When they rushed back, there was no one there; the courtyard was empty, the stove was cold, and even the rooms were deserted.
Xue Rongyu looked at the cowshed. The cows inside were still there, swishing their tails.
Li Wenping even went to the toilet to look for it, but no one was there.
Nangong Xuan searched the entire village but couldn't find her. He returned to the courtyard and asked, "Where do you think she might have gone?"
Xue Rongyu patted the cow and put a lot of hay and vegetable leaves into the cowshed.
"I'll stay here and wait."
The three of them spoke at the same time.
Li Wenping did not look at Xue Rongyu and Nangong Xuan. He said, "It was my fault for not keeping a good eye on people. One of you is a general and the other is a minister. I imagine there are still many things that need to be done by you. I do not hold any official position, so it is most appropriate for me to stay."
In the end, Li Wenping stayed behind, while Xue Rongyu and Nangong Xuan rode back on horseback.
After they left, Li Wenping walked to the door and looked around. She would come back; otherwise, where could she go?
This wait lasted until the new emperor ascended the throne.
On the day the new emperor ascended the throne, he first rewarded those who had contributed to the cause, and then arranged a marriage for the princess.
If Li Qingruo was interested in Xue Rongyu and Nangong Xuan, she thought the new emperor would choose one of them to be her consort, but he didn't.
Because on the day Xue Rongyu and Nangong Xuan escorted the new emperor back to the palace, they said they wanted to resign.
After all, a new emperor brings a new court.
However, the new emperor had just ascended the throne and his power base was unstable. He did not want to alienate the people, especially since one was a general and the other was a minister of the third rank in the court.
The new emperor did not grant their resignations, but instead exempted them from attending the morning court sessions for a period of time, allowing them to focus on their own duties. However, this period was limited to half a month.
Xue Rongyu and Nangong Xuan also said that they did not want any rewards, but only wanted an imperial decree to grant them a marriage, and it had to be with Xiaocao.
The new emperor then remembered that these two, along with the prime minister's wife, had reportedly shared a wife.
This really shows they care about people.
The new emperor watched the two men take the imperial edict and leave, muttering, "They are loyal and righteous."
When the two of them hurried back to the village, Li Wenping was engaged in a battle of wits with the Prime Minister and refused to go back.
Xue Rongyu glanced at the courtyard; she still hadn't returned.
Nangong Xuan had already sent people to inquire about Xiaocao's home. He still remembered what he had heard about Xiaocao's life at that family's house.
When Li Wenping saw the two of them return, he quickly ran over and asked, "Did you encounter Xiaocao along the way?"
"No."
Nangong Xuan also said to Xue Rongyu, "Let's go and take a look at the other villages."
Xue Rongyu and Nangong Xuan rode away on horseback, and Li Wenping followed closely behind on horseback. The Prime Minister, looking at his troublesome son, also led his men to follow.
The cows inside the cowshed blinked, then suddenly walked out of the cowshed on their own, went out of the yard and headed to the other side.
Meanwhile, Ahri was wandering around in the mountains, occasionally climbing trees to pick fruit.
As a result, he was bumped by a cow that appeared out of nowhere.
Ahri looked back and even patted the bull's head; it seemed quite familiar.
The old ox stood quietly, swishing its tail.
Ali looked at it carefully again. Wasn't this Xue Daniu's old ox?
Are they nearby?
Ahri raised her hand and patted the old ox's head, then looked around; they weren't there.
To be honest, after being free for so long, Ahri does miss them a little.
In particular, there are very few honest and young people here.
During this time, some bandits tried to rob her on the road and kidnap her, but she killed them all with a single blow.
Ah Li patted the old ox, wondering if the three of them were still in that yard.
It's been about half a month, so she'll go back with the old ox.
Ali also discovered that the old ox didn't need to be driven; it just followed beside her.
When she stops, it stops too; when she walks, it walks too.
Ali even picked some fruit to feed it, and the old ox ate several of them.
When Ahri returned to the courtyard, she found it empty.
The cowshed looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. Ah Li looked at the old ox and thought, "It must have been too long since anyone cleaned the cowshed for you, which is why you thought of coming to me."
The old ox swung its tail and called out twice to Ah Li.
Ah Li smiled, rolled up her sleeves, and went into the cowshed to start cleaning.
She had made up her mind. If the three of them didn't come back, this place would be her home from now on, with the old ox to keep her company.
Then, she can find someone to have babies with.
After the cowshed was cleaned up, Ali also found that of the several water tanks in the yard, only the one in the kitchen had water, while the others were dry.
The kitchen was covered in dust, but Ah Li wasn't in a hurry to clean it; she wanted to take a shower first.
Fortunately, there was enough hay to start a fire and boil water.
After Ali boiled the water, got his clothes, and took the bucket to take a bath, the yard was still quiet, except for the old ox standing in the cowshed, swishing its tail.
After Ah Li finished her bath and entered the house, she found that no one had touched her clothes and the kang (heated brick bed) in the room was clean. She pulled back the quilt and smelled it. Fortunately, there was no strange smell.
Ali went out and closed the courtyard gate and locked the house door. She wanted to take a nap first. Later, she had to fetch water, chop some firewood, wash her clothes, and cook. She didn't know if there was any rice left in the kitchen.
Now she has to do many things herself.
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