Chapter 98◇
◎The Fate of Becoming Firewood◎
When Feng Ran heard Chen Guangjun say that the soldiers might go hungry, she suddenly felt ashamed. Had she been eating too much? If she had saved that much food, she could have fed a soldier.
Duan Jingchuan gently touched Feng Ran's shoulder, silently comforting her, and then turned to Chen Guangjun and said, "Although this place lacks rainfall, the Songjiang River runs through it. Why not divert water to irrigate it and avoid the suffering of drought?"
Chen Guangjun's expression turned solemn. "Young Master, you are new to this place and may not know this, but the source of the Songjiang River was originally in a mountain forest east of the city. However, for some unknown reason, the mountain suddenly collapsed last year, and the source of the Songjiang River was cut off. Since then, the people of Ancheng have had a problem getting water, so how can we divert canals to irrigate the fields?"
"Could it be an earthquake?" Duan Jingchuan couldn't imagine what could cause a mountain to collapse.
Chen Guangjun shook his head. "The strange thing is that there were no signs before the mountain collapsed. It was just that the wind and sand were stronger during those days. In the middle of the night, the people suddenly heard a deafening sound and only then did they realize that the mountain in the east of the city had collapsed. It was originally just a wild mountain, and it would only have damaged some trees and wild game. But the source of the Songjiang River is in that mountain. I took the soldiers to check it out, and the spring was long buried under the rocks and could not be dug out."
Feng Ran suddenly spoke up, "Could it be that this place has done something that angers both heaven and man, and has offended the mountain god?"
Chen Guangjun suddenly glared at her and said sternly, "Princess Consort, be careful what you say! There are no gods or ghosts in this world. They are just means for the ignorant to achieve what they want."
Feng Ran was sternly rebuked, and gave an embarrassed smile, "I misspoke, General, please don't take offense."
Duan Jingchuan blocked Chen Guangjun's unfriendly gaze and said coldly, "How does the general know that there are no mountain spirits or monsters in this world?"
Chen Guangjun knew he had misspoke, but he showed no intention of admitting his mistake. He simply turned his head away from Feng Ran, silently expressing his disapproval.
Feng Ran tugged at Duan Jingchuan's sleeve to show that she wasn't angry.
Duan Jingchuan took Feng Ran's small hand and said in a deep voice, "Since the problem lies in the mountain in the east of the city, I will accompany you to take a look. General, please wait."
After leaving the military camp, Duan Jingchuan spoke softly only after walking quite a distance, his brows furrowed with suppressed anger and shame, "I'm sorry that I caused Madam to suffer discrimination because of me."
Feng Ran raised her chin, puffed out her chest, put her hands on her hips, and her almond-shaped eyes were filled with anger: "Try saying sorry again."
What Feng Ran disliked most about Duan Jingchuan was this: he always took all the blame upon himself, even when it was her fault, he would do everything he could to take the blame.
To put it nicely, this personality trait is called a strong sense of responsibility; to put it bluntly, it's called low self-esteem.
But what's wrong with Duan Jingchuan? Why should he feel inferior? It's all his unreliable father and mother's fault. In a fit of anger, Feng Ran even blamed Old Marquis Duan as well.
Their dark eyes met, and the almond-shaped eyes welled up with tears of excitement. Duan Jingchuan, inappropriately thinking of certain scenes, couldn't help but move a little closer to Feng Ran.
The height difference was evident at this moment. Even though Feng Ran tried her best to tilt her head back and Duan Jingchuan's nose was parallel to the ground, there was still a hand's width between them.
Feng Ran thought to herself: Why is she so tall? She looks like a child.
She pouted in Duan Jingchuan's direction, her arrogance palpable, and challenged, "Dare you kiss me?"
Beyond the wilderness, with sentries still watching from afar, Duan Jingchuan really didn't dare.
People who are used to being teased may develop a rebellious streak.
He slightly curved his lips, a shimmering smile appearing in his eyes. He deliberately deepened his breathing, gently pressing his face against Feng Ran's, feeling every hair on her skin tremble. He lowered his voice, adding a touch of unusual languor, "It's my fault. I've neglected you, Madam, these past few days."
It was clearly an apology, but Feng Ran's ears burned as she listened. She took several steps back, her voice sharp but her voice weak, and said, "Why aren't you mounting your horse yet? The sun will be setting soon, and we won't even be able to see the eastern hills of the city."
After saying that, he spurred his horse and galloped away, looking exactly like someone fleeing in panic.
The smile on Duan Jingchuan's lips grew wider and wider until he couldn't help but laugh out loud, muttering softly, "All talk and no action."
Heading to the east of the city was the important matter, so the two of them didn't waste any time and hurried along the moat from the north of the city to the east.
Upon seeing these people who shouldn't be there, Feng Ran asked in surprise, "What are you two doing here?"
Shi Fusheng had heard the sound of horses' hooves long ago and assumed that these were soldiers passing by to investigate the source of the Songjiang River, so he did not turn around.
Upon hearing Feng Ran's voice, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Why is my sister out here in this desolate wilderness instead of staying home and teasing her brother-in-law?"
Hearing the word "tease," Feng Ran's face flushed, and she raised her voice to cover her guilt, "Why did you bring Xiao Que'er here? There wasn't even a car. You didn't make the child walk here by herself, did you?"
Feng Ran dismounted and gestured for Huang Que to come to her side.
Huang Que explained softly, "Sister, it was Shi Gong who carried me all the way here, so I didn't get tired."
Feng Ran pouted and whispered, "Then he can be considered someone who respects the elderly and cares for the young."
Duan Jingchuan's gaze lingered between the desolate mountain and Shi Fusheng in front of them, as if wondering whether their meeting here was a coincidence or for some other reason.
Huang Que was always a good boy who answered every question in front of Feng Ran. He took the initiative to explain, "Young Master Shi brought me here to teach me some principles, and he didn't do anything else."
Shi Fusheng stood with his hand on his heart, his face filled with grief. "Sister, you have a deep misunderstanding of me. Am I really such a wicked person?"
Duan Jingchuan didn't give Shi Fusheng another chance to act silly, and asked directly, "I wonder what insights Young Master Shi has about this desolate mountain behind us?"
He believed that Shi Fusheng was a smart man, and not an ordinary man, so he wouldn't do anything pointless.
Their house was about three or four miles east of the city, and the fact that they carried a child over there in their bare hands seemed very strange.
Although he had some guesses about Shi Fusheng's background, he never gave up his vigilance towards him.
Shi Fusheng chuckled. Well, his cheap sister was easy to fool, but his cheap brother-in-law was clearly smart.
He said, half-jokingly, "It's just that I felt sorry for these flowers and plants, and I thought that education should start from childhood, so I can teach this child to cherish the rocks and trees in the future."
Duan Jingchuan neither confirmed nor denied these remarks, but instead asked, "Does Young Master Shi know why this mountain collapsed?"
Shi Fusheng twisted his wrist, then took out his fan again in a showy manner and waved it, raising an eyebrow and saying, "I say, brother-in-law, you won't even call me the eldest brother, but you want me to answer your questions. Isn't that a bit unfair?"
Duan Jingchuan remained calm and said, "I was just joking with Young Master Shi the other day. My wife's maiden name is Wu, and she is the current Prime Minister Wu. How could she possibly be related to Young Master Shi?"
Shi Fusheng laughed loudly, "Duan Jingchuan, do you have to be so petty? It's not like I'm your lover. Just think of it as me wanting to experience being a brother. After all, I brought the gifts with me."
After saying that, he glanced at Feng Ran's neck out of the corner of his eye, making it clear that even if the two of you were hiding, I would still know that my stone was hanging around your wife's neck.
Duan Jingchuan was indeed in the wrong when it came to this, and couldn't help but touch his nose. He just wasn't used to calling the man in front of him "brother" yet.
Seeing that Duan Jingchuan was backing down, Shi Fusheng pressed his advantage and said to Feng Ran, "Sister, this is the husband you found. Whether you recognize him as a brother or a sister, it's all just a one-day trip. How long can you last as his wife?"
Shi Fusheng was referring to the incident a few days ago when Feng Ran casually mentioned having the children at the orphanage call them "brother" and "sister-in-law." However, they only did so a few times in that particular situation, and afterwards, the children continued to call the young master and the young lady respectfully, without overstepping any boundaries.
But Feng Ran disagreed with Shi Fusheng's words and retorted, "I didn't take it seriously that day. They're not like Xiao Que'er, who's a child and can enjoy her childhood. If I really recognized them as my younger brothers and sisters, what would Xiu'er, who has always served me diligently, think? Would Xiong Qi, who has always been by my husband's side, have any complaints? I guess only you took my joke seriously."
Shi Fusheng's face darkened, and he really wanted to say, "I was just joking, how could it provoke such a long-winded explanation?" She really was a fiercely protective husband. He couldn't even bear to look at the look of utter admiration in her husband's eyes.
Seeing that Shi Fusheng was speechless, Feng Ran pressed her advantage, "So, my dear brother, what exactly is going on with this mountain?"
What is the name of "cheap old man brother"? Shi Fu's lips twitched angrily, and she flirted with herself, saying in a low voice, "Your husband is the best in the world, let him see."
Feng Ran retorted, "Don't you consider the deep mountains and forests your hometown? Now that your family is in trouble, do you expect my husband to help you find the cause?"
Seeing that Shi Fusheng was about to explode with anger, Duan Jingchuan stepped forward to block their view and said gently, "Brother Shi, would you be willing to accompany my wife and me for a walk up the mountain?"
This made Brother Shi feel half of what Shi Fusheng was angry about. He strode over to Feng Ran, grabbed Huang Que's hand, and said with a lot of resentment, "You already have one fragrant one, give this fragrant one to me."
Huang Que was dragged away again, completely bewildered. Shi Fusheng, annoyed by his slow pace and worried that he might trip over the rocks, pulled him into his arms.
Duan Jingchuan and Feng Ran casually tied the horse to the foot of the mountain. There were only a few sparse green grasses, and the horse was grazing on them with great effort.
Because the mountain had broken apart, many animals killed by the falling rocks had long been taken home and eaten by the locals, and trees broken in half had become firewood for others to keep warm. Only some empty tree roots remained on the mountain.
Ruins and ruins, nothing more.
Feng Ran pointed to the neatly cut and smooth tree roots and asked in confusion, "Are the people here so short of firewood? These tree roots were cut so neatly."
Shi Fusheng put down the yellow sparrow, placed his hand on the rings of the tree, and sighed, "After a hundred years of weathering the elements, how could it be destined to become firewood?"
Duan Jingchuan lowered his eyes to examine the damage closely and said in a low voice, "Judging from the age of the damage, these trees must have been cut down and used for other purposes before the disaster occurred."
Shi Fusheng is right. Who would be willing to use a century-old tree for firewood? It's likely that someone saw the potential profit in the tree and cut it down by the roots. Nine times out of ten, it's been used as a roof beam in someone's house.
Feng Ran waved her hand casually and exclaimed in surprise, "Doesn't that mean that more than 70% of the trees on this mountain have already been cut down?"
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