Zuan glanced at the child, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
The woman understood and patted her son: "Tiger, go play in the backyard by yourself."
"Great!" The child, who had been eager to test his new weapon, ran excitedly to the back upon hearing this.
"Be careful not to get hurt by the sword," Zuan warned. After all, the other party was still young, and it would be bad if he accidentally got hurt by the sword.
"It's alright. He used to secretly play with his dad's sword all the time, and he got beaten up several times." Hearing that he was genuinely worried about his son, the woman's expression softened a bit. "How come I've never heard my husband mention having friends like you before?"
“Hello, sister-in-law. My name is Anman. Years ago, Brother Shen saved me during a mission. Later, we went our separate ways because of different jobs. I came back to Yunzhong County this time hoping to catch up with him and thank him for saving my life. But instead, I heard the sad news of his passing.” Zuan sighed, her voice tinged with sadness.
Pei Mianman looked at him in surprise. This guy's acting skills were just too good. He could get into the mood so easily.
I was worried he'd be deceived by a woman, but now I think it's a blessing that she wasn't.
But considering that the other party called himself Amman, isn't that a combination of the two people's names?
Thinking of this, a sweet feeling welled up in her heart.
At this moment, the woman's eyes suddenly reddened, clearly stirred by the pain of losing her husband: "It's all that damned smuggler's fault..."
"Please accept my condolences, sister-in-law." Zu An took out one hundred taels of silver from the glass bead, put it in a wooden box, and handed it over. "This is a small token of my appreciation. I hope you will accept it."
"No, no, this is too much..." The woman looked embarrassed and hurriedly stood up to decline, wiping her hands on her apron again and again, not knowing where to put them.
One hundred taels of silver is nothing to the wealthy and noble, but it is a huge sum of money for ordinary people.
“How can the debt of saving a life be measured in money?” Zu’an said solemnly. “I only regret that I arrived a step too late and was unable to save Brother Shen. Now, the only thing I can do is help him take care of his family.”
Seeing that the other party still refused to accept it, Pei Mianman, who was standing to the side, also said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about the child. Wouldn't it be better for the child to grow up in a more relaxed environment?"
Hearing her mention her son, the woman finally accepted the gift. While expressing her gratitude to the two women, she looked at Pei Mianman and said, "This girl is really pretty. Is she your wife?"
Zu An nodded and took Pei Mianman's hand: "Yes, she is my wife."
Hearing him introduce himself like that, Pei Mianman's eyes reddened slightly. Because of her friendship with Chu Chuyan, she had always deliberately avoided their relationship. But her mother had died in despair without a proper status, so how could she not care about that?
Hearing the other person say this now, she suddenly felt that all her previous efforts had been worthwhile.
"What a lucky couple! You two look so well-matched," the woman exclaimed. "Shenzhou wasn't so fortunate..."
As she said this, she silently wiped away her tears.
Pei Mianman offered a handkerchief, but the woman did not take it, worried that it would soil her snow-white handkerchief. Instead, she casually picked up her apron and wiped her eyes.
"Does Sister-in-law know which smugglers Brother Shen is investigating? I'm wondering if there's a chance to help him get revenge," Zu An asked, seizing the opportunity.
The woman shook her head: "He never talks to me about his work, and this time the investigation is particularly secretive, so he won't tell me anything. I guess the government offices will know exactly what he's investigating... Brother An, you shouldn't get involved in this. Your Brother Shen has already lost his life. If we implicate you, we'll never have peace of mind for the rest of our lives."
"Don't worry, sister-in-law, I know what I'm doing and won't act rashly." Zu'an then asked, "By the way, after Brother Shen's accident, has the government's compensation money been paid to you? If not, I'll go and urge them for you. We can't let our brothers feel disheartened."
"It's been confirmed. A few days after the child's father had the accident, government officials came to the door. The one leading them was the former commander-in-chief, I think his surname was Gong or something..." The woman couldn't quite remember for a moment.
"Gong Pan?"
“Yes, yes, that’s him,” the woman continued. “Lord Gong is a good official. After my child’s father had his accident, I felt like the sky had fallen. Fortunately, Lord Gong and his men came to help with the funeral arrangements, which helped my child and me get through the most difficult days.”
"The pension for the family was also given to us by Lord Gong. Later I inquired and found that it was more than the normal pension. I suppose it was paid out of Lord Gong's own pocket."
“I’ve been thinking of finding a chance to return the money to him, but I can’t leave right now because I’m taking care of Hu Zi, and Lord Gong is very busy with his affairs, so I’m worried about disturbing him. Brother An, why don’t you help me take the money to Lord Gong?”
Zu An hurriedly declined, saying, "Sister-in-law, you're being too polite. It's just Lord Gong's way of showing his appreciation to his comrades. If you return it, how will he feel? Just keep it."
The woman said with a grateful expression, "You are all good people. Although my husband is not blessed, he has you all as his comrades. His life has been worthwhile."
Zuan chatted with her for a while, and then casually mentioned, "By the way, I heard Brother Shen mention that he broke his leg once in his early years. Although the wound healed, it still aches on windy and rainy days. I specially found the Broken Jade Ointment this time, thinking it could relieve his pain, but it turns out we won't need it. So I'll leave it for you, sister-in-law."
As he spoke, he took out a bottle of ointment.
The woman looked bewildered: "Shen Zhou broke his leg? I don't recall ever seeing that."
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