Yun Manman held back the furious Old Father Yun and helped Madam Zhou to her feet.
"Father, Mother, I know martial arts, so I wasn't violated. Don't be sad."
Madam Zhou felt as though she had walked through the gates of hell. She hugged Yun Manman and wept.
"It's all my fault for being so useless. Thank goodness my Manman is all right."
Old Father Yun threw down his axe and gathered them both into his arms, his voice filled with remorse.
"It's all my fault for being useless and failing to protect you. From now on, I'll make sure I protect you."
Yun Manman had never comforted anyone before, so she had no idea what to do. She could only stand there like a wooden post, a bucket for their tearful outpourings.
Once the two had digested everything that had happened, Yun Manman looked at Old Father Yun and ventured,
"Father, after what happened, I want to sever ties with Grandfather and Grandmother. I'm afraid they'll come hurt me again. I can't guard against them. I'm scared, Father."
Old Father Yun's eyes were bloodshot as he stroked Yun Manman's head.
"Manman, I've thought it through. With a stepmother comes a stepfather. I won't acknowledge them anymore. Severing ties is for the best."
Relief flashed through Yun Manman's eyes. Fortunately, Old Father Yun was sensible, or she would have had to expend more effort.
At dinnertime,
Yun Manman looked at the bowl of clear water on the table, its bottom plainly visible. Three incomplete grains of rice lay forlornly at the bottom.
She failed to hide the shock in her eyes, and Old Father Yun spoke with heartache.
"Manman, you exerted yourself so much today. You must be hungry. Have mine too. I'm not hungry! Your mother has already eaten. Go on, eat."
Yun Manman looked at the bowl in front of Old Father Yun. There wasn't a single grain of rice in it. With a soft sigh, she switched their bowls and drained hers in one go!
"Take your time eating. I'm full!"
"Manman, hurry and put this silver away. Keep it safe. Don't let anyone see it!"
Yun Manman pushed the silver on the table toward him.
"I don't like silver. Keep it for the household expenses!"
Old Father Yun was stunned by Yun Manman's words.
Was... was there really someone who didn't like silver?
His daughter must have said that to comfort him. As he watched her enter the room, his eyes grew moist again.
His child had finally grown up!
"Grrr... grrr..."
Yun Manman lay on the kang with nothing left to live for, smelling the smoke peculiar to the earthen bed, her expression indifferent.
"Ah, so this is what going hungry feels like!"
The resentment, which had eaten and drunk its fill, let out a satisfied burp.
"You scumbag woman, have a steamed bun to tide you over. You look pretty pitiful!"
Looking at the white-flour steamed bun that had abruptly appeared in her hand, Yun Manman suddenly remembered that she had a cheat!
"I killed several people today, so I should have plenty of points, right? Exchange them for five jin of rice, five jin of white flour, five jin of beef, five jin of..."
"Stop, stop, stop! You scumbag woman, hurry up and shut your mouth!"
Yun Manman raised an eyebrow, her voice growing stern. "Shut up. You're not allowed to call me that again!"
"Uh... then what should I call you?"
Yun Manman rubbed her chin. After a long moment, the corners of her lips curled slightly as she said softly, "Call me Master!"
The resentment hurriedly curled into a ball and hid in a corner. "Warning, warning! I have reason to suspect you have unusual tastes!"
Yun Manman rolled her eyes hard and urged, "Hurry up and exchange them for me. I need them urgently."
Nothing was more frightening than the air suddenly falling silent!
"You damn thing, did you squander all the points?"
The silence remained...
Yun Manman swallowed the last mouthful of steamed bun and slowly closed her eyes. She still had no idea where tomorrow's road would lead, yet today had already left her dog-tired!
She was probably the transmigrator who had encountered the most unexpected mishaps in history!
The next day,
During the mao hour, around six in the morning,
Yun Manman was tidying up her bedding, preparing to pack it up and take it away, when she heard Old Father Yun calling her from the courtyard.
When the village chief saw Yun Manman emerge, he could not hide the smile on his face. He took a few steps forward, his tone carrying a hint of joy.
"Lass Yun, we don't need to leave anymore! The heir to the Prince of the Northern Garrison's estate has succeeded as the new Prince of the Northern Garrison. He led the Black Flame Army and stopped the Beilin Kingdom's army outside the border. All the remaining Beilin Kingdom soldiers in our Southern Mo Kingdom have been wiped out too!"
Yun Manman was a little astonished by the village chief's words. "He managed to stop Beilin's army and wipe out the remaining enemy troops in a single night? Who is this Prince of the Northern Garrison?"
The village chief turned around and sat on a bench. He took a deep drag of his pipe, profound reverence in his eyes.
"Every Prince of the Northern Garrison has been a war god of the Southern Mo Kingdom, commanding five hundred thousand Black Flame Army troops to defend the northwestern border. The previous Prince of the Northern Garrison was the current prince's father. He never suffered a defeat in his life—a war god of his generation."
"The Beilin Kingdom couldn't defeat him, so they used schemes and plots to kill the Prince of the Northern Garrison. That was why we common folk in the northwest were trampled by Beilin Kingdom soldiers. Fortunately, the Prince of the Northern Garrison's estate had a worthy successor."
"The current Prince of the Northern Garrison is Mo Beiyuan, the estate's heir. At seven, he was already thoroughly versed in the military treatises of every school. At fifteen, he led five thousand Black Flame Army troops to intercept and slaughter thirty thousand invaders from the Beilin Kingdom. Not one returned to Beilin. The heir to the Prince of the Northern Garrison made his name in a single battle!"
Yun Manman nodded, admiration in her eyes as well. A family of war gods?
They truly are worthy of respect, but what fate awaits such a family of war gods?
After seeing the village chief off, Yun Manman put her bedding in order and looked at Old Father Yun, who was chopping firewood in the courtyard.
"Father, now that we have silver, let's take Mother to town to see a doctor and visit my little brothers too."
Old Father Yun's hands stopped chopping. As he looked at Yun Manman, his smile deepened, but his eyes reddened slightly.
"Yes, yes, yes. We'll do as you say and take your mother to see a doctor. Those two little rascals will be delighted to know you're going to visit them."
He thought of his two ten-year-old sons. Because he was such a useless father, they had gone off at an early age to work with a bricklayer, laying mud bricks for other people. That was the family's most important source of income.
With a smile on his face, Old Father Yun stood up, brushed the wood chips off his clothes, and walked into the house with his hands behind his back.
As Yun Manman watched Old Father Yun's retreating figure enter the house, a ripple passed through her eyes that even she did not notice.
She had thought it through last night. Since she had chosen to stay, the original owner's parents were her parents, and she ought to honor and protect them.
Although she still did not know how to get along with family, she would learn slowly-learn how family members interacted, learn about the everyday warmth of human life that she had never encountered before.
Previously, when she had commanded the entire Yun Clan, she had only needed to train, study, and calmly issue each correct order. Her life now was about experiencing the hundred facets of the human world.
Yun Manman crouched down and picked up the axe, imitating the way Old Father Yun had chopped wood. She was a little clumsy at first, but after three logs, she became much more adept. The blade fell with each lift of her hand, faster and faster.
A while later,
A pile of neatly chopped firewood stood in the middle of the already small courtyard. Yun Manman narrowed her eyes at the results, in an excellent mood.
"Yun Manman, you're amazing!"
Old Father Yun happened to come out of the house carrying Madam Zhou on his back. Hearing her daughter's words and seeing the firewood in the courtyard, Madam Zhou burst out laughing. Wasn't her daughter getting more and more adorable?
Yun Manman scratched her head, a little embarrassed. Having someone overhear her praising herself was rather mortifying.