The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Wan An led Wu Ping through the second courtyard, where the scene was more lifelike.

Several elderly women dressed in coarse cloth sat on the veranda mending clothes, while a few older girls helped with the thread and handed them needles and scissors.

Upon seeing Wan An and an unfamiliar military officer enter, they all stopped their work, stood up respectfully, and bowed.

"No need for formalities, you're busy."

Wan An waved his hand gently, then whispered to Wu Ping.

"The children also learn to do some chores on a daily basis. The boys go out to the arsenal in the city to take up their posts, while the girls learn needlework and cooking. It's not that we expect them to do a lot of work, but mainly to make them sensible and diligent. No matter where they go in the future, they will always have a skill to make a living."

Wu Ping nodded slightly. The scene before him calmed his somewhat uneasy heart a little.

Life in the military offered almost no rest, and he was constantly on edge.

"Please wait a moment, General Wu."

Wan An raised his hand, signaling Wu Ping to wait under the corridor, before stepping into another courtyard inside.

Before long, Wan An came out with a little girl.

Wu Ping's gaze immediately fell on the child.

The girl looked to be about seven or eight years old. She was slender and wore a set of slightly oversized but clean light blue coarse cloth clothes. Her hair was combed into two tight little buns, not a single strand out of place.

Her cheeks weren't plump, but they didn't look hungry either. Her complexion was still somewhat pale, and her eyes were filled with a cautiousness that didn't match her age, and even a hint of panic.

Her hands gripped the hem of Wan An's blue official robe tightly, her slender knuckles turning white from the force, as if it were the only reliable piece of driftwood in a raging storm.

Wu Ping was slightly stunned, his old memories intertwined with the scene before him.

His little girl, his own daughter who didn't survive that winter, also followed him, clutching his tattered clothes tightly with her tiny hands, stumbling along with him.

My heart felt like it had been suddenly gripped by an invisible hand, a dull ache spreading through it, and even the scars from the old battlefields began to throb faintly.

Wu Ping's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed back the bitter taste that threatened to burst from his throat.

He knew that the girl in front of him was not his daughter; his daughter had long been buried under an unknown, desolate hill by the roadside.

If Ah-Nan were really alive today, she would probably be around this age now...

Wan An seemed to notice Wu Ping's absent-mindedness. He had already reviewed the documents sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and naturally understood why this brave and skilled commander on the battlefield had chosen to adopt a woman.

Wan An didn't say much, but simply took out the document he had prepared from his sleeve and handed it to Wu Ping.

"Commander Wu, this is your daughter, Wu Ying. According to military regulations, all the formalities have been completed. All you need to do is sign and affix your seal here, and her household registration will be transferred to your name."

"From this day forward, she will be your legitimate daughter."

Wu Ping slowly reached out and took the thin yet incredibly heavy sheet of paper, his gaze sweeping over the neat ink characters on it.

Someone had already brought charcoal and ink, and Wu Ping signed his name and affixed his fingerprint to the document.

Wan An waved his hand, and the attendant put away the documents and walked out of the courtyard gate.

Wan An remained standing in place, his warm expression slightly fading as he spoke solemnly.

"The rules of the orphanage were set by the Duke himself. We will send people to conduct home visits regularly, and the intelligence department will also have people secretly monitoring us at all times."

Wan An's tone became much more serious, and it also took on a businesslike quality.
"If any abuse, mistreatment, humiliation, or any other misconduct is discovered, the Department of the Interior has the right to immediately revoke the adoption and pursue accountability according to the severity of the offense. Do you understand?"

Wu Ping was slightly taken aback, but after realizing what was happening, he nodded and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Don't worry, Chief Clerk Wan, I will keep that in mind."

Wan An nodded slightly, and then said.

“In principle, it is not allowed to adopt a girl if you are not married. However, your situation is special. Your military judge risked his own life and future to write a guarantee for you in the military, so that we were able to make an exception.”

"But we can only make an exception for now. You are raising a girl all by yourself. Putting aside whether it is convenient, when you leave home and return to camp, she will only be seven or eight years old and it will be difficult for her to live alone."

Wan An's tone left no room for negotiation.

"Therefore, according to the regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, you are ordered to either marry or take a concubine within three months, and you must find a reliable woman to properly arrange your household affairs."

"Otherwise, once the three-month period is up, whether you like it or not, we will send someone to bring Wu Ying back to the orphanage in accordance with the regulations."

"At that time, even with further guarantees, there will be little room for maneuver."

Wu Ping nodded.

"I understand."

These regulations had already been explained to him by the military judge when he requested leave.

However, he was unaware that his military judge had vouched for him.

He was unwilling to take another wife or concubine.

But he ended up in the orphanage by some strange twist of fate.

When he saw the girl in front of him who bore a striking resemblance to his daughter, he made up his mind.

"I am determined to resolve this matter properly within three months, and will not fail the trust of the military judge."

Seeing Wu Ping's proper attitude, Wan An's expression softened considerably, and he nodded gently.

Then Wan An slowly squatted down, gently patted the thin shoulder of the girl beside him, and guided her in a gentle tone.

“Anan, look, this is Wu Qizong, whom I mentioned to you. He is an officer of the Jingnan Army and a great hero who protects the people and the borders.”

"From now on... he will be your... father..."

The girl didn't look up, her head still lowered, but her small hands gripped Wan An's robe even tighter, and she couldn't help but take half a step back.

"I...I have met you, sir..."

The girl ultimately did not call out the word "father".

Wan An paused slightly, about to speak.

But Wu Ping just smiled.

"It doesn't matter."

Wu Ping took a deep breath, trying to soften the stiff lines on his face caused by the memories.

He slowly squatted down, bringing his line of sight to the girl's level, to avoid giving her a sense of being superior.

"My name is Wu Ping, and I am a soldier in the Jingnan Army."

His voice was lower and hoarser than he had expected.

"From now on... I will be..."

Wu Ping opened his mouth, but he couldn't bring himself to say those two words.

Everything ultimately turned into helplessness. Wu Ping lowered his eyes and sighed softly.

"Let's go home..."

……

When Wu Ping left Kaifeng, he was all alone.

However, when Wu Ping returned to Kaifeng, there was a little person by his side.

Wu Ping walked slowly along the streets of Kaifeng, while the girl tightly gripped his round-necked robe and followed closely behind.

The girl tightly gripped Wu Ping's left hand as he bowed, wearing a silver auspicious cloud bracelet, while her right hand held a red lacquered rattle drum adorned with colorful silk threads.

The loose-fitting coarse cloth clothes she used to wear were gone, replaced by a light moon-white cross-collar short shirt and a light green horse-face skirt.

He had purchased these clothes in Kaifeng beforehand and had them given to the nannies at the orphanage to change the girl into.

As soon as Wu Ping entered the neighborhood, he was recognized. "Chief Wu, you've come at the right time! The kitchen has prepared the feast. Most of the neighbors have returned to the neighborhood after hearing that you're moving today, and they're all waiting for you, the guest of honor!"

A rather obese middle-aged man with a short mustache and wearing a blue straight-cut shirt greeted them with a smile.

His words were warm and his manners were smooth; he was none other than Tan Ende, the head of this neighborhood.

During the Ming Dynasty, to govern local areas, a chief administrator was appointed for each ward or village within the city. This chief administrator was usually a commoner recommended by the local authorities who was of decent means, familiar with local customs, and had a certain level of prestige.

Although they were not official officials in the imperial court, they were responsible for assisting the government in managing important matters within the district, such as household registration and corvée labor.

Wu Ping composed himself slightly, clasped his hands together, and forced a smile.

"Mr. Tan, you are too kind. I am sorry to have troubled you and my neighbors to wait for so long. I am unworthy of such praise."

When buying the house, Wu Ping had naturally met Tan Ende, who was the head of the neighborhood.

His gaze unconsciously drifted to his side, where he saw Wu Ying shrink back even more intimidated by the sudden appearance of strangers and the lively scene.

She hid almost her entire body behind Wu Ping, her two small hands tightly gripping the hem of his robe, only timidly peeking out half of her face and her tightly combed little buns.

Tan Ende, with his keen eye, immediately noticed the little girl.

Tan Ende knew the inside story; it was no secret that General Wu had gone to the orphanage to pick up his adopted daughter that day. Seeing this scene, he understood, but his face remained expressionless.

His smile widened, his tone became even gentler, and he bowed and smiled.

"This must be General Wu's daughter. She's so sweet and lovely. They look like father and daughter, so blessed!"

Seemingly noticing Wu Ying's embarrassment, Tan Ende stopped exchanging pleasantries and straightened up, raising his voice towards the courtyard.

"Dear neighbors, our Imperial Guard Commander Wu Qi has returned with his daughter!"

The men, women, and children who had been chatting in the alley had already noticed Wu Ping enter the neighborhood and went to greet Tan Ende.

They immediately bowed and greeted her, offering their congratulations or praise to Wu Ying.

Wu Ping was not good with words, but he remembered Han Fuliang and the others' instructions and responded with a smile and a fist salute.

A few mischievous children squeezed through the crowd, curiously peering at the newly arrived soldier and the young lady behind him, who was tightly clutching the adult's clothes and had her head bowed.

"I am deeply grateful for your kind hospitality."

He raised his voice to drown out the surrounding noise.

"My daughter, Wu Ying, just returned home with me today. She is young and shy, so please forgive her if she is impolite."

Before Wu Ping could finish speaking, several women began to speak with smiles.

"Mr. Wu, you're too kind!"

"Yes, we're all neighbors, talking about these things would make us feel distant."

Everyone knew about this new flag commander.
Tan Ende kept smiling and trying to smooth things over.

“That’s natural, that’s natural! The child has just arrived and needs some time to adjust. Don’t worry, Mr. Wu, we, the neighbors, will definitely take good care of him in the future.”

As everyone was talking, another burst of hearty laughter and footsteps came from the alley entrance.

"Old Wu! Are we too late?!"

Wu Ping looked in the direction of the sound, and the forced smile on his face finally became more genuine. He saw three men, also dressed in round-necked military uniforms and looking travel-worn, striding towards him.

Huang Hu's voice was like a booming bell; his voice arrived before he did.

"Come on, come on, we've been waiting for this dinner tonight. Now that you, the host, have arrived, the feast can begin."

The meticulous Zhou Changshou first smiled and clasped his hands in greeting to Tan Ende and the surrounding neighbors.

"General Manager Tan, esteemed neighbors, thank you for waiting so long. The resettlement center is far from the city, and the round trip took quite a bit of time."

The neighbors didn't seem to mind and just exchanged polite words.

Zhou Changshou's gaze then fell on the small figure behind Wu Ping, who was tightly clutching the hem of his clothes, and his tone was natural and gentle.

"This must be Ying-jie, right? Don't be afraid. From now on, our families will live next to each other. You can always visit your aunts whenever you need to."

Zhou Changshou smiled and beckoned his wife to come forward.

Zhou Changfu's wife, Li, was a gentle and kind woman. As she approached, she bowed slightly, smiled tenderly at Wu Ying, and said softly.

"Good child, you must be tired from the journey. We just steamed some osmanthus cake in the yard. Would you like to come with your aunt to try some?"

When Wu Ying saw the unfamiliar woman approaching, she instinctively shrank back behind Wu Ping, but still showed half of her face.

There was a hint of fear in her eyes, but when her gaze fell on Li's gentle smile, she couldn't help but linger for a moment.

Wu Ying timidly raised her eyes, her gaze shifting back and forth across Li's gentle face.

Wu Ping felt the pressure from the hem of his clothes loosen slightly, so he stroked his daughter's head and softened his voice.

"Go ahead."

After a brief standoff, the small hand that was tightly gripping the hem of her clothes finally loosened its grip slightly.

Li gently took Wu Ying's hand and, together with several other women, led Wu Ying away from the noisy crowd.

Han Fuliang had also squeezed his way up, a familiar smile on his face, and greeted the neighbors who were still exchanging pleasantries with a loud bow.

"Dear neighbors, the host has arrived. The food and wine have been prepared in advance, just waiting for you to take your seats. Today, you must eat and drink to your heart's content, and not leave until you are drunk!"

With Han Fuliang's well-timed arrangements, the atmosphere became even more lively.

People no longer crowded at the alley entrance, but chatted and laughed as they surrounded Wu Ping and his companions, making a lively and bustling way toward the Wu family's new house adorned with brand-new red couplets.

The courtyard had already been prepared. The male guests were seated at separate tables in the courtyard, while the female guests were led to a table set up under the eaves of the east wing.

Servants carried steaming dishes as they moved among the crowd.

Wu Ping was placed at the head of the main table by Huang Hu and others. Neighbors kept coming to toast him, and he drank every cup of wine in one gulp.

However, her gaze unconsciously drifted towards the east wing. Through the gap in the bamboo curtain, she could vaguely see Li carefully placing dishes into Wu Ying's bowl. Although the little girl still had her head down, she was no longer as stiff as before.

As the wine flowed freely and dusk deepened, the wine was almost finished.

Suddenly, a muffled, loud noise came from the direction of the center of Kaifeng city.

"Bang-bang!"

Everyone was taken aback, their raised glasses frozen in place.

Against the dark sky, a huge golden firework burst open.

The dazzling fireworks illuminated half the night sky as bright as day.

Clusters of dazzling golden light rained down across the inky sky.

"It's fireworks!"

Children shouted excitedly, pointing to the fireworks that were constantly blooming in the night sky.

All the guests in the courtyard looked up, and some sighed.

"It's been so long since fireworks were set off in Kaifeng..."

Peaceful times have been gone for far too long.

Natural disasters and man-made calamities have spread across the land, leaving behind desolate scenes of broken homes and lost lives.

The colorful flames intertwined and shifted in the night sky, illuminating the upturned faces.

Such a peaceful scene of dazzling lights and fireworks was nothing more than a rare and ordinary celebration during the New Year.

Those who had endured years of chaos and hardship, standing quietly in the early summer evening breeze, felt that every fleeting glimmer of light before them was more dazzling than any Lantern Festival night in their memory. (End of Chapter)