A new face

Another day passed. Yi Shuyuan found some clothes in the chest: a straight-cut scholar's robe and a plain scholar's headcloth. Though old, they looked as if they should fit when he held them against himself.

This was also the only scholar's outfit in the chest that he could wear immediately without mending. There had originally been several sets, but over the years they had long since been altered or cut up.

Yi Shuyuan had been quite gaunt when he first arrived in this world, but his face had filled out considerably by now.

After a quick wash, Yi Shuyuan tidied his hair in his room, took a small knife, and steadily shaved off his beard a little at a time. Standing before the bronze mirror passed down from his mother's dowry, even he showed a trace of surprise.

Then he changed into the clothes and put on the headcloth. When Yi Shuyuan emerged fully dressed, he left the entire Yi Household dumbstruck. His clothes fit his tall, slender figure, his steps were steady, and he carried himself with a scholar's bearing. With his beard shaved off as well, he looked utterly reborn compared to before!

"Elder brother?"

Yi Baokang approached and asked in a daze, seemingly unsure whether his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Is that... eldest uncle?" "Eldest uncle?"

The rest of the Yi Household were equally astonished. Yi Baokang's wife, Zhao, covered her gaping mouth, disbelief written all over her face. Even the children stood frozen.

His appearance gave Yi Shuyuan some comfort too. He certainly looked better than he had in his previous life. As for everyone's reaction, well, they had not seen much of the world.

"Baokang, I want to go into town and see if I can find some work. If it's convenient, could you take me there?"

Saying those words also meant that, deep down, Yi Shuyuan intended to accept who he was now.

"I-Dad, let me take eldest uncle!"

Yi Yong'an volunteered eagerly. After a moment's hesitation, Yi Baokang agreed. He then saw them to the courtyard gate, still reminding them along the way.

"Go early and come back early. The roads aren't easy to walk after dark."

"Don't worry, Dad. I'll take good care of eldest uncle!"

Yi Shuyuan had nothing to add. He merely nodded and left with Yi Yong'an. Once they were gone, the voices and discussion in the courtyard grew noticeably louder.

The two followed the village paths southeast. Every neighbor and villager they met outside stared in surprise. Most merely wondered where this scholar had come from, while the few who knew about him only realized who he was after someone reminded them. Then they gathered to discuss it excitedly, perhaps setting off a second wave of interest in Yi Shuyuan throughout the village.

Yi Shuyuan paid no mind to these minor details. He and Yi Yong'an continued southeast along the dirt road, heading for the county seat of Yuanjiang County.

As soon as they left the village, Yi Shuyuan visibly relaxed, and his steps grew lighter. Perhaps because he had spent quite some time effectively exercising in the mountains, even Yi Yong'an, who had been following close behind, began struggling to keep pace.

Unable to keep up, Yi Yong'an could not help calling out.

"Hey, eldest uncle, slow down! Wait for me!"

Yi Shuyuan had no choice but to slow down and wait for Yi Yong'an to catch up, and they continued at the same pace.

Yi Yong'an was actually rather excited to have a chance to visit town, so he chatted with Yi Shuyuan the whole way, peppering every exchange with "eldest uncle."

At last, Yi Shuyuan could take no more. After they passed a junction, he said to Yi Yong'an.

"Yong'an, could you stop calling me eldest uncle all the time? There are plenty of people in town, and they know even less about our circumstances. Judging by appearances alone, we look about the same age. Won't it sound strange to outsiders if you call me that?"

In truth, Yi Shuyuan had phrased this rather gently to spare his eldest nephew's feelings. They certainly did not look about the same age now. Though his nephew was in his twenties, at first glance he could pass for thirty or forty, looking much older than he really was.

Yi Yong'an followed along and answered without a care.

"Strange? Eldest uncle, there are plenty of children with senior standing in their families. I've even seen old men call a child uncle!"

Yi Shuyuan froze. The fellow actually had a point, but he quickly shook his head. He had nearly been led around in circles.

"But how often are an eldest uncle and his nephew about the same age? Besides, what you're talking about is rare. We're going into town today, and we'll probably have to visit some respectable places. Let's not grow extra branches off the matter. How about this: just call me uncle. If that feels awkward, elder brother is fine too."

At that, Yi Yong'an reacted even more strongly than Yi Shuyuan had. He hurried along sideways in little steps, waving both hands in front of Yi Shuyuan.

"No, no, no, that won't do! You're my eldest uncle. How could I call you elder brother? That would muddle the generations! And if Dad found out I called you elder brother, then he and I... ah, he'd beat me to death! Just calling you uncle won't do either!"

Yi Shuyuan did not know whether to laugh or cry. His younger brother's authority as head of the family had made itself felt at the most inexplicable moment.

After much persuasion, Yi Yong'an would only agree to address him less often, and to lean closer and lower his voice whenever he did. He flatly refused to use any form of address that lowered Yi Shuyuan's seniority. In this respect, he was every bit as stubborn as his father, and Yi Shuyuan could only leave it at that.

As they continued onward, Yi Shuyuan gradually found himself drawn to the scenery around them.

Along the way, the spring sun shone on lingering snow, and all things stirred with rising vitality. Everything he saw was untouched, everything within sight natural. Plants had already begun breaking through winter's outer coat, racing to put forth shoots and fresh green leaves. Birds chirped crisply without pause among the trees, while the occasional lowing of cattle and crowing of chickens added further charm.

Yi Shuyuan was not simply hurrying along. He admired everything he saw as he walked. This scenery could not be matched by the contrived landscapes of some A-rated tourist attraction; it possessed a unique charm of its own. Perhaps Yi Yong'an and the others here took it for granted, but Yi Shuyuan found it wonderfully fresh and interesting, as though he had stepped into a poem or painting alive with the vitality of all things.

They walked from the first light of dawn until the sun stood high. By the time Yi Shuyuan's soles began to ache, they finally approached the outskirts of the Yuanjiang county seat. At this distance, they also began encountering more people.

Strictly speaking, by the standards of Yi Shuyuan's previous life, West River Village, where the Yi Household lived, was not particularly far from the county seat. In good weather, its location could be seen fairly clearly with the naked eye from the mountain to the north.

But the roads here were nowhere near as convenient as those of his previous life. The country roads were far from smooth and direct. They detoured around woods and fields, sought bridges whenever they met water, and wound this way and that. Even fifteen or twenty li might not cover the resulting journey.

Fortunately, although Yi Shuyuan had first been mentally impaired and then gone missing here, he now discovered that his body was surprisingly strong. Perhaps he was only as fit as the average villager, but he was vastly stronger than the Yi Shuyuan of his previous life. He was certainly not the frail scholar he had imagined himself to be, and even after walking so far, he did not feel particularly tired.

Truthfully, the closer they came to the county seat, the more nervous Yi Shuyuan grew. After all, he really had seen little of the world here. In his memories, he had only been a child on his last visit to town. After decades of mental impairment and disappearance, he had long since lost any real impression of the place beyond empty descriptions such as tall buildings and bustling streets.

Yi Yong'an beside him was also somewhat ill at ease. Seeing his eldest nephew looking even more uncomfortable than himself, Yi Shuyuan actually began to relax.

"Yong'an, don't be so awkward. Just walk confidently."

"Yes, eldest uncle-uh..."

Yi Shuyuan shook his head without saying anything and headed toward the city gate first. Yi Yong'an hurried after him.

People came and went through the gate, but there were no soldiers in sight checking them.

Brushing the dust from his clothes, Yi Shuyuan led Yi Yong'an through the gate alongside the others as if nothing were out of the ordinary, outwardly composed despite the slight excitement and apprehension within.

The moment he entered, Yi Shuyuan felt his eyes light up. A charming tableau of an ancient town unfolded before him.

No, "ancient town" was not the right term. This was simply the face of the Yuanjiang county seat. Classical elegance and rustic simplicity blended with the breath of everyday life, while peddlers, porters, and townsfolk bustled about. This was how the place had always been. Everything was perfectly natural; the only unnatural thing was Yi Shuyuan's own state of mind.

Having adjusted his perspective, Yi Shuyuan took a deep breath, relaxed, and strolled farther down the street.

Yuanjiang County lay in northern Moon Province, with Broad South Mountain to its north and the E River to its south. Though neither a famous town nor a large county, it had four distinct seasons and beautiful scenery. Apart from somewhat abnormal weather in recent years, it had always been a pleasant place to live. Its county seat was also quite sizable compared with others of the same rank.

Yi Shuyuan led Yi Yong'an through town, his pace sometimes quick and sometimes slow, his eyes scarcely able to take everything in. Although he had memories of this place from his current life, most were from childhood, and the majority had grown hazy. Everything he saw might as well have been new.

He stepped aside for porters and pedestrians, his ears filled with vendors' cries and passersby laughing and talking. Now and then, shop assistants' calls to attract customers reached him too. The aromas of wine and food drifted through town, often mingling with the scent of rouge and powder.

With Yi Yong'an following close beside him, Yi Shuyuan received several enthusiastic invitations, both from roadside vendors and from shop assistants. Unfortunately, he had neither come to spend money nor had much money to spend. He could still make a show of stopping to browse at the stalls, but he dared not casually enter those shops and grand establishments, lest he create needless embarrassment.

By this point, any lingering fantasies in Yi Shuyuan's heart had long since vanished.

--

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