94 Chapter 94
◎Abandonment◎
The people in the distance exchanged a few words before parting ways, and soon Fan Qingsong and the doctor and the others set off together.
Yu brought over a bowl of noodle soup and said, "Xiao Liu, stop pestering me and let Dad eat something."
"Muyun," Yu said, lifting the tilted chair and sitting sideways. "You've been gone for a long time, so you might not have known. A few days ago, after the grain was harvested, Madam Cheng asked us to pay off the debts and gave us a small portion of the grain we borrowed. Then a group of traveling merchants arrived with a gift of grain and money. It turns out that two of them had been in Meng Country with Madam Cheng for several months, and they were grateful for your help and came to report back. Madam Cheng, in gratitude for their kindness, is now offering aid to their hometown. They're still learning their trade in Songzhuang and haven't left yet."
"A peddler from Longzhong? Have you verified it?"
Yu was just chatting casually, but Mu Yun's focus was elsewhere. It was not that he was suspicious, but before the invasion of the Mongolian Kingdom at the beginning of the year, they used the trick of traveling for business to sneak into the country.
Merchants move around everywhere, making it difficult to manage and verify their activities.
Yu laughed awkwardly twice, feeling that she shouldn't have brought up this matter. Mu Yun's aura was cold and hard, and he unintentionally revealed the attitude of a superior, which was different from before.
He was no longer the skinny guy who was defeated by Guier.
Mu Yun was going to interrogate the group of traveling merchants, but Cheng Mu was more concerned about why he was beaten with a stick and asked him whether he would return to the military camp.
"Sister-in-law, this punishment of caning is the price I pay for my decision to leave. From now on, I will no longer be a member of the Yanbei Army."
"Why?"
"I once gave up my position as a lieutenant, so it's not surprising that I'm giving up my position as the commander of the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun."
"Why?" Cheng Mu asked.
He did not become a sixth-rank captain and did not continue to quell the rebellion because he found that he could not save the people with a knife, but he did save people by fighting against the Mongols at the border.
Mu Yun said calmly, "The Yanbei Army is full of talented people, and they don't need me."
Cheng Xi looked over with doubt, obviously not believing it.
He avoided her gaze, looking unfazed by her scrutiny. Cheng Mu couldn't see the heat rising on his cheeks. After a long pause, she asked, "Really? Are you the kind of person who's passive and gives up because you're not as skilled as others?"
Cheng Mu wasn't trying to provoke him. She knew Mu Yun wasn't that kind of person. If he didn't want to talk about it, it might involve internal strife within the army, and she didn't really need to know. "It's unreasonable for the Yanbei Army to let someone go only after they've left half their life."
Mu Yun felt bitter. He didn't want to be seen by her as a bad person with inferior skills.
"Sister-in-law, you don't know that the leader of the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun is a man who knows the Divine Machine Fire Lance like the back of his hand. It is a special favor from them that I didn't lose these hands and eyes."
"The Divine Machine Fire Gun? The Yanbei Army has created a Firewood Warehouse?"
Cheng Mu only knew that the red cannon played a huge role in the war between Meng and Yan, which started a war of hot weapons. The red cannon was heavy equipment, but lightweight muskets also came into being?
Since Mu Yun knew everything—"On the battlefield, your weapon is a musket?"
She knew about the Divine Machine Fire Gun. Mu Yun looked at Cheng Mu quietly, "The Divine Machine Fire Gun was made by Master Huang. Master Huang guaranteed that I could use it as a weapon. Master Huang also guaranteed that I could leave the Yanbei Army with half my life."
Cheng Mu felt a pang of sadness. The course of history was unstoppable. The Little Ice Age was bound to arrive, firearms would inevitably appear, and abundant crops would inevitably take root in China. But these two time travelers had, by some strange coincidence, become the trendsetters of this inevitability.
"Sister-in-law?" Mu Yun couldn't understand her expression: surprise, detachment, and helplessness.
"Master Huang is taking such good care of me. I should thank him."
Cheng Mu wanted to meet Huang Nian'an, so she asked someone to take a letter to him. However, until someone who had received favors from Huang Nian'an came to find him, Huang Nian'an never found the time to come to Zhaojia Village to see her.
A few days later, the Lin family caravan left Zhaojia Village with the wheat seeds and potato seeds given to them by Cheng Mu. Fan Qingsong and his fellow villagers also left with the various grain seeds allocated to them by Cheng Mu.
Cheng Mu prepared three horses and sent them to Huxiaogang.
Before leaving, Cheng Mu instructed Fan Qingsong, "Be careful. Just follow the caravan southwest. Be even more careful after we part. Losing your grain isn't a big deal; you can get it back when you return. Life is most important. Don't rush back when you find a place. Stay for a year or two to recover."
After saying goodbye, Fan Qingsong and his group mounted their horses.
"Mom, where are Uncle Fan and the others going?" Xiaoliu also came to see them off and sat in front of Cheng Mu.
"Escort."
When they got home, they dismounted and saw Mu Yun standing in front of the door. Cheng Mu handed the horse to Xiao Liu and said to Mu Yun, "Let's go."
Mu Yun has no objection.
Cheng Mu walked closer to Mu Yun and said, "Whether they can find a place to see their abilities, and whether they can come back to see their moral character."
Mu Yun looked at the birds circling in the sky and said with a hint of stiffness, "I hope my sister-in-law has entrusted you with the right person."
Cheng Mu's eyes also followed the bird.
Birds fly over the roof, through the treetops, and rest under the eaves.
A flock of wild geese flying southwards flew across the azure sky. A sharp sword shot up into the sky, and the geese at the tail of the flock suddenly fell to the ground.
"Brother Jin is very skilled."
Several young men in the yard praised it, and someone picked up a goose that had been shot by an arrow. A group of people gathered together and talked excitedly.
"How dare you! You're not training when the commander's away, and you're just playing bird hunting!"
This roar seemed to have cast a spell on everyone, and they all stood still like frightened wooden chickens.
The pregnant woman who often lay on the wall to peek at their training now seized their advantage and swaggered in from outside the door.
A dozen or so sturdy men were genuinely afraid of this unruly woman.
Ever since they began training in this courtyard, there hadn't been a single day without this woman, and every time she wasn't kicked out by Commander Mu, day after day, she'd come back. At first, she wanted to be the leader, and no one dared to challenge her. Later, she wanted to train together, and her belly was so big it looked like it was about to explode, so no one dared to be in the same courtyard with her.
She seemed to know that they were afraid of her belly, so she often approached them in a domineering manner, scaring a lot of them away.
"Show me what you practiced today."
Everyone was afraid to approach her and was about to scatter, but she was one step ahead and grabbed the golden bear, "Where are you going!"
"General Gui, please spare our lives." Jin Xiong tried his best to please her, hoping that she would let them go.
"If you want me to spare your life, you can. Call the people back and continue today's training."
"General Gui, Commander Mu has instructed us not to play with swords or clubs in front of you. We can't afford any mishap. Madam Cheng has also told you to stay away from us..." Jin Xiong complained bitterly. It was difficult to send this Buddha away. "When you feel better, Commander Mu and Madam Cheng will definitely let you go. Then, then-"
"What do you mean by 'then'? You're talking nonsense!" Gui'er threw the person away. "Come on, come on. If you don't tell them to come back, you'll fight me!"
Golden Bear staggered and stood up, looking around. Everyone had run away, only Tong'erdan stretched out half of his body to look at him.
He weighed the pros and cons and decided that since he was about a man's length away from the tigress, it wasn't impossible for him to slip away.
The golden bear ran away, and Gui'er pounced on him—
"Ouch!" She suddenly held her stomach and cried out.
Jin Xiong stopped in his tracks, wondering if she was pretending.
After a burst of pain, Guier became excited, "It's time to give birth, it's finally time to give birth!"
Jin Xiong quickly called Tong'edan and escorted the man back.
They have been very busy recently with the autumn harvest and sowing. Everyone else has gone to work in the fields, leaving only Madam Zhu and old midwife Song. It's almost time for the baby to be born, and even though there has been no news, they dare not take it lightly.
After bringing the person into the house, Nanny Zhu asked Jin Xiong and the other two to go look for Madam Cheng and Yu.
Gui'er said to Song happily, "Something came out from down there, let's take a look at what it is."
Gui'er was overjoyed, and not only she, but Yu also went straight back to the stove to boil water. Cheng Mu and Xu Xiuying were in Songzhuang, and when they returned, Yu's pot of water was already boiling.
"Aunt Yu, what's going on? What's going on now?"
Yu had just gone to the room to check on her. "Mrs. Song said it was still early and asked me to get her something to eat first."
Xu Xiuying washed her hands and said, "Let me do it. I'll cook on the stove and make her some noodle soup."
Yu was anxious and distracted, and Xu Xiuying went on with her own.
Cheng Mu washed her hands and planned to go into the west wing to take a look.
"Hey! What are you doing out here? You're such a tyrant!"
Yu screamed, Cheng Mu turned around and saw Gui'er walking out as if nothing had happened.
"A pool of water flowed out and it hurt for a while, but I waited and waited and there was no movement." Gui'er was also helpless.
Yu pushed Gui'er and said, "It's almost time for the baby to be born. You can't just wander around. Go back to the house."
Xiaoliu rushed back after hearing the news, "Did Aunt Gui give birth?"
Seeing Guier's big belly, she was stunned.
Gui'er held her belly and said to her, "This kid threw a smoke bomb with his mother. He's a cunning guy."
Two men appeared behind Xiaoliu, looking expectant. Guier glanced at them and said, "He's much more capable than his two fathers. He almost scared me. What are you doing here? Have you finished the work in the fields?"
"You're about to give birth, how can we still have the mood to work!"
"I gave birth to my own child. What can you two do? There are so many people in this room. It's not your turn."
"Gui'er..."
"You can stay and help if you want. You two are the culprits. The pain is so intense that I just want to beat you up. Come on, let me beat you up first!"
Gui'er was about to start a fight, but a group of people held her back. Cheng Mu scolded her, "What are you doing? Don't you have any place to use all your energy? Don't you have the energy to give birth to a child?"
"Madam Gui," Song advised, "Listen to Madam Cheng and save your energy for having children."
Xu Xiuying waved her hands full of flour and winked at Li Yu and the other two. The smart little six took them away one by one.
In the past month, Gui'er felt more and more uncomfortable. She was very disgusted with Li Yu and the others. She got angry when she saw them, especially after she saw Mu Yun recruited a lot of people, set aside a place, and trained guards.
"Madam Cheng, please help me talk to Mu Yun."
In the west wing, Mrs. Zhu and Mrs. Song stared blankly. They had never seen a woman in labor like this. When one of them started to be stubborn, several people couldn't control her.
In the past month or two, she has tried many times to do this without giving up.
"Didn't I tell you to wait until you give birth and are out of confinement before we talk about it?" Cheng Mu repeated the same thing over and over again, "There's no point in being anxious. We have to take it one step at a time and have a child first."
"This child - I can only give birth to him if he wants to. It's not up to me, Madam Cheng -" Gui'er stopped talking and asked the two maids to sit outside.
When the room was empty, she said, "Madam Cheng, tell me the truth. Mu Yun isn't recruiting these people to be your guards, nor to build a fort for Zhaojia Village. He's here to recreate the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun, isn't that right?"
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