I never imagined that one day I would be a great general, let alone a first-rank general of the cavalry, and all of this was given to me by my mother.
Before my mother came, I was just a rebellious son who loved to gamble. Every day, all I thought about was stealing silver or jewelry from my mother's jewelry box to gamble with, and I always lost it all.
Back then, my mother loved me very much. Although she was very angry, she never hit me. She would always speak to me gently and softly, but I wouldn't listen.
Until this day, the three of us brothers stole a chicken from an aunt in the village and pulled up the vegetables in the field. As always, Mother apologized and gave us money.
This kind of thing happens every few days, but I never thought that my mother would be injured that day. Seeing my mother bleeding, I rushed up to her and wanted to fight back.
But I was held back, and I didn't even have a chance to fight back. Maybe it was from that moment that my mother changed.
She would ignore her head injury, get up from the ground, and fight with people, but I just thought she was too angry.
When I got home, my mother was fine, and I was still the same as before. Although I pretended to be repentant, I didn't take it seriously in my heart. But soon, I was taught a lesson and got a beating.
When the people from the gambling den took me home, I was pretty sure that my mother would do what she always did: take out some money and settle the matter. But I was disappointed; she didn't care whether I lived or died.
Seeing the broadsword about to fall, I was so scared I almost wet my pants. Fortunately, my mother didn't really abandon me; she still gave me money. And my already injured body was beaten again, this time by my mother.
That's when I realized that my mother was really angry. She even made me dig in the ground, and if I didn't do it well, she wouldn't give me any food. I was afraid that my mother would abandon me, so I had no choice but to do as she said.
But the land I painstakingly dug was never planted because of the drought. We had to leave Linjia Village and head south. Actually, I didn't want to leave at all; I just wanted to stay here.
But this was not something I could decide. The Lin family began to flee the famine. Along the way, we encountered refugees. Watching my mother wield the broadsword with such power, I was filled with admiration.
I learned boxing from my dad when I was little, but I was too lazy and only learned a little bit. I'm not good at it at all. If my mom could teach me to wield a broadsword, I promise I would definitely listen.
Unfortunately, I had all been too optimistic. Because my mother didn't teach me, we settled down in Jinnan City. I wanted to join the army. Actually, I only told my mother this on a whim, but I didn't expect her to agree.
Next, my fourth brother and I started running every day, wearing what were called sandbags. Mom said that this would make us stronger, and I believed her and ran every day.
After a while, I took off the sandbags and sure enough, I could run much faster. From then on, I tied sandbags to my hands and legs every day.
That day, because we were about to join the army, my mother asked us to go to Jinnan City to buy things. I never thought that I would find my wife there, although it was an accident.
My mother was very unhappy when I brought her back, and I also thought it was a stupid thing to do, but I didn't want such a girl to go to such a dirty place as a brothel, so I had no choice but to ask her to be my wife.
I could clearly sense that my mother was very unhappy, but he still agreed. We got married very quickly, so quickly that we thought it was a dream.
After getting married, I left Taoyuan Village to join the army, starting as a lowly soldier. But I had a fearless spirit, and I was always at the forefront of every battle.
I killed one enemy lieutenant after another, and the scars on my body grew more and more numerous.
Once, we made great contributions in the fight against the enemy, but we were too badly wounded and could only lie in bed waiting to die. But I never expected that my mother would appear and save us.
It was only then that I learned that my wife had given birth to a son, but unfortunately, my mother didn't bring him with her, saying the child was too young.
After that, my mother and aunt would come to the frontier every now and then. Besides teaching us how to fight, they would also teach us martial arts and bring my son to visit us.
At that time, I couldn't help but marvel at how amazing my mother and aunt were. There were so many people in the military camp, yet no one noticed them, and they could come and go freely.
Time flies. With the help of my mother and aunt, I went from a lowly soldier to a first-rank general. My fourth brother and Da Niu also became second-rank generals.
At this point, Mother told us that she wanted my eldest brother's son, Yan Zhen, to become emperor. When I heard this, I didn't question it or ask why. I promised Mother that I would become a great general under Yan Zhen.
When my mother heard this, she nodded in satisfaction, and from then on, I worked even harder.
When I heard that my mother and aunt were going to lead troops into battle, I wasn't worried at all; on the contrary, I felt that this was the way it should be.
Four years have passed, and my mother and aunt have never lost a battle. Their great deeds are known even to the soldiers in the camp.
Every time I hear it, I really want to tell them that this is my mother, but I still hold back and don't say it, and can only secretly rejoice in my heart.
That year, my mother and aunt returned to the capital, and we also prepared to go back. Because the rebellion had begun, things went smoothly, and Yan Zhen ascended the throne. We also returned to the frontier.
For several years, I had not returned to Peach Blossom Village or the capital. One day, I suddenly received a secret letter from the Emperor, instructing me to return to the capital soon. It was about my mother again. I thought my mother was in danger, so I made sure to settle things at the camp and rode back to the capital.
I don't know how many horses died on the way. I even met my fourth brother on the road. It turned out that he had also received a secret letter from the emperor. I was even more worried about my mother.
Back in the village, seeing my mother standing safely in front of me, my heart, which had been unsettled for days, finally settled down. Although my mother was surprised to see us, she still asked the aunties in the clan to cook more food.
They told us to rest first and that we could talk about it later that night. Since the emperor didn't say anything, we didn't ask either.
After dinner and the profits from the workshop were distributed, Mother said she had something to say.
When she said she was leaving, tears fell from my eyes. In the end, what was bound to happen would happen. It turned out that my mother really had died a long time ago, when we were getting into trouble.
If I could go back to the past, I would never cause trouble again and I would definitely listen to my mother. But it's all too late. Listening to my mother talk about her world, I couldn't help but marvel at how magical such a place existed.
Skyscrapers, cars, airplanes, telephones—unfortunately, I'll never see them in my lifetime. If I could, I really want to go and see my mother's world.
My aunt told me that they were only twenty-one years old when they came here. No wonder she always frowned when I called her "Mom." She was only a few years older than me.
But she was so amazing, she knew everything, and she knew so many amazing things. I really wanted to keep my mother with me, even though she wasn't my biological mother. Everything I have is thanks to her. I hadn't even had a chance to repay her kindness before I heard about her passing.
I wasn't the only one who wanted to keep her; my older and younger brothers did too. But in the end, none of them had the courage to say those words, and they could only watch their mother leave.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
