The night was deep and silent. Chen Xiaobei held Cui Hongyu in his arms, and the two lay there quietly.
"Brother Xiaobei, how long will you be gone this time?"
Chen Xiaobei obviously couldn't answer this question.
"I don't know how long it will take, but I don't think it will be too long. The two sides are at war, fifty thousand people, and they won't last long in their territory." Sudangong.com
"Right, after I leave, the family matters will be up to you. If you encounter any difficulties, just let Da Yong and Da Chun handle it."
Cui Hongyu nodded and nestled in Chen Xiaobei's arms. After a long while, she said softly, "Let's sleep. You have to get up early tomorrow."
Hearing Cui Hongyu's words, Chen Xiaobei knew there would be no special arrangements for the night. Perhaps Cui Hongyu's only wish at this moment was to have a peaceful sleep.
The next day, as dawn broke, Chen Xiaobei, still groggy, heard Cui Hongyu get up. It was clear that Cui Hongyu was tiptoeing, not intending to wake him, so he decided not to disappoint her good intentions.
Chen Xiaobei lay in bed and heard Cui Hongyu enter the kitchen and start bustling about.
Before long, the smell of cooking smoke drifted in. Cui Hongyu had started making breakfast.
After lying down for a while, Chen Xiaobei grew restless and got up to get dressed.
He went into the kitchen and saw Cui Hongyu busy with a flushed face. Seeing Chen Xiaobei arrive, Cui Hongyu said with a hint of apology, "Look at me, I woke you up again."
Chen Xiaobei waved his hand, stepped forward, and gently hugged Cui Hongyu. "I'm fine, it's time to get up at this hour."
"Right, what else do you need to do? I'll help you."
Cui Hongyu smiled and shook her head. "No need to help me, just go and call Lu Rumei so we can have breakfast together."
Chen Xiaobei nodded, turned into the inner room, concealed three sticks of incense in his sleeve, and then turned to walk out.
Although the snow on the road had melted, the meltwater remained. The temperature was low in the morning, and it had frozen over, creating a bright expanse. One had to tread carefully, or it would be easy to slip and fall.
Chen Xiaobei actually had a selfish motive. Before going to the Great Tu Kingdom, he wanted to visit a place. Of course, he didn't want Cui Hongyu to know about it, nor did he want Liu Rumei to know. So, taking advantage of this morning's opportunity, Chen Xiaobei hurried to the cemetery outside the village.
Chen Xiaobei arrived at Huang Ying's grave.
He carefully took out three sticks of incense from his sleeve, lit them, bowed three times, and placed them in the incense burner in front of the tombstone. He then proceeded to clear the remaining snow from the grave. As he worked, he murmured, "Huang Ying, I'm here to tell you that Liu Rumei and I are going to the border soon. May your spirit bless us."
"This time, I estimate it will take at least a month. Don't worry, I'll take care of myself."
After saying this, Chen Xiaobei bowed three more times to Huang Ying's grave.
"Don't worry, as soon as the war over there stops, I'll come back to accompany you."
Leaving the cemetery, Chen Xiaobei carefully glided like ice to the entrance of Liu Rumei's house.
He saw that Liu Rumei's house was already bustling with activity. Liu Ziming and Liu Ziliang were packing luggage with everyone else, constantly coming and going.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei arrive, everyone greeted him with smiles, and some even joked with him.
Chen Xiaobei responded to them one by one. After responding, he saw Xiao Qing quickly come forward, bowed to him, and said, "Master is here. Miss asks you to come in."
Chen Xiaobei nodded and quickly entered the inner room. He saw Liu Rumei writing something with a pen. Seeing Chen Xiaobei arrive, she just said, "Brother Xiaobei, please sit for a while. Let me finish writing these letters."
Chen Xiaobei agreed and sat beside her. He waited until Liu Rumei finished her work, and then he asked with a smile, "You're about to set off, and you're writing letters again."
Liu Rumei smiled slightly and took out the first letter. "This is for the princess, to inform her that we have dispatched troops on schedule."
"This is written to my father. I hope my father will consider the overall situation and take command of the operation. After all, his presence will boost the morale of the soldiers even more."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei wanted to persuade her further, but he held back. After all, Liu Rumei had her own plans.
He had said what he needed to say. If Liu Rumei didn't listen, he couldn't force her, or it would seem too selfish.
Chen Xiaobei changed the subject and said, "Rumei, we'll have breakfast over there later. Hongyu is almost done cooking."
Liu Rumei agreed, finished writing the last letter, gave some instructions to Xiao Qing, and followed Chen Xiaobei out.
When Chen Xiaobei brought Liu Rumei back, Chen Qiaoer had already woken up and was helping Cui Hongyu serve the rice. Seeing them return, she stepped forward and took Liu Rumei's hand.
"Sister, Sister, are you leaving on a long journey today?"
Liu Rumei nodded gently. "Yes, I have to go on a long journey. You must listen to your sister-in-law at home from now on."
Chen Qiaoer nodded solemnly and replied, "Sister, don't worry, I will be good."
Looking at Chen Qiaoer's appearance, Chen Xiaobei smiled.
Indeed, sometimes Chen Qiaoer had a high emotional intelligence, and she didn't seem like a child of just a few years old.
The breakfast was filled with mixed emotions. Cui Hongyu's eyes were full of reluctance, glancing at Chen Xiaobei and then at Liu Rumei.
Chen Xiaobei's mood was even more complicated. As the saying goes, the palm and the back of the hand are both flesh. One was his first wife, who married him when he was in hardship. Although her purpose in marrying him at the time was somewhat complicated, she was still his wife.
He felt a pang of guilt about leaving Cui Hongyu to accompany Liu Rumei to the border, but he had no choice. After all, Liu Rumei was also his wife.
Liu Rumei felt a bit uneasy. Her biggest worry was not knowing the outcome of this trip to the border. She was used to traveling with Liu Xiangnan, and she feared that if something happened to Chen Xiaobei, she wouldn't be able to explain it to Cui Hongyu.
Breakfast ended quickly. After a simple rest, Chen Xiaobei and Liu Rumei set off.
The Liu family had over twenty people in Hetou Village. This time, they were not only leaving in full force, but he would also take some of the people Guo Chuan had left on Wugong Ridge with him. As for those responsible for contacting the princess, they would also accompany them.
Cui Hongyu, Chen Dayong, Chen Dachun, the Old Ancestor, and all the elders and young villagers came to the village entrance to see them off. The Old Ancestor held Chen Xiaobei's hand and asked again, "Xiaobei, are you really not going to bring a couple more people?"
Chen Xiaobei shook his head. "Old Ancestor, I won't bring anyone else."