Chapter 31: A Thousand Miles to Send a Goose Feather

Uncle's house was located in Liulisi Alley, near Gulou Street in the eastern district of the capital city. Living there was also Fang Mingyuan's second aunt, Bai Ping's second elder sister, who was nearly sixty years old. Her daughter was only one year younger than Bai Ping, and her granddaughter was one year younger than Fang Mingyuan. In his previous life, Fang Mingyuan often heard from his family that when he was a child, he frequently fought with his little niece over things, and sometimes he even called his second aunt "grandma" by mistake. These stories later became a powerful tool for the elders to tease him, and he would still hear them occasionally even at the age of thirty. However, in this life, Fang Mingyuan was definitely not going to make the same mistake again.

With the help of three cousins, Bai Ping's luggage, big and small, was smoothly delivered home. As for the two elders of the Fang family, they naturally followed them back to the alley and then planned to find a guesthouse nearby to stay. From the moment Bai Ping entered Liulisi Alley, people greeting her were continuous. For Fang Mingyuan, many of them were familiar, of course, these were all memories from his previous life.

Entering the house, the three cousins piled up the bags and then wiped their sweat, saying, "Auntie, why did you bring so many things? No wonder Uncle insisted on dragging us three along. It turns out we were just hired laborers."

Bai Ping gave one of them a light tap on the head and scolded with a smile, "I brought things for you, and you complain about the weight! He Jun, go through the bags and take what's for your family."

He Jun found the bag marked with his family's name, opened it, and was a bit stunned. It was full of local specialties from Qinxi, including several packages of marinated beef and mutton. He was already working, and he estimated that this bag alone would cost no less than twenty to thirty yuan. Looking at the other bags, if they were all of the same standard, Bai Ping must have spent over a hundred yuan on gifts for her relatives. In 1984, this was not a small amount. An ordinary family might not save that much money even after a year of frugal living.

"Auntie, is this whole bag for my family?" He Jun asked hesitantly. He didn't want to take the wrong one, as it would be embarrassing for Auntie to ask for it back, and he would have to spend more money to buy another gift. These days, everyone's finances were tight.

"Take it, take it! It's all for your family!" Bai Ping, busy arranging for the two elders, waved her hand without turning around.

"What's going on?" He Jian, curious, leaned over to ask. He Jun opened the bag and showed him. He Jian's face also changed slightly. Auntie's gift was indeed generous.

Fang Mingyuan sat on a chair nearby, amused, watching them. These two cousins would do very well in the future. He Jun, in his previous life, was the deputy procurator of the Beijing City Procuratorate, whom he had intended to call. He had a chance to enter the Supreme Procuratorate but refused for some unknown reason. He Jian, on the other hand, left the system and had a wide network, knowing people from all walks of life. These two cousins were key figures he wanted to cultivate this time in Beijing. In his previous life, their mothers were very close to the Fang family and took great care of Fang Mingyuan, but He Jun and He Jian, being much older, had little in common with him, so they were only nodding acquaintances. In this life, Fang Mingyuan would not repeat the same mistake and would firmly grasp their friendship from the beginning.

"Don't take so much, leave some for Auntie. Otherwise, when we go back, our mother will be unhappy!" He Jian whispered, "Auntie's family isn't easy either. Coming to Beijing must have cost them a lot. We should try to save some money."

"Brother He Jian, take it. We planned this before we came, and there's something for every family!" Fang Mingyuan smiled, "Aunt and my mother are sisters. This is nothing. But as the saying goes, 'a thousand miles to send a goose feather, the gift is light but the sentiment is heavy.' You two should take it."

He Jun and He Jian were first startled by Fang Mingyuan's sudden interjection, and then even more surprised by his words. A gift worth over twenty yuan, and he said to take it, this kid was really bold and had a big mouth.

"This kid is really smart, he even knows 'a thousand miles to send a goose feather, the gift is light but the sentiment is heavy'?" Auntie was surprised and laughed, "Do you know where this saying comes from?"

"Of course, the teacher said, when reading, one should not only know the what but also the why!" Fang Mingyuan wanted to show off a bit in front of everyone, which would undoubtedly raise his status in their eyes.

"Legend has it that during the Tang Dynasty, in the reign of Emperor Taizong, the chieftain of Yunnan, Mian, sent his subordinate Mian Bogao with a batch of treasures and a very cute white swan to the capital to pay homage to Emperor Taizong. On the way, Mian Bogao took great care of the swan. However, when they reached the shore of Miyang Lake, the swan was very thirsty, so he let it drink water by the lake. Unexpectedly, after drinking, the swan flew away. Mian Bogao, in a panic, only managed to grab a goose feather. He was so distressed that he cried by the lake. But crying wouldn't solve the problem. If he didn't go to Chang'an, Emperor Taizong would blame him, and the chieftain would not spare him. After much thought, he had no choice but to wrap the goose feather in silk and write a poem to present to Emperor Taizong. The poem had eight lines: 'The swan is a tribute to the Tang Dynasty, the mountains are high and the road is long. At Miyang Lake, the treasure was lost, and I wept on the ground. I report to the Emperor of Tang, please forgive Mian Bogao. The gift is light, but the sentiment is heavy, a thousand miles to send a goose feather.' After reading the poem, Emperor Taizong not only did not blame Mian Bogao but was pleased to accept the gift and returned silk, tea, jade, and other Central Plains specialties. He also invited Mian Bogao to stay for a while. Mian Bogao was deeply moved and praised the court's generosity upon returning to Yunnan. Later, people used this phrase to mean that the gift may be light, but the sentiment is deep."

After Fang Mingyuan finished speaking, the room fell silent. Except for the two elders of the Fang family and Bai Ping, who were prepared for his confident demeanor, everyone else was stunned. Although everyone understood the meaning of the phrase and used it often, few knew its specific origin. Especially someone like Fang Mingyuan, who could clearly state the era, characters, plot, and even the poem, was extremely rare. Bai Lin and the others looked at each other, unsure if Fang Mingyuan's answer was correct. Auntie had just asked out of curiosity and didn't expect a definitive answer. But it sounded plausible and seemed to be a real story. Even if it was fake, a seven-year-old child could come up with such a story, which was indeed shocking.

Seeing the surprised looks on her brother, sister-in-law, and nephews' faces, Bai Ping was overjoyed. Although she had expected her son not to behave like a well-behaved child in Beijing, giving the family two pleasant surprises right after arriving in the capital was indeed a great honor.

"Xiao Ping, how do you educate this child? How does he know so much?" Bai Lin happily picked up Fang Mingyuan and recounted what he had said at the train station. Auntie was even more surprised and praised him repeatedly. The two elders of the Fang family and Bai Ping were all beaming with joy.

Fang Mingyuan secretly rejoiced, "How do we educate him? Of course, it's the all-knowing Baidu! Looks like my first move in Beijing has been a success!"

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