"Elder brother, if you don't want it, can I have it?"
The voice of a little girl, about six years old, named Guo Sian Sian, pointed towards a small piece of wood that had been carved into the shape of a round wild puppy. It had just been discarded on the floor in the garden outside the window of the study room. Guo Hsiuen, the older brother, frowned when he saw it, ordering his younger brother to buy a new one after his friends had similar carved wooden toys. He hoped to show off to them in school every morning. However, the result was different; he got a wooden pig instead, one that looked exactly like what he wanted. These brothers, seeing him as just a ten-year-old boy, could they understand his desire for a toy like this?202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMsvat3goQ
"If you want it, take it," he said, even though he was dissatisfied. He deliberately lowered his voice before turning to speak to his younger sister.
"I'll continue reading for a while. Take it and don't wander around the front yard, so Father doesn't scold you again," he added with a dismissive gesture, turning back to the book he had left off earlier, seemingly indifferent to Guo Sian Sian.202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIX57cuF0G
"I understand, elder brother," she replied quickly. She ran to pick up the wild puppy figure lying slanted on the floor, then hurriedly left through the curved side door of the study room. Guo Hsiuen, despite being dissatisfied, was genuinely her older brother.202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95Gv8ZPtN5
Guo Sian Sian used to be the son of Hoo Hyein, a subordinate of Guo Yuen, because before this, the mother of Guo Hsiuen and Guo Sian Sian's twin sister was the daughter of Hoo Hyein's main family. Due to the subsequent departure of Hoo Hyein, who served as the right-hand man of the family, and with the lack of other children from the husband of the twin sister, Guo Sian Sian's mother, who came from a scholar family, married into the Guo family to strengthen their financial stability. Although Guo Sian Sian's mother was just a concubine, with abundant wealth from her father, she had enough influence to marry into the Guo family without anyone being able to press her. Especially since Guo Hyein, the father of Guo Hsiuen and his twin sister, had no parents or brothers in the upper class, this made it even more straightforward. Therefore, after Hoo Hyein left, Guo Hsiuen's mother became the main wife, taking care of the child of the former wife as well.
In the city of Yangzhou, considered the capital of the Song region, while it may not be said that the Guo family is the wealthiest, it is undoubtedly one of the ten merchant families with considerable prosperity. The Guo family's trade mainly focuses on woven fabrics, silk, and leather goods. There are about ten stores both within and outside the city, not counting the main stores in the region. It can be said that the Guo family's businesses cannot be accurately counted by fingers alone. However, Guo Hsiuen, the head of the family, is adept at managing the extensive operations. Apart from overseeing the accounts and material procurement for the stores, he rarely visits other stores, not even those in the main city, as he has trusted store managers reporting to him regularly every three months. Additionally, each year, the managers of the Guo family's branches report in detail on the performance of each branch, making the entire operation highly organized.
"Ah Yune, what are you doing? Can I come in?" The soft voice echoed lowly, penetrating the quietness of the study room. Guo Hsiuen, despite not being loud, heard it clearly due to the room's silence. He turned to find Hoo Hyein Eok, also known as Weir, entering. She has been his mother for many years.
"Mother, is there anything I can assist you with? Why didn't you let my brother come and call me?" He turned to ask his mother before glancing towards the little boy standing beside her.
"Oh, Yanne Lie, you came along too." Yanne Lie is the son of Store Manager Yanne Sian Sian, the mother of Hoo Hyein Eok. He has been following his father nearly every year because he told his father that he likes the bustling city. However, beyond that liking, the thing he did not tell his father is that he enjoys chatting and playing with Ah Yune even more than the city's vibrancy. It's not that Ah Yune is just a bookworm or a chess enthusiast; he excels in various skills like biting the rooster. Despite their similar age, Ah Yune is much more skilled than other boys his age.
"I follow my father every year to look for you. Can't you at least greet me properly? It makes me think you don't want me to come." Yanne Lie responded while making a pouting expression toward the room's owner.
Guo Hsiuen, with a slightly tainted smile, with eyes shining brightly, even though appearing cool, does not make one feel distant. Though he has surpassed the age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, he looks much younger due to his comfortable and careful self-care.
"Alright, all of you, don't just keep greeting each other. I've brought some snacks for you to enjoy together here. Have your snacks first, and when it's time for the main meal, I'll have my brother escort you to the dining hall. Ah Yune, don't just stay stressed reading books, take Alie for a walk around the garden before going to the main hall."202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kmmyPTozs
She said this before handing the empty birdcage onto the side table of Guo Hsiuen.202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVEt22Sh9k3
"Is it difficult for you, mother?" Guo Hsiuen thanked her before discussing his recent studies and activities with Yanne Lie.202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTel3dBbBIP
After Guo Hoo Hyein walked away, Yanne Lie went straight to the point. He asked Guo Hsiuen to share various stories about the capital during the time he wasn't there and made plans to explore the city the next day. Guo Hsiuen agreed and even promised to take them to watch the archery competition held to assess the students' skills in their school the next day.202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBA80VnQnB
Since both of them were close in age, they found they could talk about almost anything. Soon, the time for the meal arrived, and when the younger brother came to inform them, they followed him immediately. Upon arrival, they found that the dining hall was prepared. The dining table was large enough to accommodate seven or eight people at each of the two tables. It was obvious that Guo Hsiuen and the experienced managers would sit together at one table. Hoo Hyein and the children sat at another, closer to the door of the hall. A long curtain separated the two tables, indicating that the current culture in the capital, while not overly open, allowed men and women to sit together at the same table, unlike in the past. However, if there were outsiders who were not family members dining with them, simply sitting at separate tables was sufficient.202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wKCAxGsuF
After greeting the elders in the room, they separated and took their seats at the designated tables. Not long after, a sweet and clear voice, masked with childlike playfulness, echoed from outside the hall. Guo Hsiuen had to turn and look.202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rcNbEfQ3x
Speaking of Guo Hsiuen, if someone who didn't know him before saw him, they might think he was an elderly man with a large belly, following the standard image of an elderly shopkeeper commonly found in general grocery stores. Such individuals typically had many wives and concubines competing for their attention, but one would never think that Guo Hsiuen, a prosperous merchant in the capital, could still maintain a youthful and handsome appearance even at the age of thirty. Today, he wore his usual outfit – a long straight blue shirt with wide sleeves and no patterns. Paired with his slim waist and absence of excess fat, it made him look tall and majestic. His buffalo leather belt was tightly fastened on his waist, and it emphasized that he had little fat even in that area. Combined with his large, expressive eyes, prominent nose, and well-arranged eyebrows, his face seemed to defy his actual age of thirty. If he just shaved the beard designed to enhance his masculinity, he could easily compete with younger ladies just entering adulthood.202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJ87f153c1
"Yaoer, Yaoer, come, my dear, this way." Guo Hsiuen called his two daughters, Guo Yao and Guo Yang, with a voice that was both heavy but filled with hidden affection. He looked at the two children whose faces were almost identical and could hardly be distinguished if not carefully observed. Their faces were slightly blushing as they walked towards him. Guo Yao, with a charming and sharp face, spoke first.202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdl5jd26lm
"Young Master Yao Guo, and Master Yang Guo, greetings to all the elders." Guo Yao, with a slightly shy yet bright face, greeted the elders first before taking a seat.202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWMiJLo616
"Young Master Yang Guo, and Master Yao Guo, greetings to all the elders." Guo Yang, who had a similar reserved expression, also greeted politely before taking her seat.
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Due to the uncomfortable feelings towards their mother, the two daughters of Guo Hsiuen felt love and admiration for their half-brother, born from the first wife of Guo Hsiuen. Going back eight years, during that time when Guo Hsiuen was exhausted from expanding his business, he had to be at the shop from early morning until late at night. He nearly returned to the estate only when it was midnight, which made it challenging for his first wife, who was pregnant at the time, to rest. Despite telling her to take a rest before, later, he seldom returned to the estate because he didn't want Hoo Hyein to take care of him. Although the shop was not far from the central area where the business was located, it took almost two hours to get to the estate, especially when he had business outside the estate. However, due to the business expansion, it was unclear if the first wife, who gave birth to twins, was still alive. Recalling this, Guo Hsiuen felt guilty and blamed himself. If it weren't for his negligence in taking care of her, perhaps she would still be alive. Guo Hsiuen, who turned his thoughts to this matter, could not help but to glance at the three children who were unaware. Before walking away, he couldn't help but look at them again before hiding behind the partition and returning to his own table.
"Mother, where's Sister Four? Why hasn't she come yet? I'm getting hungry," Gua Yoa asked about his younger sister. Although she intended to wait, being a child, she had just woken up in the afternoon, making her hungrier than usual.
"I can't wait any longer. I'm hungry too. Sister Four, why have you lost your manners like this, making the elders wait?" Gua Yang added.
Gua Huiyin looked at the two children, smiling slightly. "If you're hungry, go ahead and eat. I'll send your brother to call her again. If she doesn't come in time, we'll prepare another meal for her later. After this, I'll go back to practicing calligraphy with Ali."
As Gua Huiyin spoke, he started to move his chopsticks towards the food in front of him.
Once Gua Huiyin began to eat, the remaining people also started to dig into their food immediately. If the group of elders finished eating first, they should place their chopsticks down as well.
This is the scene that Gua Huiyin walked in on while everyone was having a meal together at the table. About halfway through, she still held the carved wooden wolf that her older brother had given her earlier in the day. When her brother came to fetch her, she didn't have time to put it on the table properly and just rushed to the front of the house immediately, as her house was the farthest from the front house. She begged for forgiveness as she came.
"Mother, older brother, second brother, third brother, Uncle Nan, I apologize for being late. I really didn't know that there was a meal at the front house today. Can I sit here, Mother?" Gua Huiyin bowed and greeted everyone with a soft voice.
"Follow your heart. But you have to hurry a bit because the elders at the table have almost finished eating. It's better for your brother to prepare a separate meal for you. You might feel fuller that way. If you eat too quickly now, you might get a stomachache," Mother replied, looking at Gua Huiyin with a disapproving look.
"If that's the case, as Mother wishes. I'll go back to wait at my house," Gua Huiyin said goodbye to everyone and turned back, walking with her head down in the darkness along the path she had just come from.
Every action of the Gua family was under the watchful eyes of Nahan Liye. He frowned and looked at the small back of the girl until she disappeared into the darkness.
In the darkness, the small face was bathed in tears. Gua Huiyin bit her lip, not wanting any sobbing sounds to leak out for her brother who was walking behind her to hear. A few tears dripped onto the little wooden wolf in her hand, as if it was crying with her. Although everyone would say she was a naughty child, no one would know what she had to face in the small house she lived in.
At this moment, her feelings were probably similar to that carved wooden wolf—not liked and discarded. She really didn't know who between her and the wooden wolf was the one with more excess baggage.
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