Chapter 72 Chapter 72 She is always smiling
It was already winter, and the city of Peking was getting colder day by day. When Mrs. Chiang woke up one day, she was surprised to find that there was a thin layer of ice on the ground.
"Keep the charcoal fire going," she instructed Jinxiu, but then she started worrying. "It's only the beginning of winter, and it's even colder up north. I wonder if he received the winter clothes I sent him."
Jinxiu looked up and smiled when she heard this: "The concubine personally sent someone to deliver it and specifically named him. Who would dare to delay?"
"You don't understand." Mother Fang touched the teacup and passed it to Mrs. Jiang when she felt it was no longer hot. "They're at war, not stationed at the camp. They don't know where they'll be next. He has a strange temper, and he might even blame us for meddling!"
"You old thing, you forgot that you sewed that cotton-padded jacket yourself." Mrs. Jiang scolded with a smile.
Ever since she learned that Chen Ling'an had abandoned his daughter to fight on the front lines, Fang's mother has complained almost every day. Now, almost a month has passed, and her anger has not subsided.
Mother Fang grumbled, "Didn't we abandon our homes and careers to come north so he and his daughter could live a good life? But he only thinks about himself and doesn't consider us at all."
There were sounds of footsteps in the corridor. Mrs. Jiang knew it was Xiaoman. She waved her hand to signal her to stop talking.
The thick forged curtain was opened from the outside, and Xiaoman ran in with a chill, holding up a letter and saying excitedly: "He has done a great deed, mother, mother, he has done a great deed!"
Mrs. Jiang smiled and told her to read quickly.
"Aunt Jiang, Xiaoman, it's nice to see you." Xiaoman said softly, "I received the cotton-padded jacket you brought. It's very warm. I don't feel cold even when I'm lying in the snow."
Fang's mother exclaimed, "You're still lying in the snow? It's so cold, you'll freeze to death!"
Mrs. Jiang scolded, "Don't interrupt, Xiaoman, continue reading."
"...After several fierce battles, the enemy temporarily retreated. I was promoted to a small flag based on my merits and was not injured."
Mother Fang patted her chest and cried out, "It's a blessing that he wasn't injured. What's the point of not taking any credit? Tell him not to rush up there stupidly. Returning safely is more important than anything else."
Everyone laughed at her words. Madame Jiang pointed at her and said, "Look at how startled you are. Just now you were full of hatred, but the moment you turned your face away, your true nature was revealed."
Jinxiu asked, "If the enemy retreats, can he go home?"
Xiaoman flipped through the letter, shook his head and said, "No, he said he has to fight north and won't be back for a while."
The lively atmosphere suddenly became stagnant, and the smiles on Mrs. Jiang and Mother Fang's faces became forced.
Xiaoman looked at them and couldn't help but smile, "The soldiers are so motivated. Of course we must seize the opportunity to pursue the victory and defeat the Northern Yuan in one fell swoop. We will never dare to invade the south again. Only then can we ordinary people live a good life."
"That's right!" Mrs. Jiang calmed down. "What else did the letter say?"
Xiaoman: "No more."
"No more?" Mrs. Jiang said with a teasing smile, "I'm afraid it's a secret that can't be told to others."
"Oh, mother!"
The room was immediately filled with laughter.
Madam Jiang continued, "I went to talk to your aunt the other day. The Marquis and the Crown Prince are both at the border, and they probably won't be back for the New Year. She even suggested that we celebrate the New Year together this year. Her house has just been renovated, and it's twice as big as the Marquis's Mansion in Jinling City. We'll go and make trouble for her when the time comes!"
After laughing and joking for a while, Xiaoman returned to his room.
She lay on the warm kang, hugged the soft quilt, took out his letter again, and read it word by word.
This person usually doesn't talk much, so of course there aren't many words in the letter. Just a few sentences to explain his recent situation, and there isn't a single word of tenderness.
Looking at the last sentence "Everything is fine, don't worry", Xiaoman hummed softly.
Don’t miss me, how can I not miss you, I’m thinking about you every moment, you heartless person!
Unwilling to give up, I read the letter over and over again, hoping to find something different between the lines.
My eyes are sore from staring, but there is still nothing!
She was extremely disappointed and angrily wanted to slam the letter on the kang. She raised her hand fiercely, but the letter fell gently on her face.
The crisp smell of snow and the faint scent of ink, mixed with hints of grass and trees.
It's the smell of him.
Unable to bear it any longer, he gently stroked the letter paper with his fingers. The slightly rough touch was just like the hand holding a knife.
The letter brushed across her lips and she blushed quietly.
How annoying!
-
Chen Lingan sneezed violently.
The fire next to it was still burning, but compared to the northwest wind outside the broken door that was like a knife cutting through the ground and the snow all over the sky, this little bit of heat was completely negligible.
Xue Chao handed over the wine gourd, and Chen Ling'an didn't hesitate to take it and drink it.
The strong liquor entered my intestines, my stomach felt hot and spicy, and my body also became warm.
Xue Chao: "Have you heard? The emperor has sent people to the Tartar tribe to try to pacify them. If they succeed, we can go home."
Home? Chen Lingan was dazed.
It was strange that the person who came to his mind was not his father and mother, not his elder brother, not his younger sister, but Xiaoman, who was always by his side and always smiling.
What is she doing?
It’s snowing in Peking, right? You can enjoy the snow and plum blossoms, draw pictures of the cold winter, read storybooks in bed, or roast sweet potatoes and chestnuts around a charcoal brazier?
It is more likely to be eaten.
It's so cold, it's a good time to stay in a warm house and eat hot pot, with milky white broth, thin meat slices, smooth and crispy tripe, frozen tofu soaked in the broth, and tender yellow and sweet cabbage leaves. Mix a bowl of mellow and delicate sesame sauce, add some chives and fermented tofu, pick up a chopstick of trembling tripe, dip it in the sauce, and take a bite.
He could even see the satisfied expression on the greedy girl's face!
Back then in the countryside of Xuanfu, she heard someone talk about it once and became obsessed with it.
Did you eat it later?
Probably not. Grandma He who adopted her was not poor at best. She was already lucky enough to have enough food and clothes. She didn't like to cause trouble to others and would never make any extra requests.
Chen Ling'an sighed softly.
She is delicate and sensitive, and seems carefree and cheerful all the time. But in fact, it is the environment she has been in for a long time that has forced her to develop such a personality.
She loves to laugh, perhaps because she dares not cry and cannot cry.
She loved to tell jokes and was good at making people happy. Even the old lady in Pingyang Marquis's Mansion looked up to her.
Everyone likes to be coaxed, but not everyone likes to coax others, and not everyone can say coaxing words.
A snowflake floated in through the crack in the door. Chen Ling'an reached out to catch it. The crystal clear snowflake flickered slightly in his palm and turned into tear-like drops of water.
He slowly put his palms together and wrapped the tear in them.
People say that they hope the one they love will laugh all the time and never cry again, but he hopes that this girl can cry whenever she wants, cry as much as she wants, and cry without restraint.
The days ahead are long, and they still have plenty of time, enough to complete the things they haven't done before.
Chen Lingan smiled, "Yes, we can go home now."
There was heavy snow at the border, but in the city of Peking, only a few snowflakes fell, like salt, which melted soon after hitting the ground. The weather was very dry and cold afterwards, and there was no snow even on the Great Cold Day.
White snow during the Great Cold indicates a good harvest, while no wind during the Great Cold indicates drought. I have known this proverb since I was a child. In the past, in the countryside, people would worry about not having heavy snow in winter and would have a bad life for years.
Now she no longer has to worry about it not snowing, but she has a new worry.
News came from the border that the Tartars killed the envoys sent by the court to pacify them!
The emperor is extremely shocked and angry, and a war is inevitable.
Not to mention coming back before the New Year, Chen Ling'an might not even come back in the spring. Last month, I could still receive a few words from him in a letter, but now there is not even a verbal message from him.
Xiaoman sighed heavily and stared at the gray sky in a trance. She didn't even hear Jinxiu calling her.
"What did you say just now?" Xiaoman looked at Jinxiu with some confusion.
Jinxiu was amused and distressed. Pointing at the list, she said, "Madam asked me to ask you if you want to add or subtract anything from the New Year gifts prepared for the Lin family. Here, this is for the Lin couple, and this is for Miss Chen."
Xiaoman pulled herself back to her thoughts and took a closer look. "It's quite good. I don't see anything wrong with it. The list Mother drew up must be suitable. She's just looking for an excuse to ask you to come and see me, right?"
Jinxiu smiled shyly, which was considered as her agreement.
Xiaoman laughed. "What could possibly happen to me? I've waited nine years, why would I care about these few months? Well, I heard something new. The village head from Jinling came this morning to pay rent and give New Year's gifts. He said Zhang Junyi might be getting married!"
Jinxiu was shocked. "Fourth Miss? Who is she going to marry? Who is the matchmaker? Does the Madam know about this?"
Xiaoman: "I don't know. I had the same reaction as you. I was checking the accounts outside at the time and overheard that Zhang Junyi was planning to recruit a son-in-law and set up his own business."
Jinxiu was amazed. "What good man could a married woman have? It turns out the fourth girl wanted to marry into a wealthy family. What a twist of fate. But then again, who made her have such parents? If it weren't for the lady helping her, she would have been sold to a rich man's house by her aunt as a concubine."
Xiaoman sighed, "That's what I mean. I just hope she can have a long-term vision and choose a husband who is down-to-earth and hardworking. She shouldn't just be attracted by his good looks, and definitely not someone who is slick and good at sweet talk. I'm thinking about writing a letter to remind her, or asking someone to help her find one."
"Don't!" Jinxiu disagreed ten thousand times. "The fourth young lady is so proud and arrogant. She is the only one who can give advice to others, so how can others give advice to her? If you help her, she might think you are harming her."
Xiaoman couldn't help laughing. Jinxiu's words made sense. When they left Jinling, her mother asked Zhang Junyi if she wanted to go with them. She didn't want to, so her mother gave her the small courtyard where she lived. It can be said that she had done her best.
The Zhang family has become a thing of the past, and indeed, it is not appropriate to pay too much attention to it.
What she has to do now is to celebrate the New Year happily and wait for Chen Lingan to return with success.
In the blink of an eye, winter goes and spring comes.
The war in the north had not yet subsided. In February of the fourth year of Hongde, the emperor decided to lead the expedition to the northern desert in person.
Xiao Jiang brought a piece of news that made Xiaoman nervous and full of anticipation - Chen Ling'an was ranked first in the list of 3,000 cavalry battalions selected from the army and presented to the emperor.
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