Chapter 156 Moving to Taiyuan
Seeing the two women's expressions change instantly, the guard hurriedly explained, "Madam, please don't worry. The commander was rescued by my master and is currently recuperating in the manor. He is talented and has caught my master's eye. He will be serving in the manor in the future, so we have come to take his family to Daxing."
Lin Changsi breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing the jade pendant in his hand and nodding to his mother: "It is indeed Liulang's item."
The jade pendant was given to them by their grandparents when they were born. Changping and Changning were born later, and their grandparents had passed away, so their father found a piece of jade and had it carved by someone himself. The jade quality was not quite the same as the jade he and his older brother had. He looked closely and it was indeed the jade from Changping's piece.
As Lin's mother watched her two daughters-in-law walk in, she greeted them and served them tea. She looked at Lin Changsi with some hesitation. Lin Changsi's leg was still a little lame, but it was not very noticeable now that he could walk normally.
After the guard gave a brief greeting and led his mother to the room, intending to find some brown sugar and red dates to serve, Lin's mother hesitated as she took out the red dates: "Second Brother, do you think we should go?"
Lin Changsi hesitated. He hadn't expected his younger sister to be so capable. Judging from their gait, they were well-trained guards. Only officials and wealthy gentry could afford such guards. However, they had lived in Qingshui County of Kyoto Prefecture for a long time, and their family members were almost all there. Suddenly being away from their homeland was somewhat unsettling. Moreover, he was now the eldest man in the family and should shoulder the burden of the family. If he went to Taiyuan, he would have to rely on his sister. What would that mean?
He had already taken advantage of Wu Niang quite a bit in his daily life. Wu Niang was working desperately on the front lines, and she sent more than half of her salary back home to support him, a useless person. He was already extremely ashamed.
"Mother, are you going? I want to stay at home."
Lin's mother sighed: "I wanted to go and see him. I'm very worried about Liu Lang who was injured. Er Lang, what about you?"
Lin Changsi shook his head: "I want to stay at home and stay here."
Lin's mother shook her head, somewhat disapproving, and said, "Let's go together. I'm worried about you all staying home alone. My second daughter-in-law has to farm and take care of you, it's hard on her. We're family, so let's go together and look after each other."
Seeing her son's still hesitant gaze, Lin's mother sighed, "Mother knows what you're thinking. I'm still here, and we haven't separated our households yet, so we should stay together. Don't think so much. If it weren't for you and Dalang working hard all these years to find medicinal herbs in the mountains, how could we have raised those two sickly children? Mother knows all that. Your younger brother and sister also know what's good for them. Don't think so much. It's settled then. Today, we'll pack our things, tell the clan chief and the others, and send a message to your uncle's family before we leave."
Lin Changsi blushed when his mother saw through his thoughts. He was indeed a bit strong-willed and felt like a burden to his family. He didn't expect his mother to know. He took the brown sugar and stammered, "I know, Mother."
The two men went outside and made a cup of brown sugar tea for the two guards, and then put out some red dates, saying, "My lords, you must be tired from your journey. Have some dates to tide you over."
The guard bowed respectfully and said, "We are not worthy of being called 'sir.' Madam, you can just call us Xiao Qian and Xiao Sun."
Lin Changsi looked at the guard and tentatively asked, "Could we set off again tomorrow? I need to take care of the things and land at home, and I also need to inform the clansmen."
Xiao Qian took a sip of brown sugar tea and nodded: "It won't delay anything. We'll pack up and set off in the next couple of days."
In the afternoon, Lin Changsi informed the villagers, and the news spread throughout the village before evening. Many families came to see them off that night. The clan chief's family was thoughtful. Considering that they might not have much food on the road, he had his family make some flatbread and pickled vegetables and send them over that afternoon.
Nowadays, everyone in the village knows that Linjia Village has produced a capable young general who has made a name for himself on the frontier at a young age. People rush to see him off in the evening, showering him with polite words and saying all sorts of nice things, implying that he should not forget the villagers now that he has made it big.
News spread quickly, and Lin Changxiao also learned that Lin Changping had caught the eye of a powerful figure and was going to bring his family over.
Thinking of the letter my elder brother wrote a few days ago about Fu Bao being kidnapped and going missing, and looking at my own leg that Lin Changping had broken, I gritted my teeth in hatred.
Why? How could Lin Changping, a sickly man, lead people to live so well?
Why should his family be ruined and his family destroyed?
The father passed away, leaving him crippled; Fu Bao went missing; and the mother's eyesight has deteriorated due to crying.
The woman he liked was probably married to someone else by the end of the year, and he felt a burning hatred whenever he saw Lin Erlang's family walking around in the fields with their two little girls.
Fortunately, my elder brother has now entered the academy and has gained the favor of a high-ranking official, so his career path is not so difficult. It was only after my elder brother wrote a letter that the family had a glimmer of hope.
If the eldest brother can pass the imperial examination with good results, his family will have hope of avenging their family.
Lin Changxiao pounded his leg, a sinister glint in his eyes.
Many places in the border regions were involved with the rebel party, so why wasn't Lin Changping killed?
How could someone as sickly as him rise so quickly? How could he?!
Frustration and resentment instantly filled his mind, and Lin Changxiao slammed his fist on the bed.
I really wish that one day Lin Changping could also experience this excruciating pain!
Lin Changxiao took a deep breath, pondered for a while, and then lay down again. However, it wasn't without its advantages that the Lin family left; at least the villagers wouldn't be watching them so closely anymore.
Since the eldest brother and Fu Bao escaped, their family has been unable to leave the house. They leave food at the door every day and then leave.
They call it taking care of him, but they've actually put him under house arrest.
Lin Changxiao pondered carefully. He realized that he could no longer stay in the village. He needed to find a way to take his mother out of the village and escape to the provincial capital, to his elder brother's place.
The elder brother's letter was vague; all they knew was that he had saved the daughter of an official, gained the favor of a high-ranking official, and helped her get into the academy while also covering up her academic record.
Finally, he also gave his elder brother a lot of money. His elder brother asked someone to bring back fifty or sixty taels of silver. With so much money, they could easily afford to rent a small courtyard in the provincial capital and settle down.
He can do some small business then, which will be cheaper.
Even though he's lame, he can still make a living by selling some goods and setting up a stall.
Lin Changxiao pondered the matter carefully, and the more he thought about it, the more feasible the plan seemed. Once they left the village, no one could stop them. Once his elder brother achieved fame and climbed the ranks, how difficult would it be to crush a border general?
After thinking it through, Lin Changxiao got out of bed and limped to his mother's door. When he opened the door, he saw his mother touching Fu Bao's clothes and secretly shedding tears. He felt a pang of sadness.
Mother has been crying every day lately, and when she has nothing to do, she just stares blankly at Fu Bao's things. Lin Changxiao sighed, sat down next to his mother, and put his arm around her to comfort her: "Mother, Fu Bao has always been lucky since she was little, don't worry too much, don't cry, Fu Bao and her older brother will be heartbroken to see her like this..."
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