В Цзянху есть Сяо Чань

Глава 47

"Daddy, Mommy! Look how round this snowball Ling'er made is!"

With a crisp, childlike voice, a large, bright red ball carrying a small, white ball burst through the door and rolled in. Lu Ling, wrapped up almost exactly the same size, was followed by Song Wuque, who, even on all fours, was slightly taller than Lu Ling when standing upright, exhaling hot breath and bringing in a gust of cold air.

"Come in, come in! Your old man isn't wearing a coat yet, be careful not to catch a cold!"

Song Xiaohua hurriedly closed the door, then quickly rubbed the little dumpling's icy face: "Baby, aren't you cold running around the yard so early in the morning?"

"It's not cold, Ling'er is actually a little hot!"

Song Wuque, standing to the side, shook off the ice shards and stuck out his tongue, pressing it against Lu Ling's side as if to show that with his thick fur around, the little guy would definitely not get cold.

He patted the enormous dog head, which was almost up to his chest, with a smile: "Our Wuque is the best, naturally warm clothes that save money and are environmentally friendly. I'll make you a coat in a few days, so we can show off a new look for the new year, okay?"

As if it understood, the big black dog wagged its tail like an electric fan, and at the same time, it turned its head and bared its teeth at Lu Ziqi, who was standing far away against the wall.

Lu Ziqi was incredibly frustrated...

As expected of a dog breed that gallops across the grasslands to herd horses and sheep, Song Wuque grew to its full size at six months old. It was plump, strong, and majestic. When it squatted there with its head held high and chest out, it looked exactly like a black lion king.

On the day Lu Ziqi and Song Xiaohua returned, a man and a dog who had been waiting at the intersection suddenly darted out from the side, bringing them a pleasant surprise.

However, while Song Xiaohua was pleasantly surprised, Lu Ziqi was utterly astonished.

After more than a month apart, Lu Ling hadn't changed much; she was still an incredibly cute little pink dumpling.

Song Wuque, on the other hand, seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, growing from an ordinary short-haired black dog into a long-haired giant with an air of regal authority. His glossy black fur, his arrogant expression, and especially his physique, more than twice the size of a small pony, were enough to make anyone drool and stare, or break out in a cold sweat and feel weak in the knees. The former describes Song Xiaohua, while the latter is a true reflection of Lu Ziqi at that time.

It's said that dogs are the most intelligent and perceptive, and that seems to be true. In any case, Old Lu's dog seems to understand people's thoughts perfectly. For example, it knows who is afraid of it, so it will occasionally show off its power, scare them, or cause them some trouble.

In Lu Ziqi's eyes, this little rascal was a complete ingrate, completely oblivious to who made its first bed, who spent its first night in this home with it, and who went to great lengths to build it such a beautiful wooden house...

Watching the 'human-dog duo' turn around and run back out to continue playing in the snow, Lu Ziqi sighed in self-pity.

Being bullied by dogs is one thing, after all, you can't fight with a dog, and you get used to it after a while... What really made him feel frustrated and unbearable these days was his precious son.

Lu Ling was young and did not understand the true meaning of death. She only knew that if a person died, she would go to heaven and people on earth would not be able to see her again for a very long time.

These were the words Huo Nan said to him, explaining why other children had a mother's love, but he alone did not...

County Lieutenant Zhang returned after Lu Ziqi's arrival to handle some urgent and trivial matters at the county office. While he was talking to Aunt Zhang about Song Xiaohua's family's ordeal, Lu Ling happened to be squatting outside playing and overheard the whole thing.

He didn't understand many things, but he understood one thing: his mother's family had all gone to heaven and would never see them again...

Upon seeing Song Xiaohua, Lu Ling hugged her neck tightly, gently kissed her on both cheeks, and then said in a soft, sweet voice, "Mother, don't be sad. Ling'er, Father, Wuque, and I will always be with you. After a long, long time, we will go to heaven together and meet them again."

These words brought tears to Song Xiaohua's eyes on the spot.

Seeing this, Song Wuque came over and rubbed his fluffy head against her, then used his wet tongue to wash her tear-streaked face, making Song Xiaohua cry even more joyfully.

After crying, she immediately decided that it was too cruel to let the little baby sleep alone in an empty room because it was too cold. So she would wait until spring when the flowers bloomed before implementing the plan to separate rooms.

Lu Ziqi only realized at this moment that she had actually taken Yuan Hao's four words seriously.

That night, Lu Ling, having been separated from her parents for a long time, was reluctant to part with anyone even for a moment, so she insisted that everyone sleep together.

And so, the scene that Song Xiaohua once described—"the family of three, under the covers, chatting about their life ideals"—was vividly reenacted...

On the same kang (heated brick bed), under the same quilt, the parents were placed on either side, and the child in the middle. They could hear each other's breaths and see each other's every detail, separated only by an innocent face.

After a night's sleep, Lu Ling found this sleeping method quite pleasant and suggested that they continue like this from now on, so that his father wouldn't have to sleep alone in another room, which would be quite pitiful. Lu Ziqi was about to strongly object when Song Xiaohua preemptively agreed, adding righteously, "I believe that doing this is very beneficial to your recovery."

What is the relationship between these two things? Just like, what does abstinence have to do with his stomach, which is now perfectly healthy?

Unfortunately, all of Lu Ziqi's protests were extinguished by Song Xiaohua's eerie and cunning smile. He finally understood that this girl was deliberately using this opportunity to retaliate...

From then on, Lu Ziqi listened to Song Xiaohua tell strange stories every night, such as the princess and the dwarf, the tortoise and the rabbit, the big bad wolf and the little sheep, and the big-headed son and the small-headed father, to lull Lu Ling to sleep. After hearing them so many times, Lu Ziqi couldn't help but sigh. Indeed, their upbringing was different. When he was young, he was surrounded by the Three Character Classic, the Thousand Character Classic, and even simple military strategy. He had never heard such fun stories.

Song Xiaohua tells stories with great emotion, sometimes even captivating him. Sometimes, her voice would soften as she spoke, and she would drift off to sleep before Lu Ling could.

At such times, the father and son would always exchange a knowing glance and make a shushing gesture, so as not to disturb her.

After her son fell asleep on his own, Lu Ziqi would quietly gaze at his sleeping face. Occasionally she would frown, occasionally smack her lips, occasionally murmur, and occasionally chuckle. From these expressions, it wasn't hard to guess whether she was having a sweet dream or a nightmare.

When he saw her relaxed expression, he couldn't help but chuckle, as if he had entered a beautiful dream and was experiencing fantastical adventures with her. When he saw her struggle, he would gently pat her thin shoulders and back until she calmed down.

Several times, her eyelashes were wet with tears, and she softly called out names, surely remembering her deceased loved ones. His heart ached slightly, and he stroked her cheek, wiping away her hot tears.

I only hope that those wounds will gradually fade away with time, and that he has the strength to give enough happiness to slowly heal them...

All of this was completely unknown to the person who was fast asleep. Lu Ziqi also really liked her when she was quietly dreaming, because otherwise, she would seemingly unintentionally but actually deliberately try her best to tease her.

For example, after Lu Ling falls asleep, you can touch his calves with your feet, touch his arms with your hands, or even sit up and reach over the little radish head to scratch his face with your hair, or just kiss him... and so on, the list goes on.

Whenever she made him stiffen and his breath quicken, she would innocently say 'Goodnight,' then close her eyes contentedly with an irrepressible chuckle.

Lu Ziqi felt that if things continued like this, his self-control and unbreakable willpower, which he had always been so proud of, were about to reach their limit...

Whenever I think of this, I can't help but curse Yuan Hao, the culprit, in my heart.

Incidentally, I've developed a deep hatred for blue, a strong, intense hatred...

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After returning, Lu Ziqi worked tirelessly for several days without rest to finish all the backlog of official business. Then, the heavens sent down the second heavy snowfall of the winter, and the end of the year was fast approaching.

There was nothing to do at the yamen that day, so while it was still early, I went to the market to buy some necessary New Year's goods and red paper for writing Spring Festival couplets, and then went home early.

The people of the county had long heard of the tragedy that befell the magistrate's wife and the magistrate's heroic actions. They wanted to express their condolences and respect, but did not know how to do so. If they were to send gifts, they would surely be sternly refused and might even be scolded. So they could only try their best to express their feelings with warm and considerate words and actions.

The long queues that formed last year to request couplets from people who admired the county magistrate's beautiful calligraphy did not reappear, probably because no one wanted to add trouble to this family that had just suffered a misfortune.

Lu Ziqi was touched by the sincerity of the people and felt warm inside. However, he was also happy to have some free time. He took the initiative to write couplets for everyone in the county government and planned to bring them to them the next day. It was a small token of his appreciation to his colleagues with whom he had worked for a year.

While he picked up his brush and wrote, Song Xiaohua fiddled with needle and thread, and a belt that had taken a lot of effort to sew was finally about to be finished.

This was her first proper needlework piece, and also the first gift she made for Lu Ziqi herself.

"Hooray, finally done! Holly, come and try it!"

"Wait a moment, there are only a few more paintings left to finish."

"Hey, try it out before you write it!"

Without a word, she took the pen from his hand, made him stand up straight, fastened his belt, took a half step back, and tilted her head with a grin to examine him: "Look at that slender waist, truly a delicate waist that can be held in one hand!"

Lu Ziqi coughed lightly, "Yaoyao, how could I, a dignified seven-foot man, appear so weak and frail? Besides, those are all descriptions for women!"

"Alright, alright, you're a real man with broad shoulders and a thick waist, okay?"

"What you're saying..."

“However…” Song Xiaohua suddenly took a step forward, pressed herself close to him, raised her hand and hooked his chin, a wicked smile on her face: “Whether it is true or not, we’ll only know for sure after two months and twelve days!”

After saying that, he sauntered out, chuckling all the way, while Lu Ziqi began grinding his back teeth frantically. See, see, here we go again! Eighteen days already, only eighteen days... Is it really going to take a full three months?!

As soon as Song Xiaohua left, Lu Ling skipped in and dragged him to build a snowman.

As soon as he stepped out of the house, he suddenly pointed to a branch covered in snow in the setting sun, which looked like a small animal and exclaimed excitedly, "Daddy, doesn't that look like snow?"

Lu Ziqi was taken aback: "Ling'er, what did you say?"

Lu Ling seemed to suddenly wake up, and quickly covered his mouth tightly with one hand, widening his eyes and assuming a posture of never speaking again.

"Ling'er, your father is asking you a question!"

However, Lu Ziqi's expression darkened slightly before he immediately surrendered, lowering his hands and head, muttering softly, "Uncle Huo said we can't tell Father that we hunted a weasel that looked like a snow-white leopard and then released it, because it will upset him. Ling'er was wrong, Ling'er upset Father..."

Hearing the little guy's tearful voice, Lu Ziqi softened his tone and gently patted his head: "Ling'er did nothing wrong, Father isn't upset. Then... have you told Mother about this?"

"Yes. Mother originally wanted me to draw snow-footed ducks, but then she said to draw ducks stealing candy first. Father, when can Ling'er draw snow-footed ducks?"

"Why paint snow? Wouldn't it be better to paint Wuque?"

Lu Ling thought about it seriously for a moment, then grinned at the dog who was diligently digging snow in the yard: "Okay! Wuque, Wuque, don't move around too much. I'll go get some paper and pen to draw you a really nice portrait!"

Standing at the door, looking at the figure busy in the kitchen, Lu Ziqi felt a pang of unease.

I never imagined that Ling'er already knew about Ta Xue's sable. I really shouldn't have let her take that painting I made so casually back then; it must have caused her so much heartache and sorrow...

After dinner, as usual, Lu Ziqi read for a while in the study, but he still felt inexplicably restless and unable to calm down. He stood up, paced a few steps, and casually untied his new belt, unconsciously playing with it in his hand.

The style and pattern are simple, but if you look closely, the stitching is a bit uneven and not quite smooth. However, the skill level is much better than those strange cloth dolls hanging from the beams. It's really a challenge for this impetuous girl to do such fine work.

A smile played on her lips, softening her expression. Just as she was about to place it on the table, she caught a glimpse of an unusual white light. A thought struck her, and she picked it up again, examining it inch by inch under the lamplight.

He paused for a moment. After a long while, he sighed deeply.

I see……

On his return from patrol that day, he saw a group of people hunting in the woods. They were unrelated, but he couldn't bear to see the white sable perish by arrow, a scene reminiscent of the horrific prison days of years past. So he let out a long howl to help the sable escape. Little did he expect that the Song Dynasty would have such lawless scoundrels; the archer shot at him without a word. Later events proved that this man was not a Song citizen—fortunately.

Normally, given his skill level, dodging wouldn't have been a problem. However, at the crucial moment, he realized that his opponents were all dressed as Liao people. Not understanding their intentions, he was startled and his movements slowed down, thus leading to a confusing and tragic relationship...

I didn't want her to know all these complicated things, as it would only cause her more trouble, but I didn't expect that I still couldn't hide it from her.

The cotton thread used to sew the belt clearly contained impurities, and upon closer inspection of its color, appearance, and texture, it turned out to be extremely rare white mink fur.