Xu Sigen walked into the courtyard gate and was greeted by a young woman with tears in her arms, holding a baby in her arms.
"Fourth uncle, you're here." She choked and said.
"Brother, are you still like that?" Xu Sigen asked.
The woman raised her hands to wipe her tears.
Xu Sigen's eyes fell on the baby in the woman's arms.
"The seventh brother and sister are lying down and unable to get up. I will take care of the children first," the young woman said.
"Is there someone coming from her mother's family?" Xu Sigen asked.
A trace of shame flashed across the young woman's face.
"Help with the cooking." She whispered.
It doesn't matter whether it's to help with cooking or to persuade someone to get married.
This kind of thing is not unusual. Xu Sigen looked outside.
"Fourth uncle, please make up your mind." The young woman whispered, "Ordinarily, the seventh brother and sister should stay for three years..."
Hearing these words, Xu Sigen's nose felt sour.
When it is his turn among the brothers to make the decision, among the seven brothers, Xu Maoxiu always makes the decision. Fan Jianglin nods and greets everyone. All they have to do is follow. They will eat hardships together, bear difficulties together, and enjoy blessings together...
But now...
"Don't keep it for three years. You are young and strong, why bother others." He took a deep breath and raised his head slightly and said, "She took away the dowry and the original betrothal gift. If I keep her by my side, she will not suffer in the future."
, Bang Chui must also be happy..."
He couldn't continue talking at this point.
The young woman had already started crying, and the baby in her arms was amused because she was ignorant and stretched out her hand to grab her arm.
The woman cried even harder.
"This child has a wife." Xu Sigeng said with a hoarse voice, "At least he has left a root behind..."
But others...
Xu Sigen couldn't talk any more and walked towards the house.
The room was filled with the smell of medicine and a slight rancid smell. Fan Jianglin was lying on the couch, turning sideways inward not knowing whether he was sleeping or awake. A bowl of soup and medicine was placed beside him, motionless.
"Brother, I feel embarrassed when I call you brother!"
Xu Sigen lifted up his clothes and sat down, choking and saying.
"Are you acting like a big brother?"
Fan Jianglin remained motionless.
"Have you had enough lying down?" Xu Sigen said, "Is it time for you to get up and do what you should do?"
"What I should do is to die." Fan Jianglin said numbly, "die with them."
Xu Sigen grabbed the medicine bowl next to the bed and smashed it on the ground.
"You mean I should die too?" he shouted. "The seven of us have said that we do not want to be born in the same year, the same month and the same day, but we want to die in the same year, the same month and the same day. Now is the time for us to fulfill our promise and die together.
no?"
"Fourth brother, you know that's not what I mean, why bother asking me for it?" Fan Jianglin still said numbly.
"Then who are you insulting?" Xu Sigen shouted, "Who are you going to let see? They can't see it anymore. You want me to see it? Let my sister-in-law see it? Let the world see it? Let my sister see it?"
Hearing him mention the word "sister", Fan Jianglin's body moved, but then his face turned inward.
"Fourth uncle, fourth uncle." A woman's voice came from the yard, "Sister Jiangzhou Prefecture has sent someone."
As soon as he said this, Xu Sigen immediately ignored Fan Jianglin and went out. Fan Jianglin also stood up on the couch and heard voices coming from outside.
"...The husband expresses his condolences, and the young man is sending funeral gifts on behalf of the lady..."
Looking out of the window, I saw people coming into the yard with filial piety and courtesy as servants.
Fan Jianglin lay back down again with a sad expression and curled up his body.
What kind of face is there, what kind of face is there to see...
The voices outside could not be heard clearly. After a long time, or maybe not too long, Xu Sigen came in again, sat down again, and read the gift slip handed over by Cheng Jiaoniang.
Fan Jianglin remained motionless.
After Xu Sigen finished reading, he put it down and looked at him.
"Sister, there is another letter." He said, "I only wrote one sentence. I know my own answer, but I don't know yours."
Fan Jianglin still didn't move.
There was silence in the room for a moment.
"Do you regret it?" Xu Sigen said suddenly.
Fan Jianglin stiffened slightly.
"These are the three words in my sister's letter. Do you regret it?" Xu Sigen repeated it again.
Do you regret it?
"We are deserters. Deserters are beheaded. We are lucky to be alive. We have washed away our grievances and got rid of the crime of fleeing. Only soldiers are left. Since we are soldiers, we have to go back."
"No, I didn't have to go back originally. I prepared three large portions for my brothers. This is the first portion."
"I didn't ask you, so I made the decision for you privately. I don't know if it's in line with my brothers' wishes."
"You are used to training your muscles regardless of the weather, used to holding swords and guns ready for battle at any time, used to lying on the land of singing and dancing, always listening to the gongs and drums of attack..."
"A tiger is only a beast in the mountains and forests, and a dragon has its power only when it hides in a deep pool. The bows and arrows of my brothers are only worth a thousand gold when they are on the battlefield and only when they are shot into the enemy's chest."
"...A tiger would rather starve to death in the forest than be satiated in an iron cage. That's why I want to give my brothers a gift. It's not to sit on a golden mountain and live a life of peace, but to make contributions and wash away the shame. Brothers
Wherever you fell, you got up, and wherever you fell, you dusted off the mud."
"I wonder if your brothers still like this gift I gave you?"
Now that I have lost my life for unfinished business, do you regret it? Should I regret it?
If they knew that the result would be like this, would they rather sit on the golden mountain and live a life of peace, would they rather live in the bustling capital at this moment, wearing brocade clothes and drinking fine wine, or would they prefer that this is just a dream.
Do you regret that you did...?
"Fan Jianglin!" Xu Sigan shouted in a loud voice, "Do you regret it?"
"I don't regret it!" Fan Jianglin shouted, sitting up and shouting hoarsely, "I don't regret it, and they won't regret it either. No one regrets it!"
Tigers would rather starve to death in the mountains and forests. Their bows and arrows can only be called bows and arrows on the battlefield, whether they are shot into the enemy's chest or their own chest.
Xu Sigen looked at him, and Fan Jianglin also looked at him.
"Since you don't regret it, then get better soon." Xu Sigen said word by word, "Go and make contributions, wash away the shame, and take revenge."
"Ah Li, Ah Li!" Fan Jianglin shouted outside.
The young woman who had been waiting outside the door came in with her child in her arms.
"Da Lang." She choked and said.
"Go and ask Doctor Wang to come..." Fan Jianglin said.
The young woman cried and laughed. She turned around and ran out while wiping her tears.
"Fourth, please go back. I'm here. You can go and do your work. There have been a lot of delays these days." Fan Jianglin said.
Xu Sigen responded yes.
"Brother, the merit reward has been reported. This time it is a great merit, so it will be approved soon," he said.
"When the time comes, I will comfort their spirits in heaven." Fan Jianglin said.
There was silence in the room.
"As for the seventh younger sister, I think it's better to ask her to stop guarding." Xu Sigen said, explaining his arrangement.
Fan Jianglin nodded.
"You did the right thing, just do what you said." He said.
Xu Sigen looked at him.
"Brother." he shouted.
Fan Jianglin looked at him, waiting for him to ask questions, but Xu Sigen shouted again without asking.
"What?" Fan Jianglin asked.
Xu Sigen smiled, but there were tears in his smile.
"Brother, it's great that you are back." He said.
Fan Jianglin looked at him and sighed.
"You give your sister a reply." He said, "I can't write either."
Xu Sigen nodded.
"Needless to say anything else, before the third child died, he left her a message." Fan Jianglin said slowly and word by word.
Did you leave a message? That moment when you blinked and disappeared, did you leave a message for her?
Xu Sigen was a little surprised, but more sad.
Third brother….
"I say Matchmaker Liu, don't send these vulgar fans to my third brother. My third brother doesn't like it..."
"Then what kind of thing does Third Master like? I don't believe I can't find this old lady..."
"You can't find someone like our sister..."
"..Bangchui shut up..."
Xu Sigen endured his sore nose and blinked his eyes.
"Brother, tell me, I'll write it right away," he said.
At the end of May, the city gate of Jiangzhou Prefecture was once again caused by the galloping messengers, causing chaos.
"It's coming again...it's still the northwest soldiers..."
"The Cheng family goes straight from here to the street entrance and goes right along the river..."
The guard at the city gate made his own decision and said loudly without waiting for the people on the horse to ask.
The letter soldier glanced at him and as expected, he didn't open his mouth to ask and didn't stop for a moment.
"Letter from Mr. Dalang."
Manager Cao walked in quickly and said to Banqin.
Banqin was very happy and hurriedly reached out to take it and went to the backyard.
Under the shade of a tree in the backyard, Cheng Jiaoniang held her arm rope and drew the bow string at a grass target thirty steps away. With a buzzing sound, the arrow left the string and hit the bull's eye.
The two little girls who were serving him immediately cheered with surprise.
"My wife is so amazing."
After hearing Banqin's words, Cheng Jiaoniang handed the bow in her hand to the little girl, stretched out her hand to take it apart and take a look.
Banqin stood aside and saw from the back that there was only one line of writing on the letter, and she couldn't help but be a little puzzled.
It's so far away and so urgently sent from where, just one sentence?
What are the words?
In a word, the lady actually looked at it for so long...
The wind seemed to have stagnated in the midsummer backyard, and the sun was dappled on the woman holding the letter. There seemed to be a crash. Cheng Jiaoniang put away the letter in her hand, folded it and handed it to Ban Qin. She hummed and turned around again.
Reach out.
Banqin took a step back and watched the little girl hand the bow and arrow to Cheng Jiaoniang again. Cheng Jiaoniang held the bow and arrow but stopped again.
"Go and ask Guanshi Cao to get a stone bow," she said.
After hearing what the little girl said, Manager Cao was a little surprised.
"A stone bow?" he said, "Can the lady draw it?"
Although he had doubts, he immediately went to the warehouse to get one, sent it to him personally, and watched the lady take it and stand still to draw the bow.
Is that okay...
Manager Cao frowned slightly and looked at the woman's slender wrists and arms.
"Pull hard here, come on, pull the string."
Someone seemed to be holding her bow and arrow.
Cheng Jiaoniang exerted her strength, the silk and hemp strings trembled and bent, the bow strings were pulled apart, and the feather arrows were firmly clasped.
With a buzzing sound, the arrow left the string and hit the grass target steadily. Although it missed the red heart, it did not miss the target either.
The little girls didn't know the difference between bows and arrows, and they thought it would be better if they missed the target. Manager Cao blurted out a shout from the side.
"Sister, take your time. It will be great to be able to draw five or six bows in the future."
Look, instead of just five or six buckets, I can now pull a stone bow.
Cheng Jiaoniang lowered the bow and arrow in her hand, looked at the bullseye in the distance for a moment, lowered her eyes and turned around. (To be continued)
