Pan Wanli laughed and shook his head, feeling somewhat helpless.
Shen Yi and his friends had already packed their luggage and were waiting to leave. It took them less than half an hour from going back to get their things to leaving the military camp.
Zhu Yixuan adjusted his mood and planned to go over and say goodbye to them, only to find out that Shen Yi and the others had left long ago, and he couldn't help feeling depressed.
The journey from the border to Lizhou was long, and they had to carry luggage and rewards from the emperor, so they couldn't travel fast at all.
Fortunately, the money that Su Tai sent to Chen Yi was still there, so he, who had always been frugal, bought five carriages for the first time.
Each person had one carriage, so there was less stuff to load on each carriage and the horses ran faster.
Because they were carrying gifts from the emperor, they dared not linger in the wilderness and usually stopped at the official post station to rest and recuperate.
Halfway through the journey, heavy snow began to fall, and they had to travel day and night.
At the same time, Xiong Kai, who had gone ahead of them, had returned to Ximen Village.
Now he has become a monster, neither human nor ghost. When he first entered the village, he scared the children and made them cry loudly. Some villagers who failed to recognize him threw stones at him and drove him out of the village.
It was an old lady who felt pity for him because of his disability. She came forward and asked a few more questions, and only then did she know his story.
For a moment, the entire Ximen Village was blown up.
Niu was staying at home with her grandson for the winter. When she heard the noise outside, she went out to take a look. She burst into tears the moment she saw him. "Akai? My son! How did you become like this?"
Niu burst into tears and cried bitterly, her eyes rolled back and she fainted.
Xiong Feng cried anxiously when he saw his grandmother fainted. He tried his best to lift Niu up, but found that he couldn't lift her up. "Grandma, grandma, don't scare me. I'll go find someone to help!"
Xiong Kai hurried forward, pinched Niu's philtrum with his only remaining hand, and picked her up and walked into the house, "Feng'er, where is your mother?"
Xiong Feng was very unfamiliar with Xiong Kai, but due to the nature of father and son, he instinctively felt that Xiong Kai was not a bad person, so he cried and replied: "My mother doesn't want me and grandma, and grandma and I are the only ones who depend on each other at home."
Xiong Kai's expression suddenly changed, "That bitch Mo Chunxiang actually abandoned you?"
Niu, who was lying on the bed, woke up slowly. When she heard what Xiong Kai said, she burst into tears, as if she wanted to cry out all the grievances she had suffered over the years. "Son! Your mother is so miserable! The woman you have been thinking about and wanting to marry despite the infamy of breaking off an engagement is not a human being at all!
Not only did she not want her daughter, she also didn't want an old woman like me, and later she even ignored her son. The Mo family and we were from the same village, but she kept avoiding us and ignored us. Feng'er and I have been dependent on each other for these years, and we are helpless and helpless.
Originally, we had your aunt and uncle who could take care of us, but your cousin died in the war, and your aunt became a different person, not allowing us to visit her anymore. Your aunt is also gone, and we, the two of us, are completely without support. If Feng'er wasn't still young and you hadn't come back, I really couldn't hold on any longer!"
"Grandma, Feng'er has grown up and can take care of you. Don't be sad." Xiong Feng looked at Niu pitifully.
The grandparents and grandchildren hugged each other and cried bitterly.
Xiong Kai was furious when he heard this, but he was no longer the Xiong Kai who acted impulsively when he disagreed with something.
He first went to the kitchen to boil water, took out the meat and grain he brought back, and cooked a delicious meal for Niu and Xiong Feng.
After the meal was served, Niu's mood stabilized.
Xiong Kai asked about his daughter's situation.
Mrs. Niu was about to cry again, and she choked up and said, "When you got into trouble and were arrested, Mo Chunxiang gave birth to a daughter. She despised the child because she thought it was a waste of money. In addition, since you were not here, she had trouble supporting herself, so how could she be willing to raise a girl?
So she thought of a way and threw the child to Shenjiazhuang."
The veins on Xiong Kai's forehead were faintly visible, and he squeezed out each word from between his teeth, "And then?"
Niu sighed, looking sad, "I know her purpose, she wants Su Tai to raise a daughter for her, and then take her back when the child grows up, leaving Su Tai penniless.
But she didn't think about it. Su Tai had a son and a daughter, so why would she raise an abandoned baby for no reason? The child was eventually adopted by Shen Quezi, who lived next door to Su Tai.
Chen Quezi's family is poor. He has no wife and only has an old mother. They live a hard life. After I knew the situation, I wanted to take the child back, but the mother was incompetent. It was already very difficult for her to support herself and Feng'er. She really couldn't take care of such a young baby. I could only harden my heart and ignore him.
It was not until your aunt passed away that your mother took Feng'er to attend the funeral and stopped by Shenjiazhuang to inquire about the matter. Only then did she know that Shen Quezi had become more photogenic since he adopted the child. In the past few years, he not only worked hard, but also saved some money and built a house.
They raised the child to be plump, clean, and tidy, and his clothes were without patches. Seeing that the child was living a good life, I didn't go to disturb him again.
"Son! Listen to me, that girl is happier in Shen Quezi's house than in ours, so don't go and recognize her!"
Xiong Kai didn't say anything good or bad, he just silently picked up some meat for Niu and her son.
After the family of three finished their meal, Xiong Kai opened the other luggage he had brought back, and found a bag of silver inside.
"Mother, here is one thousand taels of silver. Before I came back, I went to Ping'an County and bought a house, a shop, and fifty acres of good farmland there. Now it's snowing, and not many people are walking around in the village. I will send you to Ping'an County to live overnight, away from this place of trouble. How do you think?"
Mrs. Niu looked pale and a little frightened. She did not feel happy about the money. "Son, tell me honestly, where did you get all this money? How did you buy so many things?"
Xiong Kai smiled at her soothingly, "Don't worry, I earned all this money with my own ability. I didn't steal or rob, so no one will pursue me. It's just that I offended some people, and I'm afraid of getting you into trouble. Plus, with my current condition, there must be a lot of gossip in the village. Instead of listening to those people talking behind my back every day, it's better to stay away and have peace of mind."
Niu heaved a sigh of relief and shook her head reluctantly, "I have waited so long for you to come back, and now we have to separate after just having a reunion dinner together."
Xiong Kai couldn't persuade Niu, so he looked at Xiong Feng and said, "Son, you are a little adult now. Dad believes that you can take good care of grandma, right?"
Xiong Feng nodded heavily.
Xiong Kai touched his head with relief, his eyes full of love, "Then take grandma to live in Ping'an County. If Dad's affairs can be settled, I will come to find you, and our family will never be separated again."
Xiong Feng's eyes lit up and he nodded rapidly.
That night, the wind was cold and cold. When Mo Chunxiang was in a panic, Xiong Kai took Niu and Xiong Feng and left the village overnight.
Behind them were a series of shallow footprints, which were soon covered by the wind and snow. (End of this chapter)
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