This sudden change left the surrounding villagers stunned, especially the three who had wanted to help Li Wei speak up. Their mouths were wide open, and a "ho ho ho" sound came from their throats. The three of them were also young and strong. When Li Yan was young and secretly followed them into the mountains to hunt, they had taken care of him quite a lot. At this moment, looking at the young man who was much taller than the old woman even while kneeling, they couldn't help but size him up carefully. Soon, they could vaguely see the thin and weak young boy from back then in Li Yan's face.
"It's really Brother Yan, hehe!"
"That's right, it's really their fifth son."
"What has he been eating? How has he grown so tall and strong in just a few years? I'm afraid even Uncle Guoxin and Big Niu and the others are not this strong." Smiles appeared on the faces of the three.
This change happened too quickly. In fact, the most surprised were Gong Chenying and Zhao Min, who were slowly approaching from behind. They watched this scene, and with the old woman's mournful cry, a sour feeling rose in their hearts, and their eyes actually turned red without them realizing it.
Gong Chenying looked at the group of people huddled together in front. A stern face appeared in her mind, but the eyes on that face revealed a trace of warmth and love that made her feel warm. She whispered in her heart, 'Dad, are you well now? ...'
Under her veiled hat, Zhao Min's lips were bitten tightly. A faint memory and a sadness from that memory also rose in her heart. 'Back then, did you ever think about my feelings? Is the glory of the family really that important?'
After a long time, amidst his mother's reluctant expression, Li Yan slowly stood up. But the old woman still held his hand tightly, as if she were afraid he would disappear if she let go for a moment.
"Hehe, fifth son, you're finally back. Oh, right, Xiao Yu, why don't you hurry up and bring the child over? This is the fifth son, my brother." Li Wei looked at Li Yan before him, his eyes full of smiles. As if he had suddenly remembered something, he quickly turned his head to look at the young woman holding Little Wu. She was looking over here with a curious expression. Li Wei couldn't help but scold in a low voice, but his words kept repeating the two words "fifth son," as if he were afraid others wouldn't know.
Hearing this, Xiao Yu's pretty face flushed red. She hurried over with the child in her arms and curtsied lightly. "Greetings, Uncle."
Hearing this, Li Yan hurriedly returned the salute. "Oh, oh, Li Yan greets his sister-in-law." Then he looked at the child with big, staring eyes and said to Li Wei with a smile, "Third Brother, this is my nephew?" After speaking, he stretched out a hand and stroked the child's black hair. The child, however, with Li Yan's big hand on his head, couldn't help but pout. But after his grandfather's scolding just now, he didn't dare to make a sound for a moment.
"Yes, yes, this is your nephew. Dad even gave him the name, Li Wenwu." Li Wei looked at his son. Even when a relative asked, he couldn't help but feel proud.
"Able to be both literary and martial. Dad, did you secretly learn from the old scholar back then?" Li Yan suddenly said with a hehe laugh.
"You..." Hearing this, Uncle Chang's eyes glared. Just as he was about to scold him, he suddenly saw two people standing behind Li Yan. From their attire, they were clearly two women. He couldn't help but glare fiercely at Li Yan.
Only then did Li Yan remember that he had not yet introduced the two women. Just as he was about to do so, the three villagers had already walked over and said with smiles, "Brother Yan, where did you come back from?"
"Brother Yan, I heard you became a high official, but there has been no detailed news back. You really worried your parents. It's not that I'm lecturing you, brother, but what you did was out of line."
"What do you two know? Brother Yan must have had important matters, or it was inconvenient to say. Otherwise, how could there be no news for several years, not a single letter home."
Li Yan watched as the three walked over, talking and laughing. He couldn't help but bow to them. These three had also taken good care of him in the mountains when he was young.
"The three brothers are right. I was indeed not considerate enough. I will definitely pay attention in the future."
As they were talking, a few more people from the nearby fields walked over. Uncle Chang greeted them happily.
"My little rascal is back. Look, look, with this height, even if you met him outside, you would definitely have a hard time recognizing him."
"Yo, look at him. He really is Li Yan. It's only been a few years, but he's really a fine man now. With this appearance, he can go hunting in the mountains."
"What are you talking about? With Li Yan's looks and attire, does he still need to hunt? What is this called again? It's called, it's called 'returning home in glory,' right?"
"That's right, Li Yan. I heard from Guoxin that you were promoted to a high official. Why didn't you bring any attendants when you came back? Who are those two..."
The few villagers who came over, old and young, all spoke up. For a moment, the field ridge became lively.
Following the crowd's topic, everyone's gaze invariably swept to the two people who had been standing in the back without a sound.
Li Yan held his mother's hand, his eyes darted. "Mom, I have an important position this time I've come back, so some things can't be made public. The two who came with me are also people from the court." After speaking, he smiled and nodded at the two women.
Gong Chenying and Zhao Min had been deeply moved and were lost in thought with their heads bowed. Hearing Li Yan speak over there, the two women exchanged a glance. Gong Chenying hesitated for a moment and then was the first to take a light, lotus-like step forward. With the grace of a swaying lotus, she had already arrived before the crowd. She raised her bright wrist and took off her veiled hat. Looking at Li Yan who was watching her with a smile, her cheeks were already flushed with a crimson blush. She spoke in a low voice like a moth. "Chenying greets the two elders." After speaking, she felt her cheeks burn as if on fire and lowered her head.
Although men and women on the Desolate Moon Continent avoided suspicion, the general customs were still simple and open. There were not many women who never left their homes.
Just as Gong Chenying's voice fell, Zhao Min bit her lower lip and also walked forward. But she was usually even colder and more taciturn than Gong Chenying. With a light wave of her jade-like hand, she also took off her veiled hat. In an instant, her black hair was like a waterfall, her skin like jade. She bowed lightly to the old woman and Uncle Chang, then stood behind Gong Chenying with her head bowed. She really didn't know what expression to make, and she was afraid that her cold appearance would be misunderstood. So after a bow, she lowered her beautiful head and didn't speak.
The moment the two women took off their veiled hats, the sunlight of May seemed to lose its color in that instant. Everyone except Li Yan stared blankly at the two women, their eyes wide, the surroundings completely silent. When had they ever seen such beautiful people? They had never even dreamed of it. For a moment, they were stunned and speechless.
In the dead silence, a clear child's voice suddenly broke the tranquility. "Wow, the two big sisters are so pretty, prettier than the fairy sisters in the New Year's paintings." Little Wu stood on the ground, blinking his big eyes, pointing at the two women, and giggling. As he spoke, he seemed to want to break free from Xiao Yu's hand and go hug the two women. Xiao Yu grabbed the struggling Little Wu.
"Immortals, they are fairies," Xiao Yu muttered. She instantly felt ashamed of her own appearance.
The old woman looked at the fairy-like people before her, her mouth wide open. After a long while, she turned her head to look at the smiling Li Yan, then at the two women again. Gradually, an unprecedented light appeared in her eyes, and a smile that hadn't been seen for a long time appeared on the corners of her mouth.
Uncle Chang also looked at his son with a strange expression. These two women were clearly from noble and powerful families. He didn't know what their relationship with Li Yan was.
The other villagers around them were constantly sucking in cold breaths, their gazes toward Li Yan becoming extremely wonderful.
Li Yan watched as everyone looked at him, and the place had become so quiet that it was a bit strange. His own mother's eyes were also shining frighteningly, and her whole person instantly seemed much younger. He could even feel a trace of nervousness from the two women behind him. Although he had expected it, it still made them very uncomfortable.
He coughed dryly and then said softly, "This is the daughter of the imperial physician Gong from the imperial palace." He pointed at Gong Chenying, then pointed at Zhao Min again. "This is the daughter of Marshal Zhao from the northern frontier." He was just making it up as he went. Afterward, he just needed to tell the cultivators guarding here, and the rest would be for them to handle. He imagined that this small matter would not be difficult for the Bloodleaf Sect and the others at all. Besides, with his parents' and Uncle Guoxin's abilities, they couldn't find out too much anyway.
"Ah, they are actually the daughters of an imperial physician and a marshal?" Hearing this, a thought that they couldn't believe at all rose in the hearts of the people around them.
Although they were remote villagers, they still knew what the words "imperial palace" and "marshal" meant. They never thought that the two incomparably beautiful women before them had such great backgrounds.
"Little rascal... fifth son, what is your official position now?" After a long while, Uncle Chang couldn't help but ask with doubt. This while of great sorrow and great joy, with so many ups and downs, he knew that he had never had so many mood swings in half his life. But he was also the first among the crowd to come to his senses.
"Dad, I serve under Marshal Zhao. Some specific matters cannot be spoken of," Li Yan had already prepared his lines and said them without hesitation. But when he said that he served under Marshal Zhao, he clearly felt Zhao Min's delicate body tremble beside him. He even saw Zhao Min glare at him fiercely out of the corner of his eye, while Gong Chenying was beside her, seemingly trying to suppress a smile with her head bowed.
"Oh, so you serve under Miss Zhao's father. Since it's a military secret, then I won't ask, I won't ask." Hearing this, although Uncle Chang still had doubts in his heart, he also knew his limits. He knew that some matters in the army could not be asked about, so he suppressed the confusion in his heart.
Li Yan's mother, on the other hand, opened her mouth, but in the end, she did not ask. She didn't know how long Li Yan would be back this time. This was what made her most uneasy in her heart. But seeing the current situation, she didn't dare to speak for a moment.
Seeing that everyone was still waiting to ask more questions, Uncle Chang waved his hand. "Fifth son, since we have distinguished guests, this is not the place to talk. Let's go home now."
Hearing this, the others felt that Uncle Chang was right. How could the fields be a place for a long conversation? With envy and amazement, they all bid farewell to Uncle Chang's family, then greeted Li Yan, and went about their own business. But there were a few who went straight toward the village.
Li Yan stole a glance at the two women. Seeing that they had gradually returned to calm and were also smiling and nodding to greet those who were leaving, it was just that Zhao Min's smile was still a bit cold, but this was already extremely rare for her. He couldn't help but smile in his heart and said, "Mm, we'll talk when we get back. Dad, Mom, you go ahead. Third Brother and I will finish the remaining work in this field and then go back."
Hearing this, the old woman quickly tightened her grip on Li Yan's hand, as if afraid he would leave. She said repeatedly, "Fifth son, we can do this work tomorrow. Let's go back together." Uncle Chang also did not say anything.
Seeing this, Li Yan's heart soured. He knew that his lack of news these years had worried his parents too much. He patted his mother's shoulder. "Then let's go back together. I'll come and harvest the rest in the fields tomorrow. But it's better to pull back the bundles of wheat at the head of this field."
"Mom, fifth son is right. The harvested wheat can't be left scattered like this. I'll go and get the cart," Li Wei also said. After speaking, he was about to go to the nearby road to get the large cart that was parked there. Looking at his limping third brother, Li Yan took a few steps forward and got in front of Li Wei. "Third Brother, I'll go and get it." After speaking, he walked over. But as he passed by Li Wei, he said to him in a low voice, "Third Brother, that Miss Gong has inherited her father's skills. Her medical skills are unparalleled in the world. Your leg will be fine this time."
These words entered Li Wei's ears. His figure suddenly paused. He looked at Li Yan's back in disbelief, then slowly turned his head to glance at Gong Chenying. A sense of absurdity rose in his heart. He felt that everything today was a dream. In his eyes, it was all extremely incredible.
How could he know that before coming, Li Yan had already considered treating his leg? With Li Yan's current ability, this matter was extremely simple, and he didn't even need to use medicinal pills. Li Wei's ankle had been injured, and the treatment had been delayed, causing the meridians to atrophy and the qi and blood to be blocked. Now, he only needed to use spiritual energy to heal it. But that would be too shocking. So he had long since found an excuse and given Gong Chenying the title of a family of imperial physicians in the imperial palace. By then, Gong Chenying would only need to put on a show and use a little spiritual energy and some nourishing medicinal pills to adjust it, and it would be fine.
Not long after, the large cart was loaded with bundles of wheat stalks. It was just that Li Wei's family had no oxen or horses, so it had to be pulled by human strength. The silver that Li Yan had left behind earlier had been mostly spent after building a new house and Li Wei getting married. Li Wei would not touch the remaining money no matter what. Having spent so much money, Li Wei had always felt guilty toward Li Yan these years, so he was even more determined to take good care of his parents, as a promise to Li Yan back then.
Just now, when the two of them were carrying the bundles of wheat onto the cart, he had secretly said to Li Yan that when he came back this time, he would move back to the old house and give the new rooms to Li Yan. Li Yan, on the other hand, bumped Li Wei with his shoulder, winked at him, and then, as if hiding from others, secretly showed a small opening in a cloth bag at his waist. It was a patch of glittering, bright yellow. It almost made Li Wei cry out. Li Yan, on the other hand, chuckled, closed the cloth bag, and asked Li Wei in a low voice if he wanted to take his parents to Green Mountain Pass to do business, then shouldered a bundle of wheat and strode away. Li Wei was dizzy and couldn't even reply. Everything felt unreal.