Chapter 260 Traitors in Chaotic Times (Thirty-Six): How to Become a Super Strategist...

When the child saw a stranger in the main room, he immediately stopped and timidly hid behind Song Jing, curiously observing the newcomer.

Seeing this, Song Jing smiled, picked up the child and brought him to Song Ce, saying gently, "Ce, this is my son, Mingyuan, who just turned three this year. Mingyuan, quickly, call him uncle."

Song Mingyuan blinked, mustered his courage, and called out in a childish voice, "Uncle."

Song Ce smiled, took out the gifts and pastries he had prepared in advance from his bundle and handed them over, "Here, A Yuan, take these."

Song Mingyuan subconsciously looked at Song Jing and saw his father smiling at him, which immediately put his mind at ease. His face flushed, and he accepted the things Song Ce handed him with both hands, feeling a little shy and bashful. "Thank you, Uncle."

Song Ce nodded, then looked at Song Jing again, "Brother, where is sister-in-law?"

Upon hearing this, the three adults in the room fell silent. After a moment, Song Jingqiang smiled and beckoned Song Mingyuan, "Ayuan, go back inside and see what gift your uncle has prepared for you."

"Um!"

After Song Mingyuan left with his things, Song Jing sighed and said in a low voice, "Your sister-in-law... her parents were unwell a couple of days ago, so she took the girl back to her parents' home. She should be back tomorrow."

Your maternal home?

Song Ce was taken aback, turning his head to look at his parents' sorrowful expressions, "Then... what about Sister-in-law Wenxiu?"

Before Song's father could say anything, Song's mother could no longer hold back and tightly covered her face with her handkerchief, sobbing, "Wenxiu, Wenxiu insisted on going out to find you. Your father, Ajing, and I tried to stop her, but we couldn't. We had no choice but to prepare travel expenses for her and give in to her wishes. But three years have passed, and we haven't heard a word from her... Your father and I asked someone to send you a letter, but you haven't replied for a long time. We all thought you already knew, but just couldn't find the time to go find her..."

Upon hearing this, Song Ce's heart sank. The world was in turmoil and unrest, and Wenxiu, a weak woman, would likely face even greater difficulties on her journey.

"Father, Mother, I haven't received any letters. Putting that aside, can you tell me where Wenxiu is going to look for me?"

Song's mother wiped away her tears and tried hard to recall: "At that time, we only heard that you were fighting in the southeast of Qi, so she wanted to follow the main road to find you. I tried to persuade Wenxiu for several days, but the child was determined to find you... In desperation, your father, Ajing, and I could only give in to her."

Song Ce fell silent.

He had no memory of the events of this world, so naturally he didn't know what role Wenxiu played in it. He had returned this time intending to take advantage of the lull in the war and stay with the Song family for a while. It seemed he needed to set off immediately to find Wenxiu and bring her back.

That afternoon, Song Ce didn't even rest at home for a night before packing his luggage and saying goodbye to his parents.

Naturally, Song's mother was reluctant to see her son, whom she hadn't seen for several years, leave in such a hurry. She wept and grabbed Song Ce's hand, "Ce, you and Wenxiu... you never actually had a marital relationship. I lied to you both! At that time, your eldest brother was forcibly conscripted into the Meng family army, leaving you as the only son in the family. I was terrified and didn't want to see the Song family line die out, so I... I told such a lie... son, I'm so sorry for you and Wenxiu!"

Song Ce was taken aback at first, then asked, "So, there's nothing between us?"

"Yes! You were young then and didn't understand what consummating the marriage meant. I gave you and Wenxiu some fermented rice wine, and in your dazed state, Wenxiu accidentally grabbed your hand. I saw it, and... and... maybe that's why Wenxiu insisted on not marrying your older brother and insisted on going to find you..."

Song Ce sighed softly, blaming himself for focusing so much on war in recent years, thinking that settling his family in Pingzhou would solve everything. Now that trouble has struck, it's too late to say anything.

"Father, Mother, Brother, even if there's nothing between Wenxiu and me, life is hard for women in this world. She's all alone out there now, and she might be suffering somewhere. I must find her and bring her back! Please rest assured, elders and brother, I will take good care of myself. When I find Wenxiu, I will definitely bring her back to reunite with you!"

Looking at his youngest son, Song's father patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction, "A-Ce, go ahead! The journey is long, so be careful!"

"Yes, Father."

Looking at his younger brother's somber expression, Song Jing said with shame, "A-Ce, when I returned home years ago, I told Wenxiu about Tu Hui Mountain and Xindu. You might as well search along the way. I originally wanted to go out of the city to look for Wenxiu, but your sister-in-law was pregnant, I...I..."

Song Ce naturally understood Song Jing's unspoken meaning, and he nodded slightly to show his understanding.

Over the next half day, Song Ce arranged all the affairs at home and left enough silver for his parents and brothers before mounting his horse and leading his light cavalry squad on a swift journey towards Qi.

Meanwhile, in Xishan Village, south of Tu Hui Mountain.

Shi Dashan returned home excitedly with a bamboo basket on his back. He eagerly took out a brand-new rattle drum from his pocket and handed it to the young woman in the house, saying with a smile, "Wife, look what I bought for Xue'er?"

The young woman, Wenxiu, glared at her husband, then smiled and took the rattle drum, saying, "You're wasting money again."

"Oh, my wife! Is buying toys for Xue'er considered wasteful spending?" Shi Dashan took off his coat and sat down close to his wife and daughter. "Today, my wife, guess what I saw in the city?"

Wenxiu, holding her daughter Shi Chuxue, nestled in her husband's arms and asked softly, "Alright, stop being so mysterious, what did you see?"

Shi Dashan chuckled twice, then said mysteriously, "I saw a very imposing gentleman at the street corner! We even know each other! My wife, why don't you guess who he is?"

Wenxiu pondered for a moment, then asked him somewhat uncertainly, "Could it be that the person you're talking about is Mr. Zhou?"

"She truly is my wife, so intelligent!" Shi Dashan grabbed Wenxiu's hand and kissed it. "It was Mr. Zhou. He recognized me too, and even said he'd come back to the village to visit us in a couple of days!"

Upon hearing this, Wenxiu disregarded her shyness and easily broke free from Shi Dashan's embrace, raising her voice several octaves, "Shi Dashan, are you saying that Mr. Zhou is coming over the day after tomorrow?"

"Yes, my wife, what's wrong?" Shi Dashan asked, puzzled.

"You're asking me what's wrong?" Wenxiu gritted her teeth and punched Shi Dashan hard. "Mr. Zhou is a great benefactor to our family. Since he's coming, shouldn't we make proper preparations? But you, you went to the city and all you came back with was a rattle drum!"

Shi Dashan chuckled as he was punched, but he wasn't angry. He just scratched his head and said, "My wife is right. I didn't think of that. Tomorrow, I'll go to the mountains and try my luck. If I can't find anything, I can go to town to buy some vegetables and marinate some meat. Don't worry, my wife, this time I promise I'll make sure Mr. Zhou is satisfied!"

Upon hearing this, Wenxiu's expression softened. She looked down at her daughter, who was playing with a rattle drum in her arms, and whispered, "If you think about it carefully, Mr. Zhou is also our matchmaker. We can't be careless."

If it weren't for Dashan and Ermei taking her in and taking good care of her, and if Mr. Zhou hadn't happened to be staying with her, she probably would be dead by now... In the past three years, although her memory is still blurry, she has felt a sense of security and warmth she has never felt before here.

However, occasionally, in the quiet of the night, fragmented images would flash through her mind—sometimes a remote village, sometimes a kind woman, sometimes… a blurry young figure. But no matter how hard she tried to recall, she couldn't grasp any useful details. In the dead of night, she was left with only a profound sense of bewilderment, with no one to confide in.

The next day, after breakfast, Shi Dashan took his hunting tools and went out. Wenxiu, holding Xue'er, began tidying up the house. She worked all morning and finally got everything clean.

Just then, Shi Ermei's clear voice came from outside the courtyard gate, "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, I'm back!"

Wenxiu smiled and waved, saying, "Second Sister, you're back so soon? Didn't you say you were going to stay at Aunt's house for a few more days?"

Shi Ermei shook her head, carrying a bamboo basket, and skipped into the yard. "Someone came to my aunt's house. She said she was my uncle's third niece. There wasn't enough room at home, so I just came home."

As she spoke, Shi Ermei put down her bamboo basket and leaned close to Xue'er, gently pinching her little cheek. "Xue'er is so good! I've only been gone for five days, but she seems to have become even more beautiful!"

Xue'er giggled and reached out her little hand to grab Shi Ermei's hair.

"Wow! Xue'er has gotten stronger again!"

Wenxiu couldn't help but smile, and took out a handkerchief to wipe Shi Ermei's sweat. "Ermei, you've come back at just the right time. Mr. Zhou will be coming to our house tomorrow, saying he wants to come and visit. Even if you hadn't come back today, your brother would have gone to the city to tell you."

"Really? Sister-in-law?"

Shi Ermei's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Wenxiu's hand. "Mr. Zhou is really coming?"

Wenxiu sighed and tapped her forehead. "Yes, it's true. Are you happy now?"

"Happy! Happy!" Shi Ermei stood up, raised her hand, and spun around. "So happy!"

Wenxiu: "..."

When Shi Ermei finally realized that her sister-in-law and Xue'er were also in the room, her face turned red. "I was just too happy... Sister-in-law, please forgive me."

"You!"

The two women, sister-in-law and aunt, were chatting and laughing when they suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves outside the courtyard gate, followed by Shi Dashan's voice, "Young man, my home is right here." Shi Ermei curiously peeked out and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey? Sister-in-law, it seems my brother has brought some people to our house."

Wenxiu was taken aback. Mr. Zhou was supposed to be visiting tomorrow, so why was Shi Dashan bringing someone home again? She stood up, holding Xue'er, and followed Shi Ermei's gaze to look outside—she saw a young man dressed in a black outfit following behind her husband. He was tall and handsome, clearly not an ordinary person.

Although she was quite a distance away from the young man, she felt as if she had been gently bumped by something, and there was a sense of familiarity that she hadn't felt in a long time... For some reason, Wenxiu's heart tightened inexplicably.

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law?"

Shi Ermei noticed Wenxiu's unusual behavior and couldn't help but reach out and shake her arm, asking with concern, "Sister-in-law, what's wrong? Why is your face so pale? Are you feeling unwell?"

Wenxiu seemed to only then realize what was happening, managing a forced smile, but her gaze involuntarily fell on the young man.

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Author's Note: [Shrug] Almost finished!