Too high to reach

Chapter 53 New Year’s Eve
In the past two days, Mo Rushan has been busy with a job that he originally had little hope of getting, but thanks to the marriage alliance with the Xu family, it seems to have a glimmer of hope. So he's been planning to host dinners and give gifts.

Mo Ruhai was deeply concerned about Mo Yi's situation, feeling resentful and unable to contain himself. He deliberately slipped away to the Jing'an Marquis's residence, hoping to have a chance encounter with Liang You.

As he walked through that imposing gate, his heart pounded. For a moment, he was afraid that he might actually run into him... which would be awkward.

The funeral at the Liang residence was over, but there was little festive atmosphere. In addition to the usual gatekeepers, two soldiers carrying swords were also present, creating a very solemn atmosphere.

He shuffled over, glancing sideways into the gate. Inside was a huge glazed tile screen wall; he couldn't see anything else. He smiled wryly. To be honest… it really felt a bit out of place for his daughter to be the mistress of such a household… He touched his nose, resigned, and went home.

The two brothers were preoccupied with their own thoughts, so it wasn't until Liu started making a fuss again that they realized there was still no news from Mo Rusong.

This is wrong!

In previous years, even if he didn't come back, he would definitely send a letter home and ask a familiar security escort agency to deliver this year's harvest, as well as New Year's goods and the like.

The two brothers whispered among themselves for a long time, feeling uneasy, and decided to send an urgent letter to inquire after the New Year.

On Lunar New Year's Eve, a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner was prepared at home.

Everyone decorated their rooms and came over for dinner in a lively atmosphere.

Zhou, who hadn't left the house, also arrived. She was wearing a velvet jacket with floral patterns, a brocade half-sleeved gown over it, and gold ornaments on her head. Worried that she might not have a good appetite, they had specially prepared some light food for her.

When Wang thought about how Mowen would be getting married the following autumn, and that this would be the last New Year's Eve her eldest daughter would spend with her, she immediately felt sad and sat there shedding tears.

Liu drank a cup of wine in a sullen mood, thinking of her husband who had not been heard from in a long time. She felt resentful: There is still no news. Maybe he is dead!
Mo Yuan knew her mother was upset, so she poured her another glass...

Before he could even take a sip of his second cup, a commotion erupted outside. Servants who were having their New Year's Eve dinner in the front room rushed in in a panic: "Master, Master, our Third Master is back!"

Everyone in the house was shocked. What? They're only coming back now? It's New Year's Eve! Are there still people on the streets?
Mo Rushan and his second brother exchanged a glance, then immediately stood up and hurriedly walked out. Mo Da and his two brothers followed, and then Mo Yuan helped Liu Shi out with everyone else.

When I got to the front yard, I saw more than a dozen people hurriedly carrying things inside, it was a mess.

"Third brother!?" Mo Rushan exclaimed.

A middle-aged man, busy inside and outside, turned around and called out, "Eldest brother...Second brother." It was Mo Rusong, who looked at his family members who came out to greet him with a complicated expression.

"Why are you only coming back now?" Mo Rushan was extremely surprised.

The busy people were carrying several lanterns, making the courtyard quite bright. Mo Rusong's expression was clearly not good; he said in a low voice, "I'll tell you later."

The things were piled up in the house and courtyard without any fuss; they were just left lying around. It didn't take long to move them all. Zhang Hu, Mo Rusong's personal attendant, counted the items, then took out a packet of silver and said somewhat apologetically to the leader, "Thank you all for your hard work. This is an extra fee from our master for your trouble!"

Seeing that the amount of silver was quite generous, the men's faces finally softened a bit. They didn't say much, took the silver, and left, leaving everyone's families in a state of panic.

The light dimmed, leaving only a pile of things.

Two women stood in the corner of the gate, one of them holding a son and a daughter, curiously looking around the courtyard and the Mo family.

The other one had her head down, holding the hand of a six or seven-year-old boy, and also had her arm around an even younger boy.

"Third brother, why are you only coming back on New Year's Eve? Did you run into trouble on the way?" Mo Ruhai asked.

Liu didn't speak to her husband, but instead gave the two women a sharp look. Mo Yuan felt a little nervous and couldn't even pretend anymore.

“Let’s go inside and talk! Second brother, that…” He pointed to the woman holding her two children, “This is Yang, Song Jiayou’s wife, and her children. The three of them came back with me first. We’ll talk about it later. That… is Yunniang… Yunniang! Come in!” He said to the woman who had her head bowed. “Wait!” Liu shouted, “Yunniang? Who is Yunniang?!”

"Let's go inside and talk!" Mo Rusong said with a stern face.

"Mo Rusong! If you don't explain yourself clearly today, don't even think about coming in!" Liu's voice rose eight octaves.

Mo Rushan frowned, and Zhuang Shi quickly said, "Alright! It's freezing cold, what can we possibly talk about in the yard? Come inside! Meixiang..." She gestured with her chin toward her maid.

Meixiang walked toward the woman.

Mo Rushan knew: This is trouble again! On New Year's Eve... this is really something! He turned around and went back to the dining room.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, everyone had a pretty good idea. Wang glanced at the "Yunniang" and chuckled inwardly: Liu Sujin, are you still going to laugh at me? She walked over, pulled Liu aside, and said, "Sister-in-law, let's go inside and talk."

Seeing that the men of the Mo family had all gone inside, Liu shoved Wang aside and angrily followed them. Mo Yuan glanced coldly at "Yunniang" and the two boys, then turned and followed her mother.

Everyone followed them into the house with a snoring sound.

"Are you Song Jiayou's wife?" Mo Yi stayed behind.

The Song family had returned to their hometown many years ago, but only once in between, supposedly to get married there. However, this was the first time they had ever met his wife.

The woman quickly smiled and said, "Miss, my surname is Yang, and my husband is Song Jiayou. These are his son and daughter! Our husband didn't come back with us this time."

"Come inside with me and warm up! And... ma'am, please take your child inside, it's cold outside."

Yunniang looked up at Moyi, who looked exhausted and had tears on her face.

Mo Yi said softly, "Come with me!" She reached out and led the young girl from the Song family and the eldest son from Yun Niang's arms. Both children were quite well-behaved; they glanced at their mother and obediently followed Mo Yi into the front living room.

The living room was empty; everyone had gone to the dining room. Only two candles were lit, making it rather dim.

"Sister Meixiang, go pour some hot tea! Sister Song, this lady, please sit down!"

There was a charcoal brazier burning in the main room, so it was quite warm.

"Oh! Thank you, young lady!"

"Thank you very much, young lady..." Yunniang said softly.

Mo Yi wondered, "Sister-in-law Song, why are you only coming in now?"

Sister-in-law Song was quick to speak her mind: "We originally planned to come back after the spring planting, but then Third Master and my husband decided to come back the following year, so we left in a bit of a hurry. Since it was almost New Year's and no escort agency was available, we ran into the Yuanwei Escort Agency from the capital at the ferry. They were escorting goods out, but not much was coming back. Master paid a high price to get them on board. It was already an accident, and there was a lot of stuff, so we had a bumpy journey and only arrived now. The people at the escort agency… are all quite angry…"

Yunniang sat quietly in the chair, with the two children nestled beside her.

“Oh, Miss, this is Yunniang…” Madam Yang lowered her voice: “Third Master’s two sons, Hao-ge’er and Lin-ge’er.”

This Lunar New Year's Eve is really going to be lively... Mo Yi smiled wryly.

(End of this chapter)