CHAPTER 153: CHAPTER 151: THE AGREEMENT

After Song Xian finished speaking, he didn’t hear a response from Xie Liangchen.

Seeing that the weaving room was not far ahead, he couldn’t help but slow his pace, for the first time in his life carefully pondering his previous words, wondering if they were too harsh.

Song Xian said, "Did I say something wrong?"

Song Xian felt he hadn’t said anything wrong; on a usual day, he would have been even more direct.

At this moment, Cheng Yanzhao’s words echoed in his ears: "Let people know you have a sharp tongue and ruthless hands... eventually, they’ll avoid you, and you may regret it."

Since he had been kidnapped, he had become increasingly silent, mostly speaking only to criticize others, except when expressing disdain for Cheng Yanzhao.

So, Song Xian himself wasn’t sure if what he said to Xie Liangchen was appropriate or not?

He hadn’t noticed anything was wrong before, but ever since that day when his legs went numb from sitting on a small stool, he felt increasingly out of sorts.

Moreover, later Cheng Yanzhao added fuel to the fire in front of him.

"My mother is different from ordinary women, she doesn’t like attending banquets and such; she loves doing calculations at home, you think... would my mother like Miss Xie?"

If Cheng Yanzhao hadn’t mentioned these things, he wouldn’t have thought so much about it.

Song Xian wished he could drag Cheng Yanzhao, who was training soldiers, back and publicly beat him in front of everyone for a hundred rounds.

To Song Xian’s surprise, Xie Liangchen didn’t mind his words: "Master, do you want to hear the truth?"

Song Xian responded.

Xie Liangchen said, "Even with a solid base, one can make mistakes, and a horse can stumble. The snow from last time turned to ice, when the next snow comes, who knows how many people it will trip up. Who doesn’t slip in the winter?"

Song Xian said, "You sure are carefree."

Xie Liangchen laughed: "In the North, during winter, it’s common to see people slipping. Although one shouldn’t laugh when others suffer, sometimes you just can’t help it.

In my previous life, after I went to the South, I often thought about these things in the winter.

Song Xian looked at Xie Liangchen without saying anything.

"What’s wrong?" Xie Liangchen asked.

Only then did Song Xian say, "You took over the Su Family’s Northern caravan, not just to come back and watch people slip, right?"

Xie Liangchen couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Seeing the smile appear on her face, Song Xian recalled the hidden laughter on her face back in the kitchen, and his mood slightly lifted.

Xie Liangchen returned to normal and half-seriously said, "Master, you should be careful too."

No matter how skilled, didn’t her nose get hit too?

She didn’t know she was such a vengeful person.

Song Xian couldn’t think of a retort; he always felt that Xie Liangchen’s words carried some hint of ridicule, yet he couldn’t figure out what mistake he made.

If he asked her, she would certainly not admit it.

Voices could be heard from not far away, and after a few more steps, their time together would end.

Song Xian stood still, knowing that her being by his side was enough.

Xie Liangchen looked up, the moon was rising, the sky was getting darker, and tonight the moon was very round, hanging high overhead. In her ears echoed Song Xian’s words.

The way he was framed back then, and the hidden pain between the lines.

She thought that someone like Song Xian would never show even a hint of weakness in front of others.

In her past life, he fought on the battlefield, renowned far and wide; you could almost feel the murderous aura at the mere mention of his name.

A general becomes famous over many bones; countless lives paved the way for the Marquis Xuanwei. So when she killed Ji Yuan, she had someone inform Song Xian, knowing Ji Yuan had no chance of survival in Song Xian’s hands.

It’s hard to imagine someone like him would confide in her, making her feel somewhat peculiar.

It’s like suddenly seeing someone’s secret, catching you off guard, yet it added a little more understanding of Song Xian.

Understanding why in his previous life he kept fighting, repelling the Liao people, and leading the North.

Repelling the Liao was his mother’s uncle’s hope and also what General Cheng wanted, but battle after battle, more and more people around him placed their hopes on him, and he gradually couldn’t stop, couldn’t afford to stop.

"Don’t be fooled by the fact that he can still lead troops into battle, by the time he’s thirty-five, that right arm will only have the strength to hold chopsticks."

Those were Mr. Xu’s exact words.

Song Xian was thirty-one or thirty-two when he rose to power; he must have already noticed the seriousness of his shoulder injury.

"Master," Xie Liangchen said, "Have you used the pig fat that Mr. Xu made?"

Song Xian nodded: "I have."

Xie Liangchen didn’t ask how it felt because Mr. Xu said that Song Xian’s injury would take time to heal.

Xie Liangchen said, "Have you been using any medicine recently?"

Song Xian shook his head.

Xie Liangchen said, "Can you still drink Sanqi Tea?"

Song Xian responded affirmatively.

Xie Liangchen nodded: "Then I’ll make three more days’ worth and have Chang An bring it back."

"Okay." Listening to Xie Liangchen’s questions, Song Xian couldn’t help but smile.

"How are you planning to celebrate the New Year?"

Xie Liangchen looked at Song Xian’s back: "Everyone will gather together, there’s plenty to eat and wear this year, and the village will be very lively."

Song Xian said, "Maybe Grandmother would want to come."

Xie Liangchen thought about Song Qizheng, Song Yu, and Song Min all going to the Capital, imagining what the Song Family’s New Year would be like.

"If Old Mrs. Song is willing, Master should instruct someone to bring her here," Xie Liangchen said, "I can’t say for sure about anything else, but we will definitely make Old Mrs. Song happy."

Song Xian said, "Alright, it’s a deal then."

Hei Dan saw Xie Liangchen and ran over with a smile: "Sister, where did you go? We’ve been looking for you."

Xie Liangchen said, "The sweet soup in the kitchen is ready. Come with me to get the soup and serve it to Old Mrs. Song and General Song."

As it got late, after drinking the sweet soup, Xie Liangchen sent Old Mrs. Song onto the carriage.

"Go back," Old Mrs. Song patted Xie Liangchen’s hand, "You worked hard all day. You are a very good child."

Xie Liangchen said, "I’ll come to see you in a couple of days."

Old Mrs. Song smiled: "It’s almost the New Year, there are still many things in the village waiting for you, coming after the New Year is the same."

The Song Family carriage slowly left Chen Family Village.

Song Xian rode his horse slowly, following behind Old Mrs. Song’s carriage.

Old Mrs. Song lifted the curtain and instructed her grandson, "You should go ahead, you know your warhorse can’t take this slow pace."

"Don’t worry, Grandmother," Song Xian said, "Let’s go slowly."

"What?" Old Mrs. Song was surprised, "It’s in a good mood today?"

Old Mrs. Song finished speaking and let down the curtain, expecting a response from her grandson, but before she retracted her hand, she heard her precious grandson say, "It seems so."

Old Mrs. Song felt like the sun had risen in the west, and Chang An next to her couldn’t help but laugh.

Song Xian squinted at Chang An: "Hold it properly, don’t spill it."

Chang An hurriedly clutched the food box in his arms even tighter: "It can’t spill, spilling it would be terrible? This is the elixir that can save Master’s life."

In Chen Family Village.

Old Mrs. Chen lay on the kang: "Old Mrs. Song is a really nice person. I remember hearing seven or eight years ago how fierce the National Guardian General was against the Liao people."

Seven or eight years ago, Xie Liangchen thought back, it should be around the time she was kidnapped.

Xie Liangchen asked, "How did you hear about that?"

Old Mrs. Chen said, "Your father mentioned it. He said: Now among the Northern generals, if anyone can defeat the Liao, it is General Song."

Xie Liangchen wanted to ask what else her father had said, but Old Mrs. Chen turned over and started snoring softly.

In the sound of snoring, Xie Liangchen relaxed, pondering how much her grandmother had kept hidden.