"Young Master... little master!" The old man couldn’t help but utter the words.
The people who came in... why did the old man’s gaze seem like he was truly looking at his master?
The Ye family... what situation is this?
Ye Shiqi... could the old man have developed dementia?
Seeing the little master ignoring him, not recognizing him, the old man was overwhelmed with emotion and tears streamed down his face:
"Young Master, little master ah, this servant has finally met you in my lifetime!"
The old man, though hunchbacked, was sprightly in his steps and quickly stepped forward, grabbing Hongji’s sleeve and crying profusely!
Hongji... what situation is this?
His wife, his children...
Li Zhihao... since when had his brother-in-law become someone else’s young master?
Zhong Xingwang... was this a kinship recognition? What situation is this?
The old man brought to buy the house... could this be fate? No wonder there was a sense of familiarity, this family seemed a bit like old friends and his concubine, now promoted to equal wife.
The old housekeeper... was this him bringing family members for his old master?
"Old man, you must be mistaken. I have never been to the Capital City, nor am I from there; I hail from new county!"
Hongji, facing such deep affection from the old man, was somewhat moved by his sincerity, unwilling to reject him outright, feeling a bit panicked and at a loss!
The old man seemed to recall a memory, recalling the time he went to new county on a task, solely for his master, bringing the concubine, now the old master’s equal wife, only that later the old master was assigned a task elsewhere.
The old master’s current wife, seizing an opportunity, wanted to get rid of the concubine, but at that time, to protect the child of the master within the concubine’s womb, he secretly arranged for someone to send the concubine back to her hometown.
Unexpectedly, the concubine gave birth prematurely, and the child turned out to be a daughter. Back then, he brought both mother and daughter back, and when the master returned, he was furious with his wife and elevated the concubine to equal wife.
Later, the master went on a mission again, taking the whole family far away, leaving him to guard the house in the Capital City, and the master never returned for over twenty years.
Occasional correspondence followed, then the master continually failed to produce a male heir to continue the family line, always regretting it. When selling the house, he only hoped that those who took over the house would continue to offer incense for the ancestors, even if they were not of the same surname.
When he went to fetch the concubine, following the old master’s orders all those years ago, had it already been over thirty years?
Hongji... had the old man really gone senile? What was to be done, constantly being acknowledged by an old man, he felt totally helpless!
"Young Master, are you from the wealthy village of new county? With the last name Qi?" The old man lifted his tearful eyes, which were now muddled with tears and mucus, and he did not bother to wipe them away.
Hongji... he couldn’t scorn an old man! It seemed that the old man had indeed mistaken the person!
"Old man, you are mistaken. My surname is Ye, I am from Bushen Village in new county, and the wealthy village you mentioned is where my grandmother was from."
Old man... could this be the child of a relative of the concubine?
There is a saying that nephews resemble their uncles, but why doesn’t their family’s young lady look like our Old Master and the concubine?
If this is not the old master’s son, then he is a relative of the concubine, also regarded as of the same clan, selling the house to him, there is someone to continue the ancestral rites.
The old man, now more composed, decided to stay here and not return to the countryside, decided to write to the old master and concubine to find out why.
He said to the old master’s friend, "Mr. Zhao, is this the person you brought to buy the house?"
The elderly man known as Mr. Zhao nodded and said, "Yes, I have already sold my property to this family. Seeing their capability to buy a house, I thought of your house and shop in Bushen Village, so I introduced them to this place. Let’s go and take a look at the property!"
The elderly man nodded and spoke to Hongji:
"Old Master, would you accept buying this house and offering incense to our ancestors?"
Hongji... I am not always living here. It’s my daughter who wants to buy it.
"Elderly man, to tell you the truth, as per your requirements, the buyer should put his own name on it. It’s my younger daughter who wants to buy this house, shop, and the farm properties, so you will have to ask my younger daughter!"
Elderly man... such a large sum of money, are you so at ease as a father? Or is the little girl too capable?
He turned his head to the youngest among the group, the most beautiful and the youngest daughter of this lord, right?
Seeing this young lady reminded him even more of the concubine; her eyes and brows resembled the concubine so much!
He then wiped his nose and tears with his sleeve, revealing a benevolent smile:
"Young lady, can you decide?"
Ye Shiqi, when asked... if she were not looking for a bargain, she really wouldn’t dare accept such peculiar conditions.
"Elderly man, I am still young, and I live in the new county. This time I came out to inspect my older sister’s prospective in-laws, and that one is my future brother-in-law. As for growing up, perhaps I will develop in the Capital City.
However, for now, the houses and farm properties we have bought, my uncle on my mother’s side will help manage here. Could we first visit your house, elderly man?"
"Oh, alright, visit the house. While you’re at it, would you offer incense for our old master’s ancestors?"
Ye family... with your enthusiasm, how could we say no?
The elderly man led everyone through the house; at this time, his back didn’t seem stooped, always smiling joyfully.
Those unaware of the inside story might think he was this happy because he had met the young master.
At this moment, the elderly man even wanted to hold Ye Wenjie’s hand; he had realized that whether it was the young master or the little master, they might be relatives of his household, or truly the children, grandchildren of the master.
Whether they were or not, he was convinced by this familiar feeling that these were the descendants of the master.
Ye Wenjie... I am already grown up; I don’t need to hold hands, I can walk by myself!
But he couldn’t resist the elderly man’s warm hand; he felt even his own grandfather didn’t have such a tender gesture.
Let it be, let it be, satisfy the elderly man’s heart!
The elderly man opened the Buddhist Hall, having been the only one offering incense to the master’s ancestors for over twenty years. This time he brought all the guests in, except for the guards brought by Zhong Xingwang, letting them all hold incense sticks.
No matter if they were boys, girls, Mrs. Li, or the outsider Zhong Xingwang, the elderly man was convinced that they were all relatives.
The visiting Mr. Zhao and the housekeeper also held incense, stepping in for the old friend, offering incense to his ancestors.
This had been going on for over twenty years without fail, whether on the first or fifteenth day of the lunar month, New Year’s, or other festivals, offering incense to one’s own ancestors and also doing this for an old friend.
Hongji... why does it feel like he’s facing his own ancestors? He looked at the names on the ranking list, all were National Guardian Generals, Great Generals, and the last name plaque read ’Duke’.
Ancestor with the same surname, could there have been such impressive figures? He had lived for over thirty years and had no idea!