Chapter 1559 - 1554: Fengzi Won the Battle (Twenty-Five Updates)

Mrs. Liu nodded, "Satisfied, indeed, mother didn’t come out tonight!"

Mrs. Liu felt a bit stifled inside, if her mother had come out, it wouldn’t have been possible to have such a peaceful meal.

Moreover, her mother had never been fond of the Fourth Household, and when the time came, the Fourth Household would inevitably suffer some loss.

"We are all family, so I won’t hide anything. Mother treats us few daughters-in-law poorly, Xiaxia’s mother knows that as well. Now she wants to live in the countryside, our days will be easier.

If you’re afraid of mother, after she leaves, come visit me often, chat with me. Oh, and make sure to bring Xiao Chu!" Mrs. Jin said with a sweet smile.

She truly appeared to be a particularly kind woman.

Hearing Mrs. Jin’s words, Mrs. Liu opened her heart.

"Great! But our little Xiao Chu has to play at the courtyard entrance every morning. If I come over, I’d have to let him play on his own first, before bringing him out, so it won’t be very early!"

This casual comment from Mrs. Liu invigorated Mrs. Jin.

Playing at the courtyard entrance every morning, huh?

Her chance had finally come!

——

The next day was New Year’s Eve, a day where every household celebrated the New Year.

Early in the morning, the sound of firecrackers crackling was everywhere. Everyone’s face was lit with happy smiles.

The adults greeted each other with "Happy New Year," while the little kids gathered to find a vacant spot and set off firecrackers they had picked from the firecracker pile, which could still be ignited.

In the yard, on the ridge of fields, by the small river, the shadows of these mischievous kids were everywhere.

In a moment, they blew up a little river here, causing the water to spray.

In another moment, they found a pile of cow dung, and after a firecracker explosion, the quick runners were spared, while the slow ones were hit by an exploding mess.

Their companions next to them clutched their stomachs, almost laughing themselves to tears.

Mu Shuangshuang had been on the road for nearly half a month, but she was still far from Qianzhou Prefecture, Qingshan County, Qingshan Town, and Er Gui Village.

This year’s celebration was destined to be spent on the road, but fortunately, at this pace, she could still make it to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the first lunar month.

Luckily, Mu Shuangshuang was not entirely alone, as she found a small inn near the main road.

Many people, like Mu Shuangshuang, were gathered in the inn for travel.

Mu Shuangshuang ordered a pot of wine, a plate of beef, a bowl of dumplings, and two big white steamed buns.

She had been living rough along the way, barely seeing anyone, and it was hard to get a chance to rest, so she obviously needed to replenish.

What she ordered was quickly served, and the waiter thoughtfully brought a small stove to her.

"Guest, it’s cold weather, the stove is to warm your hands. It’s the New Year, everyone should be red-hot happy!"

The young waiter spoke sweetly, and Mu Shuangshuang took out five large coins, handing them to the waiter.

"Thank you!"

Receiving the tip, the waiter was very pleased, pocketing the money before going off to attend to other tables.

In front of Mu Shuangshuang was a table of tough men, four of them, all of sturdy build.

Mu Shuangshuang glanced, then lowered her head.

The several men, probably roaming fighters, began chatting as soon as the dishes arrived.

"Hey, have you heard?" one of the men said.

"What’s up?" another man asked.

"There’s been a victory in the Northwest! Heard that quite a few people from the Wei Dynasty were killed!" The first man said.

Upon hearing about the victory in the Northwest, Mu Shuangshuang’s face lit up with excitement.

A victory, Fengzi’s victory?

The men continued chatting, discussing the events in the Northwest.

Mu Shuangshuang stuffed dumplings into her mouth while partially eavesdropping on their conversation.

"I know about this too. I’ve heard that two young generals along with soldiers from Xing City broke through the Wei Army’s tight encirclement!"

"Young ones? That’s impressive. I heard the general stationed in Xing City earlier suffered a defeat, almost losing Xing City!"

Three of the men praised the victory, stating the Wei Army was left embarrassed.

But one of them seemed envious.

"What bullshit young heroes, you really believe these bragging stories! If you ask me, it’s clearly the noble family’s children glorifying themselves!

Might not even compare to my little finger! Had I been there, I’d have made those Wei Kingdom soldiers turn tail!"

The man spoke in a rough, loud manner, spitting as he talked.

If it was just such brazen boasting, it might have been fine.

But at this moment, three people entered.

A family of three, a man with his wife and a teenage daughter.

All three wore very shabby clothes, particularly the little girl, who seemed extremely cold, her face flushed red from the chill, her hands chapped from frostbite.

Among the three, the couple each held an erhu, while the little girl carried a large bundle on her back.

Though not wearing nice clothes, the little girl had a good appearance, drawing quite a few eyes upon entering.

The waiter greeted them warmly, "Happy New Year, esteemed guests, what can I get for you?"

"We..." The man at the front hesitated a bit, seeming slightly embarrassed.

But after glancing at his wife and daughter, his courage grew.

"Um... waiter, can we perform here? If we earn some tips, we’ll be able to eat, otherwise we... we..."

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

The waiter quickly understood, turning to request approval from the shopkeeper calculating accounts at the counter.

The shopkeeper nodded kindly.

"It’s fine! I’ll help inform the guests!"

The waiter, being kind-hearted, moved to the center and said to the guests eating in the inn, "Esteemed guests, sorry to interrupt! We have a family here who wishes to perform for celebration. If you find it enjoyable, kindly spare some silver as a tip, thank you!"

Most people in the inn nodded, urging the couple to start their performance.

Only the man who had been unrestrained in speech from the start uttered, "During New Year, who wants to listen to a performance and even pay for it, isn’t that bringing bad luck!"

With the man’s words, those inclined to listen to erhu and donate some tips stopped in their tracks.

Everyone wished for good luck during the New Year, right?

Some things are better left unsaid; once said, they leave a sour taste.

Those initially wanting the couple to perform stayed silent one by one.

The waiter couldn’t say much either, after all, this person was a guest at the inn, and he, being just a waiter, couldn’t offend him.

He turned to the man, saying, "Esteemed guest, you’ll have to convince this guest, if he agrees, then you can perform, otherwise I can’t help."