Chapter 181 My Short-Lived Husband
She had no choice but to keep making conversation, pointing out the window and exclaiming, "Oh my! Look! Those two sparrows are fighting! Tsk tsk, fighting is a sign of affection, just like some people who stay silent and drive you crazy!"
Lu Zhaoruo looked in the direction she pointed and saw that the paulownia tree in the courtyard was empty, with no sparrows in sight.
Xiao Yeming: "..."
Seeing that her son was still as taciturn as ever, Madam Xiao finally gave up, leaned back in her chair, and sighed, "Oh well, I think those two sparrows have flown away! Alas, these days, even sparrows are more perceptive than some people!"
Xiao Yeming: "..."
Lu Zhaoruo knew that Madam Xiao was trying to match her with him. She appreciated her good intentions, but also knew that forcing the issue would be futile.
She smiled faintly, suddenly recalling the haunting dream she had in the middle of the night…
Why not ask the general in front of us for confirmation?
After several encounters, I completely forgot about it; how foolish of me.
She cleared her mind of distractions and looked calmly at Xiao Yeming: "General Xiao, I have a question that has been lingering in my mind for a long time, and I don't know whether I should ask it or not."
Xiao Yeming suddenly looked up and met her clear, watery gaze.
Upon hearing Lu Zhaoruo take the initiative to speak, Madam Xiao was overjoyed and quickly interjected, "Ask away! Ask away! Just ask! Ask anything."
As she spoke, she secretly glared at her son.
Under his mother's piercing gaze, Xiao Yeming had no choice but to whisper, "Please speak, Madam Lu."
Lu Zhaoruo said slowly, "To be honest, General, I have been troubled by a dream lately. In the dream, there is a snowstorm, and a general with a dignified demeanor and broad shoulders, wearing gilded fish-scale armor, who looks to be over forty years old, is kneeling towards me step by step, as if he has endless sorrow and unfinished words."
"I am haunted by this dream and cannot find peace of mind. General, you have been in the army for a long time and have seen much. I wonder if you have ever heard of any deceased general whose figure and aura are somewhat similar to mine? I only wish to find a reason to resolve the confusion in my heart."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yeming's fingers involuntarily tightened.
Who is it?
What makes Sister Lu keep dreaming about him?
Fortunately.
He has passed the age of forty.
He lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, rapidly reviewing past files and memories in his mind.
After a few breaths, he raised his eyes and said in a low, hoarse voice, "The gilded fish-scale armor is the standard for naval officers of the third rank and above. If we take this as the standard, and combine it with the requirement of 'over forty years old,' there are a total of nine deceased generals in our dynasty who meet this criterion in the past thirty years."
He analyzed the situation in the manner of recounting a military report: "Of these nine generals, five died peacefully in their beds after retiring from the military; two died in shipwrecks; one died on the battlefield; and one died in office due to a recurrence of an old injury."
He paused briefly, then continued, "However, according to military records, the time and place of death of these nine men had nothing to do with a 'snowy night.' There is no record of a high-ranking naval commander dying on a snowy night."
Lu Zhaoruo's eyes dimmed slightly.
Could it really be just a dream?
Seeing her expression, Xiao Yeming pondered and said, "However, dreams are mysterious and may not be true records. The 'snowy night' that Lady Lu saw may be a reflection of her state of mind, symbolizing the general's loneliness and desolation before his death; or perhaps the greatest regret of his life happened on a snowy day? So, perhaps it is one of these nine old generals."
A glimmer of light appeared in Lu Zhaoruo's eyes.
That's absolutely true.
Xiao Yeming added, "However, if we think about it this way, it goes beyond the scope of military records."
He added, "If you are determined, my lady, you may visit the families of these generals one by one and inquire about their life stories and thoughts."
Upon hearing this, Madam Xiao immediately waved her hand, her tone crisp and decisive: "No need to waste that effort! Of these nine generals you mentioned, which one don't I know well? They are all heroes, that's true, but when it comes to physique and bearing—they're either broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, or rough and unrestrained, none of them can be associated with 'composed bearing and broad shoulders'!"
After hearing this, Lu Zhaoruo smiled and said with relief, "Perhaps it was just a dream, and there's no need to delve into it..."
"Wait!"
Madam Xiao's expression turned serious, and she looked sharply at her son. "When you were listing everyone just now, did you forget one of the most important people?"
She said, slowly and deliberately, "This person matches Zhao Ruo's description perfectly, down to the last detail."
She lowered her voice: "And, he died precisely on a snowy night."
Lu Zhaoruo's heart leaped, and she almost held her breath: "Which general is Madam referring to?"
Xiao Yeming suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt.
Madam Xiao's expression was initially solemn, but then she chuckled and patted her son: "Silly boy! Who else could it be? It's none other than your dead old father, my short-lived husband—Xiao Lin!"
She recounted the details with great familiarity: "Look, a third-rank general, his favorite was the gilded fish-scale armor, he died at forty, just as he was at the age of no longer being confused, as for the snowy night..."
Her smile faded, replaced by a touch of sadness. "The night he died in battle at Ganhai, the old comrades in the camp all said that it was a once-in-a-century snowfall."
Xiao Yeming lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Yes, he had forgotten his own father.
But why did Father enter Sister Lu's dream, and why... did he perform such a grand ceremony?
Lu Zhaoruo was shocked. To connect the kneeling figure in her dream with the deceased General Xiao would be too shocking and disrespectful to the deceased and the Xiao family.
She immediately stood up, straightened her clothes, and bowed deeply to Madam Xiao and Xiao Yeming: "I am terrified! The person in my dream was blurry, and I made a wild guess. I have unjustly implicated the spirit of the old general. This is extremely disrespectful. I hope that you, Madam and General, will forgive me."
She paused slightly and continued, "Furthermore, dreams are bizarre and cannot be taken seriously. The old general is loyal and brave, and his spirit is free in the heavens. How could he enter my dream for no reason? This dream is absurd and must be the result of Zhaoruo's thoughts during the day. It should not be taken seriously. I hope that you and the general will forget what I said today, and I will never mention it again in the future."
Seeing Lu Zhaoruo's serious demeanor, Madam Xiao burst into laughter, waving her hand dismissively: "Oh, my silly child, get up! What's there to be afraid of? It's just a dream! Besides..."
Her laughter subsided, and her tone became absolutely certain: "It could never be my deadbeat husband! With his rotten temper, he'd rather die standing than live on his knees! Let alone perform such a... tsk, pathetic grand gesture towards a young lady."
Amidst his mother's hearty laughter and resolute denial, Xiao Yeming suddenly looked up at Lu Zhaoruo.
Yes, my father is strong-willed; he would never do such a thing.
So... who exactly was that person in Sister Lu's dream, filled with sorrow and crawling on their knees?
after.
After Xiao Yeming resigned due to military affairs, Lu Zhaoruo accompanied Madam Xiao to practice swordsmanship and spear fighting for a long time at the training ground.
As the sun rose higher and sweat beaded on Madam Xiao's forehead, she stopped, smiling as she patted Lu Zhaoruo's shoulder: "That's enough for today, you should go back and rest too."
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