FID – Chapter 1081

Chapter 1081: The Old Lady’s Sharp, She’s Hard to Fool Now

In a short time, news spread through the capital like boiling water, sending waves through all of Nanling.

The public cheered at Qin Xiao’s return to the position of Grand General.

In Nanling, when it came to military achievements and prestige, no one could surpass Qin Xiao, nor could anyone replace his standing in the hearts of the people.

As such, everyone in Nanling was pleased to see this happen.

However, people were slightly puzzled about the Grand General stationing troops at the northwestern border.

In common understanding, the border between Nanling and Xiliang was defined by the canal; the two nations were separated by a single waterway.

Now the Grand General intended to lead troops across the canal and station them on the other side. Did this mean he was crossing into foreign territory?

This doubt, however, was immediately dismissed by the Grand General’s supporters.

The Grand General was honest and upright. How could he possibly do the work of a bandit?

If he dared to station troops there, then the location must surely belong to Nanling.

There was absolutely no mistake.

The people of Nanling were inexplicably confident in the Grand General’s integrity.

The residents of Xinghua Village felt the same way.

A Grand General who could order an entire guard unit to work off a debt to villagers injured by soldiers: could he possibly commit acts of robbery?

Impossible. 

Riding on this topic, by evening the big pagoda tree at the entrance of Xinghua Village was already crowded with people. Previously, it had mostly been old men and women chatting with their little children. Now, even the village’s able-bodied men and women of all ages joined in the gossip squad.

All for the sake of honoring the Grand General who had once appeared in their Xinghua Village.

In the eyes of the villagers of Xinghua and surrounding villages, anyone who could enter the Liu family courtyard and stay there for long was a good person.

No arguments allowed.

As the sunset glow gradually faded into night, the village was cloaked in darkness. Calls urging everyone to go home for dinner echoed repeatedly, and only then did the crowd under the big pagoda tree finally disperse.

Grandpa Liu touched his tea bowl and slowly made his way home. Before he could even enter the courtyard, he heard his wife’s yelling from inside:

“I called you for dinner three times already! If you don’t come back, you’ll have no more food!”

“Wife, why shout so loud? We’re back, just a little late in the evening. There’s no need to get so worked up.”

“When the sun sets, it’s time to eat. Don’t you see what time it is? Just a little late? Next time, if this happens again, you’ll have to cook for yourself!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll be on time tomorrow. Stop yelling, you’ll just make people laugh.”

Grandpa Liu lowered his head, playing humble. Liu Zhiqiu squatted at the kitchen doorway in amusement. “Only when Grandma yells can you see Grandpa act like this. Grandpa, you’re the eldest in the house; our family rules say you mustn’t anger your wife. Next time you’re late, Grandma will take a stick to you. Keep that in mind, alright?”

“Dalin, Erlin, from today onwards our family rule adds one more: anyone who dares to mock their elders will be disciplined according to family law, with a rattan cane.”

“Got it, Dad. I’ve always been the most honest one in the family. I never talk back to my elders. Whatever you say is how it is.”

“Dad, tomorrow I’ll weave a rattan whip for you and hang it in the main hall. If any brat dares to upset you, just grab it and whip away!”

Liu Zhiqiu slipped into the kitchen. Wasn’t this clearly aimed at him? Besides him, is there any other brat in the family?

“Grandma, I’m your little cabbage grandson. Don’t bother cooking anything else for tomorrow’s dinner, just stew me. Your grandson won’t survive much longer.”

“A cabbage that’s cultivated to the point of becoming a spirit; our family doesn’t eat that. Whoever wants it can take it.”

“Grandma, am I really that unlovable?”

Behind him, Grandpa Liu walked in and kicked his obstructive grandson aside. “You’re always dangling yourself in front of people. Go look in a mirror. What part of you is lovable?”

After sitting by the stove, the old man added wood to the fire. “Wife, you like eating baby bok choy? We’ll plant a couple more rows.”

“Plant what? The vegetable patch is only so big, and it’s already full. Where would you put more seeds?”

“What’s so hard about that? Pull out the vegetables at the edge of the garden and give them to the neighbors. Then we’ll plant baby bok choy in the space that’s freed up!”

The firelight glowed brightly, and in the heat of midsummer, sweat covered their foreheads. It also flushed the old woman’s cheeks behind the stove.

It was hot, but her face was full of smile lines she couldn’t hide.

Liu Zhiqiu silently withdrew, taking his wife with him to quietly set the table. At this moment, he really didn’t dare make a sound.

Disturbing the old man while he coaxed the old lady? Unforgivable. Punishable by the top ten tortures.

It wasn’t surprising that the old lady was in a foul mood today. Rumors were flying everywhere. To the common people, the news that troops were stationed along the long-forgotten northwestern border of Nanling was something to be celebrated.

But to the Liu family, those same rumors sparked a very different kind of speculation.

Why is the court stationing troops in the northwest all of a sudden?

Their grandma wasn’t foolish. She immediately suspected that the matter must be related to her little granddaughter and the others who were still in Xiliang.

And since both sides hadn’t been able to communicate, how could she not worry?

At the dinner table, she couldn’t hold it in any longer and brought up the topic.

“What exactly is going on over there with Nannan and Axiu? It’s been so long without news, I feel terribly uneasy.”

“Grandma, don’t overthink it. With Feng Qingbai there, what could possibly happen?” Liu Zhiqiu reassured her. “News from Xiliang doesn’t spread outward. Things we don’t know, the court doesn’t know either. I guess Xiao Feng has stationed troops there to intimidate Xiliang, so that Nannan and the others can move about more freely within Xiliang territory.”

As he spoke, he subtly exchanged a glance with Wei Hong and Wei Lan.

Wei Lan immediately nodded. “Elder Madam, indeed, our master and Nannan haven’t encountered any major trouble over there. While in Xiliang, Master had Wei Cheng go undercover in Mo City. We maintain communication with Wei Cheng.”

“The latest news from over there is that Master and Nannan are in the capital of Xiliang. What exactly they’re investigating, we don’t know, and Master hasn’t said. But there’s certainly nothing serious, otherwise Wei Cheng would have sent a signal long ago.” Wei Hong’s words carried even more weight than Wei Lan’s, as she had been responsible for sending and receiving news in Xinghua Village all these years.

Grandma Liu cast a glance over them and scolded lightly, “I was just asking casually. No need to be so tense. I’ve weathered enough storms myself. Are you all really going to be fooled by a few words? Now, eat!”

“……”

Everyone lowered their heads and ate in silence.

Not good—the old lady was getting sharper and harder to fool.

From now on, if they wanted to coax her, they’d really have to rack their brains.

Under the table, Liu Erlin stepped on Liu Zhiqiu’s foot. The pain nearly made Liu Zhiqiu choke on the food in his mouth.

—You little brat, you better start improving.

—Why should I improve? Every time we try to appease Grandma, it’s always me going first. You just stand behind pretending to be a block of wood!

—Disrespect elders, family law applies—use the rattan cane. Should I make it thicker tomorrow?

—I’ll definitely make it my mission to keep grandma happy from now on.

……

At the Liu family dining table, the combined, heavy, tense atmosphere never lasted more than three breaths.

Over in Xiliang, Liu Yusheng, Feng Qingbai, Xue Qinglian, and Qian Yi twisted and turned to avoid prying eyes, finally making it safely to a small town sixty miles outside the capital.