CHAPTER 168: CHAPTER 166: PAST EVENTS

Hei Dan finished speaking and then noticed the two horses that Chen Zigeng and Xie Liangchen were leading. His eyes widened in surprise, and it took him a while to come back to his senses.

Stammering, Hei Dan said, "Sis... Sister, did you... did you go to buy a horse?"

Xie Liangchen didn’t answer Hei Dan’s question, but instead asked, "Who did you save?"

Hei Dan kept staring at the two horses, his gaze shifting back and forth: "A... a little child, we saw him while hunting with Uncle Four on the mountain. That child was almost taken away by wolves, covered in wounds, blinded too. Luckily, Mr. Xu returned to the village and was treating the child’s wounds. My father said it’s not convenient to send the child to the government office’s refugee settlement with his current condition, but since someone entered the village, it’s best to inform Sister first."

Xie Liangchen nodded; this was what she had discussed with Chen Yongsheng.

After saying this, Hei Dan cautiously reached out to touch the horse’s head, "Sister, you haven’t told me how these two horses came about?"

Before Xie Liangchen could speak, Chen Zigeng said, "General Song gave them."

Hei Dan gasped in surprise, "To us? To the village? Really? Just... just to us? Not just for us to see, to touch?"

Chen Zigeng nodded with a smile, "The general said they’re ours, not taking them back."

Overjoyed, Hei Dan jumped twice and carefully asked while looking at the reins in Xie Liangchen’s hand, "Sister, can I hold them?"

Xie Liangchen handed the reins to Hei Dan, who gripped them tightly, afraid the horses might suddenly break free and run away.

On the way, Hei Dan asked Chen Zigeng many questions, all about the horses.

"Where to tether them?"

"What to feed them? Can they eat the same fodder as Yellow Ox?"

"Of course not! General Song said someone will bring fodder over specifically for the horses."

The three of them returned to the village.

The villagers all came out to look at the two horses Xie Liangchen had brought back.

Chen Zigeng explained to everyone the origin of the horses, and although Song Xian was not there, the villagers of Chen Family Village had already thanked Song Xian repeatedly.

When Chen Yongsheng arrived, half of Chen Family Village already knew about it.

Chen Yongsheng, having served in the military, immediately recognized these as well-selected horses and couldn’t help but gasp, "Isn’t this gift too generous? How will we ever repay it in the future?"

Xie Liangchen sighed, thinking if the land deeds for those mountains were given to Chen Yongsheng, he might feel as though Mount Tai was pressing down on him and faint on the spot.

Chen Zigeng said, "General Song said these will be useful once we start the spring plowing. The mountain fields are a distance from the village, and Sister also has to help nearby villages plant medicinal herbs, so having horses in the village would make message delivery much easier."

Chen Yongsheng nodded, "It’s indeed thoughtful of General Song."

Xie Liangchen interrupted Chen Yongsheng, "Second Uncle, where is the person? What did Mr. Xu say after examining him?"

Chen Yongsheng sighed, "Mr. Xu said the child’s injuries are severe, not sure if he will survive."

Xie Liangchen asked, "Did you find any refugees nearby in the mountain where he was discovered?" A blind refugee wouldn’t have come to Zhenzhou on his own.

Chen Yongsheng shook his head, "I had people search, but there were no others. Alas, in this cold weather, he was only wearing tattered clothes. If we had arrived a bit later, the wolves would have torn him apart."

As they spoke, Xie Liangchen approached Xu Tingzhen’s courtyard.

Mrs. Gao was standing nearby, talking to Chen Yongyi’s sister-in-law, Mrs. Zheng. As she spoke, Mrs. Gao wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Upon seeing Xie Liangchen, she walked briskly over.

"Liangchen," Mrs. Gao said, "you’re back. Mr. Xu is inside, told us to wait a bit before going in."

Xie Liangchen asked, "How is it?"

Mrs. Gao’s eyes were red, "He’s so pitiful, so starved there’s only a thin layer of skin left. His eyes are damaged, and he’s covered in wounds, bitten by wolves. At first, your second uncle and the others thought he was a wolf cub’s prey, but when they saw the clothes, they realized it was a person.

Seeing him, I was reminded of the old days. Sigh, I don’t know why, back then I thought I had seen it all, but now that life is better, I can’t bear to see it."

"Mr. Xu."

Xie Liangchen called softly at the door, and after a moment, Xu Tingzhen responded, "Come in!"

Only then did Xie Liangchen enter the room.

The rescued child lay on the kang, thin as Mrs. Gao had described, almost just skin and bones. There were several wounds on his face, possibly scratches, and the exposed arm was wrapped in cloth strips with blood seeping through.

If one didn’t look carefully, it was almost impossible to see he was breathing.

Xu Tingzhen was sitting beside him writing a prescription and handed it to Xie Liangchen, "Have someone prepare the medicine and find a way to get it down him soon."

Xu Tingzhen appeared more silent than usual, and after saying this, he turned back to checking on the child on the kang.

"Mr. Xu," Xie Liangchen sat down and said, "what’s troubling you?"

Xu Tingzhen was silent at first, then spoke after a long pause, "Let’s keep the child in the village for treatment!"

Xu Tingzhen, being older, usually maintained a calm demeanor and rarely showed such emotions, "He doesn’t have any contagion, should be fine, and doesn’t seem like..."

Xu Tingzhen implied that it didn’t seem the child was sent as a spy.

Xie Liangchen nodded, "Don’t worry, Mr. Xu. I’ll have Aunt, Zigeng, and Tie Dan take care of him nearby."

Xu Tingzhen stood up and walked to the outer room, sitting down.

With no one else around, Xu Tingzhen looked at Xie Liangchen, "I never told you, I also had a younger brother."

Xie Liangchen listened carefully as Xu Tingzhen continued.

Xu Tingzhen said, "When I was young, the world was in chaos. My father died, and my mother took us siblings to flee for our lives. One morning, I awoke to find my brother missing. My mother and I searched everywhere for him and later found one of his shoes in the mountain, stained with blood.

My mother traced the blood marks into the mountains, eventually finding torn cloth pieces and a broken rattle, the kind my father had bought for my brother before leaving. My brother always kept it close to him."

After a long pause, Xu Tingzhen continued, "My brother was eaten by wolves, and upon seeing his dreadful state, my mother fell ill and never recovered."

Xie Liangchen understood that the child had stirred up old memories for Mr. Xu.

Xie Liangchen asked, "What happened after that?"

Xu Tingzhen replied, "My mother couldn’t travel, so I stayed with her, thinking that when we couldn’t go on anymore, we’d join my brother. Then, we were saved by a passing general."

Previously, Xu Tingzhen had only mentioned her homeland was in Prince Guangyang’s territory but rarely shared details. Today was an exception.

Xie Liangchen kept listening.

Xu Tingzhen continued, "It was General Zhongwu, Yang Shouzong, who saved us, Prince Guangyang’s father. General Yang entrusted us to his aide, Mr. Xu, who taught me medicine."

At this point, Xie Liangchen couldn’t help but ask, "Are you referring to the legendary physician Xu Yi, Mr. Xu Zhongyang?"

Xu Tingzhen nodded, "It’s been many years since I joined his tutelage. Later, General Yang and his son were constantly at war, and my mother and I assisted Mr. Xu in treating soldiers, sometimes traveling with him to practice medicine.

Eventually, General Yang died in battle, and Little General Yang became Prince Guangyang with his own territory. I finally settled down. Mr. Xu opened a pharmacy in Longzhou, and I stayed to help diagnose patients and treat ailments with him."

Xie Liangchen looked at Xu Tingzhen, "So, Mr. Xu must know Prince Guangyang and the Princess quite well then?"