Chapter 336 The Last Meeting
After resting for two more days, Jiang Ling composed herself and reopened the wooden door.
The morning light shone down on Jishui Village as the wooden door of the general store opened.
Jiang Ling pushed open the familiar wooden door, but what came from outside was neither the sound of war nor the sobs of refugees.
It's the sound of cicadas.
Loud and resonant, carrying the heat and vitality unique to midsummer.
She stood inside the threshold, stunned for a moment.
The official road outside the gate was still dusty, but the people coming and going were no longer soldiers in bright armor or refugees with their families. Instead, there were carts loaded with grain and cloth, and occasionally peddlers carrying loads on their shoulders, slowly passing by while shaking a rattle drum.
In the distance, on the ridges of the fields, villagers are bending over, preparing for the final stages of the autumn harvest.
The war... is over?
There was no widespread starvation or cannibalism among the people as she had imagined.
The air smelled of earth and grass, and there was also a long-lost scent of peaceful life.
"elder sister!"
A clear shout came from the alley entrance.
Jiang Ling looked up and saw a boy dressed in coarse cloth shorts, who had grown much taller, running towards her. His face was covered in sweat, but his eyes shone like stars that had been tempered with fire.
It's Xiaoyi.
He ran up to her, then suddenly stopped, his chest heaving as he looked at Jiang Ling.
After confirming it wasn't a hallucination, she buried her face in Jiang Ling's arms like a cannonball and burst into tears:
"Sister! You're finally back! I missed you so much! I've been taking good care of the house every day!"
Xiao Qiu, who was drying vegetables at the entrance of the workshop, dropped the bamboo sieve in her hand with a "thud." She froze for a moment, then lifted her skirt and stumbled over, tears streaming down her face before she could even speak.
"girl!"
The cries alerted everyone inside and outside the workshop, including Sister Zhao, Little Fatty's mother, and Sixi...
Familiar faces emerged one after another, instantly crowding the entrance to the grocery store.
Greetings, surprise, and sobs filled the air.
"Miss Jiang is back?"
"It really is Miss Jiang!"
"We haven't seen each other for over a year, we were so worried about each other..."
Jiang Ling's eyes welled up with tears. She hugged Xiao Yi tightly, his small body thinner but much stronger, and stroked his head repeatedly.
"Sister is back, she's back. Xiao Yi has grown up and is a real man now."
She turned to look at Xiao Qiu, whose eyes were blurry with tears, and gently comforted her, "I'm fine, everything is alright."
Xiao Ran also emerged from the crowd, her eyes filled with tears.
Jiang Ling looked at him.
The boy's childishness had faded considerably, his features had become more defined, and his skin had turned a wheatish tan. Only his eyes remained clear and intense, though a maturity beyond his years had settled in them.
"Xiao Ran, I'm back." Her voice was a little hoarse as she reached out and touched his head. The 14-year-old boy was already as tall as her.
Xiao Ran's tears kept falling, but he stubbornly wiped them away.
"I knew it! Sister Jiang would come back safely!"
After calming the three of them down, Jiang Ling turned to the villagers who had gathered around and gave them a gentle smile: "Thank you all for your concern. I've been away for a while, but I brought back some gifts, which I'll deliver to you all later."
Grandpa Zhao stepped out from the crowd: "Forget about gifts, we're just happy that Miss Jiang is back safe and sound."
"Yeah yeah."
"Everyone, let's disperse," Grandpa Zhao called out again. "The autumn harvest is busy right now, and the workshop has a lot of orders. Don't let it interfere with your work."
The villagers asked a few more questions before gradually dispersing.
Jiang Ling led the three of them into the general store, and only then did she have a chance to turn to Xiao Qiu, asking with some doubt, "Is the workshop still open?"
She's been gone for so long, she should have run out of glass jars by now.
Xiao Qiu nodded, then shook her head: "It's still open, but it's no longer considered a cannery. Now it mainly makes perfume."
Jiang Ling asked in surprise: "Perfume?"
Xiao Qiu nodded: "It's a formula that the Ji family's caravan brought back from the Western Regions, and they collaborated with the Song family to develop it. Madam Song then set up a workshop in our village, using an empty cannery. Now it's selling like hotcakes in the capital, and it's even being exported to the Great Sheng Dynasty."
The Great Prosperous Dynasty...
Jiang Ling asked, "Is the battle... over?"
Xiao Ran nodded vigorously, "It's over. It stopped three months ago. The two countries signed a peace treaty outside Yanxia Pass. Now the border trade market is open, and the trade routes are open as well."
"Where is Cheng Jiaojiao?" she asked, her voice a little tense.
"Sister Cheng is doing well! She's no longer in the capital. The Crown Prince gave her a new identity and let her live in a quiet little town in Jiangnan. I heard she opened an embroidery shop and is doing quite well. General Zhao Jingxing was ennobled after the war and stationed in the northern border, but... he requested permission to go to Jiangnan to train troops."
As Xiao Ran spoke, she blinked, her eyes slightly mischievous.
Zhao Jingxing and Cheng Jiaojiao?
Jiang Ling breathed a sigh of relief, a warm feeling spreading through her heart.
"Where are A-Zhu and Old Shi?"
"Old Shi has settled down in the village. The empty house at the east end of the village was cleaned up and given to him and his grandson. Azhu is helping out at the workshop with Sister Xiaoqiu, learning bookkeeping. She's very efficient and just went to deliver goods. Old Shi can't stay idle. He opened a medicinal herb garden on the back mountain and often treats villagers' headaches and fevers. He is very respected."
Jiang Ling then asked, "Has there been any major change in the capital?"
Xiao Ran hesitated for a moment before saying, "I heard that the current emperor is in poor health and the crown prince is currently overseeing the country. Marquis Wu'an... died in battle. Cheng Fang inherited the title of Marquis Wu'an and is stationed at Zhenbei Pass. There have also been many changes in the court officials."
Jiang Ling frowned. She had only been gone for a year, so many things had happened in the Great Yu Dynasty.
The Emperor is seriously ill, the Crown Prince is acting as regent, the Marquis of Wu'an has died in battle, Cheng Fang has been sent north, and Zhao Jingxing has been transferred south...
So many things connected...
"Where is the First Prince now?"
All she remembered was that when she fled to the Great Sheng Dynasty, Qin Qian came to her rescue on horseback.
That was also the last time she saw Qin Qian in her memory.
After she finished speaking, Xiao Ran fell silent.
Not only him, but also Xiao Qiu and Xiao Yi, who were standing to the side, lowered their eyes, their expressions revealing a kind of unease that they wanted to say but couldn't.
Jiang Ling's breath hitched, and she immediately had a bad feeling.
She immediately pressed, "What exactly happened?"
Xiao Ran was silent for a moment before saying, "Brother Lu was hit by a stray arrow in the final battle and succumbed to his wounds..."
The world seemed to fall silent in an instant.
Jiang Ling's ears were ringing, and Xiao Hou's words became indistinct. She could only see his lips moving, but she couldn't hear any sound.
How is that possible?
how so?
Isn't he a prince?
I left him a pistol and a bulletproof vest, so even if we push him to the brink, he won't die...
Overwhelmed by grief and disbelief, Jiang Ling staggered back a step, barely managing to steady herself by grabbing the counter behind her, her eyes instantly filled with tears.
She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but no sound came out.
That meeting turned out to be their last...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com