Chapter 44 Returning Home
Since leaving Jiangcheng County, Song Yuzhu has only sent two letters home.
It’s not that he didn’t miss them, but what he had done was so horrifying that he was afraid of scaring the elders at home.
But now that Xuzhou and Dongzhou are under my control, my worries are much less, and it's time to be honest with them.
At least let them be mentally prepared, there is no such thing as being immune to one's own misfortune in this dynasty. If one person causes trouble, the whole family will be implicated. Song Yuzhu didn't want her parents to suffer with her without knowing it.
On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, Song Yuzhu and Song Quan, escorted by Liu Yanzi, Liang Yidao and others, left Xuzhou and headed towards Jiangcheng County.
Originally, Zhao Xiao wanted to go back with him, but Xu Bing did not agree. He was afraid that Sheng Jun would launch a surprise attack and he would not be able to return to defend.
Zhao Xiao had no choice but to accompany their carriage for more than ten miles before reluctantly going back.
Liang Yidao was a new recruit of Louwailou. He was good at using a long sword. Although his martial arts skills were not as good as Liu Yanzi's, he could easily beat eight or ten people. With them protecting him, he naturally felt more secure along the way.
On the way, Song Quan's face flushed with excitement. He mentioned his parents and Xiaomei, his heart full of joy.
He had just bought a small courtyard in Xuzhou some time ago. The courtyard had three main rooms, a side room and a back room. It was big enough for him to live in even if he brought Xiaomei and her daughter over.
Song Quan covered his chest and said, "Master, you said we're going to be home soon, why are you so nervous?"
"It's called homesickness."
Song Quan didn't understand what it meant, but he felt his heart pounding, feeling both excited and scared.
Song Yuzhu lifted the car curtain and looked at the barren fields outside. He felt the same way in his heart. He hadn't figured out how to bring this up with his parents, fearing that it would scare them.
The carriage traveled for three days and finally arrived outside Jiangcheng County. Looking at the familiar city gate, Song Yuzhu and Song Quan's eyes were red.
Finally home...
"Tanghulu, Tanghulu, sweet and sour Tanghulu~"
"Hot noodles! One piece is enough to fill you up~"
Listening to the familiar hawking sounds in the city and looking at the vendors coming and going, Song Quan finally couldn't help crying out loud.
“Wow, wow, wow… It’s so good to be… to be home… Master, can we… can we not leave?”
Song Yuzhu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "If you don't want to leave, you can stay at home."
Song Quan thought about it and shook his head: "Forget it, I'm worried if I don't stay with the young master."
The carriage arrived at the Song family clinic after half an incense stick of time. Song Yuzhu lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage. Looking at the familiar sign, her nose felt sore and she almost cried.
Liu Yanzi whistled: "Sir, is there any fun place in this city? I'll take Xiao Liang around."
Song Yuzhu said, "There is a gambling house in the east of the city, and next to it is the Anju Inn. You can rest there."
"Okay~" Liu Yanzi flicked the whip and left with Liang Yidao.
Song Yuzhu walked hurriedly into the clinic. It was still the same as before. The waiters were busy preparing medicine for the patients, while the shopkeeper was leaning over the counter counting the bills.
"Are you here to see a doctor or get medicine?" The new waiter did not know Song Yuzhu.
"No, I'm not here to see a doctor."
The shopkeeper raised his head upon hearing the voice and looked at Song Yuzhu in disbelief: "Master Zhu? You're back!"
Song Yuzhu smiled and nodded: "Long time no see, Uncle Ming."
Song Daming hurried over from behind the counter, grabbed his arm, and looked him up and down: "Oh my young master, you are finally back! I missed you so much during this period!"
Song Daming was not pretending. After so many years together, he really admired this sensible and steady young master. When he heard that he was taken away by Prince Qing's army, he was very anxious, fearing that something had happened to him.
"Where's my dad?"
"The boss is out for a medical consultation. He should be back soon."
Song Yuzhu looked around and saw two people sitting in the lobby: "Are they waiting to see a doctor?"
Song Daming nodded.
Song Yuzhu took off his outer robe and handed it to Song Quan, then rolled up his sleeves and walked over, ready to take the pulse and treat the two men.
"This young doctor looks unfamiliar, maybe he's new here? We won't go see him." The two men actually looked down on Song Yuzhu.
Song Daming didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "This is our young master, his medical skills are top notch! You are lucky to have met him today!"
One of them stretched out his hand half-believingly, and Song Yuzhu felt his pulse and asked, "Have you had an occasional dry cough these days, felt chest tightness, and had difficulty breathing?"
The man nodded quickly: "Yes!"
"Do you feel nauseous when you gasp for air sometimes?"
"Yes, yes, yes! You are absolutely right!" The man's eyes changed when he looked at Song Yuzhu. He didn't expect that this young doctor looked young, but his ability to diagnose illnesses was quite good!
"This is lung obstruction caused by wind and cold. Wind is the root of all diseases. When the disease enters the lungs, it is called lung obstruction, which causes coughing and shortness of breath.①"
The man nodded, not quite understanding: "Then what should I do, doctor?"
Song Yuzhu picked up a pen and wrote a prescription: "For those with wind, mint and mulberry leaves are needed. For those with cold, ephedra and apricot kernel are used. For those with numbness, forsythia, bamboo leaves and adenophora are used. Boil three bowls of water into one bowl, take it after meals every day, and it will be effective after three days. Go get the medicine."
"Hey, hey!" The man quickly put away the prescription and thanked.
After seeing two patients in a row, Song Yuzhu wiped her hands and was about to call the next one, but when she looked up, she saw Song Bai standing at the door with a medicine box on his back, looking at her with red eyes.
Song Yuzhu choked up and said, "Father...you are back."
"Zhu'er!" Song Bai walked over quickly and hugged his son tightly. Both father and son were so excited that they shed tears.
After a while, Song Bai calmed down and said, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?"
"I was afraid you and mother would be worried, so I decided to give you a surprise."
"What a surprise! Come home with me! Your mother will be so happy if she sees you!"
Song Bai put down the medicine box, took his son and got on the carriage, and the horse galloped towards the Song residence.
On the way, Song Bai held his hand and asked, "How have you been these days? You seem to have lost some weight and your face looks a little pale."
"It was cold, and I caught a few colds."
"You must take good care of yourself when you go out. Don't be careless."
"Yeah." Song Yuzhu looked at Song Bai's graying temples and felt uncomfortable. Before she left, her father had black hair, but in just four months, his hair had turned white. He was only 34 years old, and he was the same age when she left in her previous life.
Song Bai told him about his family's affairs, saying that Song Yumin's madness had been cured, and now he could recognize people and speak normally. He also studied medicine with him for a period of time. Although he was not as good as his son, his comprehension was not bad, so he should have no problem becoming a doctor in the future.
"Is mother in good health?" Song Yuzhu was most worried about Jiang Rong. Jiang Rong's health had always been poor, and he was afraid that his absence would make his mother more worried and worse.
"Your mother is in good health. There is something... Dad hasn't told you yet." Song Bai's face turned red unexpectedly, and he murmured after a while: "Your mother will give you a brother or sister soon..."
Song Yuzhu was stunned for a moment, then immediately said in surprise: "Really? This is a good thing!"
Song Bai's face turned red. "At first, your mother and I didn't know. Since you left, she couldn't eat. Sometimes she would retch when she smelled the fumes. I always thought she had an upset stomach, so I prescribed some medicine for stomach problems..."
Jiang Rong's menstruation has always been irregular. She didn't think much about it when she missed her period for a few months. After all, she hasn't been pregnant for more than ten years.
It was not until she was almost pregnant that her aunt Song Lan came and casually asked her if she was pregnant.
Jiang Rong then remembered this problem, and waited for Song Bai to come back and asked him to take her pulse.
If the pulse is smooth and round like a ball, it means pregnancy! The couple was stunned. They calculated that the child was almost four months old. It was impossible to not want the baby now. At the least, it would hurt the body, and at the worst, it would lead to two deaths.
The two did not sleep all night, and finally decided that this child was destined to come, and no matter whether it was a boy or a girl, they should stay and keep Song Yuzhu company.
The birth of a new baby is a happy event. The old lady of the Song family was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. This was the first time she was so happy since her eldest son passed away. She even opened the box and gave Jiang a pair of valuable white jade bracelets.
Qin was extremely jealous, but she couldn't do anything about it, because she didn't have that much power. So she would laugh at everyone she met, saying, "My sister-in-law is amazing. She's pregnant again in her thirties." At that time, the average life expectancy was only in her forties or fifties, so a woman in her thirties was a real old mother.
Anyway, the carriage finally arrived at the door.
Song Yuzhu and her father got out of the car. Looking at the familiar gate, Song Yuzhu finally felt that she was really home!
The doorman came to open the door and was stunned when he saw Song Yuzhu. Then he shouted, "Master Zhu is back! Master Zhu is back!"
Upon hearing the noise, the housekeeper Song Dayi hurried out. Seeing his son following the two of them, he immediately wiped away his tears and said, "It's good that you're back. It's good that you're back."
A group of people gathered around them and went to pay their respects to the old lady first. They followed the order of seniority and could not go past her.
Old Mrs. Song looked at her grandson who looked like a green bamboo in front of her, and she felt a wave of emotion in her heart. She had neglected him for more than ten years because of her own suspicion, and now it was really ridiculous to think about it. Now that she saw how good he was, she felt even more ashamed.
The old lady waved at him: "Come here and let grandma take a look."
Song Yuzhu walked over with some surprise and stopped one step away.
The old lady sighed, after all, she had hurt his feelings, and it was inevitable that he wouldn't be close to her.
"You made your parents suffer this time when you went out, so now that you are back, don't leave."
Song Yuzhu said: "My grandson can only stay for a few days after he comes back. He will have to leave after the New Year."
Song Bai was surprised and asked, "You're still going? Isn't that Prince Qing already dead? Why are you going back?"
"I'll talk to Dad about this later."
Song Bai didn't ask any more questions. The two of them stayed in the old lady's room for a cup of tea and then returned to the backyard.
Along the way, Song Yuzhu's heart beat faster, her longing for her was beyond words, and she almost ran into her mother's yard.
Jiang had just finished lunch and was sitting in a chair basking in the sun. She was wearing a thick jacket and skirt, holding a hot water bottle in her hand, and she looked rounder.
Song Yuzhu walked up to her and called out softly, "Mom..."
Jiang Rong slowly opened her eyes, still thinking she was dreaming, she reached out and held Song Yuzhu's hand and said, "You little brat, you still remember to come back and see your mother."
As a result, when she touched her son's warm hand, her eyes widened instantly, tears streaming down her cheeks: "Zhu'er, Zhu'er, you're back!"
Song Yuzhu hugged her and choked up, "Mom, I'm back."
"My son, my son..." Jiang Rong burst into tears, pounding Song Yuzhu's shoulders, and was so happy that she couldn't speak.
Song Bai wiped the tears from his eyes and said, "Okay, stop crying. It's not easy for our son to come back. Let him come in and have a rest."
Jiang Rong took his hand and walked into the house.
Song Yuzhu looked at her mother's bulging belly and nervously held her arm: "Mom, go slowly, don't be in a hurry."
"It's okay, mom is fine!"
After entering the house, the mother and son couldn't help crying again. In his previous life, Song Yuzhu was not a sentimental person. When his grandparents passed away, he didn't shed many tears because of his autism, and his neighbors even said he had no conscience.
In this life, I grew up in the love and care of my parents, and my heart became soft without me realizing it. I couldn't help but shed tears when I saw my parents again.
Jiang Rong held his face with both hands and looked him up and down: "My son has become thinner and taller."
Song Yuzhu whispered, "She's already sixteen years old."
Song Bai let out a long sigh. If it weren't for these things, his son's sixteen-year-old coming-of-age ceremony should have been held at home, but now it has been missed.
Jiang Rong hugged him tightly: "Mom misses you so much that I'm going crazy. I always dream about you being bullied." She would cry every time she woke up from the dream.
"Are you leaving again this time?"
Song Yuzhu said: "Dad, Mom, I have something very important to tell you, please be mentally prepared."
Seeing his son so serious, Song Baihe and his wife couldn't help but ask, "What's the matter?"
"I rebelled."
(End of this chapter)
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