Chapter 281: Four Years Later

Chapter 281: Four Years Later

Li Chunhua was rendered speechless by the interrogation.

Immediately, she covered her face and burst into tears.

Bai Xiaofeng felt a deep sense of empathy. As a mother herself, she could relate. If Liu Ge'er or Gui Ge'er had gone off to join the army without a word, she would have been devastated.

Yu Laotou took several deep drags from his pipe, his expression darkening. "Enough! Huai Ge'er is truly a member of the Yujia family, a man of honor! Why did he leave only a letter? It's because he knew you, as his mother, wouldn't be able to bear letting him go! Huai Ge'er is willing to join the army and defend our country. We must not hinder him!"

Even the typically reserved father-in-law had spoken up. Li Chunhua sniffled, wiped away her tears, and managed to choke out an agreement.

The old Taoist priest returned to the nameless Taoist temple and sighed to Wei Shiyan, "Huai Ge'er has the makings of a warrior. He has always been a quick learner in martial arts, and over the past half year, I've been teaching him military strategy. On the battlefield, he might make a name for himself."

Wei Shiyan stayed silent, lost in his thoughts.

Back when he and the old Taoist priest departed from the palace, his three-year-old brother had cried out, stretching out his chubby arms to block the carriage carrying his second brother, refusing to let it depart.

Eventually, his father picked him up and gave him a hard spanking, and the little boy cried himself to sleep. That was the end of it.

...Now, Yu Yonghuai had left secretly. He wondered how Xingxing would take it.

Wei Shiyan pursed his lips, displeased.

He wasn't sure if he was blaming Yu Yonghuai or his past self.

...They should have bid a proper farewell.

Fortunately, half a year after Huai Ge'er secretly left for the border to join the army, a letter from him finally arrived.

In the letter, Huai Ge'er recounted a few amusing incidents from the military camp, clearly aiming to reassure his family.

He also wrote about a time when his squad encountered a group of Western Di barbarians. He had led the charge, killing four of them, and together with his comrades, they defeated the enemy.

Huai Ge'er wrote in the letter that it was his first time killing someone. He had vomited repeatedly afterward, but eventually, he got used to it.

Li Chunhua, who was illiterate, listened as Bai Ge'er read the letter to her. When she heard about him getting used to vomiting, she burst into laughter, then covered her mouth and wept.

When the family wrote back to Huai Ge'er, Xingxing, who was almost six, could already write quite a few characters.

She tried to write as neatly as possible so she could fit more words into the letter.

She wrote that her aunt was deeply concerned about him, and that she had seen her grandparents and uncle discreetly wiping away tears, also worried about him.

She wrote that Xingxing was equally worried about him and hoped that Big brother would take care of himself and stay safe.

At the end of the letter, Xingxing added, Third Aunt had welcomed a new baby brother, ranked seventh in the family, named Mian Ge'er. Mian Ge'er was very handsome, and Grandma said he took after both Third Uncle and Third Aunt. When Big brother returned, he would get to meet the new addition to the family.

Xingxing poured all her longing for Huai Ge'er into a single sheet of paper.

She asked her brothers for help with any characters she didn't know, then carefully copied the letter again before solemnly handing it to Third Uncle, asking him to include it in the family letter to Huai Ge'er.

Yu Sanbao patted Xingxing's soft hair, which was now long enough to be tied into a bun, and agreed with a smile.

"Three months of war, a letter worth ten thousand gold."

Over the next four years, the Yujia family received only two or three letters from Huai Ge'er, assuring them of his safety.

Perhaps fearing that the letters might fall into enemy hands, Huai Ge'er's letters were always brief, containing just four words: "Safe, don't worry."

Li Chunhua was both amused and annoyed. She was amused, naturally, because Huai Ge'er was safe and sound; annoyed, because she had specifically asked Bai Ge'er to teach her how to read so she could understand her son's letters, only for Huai Ge'er to write just four words every time!

Over the past four years, Bai Ge'er had stopped attending school and instead focused wholeheartedly on helping the family with business. He had always been particularly interested in business, and after officially taking over the Yujia family's shop, he transformed it from a small store in the county town into a large business spanning the entire prefecture. The Yujia family had become a well-known and prosperous family throughout the region.

Liu Ge'er, on the other hand, focused on studying under Grandfather Liu, who remained in robust health and could still eat two large steamed buns in one meal.

Gui Ge'er and Ju Ge'er continued their studies, though Gui Ge'er was always elusive—after finishing his morning lessons, he would disappear in the afternoon.

Bang Ge'er from the second household had reached the age for beginning his education, but he was so mischievous that he couldn't sit still. When asked to study, he would cover his head with a book and fall fast asleep, nearly driving Bai Xiaofeng to distraction—even Ju Ge'er, who had been quite the troublemaker as a child, had to admit defeat to Bang Ge'er's antics. At six years old, he was the kind of child even a dog would steer clear of.

In the entire family, only Xingxing could handle this little rascal.

Ah Wu gave birth to a boy in her third year of marriage, who took her surname, Liu, but followed the Yujia family's generational order, ranking eighth and named Liu Yongxu. Grandfather Liu declared that he could now rest in peace, yet he continued to eat two steamed buns per meal and could walk thousands of steps effortlessly after meals.

The eighth-ranked Xu Ge'er and Su Rouer's seventh-ranked Mian Ge'er were only two years apart. The two little ones were still too young to start making trouble and were currently very well-behaved, being "sister-obsessed" and constantly following Xingxing around, calling her "sister" all day.

When people spoke of the Yujia family, they couldn't help feeling envious.

The family's wealth kept growing, and their numbers kept increasing. Every time others saw the bustling and lively household, they couldn't help but feel a deep sense of envy.

The midday summer sun shone fiercely into the main courtyard, with the sound of cicadas filling the air. The grapevine was heavy with clusters of grapes, glistening and translucent.

It was now the Yujia family's afternoon nap time, and the maids could also rest for half an hour. The courtyards were all quiet and still.

However, a mischievous little boy was climbing the grapevine, stretching his hand to reach the grapes hanging from the branches.

Xingxing, having just woken up from her nap, yawned lazily as she stepped outside and saw Bang Ge'er in the courtyard, huffing and puffing as he tried to pick the grapes.

The little girl's drowsiness disappeared instantly.

Xingxing was now ten years old, and somehow, her skin had become so fair that it seemed to glow in the sunlight. Her round, almond-shaped eyes always seemed to be filled with laughter, even when she wasn't speaking. Her delicate nose and cherry lips made her look even more small and adorable.

When she smiled, her almond-shaped eyes would curve, and her dimples would appear, making her look both sweet and lively. She was the kind of granddaughter most elders found irresistible.

But now, the dream granddaughter Xingxing widened her eyes, not daring to shout, afraid of waking her grandparents, who were still napping in the main hall.

She quickly walked to the grapevine, stretching her arms out to catch Bang Ge'er below, her eyebrows furrowed as she whispered sharply, "Bang Ge'er, do you want to get a spanking?!"

—Every gentle and loving sister is just one mischievous younger brother away from being driven mad.