Chen Zigeng did not hope in vain, General Song personally taught him to ride a horse, just like Sister taught him to recognize herbs, no one was better than them.
Song Xian ca to Chen Family Village for eight consecutive days, teaching Chen Zigeng and then leaving with his people, not even taking a sip of water.
"General Song’s cough isn’t better yet," Chen Zigeng said, "The weather hasn’t been good these days, and his shoulder aches a bit too."
Chen Zigeng went to pay respects to Mr. Dongli, then returned, washed up, and crawled into the warm bed, talking to his sister with his face upturned.
Old Mrs. Chen put away the lamps and oil; last night, when she got up, she found that her granddaughter was still up at the fourth watch. Old Mrs. Chen stared at the lamp for a while and couldn’t help walking in, hands on hips, to extinguish it.
"I wondered why the oil in the lamp always ran low, turns out it wasn’t a phantom stealing it after all."
Today, Old Mrs. Chen kept a particularly close watch on Xie Liangchen, sending her to bed early.
Xie Liangchen asked, "How do you know General Song’s shoulder hurts?"
Chen Zigeng blinked and said, "I saw it, today General Song kept moving his shoulder, he must be uncomfortable."
Xie Liangchen continued, "Is General Song’s cough serious?"
Chen Zigeng said, "It’s okay when he’s not moving, but when he rides fast, he starts coughing."
Xie Liangchen thought about Mr. Xu’s prescription, which had been taken for a while, and it was ti to change it.
Chen Zigeng snuggled into the quilt, "Sister, do you think it’s because General Song is too busy with administrative work, yet still makes ti to teach horseback riding... that he’s getting tired?"
Chen Zigeng’s eyes were filled with concern, "I don’t want Brother to co, yet I also hope he’ll co, the way Chang An teaches is different from Brother’s."
Listening to Chen Zigeng, Xie Liangchen couldn’t help but pause. The ti spent talking every day with her brother was the most relaxed ti, when he would set aside his wily, fox-like nature, simply saying what was on his mind without giving it too much thought.
Xie Liangchen said, "Who do you call Brother?"
Chen Zigeng realized he made a mistake and sheepishly rubbed his nose on the quilt, "I... I call General Song that."
Chen Zigeng continued, embarrassedly rubbing his cheeks with his hand, "General Song told to call him that, I only did it once... I know not to tell outsiders, I won’t call him that carelessly in the future, but with Sister... I can say it."
Xie Liangchen wanted to say sothing to Chen Zigeng but felt she might be making a fuss over a small matter, her brother should understand.
Chen Zigeng said, "General Song praised for being smart, said I was like him when he was young, so he let call him Brother, maybe General Song thought of Second Young Master Song and Mr. Song back then!"
Though young, Chen Zigeng often thought too much, his mind quickly associating everything with the Song Family.
Old Mrs. Chen latched the door and climbed onto the bed, separating the siblings.
Old Mrs. Chen said, "That’s enough, ti for sleep. You have to get up early tomorrow." In a few days, Chen Yongyi would take the village boys to Xingzhou, leaving her granddaughter so busy she wouldn’t have a mont to rest.
After Old Mrs. Chen said this, Xie Liangchen and Chen Zigeng counted five breaths before Old Mrs. Chen started snoring.
Xie Liangchen lay on the bed, taking a long ti to fall asleep.
The next morning, Chen Zigeng got up, washed up, and just walked out the door when he saw Xie Liangchen busy in the kitchen.
An oblong basket was placed on the low table in the kitchen.
Xie Liangchen instructed Chen Zigeng, "Go to General Song’s today, I’ve made so pear syrup, and inside is also a small box of tangerine peel tea."
Hearing this, Chen Zigeng’s eyes lit up, "I’ll let the teacher know and then I’ll go."
Xie Liangchen brought over freshly made pancakes, "Eat before you go. It’s cold on the road, if General Song isn’t at the small courtyard, head to the governnt office."
"Understood," Chen Zigeng answered straightforwardly.
...
Song Xian rose to change his clothes, preparing to go to the governnt office.
Just then, he heard Chang An laughingly say, "Mr. Chen is here, and he brought a basket."
The basket was the key.
Song Xian turned his head to see Chen Zigeng, who quickly entered the room and placed the basket on the table, "My sister asked to bring this, it’s got pear syrup and tangerine peel tea inside."
Chen Zigeng took the pear syrup out of the basket, "Just finished making it, it’s still warm."
Song Xian looked at the big jar of pear syrup, even if she didn’t co herself, she still thoughtfully rembered his illness.
Chen Zigeng stood up to take his leave, "I won’t hold up General Song from going to the office, I’ll be going back now."
Chen Zigeng carried the basket and left the yard.
Song Xian reached for the pear syrup, regrettably the jar was still a bit small, eating it every day, it would quickly be gone.
"Sir, would you like to try so?" Chang An stepped forward and asked.
The pear syrup dissolved, the aroma of pears wafting into his nose, Song Xian drank it down, the sweetness on his palate, and even the tension in his chest eased as well.
"Sir, there’s news from the south."
Song Xian had just put down his bowl when Chang An handed a letter to Song Xian.
Song Xian had sent people south to investigate Xiao Chi, now there was news,
Song Xian unfolded the letter, seeing the contents confird his suspicions, in Yuezhou, Huaiji County Magistrate had caught a Liao spy in May of the 14th year of Yuanping; this matter was reported to the court.
Xiao Chi should have been captured around that ti too.
But it’s unclear who exactly caught Xiao Chi, was it the Huaiji County Magistrate? Or did soone take advantage of the situation to detain Xiao Chi for interrogation?
Furthermore, that County Magistrate Tang’s entire family, like the family that adopted Xie Liangchen, had died from last year’s epidemic.
Xie Liangchen knew the secret about the Liao people’s informants and personally captured Xiao Chi.
Adding all this up, Mr. Li’s family should have been secretly searching for those Liao informants.
Song Xian instructed, "Let them continue to investigate, find people related to County Magistrate Tang and inquire, if they know the inside story, bring them back to Zhenzhou, I will question them personally."
Chang An affird.
Song Xian imdiately thought of Xie Liangchen, she helping him capture Xiao Chi, would Xiao Xingzong and those people beco suspicious?
When Chang An returned to the room, Song Xian again said, "Send a few more people to Chang Yue." As for the letter in his hand, he would personally give it to Xie Liangchen.
...
Xie Liangchen read the letter that night.
Old Mrs. Chen and Chen Zigeng were both asleep, while Xie Liangchen sat in the east room, lighting the oil lamp.
Song Xian sat again on the small stool he missed, even though he still couldn’t stretch his legs, occasionally bumping his knee against the table, but the feeling of solidity remained unchanged.
Quite nostalgic.
Song Xian waited for Xie Liangchen to put down the letter in her hand, she instinctively smoothed the paper.
Song Xian said, "From this, the Li Family probably did catch Xiao Chi but didn’t expect Xiao Chi to escape, after Xiao Chi returned to the new city, Xiao Xingzong sent people to Yuezhou again."
Xie Liangchen asked, "Could the epidemic have had anything to do with the Liao people?"
Song Xian looked at Xie Liangchen, who knew dicine and should know if it was possible.
Xie Liangchen took a deep breath, "Perhaps it wasn’t a natural disaster but a man-made one." After all, this way, quiet revenge could be enacted without anyone suspecting the Liao spy, and the governnt wouldn’t be out looking for those wicked Liao people.
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