Chapter 098

Chapter 098

October eighth.

At dawn, just as the sky began to lighten, Tong Sui was awakened by the sound of water being poured into a water tank.

She looked behind her and saw that Xiao Zhen was indeed not there.

In the next moment, a low voice came from outside the slightly ajar door: "Awake?"

If Tong Sui had still been asleep, she wouldn't have noticed his voice at all.

Tong Sui responded with a sound, reaching out to pull the corner of the quilt, still savoring the warmth of the bed.

Xiao Zhen continued to pour another bucket of water, then set down the bucket and pushed the door open.

Tong Sui looked up and saw him dressed neatly, with a black hairband tightly tied around his head. Despite his stern features, even in simple clothes, he carried the air of the city's lord.

Of course, when she first married into the Xiao family, Xiao Zhen looked the same. Back then, he was just the grandson of a fallen old thousand-household commander, and Tong Sui thought he was too cold and distant to be approachable. She didn't see if he would rise to prominence. Now that he truly held the city and its troops, Tong Sui finally associated his demeanor with that of a city lord.

"What are you looking at?"

Xiao Zhen leaned over the edge of the bed, his eyes filled with a gentle smile, making Tong Sui realize that at this moment, he was simply her husband.

Tong Sui glanced at the dark window and said awkwardly, "I mentioned it casually last night, but you really got up early to fetch water?"

Recently, he might be busier and more tired than the elder, always worrying and stressing. Tong Sui preferred him to get more rest.

Xiao Zhen smoothed a strand of her hair that was sticking up, saying, "It was time to get up anyway. Besides, fetching water for such a reason is something I enjoy."

Tong Sui: "…Then go ahead and continue fetching water until it’s full."

Xiao Zhen: "Alright, by the way, I just met Grandfather and told him about you going to the military camp."

Tong Sui immediately lifted her head, looking at him nervously, "What did Grandfather say?"

Xiao Zhen pointed to his face.

Tong Sui bit her lip, kissed him lightly, and then pushed him away.

Xiao Zhen laughed, "Grandfather said you should dress smartly."

Tong Sui looked puzzled, "How do I dress smartly? Like a new recruit?"

Xiao Zhen: "Women's attire will do. Go confidently. Now, get up and wash up. I'll continue fetching water."

He left with ease, while Tong Sui climbed out of bed, quickly putting on an old outfit before facing the wardrobe with a frown.

When visiting someone, one should dress decently, let alone meeting thousands of soldiers with Xiao Zhen. Her usual old clothes were not suitable.

Tong Sui had two new outfits suitable for the season, but since Xiao Zhen wasn't wearing anything special, she didn't want to stand out too much.

In the end, Tong Sui chose a winter outfit her aunt had given her last year.

Her aunt knew she liked to venture into the mountains and worried she would keep good fabrics locked away as decorations. So, the winter outfit was made of coarse cloth commonly worn by commoners, a light green straight-sleeved blouse paired with a plain white skirt embroidered with fine bamboo. The white skirt was unsuitable for the mountains but looked delicate and fresh in the village.

It was eight-tenths new, just right.

Xiao Zhen returned with two more buckets of water.

The room was quiet. After pouring the water into the tank, he lifted the curtain with one hand and saw Tong Sui sitting at the dressing table on the east side, wearing an outfit she hadn't worn in the Xiao household before.

Tong Sui's hair was still loose, and she was hesitating over which hairpin to wear. Through the bronze mirror, she met Xiao Zhen's gaze, lowered her lashes, paused, and then waved him over.

Even without her gesture, Xiao Zhen would have come in.

The small dressing table had only one round stool. Xiao Zhen leaned against the edge of the bed nearby, his gaze sweeping over her, then towards the wooden box on the table.

She kept her gold and jade jewelry hidden, but the box contained several different wooden hairpins. Some had cloud-shaped heads, others flower-shaped, all cheap styles available in town. Only one hairpin had a thin yellow copper chain hanging from its head, ending in a teardrop-shaped white jade bead.

She had worn this hairpin when they went to town and the first time entering the city.

Tong Sui glanced at his black hairband and asked, "Should I wear a plain wooden hairpin or the one with the jade bead?"

Village men usually used cloth bands to tie their hair, while wealthy families in the city wore crowns and hairpins. Now that the Xiao family possessed tens of thousands of taels of gold and jewels, the family members still dressed as before, leaving Tong Sui unsure whether she should be more particular about her appearance.

Xiao Zhen lifted a lock of her long black hair, watching it slide through his palm back to its place, and whispered, "I want to see you wearing those gold accessories."

He also wanted to see her in the finest silk, as her beauty rivaled that of any noble lady, lacking only in adornment.

Tong Sui shook her head, "Before we entered the city, Grandfather instructed us not to be ostentatious."

Wearing gold now would make outsiders think it came from the four wealthy families.

Xiao Zhen, of course, was just saying it. He picked up the hairpin with the jade bead from the box.

Tong Sui quickly styled her hair, and Xiao Zhen stood behind her, awkwardly helping her insert the hairpin.

---

Today, it was the turn of the He family mother and daughter and Aunt Xiao to cook. With more people living in the house, three women were now responsible for each meal. Tomorrow, it would be Tong Sui, Liu Chu, and Lin Ningfang's turn.

He Shi walked out of the kitchen with bowls and chopsticks, noticing Tong Sui standing between Liu Chu and Lin Ningfang, and raised an eyebrow, "Oh, Aman, what's with this outfit? Are you going out today?"

Xiao Zhen, who was accompanying the elder, replied, "I'm taking Xiaoman to the military camp to familiarize herself. She might be useful in the future."

He Shi was speechless.

Xiao Ye proudly recounted his second sister-in-law's previous heroic deeds to Qiao Changshun and Qiao Changan.

Tong Sui was flustered by his exaggerated tone and gave Xiao Zhen a look to remind him to control himself.

Xiao Zhen then said to Xiao Ye, "Alright, enough of the show. Your Second Sister-in-Law doesn't like to flaunt these things."

Xiao Ye obediently shut his mouth.

Xiao Yan smiled and looked at Lin Ningfang. "Why don't you go out with Second Sister-in-Law? And Eldest Sister-in-Law, you should all go."

Lin Ningfang and Liu Chu both shook their heads in refusal.

When Xiao Yuchan heard about this in the main hall, she immediately exclaimed that she wanted to go along.

Xiao Mu said, "If you want to go, you need to show some proficiency with either bow and arrow or sword. Even if Mianmian wants to go, I'll agree as long as she can do it."

This was addressed to all the women in the room.

Xiao Yuchan pouted. "What counts as showing proficiency?"

Xiao Mu pointed from the threshold of the main hall to the south gate. "If you can hit a target from this distance, it counts. We'll talk about swords after you learn them."

Xiao She scoffed. "That's so close, I could hit it with my eyes closed."

Xiao Yuchan glared at her brother and didn't mention going to the camp again.

After the meal, Tong Sui followed the elders towards the front yard.

The mules were kept in the corner yard. In the past two days, the men had gradually switched to riding horses, leaving three mules for the family to use for transportation.

Xiao Zhen approached Tong Sui, leading both a mule and a horse, and asked, "Which one do you want to ride?"

The big black mule seemed good in the village but looked smaller next to a horse of equal quality.

Tong Sui was more familiar with the family mule and stepped forward to take the reins.

Xiao Zhen teased, "You really are nostalgic."

Tong Sui: "..."

Upon leaving, Tong Sui stepped into the stirrup and mounted the mule. The horse-faced skirt was convenient, not hindering her movement.

"Aman, why are you here too?"

Tong Gui rode over from the eastern courtyard, puzzled.

Xiao Yan laughed. "Second Sister-in-Law has great skills. I heard she's going to compete for an officer position today."

Xiao Ye said, "Don't listen to Third Brother's nonsense. Now the whole county is under our control. If Second Sister-in-Law wants to go anywhere, she can."

Tong Sui ignored them and silently walked alongside Xiao Zhen, with Xiao Mu and Xiao Shouyi ahead of them.

Previously, Xiao Shouyi was responsible for handling lawsuits within the city. After Sun Dian returned yesterday, he recommended a former clerk who was dedicated to the people. Thus, Xiao Shouyi could now focus on commanding the troops at the camp.

Half an hour later, the five thousand eight hundred new recruits gathered at the southern camp. Outside the south gate, a row of new faces lined up—these were those who had been hesitant to join but were now encouraged by Wei County's recent victory. The city guards were responsible for registering them and directing them to the county office for selection.

At the southern camp.

Xiao Shouyi, Xiao Zhen, and others joined the ranks, while only the elder and Tong Sui stood on the martial arts platform, which was over a person tall.

The five thousand eight hundred soldiers looked at the elder and the woman beside him.

Tong Sui's hands trembled slightly.

She had just come to watch, and any spot would have been fine. She didn't know why the elder brought her up here.

But remembering the elder's words to "be spirited," she tried to stand straight and held her head high, pretending to be calm as she scanned the crowd below.

Most were new recruits with short training periods, and some whispered about Tong Sui's identity.

Xiao Mu raised his hand.

The murmurs ceased, and Xiao Mu began, "Before we select officers today, let me introduce someone. This is my second granddaughter-in-law, Tong Sui. She comes from Taohuagou at the foot of Eastern Ridge in Longxing Mountain. She learned excellent archery skills from her family since childhood. When the Prison Dragon Ridge Gang attacked our Lingshui Village, a hundred bandits surrounded our Xiao family courtyard. It was my granddaughter-in-law who used a hunter's bow and a hundred wooden arrows to kill over twenty bandits, preventing any of them from approaching the ancestral hall where our women and children were hiding, ensuring our peace of mind and earning her the top merit for that night."

Tong Sui's heart pounded, but she maintained her composure.

The new recruits burst into louder whispers, some believing, others doubting.

Xiao Mu clapped his hands.

A soldier ran over and handed him a bow and a quiver of arrows.

Xiao Mu passed the bow and arrows to Tong Sui and looked at his grandson's position. "Xiao Zhen, step forward."

Xiao Zhen ran to the front of the platform.

Xiao Mu took out a red, fist-sized fruit from his sleeve and tossed it to Xiao Zhen. "Stand thirty paces away from the edge of this platform and hold the fruit in your palm."

Xiao Zhen caught the fruit, glanced at Tong Sui, and walked eastward for about a hundred steps, roughly thirty paces. Once there, he turned to face the platform but did not hold the red fruit in his palm; instead, he loosened his hair and placed the fruit on his head.

The new recruits gasped!

Xiao Mu smiled and said to Tong Sui, "My second son believes in you even more than I do. Since he's not afraid, you should shoot."

Tong Sui's palms were sweaty.

With the elder and Xiao Zhen taking such a stance, she couldn't refuse. So without needing any encouragement, she had to proceed.

Tong Sui drew an arrow, placed it on the string, and aimed at Xiao Zhen.

Below, Xiao Ye tensed up, "Good Second Sister-in-Law, you're aiming off!"

Just as Xiao Yan, Xiao She, and even Tong Gui couldn't help but want to remind Tong Sui, she finally moved again, slowly raising the arrow and aiming it at the black stem above the red fruit. Without any hesitation, she suddenly released it.

Xiao Zhen remained motionless, his black pupils reflecting the approaching arrow.

With a crisp "thud," the arrow struck the center of the fruit, carrying it away from the top of Xiao Zhen's head. In the next moment, the fruit split into two halves and fell, while the arrow continued flying for a bit before landing.

All was silent, and then Xiao Ye suddenly shouted, "Good!"

How terrifying!

The new recruits, unaware of Fourth Master Xiao's thoughts, cheered for Second Lady Xiao on the stage after witnessing it firsthand.

Tong Sui calmly put away her bow and stepped back behind the old man, catching a glimpse of Xiao Zhen tying his hair and picking up the two halves of the fruit as he ran back to the formation.

Xiao Mu called out, "How is Second Lady's archery?"

Over five thousand new recruits: "Good!"

Xiao Mu: "Then I'll tell you, practice makes perfect. If you practice diligently, drawing your bow a hundred or a thousand times a day and swinging your spear a hundred or a thousand times a day, you can achieve such skill. Do you believe me?"

Over five thousand new recruits: "We believe!"

Their voices were like thunder, echoing through the sky.