Chapter 179 Tong’er

Chapter 179: Tong'er

The captured bandits were surrounded by soldiers on the drying ground of Red Leaf Village, torches blazing brightly. Song Tingzhou was accompanied by two minor officials, one holding a stack of arrest warrants to compare with the bandits' faces, the other recording with a brush.

"Liu Biao of Evil Tiger Ridge in Qinzhou, known as the Black Rakshasa, dark-skinned, ugly, with a peanut-sized black mole on his chin. Killed eighteen villagers in Huangtun Village, burned three homes, raped six women and young men..."

"Zhang Xiaodiao of Evil Tiger Ridge in Qinzhou, known as San Diao, thin, skilled with double swords, intercepted and killed merchants in twenty-nine incidents..."

The Village Head listened nearby, heart pounding, lips trembling. "M… Magistrate, the He family in the village was slaughtered by these mountain bandits. Old He and his wife, along with He the Elder and his wife, died on the spot. He the Fourth's wife and their daughter also perished."

Song Tingzhou frowned slightly. As the local County Magistrate, he naturally didn't want any casualties, but they had arrived too late.

Thousand Commander Ma led soldiers over. "Lord Song, Captain Qin has not yet returned from pursuing the remaining bandits. I will take men to meet him." Technically, a Thousand Commander outranked a county magistrate, but since they were imperial garrison troops, the Thousand Commander maintained a courteous attitude toward Song Tingzhou.

Song Tingzhou clasped his hands in a bow. "Commander Ma, just go find him. The county constables and runners here are enough for now."

Commander Ma urgently led troops to search the east end of the village. If anything happened to the Zhongyi Marquis Heir under his command, his entire family wouldn't survive.

Just after Commander Ma left, a woman rushed over to find the Village Head. It was Grass Brother's mother, who had been searching in vain for her son at the Village Head's house. "Village Head, is your Erzhuang here? Our home was robbed! Daniu broke his arm, and Chen Er is dying! I can't drive a cart—tell Erzhuang to take the ox cart and fetch a doctor!" She was out of breath, tears streaming.

The Village Head was stunned. "Chen Er is dying? Erniu, hurry—"

Song Tingzhou's eyes showed contemplation. More bandits? Could these be the ones Qin Jiao was chasing? But Qin Jiao had only been gone a short while, and this woman had come from the east—it clearly took time.

He instructed a yamen runner beside him, "Go and bring Miss Qingxing here."

Qingxing was in the back treating injured soldiers and runners, so she arrived quickly. "Lord Song, you called for me?"

Song Tingzhou first said to Grass Brother's mother, "This young lady is a doctor. Take us to see your family's condition first."

Grass Brother's mother's eyes shone with grateful tears. "Oh, wonderful! Please come home with me. My husband took a slash to the back—he can't move and he's unconscious... "

Inspector Huang and Tao Jiu stayed to guard the bandits, while Chu Ci treated the wounded in the rear. Song Tingzhou, the Village Head, and Qingxing followed Grass Brother's mother to the Chen family home.

By then, Commander Ma's troops had surrounded the Chen family home. Qin Jiao pushed the door open and came out, looking slightly awkward as he explained, "Commander Ma, it's a misunderstanding. The remaining bandits have already been dealt with, and I'm fine."

He looked up and saw Song Tingzhou approaching from a distance and suddenly called into the house, "You were looking for Lord Song? He's here."

Fang Jinrong opened the window. Seeing Song Tingzhou approaching, he shouted excitedly, "Song Tingzhou! It really is him!"

Old friends reuniting. Song Tingzhou looked up, startled at first, then a trace of a smile appeared in his eyes as he saw Fang Jinrong and Ge Quan behind him.

Chen Er's injuries were too severe to move much, so they carried him into the more spacious main hall, laying him on straw and padded mats on the floor. Qingxing rushed in to perform emergency treatment, while Grass Brother's mother boiled water and assisted.

"Song Tingzhou, you're a High Official now. That's amazing." Fang Jinrong's temperament was still the same, and his appearance hadn't changed much. Though he was past twenty and had a child, he still didn't seem very mature.

Song Tingzhou smiled helplessly. "Thank you. Wan'er said you two were in Qinzhou before? Did you leave because of the war?"

Ge Quan said, "More or less. Ever since we received your letter, Jinrong wanted to come to Xiwu to see you, but he was indisposed at the time and couldn't travel. Last year, Qinzhou became unstable, not suitable for our family of four to stay, so we brought Tong'er and set out for Xiwu Prefecture."

Hearing him mention the child, Song Tingzhou noticed a tiny baby lying on the bed, about three months old, with strikingly fair and delicate skin, eyes closed as if sleeping soundly.

Fang Jinrong awkwardly picked up the child and showed him off, saying smugly, "My kid is very well-behaved—always sleeping, never crying or fussing."

His face was full of pride, but Song Tingzhou sensed something wrong. "Has he been sleeping the whole journey? Never crying or fussing?" Babies a few months old aren't really 'well-behaved'; they cry when hungry, smile when played with.

Traveling was harsh—even adults found it difficult. How could a baby not cry or fuss?

Seeing Song Tingzhou's expression, Ge Quan quickly asked, "Is something wrong?"

Song Tingzhou wasn't sure, but at least there was a doctor nearby.

By then, Qingxing had finished treating Chen Er's wounds and was prescribing medicine for Grass Brother's mother to boil. She heard Song Tingzhou's voice: "Qingxing, come look at the baby first."

Grass Brother opened his mouth as if to protest, wanting to say his brother's treatment wasn't finished, but seeing his mother silent, he said nothing.

Qingxing sat by the bed, first lifted the baby's eyelids, then opened his mouth to check his tongue, hands, feet, and limbs.

Fang Jinrong grew anxious. "Miss, what's wrong with my son? Is he sick?"

A terrible thought crossed his mind, and his eyes suddenly filled with tears. "My husband carries him on his back while fighting—did his brain get rattled!"

Ge Quan silently blamed himself. He carried him steadily, but maybe he still jostled the baby?

Qingxing: "..."

She stood up, silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "How long has it been since you fed him?"

"Could it be that the baby fainted from hunger?"

After a journey of rough travel and irregular meals, after being fed milk from a young mother who had just given birth in Red Leaf Village, little Ge Chengtong let out a loud, indignant cry laced with grievance.

Three days later, the couple had settled into the Song residence. A Yan had grown and now slept in a bed, so his old crib was given to Fang Jinrong and Ge Quan's son, Tong'er.

Meng Wan stood by the crib, looking at the sleeping baby and remarking in amazement, "He's as fair as Brother Ge, and looks like him too." The baby was about three months old, almost a replica of Ge Quan.

Fang Jinrong sat on a soft couch peeling an orange. "It makes me mad just thinking about it. Hmph!" He had suffered, and the child ended up looking like Ge Quan.

Meng Wan mocked him gently, "What's there to be mad about? I heard you two starved your baby on the road? Tsk, tsk, what great dads you are."

Fang Jinrong couldn't even eat the orange anymore. He said guiltily, "How was I supposed to know babies need to eat so many times a day? Sometimes there was no one around on the road, and I couldn't help it."

"Tong'er is still so small. You should have prepared two female goats before setting out, so you could warm milk for him on the way." Meng Wan was speechless. It's a wonder the child survived—he must be sturdy. Fang Jinrong was unreliable, but Ge Quan hadn't thought of it either.

"After giving birth, I had help taking care of him..." Fang Jinrong knew he had been a bit irresponsible, his voice trailing off.

Meng Wan changed the subject. "Where's Master Ge?"

Fang Jinrong: "That old man is even less reliable than us. Probably got drunk somewhere and got lost."

Well, none of them were dependable.

Seeing Tong'er about to wake up, Meng Wan picked him up before he could cry. "Little Tong'er, you'd better grow up fast."

After the New Year, chaos grew in Qinzhou. The garrison outside Heshan County was ordered to support Qinzhou, and Qin Jiao, as a Captain, set off without delay.

Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou bid him farewell. They cleared the empty courtyard for Ge Quan and Fang Jinrong's family to live in, but since they didn't know how to care for the baby, Tong'er stayed in the main courtyard to be looked after.

Huang Ye was already raising one kid—what was one more? He was still a child himself but already had extensive babysitting experience.

The happiest person at home was A Yan. He had a little brother, but after a few days of novelty, he found the baby only ate and slept, which was boring.

"Father, I want a sister, not a crybaby." A Yan went to Meng Wan to complain, his little brows furrowed in distress.

The sugar workshop reopened after the New Year, and sugar merchants from throughout Xiwu Prefecture came to negotiate. The workshop needed to sign contracts with these merchants based on remaining sugarcane quantities. Meng Wan had been busy lately and had no time for his son.

He stopped leaving and rubbed his son's head. "Your sister's family is busy. Do you want to come with Daddy to the sugar workshop to play?" The Wei family was a mess—they fought and broke things all through the New Year. Who knows what they're up to? Without Zhenniang, they'd probably be eating air.

"Sugar-sugar?" A Yan thought for a moment, nodded, and didn't forget to set a condition, "Sweet drink."

Meng Wan agreed without hesitation, "Alright, come with Dad."

He turned a corner as he left and called out to the Ge family's small courtyard ahead, "Jin Rong, do you want to come to the sugar mill with me?"

"Coming!" Fang Jin Rong responded promptly.

Meng Wan carried A Yan into the carriage and waited. After a moment, he saw Jin Rong come out in a moon-white brocade robe with a gray fur cloak over it.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Fang Jin Rong asked curiously as he got into the carriage.

Meng Wan shook his head with a smile, "All these years, you haven't changed a bit."

Fang Jin Rong put on a worldly air, "I've been through a lot—I'm a lot sharper now. You know what? Back then when Brother Quan and I left Changping to find his friend, we happened to rescue a xiaoge along the way. Well, that xiaoge latched onto us, calling him 'Brother Ge' every chance he got. I thought he was going to start laying eggs..."

"Ahem." Ge Quan coughed lightly. He was practically inseparable from Fang Jin Rong and was currently riding a horse outside.

Fang Jin Rong ignored him completely, "I told Ge Quan to send that clucking fellow away, but when the xiaoge heard that, he cried and said he'd be our servant, no title or anything, just serve us."

"And then?" Meng Wan was intrigued, and the A Yan in his arms was also listening wide-eyed.

"What else? Since he offered to be our servant, I had him wash and make my bed every day. He probably could cook well, but Ge Quan wouldn't let me eat his food. Maybe he was afraid the guy would poison me, since he'd sneak stares at me, grinding his teeth, haha!" Fang Jin Rong still laughed at the memory of that xiaoge's aggrieved expression.

He wasn't stupid, even a bit clever, but he had been spoiled since childhood and liked to throw little fits. If that xiaoge hadn't suddenly appeared and provoked him, who knows when he'd finally come to his senses.

The Heshan Sugar Mill came into view. Like everyone else seeing it for the first time, Fang Jin Rong was stunned. "Holy cow! You started with a tiny breakfast stand and built this huge sugar mill?"

Meng Wan walked ahead holding his son's hand. "When I started the breakfast shop, I just wanted to earn money to support my husband's imperial exams. Later, I experienced a lot and met many people. I wanted to do my small part to benefit the people."

Ge Quan was full of admiration, "You and Lord Song are both extraordinary."

"Sigh, we can't do everything." Meng Wan was also worried. The lime shaft kiln outside the county town had been built, and the lime mixed for paving roads was indeed more durable than before, but it fell far short of what Meng Wan needed.

Despite being busy at the mill, Fang Jin Rong couldn't stand staying past noon. He said he wanted to see the kiln yard Meng Wan had mentioned.

They left, and took A Yan with them. Meng Wan was worried sick his son would get corrupted by Fang Jin Rong.

When he returned home that evening, his son was standing at the kitchen door holding a wooden bowl, safe and sound. Meng Wan suddenly missed him terribly, hugged A Yan, and smothered him with a kiss.

A Yan: "???"

A Yan looked at him blankly, then gave a drooly kiss back.

Dinner was prepared by Chang Jinhua, real northern food that Fang Jin Rong loved. "Aunt Chang, your cooking is delicious. I love the Crispy Chicken from your shop too."

Chang Jinhua used serving chopsticks to give him a chicken leg. "If you like it, eat more. Auntie will make it for you every day."

Fang Jin Rong took a bite of the chicken leg. "Then I'll eat as much as I can these few days."

Meng Wan, hungry after a long day, didn't catch anything weird about what he said. After that, he was busy early and late. Three days later, when he finally had some free time, he suddenly sensed something amiss. "Where's Jin Rong? And Brother Ge?"

Chang Jinhua walked past him holding Tong'er. "I think you've been so busy you're out of it. Didn't they tell you they were going out for a few days to find some friend to help Da Lang with that lime?"

Meng Wan couldn't believe it. "When did he tell me that?"

"And how come you're holding Tong'er?"

Chang Jinhua was also stunned for a moment. "Ah? Before they left, I made a polite offer to keep Tong'er here, to spare him the trouble of all that travel."

Meng Wan took Tong'er, who had already gained weight in the half month he'd been at their house, and said with a wry laugh, "Oh Tong'er, your unreliable dad must have had a sudden whim to go play somewhere again."

The two were gone for half a month. After half a month, they actually brought back a famous martial arts craftsman for Lord Song.

The martial artist, who had strong principles, heard that Lord Song was building this thing to benefit the people. Without a second word, he packed his bag and came to Heshan with Ge Quan.