Chapter 46 [V] "One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand"...

These past two days, Aunt Xue has been thinking a lot. It should have been the happiest time of the year, but because she had something on her mind, she couldn't be happy at all.

Even though she forced a smile, Li Yan, being observant, still noticed that something was wrong with her.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Li Yan, who had just returned from visiting her neighbor with her two children and some fruits, accidentally discovered that her mother-in-law was secretly wiping away tears. She quickly sent her nephew and niece away and told them to continue visiting the neighbor and not to come home before mealtime. Then she went to her mother-in-law's room.

Aunt Xue has been feeling heavy-hearted these past few days, not only because of her anxiety about losing her daughter-in-law, Li Yan, who might abandon her family after remarrying, but also because other families celebrate the New Year with their children and grandchildren, a house full of laughter and joy. Her family, however, has not only been forced to leave their hometown, but she has also lost two sons in just a few short years.

Although the incident is over, its aftereffects are still strong. And many times, when she thinks about it carefully, she can't help but burst into tears.

However, she never dared to let her grandchildren know about these things, nor did she dare to let her daughter-in-law know.

I was afraid they would worry about me.

I also felt that there was no need to spoil their happy days.

Today was an accident. I didn't expect my daughter-in-law to come home so quickly after visiting with her two children. I couldn't control my emotions and she bumped into me.

Hearing her dismiss the two children from the main room outside, and then seeing her come in, Aunt Xue quickly put on a smile and said, "Look at me, crying even on New Year's Day. It's nothing, I just suddenly missed my husband and the two children. I'm being dramatic, life is so good now, yet I'm still crying."

She blamed herself, saying that it was such a joyous occasion as the Lunar New Year, and she was crying; it was really bad luck.

Seeing the old lady's forced smile, Li Yan felt quite sad.

Then she reflected on herself. During this period, she had focused all her attention on her business and neglected her mother's feelings.

It's actually quite understandable how she felt. Because of the war, both of her sons were conscripted and sent to the battlefield. Within just a few years, they both lost their lives on the battlefield.

The pain of losing two children is something that people who haven't experienced it probably can't understand.

She suffered the loss of her son twice, but she didn't get to see him one last time either time.

This blow was enormous for her.

In particular, there have been rumors lately that the imperial court has won a battle and the victorious army is on its way back to the capital.

"One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand," these triumphant armies returning to the capital will be ennobled and appointed ministers, enjoying endless wealth and glory. But how many corpses did they tread upon to obtain all this? And the eldest and second sons of the Xue family are two of those corpses.

“Mom, if you’re feeling down, just say it,” Li Yan advised her to release her emotions. “Let it all out and have a good cry. You’ll feel much better afterward.” Li Yan encouraged her to cry.

Crying is often a way to release emotions. Tears can bring out negative feelings that have been bottled up inside, which is actually better for the body.

Otherwise, prolonged worry and depression may damage one's physical health.

Aunt Xue had already stopped crying, but after Li Yan's few words of comfort, she couldn't help but start crying again.

"My poor two children..." She clutched her chest with both hands, rubbing and pounding it hard, yet trying her best to endure the pain. "Why them... why does it have to be them..." She didn't understand why she had to suffer such immense grief over the loss of her children when she hadn't done anything wrong.

Even just returning one of her sons would be good.

Aunt Xue's crying stirred up Li Yan's painful memories. She had suddenly and inexplicably arrived here, and she also had relatives and friends in this other world, fearing that she would never see them again in this life.

Aunt Xue cried, and Li Yan cried with her. After the two women released their emotions, they felt much better.

Life has already taken us this far; we can't afford to be depressed and gloomy every day. We have to keep living our lives to the fullest.

So, after crying, Li Yan said, "There's hot water on the stove. I'll go pour some and wash my face."

“I’ll go,” said Aunt Xue.

"Mom, you rest, I'll go." Feelings are cultivated over time. After spending several months together, Li Yan had already come to regard the grandmother and granddaughter of this family as her own. "You usually take care of me in the little things in life. Today, let me be filial to you this once."

Before Aunt Xue could speak, Li Yan nimbly slipped out the door.

Before long, she brought in a basin of water.

After crying, Aunt Xue felt much better now.

Seeing how kind-hearted her youngest daughter-in-law was, Aunt Xue genuinely wanted the best for her.

Now, I've come to terms with many things.

"That Xu Tongsheng, I think he's a very good person." After washing her face, Aunt Xue solemnly spoke to her daughter-in-law about Xu Qingshu. "He was originally kind to Xu Ge'er, so Xu Ge'er should have gone to pay him a New Year's visit. But yesterday he actually brought his son over, saying he wanted to pay a New Year's visit to me." Aunt Xue smiled, "How could I, a woman from the countryside, be worthy of such a post? He... although he's a scholar, he's not arrogant, and he doesn't look down on us merchants... I think he's a very good person."

Li Yan didn't catch the hidden meaning in her mother-in-law's words, and instead echoed her, saying, "Brother Xu is indeed a good person."

Aunt Xue continued with a smile, "Yan Niang, tomorrow is the fifth day of the new year. Why don't you take Xu Ge'er to pay him a New Year's visit? Firstly, he has been kind to Xu Ge'er, so it's only right that you pay him a New Year's visit to show your appreciation. Secondly, he's a scholar, so he must know many people in Huating County. If Xu Ge'er can build a good relationship with him, it will be beneficial for him in the future."

Thirdly, she could tell that Xu Tongsheng had some feelings for her daughter-in-law. Now, having her daughter-in-law bring Xu Ge'er over was a friendly gesture.

If you give him hope, he will naturally proceed to the next step.

“Then I’m on the same page as Mother.” Even if Aunt Xue didn’t mention it, Li Yan had the same idea. He was already a benefactor and a noble person. Even if he didn’t pay a visit first, Li Yan would still prepare some gifts and take Xu Ge’er to visit him once she knew he had returned to the city.

Aunt Xue nodded: "When do you plan to go?"

Li Yan: "Let's do it on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year tomorrow."

Right now, because it's the Lunar New Year, Li Yan is quite free. But after the sixth day of the new year, Yuanbaolou and Sifangshi will both open, and then she'll be busy.

So, instead of postponing it any further and not being available then, let's do it tomorrow.

After Xu Ge'er returned from playing with Yue Jie'er, Li Yan told him about taking him to Xu Tongsheng's house.

This winter, Li Yan made two new outfits for herself, for Aunt Xue, and for each of her two children. During the Lunar New Year holidays, Xu Ge'er wore one of the outfits, and the next day, he changed into the other one.

Li Yan's business is gradually getting on track and she's making some money. Although she doesn't have the money to buy a house yet, she's very generous with herself and the Xue family, both in terms of food and clothing.

The new clothes I bought were all made of very good materials, and I looked presentable wearing them.

In addition, Li Yan prepared a gift for Xu Qingshu, knowing that he would be taking the imperial examination next spring, so she specially selected a set of writing implements for him.

She also prepared a gift for Xu Qingshu's son, Maoge'er, which was a beautifully crafted little wooden horse that she had found in a carpenter's shop.

Such a gift is tailored to the recipient's preferences, neither too expensive nor too disrespectful.

Xu Qingshu lives not far from here, in a similar alley. But compared to the one Li Yan lives in now, the environment of this alley is much better.

The mansions were larger, the walls were higher, and the alleyways were wider.

However, the layout of the courtyards is the same: a small courtyard upon entering, three main rooms in the main building, and a kitchen and an outhouse on the left and right respectively. Another slight difference is that behind the three main rooms, there are three very small rooms called rear rooms. Generally, these rooms are used for storing miscellaneous items.

Alternatively, some families with many members might convert such poorly lit rear rooms into living rooms.

When Xu Qingshu visited to offer New Year's greetings the other day, Li Yan thought it best to reciprocate, so she specifically asked Xu Qingshu for his current address.

This street wasn't too far from Tongye Hutong. Li Yan led Xu Ge'er here, asking for directions along the way. It probably took them about half an hour.

Li Yan found the place and knocked on the door.

The door to this house was closed, but the door to the house next door was open.

A woman's head peeked out from behind the gate of the neighboring courtyard. She looked Li Yan up and down and asked curiously, "Who are you looking for?"

Li Yan quickly asked, "I'm looking for Young Master Xu. Excuse me... does he live here?"

"Are you looking for Qing Shu?" The middle-aged woman looked to be around thirty years old, with light makeup on her face and a certain amount of attractiveness.

When he saw that she had come to see Xu Qingshu, his eyes instinctively lit up, and then he began to look Li Yan up and down.

After looking Li Yan over, his gaze fell on Xu Ge'er, who was standing next to her.

"I'm Sister-in-law Qingshu. Qingshu is at our house. Please come in." With that, the woman opened the door and warmly invited Li Yan into the courtyard.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he raised his voice again and shouted, "Erlang, Erlang, someone is looking for you."

Xu Qingshu's parents have passed away, and the two brothers have separated their households. They sold their slightly larger house and moved here. The two brothers are good friends, so they bought houses next to each other.

During the six months that Xu Qingshu was away from home in Qingshan Town, his son Maoge'er was raised by his elder brother and sister-in-law, and he paid them a certain amount of money every month.

Now that he has returned to the city, he is cooking and eating with his brother Sa.

Especially during these past few days of the Lunar New Year, Xu Qingshu has been spending most of his time at the main house.

His parents are gone, so his eldest brother is like a father to him and his eldest sister-in-law is like a mother to him. His wife has been dead for three years. He is still young and has achieved academic success. Recently, his brother and sister-in-law have been enthusiastically arranging a marriage for him.

Xu Qingshu had a deep affection for his first wife, and he was currently preparing for the provincial examinations next year. Therefore, he wasn't particularly interested in remarrying.

But his sister-in-law was enthusiastic and loved to take charge, so he really couldn't do anything about it.

During the Spring Festival, under the guise of paying New Year's visits, I met two or three young women.

They were all young women, around fifteen or sixteen years old, and had never been married.

The girls were all good girls, but Xu Qingshu really didn't have any feelings for them.

Today, upon hearing his sister-in-law's familiar and enthusiastic voice coming from the courtyard again, Xu Qingshu assumed that she had brought another young lady to visit.

When he came out of the main room and saw that the person standing in the middle of the courtyard was Madam Li, he was surprised and astonished: "How come it's you?"

Xu's eldest sister-in-law stood aside, observing her brother-in-law's expression, and gave him a knowing look.

Brother Xu, Xu Jiayan, followed them out and saw the pretty woman standing outside the door. His gaze immediately swept over his wife, as if asking why she was being introduced as a woman this time, and why she had brought a child with her.

Sister-in-law Xu shook her head at her husband and mouthed to him, "I didn't introduce her. I don't know anything about her."

Xu Jiayan frowned and looked at her younger brother. She saw that her brother had already walked towards the young woman and was talking to her enthusiastically.

He heard the young woman say, "Thanks to your help, Xu-ge'er was able to successfully enter Xiaochun School. Brother Xu, you are Xu-ge'er's benefactor. So today, I brought Xu-ge'er to wish you a Happy New Year."

Xu Qingshu said, "That was so long ago, why bring it up again? You've thanked me so many times already, don't mention it again." He then invited, "Come in quickly." Not wanting to get too close to Li Yan, he put his hand on Xu Ge'er's shoulder and led him into the house.

Sister-in-law Xu secretly gave her husband, Xu Jiayan, a look, and then called out loudly, "Sister, please stay for lunch. Erlang, you take good care of her. I'll go cook."

Li Yan immediately said, "No, no trouble at all. I'm just bringing Xu Ge'er to pay a New Year's visit, and we'll leave after a short while."

Xu Qingshu also urged her to stay, saying, "It's still mid-year, so you shouldn't be too busy. Your sister-in-law is very hospitable, so why don't you stay for a simple meal?"

Therefore, Li Yan could not refuse any longer and could only say, "Then I shall respectfully accept your offer."

Xu Jiayan has a son who is thirteen years old. Since the adults had something to talk about, Xu Jiayan asked his son to take Xu Ge'er out to play.

Invited by the two brothers, Li Yan sat down. She took a closer look and noticed that the main room was almost twice the size of the main room in her current rented house, and it was very spacious. An incense table was placed against the north wall of the main room, and incense was still burning on it.

In front of the incense table were two round-backed chairs. Below them, on either side, was another chair.

Xu Jiayan sat in the main seat, Li Yan sat in the chair to the right of the guest seat, and Xu Qingshu sat directly opposite her.

"Erlang, aren't you going to introduce him?" After sitting down, Xu Jiayan looked at his younger brother and asked with a squinting smile.

Xu Qingshu then said, "This is Madam Li. I met her in Qingshan Town. Madam Li is from Qingshan Town, but her whole family moved to Huating County and has now settled down there."

Xu Jiayan nodded upon hearing this, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "I see that Madam Li is dressed as a married woman, does this mean... she is already married?"

Li Yan said, "Half a year after we got married, my husband passed away. Now I live with my mother-in-law and two nephews."

This was within Xu Jiayan's expectations. If she hadn't lost her husband, Erlang wouldn't have gotten so close to her.

Although it's not ideal for someone who's been married before, she's quite pretty and seems well-educated and reasonable. If she really marries Erlang, she'll likely manage the household very well.

She had been married for half a year when her husband passed away... and looking at her flat stomach... she must never have been pregnant.

That's not bad.

Erlang had a deep affection for Wen Shi, and during the three years since Wen Shi left, he had become completely depressed. Now, it was truly rare to find someone who could enter his heart again.

So, as long as the girl has a good temper, is reasonable, and easy to get along with... nothing else really matters.

After getting a general idea of ​​the situation, Xu Jiayan was quite sensible and immediately stood up and said, "Second Brother, I'll go to the kitchen to see if your sister-in-law needs any help. You stay here and take good care of Madam Li."

Xu Qingshu was clever; from his brother and sister-in-law's words and actions just now, he could tell that they had misunderstood.

However, it wouldn't be appropriate to explain in front of Madam Li, so Xu Qingshu didn't say anything more.

"Go, brother."

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Author's Note: [Sprinkling flowers] Update is here!