The words, though extremely gentle, made Jiang Sheng's tears flow even more.
The little girl clung tightly to her third brother's collar, sobbing as she spoke, "Third brother, I thought you were ignoring me. You didn't talk to me, you bad guy..."
"Yes, yes, yes, Third Brother is a bad guy, he scared Xiao Jiang Sheng." Fang Heng tried his best to be patient, clumsily wiping away tears with his sleeve.
Finally, the crying stopped, and Fang Heng breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up and met three pairs of reproachful eyes.
He swallowed hard and tried to explain, "I'm fine, I was just thinking about something."
“Third Brother is so still when he’s thinking, he’s like a stone statue.” Wen Zhiyun said indignantly, “Could he be a stone spirit reincarnated?”
"I think they don't consider us one of their own. They just figure things out on their own when something happens." When it comes to being sarcastic and sarcastic, Chang Yan is afraid of no one.
Sweat beaded on Fang Heng's forehead.
When he saw Xu Mo, he prayed in his heart that his older brother was a respectable person and shouldn't end up like his younger brothers.
Unexpectedly, Brother Xu smiled slightly and said, "All my earnest advice over the past half hour is not as important as Jiang Sheng's two tears. It seems that in Third Brother's heart, we brothers are ranked very low."
It's better not to say anything.
Fang Heng was filled with remorse. He should have scared these guys a little longer. He would rather pretend to be a stone statue than face three pairs of gleaming white teeth.
"Alright, alright."
In the end, it was the gentle and kind Wen Xiaosi who smoothed things over, saying, "It's almost noon, Auntie must have already prepared lunch, we need to go back and have lunch."
Fang Heng nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, let's go back and eat."
The group then got into the carriage.
On his way back to Zanhua Courtyard from the western suburbs of Anshui County, he unexpectedly encountered Zheng Ruqian and his servant, both looking travel-worn.
If you calculate it, they have been gone for a full twenty-seven or twenty-eight days. No one knows where they went. Their once clean clothes are all torn, their neatly tied hair is all messed up, and there are two holes in the soles of their shoes. People would believe that they had fled from famine.
Upon seeing Jiang Yi, Zheng Ruqian's eyes lit up, and he spurred the carriage straight over, asking, "Where have you been? Where's the third brother? Where are the others?"
Wang Xiaosong explained from behind, "When we returned to the Zanhua Courtyard, Auntie said that you had been called away by a girl from the Wang family. Young Master was worried and came out to look for you without even changing his clothes."
That's what brothers are all about.
These are family members.
He had just returned home, travel-worn, when his second brother came out to look for him without even having a sip of water. His eldest, fourth, and fifth brothers, though clearly worried, tried to distract him with scolding. Xiao Jiang Sheng, the strongest of them all, who would never shed a tear even when beaten or scolded, burst into tears for him.
With such a family around, how could he possibly crumble so easily? He should be fully armored and incredibly strong.
Fang Heng forced back his reddened eyes, poked his head out of the carriage, and said in a relaxed manner, "Second Brother, I'm fine, nothing's wrong."
Zheng Ruqian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Turning her head, Jiang Sheng also poked her head out and complained, "That's right, Third Brother scared the crap out of me just now."
Zheng Ruqian's expression turned serious again. He glanced at Fang Heng sideways, his face saying: I'll settle the score with you later.
The group hurried back to the Zanhua Courtyard.
Aunt Zhang had already prepared hot water and new clothes. When she finally saw Zheng Ruqian, she shooed him into the house with concern, "Go take a shower and change your clothes before you come back. I've also prepared shoes for you; they're all new ones that Jiang Sheng bought."
Wang Xiaozhu also urged her brother with a stern face, "Go and wash yourself clean quickly."
She earned some money working as a female doctor at the clinic, more than Wang Xiaosong, so she was unusually generous during the New Year and bought Wang Xiaosong clothes, shoes and a purse.
The newly laundered clothes, warmed by the sun and fragrant with soap pods, were so soft and of such high quality that Wang Xiaosong couldn't help but touch them. Finally, he took a deep breath and clutched his chest, saying, "Mother, my sister is buying me clothes too."
Being dependent on each other is never about one party relying on the other, but about supporting each other, moving forward hand in hand, and working together.
It was only with great difficulty that the two refugees were able to restore cleanliness and tidiness.
Aunt Zhang also brought out steaming hot food and placed it on the largest table in the courtyard, calling out to everyone, "Dinner's ready, dinner's ready."
Nothing beats a bowl of hot food on a cold winter's day.
The siblings, who were initially a bit arrogant, all swarmed over upon hearing the shout, and stopped arguing, giving each other the silent treatment, and rolling their eyes.
They each found a spot to sit down, holding a bowl of hot soup in their hands, like hungry piglets, saying, "Auntie, I want a spoonful, I want a spoonful too, give me a spoonful as well."
Aunt Zhang hugged the big pot and smiled, her eyes crinkling with joy, gradually finding the feeling of feeding pigs in Shilipu Village back then.
After three rounds of meals.
Zheng Ruqian finally calmed down and let out a long breath. "Life outside is really unbearable. It's cold and hungry, and we have to keep traveling. I have to be back before the 30th. I'm afraid I won't be able to come back, and Xiao Jiangsheng will cry."
Jiang Sheng pouted, "I won't cry."
She had just cried.
"But traveling this far has its advantages. I've finally left Anshui County. This world is truly vast. There are many other counties and cities beyond Anshui County, with different climates, different vegetables, and even different tastes." Zheng Ruqian gestured animatedly, spitting as he spoke. "From Anshui County, heading south leads to Anyang County, and further south is the territory of Danyang County. The people there actually eat sweets! Their dishes are so sweet, they almost killed me..."
"But their ducks are delicious," Wang Xiaosong added.
Zheng Ruqian turned around and glared at him, "You stole my lines."
Wang Xiaosong shrank back, not daring to utter a sound, since the other party was the boss.
“Danyang County has a specialty duck, which is roasted in a fire with fruitwood until the skin is crispy and the meat is tender. Then it is dipped in a sweet gravy. The taste is absolutely delicious.” Zheng Ruqian took out two oil paper packages from his bundle as if presenting a treasure. “I specially asked someone to wrap two of them for me when I came. Although they are not as delicious as when they are fresh out of the oven, they should still be edible if they are heated up.”
Since it was food from a thousand miles away, everyone looked at it with curiosity.
"Did Second Brother only go as far as Danyang County before returning?" Jiang Sheng asked.
Zheng Ruqian waved his hand and said, "How could that be? It only takes seven or eight days to get from here to Danyang County, but it took me a full fifteen days."
“Yes, the boss went to Yuhang County.” Wang Xiaosong spoke again.
Zheng Ruqian's gaze was now truly like a knife.
Even Wang Xiaozhu glared at her.
Wang Xiaosong lowered his head like a quail, deciding to seal his mouth shut.
"Where is Yuhang County?" Jiang Sheng, who had only ever been to Anshui County, asked curiously.
"Yuhang is south of Danyang. I heard that if you go further south you might see the sea. It's a pity we didn't have enough time, otherwise we would definitely have brought some fresh produce with us." Zheng Ruqian was still speaking eloquently.
The outside world is really big. To the south there are Danyang and Yuhang, to the north there are Langya and Jiaodong, to the east there are Xin'an and Beiqiao, and to the west there are Hanzhong and Fengjing.
There are countless local customs and traditions, and countless unfamiliar faces, so why live in this cramped place in Anshui County, bringing endless troubles to my brothers and sisters?
Fang Heng looked nervous and opened his mouth several times before finally mustering up the courage to say, "I plan to leave here."
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