With a slap on the table and a glare, she scolded, "That brainless fool of an Eldest Brother, he doesn’t believe his own son but trusts those outsiders and five families with foreign surnames, harboring malicious intentions! Has he lived his whole life in a dog’s stomach?"

"Your father is as stubborn as a wooden lump, and Jindou and Jinguan are fools too? Don’t they know how to persuade him? Seems like they’ve had too many good days and developed crooked minds!"

She started to scold Jinhoo as well: "You’re foolish too, if you really wanted to honor your father and Lady Lin, couldn’t you go back during holidays? Give some Silver, bring some gifts, say a few nice words, maybe your father and Jindou would be pleased!"

"Why are you so foolish, you gave plenty of Silver Coins but gained nothing! You say you’ve been doing business, traveling north and south for these years, yet you don’t understand this? And have the nerve to cry? What’s there to cry about? Get up!"

Listening to Old Granny Zhang’s scolding, Jinhoo felt overwhelmed, and the grievances came rushing in uncontrollably, gripping Old Granny Zhang’s leg while crying loudly.

Old Granny Zhang felt pained at seeing Jinhoo’s helplessness, trying to pull her leg away but couldn’t move, and wanting to scold more, she just couldn’t bring herself to say anything seeing Jinhoo like this. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

She had to look to Wang Yongzhu for help.

Wang Yongzhu looked at Jinhoo, crying like a two-hundred-pound puppy, wryly smiling, thinking it might be good for him to cry it all out than keep it bottled inside, harming his health.

Therefore, she signaled to Old Granny Zhang to wait.

After quite some time, Jinhoo’s mood calmed down, looking up to see Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu, each holding a cup of tea, eating snacks and waiting for him to finish crying.

Seeing him lift his head, Wang Yongzhu handed him a warm cup of tea to soothe his throat and hydrate him.

Jinhoo took the tea embarrassedly, downing it in one go, his embarrassment faded a bit.

Seeing his emotions stabilize a little, Wang Yongzhu finally opened her mouth: "Alright, grandma and I know you’ve been wronged. With the New Year approaching, let’s not dwell on unpleasant things, let’s have a good family celebration. After the New Year, we’ll discuss this matter in detail. Go wash your face and change your clothes, we’ve prepared all your favorite dishes for dinner!"

Saying that, she clapped her hands signaling the attendants outside to come in and take Jinhoo to his room.

Meanwhile, she sealed all the boxes, locked them in front of Jinhoo, and had them moved to his room.

Jinhoo was anxious: "These things—"

Wang Yongzhu interrupted him: "These things, you should keep them safe. You’re not leaving immediately, what’s the rush? Go freshen up!"

Saying this, she pushed Jinhoo out.

Knowing he couldn’t fight it, Jinhoo had to follow the servants to the front wing, where hot water and a brand-new set of clothes were already prepared.

He enjoyed a relaxing hot bath, changed his outfit, shaved his beard, now looking like a very energetic young man.

The lunch indeed featured flavors from Jing County, the chefs crafted the local dishes authentically.

Jinhoo hadn’t tasted such authentic hometown flavors for years, having slept rough on his travels, and even with Silver Coins he couldn’t enjoy it, he ended up eating three big bowls of rice until his belly was round before putting down his chopsticks.

After lunch, they served tea, and the three generations sat together chatting idly, with Jinhoo calming down, feeling embarrassed about his earlier behavior, so he kept quiet about past concerns and only spoke about his travels, sharing insights and customs with the two.

It reminded Wang Yongzhu of the time when she supported Jinhoo with a thousand taels of Silver, hoping he would venture forth but had one request: upon leaving Great Chu and arriving in a location, he’d stealthily draw the local Kanyu map and bring it back.

Over the years, if Jinhoo truly accomplished this, the route leading to the Western Region should be mapped out.

Being family, Wang Yongzhu didn’t beat around the bush, directly asking Jinhoo.

Jinhoo slapped his thigh, nearly forgetting the important task.

He quickly asked Wang Yongzhu to wait, rushing back to the room he recently occupied, fiddling for a while, eventually returning with a small wooden box.

In front of the two, he opened the box, revealing several pieces of jewelry inside.

Without hesitation, Jinhoo dumped the jewelry on the table, not showing the slightest bit of care.

Then he fetched a sharp dagger from his boot, picking the fabric lining under the jewelry and pressing somewhere unknown with the tip of the knife, then pushed a bit with his hand, pulling out a small piece of wood.

This revealed a stack of thin silk cloth underneath.

Jinhoo carefully took out the silk cloth, handing it to Wang Yongzhu: "These are places I’ve visited, all drawn on this silk. Some places I was unsure of, so I asked locals for descriptions, remembered them, and secretly drew them upon returning. I was worried they might be inaccurate, so whenever I could buy local maps from the black market, I did for comparison."

"I dare not boast, but I’ve personally compared these maps. They’re more detailed than those from the local black market or those Kanyu maps sold by Western Regions. Throughout this route, where rivers and mountains are, how many villages and the distance between, everything is indicated."

"Plus, where bandits appear, where it’s safe to rest, where to hurry through, which areas locals are colluding with bandits..."

Talking about this, Jinhoo was exuberant, apparently quite proud.

Wang Yongzhu carefully unfurled the silk, seeing indeed, from Great Chu heading westwards, everything was meticulously marked regarding mountains and rivers along the way.

Looking at the side notes, although not very tidy, you could tell they were made with sincerity.

Wang Yongzhu instantly recognized it was Jinhoo’s handwriting; back then he had attended school for several days, but later had to drop out since Wang Yongan’s tuition expenses were too high.

Initially, Wang Yongan also taught some writing to the kids at home to silence people.

Plus, Jinhoo, understanding that doing business requires literacy, had worked hard on practicing writing, although not matching scholars, he was pretty decent, at least Wang Yongzhu could recognize every word.

Looking at this silk, Wang Yongzhu knew Jinhoo had put thought into it.

Initially, when she tasked him with this matter, she offered a brief training, but never expected him to achieve this level, truly unexpected.

While examining the Kanyu map, Wang Yongzhu pointed at unclear sections, asking Jinhoo.

Jinhoo was committed to the task; apart from everything else, not only did he draw out the map but also memorized it, just one glance, and he could explain the surroundings.

The two were consumed with questions and answers, forgetting everything else.

Seeing this, Old Granny Zhang knew it was serious and didn’t disturb, quietly exiting, instructing no one to enter the room.

By the time Song Chongjin and Ninth Master Lee returned, it was already dark.

Upon entering, informed of Jinhoo’s return, Song Chongjin smiled a bit, asked a couple of questions, and walked inside.

Ninth Master Lee was heavily intoxicated today, barely managing to hold himself together, upon returning heard Jinhoo was back, waved his hand, saying he was going to sleep and not to call him tonight.

Seeing Ninth Master Lee’s rosy complexion, making his appearance strikingly beautiful, Song Chongjin noticed his unsteady steps, if not supported by an attendant, he’d have fallen.

Thus, he nodded, instructing later to send a bowl of sobering soup, heading to the backyard.

Entering the backyard, he saw the lights were already on in Old Granny Zhang’s side, the maids and granny only stood afar, not daring to approach.

Upon his arrival, the maid and granny stepped forward to greet him, before Song Chongjin could speak, Old Granny Zhang emerged from the house, waving at Song Chongjin.