Chapter 2: Discarding Bones and Flesh, Yue and Ci Characters; Hearing Cries, Picking Up by the River

  Born of the same parents and womb, wealth and glory are destined by heaven; if we can meet again someday, we will rise to prominence and bring honor to our family. Fighting tigers or being close brothers, on the battlefield we rely on the Yue family army; parting in life and death is just a thought away, loyalty to the country will be revered by later generations.

  Yue He was delighted to know that his two sons would have great futures. However, he felt a little sad and reluctant to part with his younger son, Yue Teng, who had to leave his parents.

  "Madam, the child is too young, why not wait for a few more days before making plans? What do you think?" asked Yue He.

  "Alright! You deal with it yourself." Madam Yue indeed also had a bit of sympathy for him, so she could only agree to her husband.

  Yuè Hé comes home from work every day and is always the first to hug Yuè Teng. He looks at Yuè Teng's adorable little face and is so delighted that he can't close his mouth.

  Before long, four months had passed and the old monk came again. He saw that Yue Teng was still being kept at the Yue's home and sighed with a deep breath.

  Yue and Bu Jie asked curiously: "Master, why are you sighing?"

  The old monk took a look at Yue He and said, "Donor, you are too confused. At the beginning, what did I say to you? The evil spirit of Yue Teng has not been cleansed, and it is really harming people by keeping him by your side. Donor, forgive me for speaking bluntly, if you keep him by your side for five months, at least twenty-five years of your life will be reduced. And this child himself will also lose twenty-five years of life, adding up to a total of fifty years. If it continues like this, every month that passes will reduce ten years of life, do you think it's worth it?

  Yue and Ting were shocked and terrified in their hearts, never expecting such a thing to happen.

  "Benefactor, that's all I have to say. You decide what to do next! The old monk bid farewell and left with a flourish."

  "Madam, what about Pengzhan this child?" Yue asked anxiously as he gazed at the old monk's departing back.

  "Still as Master said, the faster the better." Madam Yue said.

  "This child will surely make a name for himself in the future. In order for the two brothers to recognize each other when they meet again someday, I want to leave a mark on them. What do you think?" Yue asked with inquiry.

  "It's okay like this, just carve a few words, as long as you tell Fei Er about these few words later, it won't be hard to find his younger brother."

  "What words should be inscribed? I heard Old Master say that the two brothers, Yue Fei and Yue Teng, will surely rise to prominence in the future. Why not inscribe 'Flying High and Ascending to Greatness'?" said Yue He.

  "These four characters are good, but they seem a bit tacky, as if they have a greedy and vain meaning. It's not suitable, let's change it." Madam Yue suggested.

  "What's the point of changing it? If in the future they can really come and go freely, then let them defend their homes and fight against the Golden Army. Then 'defend their homes' is a suitable phrase." said Yue He.

  "It's still not suitable. A man should be loyal to the country and filial to his parents. Why don't we just carve the four characters 'Utmost Loyalty and Dedication to the Country' instead?" Madam Yue said after some thought.

  "Good! The four words 'dedication and loyalty to the country' have a grandeur. Yue and Gao were excited and applauded repeatedly."

  On an autumn evening, the silence was particularly profound. A bright moon hung high in the sky and the stars shone brightly. Under the dim light of a bean-sized oil lamp, Yue He tattooed his two sons on their backs. The "waa waa" crying sounds of the infants shook the quiet night. First, he tattooed the four characters "Jing Zhong Bao Guo" (Loyalty and Patriotism) on Yue Fei's back, then he also tattooed the same four characters "Jing Zhong Bao Guo" on Yue Teng's back. The tattoos of the two brothers were exactly the same.

  "Alright, I've finally completed a task." Yue He let out a sigh of relief.

  "Madam, if we put Teng'er in the river, won't he drown? We should think of a foolproof plan instead." suggested Yue He.

  "Teng Er is really too pitiful, it's better to put him in a wooden basin and let the water carry him away, wherever he drifts to, I hope he meets a good person." Madam Yue said sorrowfully.

  "Madam is absolutely right, I'll go and do it now." Yue He said, then found a sturdy wooden basin in the house, put Yue Teng into the basin, padded him with cotton clothes, and tied him up with hemp rope.

  "Madam, this should be sufficient! It's both safe and solid." Yue He was extremely satisfied with his own preparations.

  "Teng Er is about to leave us, he's still young, I'm worried, I'll accompany you together, I want to personally see Teng Er off." Madam Yue choked with sobs.

  "Alright! Let's take Fei'er along." Yue He said, picking up the wooden basin and heading towards the riverbank.

  The moonlight is bright and clean, the night is deep and people are quiet.

  The couple walked heavily towards the river with their two sons.

  The shadow under the moonlight moved slowly and finally reached the riverbank beside the village.

  The river water flows slowly, the moonlight shines on the river surface, and the ripples are sparkling. The stars twinkle in the small river, just like a baby's eyes flashing.

  Yue and Xin came heavily to the riverbank, he put the wooden basin into the river, and with a ruthless heart, he pushed it hard, the wooden basin slowly floated to the center of the river.

  Yue Teng did not cry in the wooden basin, but Mrs. Yue was so heartbroken that she burst into tears and chased after the wooden basin all the way downstream, with Yue He following behind her.

  "Come on, madam! Life and death are predestined. Teng's fate is strong, nothing will happen to him." Yue comforted.

  Madam Yue stopped in her tracks and watched as Yue Teng floated away into the distance, still safe and sound. Her heart finally calmed down a bit.

  "Teng Er, may you turn misfortune into good fortune and adversity into auspiciousness." Madam Yue prayed silently.

  "Madam, it's getting late, let's head back home!" Yue He picked up Yue Fei and held his wife's hand, reluctantly leaving the riverbank.

  Yue Teng was floating down the river in a wooden tub, passing by a small village on the riverbank. The tub bumped into the stone pier and stopped. Yue Teng was sleeping soundly, but suddenly woke up with a start and began wailing loudly. The cries startled a nearby household. This family, surnamed Wang, consisted of an elderly couple who had no children. When they heard the baby's cries, they quickly got out of bed, grabbed a lantern, and rushed to the riverbank where the baby was crying. Oh, heaven had sent them a little angel! Old Man Wang felt the baby's bottom and exclaimed, "It's a boy! How wonderful!"

  "My old partner is just a young boy, and now we have something to look forward to in our later years." Old Wang said with a smile.

  "Could it be that heaven has opened its eyes? Last night I had a strange dream, dreaming of a large roc flying to the beam of my house and hovering. Unexpectedly, the dream came true." Wang's face was filled with joy.

  "This is not just a big bird, this is a living treasure that heaven has given to us as husband and wife." Old Man Wang added.

  "It's not good to delay, hurry up and take him back. Who knows how long this child has been drifting in the water, it's really pitiful." said Wang Da Niang.

  Mr. Wang hurried home with the baby in his arms, and under the lamp light, the baby smiled at Mr. and Mrs. Wang, smiling very sweetly. The old couple looked at the baby again and again, and the more they looked, the more they loved him. The old man hugged his wife, and the wife hugged the old man. The couple held each other and walked, shaking as they went, while Little Yue in their arms laughed especially happily.

  "Old man, give the child a name!" his partner said.

  "Let's call him Tianxi, Wang Tianxi. What a loud and clear name! I hope he will achieve great things in the future, so that our efforts as husband and wife won't be in vain." Old Man Wang said.

  "I hope so, and I wish God will bless us and our child." The old couple prayed silently.

  Wang Lao Tou placed his hand on Yue Teng's back, and Yue Teng suddenly burst into tears.

  "What's going on? Has this child grown a sore on his back?" asked his partner.

  "I don't understand either, why she cries as soon as you touch her back. Shall we open it and take a look?" asked Lao Niang.

  "Take a look anyway, so as not to be cheated in the future." The old partner agreed.

  Old Wang carefully took off the baby's clothes, and under the oil lamp, he carefully examined the baby's back. On it were carved the four words "Dedicated to the Country", with bloodstains still wet.

  "Whose son is he after all? Why did he have to do this? Is it the descendant of a loyal and good person?" Old Man Wang couldn't figure it out.