During lunchtime, the entire family quietly watched Gu Shi, their expressions a mix of curiosity, excitement, bewilderment, and confusion.
The eldest daughter of General Jingbei's mansion, my mother, what a concept that was!
For hereditary titles like Gu Zhenshan's, it represented a second-rank official position in the imperial court. Even Magistrate Chen and Prefect Qin had to bow and pay their respects to him.
If nothing else, the status of a general's daughter alone made her a prominent figure, not just in a village like Dashui, but even in the capital, a noble family and a wealthy young lady.
Old Man Yun, as if he had found a treasure, smiled at Gu Shi and said, "Old woman, do you think this dish is too salty? I'll have Huaihua stir-fry it for you again later!"
Gu Shi: "..."
Why was the old man acting so strangely?
Yun Erman also smiled and said, "Mother, you haven't finished sewing that cotton pants for Xiao Bao, have you? Leave it, I'll have Shanshan help you sew it!"
Gu Shi: "..."
Good heavens, even the son was acting abnormal now.
Xiao Xitian was more reliable. She put a piece of meat on Gu Shi's plate and said tenderly, "Mother is still the same mother as before, you all shouldn't act like this!"
How infuriating!
If she angered Mother too much, she would just pack her bags and return to the capital. Then let's see what they would do.
Zhao Guihua and Du Tieshan sat on the side, also feeling very excited.
They never expected their mother-in-law to have such a significant background. Who would dare to give Gu Shi a cold shoulder in the future? That would be offending the entire General's mansion.
Gu Shi sighed, put down her chopsticks, and looked at Yun Erman, "Erman, Shanshan told me before that when things are less busy, she plans to return to the village to pay respects to her ancestors and burn paper for her parents. Now that the family is not busy, take her back."
Du Tieshan marrying Yun Erman was purely a matter of fate. She didn't dislike the Yun family's poverty and married into the family wholeheartedly. Gu Shi was also very satisfied with this daughter-in-law.
Yun Erman grunted and put down his rice bowl, "Okay, if it doesn't snow tomorrow, we'll leave!"
"Alright, prepare whatever you two need on the road in advance." Gu Shi said, untying her purse and taking out a few silver ingots. "Take this as your travel expenses!"
"No need, Mother!" Du Tieshan refused to accept it. "We have enough dry food, and there won't be many expenses on the road, so we don't need money!"
"A poor home but a rich journey!" Old Man Yun took a sip of wine. "Accept what your mother gave you, keep it for emergencies. Don't be stingy with food and drink when you're out, buy whatever you like. Our family isn't that poor yet."
Du Tieshan accepted the silver after hearing this, "Thank you, Father and Mother!"
Xiao Xitian rolled her big eyes. That bad premonition surged within her again, as if her second brother would encounter something on this trip.
So she also wanted to go.
"Mother, I want to go too!" Xiao Xitian said with a serious expression.
It was just that after she left, she wouldn't be able to take out milk, which was quite bothersome.
Milk would spoil and couldn't be stored, and she couldn't take it out in advance.
But her second brother and sister-in-law's safety were the most important.
Gu Shi was slightly taken aback. Seeing her daughter's serious and persistent expression, she guessed her inner thoughts.
"Mother, you didn't let me follow when third brother and fourth brother went to collect pelts. You should agree this time, right?" Xiao Xitian pleaded.
Sister-in-law Shanshan would return from paying respects to her ancestors in about half a month, so it wouldn't take too long.
Gu Shi exchanged a look with Old Man Yun and sighed, "You can go, but you must stay close to your second brother and sister-in-law, and never separate!"
It would be troublesome if she got lost.
The thought of her daughter being washed away by the flood last time made Gu Shi feel a pang of fear.
"Don't worry, Mother, Xitian promises not to run around!" Xiao Xitian said with a smile.
Old Man Yun was still a bit worried and warned Yun Erman, "You idiot, take good care of your sister. It's getting cold outside. I saw the riverbed freezing over when I went to pick potatoes in the fields this morning. If your sister gets frostbite, see how I deal with you!"
Yun Erman: "..."
As if he would mistreat his sister.
Du Tieshan smiled and said, "Father, Mother, Sweet Baby is more important than anything. Even if Erman and I endure the cold and hunger, we can't let her be wronged!"
"Alright!" Old Man Yun agreed. "You two sleep early tonight. There are two lamb legs left at home, heat them up and save them for the road."
The two yellow lamb legs were saved for their youngest daughter, and no one in the family dared to eat them.
Since Xiao Xitian was going on a long trip, she should take them.
"No need, Father!" Xiao Xitian shook her head. "Eating lamb all the time will be greasy. Just bring more sticky bean buns and red bean paste buns!"
She would leave the two large lamb legs for the family to eat.
With her space in hand, if she wanted to eat meat, she could easily take out venison, roe deer meat, wild boar meat, beef, lamb, and so on.
That afternoon, Yun Erman borrowed a carriage from the village chief, repaired the wheels, and hung thick curtains on the windows.
The family's only carriage had been driven away by Daman and Sanman. Old Man Yun was considering whether to buy another one in the future.
The next morning, before dawn, Yun Erman set off with his wife and sister.
The biting cold wind howled like blades. The plains were vast, desolate, and bleak.
The lush Camel Hump Mountain had also entered its hibernation period. Clumps of withered poplar and birch trees stood on the mountainside, and even the pine trees were not as verdant.
There were two charcoal basins in the carriage, and quilts were spread on the seats. Xiao Xitian, like a plump zongzi, was wrapped layer upon layer by Du Tieshan.
After the sun rose, the carriage had already left Heyang County and was galloping towards the village where Du Tieshan used to live.
At the same time, in the Prefectural City.
Murong Qing was sweeping the courtyard with a broom. The temperature here was no warmer than in Dashui Village. Moreover, in the Prefectural City, apart from Bocai Academy and a few hundred households, the surroundings were vast wilderness.
Therefore, it seemed that heaven did not favor such a border town. The white wind, carrying snowflakes, enveloped the small county town, making pedestrians sway as they walked.
"Miss Murong, why are you still sweeping the yard in such cold weather?" Yun Jinhe walked into the courtyard with his hands tucked into his sleeves, his face gloomy, and his mood seemed very bad.
Murong Qing was slightly taken aback. "What's wrong with you?"
He was fine when he went to school in the morning, but why was his face so contorted after coming back?
Yun Jinhe frowned. "Let's talk inside!"
In his life, he had never encountered such a shameless person and felt extremely depressed.
Murong Qing put down the broom and walked into the house, patting the snow off Yun Jinhe's body. "What exactly is wrong?"
Yun Jinhe sat down on a chair with a sigh. "Alas, something has happened!"