Chapter 534: Longing from Afar
A thought struck Ye Chutang.
"Stop the carriage."
The carriage quickly stopped. A servant ran straight over, presenting a letter with both hands.
He had run so fast his face was flushed. He gasped for breath, hands on his hips. "I was going to wait for you to return from the palace to give you the letter, but you were gone for so long that I decided to come out and look. And here you are!"
He grinned. "Go on, take a look! It says it must be opened by you personally!"
Everyone in the Ye Mansion knew that Yan and A Feng were the closest to Ye Chutang, especially A Feng. It had been a long time since they last parted, and this was the first letter he had sent back. Its preciousness went without saying.
Ye Chutang had indeed been delayed at the palace for quite some time. She didn’t offer much of an explanation now, simply taking the letter.
Written on the envelope were four large words: "Sister, for you alone."
A smile touched Ye Chutang’s lips.
"So the little rascal remembered to write home."
Hearing this, Xiao Wu finally reacted. She scrambled to Ye Chutang’s side, leaning against her shoulder and staring at the letter with wide, grape-black eyes full of curiosity and excitement.
’A letter! This is the first letter from Fourth Brother!’
Ye Chutang pulled her into her arms so they could read it together, then unhurriedly opened the envelope.
She pulled out the letter. It was a thick stack of three whole pages.
Ye Chutang’s brows rose slightly.
’That brat usually wouldn’t write an extra word if he could help it. Making him read or write is like torture. To think this letter is a full three pages long...’
She unfolded the letter, and her eyes were met with a familiar, wild, and flamboyant scrawl.
The first glance at his handwriting was enough to conjure the image of that unrestrained, spirited young man.
Ye Chutang’s gaze swept carefully over the pages, not missing a single word.
The letter was effusive. It was as if A Feng had an endless stream of things to say. One moment, he was writing about how new and exciting everything was when he first arrived at the border, and how the food and drink in Xia City were different from the Capital City and from Jiangling.
He particularly liked the oven-baked bread from one specific shop and said it was a real shame Xiao Wu couldn’t try it.
Then he wrote that on his second day there, a small enemy force had attacked. The Lord Master had originally assigned him to logistics, but he insisted on going to the front lines. Feng Zhang couldn’t dissuade him and let him go. In the end, he actually killed three enemy soldiers, earning the respect of Feng Zhang and the other soldiers who had initially dismissed him as a greenhorn.
His words were filled with undisguised, boastful pride.
"I was raised by you, Sister. How could I possibly be afraid!?"
Ye Chutang’s gaze lingered on that line for a long time.
Although A Feng made it sound simple, mentioning it only briefly, he was, after all, only fourteen.
And that battle had been his first time on a battlefield, his first time taking a life.
Many people couldn’t handle such a shock. They’d suffer from nightmares, vomiting, or long-lasting agitation, and would need a good while to adjust.
But A Feng hadn’t mentioned a single word about any of that.
The paper was coarse and yellowed, giving off the faint smell of cheap ink.
Xia City was remote and resources were scarce; they certainly wouldn’t have access to high-quality supplies.
Touching the thin paper, Ye Chutang could almost feel the sky full of sand and dust, the coarse pebbles, and the wild north wind.
A Feng also spent a large portion of the letter bragging about how useful the things Ye Chutang had specially prepared for him were, especially the wound medicine, which healed injuries quickly after application.
It was miraculous at stopping bleeding, relieving pain, and closing wounds.
Many people in the barracks asked him where he got such amazing things, and he just told them his sister had developed it herself, and it was one of a kind.
He wasn’t about to share it with anyone else.
Ye Chutang read on, page by page, and saw that at the very end of the letter, A Feng had even written a special section for Yan.
"By the way, Third Brother, I’m practically a great scholar over here. I’ve even taken on a few students and am teaching them how to read and write! What do you think? Impressive, right?"
Xiao Wu saw it too. Her eyes went wide with amazement as she clapped her hands enthusiastically.
’Fourth Brother is so amazing! He’s a teacher now!’
Ye Chutang couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
She shook the letter, teasing, "Your fourth brother has certainly learned how to be a big fish in a small pond."
Many of the soldiers guarding the border came from poor families. They hadn’t had much schooling and were naturally illiterate.
In a place like that, A Feng really did count as an educated man.
’And he has the gall to brag about it.’
PLOP.
Suddenly, something fell out of the envelope.
Ye Chutang looked down, but Xiao Wu had already snatched it up with quick eyes and nimble fingers.
Ye Chutang focused her gaze and saw that it was a tiny grasshopper woven from dried grass. It was only the size of her little finger, but it was incredibly lifelike.
Xiao Wu curiously lifted its wings and saw a line of tiny words written underneath.
"Exclusively for Xiao Wu."
This was a special gift just for her from Fourth Brother!
Xiao Wu was so happy she didn’t know what to do with herself. She carefully cupped the little grasshopper and showed it to Ye Chutang.
’Sister, look! Fourth Brother wove it himself! It’s for me!’
Ye Chutang clicked her tongue softly.
’Just like him, so straightforward. He finally puts some thought into a gift, but wouldn’t a little rabbit or a sparrow have been cuter?’
However, that didn’t stop Xiao Wu from loving it in the slightest.
Her eyes seemed to be glued to it; she couldn’t get enough of looking at it.
’Fourth Brother is so skilled! Fourth Brother is so amazing!’
Ye Chutang: "..."
’Fine.’
’There probably isn’t a child in the world easier to please than Xiao Wu.’
Ye Chutang refolded the letter, tucked it securely into her robes, and looked at the servant.
"Go back and collect a reward from the butler."
The servant was overjoyed and thanked her profusely.
Ye Chutang had always been kind to the maids and servants of the mansion. She was also extremely generous, not only providing high monthly silver but also frequently giving out bonuses and rewards.
As a result, everyone in the Ye Mansion was diligent and devoted, hoping only for the family to prosper.
A Feng’s letter had clearly been sent back in a hurry.
Not a single word in the letter mentioned missing them, but it was overflowing with unspoken care and concern.
For a moment, Ye Chutang felt a daze come over her. A Feng had never been away from them for this long.
She didn’t usually think about it, but this sudden reminder made her realize she actually missed him a little.
Xiao Wu, too, treasured the little woven grasshopper, placing it carefully inside her purse.
Ye Chutang caught this out of the corner of her eye and couldn’t help but smile.
This Little Bun was usually only this precious with silver. She had seen plenty of fine things in her time, yet she cherished this little grasshopper more than any of them.
’If that brat A Feng finds out, there’ll be no end to his smugness.’
The carriage continued on, reaching their front door a short while later.
Ye Chutang stepped out of the carriage and turned to help Xiao Wu down, only to see that Xiao Wu had already lifted the curtain and was climbing out while holding onto the doorframe.
A flicker of emotion crossed Ye Chutang’s eyes.
That subtle feeling from before surfaced in her mind again, sending her into deep thought.
Noticing that she was standing still, Xiao Wu looked up, a little confused.
’Sister, is something wrong?’
If it had only been a guess before, then seeing this scene now, Ye Chutang was almost certain—
’It seems Xiao Wu isn’t afraid of riding in carriages anymore?’