Chapter 180 – I Want to Marry General Zhan
Being close to such a person, though risky, also comes with the chance of a dramatic turnaround. This was the main reason Yan Xiaosi was willing to take the risk of agreeing to be a military doctor in the army camp.
“Mom, I’ve grown up. You can’t protect me for the rest of my life. There are some things I must face myself.”
Not wanting to offend General Zhan, her younger daughter’s decision to disguise herself as a man and serve as a military doctor had become a certainty. Ms. Zhong couldn’t change this outcome and sighed heavily again.
“Xiaosi, when are you leaving? Where is General Zhan’s camp located? Once you go, when will you be able to return?” Ms. Zhong asked while wiping away her tears.
Yan Shuqin and Yan Shuxue also had tearful eyes.
The three of them looked heartbroken, as if Yan Xiaosi was about to climb a mountain of swords and descend into a sea of flames.
Only Yan Xiaosi herself seemed unaffected.
It was just a stay in the army camp, and she had been in one before.
“I told General Zhan that our family is currently building a house. I asked to go to the camp after the house is completed. He agreed. General Zhan’s army is stationed near Four Sisters Mountain. Mom, Big Sister, Second Sister, even after I join the camp, I won’t be too far from you. Whenever I have free time, I’ll ask General Zhan for leave to come back and visit you all.”
Hearing this, Ms. Zhong and the two sisters felt slightly better.
After comforting her mother and sisters, Yan Xiaosi yawned heavily.
“Mom, Big Sister, Second Sister, let’s talk tomorrow, I’m really too tired and want to sleep.”
She had been busy all day, first going to the county court to handle land registration, then discussing house construction at Wang Sanbao’s house, and in the afternoon, she was busy digging a pit for Yan Bowen. She didn’t get any peace in the evening either, as the Yan family caused another commotion. She was completely exhausted after dealing with all this.
Seeing her weary face, Ms. Zhong wiped her tears and went to prepare foot-bath water for her.
“Xiaosi, don’t rush to sleep. You’ve been tired all day. Soaking your feet will help you sleep better.”
“Thank you, Mom. You’re always the best to me.”
After Ms. Zhong scrubbed the pot and prepared the foot-bath water, Yan Xiaosi’s feet were soaked warm before she crawled into bed.
Too tired, she fell asleep shortly after lying down.
…
At the Yan household.
Old Master Yan’s wife, Ms. Jiang, sat in the main hall, waiting for Old Master Yan to bring Yan Xiaosi back to face punishment.
Her servant, Granny Li, was attending to her.
Ms. Jiang waited anxiously, not seeing Old Master Yan and others returning, and instructed Granny Li, “Go to the door to welcome them, see if the old master and young master have returned.”
“Yes, old madam.”
Hearing Ms. Jiang’s tone of displeasure, Granny Li hurried out.
Since suffering a stroke, Ms. Jiang’s legs had become less agile. Moreover, with her age and osteoporosis, standing or walking too much was tiring, so she spent most of her time sitting in a chair.
Seeing Granny Li hurrying out, she cursed from her chair, “That damned Yan Xiaosi, daring to cause your uncle to be thrown into the county jail. When the time comes, I will definitely make sure you lose a layer of skin.”
Granny Li stood at the gate for a while and finally saw some lights approaching the Yan residence.
“It’s the old master,” she said to herself and hurried to greet them. She saw Old Master Yan, Ms. Li, Yan Wenfeng, and Yan Shujing all covered in dust, along with several servants in the same state.
Why hadn’t they brought back that rascal Yan Xiaosi tonight after going up the mountain to fetch him? Granny Li was puzzled but didn’t dare to voice her thoughts, merely saying, “Old Master, lady, young master, young miss, you’re back. The old madam is waiting for you in the hall.”
Ms. Jiang had been waiting in the hall for more than an hour. Seeing Old Master Yan return without a trace of Yan Xiaosi, her face darkened.
“Old Master, where is that scoundrel Yan Xiaosi? Why didn’t you bring that troublemaker back?”
At this moment, Ms. Hu and her daughters were also present. Seeing the sorry state of the main house’s family, they secretly felt pleased.
With the head of the main house imprisoned and his reputation ruined, he would never enter officialdom again. If Yan Wenfeng failed to pass the imperial examination, the main house would be completely finished, and the entire Yan family would be theirs.
Old Master Yan, who had been invincible all his life, had knelt on the mountain for so long and made such a fool of himself, he was too embarrassed to speak to Ms. Jiang.
Old Master Yan remained silent, so Yan Wenfeng had to speak up: “Grandmother, with General Zhan from Xijing backing Yan Xiaosi, grandfather couldn’t do anything to him. General Zhan even told grandfather that one must look at the master before beating a dog, obviously protecting Yan Xiaosi.”
Ms. Jiang felt so angry that she felt tightness in her chest.
Her eldest son had been thrown into the county jail, and now she couldn’t do anything to the main culprit. It was infuriating.
She clenched her fists and pounded her chest, casting a resentful look at Old Master Yan.
“When that child was born, I said he was a disaster for our Yan family and should have been drowned in the river. You insisted on pitying your third son and kept that disaster. Not only did that disaster cause the death of the third son, but now he has also led to the eldest son being imprisoned. Maybe I’ll be the next victim.”
Ms. Jiang complained bitterly, and Old Master Yan also regretted it deeply.
If he had known that Yan Xiaosi would cause so much trouble, he wouldn’t have spared him for his third son’s sake.
Ms. Hu, hiding a smile in her eyes, comforted her, “Didn’t Wenfeng say the county magistrate only ordered to detain the elder brother for three months? He’ll be back after three months.”
Remembering her eldest son in prison, Ms. Jiang sobbed with grief.
“After three months, the eldest son can come back, but his reputation is ruined, and he won’t be able to hold office for the rest of his life. He probably won’t even be able to be a steward in the county government anymore. That’s no different from being crippled, and it’s all that scoundrel Yan Xiaosi’s fault.”
Yan Shujing, who had hoped to marry into a high-ranking family riding on the coattails of Yao Jin’s promotion and Yan Bozhang’s appointment as county magistrate, saw her dream shatter.
But she was not willing to give up.
Having remained unmarried at her age, wasn’t it all for that day? Having waited for so long, her hopes now shattered, how could she be content?
“Grandfather, grandmother, I want to marry General Zhan,” Yan Shujing suddenly said.
Yan Shuxiu, hearing this, burst into laughter as if she had heard a joke.
“Big sister, have you gone mad from fear? Why are you talking nonsense?”
Yan Shuxiu despised her inwardly, thinking of marrying the noble from Xijing, Yan Shujing should at least consider her position.
