In her father's heart, perhaps they were still in Qingzhou, and her mother was still alive.
At the entrance of the Jiang family's courtyard on the opposite bank, Deng Shi stood by the door, idly looking around.
Alas, things had been smooth for them since they arrived in Qingxi Town. The only dissatisfaction was that she knew too few people, and there was no one to organize card games with her.
Her husband had also suggested she get to know the wives of his fellow soldiers, but she disliked it.
She was a rich young lady who grew up in the city. She didn't want to associate with those village women who grew up in the countryside.
The earthy smell, she couldn't stand it.
So, she sat alone in the house, feeling extremely bored, and stood by the door of her own courtyard.
She had just seen visitors arrive at the Qi family's courtyard. Judging by their attire and demeanor, they were not ordinary farmers.
Indeed, Qi Yuanshan was a commander, his husband's direct superior.
She had heard her husband mention it these past few days; Commander Qi's son was getting married.
She had seen the young man a few times before. He was truly remarkable, handsome, well-built, and had become a squadron leader at such a young age.
If he wasn't about to get married, she would have wanted to suggest to her husband that they bring him home as a son-in-law.
But her daughter was displeased when she heard her words. She tactfully told her, "My daughter's life is not to be wasted in this mountain valley. She wants to marry a promising talented man."
In other words, a squadron leader was nothing in her eyes.
Even after her husband told them that the young man would inherit Commander Qi's position in the future, her daughter scoffed.
She said she wanted to marry into the city in the future and not stay in this desolate place.
Alas, she didn't like it here either, but calling it desolate was a bit too much.
Compared to other places in the northern frontier, Qingxi Town was quite lively.
Not only were people coming and going, but there were also many traveling merchants who frequented it, making it a prosperous place.
It was just that her daughter was unwilling to come here and preferred to live in the city. Moving here this time was only after she had persuaded her with great effort.
Alas, children grow up and don't listen to their mothers; it's enough to drive one crazy.
Meanwhile, at the Qi family's residence, unaware of Deng Shi's troubles, discussions were underway, sharing opinions and insights.
When Master Zhang and the other craftsmen, who were struggling with some points, heard the guidance from Magistrate Meng, they suddenly felt enlightened.
As expected of a scholar who had passed the imperial examination, his unique insights were sharp and to the point.
It allowed those who had not studied to quickly grasp the essence of his words.
At the Jiang family's residence across the small river, Jiang Yuzan sat in her room with a long face, sulking.
The little maidservant standing beside her lowered her head, not daring to breathe, afraid that her young lady would take her anger out on her.
When Deng Shi arrived, seeing her daughter's distressed look, she couldn't help but sigh, "My little ancestor, you're always unhappy. It's as if everyone owes you money. What exactly do you want?"
"I don't want anything. I just want to go back to Ningyuan City."
"Mother also wants to live in the city, but that's ultimately your maternal grandfather's home. Your brother is getting married this autumn, and he can marry a wife at your maternal grandfather's place."
"Cousin will surely agree."
"Will your father and I agree?"
"Why wouldn't you? You've lived at your maternal grandfather's place for so many years."
"..." Deng Shi was caught off guard by her daughter's retort and was speechless.
Fu Dani, having finished embroidering the wedding dress, was in an exceptionally good mood and her happiness soared.
She was a person who couldn't keep things to herself. She immediately put away the wedding dress and, taking advantage of the two maids' inattention, slipped out the back door.
On this March day, with grass growing and orioles flying, the mountains were full of beauty.
Immersed in the lush green mountains, the endless verdant scenery seemed to cast a spell, making everyone who saw it feel happier.
Fu Dani's hands itched slightly, but unfortunately, it was March, and she couldn't violate the rules left by her ancestors, so she had to restrain herself.
Xiao Bai perched on a tree branch, watching the human foolishly look around.
It grumbled in its heart, "What's there to look at? And this rule about not disturbing living things in the mountains in March, left by the ancestors."
Tsk.
Fu Xinci was unaware that she had once again been scorned by Xiao Bai.
However, Xiao Bai's disdain was subtle, and she didn't notice it.
When Fu Xinci returned home with a basket of tender mountain vegetables, Fang Shi, who had always assumed her daughter was at home, could hardly believe her eyes.
Afraid her mother would lecture her, Fu Xinci quickly told her the truth.
"Mother, after I finished embroidering my wedding dress, I wanted to go for a walk on the hillside to clear my mind. Then I saw many mountain vegetables on the slope. I thought our family would all like to eat them, so I picked some to bring back."
Xiao Bai: Humans can really lie. "Hillside," indeed. She ran all the way into the deep mountains.
If it weren't for some bullshit rule about March, it could have caught three wild boars.
Fang Shi listened to her daughter's words and could understand her feelings.
Given her daughter's temperament, it was difficult for her to keep her confined to the house for several days.
Seeing that Fang Shi's expression had softened, Fu Xinci finally put down the basket and went to her room to wash up.
In the evening, Qi He came for dinner and found an opportunity to secretly tell Fu Xinci about the crisis in the Liaodong region in the coming days.
"Our spies have discovered that the Japanese pirates are planning a major move on Liaodong this time."
"They're not planning to land on our beaches again, are they?"
"That's precisely their intention."
"Then let them come and never return."
After speaking, Fu Xinci took out two QBzs from her space and said to Qi He, "Take one for yourself, and give the other to Uncle Qi."
Fu Xinci thought for a moment and felt that these were not enough, so she handed over a few grenades.
Qi He's eyes lit up when he saw the QBz, like a wolf spotting a sheep, not blinking at all.
"...?" Seeing this, Fu Xinci quickly tugged at his sleeve.
"Heh heh." Qi He seemed to snap back to reality. He slung the QBz over his shoulder before reaching out to take the grenades that Fu sister handed him.
"Be careful. No one is more important than you."
"Mm, I know."
Qi He truly didn't want to be separated from Fu sister, even though they were about to get married.
Fu Xinci was still worried and took out two water skins from her space.
"One for you and one for Uncle Qi."
"Mm."
Qi He knew that with this divine medicine, as long as they weren't killed instantly, no matter how severe their injuries, they would survive.
Seeing that Qi He couldn't free his hands, Fu Xinci helped him hang the water skins on his waist.
Qi He looked at the items in his hands and felt a bit encumbered. He really wanted to hug his beloved girl right now.
Fu Xinci guessed his thoughts and didn't expose them. Instead, she looked around, saw no one, and then tiptoed to lightly brush her lips against his, as soft as a breeze.
Qi He: ...?
In the blink of an eye, Fu Xinci had already sped far away.
The joy today came in waves. Qi He's mind was reeling, completely stunned.
Xiao Bai, who had been secretly watching from a tree branch, had its small eyes wide open, looking very puzzled. "Why is another one acting silly?"
It couldn't quite understand. Had these two eaten something wrong today? Were they both acting foolishly on the same day?
Are all humans like this?
No, it had to go back and observe carefully later, to see if humans had any other outrageous behavior.
It wouldn't be able to sleep tonight until it figured it out.
After an unknown amount of time, when Qi He's mind had returned to clarity, the moon was already high in the sky.
Seeing that Fu sister was nowhere in sight, he returned home with a foolish grin on his face.