Jin Shanyao sighed sincerely, "No one is perfect, and no tree is without flaws. How are their brains structured? They can argue for half an hour straight, and they don't even seem to lack oxygen."
Fu Congxi to see the adult and two children standing to the side, looking at him with eyes full of admiration, and couldn't help but laugh out loud, "What's with those expressions?"
"A bloodless victory... truly living up to its reputation."
Fu Congxi's ears turned slightly red. Pulling Jin Shanyao, she continued selecting gifts. After circling around, Jin Shanyao asked, "Shopkeeper, do you have any lingzhi-shaped gifts?"
"Yes... I have everything in my shop..." The shopkeeper smiled and took a jade lingzhi mushroom from the top of the shelf.
Wow... At first glance, it seemed Xie Chao had reverted to his original form. Jin Shanyao immediately made the decision, "I'll take it. Wrap it up..."
"Alright..." the shopkeeper replied with a smile.
Before leaving the capital, Jin Shanyao carried two large bags of clothes and rushed to the Fu Household, where she bid a reluctant farewell to Fu Congzhao.
" Congzhao, I know you're not having a good time at home. I have clothes for all four seasons, and they're all two sizes too big, so don't worry about wearing them; they won't feel tight around your waist."
Fu Congzhao blushed deeply with embarrassment. He pulled out a wad of silver notes and stuffed them into Jin Shanyao's hand. "Miss Jin, we don't know when we'll meet again. I'd like to buy two Talisman of Safety."
" Zhao'er... you understand me..." Jin Shanyao gazed at Fu Congzhao, her eyes filled with admiration.
Her hands were waving behind her back, Meng Anci quickly rummaged through his bag and took out a talisman and handed it to her.
Jin Shanyao shoved the talisman into Fu Congzhao's palm with a backhand motion, holding him tightly for a long time, "Remember... we will never be apart."
Fu Congzhao blushed and tried to pull his hand away, "Don't separate... don't... separate..."
He had just pulled his hand out when he looked up and saw Jin Shanyao leading two children onto an oxcart.
Whoosh... and they were gone in a flash. Fu Congzhao stood there dumbfounded. They were gone already??? Then he looked at the two big bags of clothes on the ground and suddenly laughed.
He lifted his clothes and turned around, almost bumping into Old General Fu. "Grandfather, when did you come out?"
Old General Fu looked him up and down, then nodded in satisfaction. "Making good friends with Miss Jin... you won't lose out."
Without Qiao Qingran leading the way, and without having to slow down, the oxcart went full speed ahead once it left the city gate.
The guards sent by Lu Mingche hid in the bushes, but before they could come out to intercept them, a blur flashed before their eyes... and the oxcart disappeared in an instant. Several guards, swords in hand, stood there dumbfounded.
"Boss, how are we going to explain this when we get back? We can't just say we didn't stop the oxcart, can we?"
The head of the guards gritted his teeth, "Chase them... They may escape, but they can't hide. Even if we catch them all the way to Qingzhou Prefecture, we must kill them."
The men received their orders and rode their horses after the oxen, galloping all the way... The cold wind blew into their stomachs through their mouths and noses, and soon some of them started to have diarrhea.
Jin Shanyao was completely unaware that someone was chasing them. She ran halfway down the road and found a house to stay in before dark.
In the evening, the farmer's wife heated the kang (a traditional heated brick bed) until it was cozy, and then roasted two sweet potatoes for the children.
"This is an official road, and merchants often travel here and ask for lodging. But don't worry, the bedding is all clean."
The peasant woman set out the bowls and chopsticks, standing smiling to the side. Meng Anzhi took out ten coins, "Auntie, could you please boil some water for us?"
The peasant woman smiled broadly after receiving the tip, "Oh... I'll go cook it right away. You all take your time eating. Call me when you're done and I'll clean up."
In winter, there isn't much food in the farmhouses. Dried vegetables stir-fried with meat and cornbread are not very tasty, but they can barely fill your stomach. After the meal, the water is boiled.
Just as the group was preparing to wash up and go to bed, a peasant woman's terrified scream rang out from outside the door, "Husband, husband, come out quickly... someone's dead!"
Jin Shanyao in her robe, stepped out and saw the peasant woman and her family gathered around a stack of firewood. "Husband, is he dead or not? Say something!"
"Not dead... just unconscious."
The peasant woman, hissing from the cold with her hands tucked inside, said, "I don't know if this person is good or bad. Maybe we should report him to the authorities."
"Stop talking, let's carry the person inside first."
"No... If he dies in the house, who would dare to stay at our house? Put him in the stable."
Jin Shanyao forward, took a good look at the other person's face, and said in a low voice, "Take me to my room."
The peasant woman turned around abruptly, startled. "Oh dear... I said, why do you walk so quietly? You scared me half to death in the middle of the night!" she exclaimed, her eyes darting around.
"Young lady, it's inconvenient for you to take care of two children by yourself. Besides, he died in the house, and my house..." She hesitated, looking at Jin Shanyao.
With Jin Shanyao, she said, "If he dies in this house, I'll buy your house."
"What..." The peasant woman's eyes widened. She only wanted more money, but she never expected that this girl would ask to buy a house.
She wiped her nose with her sleeve and readily agreed, "Alright... Husband, carry her to the young lady's room, remember to be gentle."
The man gave a simple, honest "Hey!" and grabbed Shen Yan by the back, trying to drag him into the house. As he moved, blood gushed from his wound, startling Shen Yan so much that he froze on the spot.
The Jin Shanyao patted the man's shoulder, "I'll do it."
"Girl, you must be joking, this man..." Before he could finish speaking, Jin Shanyao swept the man up in her arms and carried him back into the house with light steps.
The peasant woman, so cold she forgot to stamp her feet, stared intently at the Jin Shanyao. After a while, she shivered and said to the man, "I'll go see if there's anything I can help with."
She hurried toward the side room, and as soon as she pushed open the door, she heard a tearing sound. A bronze chest suddenly appeared in her field of vision. The peasant woman cried out in surprise, turned around in fright, and slammed the door shut.
She swallowed hard, recalling the man's strong, muscular chest, and hurriedly patted her cheeks. The man came over carrying a blanket, saying, "What are you doing standing outside in this freezing weather?"
The peasant woman snatched the quilt away. "Go, find some clothes you don't wear anymore."
The man had just turned around when his wife shouted, "Find the old ones, the ones that can't be worn anymore... understand?"
"Okay, okay."
The peasant woman carried the bedding back into the house. Although she was mentally prepared, her gaze still wandered uncontrollably when she saw the man on the kang (a heated brick bed). She then threw the bedding onto the kang.
Seeing Meng Anzhi treating the man's wound, he exclaimed in surprise, "Is this young lady a doctor?"
Meng Anzhi smiled and nodded. The peasant woman stood aside, rubbing her hands, unsure of what to do... She could only watch helplessly as Meng Anzhi rescued the person. After a while, the man came in with some old clothes.
Seeing Shen Yan naked, his face darkened immediately. He covered his wife's eyes and pushed her outside, saying, "What are you looking at? What's so interesting about him... Come on, come on, let's go back inside."
The door closed again. Meng Anzhi took a handkerchief and wiped Shen Yan's wounds. Meng Anci sat next to Shen Yan and looked him over curiously. "Auntie, is he Young General Shen?"
Jin Shanyao handed the ginkgo powder to Meng Anzhi, instructing her to sprinkle it on the wound. "Hmm... we've met twice, there can't be any mistake."
Meng Anci reached out and poked Shen Yan's cheek, but seeing his brows furrow, he quickly withdrew his hand in fright. "Isn't he a young general? The kind of person who can charge into enemy lines and take a general's head, how did he get injured like this?"
Jin Shanyao acupuncture to preserve Shen Yan's heart meridian. "He must have been ganged up on... He had knife and sword wounds, but he's incredibly lucky to have survived."
Meng Anzhi finished bandaging him up. "It's only because we ran into him that he was able to find a doctor so late at night. He might have lost his life here."
Seeing that it was getting late, Jin Shanyao said to the two children, "You two should go to sleep early. I'll stay and watch over them."