Jin Shanyao thought of the little guy, who always left half a bowl for his mother at mealtimes, and her smile softened. "He can run now, and he even fed his mother dumplings a while ago."
When Shi Dun heard that the mother and son would have dumplings to eat, he exclaimed with delight, his joy evident in his expression.
"As long as she eats well, that's all that matters. Girl, you don't understand... My wife suffered a lot since she was a child. No one cared for her, and she never ate anything good."
Every time he gets something good, he saves it for me to eat when I get home, no matter how many times I try to persuade him otherwise.
I just want to earn more money so that she and her daughter can live a better life and have more confidence when spending money.
Jin Shanyao remained silent, listening quietly, until the carriage was loaded and a soldier called out, " Shi Dun, let's go..."
"Hey, I'm coming right now," Shi Dun said eagerly, Jin Shanyao. "Miss, when you see my wife, tell her I'm doing well in the army, eating and dressing well."
The young general is very kind to me. I'll go back to see her when I'm on my day off." Without waiting for Jin Shanyao reply, he hurriedly caught up with the group.
Twenty-eight soldiers drove the carriages out... The ruts rolled over the snow, leaving neither reflections nor tracks.
Jin Shanyao the window and lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) unable to fall asleep for a long time.
The Xiaoli, perched on the Jin Shanyao its feet. "It's a sacrifice to heaven... It must have been dead for over a year."
"One year and eight months," Jin Shanyao calmly.
Dahuang whimpered, "I don't know who's using this immoral method, trapping them here day and night, unable to be reborn in the Pure Land."
The Xiaoli kicked it and said coldly, "What is our purpose in coming to the mortal realm?"
"Repaying a debt of gratitude..."
"Good thing you know, you idiot..."
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Qiao Qingran knocked on the door of the room with the Jin Shanyao. Seeing that she was all dressed and ready to leave, she felt a little apologetic. "Thank you for your hard work, Miss Jin."
"It's alright..." Jin Shanyao and the two children walked out, with the cat and dog following behind carrying the bundle. As they stepped out of the house, a cold wind blew in through their collars.
At the corner of the stables, a man was talking quietly with a courier.
"I heard that this official road was repaired repeatedly... it took a whole year and a half to finish before it was suddenly completed one day. You've been stationed here for many years, so do you know the ins and outs of this?"
The courier smiled and flattered, "Sir, how could I possibly know things you don't? Please don't make things difficult for me... I still have a ton of work to do."
He tried to walk past the man to leave, but someone slipped a silver ingot into his hand. The courier glanced around, then tucked the silver into his sleeve and whispered.
"When the road was being built, a grain transport team was caught in a flash flood and they all perished..."
"I know about that, but tell me something I don't."
The courier held out his hand in front of the man, and half a coin fell into his hand. He grinned and continued.
"Laborers who repair roads often pass through my area. On the day of the flash flood, I happened to see two men running past the post station in a panic, with soldiers chasing after them. Later, I learned that they were two deserters."
He stopped talking there, clutching the silver and quickly leaving.
The man seemed to sense something and suddenly turned his head to look over.
Jin Shanyao was caught eavesdropping, but she wasn't guilty at all. She even took out a piece of cloth banner from the oxcart and unfurled it.
With a wide, beaming smile, he said, "Sir, I see a dark aura around your face; it foretells a bloody disaster... Would you like to buy a talisman? Fifty taels a piece."
The man's eyes were deep; he didn't reply, but mounted his horse and left the post station.
Jin Shanyao hurriedly called out, "Those who don't heed the advice of their elders will suffer the consequences! A mere fifty taels will ensure you turn misfortune into good fortune and your luck turn around... Hey... child, you don't have to buy talismans or fortune-telling."
Watching the man's resolute back, Jin Shanyao her tongue. So aloof!
After saying this, he threw the cloth banner and the two children onto the oxcart, sat down on the cart, hugged the two children, shouted, and set off.
The old ox started to trot along... Seeing this, Qiao Qingran urged the coachman, "Hurry, hurry... Miss Jin has gone astray!"
The carriage traveled slowly, stopping frequently, and finally arrived in the capital city half a month later. Just as the three of them reached the city gate, before they could even marvel at its grandeur, they saw a large crowd of people rushing towards the oxcart.
Lu Chi rushed to the front, but before he could finish speaking, Old General Fu elbowed him away, and he quickly squeezed to the front.
"Miss Jin... I am Fu Jinxing, the younger brother of Old Madam Su... Ouch, stop pulling me..." Old General Fu dodged left and right, reaching out to hug Meng Anci.
Meng Anci dodged the attack with a quick movement. Old General Fu had no time to think and instantly changed his strategy, placing his entire body in front of Jin Shanyao.
Song Henian, the Vice Minister of Ministry of War, was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged. "Old man Fu, get out of my way! My daughter asked Master Jin to bring me a cotton-padded coat..."
"Nonsense, what cotton-padded coat needs to be sent from Qingzhou Prefecture... We're practically family, do you think I don't know what you're thinking? My nephew's wife must have sent you a letter beforehand."
Old General Fu, occupying the best spot on the oxcart, shouted, "Let's see who dares to touch me today! If anyone does, I'll lie down right here... and have my grandson carry me to see the emperor. I'll extort money from you all!"
Qiao Qingran was blocked behind the crowd and shouted loudly, "I invited Miss Jin, I invited her..." Her charming voice was drowned out by the argument.
Lu Chi didn't dare touch Old General Fu at all. He turned around to grab the ox rope, but Fu Congzhao had already wrapped it around his waist. He looked like a man who could hold off ten thousand men.
"Brother Lu, if you want to take the ox rope, you'll have to step over my body."
Lu Chi pointed at Fu Congzhao with gritted teeth, then turned around to try and snatch him from behind, only to find that Fu Congheng had already taken his spot, standing guard with his sword drawn.
"My lord, I was forced into this situation. If I don't bring Miss Jin home, I'll disappear from the family register. Oh, by the way... you don't care about the family register."
Fu Congheng gritted his teeth and shouted at the top of his lungs, "My lord, just consider Miss Jin my life!"
Lu Chi pointed at Fu Congheng's nose, his face ashen... "Well done, you'd better not be on duty tomorrow," he said, then turned and rushed to the back of the car.
He was about to shout "Get out of my way!" when he realized that the person defending him was Fu Congxi, and his arrogance vanished instantly.
" Congxi, move aside... Jin Shanyao is my master, she must stay in my house."
Fu Congxi sneered, " Lu Chi, have you forgotten who stood up for you and backed you up since you were little... Now that you're newly engaged, you dare to yell at me?"
Lu Chi wanted to say that he didn't shout, but the time was not to argue about the volume of the sound. He pleaded and begged.
" Congxi, for the sake of our childhood sweethearts and betrothal, please return my master to me."
"Dream on... You can always find another man, but there's only one Jin Shanyao. Let's see who dares to snatch her from me."
Jin Shanyao sat on the oxcart, gazing at Qiao Qingran from afar. " Madam Qiao... can you hear me?"
"Miss Jin, I can't get in..."
Old General Fu, sitting on the oxcart, shouted, " Congzhao, hurry home..."
Fu Congzhao had wanted to leave for a long time, but no matter how hard the old ox pulled, he couldn't budge it. He was so anxious that he was covered in sweat. He looked at the old ox and said, "Your master likes me. If you don't come with me, who will you go with?"
"Bullshit... When did Miss Jin ever care about you..." Song Henian reached out to grab the cow rope, but it was tied too tightly and he couldn't untie it.
Two third-rank officials, a general, and a female official's wife—the four families circled around the oxcart.
The soldiers guarding the city looked at each other in bewilderment. "Who's riding in that oxcart?"
"I don't know. Old General Fu has been waiting here for half a month, and he won't say anything no matter what we ask..."
Can you see what's going on inside?
"What are you looking at... You can't see anything at all..."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a figure slowly rose from within the encirclement.
The girl had delicate features and beautiful eyebrows. A purple mink cloak accentuated her slender figure. Standing on the oxcart, she looked like a fairy descending to earth, looking down at the crowd.
Just as the city guards were captivated by her beauty, a loud shout rang out and the fairy instantly fell from her pedestal.
"Shut up, all of you..."