Just after sending Elder Brother to the Imperial Examination Hall, the children in the courtyard with hairpins and flowers hadn't left yet.
Wen Zhiyun and Chang Yan heard the noise and quickly put down what was in their hands and swarmed over.
Zhang Auntie, Zhang Uncle, and Cui Er Aunt also followed closely behind in worry.
Although Fang Heng jokingly called Jiang Sheng a "crybaby", in fact her personality was mostly tough. Many times she could hold back her tears if possible. In people's impressions, if Jiang Sheng cried, something very serious must have happened.
Everyone was flustered and rushed over, almost tripping over a shoe before reaching the door.
They happened to see Zheng Ruqian with his mouth wide open, holding a stack of silver bills, while across from him was a sobbing Jiang Sheng, her heartbreak exceeding all previous times, simply bringing listeners to tears.
"What is this, what happened?" Zhang Xianglian came over affectionately and took Jiang Sheng into her arms. "Ruqian, why is my sister crying?"
Zheng Ruqian closed his jaw, his heart also full of speculation.
It couldn't be that I made her cry, right?
No way, no way.
Chang Yan's gaze was piercing as he stared at the silver bills in Zheng Ruqian's hand. "Second brother, where did this money come from?"
"Jiang Sheng gave it to me," Zheng Ruqian said in puzzlement as he scratched his head. "Then she cried, and I don't know what happened."
Wen Zhiyun's lips moved as he said softly, "Second brother, are you sure Jiang Sheng gave it to you?"
Zheng Ruqian fell silent.
He remembered that it seemed he had reached out and grabbed it. At the time his mind was full of buying a house, digging a cellar, hiring people, and he had reflexively taken the silver bills.
Chang Yan and Wen Zhiyun clearly also understood, and helplessly spread their hands.
The meaning was, whoever made her cry should be the one to comfort her.
Zheng Ruqian suddenly became a green turtle, as heavy as if he was carrying a shell on his back. He shamelessly approached Jiang Sheng and put the silver bills back in her hand. "Good little sister, second brother knows he was wrong. Second brother won't take your money. Second brother is giving you back the money, all of it."
Jiang Sheng's sobs paused for a moment, but she couldn't control them.
Zheng Ruqian had no choice but to continue coaxing her. "Second brother won't buy a house anymore, or dig a cellar, or hire anyone. All this money is for Jiang Sheng, all for you, okay?"
Zhang Auntie also helped by wiping away tears. "Little Jiang Sheng be good, don't cry, don't cry. Auntie will help you spank Ruqian. Let's hit him."
Just like when they were very little, if a child at home bumped into the corner of a table, the parents would hold the child while hitting the table corner, tenderly comforting them at the same time.
But Jiang Sheng wasn't crying because of this at all.
She struggled to lift her head and took two more deep breaths before she could finally stop sobbing.
Looking at the second brother covering his bottom and the cherishing look on Zhang Auntie's face, Jiang Sheng hiccupped and said, "It's not that I won't give second brother money, it's just that most of this money belongs to third brother. It has to be kept for him to get married, it can't be spent!"
If it were normal times it would be fine, but right now Fang Heng was still fighting for his life on the border, life and death unknown.
Jiang Sheng truly didn't dare, and couldn't bear to touch third brother's money.
Plus suddenly remembering third brother, the young girl's tears instantly fell like a broken strand of pearls, impossible to stop.
She sobbed and finished speaking. Facing her, Zheng Ruqian's expression was quite interesting.
He felt a little happy that the younger sister wasn't unwilling to let him spend her money.
But he also felt a little heartache that after working hard and earning money for several years, he still couldn't match third brother Fang's annual allowance.
Zheng Ruqian sighed regretfully once again for not having a prestigious background.
"There there, Jiang Sheng don't cry. Ah Heng wouldn't want you to cry either." Under Zhang Auntie's gentle persuasion, Jiang Sheng's tears finally stopped falling.
She looked through blurry eyes at the two thousand taels of silver in her palm. She took one thousand five hundred taels, leaving five hundred taels which wasn't enough to do much.
After much deliberation, she still stuffed it back into Zheng Ruqian's hand.
"Second brother, you spent third brother's money, you have to earn it back when you make money in the future." The young girl said softly. "Jiang Sheng shouldn't have cried. I scared second brother. I just...miss third brother a little."
Zheng Ruqian's eyes grew moist. He reached out and patted the young girl's shoulder, his sense of responsibility growing even stronger in his heart. "Don't worry, not only will second brother return the one thousand five hundred taels to elder brother, I'll give him several times more, so he can marry whatever kind of wife he wants."
Jiang Sheng broke into a smile through her tears.
The whole courtyard with hairpins and flowers turned from gloomy to sunny, the clouds and mist parting to reveal the blue sky.
Far away by thousands of miles, Fang Heng seemed to sense it in his heart. He took out the protective mirror over his heart and looked at it, then put it away again.
"Young master, what's wrong?" Jiang Yi drew near and asked.
Fang Heng shook his head. "I've said who knows how many times, don't call me young master."
After the few of them arrived at the northern border from Anshui Prefecture, they joined the army as "wandering children" and were currently all in Platoon 2 of Company 5 of Regiment 8 stationed in the northern border.
There weren't many in the troop, just over twenty. They were often sent out to complete some minor tasks.
Like chopping firewood, catching game, and looking for clean water sources.
After a long time, it was inevitable that some would complain. "We came to join the army and fight the Tatars. How did we end up doing these trivial things?"
Only Fang Heng silently did the tasks without asking why or complaining.
Seeing him like this, the six servants also learned to keep their mouths shut.
Today was the twentieth time the leader of Company 5 had ordered the group to bring water pouches and fetch back one hundred pouches of clean drinking water.
The team started complaining again, feeling like the leader was using an ox slicer to kill chickens, feeling the leader was making a mountain out of a molehill, feeling their ambitions were hard to achieve.
Some even started slacking off. Anyway the leader had only said to fetch one hundred pouches of clean drinking water, but didn't specify a time. They could take it slowly. After all these were just trivial things.
Only Fang Heng led the six servants, plus two sixteen or seventeen-year-old youths, climbed over the high mountains, crossed the forests, and reached a small creek with clean water sources.
They took out the water bags from their clothes and gurgled in the clean water, then twisted the tops shut and threw them into packs on their horses.
Nine people, each filling over ten pouches. Although it was somewhat arduous, they still managed to complete the task.
It was at this time that Fang Heng felt a stabbing pain in his heart, as if someone was crying.
It must be his little sister. Only this crybaby, although tough at heart, in the end was still a young girl. When sad or anxious she would still shed golden beans.
Unfortunately he was thousands of miles away, and couldn't even wipe away her tears.
Fang Heng heaved a long sigh.
He turned back, mounted his horse, and brought the one hundred pouches of clean drinking water back to the campsite.
But he discovered an eerie silence at the campsite.
Fang Heng instantly became vigilant, and the six servants also concentrated mentally with high alertness. Only the other two didn't understand and held tightly onto their water pouches.
The group cautiously entered the campsite. Jiang Yi brought the other five to disperse and carefully investigate every corner, then came back to report, "Mas...Fang Heng, there are no traps."
"And no one either," Jiang Er added.
So where did the people who were slacking off at the campsite go?
Fang Heng was a little confused, but still put the water pouches in the place specified by the leader.
Unexpectedly, laughter sounded. It was actually the leader of Company 5.
He was eight feet tall with a long beard, his age unclear. His hands were exceptionally heavy, slapping Fang Heng's shoulders. If Fang Heng didn't have some skills, he probably would have been slapped down.
But hearing his voice like thunder, "Good lad, you guys passed the test. From now on you'll formally join Company 5."
So it turned out everything before had just been a test.
The nine suddenly understood.
At the same time, he pointed at Fang Heng again. "You, from now on will be the leader of these nine men."
