The little fatty's background was truly enigmatic, yet it stirred everyone's sympathy.
Yan Dajun listened, tears streaming down his face, even offering to help Chu Jiangtun search for his relatives.
The three Yun brothers also felt great pity for him. Despite Chu Jiangtun's wealth, he was an orphan, and his determination to find his father was worthy of everyone's praise.
Chu Jiangtun picked up his wine bowl, tilted his head back, and drank it down in one gulp, his eyes already clouded with intoxication. "The people in the previous village said that after my father returned from the army, he found a woman on the way, and they later moved to Feiyan Village..."
Upon hearing this, Yun Sanman was startled. He put down his chopsticks and stood up abruptly. "You, you said what? Feiyan Village?"
How could there be such a coincidence in this world?
Their family had fled from Feiyan Village during a famine years ago...
Could the person this little fatty was looking for be his father?
Impossible. While his father had remarried, he had never mentioned having an illegitimate son elsewhere!
"Yes, Feiyan Village!" Chu Jiangtun nodded. "I heard that Feiyan Village suffered from consecutive years of drought, with no harvest, and all the villagers had fled..."
Hearing this, the three Yun brothers exchanged glances, all looking incredulous.
"Second brother, do you think our father might..." Yun Daman nudged his second brother, his head full of question marks.
"No!" Yun Erman frowned. "I never heard Father say he had another child outside!"
"It's normal for second brother not to have heard!" Yun Sanman glanced at him, then nodded towards Chu Jiangtun with his chin. "Didn't you hear him say that when his mother left, she didn't know she was pregnant? If even the mother didn't know, then his father certainly wouldn't have known..."
If he had known his woman was pregnant and let her elope with someone else, then that man would have lived a truly failed life.
A person could leave, but they must give birth to the child before leaving, after all, it was his own flesh and blood!
Yun Erman, having eaten his fill, moved his stool closer to Chu Jiangtun and asked, "When your mother was alive, did she ever ask you to find your biological father?"
"Hey, second brother, what kind of talk is that?" Yun Daman kicked his second brother, a mixture of amusement and exasperation on his face. "Would you let a baby in swaddling clothes go find his father? He was too young to remember anything back then, couldn't even find his own pants, let alone his father, haha..."
At this, everyone burst into laughter, and the somber, sad atmosphere in the room eased considerably.
Chu Jiangtun, having drunk a bit too much, stood up unsteadily and cupped his hands towards everyone. "Thank you all for listening to my rambling about these old matters. I'm currently staying at the Auspicious Inn. If any of you wish to drink, you can find me at the inn later, and I'll treat!"
"Oh, what a good young man, so polite and proper..." Zhuang Lao Er exclaimed.
Chu Jiangtun smiled helplessly, saying nothing.
Yan Dajun sighed for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Young Master Chu, have you gotten married and had children? Looking at you, you must be in your early thirties?"
It shouldn't be difficult for such an excellent young man to find a wife. Besides, he wasn't short of money, coming from a prominent family and being generous with his spending. Who wouldn't want to marry into such a family and become a young madam...
Before Chu Jiangtun could answer, Erma, standing beside him, pouted and said, "My young master said he will never marry until he finds his biological father. He was engaged to six or seven girls one after another before, but the young master delayed for too long, and the girls were unwilling to wait for him, so they married others!"
Everyone: "..."
You can look for your father, but don't ruin your own lifelong happiness.
What if your biological father is a drunkard, a gambler, or a good-for-nothing scoundrel? Wouldn't you be destroying yourself?
"Young Master Chu, you look like a shrewd and capable person, but why are you so fixated on this matter?" Yun Daman looked at Chu Jiangtun with a sigh. "If you meet a suitable girl, you should marry her. Even if you get married and have children, it won't affect your search for your father, right?"
"Yes, Young Master Chu!" Yun Erman also chimed in, "As the saying goes, 'first establish a family, then build a career.' You're running around the world now, yet you don't even have a wife. When you get old, who will take care of you? Don't you need a son or daughter..."
Others also felt pity for Chu Jiangtun. The little fatty was very emotionally intelligent, but he was stubbornly foolish in certain matters.
Alas, everyone lives life differently.
Chu Jiangtun's head ached from the 'buzzing' advice, and under the influence of alcohol, his temples throbbed...
Lao Ma saw this and quickly stepped forward to support him. "Young master, have you had too much to drink? I'll help you back to rest!"
"Alright, back for a nap!" Chu Jiangtun pursed his lips and smiled, then looked at everyone. "May I ask where your homes are? I might be staying in Heyang County for some time, and I'd like to visit your homes if I have the chance..."
Yun Daman heard this and smiled as he introduced them. "Look, after a drink, you still don't know our names. We three are brothers, surnamed Yun, named Daman, Erman, and Sanman. These two are the carpenters my family hired, and they all live in Dashui Village. If Young Master Chu visits in the future, just mention the Old Yun family, and you'll be directed correctly..."
"Old Yun family?" Chu Jiangtun heard this and narrowed his eyes. "You, you are surnamed Yun?"
Was this fate, or a coincidence?
His biological father was also surnamed Yun!
Yun Daman was slightly taken aback. "Yes, why?"
Why was this little fatty acting so strangely?
It was understandable, though. To search for his relatives, he had traveled thousands of miles to Dashui Village, and it was the dead of winter. The hardships he endured were beyond what outsiders could comprehend...
Chu Jiangtun asked seriously, "Are there many families surnamed Yun in Heyang County?"
Yun Daman scratched his head and gave a dry laugh. "Oh, you've stumped me. If you want to know, I can go to the county yamen and ask for you..."
The county yamen had officials specifically in charge of household registration. The number of people in each household, their names, ages, occupations, etc., were all clearly recorded.
Moreover, given the Old Yun family's relationship with Magistrate Chen, it wouldn't be difficult to find a few families surnamed Yun.
Chu Jiangtun listened, pondered for a moment, and then asked Yun Daman, "How many families surnamed Yun are there in Dashui Village?"
This time, before Yun Daman could speak, Yan Dajun quickly answered, "Why even ask? In our Dashui Village, there's only their family surnamed Yun, and their youngest daughter is quite famous. As long as you mention Sweet Baby, people from ten villages around will recognize her..."
As his voice fell, Chu Jiangtun's eyes widened, and he clutched his chest, stumbling back two steps.