Chapter 211 [VIP]
At the end of May, the two finally returned to Jizhou.
Returning to this familiar city after many years, I felt a sense of loss, as if time had passed.
Like weary birds returning to their nests, or travelers returning home.
It took some time to enter the city because there were too many people queuing to enter. This time, Wang Ying personally experienced the impact of war on ordinary people.
Along the way, we encountered many convoys, many of which were from the same village or clan, with hundreds of people migrating together.
As one of the prefectures adjacent to the capital, Jizhou was a popular refuge for many fleeing people, making entry into the city extremely difficult; both a travel permit and a household registration were indispensable.
After queuing for nearly three hours, it was finally their turn. Huang Baiguan handed over the documents he had prepared in advance. The clerk carefully reviewed the registration and also checked whether there were any other people in the car. Compared to the previous checks, he was much more cautious.
Wang Ying couldn't help but ask, "Is it because there are too many people in the city that entry into the city is so strictly controlled now?"
The clerk was quite easy to talk to because of his local accent. "There aren't many people, but there was some trouble recently. Some outsiders entered the city, stole things, and even killed someone. It caused a lot of panic, so the higher-ups issued an order that we must thoroughly check people before letting them pass."
Wang Ying nodded, took out a string of coins and stuffed it into his hand, saying, "Thank you for your hard work."
After checking the group, they went straight home, wondering if their elderly relatives were alright after not seeing them for several years.
"Whoa~" After an incense stick's time, the carriage stopped in front of the house. Huang Baiguan jumped off the carriage and went up to knock on the door.
A short while later, the side gate opened, and Chen Fang stared at the person in front of him for a moment, "Is it Brother Baiguan?"
"Brother Chen Fang, it's been a long time."
"Oh dear, could it be that the master and young master have returned?"
"Master was too busy with official duties to come back, only the young master, young master and the second master of the Lin family came back."
Chen Fang quickly opened the gate and sent someone to the backyard to report the news.
Both Li Shi and Chen Rong were inside the house, and neither of them could believe the news at first.
"Who did you say came back?"
The servant said, "It's the young master from Shanzhou who has returned."
The two then came to their senses and hurriedly got off the ground and ran out.
Wang Ying and Lin Sui got off the carriage with their two children. Looking at the familiar courtyard, they were filled with mixed emotions. They were finally back...
"Aying, Sui'er, Yuanbao, Qing'er!" Two old ladies ran over excitedly, pulling them up and down to look them over.
"Why did you suddenly come back? We thought we misheard."
Chen Rong hadn't seen Lin Sui for over six years. She hugged him and choked back tears, "You finally decided to come back! Your mother missed you so much!"
Lin Sui also shed tears, "Your unfilial son has only come back to see you after so many years."
"Silly child, I'm not angry with you. I'm relieved to see you're alright."
With tears in her eyes, Madam Li pulled Yuanbao up and down, looking him over. "You've grown so much! You're almost taller than your grandmother now! Come inside!"
A group of people crowded into the house, and it took them a while to calm down. "Why did you all come back so suddenly? You didn't even write a letter beforehand."
Wang Ying said, "The matter was urgent and there was no time to write a letter in advance. Fighting has broken out on the border again."
"What?!" The two were taken aback. Although the news had already reached Jizhou, Chen Rong and Li Shi rarely went out to inquire, so they naturally did not know.
Chen Rong looked at her son with concern and asked, "You're back, but where is the Marquis?"
Lin Sui bit her lip and said, "The Marquis has to lead the troops and cannot come back."
Li also asked, "Why didn't Qingyan bring you all back together?"
Wang Ying comforted her, "Qingyan is the Assistant Magistrate of Shanzhou, and he cannot leave his post without permission. However, Shanzhou is still quite a distance from the border, so Mother, don't worry."
"How can I not worry? What if they really invade? Qingyan can't even ride a horse..."
Wang Ying was afraid that she would worry and get upset, so he whispered a few words in her ear. Li looked at him in surprise.
"Don't worry, Qingyan will definitely be fine." Wang Ying planned to take her mother-in-law to the experimental field tonight to meet her husband, so that the old lady wouldn't worry too much and fall ill again.
Madam Li quickly instructed the servants to tidy up the room and prepare food, as everyone must be exhausted from walking such a long distance. She suggested they eat something and rest early.
After a brief reminiscing, the food in the kitchen was ready. Everyone was exhausted from the long journey, so after eating and taking a shower, they went back to rest. They slept until evening before waking up.
After changing her clothes, Wang Ying went to the front yard and saw that Qingyun and Qingsong had arrived. The two of them had already learned about the war at the border from Li Shi.
"Sister-in-law, what's the situation at the border? Is my brother alright?"
"Everything's alright for now. I don't know the specifics of the battle either. You can ask your brother yourself when you see him tonight."
"Big brother is back too?"
Wang Ying shook her head. "Don't ask any other questions. Just bring your mother to my room later."
Chen Qingyun and Chen Qingsong exchanged a glance, their faces filled with surprise and uncertainty. Although they had long known that their sister-in-law had a secret, they had never thought of finding out. Now, it seemed that their sister-in-law was planning to tell them the secret.
Wang Ying made this decision after careful consideration. Since she had already decided to expose the capabilities of the experimental field, she might as well let the old lady see her son first to ease her longing.
They waited until late at night, when Qingyun and Qingsong helped Li Shi to the east courtyard.
Inside the room, Wang Ying and Yuan Bao sat upright on the bed. This secret had been kept for more than ten years, and now that they were about to tell everyone, they were both a little nervous.
Yuanbao, holding Wang Ying's hand anxiously, asked, "Father, will Grandmother, Uncle, and Aunt think we're monsters?"
Wang Ying shook her head. "No, your grandmother loves you the most."
A moment later, there was a knock on the door. Wang Ying got up and opened the door. After entering the room, Li asked impatiently, "Ah Ying, you said during the day that you would take me to see Qingyan. What exactly is going on?"
Wang Ying stepped forward and took her hand, "Mother, please close your eyes first."
Upon hearing this, the group obediently closed their eyes. Then, Wang Ying opened the experimental field, and the group instantly entered. When the sunlight shone on their faces, everyone stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
"This, this..." Li was too shocked to speak.
"Where am I?!" Qingsong clutched his chest, feeling like his heart was about to jump out of his chest.
Qingyun's mind worked the fastest. "Sister-in-law, the fresh vegetables and fruits we sold back then were grown here, weren't they!"
Wang Ying nodded, "That's right, not only the vegetables, but also the ice sold in the summer is frozen here."
He led a few people on a tour of the experimental field. The experimental field was not very large, and since Wang Ying had planted wheat, the edge of it could be seen at a glance.
"I don't know how to explain the origin of this land to you. It suddenly appeared after Qingyan and I got married. At first, only the two of us could enter. Later, with Yuanbao, he could also enter. Now, a maximum of ten people can be brought in. No more than one person is allowed."
Yuanbao chimed in, "Father told me that this land is not in the mortal world and must never be known to outsiders, so I have kept it a secret from you all these years. Grandmother, you won't blame me, will you?"
Madam Li held her grandson's hand, saying, "How could your grandmother blame you? You should have kept it hidden. If someone with ulterior motives were to find out about such supernatural abilities, you might lose your life."
Qingyun and Qingsong quickly replied, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, we will absolutely not utter a single word about what happened today!"
Wang Ying naturally trusted them, otherwise she wouldn't have brought them in with her. "It's almost time, Qingyan should be here soon." Before she finished speaking, Chen Qingyan entered.
Several people stared in disbelief at the person who had appeared out of nowhere. "Big...Big Brother?"
Chen Qingyan strode over, lifted his robe, and knelt before Madam Li. "Mother, your unfilial son has come to see you."
On the way, Wang Ying had already discussed with him about bringing Li Shi in, so Chen Qingyan was not surprised to see them.
Madam Li reached out and helped him up, touching his face, still unable to believe it was real. "Yan'er, is it really you?"
"Mother, it's me."
"My God... this place can actually bring people from thousands of miles away!" After the initial surprise came joy, and the group gathered around Chen Qingyan, overjoyed.
His younger siblings, just like when they were little, tugged at his arm and chattered incessantly, asking about the border war one minute and when he would be back the next.
"We cannot go back for the time being. The border war is critical. Three days ago, we received news that Yangguan had fallen and the Marquis had led the army to retreat to Yumenguan."
"So fast..." A city was lost in just over a month.
Chen Qingyan said, "At present, it is probably difficult to defend Yumen Pass. The imperial reinforcements are slow to arrive, and the garrison at the border cannot stop the Turkic army at all."
Wang Ying asked anxiously, "Why not send reinforcements? Aren't you afraid the Turks will invade?"
"I don't know either. Perhaps the higher-ups are playing a game of power again."
Chen Qingsong said, "What kind of time is this to be playing games? If the Turks really invade, I'm afraid we'll be wiped out and our country will perish!"
Qingyun knew a little bit of the news: "I heard from Changyi that Jizhou is ready to send reinforcements, but the higher-ups have been slow to issue orders, and the soldiers are getting really anxious."
Jizhou was where Li Mu rose to power, and it was filled with his personal guards. If it weren't for the concern that the governor above would be implicated, Zheng Guang would have already led his troops to provide support. Now they were just waiting for the Marquis's message to arrive before heading north.
Chen Qingyan then inquired about the situation at home, "How is things here in Jizhou?"
Li said, "Don't worry about things at home, everything is fine. You're all alone in Shanzhou, so take good care of yourself."
“Yes, Mother, please take care of yourself. This experimental field can’t be opened all the time. If you have time every ten days, I’ll have A-Ying bring you in for a small gathering.” Chen Qingyan said this in advance so as not to make things difficult for A-Ying.
"Mother understands. Mother is already content to have seen you just once."
After chatting for an hour, the free time for the experimental field had been used up, and the system prompted to start using the experience.
Chen Qingyan said, "It's getting late, everyone should go back and get some rest. I have official business to attend to tomorrow, so I won't say anything more."
The group bid each other a reluctant farewell, and Wang Ying led them away from the experimental field and back to their previous bedroom.
Everyone was shocked again. After a long while, Madam Li calmed herself down and said, "Yun'er, Song'er, this matter must not be told to anyone. Not even your husbands, wives, and children should know!"
"I understand."
"Let's go back and let Aying and Yuanbao get some rest."
After seeing her family off, Wang Ying returned to the experimental field and, as expected, found Chen Qingyan still waiting for her there.
“Ah Ying, I have taken out all the herbs you left behind and sent them to the border.”
"Is this enough? If not, I'll go and find some more."
Chen Qingyan said, "Not for now. You should rest well during this time, and I will let you know when it is necessary."
"By the way, besides my mother and siblings, I also told Lin Sui about the experimental field. We need his help to buy grain and fodder, otherwise I won't have enough money."
Chen Qingyan nodded, "It's up to you."
The two looked at each other for a moment, then embraced tightly. At that moment, they were not only each other's beloved, but also each other's only comrades-in-arms.
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