......
The chilling wind blew.
There was also sunshine.
A group of soldiers huddled in the wilderness, around a bonfire they had created.
Apparently, they had built it near an anthill, as numerous ants began to crawl out in succession.
One of the soldiers had a rather square face.
They had been dispatched by the Emperor to suppress the rebellious insurgents.
But upon reaching Jingzhou, they found that the so-called insurgents were simply destitute refugees desperate for food.
These refugees, feeling no fear of death, remarked that General Zi, the insurgent leader, was a living Bodhisattva who alleviated suffering. They willingly laid down their lives for him.
They claimed that being oppressed to death by officials with their exorbitant taxes was indeed death in any case. It was better to revolt, they reasoned, for at least they would have food to eat.
As the battles progressed, the soldiers themselves began to feel confused.
The enemies were easy to kill, yet their numbers were vast. Some resembled their grandfathers, some resembled their uncles, some resembled their children, each unafraid to face death.
Why had it come to this?
The soldiers were perplexed, but this was not a question they were equipped to contemplate. Being conscripted soldiers, facing the stark realities of life and death at the bottom rungs of society, they were typically uneducated.
Meng Shaoxia, amidst these soldiers, was especially bewildered.
He could recite backward the poems from the capital that extolled the Emperor: wise and accomplished, comprehending both past and present, ensuring national security and people’s livelihood, presiding over a golden age.
But was this what a golden age was supposed to look like?
The realities he had seen this time were far crueler than his prior experiences with Brother He.
Meng Shaoxia's hands were cracked from the cold.
He was relatively better off, as he at least had a padded jacket to wear.
Others, their hands frost-cracked, bleeding, were in worse shape.
They were dispatched to war, but the higher-ups had fallen behind in supplies. Lacking in food and warm clothing, pushed to desperate straits by hunger and cold, engaged in combat with commoners, the soldiers were unable to continue fighting.
While the soldiers were bewildered, they did not quite ponder questions like 'should we fight?', 'why fight?', 'how to fight?', or 'when to stop?'. Those were the worries of their superiors.
Warming themselves by the fire, several soldiers engaged in casual chit-chat: "Tiezhu, you have sorted out the issues with your woman?"
The tall soldier, Tiezhu, spoke of his wife-to-be with slight embarrassment, but nodded seriously: "Just waiting to return from this campaign. If we have merit recognized, get a reward, it can be her dowry."
"What about you, Fang?"
Meng Shaoxia was immersed in his confusion.
Suddenly asked this question, he was even more perplexed.
"I haven't confessed my feelings to her yet, my parents don't seem to agree."
Tiezhu placed his large arm on his shoulder, feeling the muscular strength of the young man.
"Is something wrong with the girl?"
"No, she is a good girl."
"Is something wrong with her siblings or parents?"
"No, they are good people too."
"Then why do your parents disagree? Is your family of some high status? Finding a wife in these times is not easy. Once you find someone you like, you have to pursue her aggressively, else she will become someone else's wife."
Meng Shaoxia could only give a bitter smile as his other shoulder was grabbed and shaken vigorously.
"Fang, you might be fierce in a fight, but when it comes to pursuing a girl, you’re lacking. Listen to us."
……
As if a retreating tide, the ants disappeared back into their mound.
Aunt Yin felt like her heart was being torn apart.
Just pretend not to see.
Blurry vision.
Presumably due to lack of sleep and advancing age, blurry vision was quite normal.
Jiang Mianmian watched the ants scatter and turned around to see Aunt Yin standing behind her, swaying slightly, thinking that Aunt Yin might indeed be getting old.
To prevent her husband from being infuriated to death, it was necessary to supplement him with some Magic Spring Water.
Because she overheard Mom talking to Father last night from the corner of the bed, Father said Aunt Yin was pitiable, having no children and living a solitary life, and told Mom to treat her well as if she were her own aunt.
Qin Luoxia was delighted; she always felt unsupported by her own family, unable to help her husband. Now that her husband said they could truly treat her as a real aunt, she felt very happy.
Jiang Mianmian was quite happy listening to Mom's voice.
It seemed like she even excitedly caught a mouse in the middle of the night.
Elder Sister could have an extra meal now, as she liked to snack on dried mice.
Jiang Mianmian shifted her buttocks and patted the grass mat beside her, saying, "Aunt Yin, please sit."
Aunt Yin took a deep breath and then sat down.
She inhaled a bit too sharply, the air cooled, and she couldn't help coughing violently.
Feeling a small, fleshy hand patting her back.
Aunt Yin coughed even harder.
It wasn't because she was touched, but because the little girl's strength was so great, it felt like a small copper hammer was pounding her, making it hard for her to catch her breath.
Jiang Mianmian thought to herself, only Father loved to cough at home, and he was much better now after drinking the Magic Spring Water; he just pretended to cough in front of others, it wasn't real coughing. She had previously interned in the pulmonary department of a hospital, where patients who had undergone lung surgery were required to cough the next day, using strength from their abdomen, as different muscles and sounds were involved depending on the part of the body.
Listening to Aunt Yin's cough grow louder, Jiang Mianmian's little face looked worried.
Aunt Yin's symptoms were even worse than Father's, not only coughing but also wheezing severely.
Aunt Yin, who had been beaten until she coughed up years of old phlegm, silently wrapped it up and got up to throw it away.
Qin Luoxia had gone out early in the morning and now returned to see Aunt Yin and Mianmian; she smiled and said, "Aunt, I'll take you for a walk around the village to get to know everyone."
Aunt Yin thought that if she were to escape, she indeed needed to familiarize herself with the village's layout.
Otherwise, it would be pointless to escape the house if she couldn't get out of the village.
She agreed happily.
So, Jiang Mianmian watched as Mom held her in one arm and led Aunt Yin around the village with the other.
Qin Luoxia introduced her warmly to everyone they met: "This is my cousin aunt, my real cousin aunt. She'll be staying with us from now on. If you see her and need anything, give her a hand."
The villagers all called out to Aunt Yin.
Aunt Yin was somewhat embarrassed by this open warmth.
The villagers' way of expressing closeness involved eagerly touching, pulling arms, pinching hands, and shaking hands.
"Your aunt, so robust, your aunt, you have a good physique, your aunt, it's great you're here to help with the kids, your aunt, your family Qin Luoxia is really nice..."
Jiang Mianmian watched from Mom's arms as Mr. Yin instantly blended in with the village ladies, without any sense of discord, which was impressive.
Mr. Yin was really something.
He had already started to inquire about everyone's affairs.
At that moment, a group of men in the village fields nearby burst into loud laughter.
Everyone rushed over to see what the excitement was about.
Jiang Mianmian also peered out.
Fortunately, Mom's long legs quickly carried her to the scene.
It was the beginning of spring, and everyone was considering farming.
Every year, they would invite a respected elder to start the planting.
Previously, it was always Lord Liu who would lecture everyone, urging them to work hard for him and not to be lazy.
But this year, these fields, Mr. Jiang said he would distribute them to everyone, and it was already being implemented. Although the portions were small, Mr. Jiang said that as they grew stronger, they would have more land, and eventually, every man in the village could have his own plot and marry a wife.
So this year, it was Mr. Jiang who started the farming.
That noise just now was the crowd watching Mr. Jiang and his son actually stepping into the field themselves.
It was quite strange. Before, everyone mocked Jiang the second for not being able to carry or lift anything, and for doing no work.
Now, everyone respected Mr. Jiang, who still couldn't carry or lift; he merely stepped into the muddy field, accidentally getting mud on his clothes and face, which moved and excited everyone, eliciting kind laughter.
Jiang Mianmian saw her Father playing in the mud and got a little excited; she wanted to join too.
But Mom held her back.
Aunt Yin saw the man standing in the mud, covered in mud, still smiling and talking to the people around him.
With every step, he left a muddy footprint, friendly and amiable, chatting and laughing with the villagers, his charm infectious. Whatever he said, the surrounding people nodded and cheered wildly, their faces flushed with excitement.
It was like the time years ago when they met Master Jingjue, who merely spoke calmly and managed to excite everyone to nod and agree passionately, which terrified her. Because of that event with Master Jingjue, at least a thousand people died.
Jiang Changtian saw his wife in the crowd, walked out of the mud, and wiped his hands clean.
He then picked up Mianmian and smiled, "What brings you here?"
Qin Luoxia also smiled, "I brought my aunt to get familiar with the villagers, after all, she'll be living with them from now on."
Jiang Mianmian spoke up, "Dad, Mianmian wants to jump in the mud puddles too!"
Jiang Changtian pinched his daughter's nose and ruffled the girl's hair.
Then he reached out to touch his wife's head and said, "Hands are clean now, no mud."
Jiang Mianmian: ...Dad, did you use your daughter's nose and hair to wipe your hands?
Aunt Yin's shivering body warmed slightly at that moment.
Perhaps it was different.
He could love; he had a wife and a child in his eyes; he was different.
