В Цзянху есть Сяо Чань

Глава 38

"my family……"

Officer Li finally finished recounting the events smoothly and was panting heavily, while Song Xiaohua suddenly felt a little dazed.

Her family, her parents and relatives—she'll never see them again in this lifetime, will she? In the dead of night, she often hears her mother's nagging, smells her father's tobacco, and sees their two loving faces smiling at her. Then, a thick fog rises and quickly blurs everything. She wants to chase after them, but she can't move. She reaches out, desperately trying to touch them, to hold them back, but it's all in vain. Each time she wakes, her pillow is soaked with tears.

Even if you have decided to integrate into this era, even if you have decided to live happily ever after, how can you easily sever the blood ties and kinship from that life? How can you say that you can just let go and not miss it anymore and treat it as a fleeting dream?

Lu Ziqi took the things, and when he turned his head, he saw her face full of melancholy and her eyes slightly red. His heart softened, and he couldn't help but raise his hand to gently stroke her soft hair: "Missing home, don't you?"

Song Xiaohua sniffed and nodded, while Constable Li stared wide-eyed as if he had seen something unbelievable.

Although the county magistrate appeared gentle and kind, everyone in the yamen knew that this young magistrate was extremely upright and stern. The reason he never glared or flew into a rage was that he only needed to slightly darken his face to make people's knees tremble.

Over the past year, we've worked together through thick and thin. We've seen him happy, angry, anxious, and furious. We've seen him work tirelessly, resolve crises decisively, and handle difficult situations calmly. All the brothers respect, fear, and admire him. They want to get close to him but dare not. Although he has never shown the slightest contempt or disdain, there is always a vague sense of distance between us.

But just now, that feeling was shattered.

That kind of county magistrate, how should I put it, is like a clay bodhisattva enshrined in a temple, who suddenly jumps up and becomes a living, breathing person... Hmm, no, no, that's not good... Or like a beautiful woman from a New Year's painting who walks out and smiles at me... Oh dear, I can't think about this anymore, if my wife finds out, I'll be in big trouble.

Officer Li chuckled to himself twice, then slapped his head. Facing the eight pairs of bewildered eyes of the three people, the dog, and himself, he immediately became embarrassed, his face turning into a Guan Gong-like expression.

He stammered and stole a glance at Lu Ziqi. For some reason, he suddenly became bolder, grinned widely, and said with a sly look, "That big bathtub is very nice. My family just bought one too. Please enjoy it, my lord and madam. I won't disturb you any longer!" Then he turned and ran out.

Even though Song Xiaohua's skin was thicker than a city wall, she was still nearly knocked over by such blatant words. Lu Ziqi, on the other hand, was still bewildered until his gaze fell on the two guys struggling to get around the tub. After visually estimating the size of the tub and determining the most convenient bathing method, he suddenly understood. Immediately, he blushed…

That Xiao Li, next month I'll definitely make him patrol the streets every night, letting him talk nonsense without restraint, he even dares to make jokes about himself...

While resolving to settle a personal score, he stopped looking at the embarrassing thing and handed the bundle to Song Xiaohua without glancing at her.

His face, which had been slightly pale, now had a thin layer of peach-red hue under the setting sun, making his earlobes, which were flushed pink, almost transparent.

At that moment, Song Xiaohua's pitiful embarrassment crumbled completely, and only one thought remained in her mind: Bite him! Take a gentle bite, then devour him clean...

Under her burning, hungry gaze, Lu Ziqi's willpower remained firm. It wasn't dark yet, and in front of the child and the dog, he absolutely could not do that shameful thing—not even think about it!

He coughed lightly and flicked his sleeves: "Let's see what the family brought you first."

Song Xiaohua knew he was easily embarrassed and couldn't withstand overly blatant teasing, so she had no choice but to suppress her surging lust. Anyway, there was no rush. If she accidentally angered him and ruined the atmosphere, it would be a huge loss. Her long-planned seduction scheme couldn't have any flaws. She'd wait until they were full and satisfied before... oh ho ho ho...

He chuckled lewdly as he unwrapped the layers of packaging, revealing neatly folded clothes and shoes inside.

The fur coat and cotton-padded long gown were for Lu Ziqi, the tiger-head hat and tiger-head shoes, the bright red cotton-padded jacket, and the silver necklace with a longevity lock were for Lu Ling. As for Song Xiaohua, she was given a complete set from head to toe. In addition, there was a bag of roasted peanuts and nuts, and a box of rouge and face powder.

In the corner of the box were two very ordinary hard candies. Song Xiaohua picked them up, paused for a moment, and then laughed until tears streamed down her face.

These must be snacks that the two little rascals, Da Zhuzi and Er Zhuzi, painstakingly saved from their own mouths, specially brought for their little aunt; the clothes, shoes, and socks are made of high-quality fabric, with fine stitches and sturdy workmanship, and must have been sewn by their sister-in-law stitch by stitch; the leather used for that fur coat must have been animal hides that their brother hunted himself; and the rouge and face powder must have been picked out by their brother and sister-in-law together at the market, and the silver necklace must have been chosen by the two of them together at the shop, and maybe even with two 'pillars' following behind giving their opinions.

Song Xiaohua knew that although that family had a few acres of land inherited from their ancestors, they were only well-off, not extremely wealthy. This package of things was not something they could just casually produce. The reason for doing this was simply to ensure that her younger sister could live a better life in her husband's family.

This sentiment is called kinship, the bond between blood relatives.

What God once took from her life, now seems to have given back to her.

He rubbed his eyes and made an exaggerated face at Lu Ziqi, who was staring at him: "See? I have powerful backers too! If you dare to bully me again, my brother, sister-in-law, and two little nephews will definitely not let you off!"

Lu Ziqi looked wronged: "Again? When have I ever bullied you?"

"It seems not... Well, you did pretty well! Keep it up!"

He shook his head with a helpless smile, but a warm feeling slowly flowed through his heart.

Although we only met briefly once when discussing marriage, the image of that simple and kind couple, their two lively and adorable children, and their ordinary yet warm home often comes to mind. This kind of simple, sincere family affection, untainted by any utilitarian calculations, is something I have always longed for but could never obtain.

Seeing Song Xiaohua, who was hugging and kissing Lu Ling, who was wearing a tiger-head hat, tiger-head shoes, and a longevity collar, a curved smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.

I'm really looking forward to getting to know my future in-laws. What kind of family environment could have raised such a daughter?

“Yaoyao, since you miss home so much, why don’t you make some preparations to go back home when you have some free time? I’m not too busy right now, so I should be able to go with you.”

"ah……"

Lu Ziqi's words reminded Song Xiaohua of a very serious problem: how was she, this "imposter," going to face her family?

According to the clichéd logic of time travel stories, the only option seems to be to fake amnesia. Should I take a brick and smash it on my head? ...What a blunder! I should have pretended to have amnesia as soon as I woke up. Now, with this perfectly healthy body, it would be very difficult for me to get sick even if I wanted to.

He decided to be honest and tell Lu Ziqi directly that there was a phenomenon in this world called 'time travel,' which was similar to the whims of fate, and that his wife had 'whooshed' into this world from a thousand years in the future. They had already agreed to be honest with each other, so her origins were a matter of some importance, and keeping it a secret seemed like deception.

Anyway, there's no rare species exhibition garden or scientific research institute here. At worst, I'll be treated like I'm possessed and doused with dog blood, or treated like a monster and burned to ashes... Pfft... It'd be more satisfying to be dissected and used for research...

Song Xiaohua was lost in her own thoughts, her hair standing on end, while Lu Ziqi smiled and casually opened the letter in his hand. With just one glance, the smile on his lips vanished.

After a moment's thought, she folded the letter and put it away: "Yaoyao, I have urgent business to attend to at the prefectural capital. I should be back in seven to ten days."

"ah?!"

"I have an important guest whom I must meet."

"But...but...it's almost dark...can't we set off first thing tomorrow morning?"

"Time is of the essence; we must set off tonight."

"cocoa……"

Caught off guard by such a dramatic turn of events, Song Xiaohua stammered for a long time without managing to come up with a coherent answer. She just kept glancing at the oversized bathtub beside her…

Lu Ziqi coughed and stammered, "You and Ling'er need to be careful. We'll talk about everything when I get back...when I return."

Song Xiaohua shook her head seriously: "You're wrong. When the time comes, it won't be 'talking,' it will be 'doing'!"

"…………"

Holding her little dumpling and leaning against the door with her big black dog, watching the black figure speed away, Song Xiaohua really wanted to howl to the heavens: "Sun, sun, blazing sun! When will I finally be able to launch that final shot?!?!"

Chapter 42 Tears That Couldn't Be Flowed

The next day, while Song Xiaohua was racking her brains about how to tell Yuan Hao that she could no longer learn to ride horses with him, he first sent a note through the inn's waiter: "I have urgent business to attend to and need to leave for a few days. We will talk again when I return."

This made Song Xiaohua secretly relieved, but she was also a little puzzled. Why did they all suddenly have urgent matters to attend to, acting mysteriously and rarely showing their faces?

The next few days were spent eating, drinking, sleeping, and dealing with the mundane details of daily life—a peaceful and uneventful existence.

Song Xiaohua drew a perfectly straight line on the wall with bricks. After examining it carefully for a while, she couldn't help but sigh. If she could also use a straw rope to keep record, that would truly be a complete "journey," directly "traveling" to ancient times and ending everything...

More than half the time had passed, and Lu Ziqi would be back in three to five days. There was no phone, no internet, no instant messaging whatsoever; they didn't even know where to send a letter, and of course, even if they did, it was highly likely it would be completely 'too late'…

All my longing can only be transformed into the five simplest strokes of the Chinese character "正" (zhèng): a horizontal line, a vertical line, a horizontal line, a vertical line, and a horizontal line. I trace them over and over again, just as I trace those sword-like eyebrows that reach their temples, those bright black eyes, that straight nose, those smiling lips, that chin with its light stubble, that Adam's apple…

Holly, are you also missing me? Can you miss me as much as I miss you...?

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves rang out in the distance, and they came to a sudden stop.

Before Song Xiaohua could react, Song Wuque had already darted out, with Lu Ling close behind. Hearing the dog's barking, her initial surprise turned into deep disappointment; it wasn't him.

Sullenly, he walked over and opened the door. Song Wuque barked even more loudly, his voice tinged with anger. Lu Ling's face also tightened. He scratched the dog's neck, but his eyes were fixed on the uninvited guest.

These two little guys are really holding grudges. Song Xiaohua guessed that if this silent standoff continued, they might just put on a show of "unleashing the dogs."

"Wuque, be quiet! Ling'er, come and greet Princess Xingping."

The dog stopped making noises but still kept purring in its throat, and the doll bowed but kept its neck stiff, both looking unwilling.

"The child is just being childish and doesn't know any better. I hope the princess won't take offense." Song Xiaohua smiled gently and said, "I didn't know the princess had graced us with her presence. What brings you here?"

Yelü Ping was dressed in his usual fiery red outfit, looking dashing and radiant. However, he seemed to show a hint of fatigue: "Since Young Master Lu is not here, it's the same if I give this to you."

Hearing that she had changed how she addressed Lu Ziqi, Song Xiaohua smiled even more virtuously: "Princess, please rest assured, I will pass it on to Dongqing."

"Then I'll trouble you."

Yelü Ping took something out of his sleeve, his phoenix eyes narrowing slightly: "This is a little trinket I made from the fur of that sable, as a keepsake for Young Master Lu. It took me several days to catch it!"

Song Xiaohua's heart skipped a beat for no reason: "Diao'er?"

“Yes, Young Master Lu must have mentioned it to you. The reason I met him was entirely because of a white sable.” Yelü Ping’s magnetic voice held a hint of wistfulness as he drifted into reminiscence, yet his eyes, backlit by the sun, flashed with deep sarcasm: “That day, I was hunting in the forest when I saw an extremely rare white sable lying under a tree. I was about to draw my bow when suddenly a clear whistle came from the bushes beside me. The sable was startled and fled, and I assumed someone was lying in ambush, ready to attack me, so I shot an arrow towards the source of the sound…” He paused slightly, as if savoring something, “Unexpectedly, it turned out to be the local magistrate who happened to be passing by and, out of concern for the sable’s life, warned him. What a fool! He knew how dangerous it was to do that in that situation. If I hadn’t intended to capture him alive, he would have already gone to see the King of Hell. He almost lost his life for a sable, how stupid…”

By the end, her voice was barely audible. Her once proud head drooped slightly, her fingers idly twirling the ends of her hair. At this moment, she was no longer the arrogant and domineering Liao princess, but simply an ordinary woman struggling and rising in a bittersweet emotional landscape.

After a long while, she tossed the braid in her hand, and all her vulnerability seemed to vanish along with the light that arced through the air.

Seeing Song Xiaohua's smile frozen on her face, still stunned, she smiled broadly and said, "I'm setting off for home now. When you return, please pass on my regards to Young Master Lu. Thank you for your hospitality. Farewell!"

Having said that, he turned, mounted his horse, and galloped away.

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