A raincoat wind and snow to the small garden

Chapter 40: Liangzhou Ghost Soldiers (XI)

Wang Rou was only six years old when she was sent to the Wang family by her wet nurse.

It was the first time she left her parents and hometown, and it took her more than a month to reach this small town in the south.

Most of the houses in the south have courtyards built with wood. There is no saxaul, no tumbleweed, and no large areas of red willows.

Just as A-niang had said, the south was truly beautiful, with distinct seasons and a humid, hot climate. If Wang Rou went out, she didn't need to wear a windproof veil, nor did she need to constantly apply cream to her face and hands.

Except for the lack of parents' company, everything else is an advantage.

But no matter how good the outside world was, Wang Rou didn't want to leave A Niang. She was very sad and kept crying.

She was clearly her mother's favorite daughter, and if she cried, her mother would pick the moon and stars from the sky for her.

However, this time, Wang Rou had no chance to refuse, as her mother was determined to send her away.

Although Wang Rou was young, she had seen her father leading troops in battle. She had also seen her father gather troops and chase the Huns across the grasslands hundreds of miles away in order to rescue the Han merchants who were abducted by the Huns.

Under his rule, the people in the border town of Liangzhou lived a peaceful and prosperous life, no longer afraid of invasion by foreign enemies. The Hu people in the Western Regions knew that Liangzhou was guarded by Wang Junyang, the governor of Longyou, and the brutal Northern Rong did not dare to invade at will. They were willing to submit to the Wei State in the hope of protection.

My father was a very good general guarding the pass and everyone loved him.

During that time, Wang Rou saw her father frequently entering and leaving the military camp, a look of worry on his face, while the military commanders she knew were all gearing up for battle. Without the adults telling her, Wang Rou knew that another war had broken out somewhere, and her mother, worried about her, was sending her away.

But why was this time different from the past? Why didn't her mother send her back to her maternal grandparents' home, but instead sent her to a southern town with a very different customs and culture?
Wang Rou was puzzled, but soon she found out... her parents were killed by the soldiers sent by the Zheng family. They said her father was guilty of treason and rebellion, which was unforgivable. They also slaughtered 30,000 soldiers of the Wang family in Liangzhou to serve as a warning to others.

However, Wang Rou knew that her father had always been frugal and would even wear his old clothes for three years. How could he be so greedy for wealth and join forces with the Xiongnu, whom he hated so much, to invade the country?
Wang Rou was filled with grief and anger. She had too many questions, but she was only a six-year-old child and there was nothing she could do.

Wang Rou wants to survive, so she has to change many of her previous spoiled habits, otherwise she will dislike her adoptive parents, and then live a good life.

When Wang Rou first came to the Wang family, she was very scared and nervous.

But she opened her eyes wide, tried her best to curl the corners of her mouth, smiled at her new parents, and acted coquettishly to her brother-in-law who was a few years older than her.

Wang Qinghao, the sworn brother, was actually a gentle person. He saw that his sister was uneasy, but he did not expose her in public. Instead, at night, he went to Wang Rou with a soft quilt.

"Is my sister afraid of the dark?"

Wang Rou suddenly heard her brother ask this and she didn't know what to say.

She was naturally afraid of the dark, but she was afraid that if she said so, Wang Qinghao would light a lamp for her all night. How could an ordinary family have so much money? Even if Wang Rou gave a large sum of her own money to her adoptive parents, the elders would still think she was extravagant.

Wang Rou has no family left, and she doesn't want to be hated by her brother.

The little girl lowered her head and said nothing, but twisted her fingers together and fidgeted uncomfortably.

Wang Qinghao understood what was going on. He did not ask his sister any further questions, but took the initiative to spread the small quilt that had been washed and dried on her bed.

Wang Qinghao took a bamboo stick and lit the oil lamp. He pulled his sister to sit on the bed and smiled at her, "When I was a child, I was very afraid of the dark. I always felt that the candle would stretch me very long, and the shadow cast on the wall would look like a monster with bared fangs and claws. I cried secretly many times because of this. A'niang knitted this cotton quilt for me and stuffed a talisman inside to drive away evil spirits. This way, I can drive away those evil spirits." "A'rou, I'll give you the quilt to sleep on. Don't be afraid."

When Wang Rou heard her brother's soft and gentle words of comfort, she suddenly felt her nose sore and nodded heavily with tears in her eyes.

At this moment, the adoptive parents brought in a bowl of sweet soup.

They were a little surprised to see Wang Qinghao here. They thought their son would dislike having another younger generation in the family, but they didn't expect him to even give up his favorite soft blanket. They couldn't help but smile at each other.

The Queen Mother handed the sweet soup to Wang Rou and patted her head with a smile. "What a coincidence! Your last name is Wang, and you look like the fairy under Guanyin's seat. I liked you at first sight. You just came to our house, are you exhausted? Come on, drink the sweet soup. I'll make you a hot water bottle later. Lie down and sleep. Have a good rest."

Then she glanced at her son and said, "Why are you not sleeping at night and bothering your sister? Are you going to study tomorrow?"

Hearing this, Wang's father also asked kindly, "Arou, do you want to study? If so, I will ask Qinghao to ask the teacher someday and ask him to arrange a table for you. Many young ladies in this town also hire teachers to teach them at home. Our daughter must also learn to read, so that she won't be deceived in the future."

Wang Rou was flattered. She never expected that her adoptive parents would not only treat her equally with their own child, but also let her, a girl, learn to read and write.

Wang Rou was delighted. She gulped down the sweet soup and called out to her adoptive parents, "Dad! Mom! I want to study, too."

"Good, you are ambitious, just like my daughter." Father Wang touched the young lady's head.

Wang Qinghao was also happy. His classmates all had younger siblings, and he'd sometimes envy them by watching their children cling to their older brothers, calling them "big brother." But now, he had a younger sister, too, and she was the prettiest in the entire academy.

Wang Rou lived a very good life in the Wang family. Her adoptive parents treated her as their own daughter, and it was not just a temporary novelty.

As long as Wang Qinghao had food and clothes, her adoptive parents would prepare a portion for her. Sometimes, even Wang Qinghao loved his sister. If he thought the candied dates, melons, and snacks were delicious, he would eat a piece himself and save the rest for Wang Rou.

They even kept the gold and silver that Wang Rou sent them, waiting to use these personal belongings as a dowry when Wang Rou got married.

The four of them are like a real family and have always lived happily together.

Even though Wang Rou lived a good life in the Wang family, she never forgot her biological parents.

She was the daughter of a military general, and the only way she could think of to remember her father was to have excellent martial arts skills like her father.

She was very nervous and told her adoptive parents that she wanted to learn martial arts.

Although Wang Rou expected to be rejected, her father happily agreed. After all, for a delicate girl like her, learning some martial arts was a good thing, and her family hoped that Wang Rou could protect herself.

When Wang Rou was fourteen years old, her life would continue like this.

But by chance, an unexpected guest brought her a letter.

The letter informed Wang Rou of her father's death. Her father's murderers were members of the Duke of Zheng's family. It just so happened that the Eighth Lady of the Zheng family had been lost among the common people for a long time and was about the same age as Wang Rou. If Wang Rou was interested, she could disguise herself as the Eighth Lady, Zheng Sirou, return to the Zheng family, and wait for an opportunity to strike.

As long as she can return to the Zheng family, she will have the opportunity to take revenge. If her parents knew about this, they would definitely be comforted.

(End of this chapter)