Chapter 711 A Dream of Youth 243
After changing and washing up, Xie Ning saw Chen Wanniang secretly wiping away tears in the outer room. She sighed, then wrapped her arms around Chen Wanniang's waist and said in a muffled voice, "Mother, I'm back safe and sound. I'm not afraid anymore."
Chen Wanniang sobbed uncontrollably; how could she not be afraid?
She was awakened every night, always dreaming of her precious baby struggling in a river full of floating corpses, calling for her mother, saying how cold and hungry she was... But time and time again, she just couldn't catch her precious baby.
After learning that Xili did indeed intend to use water to attack, Chen Wanniang was even more terrified. If... if she hadn't been able to stop Xili from opening the Seven-Level Canal, then her Bao'er would really never come back.
Xie Ning sensed the fear in Chen Wanniang's heart and gently patted her back. She had only shown such fear when Xie Ning first came into this world.
The pain of losing a child is no less than the pain of having one's heart ripped out.
After Chen Wanniang finished crying, Xie Ning opened her needle kit. "Mother, let me give you a few acupuncture needles. You probably haven't been sleeping well lately, and seeing you so haggard breaks my heart..."
"Good, seeing my precious baby back safe and sound, I can finally relax." Chen Wanniang smiled with relief.
After Chen Wanniang fell into a deep sleep, Xie Ning timed the clock to stop, then opened the curtain and said to Xie Wangzhi, who was sitting outside, "Mother is asleep."
Xie Wangzhi nodded. "Your mother is worried about you, Bao'er. In the future, you should still... Sigh, they say that while your parents are alive, you shouldn't travel far. In the future, could you please not cause your father and mother so much worry?"
"Hmm." Xie Ning also felt a little guilty; she should have considered her family's thoughts more.
Xie Wangzhi rubbed Xie Ning's head. During the days Xie Ning accompanied the army, although he was not as frightened as his wife, he was also full of torment and worry. However, he always restrained himself and did not let his emotions show on his face.
At the dinner table, Xie Ning tried to talk about the good things, but kept quiet about the dangers she had encountered.
Although she was mostly working in the rear, she would occasionally encounter danger, as Xili's light cavalry would sometimes flank around and cut off their supplies, attacking their rear.
Then there was the issue of insufficient food and medicine, which Xie Ning did not mention. She had not found any cannibalism in her own army, and she was not clear about the other armies, but she had seen how the enemy army ate people when they were besieged, and she had also seen the vegetable market in the city.
And the people of Xili who were subjected to scorched earth policies...
Even though she knew the cruelty of war from the beginning, she still couldn't help but feel terrified by it.
She had never so clearly realized what it meant to be "as insignificant as grass".
Seeing that Xie Ning's cheeks were so thin and all the flesh had disappeared, Xie Yun felt so sorry for her and kept putting meat on Xie Ning's plate, saying, "Baby, you have to eat more to make up for all the weight you've lost. Poor thing."
Then, looking at Xie Wangzhi who was eating silently, she said, "Wangzhi, now that you and Bao'er have both received rewards, should we host a banquet for our guests?"
She didn't know much about these things, but she learned a little by chatting with Chen Wanniang and the ladies of various families.
"Of course we should, but there's no need for a big celebration. Just invite a few close friends and family members for a meal." It's better to keep it low-key.
Even though Xie Wangzhi was low-key, Xie Ning's achievements shocked everyone. Originally, they had some reservations about Xie Ning accompanying the army as a woman.
But when they saw Xie Ning return with great merit, promoted and ennobled, and with cartloads of rewards being sent to the Xie family, how could they not be shocked?
The female doctors who accompanied Xie Ning to the army also received rewards. Most of them did not yet hold official positions, but Xie Ning promised to help them obtain them.
But the matter was still undecided, so they all kept quiet about it. But the rewards alone were enough to excite them, since the women who entered the pharmaceutical workshop all came from ordinary families, some even extremely poor.
The poor couldn't contain their excitement. If their daughters could learn medicine and earn money for their families, wouldn't that be better than marrying off a daughter for a dowry? Wouldn't that be better than sending a daughter to a powerful person as a concubine in exchange for money?
Some wealthy families or officials set their sights on the selection of female officials.
It's unlikely that they'll send their daughters to study medicine, since they look down on physicians from the bottom of their hearts. But Xie Ning is different; she's not only a medical official but also a fourth-rank civil official.
The selection of female officials is different. It means that their daughters can enter the Ministry of Works or other departments to participate in the government. Moreover, the eldest princess Yan Xi is in charge. If their daughters can serve as officials and become the pillars of the family, they dare not even think about it.
Therefore, many families secretly hired renowned scholars to teach their daughters. If sons were useless, then they would help their daughters. After all, sometimes a good daughter is more reliable than a good son-in-law.
A son-in-law sheds someone else's blood, but a daughter, even after marriage, sheds her own blood.
Blood ties are an unbreakable bond.
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