Twenty-eight forget you

  Only to see the wooden door open, another sturdy and mischievous child walked out, also dressed in mourning attire, following behind Little Niang. He affectionately called out "Auntie". Xiao Wu's head buzzed with a sudden realization - wasn't that rascal his own son, Yue Yun? Could it be... he dared not think further.

  That eleven or twelve-year-old little girl lovingly held Yue Yun in her arms, and from her sleeve she pulled out a dried fruit and stuffed it into his mouth. Unexpectedly, Yue Yun's eyes were sharp, and with one glance he saw his father on the other side of the big locust tree. He opened his arms wide from the little girl's embrace, with the dried fruit still in his mouth, and excitedly called out: "Dad! Dad!"

  Xiao Nizi heard the sound and raised her head, saw Xiao Wu, showed a surprised expression, hugged Yue Yun and came forward to greet him. Xiao Wu dismounted, tied the white horse under the tree, stepped quickly forward, took over his son, glanced at Xiao Nizi, with a puzzled look, unsure of how to start speaking.

  "Second Brother, don't you recognize your little sister?" The little girl smiled faintly, but her eyes reddened. "Hurry up and go inside, your mother wants to scold you."

  "Little sister?" Xiao Wu's childhood memories were stirred up, he indeed had a youngest sister, Yue Chu, the only daughter of his uncle and aunt. He had carried her in his arms before, when she was just two years old. Later, she followed their uncle to another place for work, and ten years had passed since then. Suddenly seeing her now, how could he recognize her?

  "Dad is home! Dad is home!" Yunnan, who was still young and mischievous, shouted with joy on his father's shoulders. Hearing the commotion, three people came out of the house: Yehong, Yefan, and Liu Bi.

  Xiao Wu saw that the three of them were also dressed in mourning clothes, her heart racing with anxiety, and she forced herself to ask Da Jie: "Sister, what's going on?"

  Yue Hong's eyes welled up with tears before she could speak, and Xiao Liu saw Wu Ge, as if he had found his backbone, and burst into loud wailing: "Dad, Dad is gone..."

  "Dad...he..." Xiaowu's body swayed twice, and he fainted.

  Liu Wei saw the situation and quickly took down her son, with red eyes adding: "My husband contracted typhoid fever last month and didn't pull through. Brother-in-law, go take a look at my mother-in-law, she was first busy with my husband's funeral, then heard that only over ten of the brave warriors who went out to fight in Zhejiang province came back, but you weren't among them, and she has been worried sick, unable to eat or sleep."

  Xiao Wu heard that his mother was like this, and he forced himself to be calm. He took three steps as two steps into the house, saw his mother who seemed to have aged ten years, and suddenly fell to the ground crying: "Mother, I'm unfilial..."

  Mrs. Yao, who had just suffered the pain of losing her husband, saw her son return safely and was both sad and joyful, with tears streaming down her face: "Wulang, you're back, that's good! Your father's ashes are still in the hall, go quickly to report your safe return to him."

  The Song people were accustomed to cremation, first because the cost of burial was enormous, and secondly because Buddhism advocated for cremation, proclaiming that the deceased could ascend to the Western Paradise through this method. The Yue family believed in Buddhism, so they cremated Yue, but had not yet buried him, as Yao insisted on waiting for Wu Lang's return to send off his father.

  The day of the formal burial, according to custom, even a poor and humble family would make great efforts to hold a grand ceremony, as it is said "Filial piety is most important in funeral rites", "In all matters related to the dead, one should be more generous than when they were alive". The relatives and neighbors of the Yue family gathered together, setting up over ten tables of wine and dishes in the courtyard. Even Xiao Wu's maternal grandfather, Yao Daweng, had come.

  Xiao Wu was wearing a mourning hat and clothes, showing the utmost filial piety. Just as he was busy running back and forth, he suddenly heard a commotion outside the door. He quickly went out to investigate and saw three men pulling a cart loaded with pig heads, sheep, fruit, and other goods, unloading them from the cart. One had a sandy face, one had a red face, and one had a white face - they were Wang Gui, Xu Qing, and Zhang Xian.

  "Brother Wang, two virtuous younger brothers, how did you arrive?" Xiaowu suddenly saw three sworn brothers who had gone through life and death together, and was momentarily overjoyed.

  "Brother, your parents are also our parents. Such a big thing happened, but you didn't even call us. Luckily Xu Qing got the news and we were able to rush here in time." Wang Gui said with a scolding face.

  "Brother, you're back, but you've forgotten about us..." Xu Qing and Zhang Xuan were chattering away, their expressions as if they had grown up together with Xiao Wu since childhood, when in fact they had only known each other for two or three months.

  "You've come, you've come, what's the point of bringing so many gifts?" Little Wu awkwardly rubbed his hands together, feeling moved in his heart but unable to express it. As soon as he returned home, he kept vigil for his deceased father and didn't leave the house, truly forgetting to contact those relatives.

  "Alright, alright, let's go pay our respects to Auntie!" The three of them strode straight in, making a ruckus, acting as if they owned the place, bowing to everyone they met, and managed to dispel quite a bit of the gloomy atmosphere at the banquet.

  "This is my mother!" Little Wu led the three to his mother's table and introduced, "Mother, these three are comrades who went to the battlefield with me. This is Brother Wang Gui, and these two brothers are Xu Qing and Zhang Xian."

  "Children pay respects to their stepmother!" Wang Gui, Xu Qing and Zhang Xian bowed their heads and paid homage, performing a grand ceremony, truly treating the young fifth's mother as if she were their own.

  Xiao Wu couldn't help but feel a little ashamed, saying that he had not formally sworn brotherhood with these three people, yet the feeling was more intimate than those who had sworn brotherhood before, except for Han Jiu'er, Hua He Shang and Wu Xingzhe.

  "It turned out to be the brave warriors who conquered Liao, hurry up! Fifth brother, quickly lead them to their seats!" Mrs. Yao stood up in a slightly flustered manner, suddenly gaining three adopted sons, all of whom were outstanding and talented, making the old lady feel delighted.

  The three of them exchanged pleasantries, then squeezed onto the main table filled with the bride's close relatives. They listened as Xiao Wu introduced each person present, and whatever Xiao Wu called out, they echoed in unison, completely without reserve.

  "Three young men, Old Han heard his grandson say, you guys are really lucky to be alive! Come on, let's all have a drink together to celebrate." The eldest, Yao Daweng, spoke first, and at the table, everyone except Xiao Wu raised their cups and drank.

  "Three brothers, tell me about your fighting experience." Xiaoliu's eyes were filled with envy, and Wu Ge had only briefly mentioned it before. It was rare to have such a detailed understanding opportunity.

  "Tell us, tell us..." The seats were all men, who also wanted to hear the first-hand news from the front line of the expedition against Liao. However, Xiao Wu was taciturn and few in words, and he was also in mourning, so it was not good to ask him many questions.

  Wang Gui, Xu Qing and Zhang Xian were not good at speaking either, but they talked more than Xiao Wu. One person would say a sentence, and the other would respond with another sentence, complementing each other, until the sensational battle between Song and Liao was vividly replayed before everyone's eyes.

  The three of them had loud voices, initially only attracting the attention of the people at the main table, then the nearby tables, and finally the entire courtyard fell silent, with everyone listening to their conversation.

  The three men spoke of their personal experiences, though in rustic dialects, yet extraordinarily authentic. As they reached the climax, some spat out saliva, others drank heavily, and others slammed their fists on the table and cursed loudly, all evoking a chorus of resonance.

  When it comes to the battle of surprise attack on Youzhou City, which was about to be won but ultimately lost, the three people were even more excited. The sweeping of the Forbidden Army, the bravery of the brave warriors, and Liu Guangshi's failure to provide support caused the emotions of the hundred or so people in the temple to fluctuate greatly. In the end, the final battle to break through the city walls was focused on Xiaowu.

  Three people, without any exaggeration, made it clear to everyone present why they considered Xiaowu a sworn brother for life and death. They recounted how Xiaowu disregarded his own safety, fought against hundreds alone, and protected his teammates as they broke through the city, one by one. Even if some words were not chosen correctly, it did not affect the listeners' feelings.

  The distant relatives and neighbors, the elderly women and children of the Yue family, only then understood that this quiet and taciturn Wulang was actually such a heroic figure with iron blood. After his return, he only said that he had escaped from the city and was lucky to be alive, but didn't think there were so many twists and turns, so many dangers! Especially Xiao Liu Yue and Yao Mei Yue Chu reacted the most, sitting at two separate tables, the two little ones suddenly stood up in unison, fixing their eyes on Xiaowu's body, who remained seated and silent, and said in unison: "Brother Wu, remember to bring us next time..."

  Madam Yao was already in tears, her son had suffered such hardships and difficulties, yet he didn't utter a single complaint, truly a good son of the Yue family! His father's spirit in heaven should be at peace now!

  According to custom, after the parents' death, the son observes a three-year mourning period. Ben Yu had to re-enlist in the army, so Xiao Wu had no choice but to stay at home and take on the responsibility of being the eldest son. Yao Shi had originally arranged a marriage for Xiao Liu, which was also delayed as a result.

  After Uncle Yang Mou rushed to mourn his brother, he went abroad again, but left Yang Chu in her hometown and handed her over to her aunt Yao Shi for care. Aunt Yao's original intention was to let Yang Chu learn good needlework and find a good husband in the future, but unexpectedly the little girl had no interest in this and wanted to follow Wu Ge to report to the country with military merit and become a heroic woman.

  Xiao Wu follows her mother's wishes and doesn't teach Yue Chu martial arts. When she takes Xiao Liu to practice, she also avoids her. However, the little girl is persistent and secretly observes and learns on her own. Xiao Wu is also moved by her younger sister's determination, and sometimes when practicing martial arts, even though she knows Yue Chu is nearby learning in secret, she pretends not to know.

  But Xiao Wu was a man after all, and his martial arts skills may not be suitable for women. He was best at archery, but Yue Chu wasn't interested in that. Conveniently, Wang Gui, Xu Qing, and Zhang Xian often came to visit Xiao Wu, so Yue Chu asked these three brothers to teach her instead. Xiao Wu didn't dare stop them.

  All three of them treated Yue Chu as their own sister, and they would do whatever she asked. However, Wang Gui's large knife and Xu Qing's dual hammers were not suitable for a woman. On the other hand, Zhang Xian's spear techniques and excellent swordsmanship were more to her liking, so he taught her everything. Later, Yao Shi also found out and saw that her niece's straightforwardness was unchanged, just like Wu Lang, they seemed to be made from the same mold. She could only let out a soft sigh and let it go.

  Wang Gui, Xu Qing and Zhang Xian would first pay their respects to Madam Yao whenever they came to Xiaoyi Village. Then they would accompany Xiao Wu to offer sacrifices at the tomb of Yue He, after which they would help with farm work. Finally, they would gather together at the threshing ground, where the three brothers and sisters of the Yue family would join them, making a total of six people, to engage in martial arts training.

  Among them, the most eye-catching was Yue Chu. She was born with a beautiful appearance, wearing a simple and elegant outfit, dancing with the sword in her hand, making silver flowers bloom one after another. She was indeed better than her master Zhang Xian when it came to sword fighting, sometimes even surpassing him.

  At first, Xiaoliu thought Zhang Xian was intentionally letting her win and felt displeased with Yāo Mèi's complacent attitude, so she challenged her to a duel. To avoid accidental injury, the blades of the swords used for practice were all blunt, and the guns had their muzzles removed. After a round of fighting, Xiaoliu was often beaten by Yāo Mèi until her face was bruised and swollen, while Yāo Mèi's hair remained perfectly in place.

  Xiao Wu sighed in his heart, thinking that if Xiao Mei were a man, she would definitely be capable of great things, while Liu Di could at most only serve as a deputy general and was not qualified to take sole command.

  At that time, Yue Yun, who was already five years old, also led a group of mischievous children to join in the fun. He liked to hold Xu Qing's double hammers, but being young and weak, he couldn't lift them up.

  This group of adults and children, under the reddish glow of sunset, wielded knives and guns, exchanged blows and kicks, shouted and yelled, forming a beautiful rural landscape.

  It was as calm before a storm, and also like the last glow of life before death. From the winter solstice of Xuanhe 4 to Xuanhe 7, the Song Dynasty experienced its most glorious years since its founding. After Tong Guan's two failed military campaigns against Liao, he feared punishment from the court and secretly sent envoys to request that the Jin state send troops to assist him. The Jin army then launched a large-scale invasion, capturing Yanjing, and Tong Guan again dispatched envoys to negotiate, exchanging high prices for the return of Yanjing and its surrounding six states. However, when the Jin army withdrew, they plundered the prosperous city of Yanjing, taking all the wealth and able-bodied men and beautiful women. The Song Dynasty only recovered a few empty cities. Despite this, the court and its officials still considered it an honor that had not been seen in 200 years, and they extravagantly boasted and celebrated.

  Xiao Wu spent the most peaceful period of his life at home, being filial to his mother, accompanying his wife and teaching his children, having friends to interact with, isn't it a joy? The only thing that stirred up waves in his heart was the Qingming Festival that year.

  At the time of Qingming, rain falls heavily, and travelers on the road are cut off from their souls.

  It was raining again that day, as usual. Xiao Wu had originally planned to go with Sixth Brother to pay respects to their late father, but Sixth Brother had gotten a chill from getting rained on the previous day and was resting in bed. Yue Chu volunteered to accompany Fifth Brother to offer sacrifices at his uncle's grave.

  The brother and sister put on their rain cloaks and conical hats, carried the offerings, and headed to their ancestors' tombs.

  Everything is green, the small rain falls ceaselessly, a musty smell of wet earth floats in the air, and people's hearts seem to have grown a layer of fluff, which is also slightly itchy.

  Xiao Wu's mind flashed with his late father's appearance and smile, feeling melancholy. Suddenly, Yue Chu exclaimed: "Fifth Brother, who is that?"

  Xiao Wu heard the sound and looked over, far away he saw in front of his late father's grave, a white-robed woman with a green oil-paper umbrella on her head, standing upright, bowing her head to mourn.

  "Could it be Ah Sao?" Yue Chu muttered to herself, but then shook her head. According to custom, a daughter-in-law was not supposed to attend the tomb-sweeping ceremony, and Liu Li still had to stay home to take care of the old and young.

  "Maybe we've come to the wrong grave?" Xiaowu speculated, but immediately denied it herself, because the tombstones all had the names and life stories of their ancestors engraved on them, how could they be mistaken. Who was she? Xiaowu and his sister were full of doubts, quickly walking forward.

  The woman holding the umbrella heard the noise, but when she turned her head, she revealed a stunningly beautiful face that seemed to be from another world. Her crystal-clear cheeks still had tears on them, and as soon as she saw the small face under the bamboo hat, her bright eyes sparkled instantly. She turned around, bowed slightly, and said in a clear and pleasant voice: "Brother, long time no see, are you well?"

  " Ninth sister, all is well!" Little Wu was stunned for a moment, never expecting to run into that little girl who had been hidden in the depths of his heart here. It had been several years since they last met, and she had grown even more beautiful and elegant, but that hint of youthful vitality that lingered in Little Wu's dreams remained unchanged. He silently replied in his heart, "I'm fine, how have you been?"

  "Is this little sister? You should call me Sister Yi. " Han Jiu'er smiled at Yue Chu, that radiant smile was enough to dispel the gloom in the sky and the mold on the ground. She seemed to understand the people of Xiao Wu's family quite well, and then turned to him, "When Father Yi passed away, Little Sister couldn't come to pay her respects, today makes up for it."

  Yue Chu's eyes widened in surprise, and no matter how she looked at it, she couldn't believe that the usually wooden and serious Fifth Brother had taken in such an ethereal younger sister. Looking at her temperament, she was clearly a refined young lady from a good family, and standing next to the rough and simple-minded Fifth Brother, it was hard to understand. Yue Chu had just turned fourteen, the same age as Han Jiu when he met Little Wu. Girls' emotions developed early, and although she was still naive, she could sense that there was some inexplicable feeling between Fifth Brother and this younger sister. She couldn't help but feel curious and a little excited, wondering what Fifth Brother would do next.

  "Wait here for a moment, little sister." Xiao Wu felt embarrassed being looked at by Yao Mei, and could only avoid her gaze, turning to Han Jiu'er and saying, "Ninth Miss, let's talk over there."

  "Little sister naturally listens to big brother." Han Jiuer's clever eyes winked at Yue Chu with a mischievous glint, and she walked away first, but it was unclear whether she was referring to herself or Yue Chu, or perhaps both.

  "Sister, what's your name?" Yue Chu suddenly had a good impression of this sister and quickly asked.

  "You can just call me Ninth Sister then." Han Jiuer tossed out this sentence from afar, and Xiao Wu scratched his head as he followed after her.

  " Ninth sister, didn't we agree on this?" Little Wu's mind was already in disarray, unsure of what to say next.

  "Can we forget each other in the rivers and lakes, can we forget each other in our hometown? But can we really forget each other from the bottom of our hearts? Brother, maybe you can do it, but I, little sister, cannot! You don't know, in this life, my heart has no room for anyone else...". Han Jiuer whispered softly, yet she wanted to pour out all the hardships and longing of these years in this rare and brief reunion. Tears had already fallen like raindrops on an umbrella, rolling down one by one.

  Jiǎo ér's tears that fell on the rain-soaked grass also shattered Xiǎo Wǔ's sealed heart. On this ancestral tomb of the Yue family, he could no longer deceive his ancestors who were watching from above, nor could he deceive the young woman who had put aside her dignity just to see him once more. He could not deceive his own conscience, which was always before him. A man has tears but does not easily shed them; it's just that the sorrow had not yet reached its peak. His eyes were red from holding back tears, and his voice was hoarse: "Jiǎo ér, how could I have ever forgotten you? It's just that my status is lowly, and I have a wife and children, so there's no possibility of us being together! Jiǎo ér, if there's an afterlife, I, Yue Fei, will definitely take you as my wife!"

  "Brother, with these words of yours, Jiuer has no regrets in this life..." Han Jiuer bit her lip and burst into tears, the countless sorrows in her heart were all dissolved by this killer's few words. If not for Yue Chu watching from over there, she would have thrown herself into his arms long ago.

  Although Yue Chu was far away and separated by the rain, she couldn't see the facial expressions of Fifth Brother and Ninth Sister clearly. However, her keen sense of hearing, honed from years of sword practice, allowed her to hear their conversation with perfect clarity. It turned out that Fifth Brother and Ninth Sister did have a secret affection for each other, but they had controlled themselves according to propriety, without overstepping any social norms. This unrequited love was truly heart-wrenching!

  Xiao Nizi looked at Wu Ge's majestic physique and Jiu Er's elegant figure, and her eyes were filled with boundless admiration. She thought to herself, only a hero like Wu Ge was worthy of a heavenly being like Jiu Er. But she didn't know if she would ever meet a hero like Wu Ge when she grew up.

  Xiao Wu had no idea that his younger sister would come up with such an idea, and even less could he have imagined that this meeting between him and Han Jiu'er would affect the course of Yue Chu's life. The suffering she would endure in the days to come would far surpass what Han Jiu'er had experienced. This is a story for later.