Chapter 1591 - 1580: Honest Fool

Chapter 1591: Chapter 1580: Honest Fool

Ye Chun was really ruthless to himself. Early the next morning, he went up the mountain and was later carried back.

His face was deathly pale, cold sweat streamed down his forehead, and his entire back was soaked with sweat. His left leg was bent in an unnatural position.

The news that Ye Chun had injured his leg while chopping wood for his parents spread throughout Wang Family Village. Some said he did it intentionally to avoid military service; after all, given his previous laziness, how could he possibly go up the mountain to chop wood? Others said he possibly thought he might not return, so he wanted to show filial piety. After all, how many people in the world could be so ruthless to themselves?

Regardless of the truth, after the Government Official came to inspect, and Wang Hong’s arrangements, Ye Chun finally did not have to go to the front line, and the whole family breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Ye Chun himself was not doing well, not only because the immediate pain was unbearable, but also because he was likely to become lame in the future.

Ye Qiu and Niu Xue Mei heard about Ye Chun’s situation, and Niu Xue Mei even considered having Ye Qiu do the same to avoid it, but was rejected by Ye Qiu.

Not to mention that he didn’t want to become lame himself, since the conscription notice came down, many people have done likewise. Now the government office strictly supervises this; if they can’t recruit the required number, even if a leg is broken, one might still have to go.

With the day of departure approaching, Ye Qiu instilled much knowledge in Niu Xue Mei and his two daughters, emphasizing that they must believe he would return, and that they should not let themselves be bullied. In case anything that Jia Zhihe couldn’t solve happens, they should take all their money and go to the Prefecture.

After two days, Niu Xue Mei’s emotions had stabilized. She solemnly promised Ye Qiu, "Don’t worry, I will definitely protect Cong Ying and Cong Zi. We will wait for you to come home."

Ye Qiu followed the army and left. Niu Xue Mei’s life seemed to lose its color thereafter. She rarely went to the shop anymore, spending more time at home educating their two daughters and studying with them. Before leaving, Ye Qiu had said that whether man or woman, one should read more to avoid being bullied; otherwise, being illiterate, it would be easy to be cheated everywhere.

She didn’t know many characters, so she sent a lot of gifts to Jia Yufeng’s teacher and often went along with her two daughters to attend their classes. Gradually, she learned more characters and started buying books from the bookstore to read at home. She bought whatever scholars liked to read, and life went on like this.

On Ye Qiu’s side, he was a new recruit, which meant he wouldn’t go straight to the battlefield but needed to undergo training for a few months to half a year. However, he performed excellently and won in martial competitions, quickly securing a position as a squad leader.

Next, Xin Country launched a large-scale invasion, and the sneak attack location was a town near the new recruits’ camp. The Great General stationed there was short of men and had no choice but to send them into battle. In this battle, Ye Qiu was brave and fearless, killed many enemies, and finally caught the attention of the Great General, who made an exception to promote him as a Seventh-Rank Captain overseeing over a thousand soldiers.

The nation of Lan had fertile lands and rich resources, while to the north, Xin Country had abundant iron mines. Even though people in Xin Country didn’t live as well as those in Lan, their army was exceptionally fierce and formidable, often overpowering Lan’s troops.

Fortunately, even though Lan’s soldiers were not as brave, they had the advantage of numbers. Especially recently, a tactically brilliant General Ye emerged in Lan, cutting down several of the enemy’s generals in succession. Lan’s defeats gradually halted, and the Emperor was overjoyed, bestowing upon him the title of First-rank Brave General.

The news reached Anquan County, and storytellers vividly described General Ye’s deeds as if they had witnessed them on the battlefield, drawing cheers from guests.

"Mom, this General Ye also has the surname Ye. Do you think if he sees Dad, he might look after him?" a little girl with pigtails asked her mother innocently.

The slightly older girl next to her laughed, tapping her forehead, "There are so many people named Ye in this world. Can that General Ye look after them all? Cong Zi, is it possible you’re missing Dad?"

"Don’t you miss him, sister?" Ye Congzi pouted, "I’ve almost forgotten what Dad looks like."

Niu Xue Mei listened, lost in thought. Yes, when Sanlang left, Congzi wasn’t even four years old. Now, her youngest daughter is six, and there’s been no letter from her husband. Is he doing fine? Has he survived safely? Does he know that there are three women at home waiting for him?

Listening to her younger sister’s words, Ye Cong Ying was not bewildered either. In fact, she was almost forgetting what her father looked like too, only remembering that he was particularly tall. Since they moved to the county, her father often lifted her to play and bought her all sorts of food and beautiful things. The specifics of his facial features were still the images her aunt often described: dark face, particularly sincere eyes, a straight nose, but rather thin lips.

Thinking of these descriptions, Ye Cong Ying still couldn’t piece together a personal face; it was still as blurry as ever. She often panicked, wondering if her father really died in battle as her Eldest Aunt said.

No, it couldn’t be. Although she was close to forgetting what her father looked like, she always remembered his parting words: he said he would definitely come back, definitely!

"Trouble’s brewing, Ye Cong Hui has caused big trouble." The three of them were reading and chatting when Ye Xia walked in with an angry frown.

"What big trouble?" Niu Xue Mei looked up and asked, "Don’t worry, you just mentioned Ye Cong Hui? What did he do?"

"He broke the leg of the Qian Family’s son." Ye Xia began speaking full of indignation, "I heard the government is going to arrest him."

"The Qian Family?" Niu Xue Mei frowned, pondering, then her eyes widened, "Is it the Qian Family related to the County Magistrate’s favorite concubine?"

"Isn’t that right?" Ye Xia was full of frustration and anger, "I heard it happened at the school. Originally, it was a conflict between the Zhao Family’s son and the Qian Family’s son during polo, and the Qian Family’s son fell off the horse. It shouldn’t have been a big deal, but who knew that at this moment, Cong Hui rode a horse over the Qian Family’s son’s leg. The doctor said the leg was injured, and whether it can be healed is uncertain. The Qian Family is looking to make trouble for Ye Cong Hui."

"Who gave him the courage to do such a thing? Was it instructed by the Zhao Family’s son?"

"Who knows? Even if it was, the Zhao Family is not admitting it now. Besides, the Zhao Family is local gentry whom even the County Magistrate gives some face to. The Qian Family would only look to Cong Hui for their anger."

Niu Xue Mei shook her head, "Mother-in-law and the elder brother and sister-in-law always said he had great promise. Is this what their great promise looks like? Second Sister, don’t worry, this issue has nothing to do with us."

"How can it have nothing to do with us? The Qian Family said they wanted one thousand silver taels, or they wouldn’t leave Cong Hui alone. Mother just had someone ask if I could lend her the money."

"What does Second Brother-in-law say?"

"You know your Second Brother-in-law, ever since the marinated dish incident, he practically doesn’t allow me to have contact with the elder brother’s family anymore, how could he lend money?"

Niu Xue Mei said blandly at this moment, "Second Sister, a married daughter belongs to someone else’s family, that’s what Mother-in-law always says."

Ye Xia was stunned, her face gradually turning gray, then she sighed heavily.