Ger, So Proud

Chapter 118: Epilogue: Later

Ten years later, Hejia Village, Xiangyang Mountain, Western Peak.

The sun was shining, and a gentle breeze rustled through the serene forest. Occasionally, the leaves would whisper and the grass would bend. A gray rabbit hopped leisurely from beneath one tree to a patch of grass, then from that patch to a tree stump, enjoying its peaceful surroundings.

From behind a large tree in the distance, He Ze had already drawn his bow.

“Be careful, Xiao Nian still wants to keep a rabbit. Let’s catch this one for him, so he doesn’t make a fuss,” whispered Lin Yu. Six years after giving birth to He Lin and He Yu, he had another set of twins. This time, they finally had a ger, the older boy named He Ming and the younger ger named He Nian. These two brothers, only four years old, were far more rambunctious compared to their older brothers, almost driving He Ze and Lin Yu crazy.

Whoosh—a swift arrow sliced through the air, followed by the sound of it piercing flesh.

“Let’s go and check it out.”

He Ze picked up the rabbit from the ground. “Looks like my archery skills haven’t slipped. It only got hit in the hindquarters. Let’s take it back and bandage it up. It should be fine in ten days or so.”

“It’s a shame. Ever since Liuxian Peak became famous, there’s been a lot of traffic on East Peak, and the game on the other peaks has decreased significantly.”

“Animals are smart. They know to avoid danger.”

Today’s haul was quite modest. Besides two pheasants and a couple of quail eggs they found early on, there was just this rabbit.

“Let’s head over to East Peak and take a look.”

The road from He Family Village to the county town had been completed. During Guan Duo’s tenure as county magistrate, he also had a stone path built from the base to the top of East Peak, along with several pavilions and many maple trees. Now, East Peak, or rather Liuxian Peak, had become a favored gathering place for scholars from surrounding county towns. There was even a small street at the foot of the mountain selling village specialties, significantly improving the villagers’ lives.

After getting married, Liu San opened a small tavern at the foot of East Peak, and business was quite good.

“Ah, I’m tired…”

He Ze turned around to see Lin Yu looking at him innocently, blinking his eyes.

Spoiled as he was, what else could He Ze do?

With a sigh, He Ze put his bow and arrow into the basket, slung the basket onto Lin Yu’s back, bent down, and said, “Hop on.”

His demeanor was both firm and tender.

Lin Yu gave a broad smile and jumped onto He Ze’s back.

“Hold on tight, we’re going to fly—” He Ze adjusted his precious cargo and headed straight for a large tree.

“Ah—He Ze, what are you doing!”

It felt to Lin Yu as if they were entering a world full of greenery, everything around them blurring past so quickly that his head started to spin.

By the time Lin Yu regained his composure, they had reached the top of East Peak.

It took but a moment.

Although he had experienced this several times before with He Ze, Lin Yu still found it both thrilling and a bit terrifying. He climbed down from He Ze’s back, noticing they were in a densely wooded area with no one around.

Thankfully, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Let’s go.” He Ze took the basket from Lin Yu’s back and carried it himself, then took Lin Yu’s hand and led him through the trees.

“Where are we going?”

After about a quarter of an hour, He Ze stopped in front of a small pavilion next to a warm spring pool surrounded by stone walls.

“This is… the hot spring?”

“Yep, we haven’t been here in a long time. How about a bath together, Brother Lin Yu?”

He Ze recalled the time when he had almost teased Lin Yu by this hot spring. It felt like it was just yesterday.

“You rascal!”

Lin Yu pretended to draw a bow to shoot him, but before his expression could turn serious, they both started laughing.

At noon, they grilled a fish and shared two pears for lunch, which turned out to be quite a pleasant meal. In the afternoon, they headed down the mountain. However, before they reached their home, two small figures came rolling towards them like balls.

“Dad! Father!”

“Dad! Father! Did you miss Xiao Nian? I missed you!”

Such adorable little ones! They had only been gone for one day! He Ze crouched down helplessly and picked up the two little dumplings. “Of course, Father and Dad missed you. So, who brought you here?”

“It was Uncle An,” He Nian answered quickly.

“And Uncle Luo,” He Ming added.

The two children were quick to sell out the adults.

Hearing the commotion, He An came out from inside, “Mingming, Nianian, got caught by uncle this time, huh! What did you say earlier? You wanted to come here, not that Uncle brought you, right?”

“It wasn’t Uncle An, it was Uncle Luo,” He Ming said in a babyish voice, his eyes darting around.

“Oh, Mingming is pretty clever, but Uncle heard you too!” Luo Zhanming came out, holding the hand of a beautifully carved little boy. This was He An and Luo Zhanming’s second child, named Luo Yi, who was five years old, just one year older than the two younger ones. Their eldest, Luo Shang, was eight years old.

He Ming’s expression froze for a moment. He exchanged a glance with He Nian before both of them buried their heads in He Ze’s arms.

“Mingming, Nianian, come down, let’s go play,” Luo Yi ran over and pulled at the hands of the younger children. Hearing their brother call, He Ming and He Nian immediately struggled to get down.

“I’ll take you to see the flowers. The flowers can bite, but don’t be afraid. As long as we don’t touch them, they won’t bite us…” The three little children disappeared into the courtyard, hand in hand.

“What brings you here? Why didn’t you bring the eldest?” He Ze asked as he took out the game, hung up the basket, and walked alongside Lin Yu.

“You two seem to be having a great time… The eldest is at his maternal grandfather’s house, playing with your two older ones. They’re having so much fun we couldn’t drag them away.”

“Haha, isn’t it nice not having to worry about them? If my two younger ones were as well-behaved as the older two, I’d be over the moon,” He Ze laughed.

“Yeah, right! You’re just bragging!” Luo Zhanming retorted. He knew very well that, compared to everyone else in the He family, his brother-in-law was the real doting father. The first three gers were fine, but for the youngest, Xiao Nian, He Ze would do anything, even give him the stars and the moon.

The two Dads were already playing with the children ahead. “Actually, I have something serious to discuss with you this time,” Luo Zhanming said.

“Yes?”

“Xiao Lin and Xiao Yu are already ten years old. What are your thoughts about their future? Xiao Lin truly has a gift—he has an excellent memory, quick thinking, and a rare, steady temperament. If he pursues the imperial examinations and enters the bureaucracy, his future will be bright. Xiao Yu, while not as exceptional as Xiao Lin, is still very smart. I don’t know how you raised such capable children!” Luo Zhanming sighed before getting to the main point, “I received a letter a few days ago. My brother-in-law is coming back and will be appointed as the prefect here, overseeing Qiongchuan. I’d like to have the kids formally recognize him as their teacher. Of course, we are already family, so it’s just a matter of formalizing it.”

“This is great news, I agree.” A provincial prefect is a fourth-rank official, and since Zhou Wen was also a scholar who had passed the imperial exams, his knowledge was undoubtedly excellent. If the children are to pursue the path of the imperial exams, having such a mentor would be beneficial.

“Alright then, I just wanted to inform you first. We’ll handle the formalities of the apprenticeship ceremony once they arrive.”

“Sure, just let me know in advance.”

They had dinner at Dad Zhang and Uncle Xu’s place—shortly after He Lin and He Yu’s full-month banquet, Zhang Su and Xu Qingsheng also had a simple wedding ceremony, witnessed by the clan elders. They have been together for ten years now.

…

Two months later, Zhou Wen officially took office. A month after that, he accepted He Lin, He Yu, and Luo Shang as his disciples, placing high hopes on them. During the apprenticeship ceremony, He Ze gifted him two potted plants.

“These, they wouldn’t happen to be like the divine fruit…” Zhou Wen asked excitedly.

“Divine fruit is rare and not something that can be produced at will. These two pots… they just have some health benefits.”

“That’s still wonderful!” Zhou Wen was very pleased and instructed his servants to place one pot in his bedroom and the other in his study. After a moment, he hesitated and then spoke, “Regarding the matter I mentioned in my letter…”

He Ze couldn’t help but laugh.

Zhou Wen and his wife had been married for nearly twenty years but only had a ger two years ago. Ten years ago, when Zhou was transferred to the capital, he repeatedly wrote to He Ze inquiring about this matter. Unfortunately, He Ze’s abilities were related to wood, not fertility, so he couldn’t help them have children.

However, Zhou Wen had never taken a concubine, which made He Ze feel closer to him.

“I truly can’t help with that. You and your wife should relax; you are both healthy, and if it’s meant to be, it will happen eventually.”

“Ah, stop comforting me,” Zhou Wenda waved his hand. “If it’s destined, it will happen. If not, then so be it. At least we have our Yue-ge.”

Yue-ge is Zhou Wen’s son, born in his later years, and is now three years old. Mentioning him brought a smile to Zhou Wen’s face. “What do you think about arranging a marriage between our families? I really like Xiao Lin. If he were my son, I’d be overjoyed. But thinking it over, having a son-in-law is almost like having a son. Half a son isn’t too different from a whole one!”

“Don’t even think about it!” He Ze hurriedly refused. He didn’t want his children subjected to an arranged marriage; this was a significant matter concerning their futures. “First of all, you’re a fourth-rank official, and I’m just a commoner. Secondly, my Xiao Lin is seven years older than Yue-ge. The age difference is quite significant. If they don’t end up liking each other, they’ll resent us as parents.”

“Alright.”

Seeing He Ze’s firm opposition, Zhou Wen didn’t press further. Children have their own paths and destinies. If they were truly meant to be, maybe Xiao Lin would indeed become like a half-son to him.

Time flowed like water, rushing by swiftly. Another ten years passed, during which He Lin, a son of the He family in Qiongchuan County, achieved top honors in the imperial examinations, marking a new chapter for the He family and the village.

When He Ze was forty-five, He Lin and the others had already married. That same year, He Lin’s son was born, making him and Lin Yu grandparents. In their fifties, they bid farewell to Dad Zhang and Uncle Xu, and two years later, He Ze’s father and Dad Li also passed away.

According to the He family genealogy, the ancestors He Ze and his wife Lin Yu both succumbed to a sudden illness three years after reaching sixty. They passed away together. During their lifetimes, they revitalized the He family, were known for their benevolence, and their loving marriage was renowned. Their story was recorded in the county annals for future generations to read.