: "Big bro, it really is him!"

Le Wuya looked them over one by one.

Le Qianzhang, Ye Tingnan.

Le Hang, Le Jue.

His eldest sister-in-law, Yao Yao, and the two little ones, Le Hui and Le Aliu.

The whole crew was here.

It hadn't been easy—he'd pored over the attendance logs of every government office to find a day when nobody in the Le household was on shift, so they could all take off together.

Back when they were kids, every spring and fall, the Le family would go on outings.

Back then, Le Wuya was just one of the bunch, racing his two older brothers to see whose kite flew higher.

Now, he had a household of his own.

And several faces, bound by blood and bearing varying resemblances, all turned squarely toward him—the family outsider.

Le Wuya, fingers looped around the kite string, smiled casually. "What a coincidence."

Le Jue strode over, initially intent on sweeping him into a hug, but as he drew near, he remembered this was, after all, a public place. He paused mid-step, cautiously scanned his surroundings, and only then did he relax.

Though their family had some hope of reinstatement, they were used to being cautious. Even when out for fun, they picked a remote enough spot.

No one else in sight!

Acting on instinct, Le Jue rolled up his sleeves, crouched down, hoisted the man onto his shoulder, and sprinted back to the family's pavilion.

Le Wuya: "...???"

But he didn't struggle. He just lay over his shoulder, docilely letting himself be carried off, kite and all.

Le Jue carried Le Wuya back to the pavilion and announced cheerfully, "Father, Mother, I've snatched our family's benefactor back!"

Yao Yao, worried Le Jue might get scolded, spoke up before the elders could, chiding him lightly. "Second Brother, don't be silly."

She was, after all, his elder by marriage. A mild scolding from her should keep the parents from being too harsh, right?

Yet, surprisingly, neither Le Qianzhang nor Ye Tingnan scolded him for acting like a fool.

Realizing she might have overstepped, Yao Yao felt her face flush.

But when Le Wuya turned around, her mind went completely blank.

Her long-dead brother-in-law was standing right in front of her, alive and well.

Le Ali recognized him at once and let out a joyful cry. "It's you!"

And Le Hui introduced him politely. "Mother, this is the resurrected Third Uncle I told you about."

No sooner had he spoken than Le Hang reached over and pressed a hand on his head. "Eat your persimmon cake."

Yao Yao stared at Le Wuya, dumbfounded.

Le Hui had indeed told her he'd seen a living Le Wuya at a lantern festival.

But she'd assumed it was just a kid's wild talk!

Le Hang gave her hand a gentle squeeze, quietly covering for her. "A Yao, this is Lord Wenren, who helped me out on the long street."

Yao Yao finally snapped back to reality and hastily rose to bow. "Lord Wenren, my husband is not one for words. Thank you so much for lending a hand."

Le Wuya looked at Le Jue, raising his left brow. Since when was the eldest brother not one for words?

Le Jue instinctively raised his right brow in reply. In front of the sister-in-law.

After the silent exchange, Le Jue froze for a moment, bitterness welling up in his chest.

...Since Ali left, it had been a long time since he'd experienced such a moment.

He used to think it was because he and Ali were brothers in heart, sharing the same blood, that they had such a connection.

But in truth, it had nothing to do with brotherhood or blood.

It was just love between them.

While Le Jue was lost in thought, Madam Ye stood up.

Le Wuya clasped his hands in greeting. "Has the lady's illness recovered well?"

Ye Tingnan's voice was soft as flowing water. "Thanks to Lord Wenren's concern, I am much better."

She wasn't lying.

Since they'd parted, she had indeed taken good care of herself.

Le Wuya's eyes drifted to her wrist.

That old jade bangle, which once hung loosely on her wrist bone, had looked lonely and forlorn.

Now she had filled out a bit, her wrist fuller, and it really looked much better on her.

Le Wuya felt a quiet smugness.

Madam Ye is beautiful, and I've got good taste too.

Seeing the lady greet Le Wuya, Le Qianzhang was somewhat surprised. "You've met him too?"

Ye Tingnan had never told him she'd seen Le Wuya at the lantern market.

"A passing acquaintance, nothing more," she replied lightly, but when she turned to look at him, her eyes held a tenderness barely restrained. "Even one meeting is already a fine stroke of fate."

Le Wuya lowered his eyes, pausing for a moment, before finally greeting Le Qianzhang. "General Yue."

"...Mm." Le Qianzhang clasped his hands behind his back and asked a foolish question with composure. "Why has Lord Wenren come here?"

Within a few breaths, Le Wuya had regained his usual liveliness. "Taking my family out for fun!"

Le Qianzhang asked another foolish question. "Lord Wenren is not young anymore. Is there someone dear by your side?"

At this, even Le Hui shot his grandfather a disapproving look.

Le Jue, though speechless, still stepped in to cover for his father. "Father, what are you saying! If you're going to play matchmaker, why not start with me? I'm not getting any younger either!"

Le Wuya said, "Thank you for your concern, General Yue, but I already have someone dear to me. That's who I came out for today."

Le Jue's eyes lit up. "Oh, then go on, go on! Am I holding you up?"

"No, not at all," Le Wuya said with a smile. "The two of us can't meet openly. If I don't leave, he won't come."

In that one sentence, Le Jue imagined an entire complex tale of love and strife.

Seeing his second brother watching him with worried eyes, Le Wuya reassured him with an earnest face. "Second Brother Le, don't worry. Once I've settled things with him, I'll introduce you two."

Le Jue thought to himself, With such talent, which young lady has Lord Wenren set his sights on, that it takes such effort to secure?

He worried that Lord Wenren, so successful in his career and official life, might suffer heartbreak in love.

Deep down, he didn't want him to suffer even a little.

Whether as his benefactor or as Ali, Le Jue couldn't stand it.

But seeing Le Wuya so confident, he, as an outsider, could hardly say more. "Then I wish Lord Wenren all your wishes come true."

Le Wuya: "Where there's a will, there's a way. And thanks for the kind words, Second Brother Le."

Le Wuya wandered around and returned to his own turf, bringing back a ripe, sweet persimmon.

Sister-in-law Yang let out an "oh": "Such a fine persimmon, where'd you get this, sir?"

Zhong Piaoping shot a glance at Le Wuya.

When he first got here, his free-range-chicken instincts kicked in, and he'd scoured the area to check for any threats.

As far as he could tell, within three li (about a mile) of this place, there wasn't a single persimmon tree.

The gentleman must have gone mooching off someone, or just helped himself to it.

With that in mind, Zhong Piaoping cut the persimmon open.

Eh, whatever.

When Le Wuya left the pavilion of the Le family gathering, he did indeed take the biggest, most beautiful persimmon.

But it wasn't stolen—Ye Tingnan had picked one up from the pavilion table and put it in his hand.

She gave it so naturally, as if at every family gathering like this, they would pick out the best thing—a fine cup of wine, a good piece of fruit, or the newest style of pastry from the capital—to accompany them through their time together.

And Le Wuya had always been open and honest with his family.

His meticulous planning wasn't solely for the sake of this brief reunion.