Chapter 229 Traitors in Chaotic Times (Part 5): How to Become a Super Strategist...
Song Ce smiled, took out the household registration document from his sleeve, handed it to his father, and said softly, "I saw it by chance."
Although Song's father couldn't read, his gaze unconsciously drifted over.
After a long while, he slowly spoke, “Ce’er, that happened sixteen years ago. It was early winter then, and I went to work in town with your Uncle Zhuang from the village. He stayed at his nephew’s house in town that day, and I came back alone. On the way back, I passed through a grove of trees and heard a baby crying in the bushes. I parted the bushes and saw you wrapped in a red silk quilt, crying. Your little face was all purple from the cold.”
Song Ce listened quietly without interrupting him.
“I held you and waited there for a while. It was getting dark, and I was afraid you would get sick from the cold, so I just took you home. Later, I asked around the neighborhood a few times, but I didn’t hear of any family losing a child. It just so happened that your mother had given birth to your older brother only half a month ago, so we told everyone that your mother was carrying twins.”
After saying that, Song's father bent down and neatly arranged the scattered firewood on the ground, and sighed, "Over the years, I've always thought that I would tell you when you're older, but when the words came to my lips, I... Alas, your mother couldn't bear to part with you, afraid that you would feel like an outsider after you knew your background, so... so we've kept putting it off until now."
"Ce'er, don't blame your father."
“Father.” Song Ce smiled faintly and interrupted him softly, “Even though I know about my background, I have never felt like an outsider in this family, so I will not blame you and Mother.”
Upon hearing this, Mr. Song looked up abruptly, his eyes reddening, and asked, "...Really?"
"Yes, to raise someone before birth is a debt that can never be repaid. I will always remember the kindness you and Mother have shown me."
Mr. Song was taken aback for a moment, then smiled with satisfaction.
“Ce’er, I’m relieved that you think this way.” He paused, then suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to walk into the house. “By the way, you had a piece of jade on you back then. I was planning to give it to you when you got married. Just wait for it.”
A moment later, Song's father came out of the house with a cloth bundle wrapped in blue cloth, and opened it layer by layer in front of his son. Inside the bundle, besides a brocade quilt used to wrap the child, there was a yellowed piece of paper and a crescent-shaped jade pendant.
Song Ce first picked up the paper and looked at it. There was only one word on it: Ce. The handwriting was flowing and sharp, revealing an untamed spirit. He paused, then picked up the crescent-shaped jade pendant below and looked at it.
The jade pendant is not of high quality, and its carving is quite rough, more like the work of a novice craftsman practicing.
Father Song rubbed his hands together, somewhat uneasily, and said, "When we found you, this jade pendant was tied to your wrist. Your father and mother guessed that this must be a keepsake left to you by your biological parents... After all, a family that can afford to provide a child with silk quilts and jade pendants is definitely not an ordinary farming family. Ce'er, they might have encountered some difficulties, which is why they left you there. If you want to find them..."
"Father." Song Ce put the jade pendant away and said gently, "I am fine as I am now, why add to my troubles?"
Upon hearing this, Mr. Song breathed a sigh of relief. He raised his hand and patted his youngest son's shoulder, "Good, good, good. It's getting late, you should go back to your room and rest!"
Song Ce smiled and said, "Mm."
Back in the house, Song Ce carefully reviewed all the fragments of his memories of this world several times. Without the complete memories of the original owner of this body, any step he took could lead to a misstep, and one wrong move could result in utter defeat. Therefore, he had to rely on himself to establish himself in this world.
With frequent wars and widespread poverty, it's better to take the initiative and do what we can than to sit idly by and wait for death. After all, the current situation is already the worst possible; why not try to follow our hearts and attempt to make a change?
If you have lofty ambitions in your heart, what fear is there of the myriad difficulties and obstacles in the world!
Three days later, Song's mother's cough had greatly improved. Wenxiu came out of the kitchen carrying freshly steamed vegetable buns and saw Song Ce pushing open the door and walking out with an old cloth bundle on his back.
Wenxiu was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Ace, where are you going?"
Hearing the commotion, Song's mother and father hurried out of the east room. Seeing their youngest son looking like he was about to embark on a long journey with minimal luggage, they both felt a pang of anxiety. Song's mother rushed forward, asking worriedly, "Ce'er, what's wrong?"
Song Ce said frankly, "Father, Mother, Sister-in-law, I have to go out for a while and may stay for a few more days. Please take good care of yourselves while I'm away."
When Wenxiu heard Song Ce call her "sister-in-law," her eyes dimmed, and she pursed her lips, remaining silent.
Hearing this, Song's mother immediately became anxious, "Go outside? There's fighting everywhere outside right now, it's too dangerous!"
“Mother.” Song Ce smiled gently, interrupting his mother, “I know what I’m doing, Mother, you don’t need to worry.”
"That won't do! Your brother's life is hanging in the balance, and I can't lose you too. My good child, listen to me, you can't go!"
Seeing Song's mother's red eyes, Song's father reached out to support her, then sighed deeply, "That's enough, Ce'er has made up his mind, and there's nothing we can do to change it. Son, you must be careful when you're out there alone. If you're not used to being out there or you get tired, come home early, okay?"
“I know, Father.” Song Ce replied solemnly, and took out a heavy bag of silver from his sleeve. “Father, Mother, keep this silver safe. If you have time, go to the county and buy more rice and seeds. Our village is in a secluded place, so we should be able to live in peace for a while.”
After saying that, Song Ce turned around and took out another bag of silver, handing it to Wenxiu. "Sister-in-law, you've worked hard all these years. If you meet a man you like in the future, you can..."
Before Song Ce could finish speaking, Wen Xiu immediately shook her head and choked up, saying, "A Ce, I'll wait for you... and for Brother Jing to come back."
"you……"
"A-Ce, no matter what you say, I won't leave."
Song Ce was taken aback, then shook his head helplessly and smiled, "Alright, you decide for yourself."
After bidding farewell to his parents and family, Song Ce turned and left home without hesitation. He did not leave Pingzhou County directly, but went to Huichuntang first.
Meanwhile, Manager Lin was checking the accounts for the medicinal herbs behind the counter. When he saw Song Ce enter, he quickly put down the ledger in his hand and said with a smile, "Young Master Song, what brings you here today? Has your mother's illness improved considerably?"
"Thank you for your concern, Manager. My mother is much better now." Song Ce smiled, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I came today to ask you about some things."
Upon hearing this, Manager Lin immediately became interested, "Oh? Please speak freely."
Song Ce said solemnly, "Does the shopkeeper know which army is recruiting soldiers besides the Meng family army stationed in the city?"
"What did you say?" Shopkeeper Lin was shocked and quickly took two steps back. He glanced instinctively at the door and, seeing that no one had heard, hurriedly closed the shop door tightly. Still shaken, he said, "My God, what nonsense are you spouting!"
Is there anything wrong with what you said?
"That's not right!?" Manager Lin patted his chest, still shaken, and said, "Do you know that if someone with ulterior motives heard what you just said, you wouldn't have enough heads to chop off!"
Looking at his pale face, Song Ce calmly asked, "The commander of the Meng family army is not my wise ruler, so why should I serve under him?"
"My little ancestor!" Manager Lin covered his mouth and said urgently, "You're standing on Meng's army's territory now, how dare you bypass them and join another army? And what are you saying about not being your lord? You don't care about your life, but I still want to live a couple more years!"
Seeing his panicked appearance, Song Ce didn't say anything more, but gently explained, "Don't panic, shopkeeper. I was just asking casually. In these turbulent times, I was thinking of going out to try my luck and find a way out."
Upon hearing this, Manager Lin calmed down slightly. He gestured for Song Ce to go to the inner room and lowered his voice, saying, "Young Master Song, you don't know, Pingzhou County is now firmly under the control of the Meng family army. Let alone openly inquiring about other armies, even privately discussing their faults could get you arrested and punished!"
"Such behavior is indeed domineering."
"Who says otherwise?" Manager Lin frowned and continued, "I see you're a scholar with some ability, so I'll give you a few pointers. Speaking of other forces, the most renowned is the Northern Yan Army. They are extremely fierce and brave, fearless in battle, and are known as the Tiger and Wolf Army. However, they are far from here. If you go, you'll probably be conscripted by other armies before you even reach the halfway point!"
"There is a King Liang in the east. I heard that he is vigorously gathering refugees to expand his army, but his reputation is not good. It is said that his army is undisciplined and often bullies unarmed civilians. He is even worse than the Meng family army!"
"It's hard to say about the south. Although the Wu army has established a presence there, they are not united. It's said that they have split into several factions, each vying for power. It might not be a suitable place for them..."
Song Ce silently noted down this information and then asked, "According to the shopkeeper, there are no armies worth joining?"
Shopkeeper Lin shook his head and kindly advised, "Young sir, I've lived for so many years and I can tell you're a shrewd and calculating person. In these times, living peacefully is more important than anything else!"
Song Ce smiled and asked, "I wonder what the requirements are for recruiting soldiers for these armies?"
"Requirements? In this chaotic world, what requirements are there? They'll fight over any able-bodied man who can still breathe." Manager Lin sighed and continued, "However, war is no joke. If you really get into the army, it won't be easy to get out. Mr. Song, you'd better think this through!"
Song Ce remained silent, took out a medical book from his bundle and handed it to him, "Shopkeeper Lin, this is a family heirloom of acupuncture. It may help you improve your medical skills. Consider it a token of my gratitude for the medicine and guidance you have given me."
Shopkeeper Lin's expression tightened, and he hurriedly and solemnly accepted the gift with both hands. He carefully flipped through two pages, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Young Master Song, this...this is too valuable."
Song Ce cupped his hands in greeting: "It's just an ordinary medical book where our ancestors recorded medical cases. Shopkeeper, please accept it."
Shopkeeper Lin sighed, then took out a travelogue from a hidden compartment in the inner room and placed it in Song Ce's hands. "This travelogue was a gift from a chivalrous traveler who came here on a journey. He suffered from a serious foot ailment back then, and I devoted myself to treating him until he recovered. He was grateful and gave me this book free of charge. I have no use for it, so I'll give it to you today!"
Song Ce opened the book and took a look; it turned out to be a valuable record of human geography exploration. He bowed deeply and thanked the shopkeeper again, saying, "Thank you very much, shopkeeper. I'll take my leave now."
Go! Go! Please be careful in everything you do.
Song Ce nodded, and without lingering, left Huichuntang and headed straight towards the east of the city.
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Author's Note: [Shrug][Shrug]
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