Chapter 13

Xue Feifeng walked aimlessly with his horse, suddenly forgetting why he had come to this market. Recalling Shen Qingran’s shy and bashful expression—as if eagerly anticipating the birth of the child in his belly—he found the sunlight inexplicably harsh.

Chang Bai anxiously scanned the crowd when he suddenly spotted Xue Feifeng and hurried over in a fluster. “Master, the madam is missing!”

“This subordinate has failed in his duty. Please punish me.” Chang Bai was about to kneel right there in the street but was stopped by a single glance from Xue Feifeng.

“Hmm.” Xue Feifeng responded indifferently, showing no intention of searching.

Chang Bai, utterly confused, steeled himself and followed, saying, “The madam came out alone, wanting to sell sugar cane. This subordinate noticed he kept holding his stomach…”

He might be injured…

“Chang Bai.” Xue Feifeng abruptly called him to a halt, his expression complex and disappointed. “Enough.”

Whether Shen Qingran held his stomach or not had nothing to do with him.

It certainly wasn’t because of him.

Under immense pressure, Chang Bai couldn’t help but paint a pitiful picture of Shen Qingran: “A group of ruffians gathered at the house to cause trouble. The madam was likely injured in the scuffle.”

Xue Feifeng suddenly stopped. His grip on the reins tightened, then loosened, before he finally asked in resignation, “Where was he injured? Was medicine applied?”

Chang Bai spoke rapidly, “His abdomen. This subordinate was incompetent and couldn’t persuade the madam to apply medicine.” After seeing Shen Qingran’s handwriting and the dignified, courteous manner in which he interacted with the shopkeeper, Chang Bai suddenly felt that the madam was more than just a rustic village woman. Setting aside family background, he was entirely worthy of the master. This made him all the more anxious about the stubborn general’s behavior.

What were they to do with this quarreling young couple?

After hearing this, the brief concern on Xue Feifeng’s face vanished instantly.

If the stomach injury were truly severe, the fetus would undoubtedly be unstable. But Shen Qingran’s appearance earlier showed no signs of any problems.

Xue Feifeng leaned toward the belief that Shen Qingran only had a minor ailment and hardened his heart to ignore it.

“Master, are we heading back?” Chang Bai noticed Xue Feifeng walking east—the direction back to Li Family Village—and immediately realized that the general and the madam must have met earlier, and something significant must have happened between them. But just how serious was it? Chang Bai’s expression twisted in conflict. Should he escort the master home now, or carry out the original orders?

He served Xue Feifeng. If Shen Qingran was no longer the madam, then he needn’t concern himself further.

“Why are you following me?” Xue Feifeng shot Chang Bai a frustrated look. Hadn’t he already said Shen Qingran was prone to attracting trouble from ruffians? Why wasn’t he hurrying to find him?

“Yes.” Chang Bai instantly understood—this was just a minor quarrel between husband and wife!

Seeing his master’s expression—clearly concerned yet restraining himself from asking—Chang Bai proactively reported, “When the madam left the mountains, he spent a night in a cave. The howling of wolves kept him too frightened to sleep.”

Xue Feifeng closed his eyes briefly, sighing in resignation. “Go find a pair of crutches.”

Now that he knew, how could he let Shen Qingran spend another terrified night?

…

Shen’s mother quietly placed a money pouch on the table and said to Shen Qingran, “Xiao Bao, keep eating. I’ll take my leave first.”

Shen Qingran was still drowning in the shame of shamelessly admitting to being pregnant, his worldview repeatedly shattered, his expression one of utter despair. Hearing his mother was leaving, he assumed she had urgent matters and reflexively nodded.

Her departure meant he wouldn’t have to eat the chicken leg.

And wouldn’t have to vomit again.

When the heat on his face had subsided a little and the people around him were minding their own business, no longer paying him any attention, Shen Qingran finally raised his head, took a deep breath, and felt like he had come back to life.

Seeing the money pouch on the table, Shen Qingran felt a pang of shame. A “daughter” getting married, running into her mother on the street—not only had he failed to offer any filial money, but his mother had even ended up giving him some instead.

Shen’s mother’s belief that her son was lazy and gluttonous was so deeply ingrained that she feared if she stayed a moment longer, he might ask her to go home and fetch more money to subsidize his living expenses.

Shen Qingran sighed. He used the money Xue Feifeng had left him to pay the bill, then picked up the pouch and went out to find his mother.

He didn’t have the means to support the original owner’s parents, but not taking money from them was his bottom line.

The Shen family lived at the end of the street, just around the right turn. As soon as Shen Qingran stepped out of the inn—being slightly taller than most—he spotted his mother hurrying away.

Dressed in women’s clothing, Shen Qingran didn’t dare call out to her openly, so he quietly followed her back to the original owner’s home.

The end of the street was far less lively than the area around the inn. In an obscure small town like this, a market stretching a hundred meters was considered bustling.

Another turn into the alley led to ordinary houses, not much different from those in the village.

Watching his mother enter one of the houses, Shen Qingran glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before preparing to call out—when he overheard her voice.

“I just ran into Xiao Bao on the street. We need to close the door quickly. If he comes back and finds out we’re moving, he’ll surely make a scene.”

“Hurry, shut the door—pretend we’re not home.”

“Old Shen, do you think we’re… Ah, what if Xiao Bao gets divorced later and ends up homeless, starving to death?” Shen’s mother sat on a chair, her heart aching at the thought.

“Can you support him? Can you afford to? Each day we live is one less day we have. Do you expect Da Niu and Er Niu to take care of him later?” Shen Fu fell silent for a moment. “Let’s just leave it at that.”

Shen Qingran’s steps faltered, as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head.

He forced a bitter smile and slowly approached the Shen household. Placing the money pouch on the doorstep, he then fished out a few copper coins from his sleeve—originally meant for a night’s stay at an inn.

Since his own mother had already foreseen his future homelessness, he might as well give the money to the Shen family as travel funds.

Not working really did make people dislike you.

He wasn’t that spoiled young master anymore, the one who had everything handed to him.

Shen Qingran found it strange how sensitive he felt. These weren’t even his real family—he should have only felt awkward. Logically, he ought to applaud the Shen family’s decision.

In this era of favoring sons over daughters, the fact that Shen’s mother hadn’t let Shen Qingran burden his sisters for the sake of carrying on the family line was, in its own way, an act of maternal love and conscience.

Shen Qingran turned away silently.

He suddenly wanted to see Xue Feifeng.

His own mother wasn’t as reliable as Xue Feifeng, who at least let him be picky about food in front of him.

Lifting his gaze, he suddenly spotted a man leaning on a cane at the end of the alley, waiting quietly for him. Though standing with difficulty, he was as steady and dependable as a mountain.

Xue Feifeng.

Shen Qingran’s eyes welled up, and tears spilled out shamelessly.

He rushed forward, grabbing Xue Feifeng’s arm, and blinked up at him. “Why are you here?”

Xue Feifeng pretended not to have heard the Shens’ plans to abandon Shen Qingran and only asked, “Why are you crying again?”

Shen Qingran shook his head stubbornly, clutching onto Xue Feifeng’s sleeve like a child who had been abandoned once before, terrified of losing his last remaining family. Suddenly, he understood why he had felt so upset earlier. The Shen family had despised him as a son who didn’t work, and deep down, he feared hearing those same words from Xue Feifeng one day.

With every step, the sleeve tugged slightly. Even when severely injured, Xue Feifeng had never experienced this feeling of “dragging along family burdens.” He sighed inwardly.

Before meeting, Chang Bai had painted a pitiful picture of him on his behalf. Now that they were face to face, Shen Qingran cried harder than anyone else.

Every moment struck a chord in Xue Feifeng’s heart, giving rise to absurd thoughts.

Xue Feifeng felt he was deliberately torturing himself. Accompanying Shen Qingran back meant traversing that long mountain path on crutches—his legs weren’t crippled, but his elbows would surely stiffen.

Xue Feifeng glanced down and noticed Shen Qingran’s worn-out soles, making his steps unsteady. Dark circles under his eyes, swollen from tears, had taken on a faint purplish hue. He hadn’t slept all night, terrified by the wolves.

“Your shoes are ruined. Let’s hire a carriage,” Xue Feifeng suggested. With their current state, it would take forever to get home.

Shen Qingran immediately shook his head, mouthing silently, “I can do it.”

Thanks to a bunch of eccentric subordinates, Xue Feifeng had learned to read simple lip movements in just two days.

Xue Feifeng wanted to change Shen Qingran’s impression of him: “This trip earned me quite a bit. I can afford a carriage.”

Shen Qingran stayed silent. Business wasn’t that easy—he had learned that firsthand on this trip. He remained eighty percent skeptical of Xue Feifeng’s words.

He must be saying this to ease Shen Qingran’s guilt over being a burden.

That look again. Xue Feifeng felt a headache coming. He had planned to say a hundred taels, but Shen Qingran’s probing expression made him revise it to “twenty taels.”

“Here, don’t be upset.” The great general only knew how to comfort people with money.

A silver ingot, still warm from Xue Feifeng’s touch, was pressed into Shen Qingran’s hand. He froze for a moment before finally remembering his original purpose for leaving the mountains. He pulled out a piece of paper and gestured for Xue Feifeng to read.

“You want to sell sugar cane?”

Shen Qingran nodded. “I won’t eat a single stalk. Let’s sell them and keep the money with you.” He pushed the silver ingot back along with the suggestion.

“But I can’t find anyone to buy them.” Shen Qingran was too ashamed to face people.

Softened, Xue Feifeng humored him: “I know someone whose family makes sugar…”

Shen Qingran’s eyes lit up, gazing at Xue Feifeng with admiration.

Xue Feifeng thought: Buy. Tomorrow, I’ll have Chang Ming come and buy it all!

With his biggest worry resolved, Shen Qingran relaxed slightly. Ahead stood a stable with two donkeys tied beside it. Compared to the tall, majestic horses, the donkeys looked short and dull-witted.

Shen Qingran’s interest was piqued. Pointing at the stable, he said to Xue Feifeng, “Let’s buy those.”

Xue Feifeng followed his gaze to four sturdy horses leisurely chewing hay. Though not as fine as Yu Cong, their limbs looked powerful. Li Feng had been a soldier—if he claimed to know how to ride, taking Shen Qingran back on horseback would make sense.

“Buy.”

Shen Qingran happily darted toward the two donkeys, eager to pick the better one. Donkeys could pull the stone mill for sugar-making, and most importantly, Xue Feifeng could ride one home.

He would lead it from the front while Xue Feifeng only needed to keep his balance.

Seeing Shen Qingran head for the donkeys, Xue Feifeng’s eyelid twitched.

No. The great general only wanted to ride a horse.