Chapter 80: Can a Daughter's Heart Be Known? (Part 2)

As Han A-li and Yunniang were tidying up the packages Han Gang and Li Xin had brought back, they kept complaining, "Mr. Wang is really something, he can't even let us have a peaceful New Year."

Han Gang laughed, "Who would have thought it would snow so heavily... Otherwise, we would definitely have been back before New Year's Eve."

From the packages the two had brought back, a pile of miscellaneous items was found. Apart from a few changes of clothes and some books, the rest were gifts from the tribal groups. Wang Shao arrived at the right time; since the tribal groups had given a share to Liu Changzuo, they naturally had to give a share to Wang Shao as well, and Han Gang and Wang Hou also benefited.

The gifts were not particularly valuable; Wang Shao and Han Gang would not accept expensive gifts, and the tribal groups could not afford to give gold or silver. They were all common local products from the northwest: a few high-quality animal skins, some roughly polished jade stones, and short weapons like knives and daggers. The gifts from over a dozen tribes were of similar types.

Han Gang gave away most of the gifts he received, mostly to Wang Shao's personal guards. In the end, he kept four complete tanned sheepskins, two of which were said to be from the wild sheep herds around Lake Namtso, brought to the Hehuang region by a Lhasa merchant caravan.

However, these two sheepskins were not from goats; Han Gang felt they were more likely from Tibetan antelopes. If his guess was correct, he had unwittingly contributed to the extinction of Tibetan antelopes. If someone ever gave him a panda skin, Han Gang wouldn't be surprised—pandas were running wild in the Qinling Mountains now.

The other gifts were not as precious as the Tibetan antelope skins: a string of multicolored jade prayer beads that looked more like stones than jade, a pair of silver bracelets whose value lay more in their weight than their craftsmanship, and three simply decorated half-meter-long daggers. That was all.

Han Gang handed the string of jade prayer beads to Han A-li, the best dagger to his father, and kept the silver bracelets for Yunniang. He then said, "Half of what's left is for Cousin. Yunniang, remember to sew a set of inner robes like mine for Cousin, and the rest can be used to make boot cuffs for Father and Mother."

Yunniang nodded, her head lowered. Since Han Gang's return, she had been silent, her head down, working quietly. Han Gang smiled at her; a young girl's thoughts were not hard to guess.

Li Xin went out again. After drinking hot soup and warming up, he went to the courtyard to take care of the two horses he and Han Gang had ridden back. In one corner of the Han family's courtyard, there was a shed where they used to keep a donkey and a cow, but both had been sold to buy medicine for Han Gang. Now it was empty, perfect for the two horses.

Han A-li picked up a few skins, holding them up to the light, seemingly calculating how to use them most efficiently. Suddenly, she put them down, "By the way, Third Brother, your uncle sent a gift before the New Year, thanking you for recommending Brother Xin to the Military Commission..."

"All family, what's there to thank? And Brother Xin is skilled in martial arts; I just mentioned it to the strategist."

"Brother Xin's affairs, you must pay more attention. Last time you said that the young master of the Wang family is a year younger than you, but he will be an official after one more promotion. How is Brother Xin any less? He is more steady, doesn't look as old, and his skills are on par with your grandfather's in his youth. Why can't he be an official?"

"Yes, yes, I understand, I understand." Han Gang nodded rapidly, agreeing, knowing that these matters were hard to reason with his mother.

Hearing her son's casual response, Han A-li gave him a stern look and huffed, "Your second aunt also sent a letter through someone. She has two nephews. Your second uncle is a soldier, and his two sons are not bad. Hearing that you are now an official and Brother Xin has a position, they are thinking of coming over. They are all family; if you can help, do so. Now that you are an official, you should have some trusted people around you."

"Mother, I understand. When I return from the capital, I will definitely find a way to help my second aunt's two nephews."

Han Gang himself did not particularly like the idea of one person rising and everyone else benefiting. In the family-centric ancient times, not being close to relatives was a sin, and the law encouraged covering up for relatives unless they committed heinous crimes. If relatives were competent, it was acceptable to help them, and no one could say otherwise.

Of course, the premise was competence. If they were not capable, he could not be blamed for not showing favor. The principle of not avoiding relatives in internal recommendations and not avoiding enemies in external recommendations was fundamentally about recommending the best. Li Xin was skilled in martial arts, quiet, and trustworthy, so he gained Wang Shao's favor. If Li Xin were mediocre, he would not have caught the eye of the strategist in Qin and Feng.

Hearing Han A-li, Han Gang was somewhat disappointed. He had always hoped for a relative with a good business mind. In the Song Dynasty, merchants were not discriminated against as they were in the Tang Dynasty, where they were not even allowed to take the imperial exams. The famous "Three Yuan" scholar Feng Jing was from a merchant family. Moreover, it was common for officials to engage in business, always a close relationship between officials and merchants.

Given the social climate, Han Gang naturally wanted a trusted relative to help manage his assets, saving him from always being short of money. Wang Shao was in charge of the farming and trade with the tribal groups, and there were countless opportunities to make a fortune without resorting to underhanded means. But Han Gang could not find a useful and trustworthy helper among his acquaintances.

'If I had more relatives, it would be better.' Han Gang naturally had this thought.

The Han family moved to Qin Prefecture from their hometown in Muzhou (now Qingdao) during Han Gang's grandfather's generation. Han Qianliu was an only child, and Han Gang was now an only child, two generations of single descendants, leaving the Han family with no relatives in Guanxi. If Han Gang wanted family support, he could only rely on Han A-li's side of the family. Otherwise, he would have to find a good marriage.

This was not just to save thirty years of struggle but a common practice. The relationships among the scholar-officials, formed through blood and marriage, were like a vast network covering the four hundred military and prefectural administrations of the Song Dynasty.

Wang Shao's two wives were both daughters of prominent families in De'an, and Wang Hou's fiancée was also from a prominent family in Jiang Prefecture. Han Gang's teacher, Zhang Zai, had two famous nephews, the Cheng brothers. Yan Shu's son-in-law was Fu Bi, and Fu Bi's son-in-law was Feng Jing. Yan Shu and Fu Bi were both former chancellors, and Feng Jing was already the Three Ministries Commissioner, just a step away from the chancellorship.

If Han Gang could find a good marriage, it would greatly benefit his future. However, he was not particularly interested. He already had an official position and was not in a hurry to marry. Ordinary people often hoped to advance through family connections, but Han Gang did not feel the need. In this era, marriages were arranged by parents and matchmakers, and Han Gang did not expect to have a free choice in love, only hoping to find a virtuous wife.

Han A-li had already carefully examined the skins. The quality was excellent; they could not have any flaws if they were given as gifts. These were the results of her son's hard work. Her son had brought glory to the family, and Han A-li wished she could inform all the relatives that her son was now an official. Helping her siblings also made her feel good.

Putting down the skins, she reminded her son again, "Third Brother, don't forget your promise. In a few days, I will send a message to your second aunt."

"Mother, rest assured, I won't forget."

"And your fourth aunt, when she hears about your official position, she will definitely come. She has a son too, don't forget him."

"Yes... yes..."

Han Gang agreed repeatedly. Han A-li had no other brothers; Han Gang had only one uncle and two aunts. Both aunts were in Fengxiang Prefecture; one married a small officer, and the other married a wealthy man surnamed Feng as a second wife. After marriage, she lost contact with her siblings and was only heard to have had a son later.

Han Gang had no clear memory of his fourth aunt, and because of the hundreds of miles between Qin Prefecture and Fengxiang, he had only seen his uncle and second aunt a few times in the past decade, mostly through messages and gifts.

The door curtain moved, and Li Xin, having settled the horses, came back in. Han Gang asked him, "Cousin, have you seen your fourth aunt's son from the Feng family?"

Li Xin was taken aback and shook his head, "I only saw him once, ten years ago, when Grandfather passed away. I haven't seen him since, only visiting the two nephews from the second aunt's family more often."

"Is that so?" Han Gang thought for a moment and decided not to worry about the Feng family's nephew. He might not come, and if he did, he might not be useful. He stood up, "Forget it, let's not talk about this. It's late. Father, Mother, go to bed early. Cousin, you've been tired for days, rest early."

Li Xin nodded and went back to his room. Han A-li and Han Qianliu also stood up, saying, "Third Brother, you should also go to bed early," and went to their rooms.

The room was left with only the two of them. The little girl was fiddling with the charcoal in the brazier. Han Gang looked at her and suddenly coughed, "I'll take a bath before sleeping."

Han Gang liked cleanliness. After three days of travel, he definitely needed a bath before sleeping. Yunniang, of course, knew this habit and should have gone to heat water. But she did not move, as if she had not heard.

Han Gang smiled; it seemed his late return had caused trouble, even though he had a good reason. Girls could be sulky, regardless of the reason, and this was true in any era.

Han Gang acted directly, pulling the little girl over and hugging her tightly, whispering in her ear, "Did you miss me?"

But the little girl struggled fiercely in his arms, not the usual half-hearted resistance, but genuine anger.