"Are you going to leave my eldest sister, so you give yourself the status of an elder?" Duan Xinyan said, and seeing Qiaofeng's puzzled expression, she pursed her lips and smiled, and glanced towards the outer room.
In the room outside, Da Niu and Ah Man were playing with flower ropes in the festive new house, while Er Niu and San Niu were clapping their hands. These were the games they used to play in Dingxian Village.
Seeing that Qiaofeng seemed still dazed, Duan Xinyan raised her wrist and gently poked her forehead with her finger. "Shu'er and the others called me Auntie and you Sister. Now that you've suddenly changed your name and started calling me Sister, what are they going to call you? If you truly want to thank me and show me your respects, I won't stop you. But you have to change your address first. You have to follow them and call me Auntie."
After she finished speaking, she burst out laughing.
"Aunt, Sister Qiaofeng, what are you laughing at? Tell me and my sister and see if we laugh." Erniu ran in holding Sanniu's hand and asked her while looking up.
"Let's go for a walk." Seeing the two of them running into the inner room, Ah Man called Da Niu out. Da Niu asked her, "Sister Ah Man, do you have something to say to me alone?"
"It's nothing important, I just want to talk to you." Ah Man smiled slightly.
"Then let's go for a stroll in the garden. It's cool there. The pavilion and the corridor are all lit up with lights. You can even catch fireflies. Come on, let's go to the garden and talk."
Da Niu took A Man to the garden.
"Just sit here for a while. There is wind here, and the wind carries the fragrance of flowers." Ah Man brushed down her skirt and sat on the railing of the nine-turn corridor leading to the garden.
Da Niu also sat next to her, and neither of them asked anyone to follow them. At the other end of the garden, Da Bao was telling Da Jun and Chen Qinian about the Black Armored Soldiers at their request.
Da Jun later escorted Huo Jincheng's body back to Beijing. He only heard about the subsequent battle situation and did not know much about it.
Chen Qinian, because his parents had not been able to afford his studies in the capital, and the house they had rented in the capital was far away from the Huo Mansion, had no idea that Dabao and Dajun had also gone to the battlefield. He was deeply regretful when he found out later.
The three young boys were talking about the wars on the battlefield at the pavilion, while Da Niu and A'man were talking about their little girl's worries at the corridor. Da Niu always unconsciously led the topic to Da Jun. She told A'man about Da Jun's biological mother Sanniang who had a caesarean section at Huimin Hall in Dingxian Village. Her purpose was naturally to bring out Da Jun.
"I even emptied the urine bag for Dajun's mother." Da Niu sat on the railing, rocking her feet slightly and chuckling for a moment before asking Ah Man, "Do you remember when you were arguing like other people and your grandfather beat you? My brother protected you back then, haven't you?"
"Sister Shu." Ah Man looked at her, his eyes sparkling. "You will get what you want, and you will live a good life."
The girl froze, her face burning, as if someone had seen through her secrets and caught her, feeling a little uncomfortable. She didn't even look at Ah Man, but lowered her head, staring at the uppers of her embroidered shoes. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's string, "Why are you suddenly bringing this up with me? Aren't you talking about how your grandfather beat you up?"
Ah Man looked up at the starry night sky. Her bright black eyes gradually softened, and her voice became ethereal. "The night sky is so beautiful, like a vast canvas with no end. It's beautiful when the moon and stars are there, but when they're not, the sky is pitch black. I wonder where they've all gone?"
The girl followed her gaze and asked, "Who are they you're talking about? Is it Grandma Moon?"
"I don't know who they are either." Ah Man looked away, his gaze settling on the blossoming trees on the other side of the corridor path. "If one day I go far away, will you miss me?"
"Where are you going?" The big girl stood up suddenly. "Sister Ah Man, everything you said tonight was so strange. You've changed since you were sick. Can you tell me what's going on?"
"I haven't changed, I just..." Ah Man nodded to his forehead, "I just have a lot more things in my head. Maybe it's because I've grown up. I don't know whether growing up is good or bad, but I know I don't belong here. I have my own place to go, but not now."
"There's a voice that keeps ringing in my head. It's my mother's voice. She's telling me to go back, and I have to go back."
The girl's face tightened. "Sister Ah Man, please stop talking. I'm scared. I don't want you to leave. What will happen to my brother if you leave?"
"Don't be afraid, I'm here." Ah Man took the girl's hand, "Your brother will be fine, and you will all be fine. Let's go back and rest early. We have to send Sister Qiaofeng off to get married tomorrow, so we have to get up early."
The big girl nodded. After they had walked a few steps, they heard footsteps and voices coming from the path behind them. It was Dabao and the other three coming over.
"Brother, Brother Dajun, Brother Qinian." Da Nv greeted them and pulled Ah Man to wait for the three of them to come over.
"Big sister, go wait for me up front. I need to talk to my sister Ah Man." Da Bao didn't even look at Ah Man when he said this. He just patted Da Jun and Chen Qinian on the shoulders and pointed ahead. "Wait for me there. It'll only be a moment."
Da Niu followed them to the front. Da Bao took something out of his arms and handed it to Ah Man. "I forgot to return it to you last time. Keep it."
It was the slug pendant left to her by A Man Niang, emitting a cold white glow in the quiet night.
"Dabao." Ah Man took the pendant and wanted to say something, but after a moment's hesitation, he only said, "You will be fine."
After saying that, she turned around and chased after the big girls, leaving Dabao alone in a mess.
Erniu and Sanniu came to the garden and saw them. They ran over, one holding Ah Man's hand, and said, "Sister Ah Man, Uncle Yang and his family are here. Uncle Yang is looking for you. Come with us."
Yang Jinyu came with his wife and children specifically for the wedding of Qiaofeng and Ma Xiaomai, because he did not bring any letters in advance. When Qiaofeng saw his family coming all the way to the capital for his marriage, she was deeply moved again.
Usually a woman's dowry would be 64 loads. Jian Ning added four more loads as she thought 68 was more auspicious. Yang Jinyu and his wife added another four loads, making the dowry 72 loads in total. This was unprecedented in the Grand Banquet Dynasty but it would never be the last.
"Uncle Yang, Aunt Fei." Ah Man still bowed after Da Jun greeted Yang Jinyu and Fei Zitong.
"I haven't seen you for a few years. Little A'man has grown up and grown taller, but you still remember you..." Yang Jinyu laughed and swallowed the rest of the words.
Qiaofeng is getting married tomorrow, and it's a sad thing to mention Huo Jincheng on such a happy day. He was originally annoyed that he had spoken too quickly, and was also worried that Ah Man would make a fuss. After all, he still remembered clearly how Ah Man made a fuss when Huo Jincheng first put her in Pu Ren Hall when she was young. He really couldn't handle it, so he had to send her to Jian Ning at that time.
Unexpectedly, several years passed in the blink of an eye, and Ah Man was no longer the Ah Man of the past. She just smiled at Yang Jinyu and stood next to Da Jun.
Yang Jinyu was quite surprised and couldn't help but look at Jian Ning inquiringly.
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