Chapter 134 My Stepbrother is Back!
As the year draws to a close, there are only about ten days left until Lunar New Year's Eve.
Lin Yuesha followed the people from the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion down the mountain in a grand procession. Passing by the market at the foot of the mountain, she saw a scholar selling Spring Festival couplets, with people queuing up to buy them. Suddenly, she thought of her kind-hearted stepbrother.
If the family still lived in the village, they might not have as much money, but they would also have less trouble.
Some things are truly beyond her control.
After descending the mountain, Lin Yuesha boarded a carriage. This carriage had been provided by the Prince of Zhenbei for his concubine who had fallen into the well, and now it was benefiting Xuan Yao.
"Granny Xiao, where is the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion?"
Lin Yuesha knew nothing about this, only that Xiao Su had many mansions in the north, but she did not know where the group was headed.
"Right here at Hanmen Pass in the border town."
Hanmen Pass was the last checkpoint between the Great Qi and the barbarians, and the soldiers there were all under the command of the Prince of Zhenbei.
“Every year on New Year’s Eve, the prince would cook meat and drink wine with his soldiers to reward the army. This was the custom every year.”
The rules in the Prince's mansion are not strict. As long as you do your job well, you won't be in any danger. However, it's impossible to go home before the New Year.
Granny Xiao touched Xuan Yao's forehead. It looked withered and thin, but she was very tenacious. After drinking some medicine, her high fever subsided. It seemed that she would not die anytime soon.
"The gate of poverty is closed."
Lin Yuesha rested her chin on her hand. It was still thirty li from the small courtyard in town to Hanmen Pass. The journey was neither too far nor too short, but as Granny Xiao had said, Lin Yuesha felt a little regretful that she couldn't be with her family this New Year.
At this hour, Jiang Baozhu had already gone to her house to tell her what had happened. She didn't know how her parents would react when they found out, and could only hope that her older brother would come home soon.
As Lin Yuesha was thinking this, Jiang Baozhu had already arrived at the small courtyard in town.
As the family was finishing up their last business, Chen Xiaohua accompanied her father, Chen Tieniu, to deliver roasted peanuts. She used the money she earned to buy a sachet for her cousin, Lin Yuesha.
"Miss Jiang, where is Yue Sha?"
Mrs. Chen put away the spiced melon seeds. People had already arrived outside, and the shop assistants were all there.
"Yue Sha hasn't returned yet."
Jiang Baozhu was in a dilemma. Lin Yuesha told her to play it by ear and that she had to get around Chen Shi. She stood at the door, hesitant and unwilling to go in.
"Aunt, I'll go with you to deliver the melon seeds and also keep an eye on the accounting. My older brother and I have been learning accounting lately."
Chen Xiaohua noticed something amiss, winked at Jiang Baozhu, and hurriedly pulled Chen Shi out the door.
This is the opportunity right now!
Just as Jiang Baozhu was about to enter, someone behind her said, "Miss Jiang, are you here to see my younger sister?"
Xiao Qi held a bundle in his hand, his face frosty. He had received the news last night and immediately braved the wind and snow to travel through the night, killing one of his fast horses in the process. He finally arrived home early the next morning and met Jiang Baozhu at the door.
"Young Master Xiao, this is for you."
Jiang Baozhu took out the things Lin Yuesha had instructed her to give to her family from her purse, including the exorcism talisman she had obtained from Yutan Temple.
Xiao Qi took it, his lips twitching almost imperceptibly, and tucked it into his pocket.
“Young Master Xiao, now that you’re back, I’ll tell you the truth.”
Jiang Baozhu didn't hold back at all. She always believed that Lin Yuesha's misfortune in being targeted was related to Xiao Qi's improper relationship with Xuan Yao. Even if Xuan Yao was narcissistic, couldn't she just make things clear?
The main character ran away, and Xuan Yao took her anger out on Lin Yuesha. This was all caused by Xiao Qi.
"If Yue Sha hadn't been quick-witted and not fallen for it, she would have been the one who fell into the well!"
After venting her anger, Jiang Baozhu turned and left. She felt annoyed whenever she saw a nice guy.
Xiao Chenggui watched Jiang Baozhu leave before asking Xiao Qi, "What's your plan?"
"Father, I will send people to protect her."
Xiao Qi held the exorcism talisman in his hand. This girl was almost sent to the guillotine, yet she still had thoughts of the white shadow at home.
Xiao Qi was helpless about the little girl's strange ideas.
This year, the family is destined to have a dull New Year. With his younger sister gone, how will he find some fun, and who will he try to trick?
“Tingyun, you must find a way to infiltrate the Prince of Zhenbei’s mansion. Yue Sha has fallen into the tiger’s den. I can’t help but worry about you. No one else can be as thorough as you in handling things.”
As for celebrating the New Year at home, Xiao Qi can be absent, but Lin Yuesha is indispensable.
"good."
Xiao Qi put down the bundle and left the house quietly without waiting for Chen Shi to return.
...
After a night of wind and snow, the road was covered with a thick layer of snow, making it slow and difficult for vehicles to travel.
It was cold outside, but warm inside the carriage. Red Peach sniffed and smelled a strange odor.
"Sister Red Peach, the young lady has applied medicine to her wounds."
Lin Yuesha reminded everyone that it's better to have an unpleasant smell than to open the window and let in cold air.
"No, I didn't mean the smell of medicine, I smelled the aroma of snacks."
Hongtao opened the small table and found it completely empty; there wasn't a single snack in the car.
Finally, Hongtao turned her gaze to the unconscious Xuanyao, wondering if Xuanyao had hidden some snacks on her.
Lin Yuesha: "..."
There were no snacks, but there were crumbs of snacks she had added to the wound. Even amidst the pungent smell of medicine, Red Peach could still smell it. Her nose is more sensitive than a dog's!
"Granny, I was up all night last night and didn't eat much this morning. Going down the mountain is exhausting, and I'm so hungry that I don't even have the strength to speak."
Hongtao stepped past Lin Yuesha, sat by the car window, and opened it a crack.
The noise outside must have meant they were passing through a market. But it's a 30-mile journey to Hanmen Pass. She can't go without food or water for several hours!
"Don't worry, Your Highness is a kind and generous man."
As soon as Granny Xiao finished speaking, the procession stopped at the front.
Someone went to buy supplies, and each of the guards received a bowl of strong liquor and some fragrant meat buns to fill their stomachs.
"Go out and buy whatever you want to eat, but you only have fifteen minutes."
With her eyes closed, Granny Xiao decided to stay in the carriage to watch over Xuan Yao, in case anything happened and she would have trouble explaining it to her master.
"Very good!"
Hongtao cheered and pulled Lin Yuesha off the carriage road. "You need to buy more food, otherwise if we go any further, we'll be in the middle of nowhere and won't be able to find anything to eat."
Hongtao is greedy and wants to get Lin Yuesha to pay so she can eat for free.
"No problem, Sister Red Peach, I'll go take a look over there."
Lin Yuesha readily agreed. The place where the Prince of Zhenbei was staying was near the market where she and her stepbrother sold melon seeds. She would take a walk around the market, and if she was lucky, she might even see her mother.
To shake off Hongtao, Lin Yuesha said sincerely, "It's cold outside, Sister Hongtao. Why don't you go back to the carriage and wait? Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll go buy it for you."
"How could I possibly accept this?"
Lin Yuesha's understanding made Hongtao feel embarrassed, but this was her goal. She readily replied, "I like to eat snacks, and sesame seed cakes with braised pork belly and preserved vegetables. It would be even better if there was plum wine."
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