Chapter Three: There Was Never a Place at Home

Snow blanketed the ground, and steam rose from the Candy Pavilion. Lin Qian stood in the midst of the snow, having waited patiently in the biting cold for half an hour, his eyes brimming not with impatience but with deep affection.

There was a reason for this: within these walls lay his last attachment to the Prince of the West’s Manor—his grandmother resided here.

Once, the elderly woman, still sturdy, would prepare fruits and sweets for him in the courtyard, her face radiant with smiles as she watched him wield swords and spears, cheering him on with pride.

At another time, he would gather by her side, boasting about the poetry he had mastered and the martial arts he had learned, while she stroked his head, proudly calling him the Qilin of the Sun family.

He still remembered when he first joined the army and earned the honor of leading the charge; the emperor had bestowed upon him a Ruyi scepter, which he proudly gave to his grandmother to show his merit. Yet the next day, her eyes were swollen and painfully impaired, and from then on, Lin Qian dared not speak of his military achievements.

Years passed and time mellowed memories. His grandmother, born into a humble farming family, was illiterate and knew nothing of fighting skills. All those moments were simply an old woman’s love and concern for her grandson.

Now, that kind-faced, doting elder who cherished him like a precious treasure had become his sole lingering bond to the manor.

“Young master, grandmother… grandmother has awakened!”

“Please come in quickly to warm yourself!”

At that moment, a maid from the Candy Pavilion hurried out and spoke to Lin Qian.

The Prince of the West’s Manor was one of the four great generals’ estates, and its maids were raised from childhood within the household to earn the family’s trust and serve them well.

Thus, these young maids, blooming with youthful vitality, had essentially grown up alongside Lin Qian.

Even though Lin Qian had been disgraced and exiled for three years, in their eyes he remained the manor’s young master.

“I am no longer the manor’s young master. Please do not address me as such anymore,” Lin Qian said quietly. Yet he did not dwell on it and instead briskly made his way to his grandmother’s room.

Opening the door, a soothing fragrance of calming incense greeted him. Lin Qian looked straight ahead.

On a simple walnut wood bed, an elderly woman leaned against the side. Whether due to just rising or labored breathing, her body rose and fell with each breath.

Seeing his grandmother, Lin Qian hurried forward. At the same moment, the old woman lifted her wrinkled face toward him.

“Xiao Qian, is it really you?”

Her breathing grew more strained as her feeble voice trembled with emotion, her gaze searching his direction.

It was then that Lin Qian noticed her eyes—a cloudy gray-white.

This condition, once called “qing mang” in ancient times, would be known as cataracts in later eras.

From the outside, her eyes were so clouded that the pupils were invisible, rendering her nearly blind.

“Grandmother!” Lin Qian’s heart ached as he rushed forward.

“Xiao Qian, have you truly come back?”

“The border is harsh and inhospitable, but it is also a place where a man’s mettle is forged.”

“But why did you not write back to your grandmother?”

“Let me see if you’ve grown thinner or fatter,” she said, reaching out to gently touch Lin Qian’s face with delicate, tender hands.

Tears streamed down Lin Qian’s face as he felt the warmth of her touch.

She had never known of his exile to the Imperial Stables, as the entire manor had concealed the truth from her.

Why hide it? Because she cared for him most deeply.

“I have lost weight, thinner than three years ago. The frontier is harsh, but I’ve certainly grown in many ways.”

“You are the most earnest child in the entire manor!”

“Xiaoluan, have the kitchen prepare more dishes, make his favorite—braised pork hock.”

Though blind, a joyous expression lit her face as she placed her hand over Lin Qian’s.

To her, the manor’s Qilin had returned.

“No need, Grandmother. Life on the border is quite good.”

“The court has not wronged us; you need not worry about me lacking food.”

Lin Qian hurriedly reassured her.

Her love was genuine, and that was enough to satisfy him.

His grandmother was old and now afflicted with cataracts. Naturally, he would not burden her with his hardships.

“Then why did you not write to me?”

“Did you think that having achieved merit, you no longer cared for your mountain village grandmother?”

Suddenly, the old woman’s tone shifted, tinged with anger.

“No, the border is perilous, communication difficult, and I was constantly preparing the troops. I truly could not write.”

“But that is my fault. Please punish me, Grandmother!”

The elderly, like children, could be moody—one moment tender, the next accusing. Lin Qian could only coax her gently.

“Since you are defending the nation, I will forgive you this once.”

“Thank you, Grandmother.”

“To make amends, let me massage your body.”

As he spoke, Lin Qian carefully began to rub her shoulders, and soon laughter and joy filled the room.

In that brief time, Lin Qian smiled more than he had in the entire past three years.

As the moon rose, the manor was filled with the scent of incense. Then Sun Feng’s maid came to summon him to dinner.

Lin Qian bid his grandmother farewell.

But no sooner had he left than the gentle, kind face on the bed darkened.

With her clouded eyes, she fixed her gaze on Xiaoluan, the maid standing nearby.

“Xiaoluan, tell me the truth.”

“Where has Xiao Qian been these past three years?”

“Bang!”

The water basin in Xiaoluan’s hands clattered to the floor, and she stood frozen.

“The young master went to guard the border, didn’t he? Grandmother, please don’t overthink,” Xiaoluan hurried to explain.

“Guard the border? You kept that from me as well?”

“Xiao Qian has always been obedient, not wanting me to worry.”

“But don’t treat me like some ignorant mountain woman. The calluses on my hands aren’t from holding a gun, and though my eyes are blind, my nose still works.”

“There’s the smell of horse manure on him—who would let the Qilin of the Prince of the West’s Manor go tend horses?”

“Xiaoluan, I have treated you well these years, but if you don’t tell me the truth, you must leave the manor!”

Upon hearing this, Xiaoluan immediately fell to her knees.

“Grandmother, grandmother, I’ll tell everything. Please don’t send me away…”

Meanwhile, in the dining courtyard of the Prince of the West’s Manor, a table full to bursting gathered its guests.

Seeing this, Lin Qian was about to leave.

But in the next moment, Sun Feng, who was eating, stood up, patting his forehead.

“Brother, look at me—I forgot you had returned.”

“I forgot to save you a seat.”

Lin Qian had not minded at first, but he had not expected Sun Feng to take the initiative to acknowledge this.

“I was in Grandmother’s room. Wasn’t it your maid who called me to eat?”

“But it’s alright; there really was never a seat for me here!”