On her wedding night, she went into exile with her pharmacy arsenal

Chapter 2245 The Zhou Family's Past

Yan Ruyu walked along the bluestone path toward the side courtyard. A worn bamboo curtain hung on the gate, swaying gently in the wind.

As you push open the door, a faint musty smell mixed with the scent of earth hits you. In the courtyard, there is only a mottled wooden table and two long benches.

Zhou Lao Er was sitting on a bench, his back slightly hunched, his hands clasped together on his knees.

Hearing the noise, he suddenly looked up, his gaze meeting Yan Ruyu's, then hurriedly lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously curling up.

Yan Ruyu's gaze first fell on his hands.

Those were weathered hands, with large, deformed knuckles, nail crevices filled with indelible black grime, and thick, calloused fingertips and palms.

Several fine cracks were visible along the edges, some already scabbed over, others still faintly red, clearly marks left by years of hard work.

Such a deep-seated roughness cannot be faked in a short time.

"Who are you?" Yan Ruyu's voice was calm and even, yet it carried an invisible sense of oppression, making Zhou Lao Er feel a little breathless.

He raised his head, stole a glance at Yan Ruyu, then quickly lowered his head again. His Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and his voice trembled with fear: "I... my surname is Zhou. I was originally the second son in my family, and the villagers all called me Zhou Lao Er."

Later, as I grew older, I became the only one of my brothers left, so the younger generation in the family all called me Uncle-Grandpa.

He paused, as if recalling something, or perhaps afraid of saying the wrong thing, and spoke more slowly: "I am from Chongzhou, and my home is in Chengwazi Village, Qing County, Chongzhou."

Yan Ruyu's mind flashed through the information the secret guards had previously investigated—Zhou Zhenghang's hometown was indeed Chengwazi Village, Qing County, Chongzhou.

Zhou Lao Er was absolutely right about this.

“Chongzhou is not close to Youcheng.” Yan Ruyu’s tone remained calm, revealing no emotion. “What brings you here?”

Zhou Lao Er's head drooped even lower, his messy hair covering most of his face, revealing only the lines at the corners of his mouth.

He whispered, "Our family has suffered a disaster. Last summer, there was a locust plague that devoured all the crops in the fields. This spring, there was a drought, and we really can't go on living like this."

I've come to stay with relatives, hoping to borrow some money to buy food and get through this difficult time."

Yan Ruyu frowned slightly, her gaze falling on his tattered clothes, patched upon patched, the original color of the fabric no longer discernible.

"Why are you borrowing money at your age? Where are your children and grandchildren?"

These words seemed to strike a nerve with Zhou Lao Er. His shoulders slumped, he wiped his eyes, and his voice became thick with nasal tone: "To be honest, some of them are dead, some are sick, and there are hardly any left to rely on."

He sniffed, tears sliding down the dark marks on his cheeks, leaving two faint trails. "Besides buying grain, I borrowed money to repair their graves."

Last year there was a famine, and he died suddenly. His grave hadn't even been properly repaired before half of it collapsed in the rain. I'm truly sorry to my ancestors.

Yan Ruyu didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly.

Zhou Lao Er's expression was sorrowful and bewildered, the despair in his eyes seemed genuine, and even the trembling of his fingertips carried real grief.

If this were acting, the acting would be far too realistic.

But Yan Ruyu was always cautious and didn't completely believe it, only asking casually, "What's your relative's name?"

Zhou Lao Er's body stiffened for a moment, his lips moved but he didn't answer for a while, his eyes flashing with hesitation and difficulty, as if he had some unspeakable secret.

Seeing this, Sun Qing, who was standing to the side, stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Old man, this is our lady. She is a close friend of the governor's wife and has a lot of influence in Youcheng."

If you tell the truth, Madam will surely be able to help you; but if you conceal anything, I'm afraid no one can help you.

Upon hearing the words "the governor's wife," Zhou Lao Er's eyes lit up for a moment, but were quickly replaced by fear.

He struggled to his feet from the bench, staggering as he tried to kneel on the ground, repeatedly pleading, "Madam, save me! Please, Madam, save me!"

Yan Ruyu raised her hand to signal Sun Qing to help him up, her tone still calm: "No need for formalities, let's talk things out."

Sun Qing quickly stepped forward, supported Zhou Lao Er's arm, and helped him sit down again.

Yan Ruyu turned to the door and instructed, "Go to the kitchen and bring a bowl of hot noodles and a few meat buns."

The maid waiting outside responded and quickly left.

Zhou Lao Er stood there, his eyes reddening, his lips trembling, and it took him a long time to squeeze out a sentence: "Thank... thank you, Madam."

Before long, a maid came in carrying a tray with a bowl of steaming noodles on it, topped with two poached eggs and four plump white meat buns on the side. The aroma instantly filled the air.

Zhou Lao Er's stomach rumbled loudly, and he subconsciously swallowed, but didn't dare to make a move.

"Eat," Yan Ruyu said.

Zhou Lao Er then picked up his chopsticks, his hands still trembling slightly. He first took a sip of hot soup, the scalding broth sliding down his throat, the warmth spreading through his esophagus to his whole body, making his eyes well up with tears.

He stopped being polite and started eating the noodles and steamed buns in big mouthfuls, wolfing them down as if he hadn't had a full meal in a long time.

The bowl of noodles and four steamed buns were quickly emptied.

Zhou Lao Er put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and looked much better. His eyes were brighter, and he spoke more fluently than before.

"Madam, to be honest, I've come to see my grand-nephew, Zhou Zhenghang."

Zhou Lao Er raised his head, looked at Yan Ruyu, and said earnestly, "Zhou Zhenghang is the grandson of my eldest brother, Zhou Lao Da. Our Zhou family used to be farmers in the countryside of Chongzhou."

An ancestor of ours ventured out and opened a teahouse. My eldest brother inherited the teahouse and led his family away from Chengwazi Village to Youcheng.

He paused, recalling the past, a hint of nostalgia on his face: "Back then, my brother and I agreed that I would stay home to farm, guard the ancestral home and the land, and all the income from the family would belong to me."

My eldest brother works away from home, and no matter how much he earns, he sends money home every year as promised. He pays for things like repairing the ancestral hall and graves.

"In the first few years, my elder brother had a hard time in Youcheng. He didn't send back much money, but he never stopped."

Later, business gradually improved, and more and more money was sent back.

The renovation of the ancestral hall and the reconstruction of the ancestral graves were all handled by my eldest brother. Everyone in the village envies the Zhou family; my eldest brother is capable, and our business is thriving.

"After my elder brother passed away, Zhou Zhenghang's father took over Baixing Teahouse and continued to follow the original agreement, sending money back on time every year and asking people to bring back some special products from Youcheng during festivals."

Although our two families live far apart, we have always gotten along well.

Even after Zhou Zhenghang took over the teahouse, they maintained contact from the beginning, with no shortage of money and letters exchanged each year.

Yan Ruyu listened quietly and then asked, "What happened next? What changed?"