5. Chapter 5 Something Happened
Xiaoxiao's shoes were wet and there was some mud in the room. As soon as she reached the wardrobe, her feet slipped and she lost her balance. She hit her head on the wardrobe and then sat down on the ground.
When Pei Xiu Han came in, the little girl was sitting on the ground in a daze. Her fair and tender face was filled with a hint of surprise, and she looked very confused. The bruise on her forehead, which had finally healed, was hit again.
Seeing Pei Xiuhan coming in, her face flushed and she quickly climbed up from the ground using her hands and feet, "I, I'm fine."
Xiaoxiao's face flushed red, and she didn't dare to look at him. She looked a little depressed, thinking that she was really clumsy. No wonder her brother always liked to knock her head and call her stupid when he was around.
Pei Xiu Han sighed, also feeling that the little girl was a little dull. Seeing her so embarrassed, he was too lazy to add insult to injury and pushed the wheelchair out.
After changing her clothes, Xiaoxiao went to cook dinner. Ever since she had flour at home, she could fill her stomach every day. She was full of gratitude towards Pei Xiuhan. Now that she had finally caught a fish, she wanted to nourish him well.
Originally, he wanted to eat two meals, but considering that he hadn't seen meat in recent days, Xiaoxiao simply divided the fish into two, braised half and made soup with the other half.
In order to remove the fishy smell, she added some white wine and poured onions, ginger and garlic into the pot. It didn't take long before the delicious aroma wafted out. Xiaoxiao didn't extinguish the firewood until the fish soup turned into milky white.
Xiaoxiao sniffed it intoxicatedly, having completely forgotten her previous panic. Worried that Pei Xiuhan would get sick of eating only fish, Xiaoxiao also specially made a cucumber salad.
The cucumbers were grown by ourselves. They were very big and delicious when eaten directly after picking them. Xiaoxiao picked two and made a whole plate.
After she brought the food to the table, she called Pei Xiuhan over for dinner. Seeing that her bowl was full of clear soup while his own bowl was full of fish, Pei Xiuhan raised his eyebrows.
He was a little unhappy. No matter how miserable he, Pei Xiuhan, was, he would not snatch food from a little girl. He picked up a piece of fish with chopsticks and threw it into Xiaoxiao's bowl.
Xiaoxiao quickly covered the mouth of the bowl, hugged her own bowl, and hid back, "I don't like the fishy taste of fish, so I won't eat it. Brother, eat quickly."
Pei Xiuhan lifted his eyelids and glanced at her, then said coldly, "Then throw it away. I find it fishy too."
He picked up the bowl directly.
Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, and quickly stopped him, "I put in some white wine on purpose, it doesn't smell fishy, brother, don't pour it out."
When Xiaoxiao met Pei Xiuhan's half-smile, her cheeks flushed, and she realized that he did it on purpose.
Pei Xiuhan tapped her hand with his chopsticks. After Xiaoxiao moved her hand away awkwardly, he handed the fish to her and said coldly, "Kid, don't be so silly."
Xiaoxiao looked a little aggrieved. How could she be stupid? Because she learned to read quickly, her brother often said she was smart, so she was not stupid.
She lowered her head dejectedly, took a bite of the delicious fish, and thought of her grandmother and brother again.
Her brother was much better than her and could catch fish from time to time. Like Brother Pei, he would give her the fish from his bowl.
Xiaoxiao felt mixed emotions during the meal, and her heart was full. She secretly glanced at Pei Xiuhan's legs, and felt a little empty when she thought that he would leave after his legs healed.
She didn't know when her brother would be back.
*
July 29th is Zhang Li’s birthday. After Xiaoxiao finished her breakfast, she went up the mountain carrying a bamboo basket.
In the past, when she and her brother celebrated their birthdays, grandma would cook eggs for them. Now that her brother is not at home, Xiaoxiao also wants to celebrate for him.
There were no eggs at home, so Xiaoxiao wanted to try her luck in the mountains. If she could find bird eggs, she could cook them for her brother. If there were no bird eggs, she would have to exchange mushrooms for eggs.
Today, she was lucky. Although she didn't find any bird eggs, she found several medicinal herbs.
Because she had to go back to cook for Pei Xiu Han, Xiaoxiao went down the mountain after finding the herbs. She took the herbs to Zhang Biao's house. Zhang Biao was an apprentice in a pharmacy in the town and was willing to buy her herbs, but the price was not high.
When Xiaoxiao came over, Zhang Biao had already gone to the town. It was his mother who helped him collect the herbs. She found ten copper coins and handed them to Xiaoxiao.
Xiaoxiao took out nine copper coins, exchanged them for three eggs, and returned home satisfied.
Xiaoxiao originally wanted to cook only two eggs, one for her brother and one for Brother Pei. But thinking that if she didn't eat them, Brother Pei might not eat them either, Xiaoxiao cooked all three eggs.
While eating, Pei Xiuhan discovered that there was an extra pair of bowls and chopsticks on the table. There was an egg next to each bowl. The meal was unusually rich. Not only were there two fried dishes, but there was also steamed white rice.
Noticing his puzzled look, Xiaoxiao curled her lips and smiled, "Today is my brother's birthday, I want to celebrate for him. He loves rice the most."
This rice was bought when grandma was still alive. Xiaoxiao has never been willing to eat it and has kept it until now. Unexpectedly, her brother still hasn't come back.
Seeing the little girl's dim eyes, Pei Xiuhan was silent for a moment. He was not good at comforting people, so he simply diverted her attention a little, "How old is your brother?"
This was the first time he took the initiative to ask about her. When he mentioned her brother, Xiaoxiao perked up again. Her eyes lit up as she spoke, "My brother is fifteen this year. He's amazing. He's good at studying and hunting."
Pei Xiuhan remembered that she had said that her brother had gone to the battlefield last year. Hearing this, his brows furrowed. "He went to the battlefield at the age of fourteen?"
Based on his age, there was no need for him to go. Pei Xiuhan remembered that his father had specifically issued an order that men must be over 18 years old when conscripted.
The battlefield is undoubtedly a very cruel place. Many young people impulsively want to join the war, but they don’t know that once they go there, it is no exaggeration to say that they are in danger of death.
In the previous dynasty, men could go to the battlefield at the age of sixteen, but Pei Xiuhan's father deliberately changed it to eighteen because he didn't want young men to face life and death too early.
After Pei Xiuhan asked, he realized that the little girl was in a bad mood.
Xiaoxiao lowered her head, the smile on her lips unconsciously faded, and a layer of mist filled her eyes. She sniffed and said in a tearful voice, "It's all my fault."
It was just after the Chinese New Year and the weather was still cold. Xiaoxiao was pushed into a creek by the children in the village. Afterwards, she caught a cold and had a high fever that wouldn't go away. Ordinary methods of cooling her down were completely useless. In order to treat her illness, all the money in the family was spent, but she still didn't get better.
For her, her brother and grandmother went to borrow money from every family. It happened to be the time of conscription at that time, and every family had to send an adult male. Zhang Ming's family was reluctant to let his family members join the army, so they said that if Zhang Li was willing to replace Zhang Ming to fight, they would be willing to pay for Xiaoxiao's medical treatment.
Zhang Li went to the battlefield without telling Xiaoxiao. He was quite tall and as strong as a calf due to running in the mountains all year round, so he was not discovered by his superiors. Xiaoxiao only learned the news on the third day after her brother left.
She explained haltingly, her thick, curled eyelashes wet with tears, and her voice choked with sobs.
It was the first time Pei Xiuhan saw the little girl so sad. He touched the little girl's head and whispered, "He will definitely return safely."
Xiaoxiao nodded heavily.
She didn't feel sad for too long. Her brother hated her crying the most. Today was also his birthday. Xiaoxiao forced a smile and said to Pei Xiuhan, "Brother, come and eat."
Pei Xiuhan nodded slightly and said nothing more. Unexpectedly, that night, he received some bad news from Shi Yu.
The father and his two sons from the Zhenbei Marquisate divided their forces into three groups and attacked the Great Jin. Although the Great Zhou achieved a brief victory, the son of the Zhenbei Marquis died in the battlefield. Of the 10,000 soldiers under his command, more than 8,000 died and only more than 1,000 survived.
Pei Xiuhan had long been aware of the cruelty of war. As he was out of reach, he only wrote two letters, stamped them with his own seal, and ordered them to be secretly delivered to the battlefield. One of the letters was to the Marquis of Zhenbei, and the other was to the deputy general Zhao Zhong.
Fortunately, nothing happened in the capital. Pei Xiuhan asked about the young emperor's recent situation. Thinking of Xiaoxiao's brother, he said, "Have someone check the situation of the people in Zhangjia Village. Are there any villagers on the death list?"
Although Shi Yu was surprised as to why he cared about the people in the village, he did not ask. He had always been loyal and always completed Pei Xiuhan's orders meticulously. He simply took the order and retreated.
Two days later, Pei Xiuhan received news from Zhangjia Village. All the people in their village were assigned to the command of the Prince of Zhenbei Marquis. Zhang Li's chance of survival was only 20%.
Pei Xiu Han did not tell Xiaoxiao the news. Thinking that the little girl was looking forward to her brother's return, he couldn't help but sigh.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, several days had passed. The weather gradually became less sunny. Xiaoxiao would sometimes go out to catch fish, sometimes go up the mountain to pick mushrooms and herbs, and most of the time she would stay with Pei Xiuhan and practice calligraphy.
The little girl was incredibly well-behaved, and Pei Xiuhan did not reject her presence. Unconsciously, he had become accustomed to seeing her life whenever he looked up.
She sometimes told him about her grandmother and brother.
Shi Yuyin had heard several times in the dark the little girl chattering to her master about her childhood.
He thought his master would be very impatient, but unexpectedly, he was surprisingly calm, and occasionally even asked a question or two in agreement. Every time he heard him ask a question, Shi Yu would be shocked.
He had followed Pei Xiu Han for many years, but had never seen his master so patient.
Pei Xiuhan's patience was indeed limited, but when he thought that her only relative might no longer be around, he became a little more patient with the little girl.
He has known countless people and is accustomed to the intrigues between people. Everyone has his own selfish desires, and even his hands are stained with blood. However, this little girl is sincere and has a very soft heart. He always feels that this little girl should not be so miserable.
His twenty days of hiding in the village were not in vain.
Seeing him disappear in Shanxi, the personal soldiers who betrayed him really lost their patience. Shi Yu had already found out that someone was secretly searching for him. The search had recently reached the county town where Zhangjia Village was located. After searching the town, it would take at most three or four days to find Zhangjia Village.
In order to avoid alerting the enemy, Shi Yu did not show up, but sent people to ambush in Zhangjia Village, intending to catch these people red-handed when they attacked their master.
Xiaoxiao didn't know that the day when Pei Xiuhan would leave was approaching.
On this day, she went up the mountain as usual. After unloading the things she found into the kitchen, she went out again. The weather was not good today. It was cloudy all morning. At this moment, the dark clouds connected into a large area. The weather was dark and it was about to rain again.
Xiaoxiao plans to collect more firewood before the heavy rain comes.
She had picked up half of the trash and felt a little tired, so she found a big tree and sat under it to rest for a while.
At this time, two people happened to pass by the foot of the mountain, heading towards Zhangjia Village.
When Xiaoxiao heard the footsteps, she subconsciously hid behind the tree again.
Every time she went out recently, she would think of the bad guy she met a few days ago. She was extremely careful. Every time she heard footsteps, no matter who it was, she would hide.
Xiaoxiao lay behind a tree and took a sneak peek. The people coming were two young men in their twenties. She recognized one of them; he was from the neighboring Zhujia Village.
His elder sister married into Zhangjia Village and became the daughter-in-law of Zhangjia Village. Because he was on duty in the yamen, his sister was very powerful in the village and many people liked to curry favor with her.
Just then, the young man next to the man spoke up, "What a sin! We lost a battle and nearly ten thousand soldiers were wiped out. Your brother-in-law is so unlucky to be in this team."
"Not only my brother-in-law, but all the men in Zhangjia Village are said to be in this team. Well, I'll go to my sister's house first. You better keep your mouth shut and don't leak any information yet."
Xiaoxiao felt her hands and feet go cold and her head was buzzing when she heard this. When she came to her senses, she rushed out from behind the tree, her small hand tightly grasping the man's sleeve. "Are you telling the truth? Did the people of Zhangjia Village really lose the battle? Are all the people really dead?"
She suddenly stumbled out like a little firecracker. Zhu Tang was startled. Seeing that the little girl was trying hard to hold back the tears in her eyes, he guessed that her family had also gone to the battlefield.
He felt a little uncomfortable in his heart. For a moment, he couldn't bear to see her heartbroken look, so he turned his head away.
His expression was tantamount to his consent.
Xiaoxiao staggered back a few steps, not daring to believe it. No, it was all fake, the news must be fake.
My brother will be fine.
When she suddenly ran away, tears as big as beans fell down her cheeks one by one.
As dusk fell, the rain that had been brewing all day finally started. It rained heavily, accompanied by rumbling thunder, and the rain pounded down. Soon the ground was wet.
The sky gradually darkened. Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the swaying shadows of the trees. Thunderstorms, rain, and the rustling of leaves came one after another. From time to time, the barking of dogs and the howling of wolves could be heard in the distance. The nearby deep mountains and old forests seemed extremely terrifying.
When it started to rain heavily, Pei Xiu Han frowned. Normally, the little girl would come back early to cook, but today she had not returned yet. He waited for a while, and seeing that the little girl had not returned yet, his expression became serious.
Pei Xiuhan turned his wheelchair, put on his hat, and went out. Not long after he came out, Shi Yu showed up and asked his men to look for him.
"Master, you are not able to move easily, please go back to the house and wait."
Pei Xiu Han did not reply. The little girl has always been well-behaved. If something had not happened, she would not have not returned home yet.
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