Chapter One: Perplexity

  This time back to Shaoxing, Gao Huaiyuan did not bring many people with a big fanfare, but instead traveled lightly with only Liu'er and Li Tong, Huang Yan, and Zhou Huan. This way, they could walk on the road without drawing attention, and also didn't have to worry about what Gao Jian would think when they returned to Shaoxing, after all he was still young, and it wouldn't be good for Gao Huaiyuan to explain why he had taken in slaves on his own initiative.

  It was more than a year ago when they left Shaoxing, the five of them rushed to pack two mule carts with some local specialties from Da Ye's hometown and set off towards Shaoxing.

  This time, Gao Huaiyuan still chose to return to Shaoxing by land. Although taking the water route from the Yangtze River by boat would be more comfortable, it would take longer. After arriving in Jiankang, they would have to disembark and travel by land back to Shaoxing, which would inevitably delay their journey. If they didn't hurry, by the time they returned to Shaoxing, the new year might already be over!

  So, in order to save time, Gao Huaiyuan arranged for things on this side after he had finished arranging things here, and then instructed Xue Yan to send New Year's gifts to Liu Zhixian and others at the county government office, and then hastily set off with Li Tong and others.

  He didn't want Liu'er to follow him and suffer from the hardships of traveling again, but Liu'er refused to listen. He was worried that Gao Huaiyuan would have no one to take care of her on the road, so he had to bring her along. As a result, Li Tong, Huang Yan, and Zhou Huan saw how much he doted on her clearly.

  This time back, unlike the last time coming over, they had to rush back to Shaoxing Prefecture before the New Year, so they didn't have the interest in sightseeing and playing in the water. All the way, they no longer stopped, basically even lunch was solved on the car, only at night did they find an inn to stay. In addition, after passing through once, the road became familiar, so it was much faster than the last time coming over.

  Along the way, he still saw many places with continuous refugees. For this situation, Gao Huaiyuan was also helpless and could only listen to it. In this world, his current power was too small, too small, and he had no ability to change the fate of so many people.

  Due to the refugee problem, the road was not very peaceful. Along the way, they encountered three or four times of being ambushed by bandits, but now Gao Huaiyuan and Huang Yan, Zhou Huan's three people have long been not the little kids a year ago. Each has grown tall and strong, and their kung fu skills are also rapidly improving. After many battles, Huang Yan and Zhou Huan's two people not only improved their martial arts skills but also became much bolder.

  These few times encountering bandits, almost didn't let Gao Huaiyuan take action. The two of them each held a big stick in their hands and beat those bandits until they cried out for their dads and moms, running away with their tails between their legs. Those who ran slower were beaten until their heads were cracked and bleeding, the more serious ones would be beaten to the point of broken bones and tendons on the spot, not to the point of death, but this year they wouldn't have a good new year!

  With Gao Huaiyuan and the other two fierce men around, they weren't afraid of anything big happening, and after just a few days, they arrived at the foot of Huangshan.

  As usual, they didn't stay for a moment and quickly passed by Huangshan, continuing to rush towards Shaoxing. By the afternoon, they had already crossed the border of Huangshan, and there were fewer people on the road. The two sides kept appearing with some mountains and forests, and the road was not easy to walk, so the car slowed down.

  Gao Huaiyuan sighed, if this were in later generations, let alone taking a plane, trains and cars would have roughly arrived in Shaoxing within a day. But now, even on a fast day, they could only travel one or two hundred miles, and still couldn't avoid encountering something, what a waste of time!

  After walking through so many roads, their experience of traveling has also become richer. Places like this are generally not peaceful and are where bandits and thieves often appear. So after entering this section of road, Gao Huaiyuan and the others became more cautious, putting all the handy objects by their side, preparing to deal with any sudden events at any time.

  Heaven does not disappoint those who are diligent, what they fear is what comes, two mule carts were on their way, when suddenly dozens of bandits in different attire jumped out from the side of the road and blocked their path.

  This time, Huang Yan and Zhou Huan were a bit nervous, after all, in the previous encounters with thieves, there were at most seven or eight people, so they could handle it relatively easily. However, this time the number of opponents was too many, wanting to deal with them, it's probably not possible for just the two of them.

  Li Tong took one look at the situation and immediately followed Gao Huaiyuan's instructions, diving headfirst into the carriage. He didn't know any martial arts, so he would only get in the way; it was safer for him to hide. As for Liu'er, she drew out a dagger and sat inside the carriage, feeling a bit tense but having blind faith in Gao Huaiyuan, thinking that as long as he was there, there was nothing to be afraid of.

  Things like this, Gao Huaiyuan is a bit tired of it. The first time he fought against the bandits was fun, but after many times, it's not interesting anymore. How did the Song Dynasty become like this? Last time, I only met Xue Yan and his gang once, but this time, I encountered them so many times in a row. Is it that they are just too lucky?

  These thieves came out and immediately shouted at Gao Huaiyuan and others to get off the bus, leave their belongings behind, and hurry away, threatening them with dire consequences if they didn't comply.

  Gao Huaiyuan took a look and knew that it was already impossible to let them off easily, so many thieves couldn't be driven away with just two coins, so he didn't hold back either, and started fighting.

  Then he picked up a long stick and took Huang Yan and Zhou Huan to kill them. On the contrary, they scared this group of thieves, thinking that these three young people were really not small-minded, and they actually dared to fight with so many people. Suddenly, the killing intention rose, and they shouted and rushed up.

  Gao Huaiyuan didn't hold back either, and after swinging his stick, he showed a kind of bravery that made him unstoppable. In no time at all, he knocked down several thieves, while Huang Yan and Zhou Huan also took advantage of Gao's presence to take down their opponents one by one, beating the thieves until they cried out in fear and never dared to underestimate them again.

  The leader of the thieves was a ruthless man, and as soon as he saw that things were not going his way, he decided to kill them. He secretly ordered several of his men to take out their bows and arrows and launch a surprise attack on Gao Huaiyuan and his two companions.

  At first, Gao Huaiyuan and Huang Yan did not expect that the other party would have such advanced equipment as bows and arrows in their hands. When they discovered that things were not going well, it was already a bit late. Gao Huaiyuan hastily blocked Huang Yan's two people, raised his hand to shoot down several bows and arrows, and almost got hit by a cold arrow, thus scaring out a whole body of cold sweat!

  He's also furious now, if you want to rob, just rob, but if you must kill people, that's unforgivable. No matter why you're robbing, this alone is a taboo for Gao Huaiyuan. It's not easy to come to this world, how can you die so easily in the hands of these thieves?!

  Now Gao Huaiyuan also understood, in this world self-preservation is necessary. Sometimes being too soft-hearted doesn't work, and if you're not careful, you'll be harmed by others. So when the other side shot arrows at them, Gao Huaiyuan didn't hold back either. He took out the three-edged flying knife from his waist and swung it around, shooting it out with a whooshing sound. This time, the bandits were in for a bad luck. How could they dodge Gao Huaiyuan's flying knives? As a result, after a short while, those few guys holding bows and arrows fell to the ground, each one hit by a knife. Even if they didn't die, they would probably be disabled.

  These thieves knew that things were going badly, they had run into a tough opponent, so they shouted and turned around to run away, who still cared about their own brothers.

  For such an unfeeling and unjust group of people, Gao Huaiyuan was even more resentful. Coming out to mix without regard for the life or death of his own brothers was also deserving of death. He picked up a bow and arrow from the ground, raised his hand and shot one arrow. As a result, the thief's head ran out not far away, but was nailed by Gao Huaiyuan with one arrow to the back of his heart, fell to the ground, and it seemed that he would not survive.

  After dealing with those people, Gao Huaiyuan didn't dare to linger here either, and hurriedly set off on the road again, lest he be accused of murder and get into trouble with the authorities. He didn't even stop at night, and only felt relieved after crossing the border of Huangshan, where it was relatively safer as the capital city of Lin'an was not far away.

  Counting the days, there are still four or five days before New Year's Eve. They have not delayed much on this journey and can finally return to Shaoxing Prefecture before the new year, so they are no longer in a hurry after arriving here.

  It wasn't until the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, at noon, that a group of five people entered Shaoxing Prefecture, which they had left over a year ago. As soon as they entered the city, Huang Yan and Zhou Hao bid farewell to return home first, their faces showing great urgency. Gao Huairen naturally understood their emotions and didn't delay them. He took two packages full of various gifts from the carriage and handed them over to them, telling them to bring them back for their families to use.

  The two didn't bother with formalities and after taking over, they bid farewell and headed home. Gao Huaiyuan drove himself, and together with Li Tong, returned to the Gao estate in the south of the city.

  Standing in front of the Gao family gate, looking at the seemingly unchanged Gao family mansion, Gao Huaiyuan's emotions were very complicated. If he had to say that this was his birthplace, but he didn't feel a bit of closeness to it. If it weren't for Gao Jian inviting him back, Gao Huaiyuan would never have come back here, nor did he want to return. The memories left to him by this place were devoid of any warmth, filled with cold and icy stares and prejudice, making him feel uncomfortable even now when thinking about it.

  But since they had come this far, it was impossible not to go in, and the gatekeepers of the Gao Mansion had already seen the three of them, their eyes filled with astonishment.

  "What are you still dazing about? Quickly report to Master, Third Young Master has returned!" Li Tong was no longer the bullied servant in the Gao Manor as he used to be. He was now a trusted subordinate by High Hua Yuan's side, and he also knew that High Hua Yuan had become a master of his own skills, so he didn't have to worry about being bullied in the Gao family like before.

  But Li Tong felt pretty good about himself, however the two guys at the door still didn't take him seriously. After taking a closer look and realizing it was Gao Huaiyuan and the others, he still had the same feeling as before, filled with disdain. Although Gao Huaiyuan is now tall and strong, in their eyes, he's still the same foolish kid from before, just a bit taller.

  One of them walked out coldly, gave Gao Huaiyuan a perfunctory salute, and said to them: "The master is still in the government office and has not returned yet. You can enter through the side door!"

  Li Tong was unhappy as soon as he heard it. In his eyes, Gao Huaiyuan is now as big as the sky, but this guy doesn't even let them walk through the main gate, and instead lets Gao Huaiyuan drive himself to enter through the side door. This clearly shows that he is neglecting Gao Huaiyuan, how can he be willing to do it?

  Li Tong immediately stepped forward and scolded him, "You are so rude! Open your dog eyes and take a look, this is our Third Young Master returning home. Why don't you hurry up to take over the carriage and invite the Young Master to rest? Our Third Young Master has been traveling by boat and carriage for several days and has just returned here. Is this how you serve as a servant?"

  As a result, the fellow was scolded by Li Tong and he stopped, sneering: "What are you, arguing with me here? Isn't it just Third Young Master coming back? What's the big deal? Don't put on airs, let your people leave through the side door, I'm busy guarding the gate, no time to serve you! You still think you're something, daring to scold me, watch me not slap your mouth!" The fellow actually dared to take action, saying he was about to raise his hand and slap Li Tong.

  Gao Huaiyuan naturally knew why this guy was so arrogant, no need to say that he still thought of himself as the stupid little boy without roots or foundation from before, and with him not being in Shaoxing for this period of time, in their eyes it was equivalent to being exiled to the old mansion in Daye, so wanting them to respect him was basically impossible!

  But this guy is really annoying, when beating a dog, one must consider its master. Li Tong is now following his trusted subordinate, if he doesn't take the lead, then who will take the lead for Li Tong?!

  So, without waiting for that guy to make a move, Gao Huaiyuan took the initiative and slapped him with a loud "slap". The arrogant little gatekeeper immediately spun around like a top and stumbled out, hitting his head against the wall next to him. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted, foaming at the mouth.

  Gao Huai looked coldly at another gatekeeper and said, "I'm telling you, no matter what, I am your Third Young Master. You can't be arrogant in front of me. Quickly take the carriage to the courtyard. If you dare to slow down again, this will be your outcome!"

  He had always been soft and afraid of the strong, but this time Gao Huaiyuan came back with a strong attitude, instantly intimidating the young servant. He suddenly remembered what had happened to Li's servant over a year ago before Gao Huaiyuan left the Gao family, and now Gao Huaiyuan was obviously as tall as an adult. He couldn't compete with him, actually he couldn't even compete with himself. After all, Gao Huaiyuan was in charge of so many people in the old Gao mansion, and he didn't dare to provoke him.

  So the little servant didn't dare to take care of the little servant who was beaten unconscious, and quickly took over Gao Huaiyuan's carriage, carefully and smilingly accompanied him to the inside of the gate, and ran to drive the big car into the courtyard.

  Li Tong is so pleased! Following Gao Huaiyuan is great, at first he was unhappy about this, but thinking about it now makes him want to slap himself in the face. Now looking at the Gao family, who dares to bully him? With Gao Huaiyuan around, that person lying outside the door is the best example.

  After entering the courtyard, Gao Huaiyuan took a look at the situation inside the courtyard and found that there were no major changes around him. Some of the servants in the courtyard had just heard about what happened outside the door and were so frightened that they didn't dare to be arrogant in front of Gao Huaiyuan anymore, and they all came over with smiles on their faces to greet him.

  Gao Weiyan didn't put on airs, when others showed him respect, he returned it tenfold. He nodded in response to the servants' greetings, which immediately won over their goodwill. They whispered among themselves, thinking that this young master wasn't so bad after all. At least he didn't have an arrogant attitude! The guy outside the door had it coming, asking for a beating from his master, truly not worthy of sympathy.

  Gao Jian was not around, so Gao Huaiyuan wanted to settle down the things he brought back first. After asking around, he found out that his old small courtyard was still empty, so he had the things that were not for the Gao family put away in his old small courtyard and told Liu Er and Li Tong to tidy up the courtyard while he stayed there himself.

  Li Tong and Liu'er immediately busied themselves, while Gao Huaiyuan, out of politeness, had to go see Zhang Shi, the legitimate wife of Gao Jian first. Otherwise, he would inevitably incur the criticism of these women, which would be troublesome.

  Mrs. Zhang stared at Gao Huaiyuan in front of her with great surprise, feeling quite uncomfortable in her heart. Although she was the legitimate wife of Gao Jian, her fate was not good, and she had given birth to a useless son. Since her son had made a scandal by having an affair with Gao Jian's concubine, even she herself had been implicated and lost her influence over Gao Jian. Now, for ten days or half a month, it was difficult for her to see Gao Jian's face.

  And her son Gao Huailiang, since the incident, was severely beaten by Gao Jian. Later, after Gao Huaivan left Shaoxing, Gao Jian felt that keeping him in the Gao family was shameful, so he arranged a place for him in southern Fujian and sent Gao Huailiang to the south, which was less annoying than seeing him around. Compared to Gao Huaivan, Gao Huailiang's fate was miserable, alone on the road, fleeing to the south and hiding there, never daring to return to Shaoxing again.

  Zhang looked at Gao Huaiyuan, who had not seen him for over a year, and saw that he was exceptionally tall, big and strong. Every move he made had some kind of adult demeanor, where was the silly feeling he used to have? Moreover, from his eyes, there was a strong sense of self-confidence, which didn't look like a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy at all, but more like a young man, so she felt extremely surprised.

  But Zhang and Gao Huaiyuan didn't have much to say, they just chatted casually for a couple of sentences before letting Gao Huaiyuan go down to rest. They would wait for Gao Jian's return, when the whole family could reunite. As soon as she thought that even Gao Huaiyuan, this son who had never been valued by Gao Jian, had the right to come back and reunite with his family, while her own useless son was still suffering in Fujian, Zhang looked at Gao Huaiyuan's back and felt a surge of sorrow, secretly wiping away tears.

  Gao Huaiyuan didn't even bother to pay his respects to those concubines of Gao Jian's, so he simply went back to his own courtyard to rest first and would talk about it when Gao Jian returned.

  As soon as he walked out of the small courtyard, he heard someone inside scolding: "Does this servant need to take care of Young Master Ben's affairs? Get out of here! ...... " Then there was a loud slap, followed by Li Tong's painful hum.