Twenty-one rural fear

  A touch of crimson dawn dyed the vast and ancient land by the river with a layer of girlish shyness, the southeast wind swept across the fields like a gentle brook, and in the fields, there were already early-rising farmers busy at work.

  On the official road, the hooves of a mule trod steadily. Han Jiuer, wearing a green spring shirt and skirt, kept her starry eyes fixed on the majestic back in front of her, who was leading the way. Although with each step they drew closer to their hometown, they also returned to reality, and the distance between them grew wider. Yet, her gaze at him seemed especially intimate, like that of a gentle little wife.

  She hopes that she can live a long and happy life, with children and grandchildren surrounding her, so that when she becomes an old woman with gray hair and wrinkles, she can tell her grandchildren about the journey she took with him in her youth. This will be the most beautiful memory of her girlhood, walking hand in hand with a heroic young man through the biting cold of spring, the cool lotus flowers of summer, the vibrant autumn leaves, and the snowy winter landscape. They gazed out at the vast expanse of the southern and northern skies, watching the geese fly south, the deer run wild, the wind blow through the willow trees, and the leaves fall softly.

  She and he crossed the sea, rode horses, slept under the stars, drank together when thirsty, ate together when hungry, and even shared a bed. She and he joined forces in the green forest, roamed the mountains and rivers, walked the jianghu, and reveled in their own code of honor and revenge. She met many heroes and warriors, but none compared to him, with his upright integrity, open-mindedness, loyalty that shone brighter than the world, and his passionate devotion.

  Perhaps it's because she has a crush on him and exaggerates his virtues, but she believes he will be such a person, one who will make countless people admire him in the future! From then on, her maiden heart can no longer accommodate other men in the world. She is willing to follow him for life, to be his person when alive, and his ghost when dead, even if it means disregarding social status...

  Finally, she would tell those lovely grandsons that this heroic young man was their grandfather, and his name was Yue Fei!

  The little girl in front of him had no idea that the little girl behind him had such a deep affection for him. He thought he had made it clear to her last night, setting boundaries as sworn siblings and not daring to have any other thoughts. They had also agreed that this relationship could only exist in their hearts, and once they returned home, he would still be the lowly tenant of the Han family, while she would remain the high-and-mighty young mistress. Although they couldn't forget each other in the jianghu world, they had to forget each other in their hometown.

  His thoughts at this moment have already flown back to his parents and wife in his hometown, whom he has not seen for two years. Are they all well?

  Two people, one in front and one behind, all the way without a word, only took an hour to enter Anyang County, turned onto familiar streets, the scenery remained the same, but the faces were unfamiliar. As the saying goes, "near home, anxious heart", the two people's hearts beat as if they had made an appointment, got off their horses and walked.

  When the two left, Xiao Wu was only sixteen and is now nineteen years old by Chinese age reckoning. Han Jiu'er has already reached the tender age of fifteen, truly the age when boys and girls come into their own. Their appearances have changed quite a bit since then; even if they were to run into an acquaintance face-to-face, it's not certain that they would be recognized immediately.

  "Quail eggs, quail eggs for sale..." On the long street, a man with a bamboo pole and baskets on his shoulder shouted as he walked, the baskets filled with fried dough balls that looked like quail eggs, shining yellow and steaming hot, wafting a savory aroma from afar, like a fixed landscape in a river of memories, unchanged for ages.

  Han Jiu'er's eyes fluttered, her expression as if lost, recalling the joy of a moment ago. Xiao Wu also remembered this child's temptation to himself, although he had followed Sanliuliang for two years and tasted all the delicious flavors in the world, his throat still moved involuntarily.

  "Zhang Dage, come and get two strings." Han Jiu'er shouted at the man in a natural tone.

  "Good! My quail eggs are famous for being crispy, tender and delicate. You have a good eye, miss!" The vendor, seeing how beautiful Han Jiuer looked, didn't dare to look at her too much and didn't recognize this old customer. He boasted about his own goods while skillfully threading two strings of quail eggs with bamboo sticks, sprinkling white salt on them, and carefully handing them over to her.

  Han Jiu'er smiled and opened her mouth, holding a string of dates in one hand and eating two in one bite. She then walked forward on her own. The vendor hurriedly shouted: "Young lady, one string is three coins, total six coins."

  "Zhang Dage, I'll pay for you!" Xiao Wu, who was leading two mules behind him, hurriedly paid the bill for Little Niuzi, knowing that she had momentarily lost her composure and returned to her former self.

  "She is..." The small vendor looked at Han Jiuer's slender and distant figure with a familiar gaze, then suddenly slapped his forehead, exclaiming in surprise and delight, "It's Ninth Miss! Ninth Miss has returned..."

  The news of the return of Ninth Young Lady of the Han Mansion spread like a gust of wind through the streets and alleys of the county, startling both the State Government Office and the Dayun Hall. Since his return from Liaodong three years ago to take over his father's position as the Magistrate of Xiangzhou, Han Xiao had not been able to attend to official duties, personally going to welcome back this recovered treasure of a daughter.

  On this day, the whole Jin Tang slaughtered pigs and sheep, rejoicing from top to bottom, just like a festival. Especially Han Jiu'er's grandfather - Old Minister Han Zhi, since his most beloved granddaughter went missing in the Northern Country, he had been bedridden with illness. Now that she was back, lively and energetic, Old Minister Han could also get out of bed, pulling her close to examine her from head to toe, left and right, confirming that she was unharmed. He couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions, tears streaming down his face: "Heaven has taken pity on me, allowing me to see my dear granddaughter in my lifetime!"

  "Grandpa..." The little girl rushed into her grandfather's arms and burst into tears.

  In the midst of laughter and tears at the Han residence, only one person was left out in the cold, Xiao Wu - the meritorious minister of the young master who had traveled thousands of miles. He was arranged to be alone in an empty room, facing a sumptuous feast, but he had no appetite for food or drink. He wished he could fly back to his own hut and pour out his heart to his wife, but since the host family hadn't given him permission, he couldn't leave on his own.

  The door creaked open and three people came in. The increasingly stout steward, Han Han, led the way, followed by Han Xiaoqu, who had an air of authority about him, and finally Mr. Wu, whom Xiao Wu deeply respected. Xiao Wu hastily stood up and greeted them with a bow: "Greetings, sir, gentlemen, steward! Are you all well?"

  "What's going on inside? Call out to Master!" Han Han shouted in a false bravado.

  "No need to stand on ceremony, Yue Wu is not an outsider either." Han Xiaoqu waved his hand magnanimously, coughed, and nodded to indicate that the gentleman should ask his questions.

  "Xiao Wu, you've had a hard journey! Please sit down and tell me about the detailed circumstances of your two years of drifting with Jiu Niang." The gentleman spoke kindly.

  "Yes, sir!" How dare Xiao Wu sit? With his sharp edges retracted, he was no longer the chivalrous and fearless Jianghu hero. Recalling his current identity, he recounted his experiences over the past two years in a straightforward manner...

  On that day, to save Ninth Sister, he chased the assassin into the deep mountains and old forests. After a fierce battle, he finally killed the assassin and rescued her, but was seriously injured himself. He recovered under Ninth Sister's careful care. Immediately after, the heavy snow sealed off the mountain, and they relied on his archery skills to hunt bears and deer, allowing them to survive the winter. By the next spring, the snow had thawed, but the two became lost in the vast wilderness, searching for a way out for nearly half a year, almost becoming wild people. They were lucky to encounter some Yi tribe hunters, who helped them escape the deep mountains. Returning to the plains, they coincidentally arrived during the Jin-Liao war and could only temporarily hide in a small northern town that had not been affected by the war. The two were penniless and unfamiliar with the place, so they called each other brother and sister and found a civilian residence to borrow. Xiao Wu occasionally went into the mountains to hunt, selling animal hides to fur merchants, and after more than half a year, they finally accumulated enough money to return south. The two traveled carefully, enduring countless hardships, until they reached the coast of Liaodong, where they rented a boat to cross the sea, landing in Dengzhou, Shandong. They had finally returned to the territory of the Song Dynasty and rushed back to their hometown.

  What Xiaowu said was mostly false, but it was carefully arranged by Hanjiu's meticulous mind as a female military strategist. He was originally a clumsy speaker and would blush when telling lies in everyday life, but this time it was different, as it concerned his and Xiaonizi's lifelong reputation, so he had memorized it long ago and spoke as if he had experienced it himself.

  After listening to Xiao Wu's story, the three people opposite him simultaneously took a deep breath, and it was easy to imagine the crimes of the two Xiaos. Han Xiaoqiu, who had always blamed himself for bringing his daughter to a place of tigers and wolves, finally felt relieved, but then he looked at Mr. and said, "There's still a more important question."

  "Xiao Wu, you and Jiu Niang have suffered. It's just that men and women are different, and since you've been together day and night, it's inevitable that... " Even the master, who was the most suitable person to ask, found it somewhat difficult to broach the subject.

  Han Xiaoqu's ears perked up, but as a father, he didn't think it was right to ask about such trivial matters between children. He just waited for Xiaowu's response, after all, for a woman, starving to death was a small matter, losing her chastity was a big one.

  It concerns Xiaonizi's reputation, Xiao Wu dare not speak rashly, and has a clear conscience. With a straight face, he looked at the three of them: "I have always treated Jiuniang with courtesy, without any impure thoughts or disrespect. Moreover, I am in love with Hun's family, and my heart cannot accommodate other women."

  Han Xiao let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if a huge weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders. He took one last look at the butler, still having some matters to attend to.

  Han Han took a step forward, showing the weight of his words: "Yue Wu, your family, including your parents and relatives, have not been treated unfairly. However, when it comes to outsiders, you can't say what you just said. If anyone asks, including your parents and relatives, you must say it like I do..."

  Xiao Wu, having learned that his family was safe and sound, rode the warm spring breeze with a light heart, hurrying back home. Along the way, villagers who had heard rumors about him recognized him and greeted him one after another.

  Little Wu, riding a donkey and leading another, had a face full of smiles as he responded to each one. The low thatched hut that had appeared countless times in his midnight dreams was now in sight, his heart surging with excitement, as if he saw the unchanged lovely face of Jun's wife.

  As soon as he arrived outside the yard, he heard a burst of children's laughter and thought to himself, "Whose kid has come to visit?" He tied up the two mules, pushed open the gate, and saw a three-year-old boy with a three-braided queue chasing after a group of fluffy yellow chicks in the yard, looking very adorable.

  When the door creaked, the child stopped in his tracks, turned around and saw a stranger, was startled, and shouted "mother" while running towards the house. A slender woman with a blue dress came out to greet him at the entrance of the room, picked up the child, looked over with her apricot eyes, and as soon as she saw Xiao Wu, the natural blush on her cheeks turned bright red, her expression was resentful yet pleased, but she said to the child in her arms: "Son, quickly call out 'father', your father who you've been shouting for every day has come back!"

  The little one listened to his mother's words, shaking his big head, staring at the stranger in front of him with a look of surprise, and actually opened his arms, laughing: "Daddy, hug me!"

  Do you have a son? Does the maternal family have an heir? Xiao Wu looked at his son's big head, big ears and square face with surprise and joy, which was almost identical to himself, but the eyebrows, eyes, nose and mouth were similar to his wife, and more delicate than himself. The father-son nature was born naturally, he hastily put down his luggage, rushed forward to hold his son, what a heavy child!

  How many times he imagined the scene of reuniting with his family, but never thought it would be like this. He couldn't express his excitement, so he casually tossed his son into the air and caught him steadily. The father and son's joyful laughter echoed inside and outside the courtyard...

  Liu Wei leaned against the door, staring blankly at her long-absent husband and naive child. A long-forgotten sense of happiness overflowed her entire being, and her eyes moistened involuntarily...

  The night was deep and the people were quiet, and finally, the child who had been sticking to his father's side all day fell asleep. Liu Bi carefully put her son on the bed against the wall, covered him with a quilt, and then snuggled into her husband's arms. The couple, who had not had a chance to talk privately for years, finally had a chance to speak in private.

  Xiao Wu, under the dim light of the oil lamp, carefully examined his wife in his arms. She looked more plump and robust than when they parted, and their son was also well-nourished and strong. It seemed that her family had not mistreated them. A wave of self-reproach rose in his heart: "Wife, you've been alone for over two years, busy with the fields and taking care of our son, you must be exhausted."

  Liu Wei's soft body emitted a captivating fragrance, like a fine wine that had been aged for many years and finally opened. She leaned sweetly against her husband and poured out her words: "Yue Lang, I'm not too tired. Old Master Han specially instructed you to treat me like family if you didn't return for a day. After you left, I discovered I was pregnant. Luckily, Lian Xiang came to take care of me, and our son was born the following June. His name was chosen by Father; he and Mother stayed with us for half a year before and after the birth. The elderly couple is in good health but worries about you. Tomorrow, please send someone to report your safety... Where did you and Jiu Niang go? The Han family said you sent her to her relatives' home and were delayed by business, but would return soon. However, rumors outside say that you and Jiu Niang disappeared in the Northern Country, with no news of your survival..."

  "Daughter..." Xiao Wu had never hidden anything from Jun Jia, but the experiences of these two years would have to be lied about no matter what. Whether it was at the request of the main house, or for Han Jiu'er's reputation, or not wanting to worry Jun Jia unnecessarily, he had to follow Han Han's words and say: "On that day, after I delivered the goods to the yamen, I indeed took a detour to send Ninth Sister to her aunt's house. She wanted to go up the mountain with a Taoist nun to learn the Way, and insisted that I accompany her, which is why I was delayed until now..."

  The nun is actually a female Taoist, and Xiao Wu's words have their own unique background. Originally, Taoism was extremely popular in the Song Dynasty, and it was implicitly the national religion. The current emperor even called himself the Emperor of the Taoist Teachings, and the whole country built large Taoist temples and established Taoist officials. At one point, they even revered Taoism and abandoned Buddhism. As a result, many children from wealthy families also went to the mountains to practice Taoism.

  "Yue Lang..." Liu Wei listened, and didn't suspect anything. As long as her husband returned safely to her side, that was all that mattered. Her almond-shaped eyes gazed at him, almost brimming with tears. It's said that a short separation is better than a new marriage, what about a long one...

  Jiuniang and Xiao Wu's return calmed the rumors that had been circulating for a long time, but because they didn't want to give people something to talk about, the Han family treated Xiao Wu with no special favor, not even as well as when he was alone in the house.

  Xiao Wu, who had gone through great hardships and difficulties, was also unwilling to continue being a tenant farmer under someone else's roof. Less than a month after returning home, he discussed with his family about going back to his hometown in Tangyin to take care of his parents, whom he hadn't seen for years and whose hair had already turned gray, and then make other plans.

  Although Liu Wei is quite content with her current life of having no worries about food and clothing, she has to follow the saying "if you marry a chicken, follow the chicken; if you marry a dog, follow the dog" and can only listen to her husband's arrangements.

  The decision was made, and Xiao Wu came to the Dayu Hall to return the lease. Originally, a tenant's withdrawal from the vast Han Mansion wouldn't have been anything significant, but it shocked Old Master Han, who insisted on meeting Xiao Wu in the main hall despite his poor health.

  Xiao Wu stepped into the main hall of the Huajin Tang again, representing the face of the Han family, after three years. From a distance, he saw Old Master Han sitting in the center, with only one maid serving him. He felt grateful for his care towards the Hun family and hurriedly rushed forward, kneeling down: "Old Master is well!"

  "Up, quick sit! Cough, cough..." Han Zhi pointed to the stool beside him, having only said two sentences before bursting into a fit of coughing.

  "Thank you, kind sir!" Little Wu remembered the old man's kindness in giving him a name and seeing his frail condition, he didn't dare to reject his good intentions, so he bowed and sat down.

  "Peng Ju, you were not born to be a servant... it's just that the Han family owes you a great debt, and I'm old and don't have much time left, so I couldn't promote you... Since you want to leave, I have nothing else to give you, so let me show you the treasure of our house, hoping it will bring you some benefit..." Han Zhi struggled to finish speaking, then ordered the maid, "Take down the screen."

  Xiao Wu heard the old man's words, stood up solemnly, and saw a screen behind the main seat being removed by a maid, revealing a stone tablet about 7 feet high and 3 feet wide, with four bold and powerful characters "Day Brocade Hall Record".

  "Ah, it's actually the 'Three Absolute Stele' that records Wei Gong's life!" Xiaowu exclaimed in a low voice. This "Three Absolute Stele" had been passed down for a long time among the people, with the text written by Ouyang Xiu, a master of his generation, and the calligraphy done by Cai Xiang, an expert of his time. It recorded the life achievements of Han Qi, the prime minister of three dynasties. Legend had it that only the eldest son or grandson of the Han family could see it, and they must be pillars of the state; unworthy descendants couldn't even touch it. What deep meaning did Old Master have in doing this?

  "...As for making major decisions, settling great debates, wearing official robes and holding a tablet, without changing one's expression, while putting the affairs of the world at ease like Mount Tai, can be called a minister of the state! "Just now, the old Mr. Han who was speaking in broken sentences, saw the stele as if he had been reborn, his spirit was refreshed, and unexpectedly read the inscription to the end in one breath, finally staring at Xiao Wu, "Peng, you must not disappoint the expectations of this old man! Treat Jiu Ya Tou well!"

  Xiao Wu, who was listening and reading the inscription, vaguely felt the old man's kind intentions, as if he knew his ambition to serve the country, and was inspired by it... Unexpectedly, when he heard the last sentence, he suddenly became stunned. How could the old man say such a thing? Could it be that he had seen something between him and Han Jiu'er?

  The maid by the side also heard vaguely, and didn't know what the old man was saying. Xiao Wu dared not ask more, and excused herself to leave. The old man seemed to have accomplished a great task, and again slumped back into his chair, weakly waving his hand, without detaining her.

  Xiao Wu had just hastily bid farewell and walked to the entrance of the Day Brocade Hall when he heard a timid voice: "Brother... Xiao Wu, wait..."

  He suddenly turned around and saw a lovely little girl with a charming smile emerging from the door, who had been waiting for him for a long time.