128 Chapter 128

◎Say what I can afford◎

Chou Gou and the others said nothing. They found five or six women and children who had not escaped and were captured in the house. The Mongols spared no one, including the old woman.

Some people have been tortured to death, and some have hanged themselves out of shame and anger.

When they found Xu Xiuying in the house, she was sitting dazed on the kang, which was covered in blood. Her cheeks were swollen and her eyes were swollen to a slit. Without asking, they all knew what had happened to her.

"Xiuying is here." The drying yard was brightly lit, and they noticed Xu Xiuying as soon as she appeared.

Xu Xiuying had washed the blood off her face, changed into clean clothes, and tied her hair up again. She walked with some difficulty, but still walked towards this side step by step.

Sao Hu was helped to sit up. He saw the bright and lively Xu Xiuying through the slits of his eyes and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Xiuying turned her gaze from Sao Hu to the pile of Mongolian soldiers' corpses that had formed a small hill. She walked up to Mu Yun and asked for his knife.

Li Yu exclaimed: "What is she going to do!"

Xu Xiuying raised her knife and chopped at the Mongolian soldier's body, one knife, two knives, three knives... Without skills and strength, it was not easy to chop off a head. She chopped persistently, one knife after another, and finally, the body was separated.

Mu Yun: "The Mongolian bandits have slaughtered my comrades, leaving countless bloodshed. Please cut off their heads. Madam Cheng will reward you with each head!"

During the fight just now, most of the Mongolian soldiers were killed by the captains of each team and the top two hunters who had fought ferocious beasts. Most of the villagers only played the role of building up momentum and did not kill the bandits. At most, they would add a knife while dragging the corpses. Now Mu Yun gave them equal opportunities and there was also a reward for killing the bandits.

The young and strong men, still full of passion, rushed forward and chopped the melons and gourds.

When the victory song was sung in Songzhuang, Guier heard it and shouted excitedly, "Madam Cheng, we won!"

Shangguan Duan leaned against the wall and smiled bitterly.

Cheng Mu's heart surged as she looked towards the sparks of fire in the distance. They had won! The enemy was completely wiped out!

Mu Yun won.

An hour later, the people from Songzhuang gradually dispersed.

Xu Fang waited until the twelve men arrived at the horse farm, took the three captives, and said goodbye to Cheng Mu: "Madam Cheng, don't worry. We will set out for Yunzhou before dawn to surrender the captives and report everything here to His Royal Highness Prince Jing."

Shangguan Duan laughed mockingly again.

Cheng Mu: "Be careful along the way."

The young and strong men who had cut off the heads came to pay their respects. Cheng Mu wrote down their numbers and asked them to come and collect their rewards tomorrow.

Everyone's excitement was palpable. "Today's achievement is something we can brag about for the rest of our lives!"

Cheng Mu warned: "The enemy's main force is heading towards Yunzhou. Although the Yunzhou garrison is strong and is not afraid of the bandits' attack, the villages should not let their guard down and be careful to prevent the enemy troops from fleeing."

"Don't worry, Madam Cheng, we will be on guard at all times."

Cheng Mu wanted to go out and hide for a while, but where else could she go? She wanted everyone to stick together, but the villages were scattered and she had no good suggestions for the time being. She could only nod and accept their farewell.

Mu Yun is back, and Jin Xiong and his men are very proud of their victory, especially Chou Gou Li Yu and his men. They used to be gangsters, but now they are warriors who annihilated the Mongolian soldiers. Even their walking posture is different.

Only Mu Yun was relatively calm.

Cheng Mu asked them, "Where are the severed heads?"

Li Yu: "Hanging it in the drying yard in Songzhuang."

Chen Hu: "It's even more spectacular than drying salted fish."

They were not yet satisfied, so they cut off the enemy's heads and hung them up on the drying ground.

Mu Yun took Cheng Mu away early. The house in Songzhuang was made dirty and messy by the Mongolian soldiers, so they stayed at Gui'er's place tonight.

Cheng Mu asked him, "Where are Sister Xiuying and the others?"

Mu Yun: "Sao Hu is injured and can't move. Xu Xiuying is taking care of him over there."

"Were you attacked by Mongolian soldiers? Were you seriously injured? Did you take any medicine?"

"Sister-in-law," Mu Yun changed the subject, "I'm hungry."

After Yu took Jiuniu away, she didn't go far. After all, Gui'er was still behind, so she waited on the way. Later, Chen Hu went to get some clothes and told her what happened in the threshing ground. Yu felt relieved and returned home to wait for others.

When the triumphant songs rang out from Songzhuang, she excitedly lit a fire and started cooking.

Now that everyone was here, she hurried to set the table.

Li Yu and the others had eaten a little in the threshing ground, but Mu Yun and several bodyguards had only had breakfast and had not had a drop of water until now. Yu ate first and then hurried to cook.

She was busy all the time, cleaning the room where Cheng Mu originally lived.

Cheng Mu sat at the table, watching several people wolfing down their food. While eating, they couldn't hide their excitement while discussing today's strategy for defeating the enemy.

Cao Bai asked her, "What reward will Madam Cheng give to the person who cuts off the enemy's head?"

"I only have fruits and vegetables. Do you have any good suggestions?"

"To be honest, they are not fighting for Madam Cheng. Each village sent a few strong men for the sake of their own people. Madam Cheng is a generous person, so she agreed to reward them."

Cheng Mu smiled and said, "This is a happy occasion, let's all be happy together. If we just ran away like this, those things would be lost and ruined."

Cheng Mu looked at the silent Mu Yun and said, "Mu Yun, make a list with me later."

Gui Ze talked about the guard duty tonight and said that someone had to be arranged to keep watch.

After talking about the night watch, he talked about future arrangements.

The meal went by quickly and we talked for a long time.

Gui'er and his companions came back after hanging the enemy heads in the drying yard. Yu blamed her for not resting well after being injured. Gui'er did not work hard today, so she wanted to keep watch, so she asked Li Yu to guard the first post with her.

Cheng Mu spread out paper and pen on the table on the kang, and Mu Yun came in after washing his hands and face.

Cheng Mu called him: "Sit down and talk."

Mu Yun sat far away, leaning against the wall. Cheng Mu asked him if he had any thoughts on the reward, and he shook his head. Cheng Mu then asked him what had happened, and he shook his head again.

So Cheng Mi made a list on her own, listing all the properties in Songzhuang.

Looking up and seeing Mu Yun looking at her, Cheng Mu smiled and asked again: "You have made the greatest contribution in defeating the Mongolian army. Is there anything you want?"

Cheng Mu asked this question while she was immersed in her own thoughts. She had already planned what rewards would be given to everyone tomorrow. She had calculated so much except for Mu Yun, so she asked casually, but she regretted it as soon as she asked.

She knew what Mu Yun wanted, so how could she give up the initiative?

She couldn't take back what she had said, and her smile became very awkward.

"I want...sister-in-law..." Mu Yun did not miss this opportunity.

"Tell me what I can afford."

"…hold me in your arms."

Cheng Mu put down her pen, held her forehead and asked for a hug, which was fine.

The pressure he was under today was enormous, as he was leading a group of untrained people to fight against the brave and combat-ready Mongolian soldiers.

All of this happened because of her.

Also because she didn't want to let go and run away.

"Actually, what happened today was all my fault..."

"Auntie is not at fault, and there is no need to blame yourself. Now that things have come to this, don't think about it anymore."

She knew he didn't like killing. Since he had to do it, comforting him was necessary.

Thinking of this, Cheng Mu got off the kang, straightened her clothes, and opened her arms.

"bring it on."

She was so generous that Mu Yun seemed a little hesitant, but she agreed.

Mu Yun was a head taller than her, and Cheng Mu saw him trying to raise his head slightly. She wanted to comfort Mu Yun like a child, but the look in Mu Yun's eyes was not the emotion a child should have.

She took a step toward the slightly tense man.

"Mrs. Cheng, do you know—" Gui'er suddenly rushed in from outside.

Cheng Mu was shocked and pushed Mu Yun away with both hands.

But this time Mu Yun did not cooperate. He reacted faster than Cheng Mu. Instead, he stretched out his arms and held her tightly, so that Cheng Mu could not break free.

Gui'er quickly stopped talking and her expression froze.

Cheng Mu blushed with shame.

Mu Yun stared at Gui'er unhappily.

Gui'er: "Keep going! I, I didn't see anything!"

She quickly ran away.

When she suddenly saw this scene, her heart started pounding, and she was more nervous and excited than them.

But then she remembered what Li Yu had just told her about Xiuying, and her shoulders drooped again, her heart aching as if it were being grabbed by an invisible hand.

They had been waiting for this for so long: Madam Cheng and Mu Yun were finally together, but how could she share this joy with Xiuying?

Xiuying...

The next day at dawn, the group set off for Songzhuang.

On the way, Mu Yun told Cheng Mu what happened to Xu Xiuying. Cheng Mu remained silent all the way.

The door of the house was half open, and the cool morning breeze made the door shake, and sometimes it hit the high threshold, making a clanging sound.

Inside the house, the ground was littered with traces of trampling, the walls were stained with knife marks and blood, and rotten soil and grain from the cultivation process were scattered everywhere, not to mention the boxes and crates that had been dragged out and the cloth and clothes that had been carelessly thrown away...

Cheng Mu went straight to Xu Xiuying and her family's yard.

Sao Hu was lying on the kang, and Xu Xiuying was sitting on the edge of the kang with a white silk flower in her hair.

"Sister Xiuying..."

Xu Xiuying's face was bruised and swollen, and there were traces of dried tears on it.

"Madam Cheng!"

Mu Yun saw that Sao Hu was not in a good condition and stepped forward to touch her neck.

Xu Xiuying: "Madam Cheng, the slutty fox is gone."

Saohu was seriously injured and passed away in the middle of the night.

She thought she had cried all her tears dry, but when she saw Madam Cheng, she started crying again.

Cheng Mu hugged Xu Xiuying and she cried sadly.

Mu Yun ordered people to collect Sao Hu's body. Li Yu and the others had known Sao Hu for many years, and they could never have imagined that Sao Hu would die in this way. They all cried and wailed.

While everyone else was cleaning the house, Yu handed Jiuniu over to the injured Guier and helped clean up the dirt.

Cheng Mu used a handkerchief to wipe away Xu Xiuying's tears and applied some blood-dissolving and swelling-reducing ointment on her.

"Madam Cheng, the slutty fox has left just like that. What's the point of me, a broken flower and withered willow, staying in this world? I should go with him. But I've been sitting here for half the night and can't bring myself to do it..."

"Sao Hu and you have such a good relationship, he can't bear to leave. You have to live well for him."

Xu Xiuying regretted: "The last words I said to him were that he would definitely hate me and abandon me in the future. I doubted his sincerity in the future. If I knew he had no future, how could I have said such words? He was so cruel to me."

"Madam Cheng, if you had known that we would be like this today, you should have choked to death in the cellar with him. It would have been better to die then than now. Why didn't you become a dead couple in the cellar..."

"He didn't say anything to me before he left. We didn't talk about anything..."

“…”

Gui'er was crying outside the yard while holding Jiuniu. Yu made some noodle soup for Xu Xiuying.

Xu Xiuying didn't want to eat at all, "I'm going to pile up dirt for Sao Hu."

Jin Xiong came over and reported, "Madam Cheng, Zheng Lizheng and the others are here."