Chapter 115 News of Death: The General Has Passed Away
The snow in the mountains melts late; it wasn't until early March that the remaining snow on the shady slopes completely melted.
Winter passed, and spring arrived as promised. Along with spring came the news of Xu Zhiheng's death in battle.
That day, Lin Yao and Wang Xiaoyu were washing clothes by the stream.
From afar, a familiar figure could be seen riding a horse galloping towards them.
It is gold and jade.
But the Jin Yu before my eyes was completely different from the smiling, chubby girl she used to be.
His hair was disheveled, with a few dirty strands sticking to his forehead.
His face was so thin it was almost unrecognizable, with high cheekbones, sunken eyes, and dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for several nights.
Before the horse had come to a complete stop, Jin Yu stumbled and tumbled off, her knees buckling and she almost fell to the ground.
He held onto the horse's neck, panting for several breaths. When he looked up at Lin Yao, his eyes, which had become much larger due to weight loss, were bloodshot and filled with unbearable grief.
Looking at Jin Yu's appearance, Lin Yao felt as if her heart was being squeezed by an invisible hand, making it difficult to even breathe.
"Young Lady Lin..." Jin Yu's voice was hoarse, "The General...he..."
He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.
Her voice trembled: "Jinyu, tell me slowly, what happened to Aheng? Is he injured?"
Jin Yu squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, the grief in her eyes was almost overflowing. "The general... he's gone."
These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Lin Yao's ears.
She stared blankly at Jin Yu, her mind a complete blank, her ears ringing.
"What nonsense are you talking about!" She gripped Jin Yu tightly. "Aheng is so capable, how could he..."
Jin Yu fought back tears, "In that great battle in the North, the general personally covered the retreat of his brothers, but they were ambushed by the enemy..."
He choked up before he could finish speaking and could only pound his fist against the tree trunk beside him.
Lin Yao stood there, as if all her strength had been instantly drained.
Looking at Jin Yu's heartbroken appearance, she felt dizzy and her vision blurred.
Lin Yao was unconscious for a day, and when she woke up, it was noon the next day.
She slowly opened her eyes, and the familiar tent ceiling came into view.
"Master! You're finally awake!" Wang Xiaoyu's joyful voice came from beside him.
Wang Xiaoyu helped her up, pulled a pillow from the foot of the bed and placed it behind Lin Yao's back, then hurriedly brought over a water glass and held it to Lin Yao's lips: "You've been unconscious for a day, you must be thirsty, drink some water."
The warm water slid down her throat, bringing a slight warmth, but Lin Yao's eyes remained empty, as if she had lost her soul; she merely opened her mouth mechanically.
Wang Xiaoyu's expression did not relax; she covered Lin Yao's legs with the blanket again.
She tugged at Lin Yao's hand: "Master, are you hungry?"
Lin Yao did not answer, but stared blankly at a corner of the tent, as if she had not heard Wang Xiaoyu's words.
Wang Xiaoyu sighed, "You must be starving. I'll go get you a bowl of porridge. Master, wait for me."
Wait for me.
You must wait for me to come back.
Xu Zhiheng said this many times before he left.
Lin Yao seemed to have thought of something, and her eyes lit up. Just then, Wang Xiaoyu walked in carrying a bowl of meat porridge.
Wang Xiaoyu had just stepped through the door carrying a steaming bowl of meat porridge when she looked up and was startled to see Lin Yao's eyes shining.
Although Lin Yao's eyes were always bright and piercing in the past, her gaze was too intense at this moment.
The current Lin Yao is not only very different from her usual self, but also completely different from the empty-eyed look she had when she left.
Lin Cheng, Su Niang, and Zhao Niangzi, who were following behind, exchanged glances, all seeing doubt in each other's eyes.
Just now, when Wang Xiaoyu ran out to get some porridge for Lin Yao, her eyes were red as she said that Lin Yao was still looking lost and dejected. How come she has become so energetic in such a short time?
Wang Xiaoyu placed the meat porridge on the table and was about to reach out to help Lin Yao when she saw Lin Yao sit up by herself, supporting herself on the edge of the bed. Although her movements were slow, they were very nimble, and she was completely different from her previous lifeless state.
She walked to the table and sat down, her gaze falling on the meat porridge in the bowl. She picked up a spoon, scooped up a mouthful, chewed it carefully, and a smile appeared on her face: "This porridge is really well made today. The minced meat is stewed until it's soft and tender, and the rice is sticky. If you add some cilantro to enhance the flavor, it will be even better."
Lin Cheng frowned, his worry deepening.
Lin Yao's tone was unusually calm, almost as if she had completely forgotten about Xu Zhiheng.
The calmer it is, the more dangerous it is.
Wang Xiaoyu stood to the side, opened her mouth as if to ask something, but was afraid of upsetting Lin Yao.
Lin Cheng hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke softly, "Ayao, are you alright? If you're feeling down, don't force yourself. We're all here for you."
Lin Yao's current state is really worrying. He's afraid she's bottling up all her pain inside, and that she'll get sick from it sooner or later.
Lin Yao paused in her hand holding the spoon, looked up at Lin Cheng, and said with her smile unchanged, "I'm fine. This porridge smells so good, how could I feel unwell?"
Seeing her like this, Zhao Niangzi felt a pang of sadness. She stepped forward and gently patted her back: "Shopkeeper, don't try to tough it out. Tell us what's wrong, and we'll figure something out together. If General Xu knew you were like this, he would be heartbroken too."
When Xu Zhiheng was mentioned, Lin Yao's smile faded slightly, but it didn't disappear completely; her voice just lowered: "I know, I'll be fine and won't let him worry."
~
The windows of the west wing of the Xu residence were half-closed. The afternoon sun shone through the sparse wooden lattice, casting dappled shadows on the blue brick floor, but it could not dispel the stuffiness inside the room.
On the bed further inside, under the brocade quilt lay a man whose body was wrapped in white bandages; it was none other than Xu Zhiheng, whom Jin Yu had mentioned as having died.
Mantang was kneeling on the footstool in front of the bed, holding a few fresh, damp pomelo leaves in his hand.
These pomelo leaves were just picked by Chef Liang from the fruit tree in the backyard in a great hurry.
He started by sweeping his hand down Xu Zhiheng's bandaged forehead, tugging at his skin, muttering, "Get rid of the bad luck, disperse it all. Our general was just putting on an act; he had no choice but to lie in that dark coffin all the way here. May all the gods have mercy and not actually take his lifespan away. Our general still has to live to be a hundred, still have to get married, have children, a boy and a girl..."
Chen Qianyuan stumbled upon this bizarre scene as he slung his black wooden medicine chest through the door.
He rolled his eyes in annoyance, his tone unfriendly: "Oh, so you're scared now?"
The entire hall was used to his sharp tongue, and they quickly stood up to make way for him: "Imperial Physician Chen, you've finally arrived! Please save our general."
"Stop talking nonsense and move aside!" Before he could finish speaking, Chen Qianyuan put the medicine box on the table, rolled up his sleeves, and sat down on the edge of the bed. He placed his fingers on Xu Zhiheng's wrist, felt the faint pulse, and his face darkened.
"You guys are really something! To fake his death and escape, he dared to stay in a coffin the whole way! Is his life made of iron or something?"
Although he kept cursing, he didn't neglect his work at all.
Chen Qianyuan deftly opened the medicine box and took out silver needles, wound medicine, and clean bandages.
He carefully cut open the bleeding old bandage with scissors, revealing the hideous wound underneath, crisscrossing like the interlacing warp and weft threads of an embroiderer stitching a handkerchief.
Chen Qianyuan frowned even more deeply, heated the silver needle over the candle flame, and precisely inserted it into the acupoints on the back of Xu Zhiheng's hand. Ignoring the fact that Xu Zhiheng couldn't hear him, he still spoke without any mercy: "How many times have I told you, you can't get angry or do anything drastic until your wound has healed! And yet, you just stuffed yourself into a coffin! If you get infected, even a god couldn't save you! Then all your brothers and everyone in the mansion will be mourning your death!"
Xu Zhiheng was probably awakened by the pain of the silver needles; his eyelashes trembled, but he didn't have the strength to open his eyes.
Seeing his expression, Chen Qianyuan softened his tone slightly, but his movements as he applied the medicine were still rough: "Bear with it. This wound medicine is newly developed by me, and it's even more effective than the one you have in the army. It just hurts a bit. It's good that it hurts; it means you're still alive and haven't really killed yourself!"
Jin Yu and Mantang watched from the side, heads bowed, not daring to utter a sound to disturb them.
~
Before they knew it, it was time for Xu Zhiheng's "funeral".
The wind at the mountaintop was stronger than at the foot of the mountain, carrying the lingering chill of March.
From the mountaintop, you can see the Xu family cemetery, the final resting place of generations of Xu family generals who died in battle.
The villagers all came and filled the mountaintop.
The world was in chaos, so they could only stay in the mountain stronghold and could not see General Xu off. They could only see him off here on his final journey.
After an unknown amount of time, the intermittent sound of a suona horn drifted up on the wind, starting as a faint sound and gradually becoming clearer.
"They're here," someone whispered, and everyone turned to look down the mountain.
On the winding path, a funeral procession was slowly making its way.
At the front were two people holding white banners. The white banners fluttered in the wind, like two lost white birds, which looked particularly glaring in the gray sky.
Behind the banner were eight burly men carrying a black lacquered coffin. On either side of the coffin, servants from the Xu family, dressed in plain clothes and carrying mourning sticks, walked forward with their heads bowed.
It makes my heart ache.
"General! How could you leave like this!" On the mountaintop, someone couldn't help but burst into tears.
Sadness seemed contagious; the sobs of women and the sighs of men mingled together, while the children, not yet understanding what was happening, instinctively remained silent.
The howling wind seemed to be weeping for the general who died young.
Standing at the front of the crowd, Lin Yao seemed oblivious to the wailing and the glaring white banner and black coffin.
She simply stood quietly on the edge of the cliff, the wind making her clothes flutter and her hair disheveled, but her eyes were unusually calm, without the slightest ripple, and not even a hint of redness in her eyes.
Lin Yao looked at the funeral procession below the mountain, her gaze falling on the coffin as if it were something completely ordinary, without any sadness or anger.
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