Xiao Xin ignored him completely, and staggered to the overturned carriage, reaching out to forcefully pry open the carriage and pull at the curtain.
"There's someone inside? You should have said so earlier."
The general was a chatterbox; he was a bit of a blabbermouth, but he wasn't a bad person. He came over and called the soldiers to help.
Xu Rong was the first to be rescued. She had been knocked unconscious for a short while, but as the commotion outside caused her to wake up, she endured the pain and, with Xiao Xin's help, crawled out.
Inside, Ms. Wei was in worse condition. Her head hit the ground through the partition, and she passed out. When she was rescued, her hair was disheveled, covering half of her face, and she had a bump on her forehead with blood seeping out.
"mother."
Xiao Xin, his hands trembling, tried to get closer to take a closer look, but a strong force suddenly came from the side, shoving him aside. The general who pushed him stared intently at him and even took his place, reaching out to brush the hair off Lady Wei's face.
That's extremely rude.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a "lecherous scoundrel".
Xiao Xin was furious. Regardless of whether he was his savior or a general, he stepped forward and shoved him away, shouting, "Don't touch my mother!"
The general pushed him, causing him to stumble, but he didn't give up. He stretched out his arm again and finally brushed the hair off Lady Wei's face, revealing her entire face.
Her skin was fair and delicate, and her brows furrowed slightly in pain, making her even more pitiful.
The soldiers gasped, glancing at Xu Rong and then at the still unconscious Lady Wei—the general's eyes were truly sharp!
Two beauties, I didn't miss either of them!
“My lord,” Xu Rong could not stand idly by and stepped forward to bow, “we are relatives of the Duke of Ying and are on our way to seek refuge with him. Are you one of his men?”
She had just woken up and hadn't heard the jokes the soldiers had made earlier, but she figured that they were close to Annam, and even if bringing up the name of the Duke of England didn't get her any more help, it would at least make these soldiers think twice.
To everyone's surprise, the general was in a daze. Xiao Xin protected Wei Shi and he stretched his head to try and see through the gap, completely ignoring what she was saying.
The soldiers, on the other hand, became more lively.
"The Duke's family? Young lady, you're exaggerating. The Duke's family is staying in the capital, why would they come all this way here?"
"That's right, young lady, don't be afraid. Our general is not a bad person. Even if he takes a fancy to this lady, he won't do anything to her."
"Isn't the Duke worried about the General's marriage? Well, here's one found on the road. A hero and a beauty, what's her name again?"
"A wonderful story!"
"Yes, yes, a wonderful story!"
The soldiers burst into laughter again, but the soldier who had pointed out the resemblance between the general and Xiao Xin's eyes noticed something else: "Wait a minute, isn't this lady married?"
That's for sure. Even Xu Rong was dressed as a woman. These people were so busy flirting that they didn't notice for a while.
"This is troublesome. We can't just take someone else's wife by force, can we?"
"No, the Duke will definitely not give it to us."
"Either we do it secretly, or if this lady is willing, we can get it done first—it's not out of the question."
Xiao Xin's expression changed, and he bent down to pick up the sword, but the general suddenly roared, "Shut your mouths, all of you! This is my wife!"
He stopped staring blankly, rushed over and helped Wei Shi up, carefully pulling her into his arms. Xiao Xin brandished his sword to fight him, but the general let him put the sword to his neck without flinching. He just raised his eyes, his face was very bad, and his voice was very rough: "You are that old bastard Xiao Yuanhong's son, aren't you?"
"..." Xiao Xin was stunned.
Xiao Yuanhong was indeed the name of Lord Xiao, but given his status, no one had addressed him directly for many years.
The general not only called him that, but also added the qualifier "bastard" to him.
“Your mother is injured. Let’s go into the city to find a doctor.”
After the general finished his tirade, he calmed down a bit, ignored Xiao Xin, and instead ordered the soldiers to right the carriage and repair it.
When Xu Rong bought the carriage, he considered the long distance and deliberately chose a sturdier and more expensive one. The money was well spent. After the carriage was thrown around, it did not fall apart. The soldiers lifted it up with shouts of "Ee-ya-hai". After tinkering with it for a while, and then, under the general's order, they took off the dead horse, brought over the general's warhorse, and put it on. After a test, it was able to move again.
The general carried Lady Wei inside, then sat down casually to the side and beckoned to Xiao Xin and Xu Rong, "You two, aren't you coming in?"
He shielded Wei Shi inside, her head and face hidden in the shadows, making her look even weaker.
Xiao Xin gripped his sword tightly and swallowed his anger as he went inside.
Xu Rong went in and sat down next to him. Seeing his chest heaving with anger, she tugged at his sleeve and winked at him.
Xiao Xin: "..."
Xu Rong gave him a knowing look.
Xiao Xin was indeed aware of something; he had heard more than Xu Rong. He hadn't realized it before, but while the car was being repaired, he sensed something was wrong: the eyes resembled his, the person could call out Lord Xiao's name, and even claimed that Lady Wei was his—
To be fair, this general is very handsome. Although he has a sharp tongue and always wants to claim his son, he is actually quite measured in his actions. For example, apart from letting Lady Wei lean on him, he hasn't done anything else. He is not the kind of lecherous man who is truly lustful at first sight.
These three points combined can lead to a relatively pure, yet incredible, possibility.
If it's really true—
Xiao Xin was still very angry.
An inexplicable surge of energy made him feel bloated, so much so that despite having enormous questions to answer, he didn't want to talk to the general.
The general noticed and rolled his eyes at him: "You're angry with me? If I had known you were that old bastard's son, I might not have saved you."
Xiao Xin held back his words, tightening his grip on the sword.
The general turned his head and glanced at Wei's pale, tightly closed face, then muttered, "Never mind, never mind, for your sake, I'll save her."
Xu Rong: "..."
She could still try to save one childish person, but with both of them like this, she didn't want to care anymore. Her whole body was still aching from the fall. She would wait until Mrs. Wei woke up to confirm everything.
All she could do was lift the carriage curtain and shout for the soldiers outside to retrieve the valuables she had thrown out earlier.
They hadn't gone far from the city, about half an hour later, when they bumped back.
The general was very impolite. He didn't bother to find any inns or clinics. He led his men straight into the prefectural government office, brandished his command token, and Xu Rong realized that the Duke of Ying's army was indeed on its way back. The general's force was an advance team that had notified the cities in advance that a large army would be passing through, so that the local areas could make preparations.
The local prefect received the letter and dared not delay. He was also shocked to learn that the general's family members had been robbed on the road—yes, the general had opened his mouth and, without consulting anyone, directly classified them all as his family members. He was quite frightened. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that the bandits had been caught. He hurriedly explained that they must be villains from out of town, not his own people. He also quickly cleared out a large courtyard in the back office and arranged for people to invite the best doctor in the city.
While the doctor was examining Wei Shi, the general occupied the head of the bed, staring intently at the doctor. Xiao Xin couldn't squeeze forward and glared at him angrily.
Finally, the doctor diagnosed that Wei's pulse was relatively stable and there should be no major problems. He was told to lie down and rest until his blood and qi were calmed down, at which point he would wake up.
The general was still worried. After the doctor bandaged up Madam Wei's external injuries and prescribed a formula to nourish her blood and qi, he kept him detained and told him to sit and wait in the next room until Madam Wei woke up before he was allowed to leave.
Several soldiers peeked out from outside, and one of them asked, "General, what should we do with those two fake recruits?"
The two knights were tied to the side of their horses and dragged into the city like cargo. They were battered by snow and wind, and their mouths were gagged, making it difficult for them to breathe. They had suffered a lot along the way and were now left in a side room, half-dead.
"Sister Yu hasn't woken up yet, I don't have time to deal with them right now," the general said harshly. "Keep an eye on them, don't let them die easily."
One soldier agreed and went, while the others lingered, "General, is that woman really your wife? You've always been a bachelor—"
"Go away, go away." This time the general didn't bother arguing with them anymore, waving his hand to shoo them away. "I'm telling you what I mean. I'm really annoyed right now, and I don't want to say anything else."
He commanded respect among his subordinates, and seeing that he was speaking seriously, the soldiers dared not press him for answers. They exchanged glances and slipped away in a flash.
It became quiet inside and out.
The general had no patience to explain to his subordinates, but he was in the mood to talk to Xiao Xin. He sat on the edge of the bed, looked him up and down, and sighed, "Fortunately, he doesn't seem like that old bastard."
His next sentence was more like self-consolation: "Forget it, I can endure it."
After comforting him, she looked at Xiao Xin and asked, "Why aren't you saying anything? Are you mute?"
Xiao Xin had already lowered his sword, but upon hearing the general speak, he couldn't help but clench his fist again and ask in a hoarse voice, "—Are you surnamed Lin?"
The general was stunned: "You knew?"
"You know me?" He stood up and strode closer. "How do you know me? Did Sister Yu mention me to you? What did she say? What did she say about me?"
He was so imposing that he almost looked Xiao Xin up and down. Xiao Xin stood firm, not backing down an inch, and glared at him at very close range: "So what if I mentioned it?"
"You brat, what makes you so great? Let me tell you, I'm Yu-jie's man. Your bastard father came later. Has he been treating Yu-jie badly? Otherwise, why would Yu-jie come all this way? And you and your little wife, it's freezing cold, and the New Year is almost here. What are you doing running out like you're escaping for your lives?"
Xiao Xin did not answer, but the general did not give up and bombarded him with a series of questions. Only after he finished did he seem to calm down a bit and wipe his face.
He paused halfway through wiping her face: "Wait, Sister Yu mentioned me—is that why that old bastard is unhappy? Why did he kick Sister Yu out? But why doesn't he even want you, his own son?"
He looked Xiao Xin up and down again, this time with a much kinder gaze. "Kid, what's your name? Don't keep that long face. What I told you before still stands. Since your father doesn't want you anymore, then you can recognize me as your father. I won't treat you as my godson anymore, I'll treat you like my own son. From now on, you and Sister Yu will live with me, how about that?"
Xiao Xin said curtly, "Not very good."
The general snorted: "You're still not happy? Fine, then. But let me tell you, Sister Yu will definitely stay with me. I won't let her go. Whether you want Mother or not is up to you."
Xiao Xin: "..."
He felt an indescribable awkwardness in his heart, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Didn't you have an accident?"
"Sister Yu told you?" The general sighed. "She did mention me, but I'm fine. It's just that at that time, I was in the garrison and couldn't move freely. I couldn't even send a letter back. Maybe she misunderstood."
"—When did you return to the capital?"
He must have returned to the capital and met Lord Xiao, otherwise he wouldn't have said that he was not like Lord Xiao.
“It’s been several years.” The general said listlessly, “I finally found a job delivering grain, but when I went back, Yu’s whole family was gone. After inquiring, I found out that Yu had married someone else—she certainly didn’t do it willingly, otherwise, given her parents’ character, they wouldn’t have run away with the whole family.”
Xiao Xin said in a deep voice, "Then why don't you go find her?"
“I’ve looked.” The general pursed his lips. “When I got to your gate, I realized I wasn’t even as well-dressed as your gatekeeper’s servant. And when I asked around, I found out you’re already four or five years old. What am I supposed to do? Should I persuade Sister Yu to leave you behind and come with me to the garrison to eat sand?”
So, despite his intense hatred and profound grief, he came silently and left silently.
Xiao Xin remained silent.
The man before him was no match for Lord Xiao's power at that time, and he had no choice but to let go.
The general roused himself again: "Hey, wait a minute, how did you become the one interrogating me? You're not going to be my son, so don't think you can—"
"Huh?"
The two of them were arguing noisily, and Xu Rong had nothing to do, so she listened while keeping an eye on Wei Shi's movements. Suddenly, she saw Wei Shi's eyelids twitch.
Though it was only a single sound, the general was immediately startled and rushed over like an arrow. At that moment, Lady Wei also opened her eyes.
"Sister Yu?" he called out urgently.
Wei's memory was still stuck at the moment the carriage overturned. Suddenly being addressed like that, and seeing the general's face magnified into her vision, she smiled in a daze: "Bao'er? Didn't you go to reincarnate? You've been waiting for me here all this time?"
She thought she was dead, which is why she saw her old friends.
General: "Waaah!"
He wanted to speak but couldn't, so he started crying first.
Tears fell onto Madam Wei's face. Madam Wei smiled and gently raised her hand: "You're such a grown woman, yet you're still like this."
She wiped away the general's tears, and the general choked up even more. Lady Wei smiled helplessly: "Before you left, didn't you tell me to wait for you, that you would come back to pick me up after you became a great general? The great general is still crying."
The general's attire is different now than before, which is precisely why it aligns with the agreement made back then and makes it easier to bring Lady Wei back to her memories.
“Don’t cry. I didn’t see you up there, but I saved our son. He’s much more mature and intelligent than you. You’ll definitely like him when you meet him,” Mrs. Wei said proudly.
General: "...?"
General: "—!"
He turned his head with a snap, hesitated for a moment before lowering his eyes and then suddenly looking up at Xiao Xin.
Xiao Xin looked at him expressionlessly.
General: "..."
His eyes were filled with disbelief, fear, and surprise... then all the extra emotions faded away, leaving only ecstasy!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
