The next day,
Song Mo and Xihe left.
Before leaving, Song Yu called her, "Yue'er."
Xihe turned around, the wind ruffling her hair: "What's wrong, big brother?"
Song Yu shook his head and nodded again. He opened his mouth, his voice trembling with a tone he himself hadn't noticed: "The journey is long and arduous, take care!"
The man was dressed in black, had a strong build, fine lines at the corners of his eyes, and the wind and sand at the border made his face look haggard.
Xihe paused, then realized that he was almost forty years old.
Xihe's eyes curved up and he smiled widely: "Brother, take care of yourself too!"
Song Yu bowed to Song Mo and said, "Brother, take care."
Song Mo returned the greeting: "Second brother, let's say goodbye now."
The man helped the woman into the carriage, hit the horse's butt with the whip, and with a neigh, the wheels turned and rushed towards the end of the road.
Song Yu stood at the intersection until the sun set, then turned around and returned to the camp.
Song Mo and Xihe went to many places, including deep mountains and forests, deserts, overseas, and even to Nanman, where there were ethnic minorities. They lived there for a long time and met Song Rui.
At that time, he was wearing the official robe of a county magistrate while trying a case. His face looked a little weathered, but it did not hide his elegance.
Across the crowd, Xihe recognized at a glance that this was Aunt Mei's child. Lord Song sent him to study in the academy, which separated him from Song Yu's feud.
Later, Song Rui passed the imperial examination and returned to the mansion with Song Yu the same year he returned to Beijing.
Perhaps because he had experienced a lot of hardships at a young age, Song Rui had little affection for Lord Song and his wife, and did not have any hatred towards Song Yu. On the day Song Yu returned to the border, he also carried his package and headed south.
After that, there was no news for more than ten years. It turned out that he was a county magistrate in Nanman.
After the case was over, the county magistrate walked around to the backyard and returned home through the back door. When he opened the door, he saw two strange yet familiar faces standing outside. He was stunned for a moment and said hesitantly: "Who are you..."
Song Mo smiled and said, "Fourth brother, I am the eldest brother."
Song Rui's eyes gradually widened, and finally became moist, and his lips trembled: "Brother..."
He took the two back to the courtyard, feeling dazed all the way, turning his head to look at them from time to time. When he entered the courtyard, his wife came forward. His face flushed as he took the hand of his puzzled wife and introduced her: "Brother, sister, this is Qu, my wife."
Qu didn't understand at first, but when she realized what was going on, she was completely bewildered: "So it's you, big brother, big sister, come in quickly."
Because no one was expected to come today, they didn't cook much. Qu hurriedly went to the kitchen and cooked two dishes. Song Rui felt a little embarrassed: "Our house is simple, I'm sorry for letting my elder sister and brother down."
Xihe shook his head: "Very good." After a pause, he added, "Qu is also very good."
Song Rui's expression relaxed and a smile appeared on his face.
Although the meal was not sumptuous, the group enjoyed it very warmly.
At night, Xihe and his partner stayed at the Song family's house. From across the room, Qu asked her husband who these two were. It turned out that after many years of marriage, Song Rui had never mentioned a word about his past. Qu had assumed he came from a poor family with no relatives, so she hadn't asked him about it, fearing it would upset him. She never imagined...
Qu pulled her husband's hand and said, "I think my elder brother and elder sister are not like ordinary people. Besides, since they are brother and sister, how..." How come they live in the same room?
Song Rui was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Don't overthink it, they weren't being rude."
He sighed, looked at the ceiling of the tent, and then recounted the past events one by one.
When Qu heard about his aunt's death by hitting a pillar, and about him going out to study alone, and then about what happened to Song Yu and Xi He, and then thought about him coming to the Southern Barbarians all alone, her heart ached and she cried, "Husband, this isn't your fault. Your brother and sister are victims, and you too."
Holding him, she stroked his face lovingly: "And your brothers and sisters don't blame you."
Song Rui hummed sullenly, "I know."
The next day,
Song Rui's children heard the news and came to pay their respects.
Xihe and the other two stayed with them for a while. Before leaving, Xihe said to Song Rui, "Second brother, if possible, you should go back to Beijing. There are not many children in the mansion, and it will be more lively if Ziyang and the others go."
Song Rui's eyes were red: "Yes, elder sister."
Most of the younger generations of the second branch of the Song family called Xihe according to her original status, either "Second Sister" or "Eldest Sister".
In the decades since then,
Whenever the peach blossoms were in full bloom, Xihe and Song Yu would go to the border, reunite with Song Yu, and then go around to Nanman to see Song Rui, watching Song Rui having a large family and watching Song Yu guarding the smoke of war in the desert alone.
His figure stood there, like an eternal sculpture.
Song Zhen felt sorry for him and wanted to take him back to Beijing, but Song Yu refused, saying that he was used to the wind and sand at the border.
Song Jian had no choice but to ask his aunt for help, but he didn't expect that his aunt and uncle would just roll up their bedding and drive the carriage to the border.
Song Huan returned home and found his parents missing: ???
He rolled up his sleeves and went out, walked to the next yard, and punched his brother in the face: "You are so good, Song Jian, give me my parents back!" The servant was stunned, then reacted and quickly stepped forward to separate them.
At the border, when Song Yu saw Xihe and the other man rushing over, he couldn't help but his eyes turned red.
Song Mo laughed: "Why don't you come over and help me? I'm old now and can't stand it anymore."
Song Yu hurried forward: "Brother, don't move, I'll support you!"
He carefully helped Song Mo get off the carriage, and then helped Xi He down. He went into the house and served tea and water. After a while, he was out of breath. Xi He found it funny and pulled him to sit down: "Why do you need to do this? There are maids and servants."
Suddenly, the maid who had been standing there at a loss for what to do for a long time stepped forward.
Song Yu sat down, looked at the two of them, and couldn't help laughing. He felt a sour feeling in his heart, but also an indescribable satisfaction.
At this point, the two of them settled down at the border.
In the morning, Song Mo and Song Yu would go out for a walk, and when they came back Xihe would just get up, and then the three of them would have dinner together. In the afternoon, the three of them would take a carriage out of the city. The snow-capped mountains, the vast sky, the flat grasslands, the winding rivers...it was a sight that made people linger.
One day,
The three of them sat on a hillside, looking at the sunset sky.
"Brother."
"what?"
"I think……"
"You don't want to!"
After a while, the elegant old man snorted angrily, "Only for a little while!" He muttered softly, "If I didn't owe you, I wouldn't be so humble!"
"Okay, just for a moment."
Facing Xihe's gentle gaze, Song Yu reached out and held her in his arms for the first time, "Thank you for giving me such a prosperous world."
“In this life, I am very happy.”
Xihe patted his back: "As long as you feel happy."
Song Yu smiled and leaned on Xi He's shoulder. His eyelids became heavier and heavier, and finally his head sank into her neck... Song Mo turned his head: "Gone?"
Xihe nodded.
Song Mo sighed and stood up, his old body gradually straightening up: "Then let's go too, it's a good opportunity to see him off."
The pitch-black sky covered the earth, and the breath of the three people on the hillside gradually weakened until it disappeared completely. Vultures circled in the sky, making loud noises. In the distance, the border town was dotted with lights, and the people were safe.
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