Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 623: Relocation to Sheep Head Mountain

"Hey! Who is coming?"

"I am Zhao Zilong from Changshan! I will not kill nameless people under my gun. Tell me your name immediately!"

"I am Guan Yu Guan Yunchang!"

"Yanren Zhang Yide is here, you thieves, don't be so arrogant!"

"Wow! Kill!"

"Kill! Kill!"

Several half-grown children, waving bamboo swords and spears in their hands, shouted and lined up in two teams, and rushed into the battle in an instant.

A moment later, "Zhao Zilong" was stabbed by "Zhang Yide" and fell to the ground with a bruised face. When "Guan Yu" was about to kill the enemy with a sword, "Liu Xuande" on the side swung a double-edged sword and stabbed him in the ribs. "Guan Yu" cried out in pain, dropped the sword in his hand and burst into tears instantly, while not far away, "Lü Fengxian" and "the unparalleled general Pan Feng" were fighting to a standstill...

Not far away, several little girls with their younger children watched with their eyes lit up, jumping and clapping, cheering.

After a while, the "battlefield" decided the winner. The winner was proud and the loser was dejected. The children agreed to fight again tomorrow to see who was more powerful.

Zhu Shenzui's eldest son Zhu Minlan won a great victory, carrying a long spear and walking in front in a show of strength. His younger brother Zhu Mincheng's eyes lit up, and he was praising his brother's mighty heroism like a follower, but his eyes could not stop looking at his spear, wishing he could take the spear and carry it himself for a while, so he could be more majestic.

"Mom! Mom! We are back! Is there any water? I am dying of thirst..."

Walking back with his brother, they soon returned to a small courtyard. As soon as they entered the courtyard, Zhu Minlan started yelling. Zhu Mincheng, not wanting to be left behind, also yelled a few times. Hearing the noise, Xu Jingqiu came out of the house and saw his two sons who were as dirty as mud monkeys. He was immediately at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

"Why are you covered in mud? Where did you go to play?"

"Hehe, we had a battle with Gouzi and the others in the threshing ground, and the team I led won." Zhu Minlan grinned proudly. He has only been here for three months, but his originally fair face has been tanned dark. The same goes for the younger Zhu Mincheng. The young master of a wealthy family is now no different from a soldier in Yangtou Mountain. If Zhu Shenzhui came, he probably wouldn't be able to recognize him at first glance.

Xu Jingqiu smiled bitterly and shook his head. His two sons were well-behaved at home, but they became like this after only a few days. However, Xu Jingqiu did not scold them. It was not a bad thing for boys to practice martial arts. Zhu Shenzhui had taught them martial arts since they were young, and they had a solid foundation. Now that they had so many friends in Yangtou Mountain, their martial arts had a place to be used. It would be strange if they didn't have fun.

He turned around, went into the house, brought out a pot of tea, poured two bowls for the two naughty boys, and let them drink slowly.

After they finished drinking, Xu Jingqiu asked them to go back to the house quickly to wash and change clothes. Don't you mind the dirt on your body? Now that they are home, they have to clean up.

The two kids chuckled and went into the house to wash and change clothes. At this time, sister-in-law Zhang came out from the west wing after hearing the noise. Seeing the two boys still playing around as they entered the house, she couldn't help but smile.

"These two brats are getting more and more naughty." Xu Jingqiu said helplessly.

"Boys are better if they are naughty." Zhang consoled him, "Children who are not naughty have no future. It was the same with my uncle back then. He has gradually become more stable as he grows up. They are still young."

"Was your husband like this when he was a child?" Xu Jingqiu asked curiously.

Zhang smiled and nodded. When she married into the Zhu family, Zhu Shenzhu was not much older than Zhu Minlan, and this age was when they were at their most mischievous.

At that time, her father-in-law and husband were still alive, and the family was in good financial condition. But not long after Qiao'er was born, something happened to her father-in-law and husband. With their passing, the family's situation fell into a slump. Zhu Shenzui, who was not yet an adult at the time, seemed to have matured overnight and took on the burden of the family.

Talking about the past, Zhang's expression seemed to have traveled through time and space and returned to the past. Life was difficult at that time, and Zhang almost felt that she could not endure it. Fortunately, Zhu Shenzhu was there, otherwise she and her daughter would have been gone long ago. There were many royal family members who starved to death in the Ming Dynasty, not to mention the widows whose husbands and fathers-in-law died and brought their crying daughters. Reaching out and holding Zhang's hand, Xu Jingqiu comforted her, saying that everything was over, and everything was fine now, wasn't it? The Zhu family was no longer the dilapidated state it used to be. Even Qiao'er had grown up and married, and good days were ahead.

"Yes, yes, look at me, I tend to be sentimental when I get older." Zhang raised her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes and couldn't help laughing.

Although Zhang said so, she is not old. She was only a teenager when she married into the Zhu family, and now she is just in her early thirties. This age is still considered a "little fairy" in later generations. What's more, Zhang is naturally beautiful. After her family situation improved, Zhang no longer has to endure the hardships of her early years, and now she is still as radiant as ever.

"By the way, is there any news about uncle recently?"

Xu Jingqiu shook her head slightly. Seeing that Zhang was a little disappointed, she knew that Zhang asked Zhu Shenzhu not because of anything else but because she was concerned about Qiaoer's situation.

Before coming to Yangtou Mountain, Zhu Shenzhui had someone send them a message saying that Qiao'er was pregnant. Now three months had passed, and it would not be long before Qiao'er was due to give birth.

A daughter is the flesh and blood of her mother, and Zhang only has Qiao'er as her child, so how could she not love and care for her? In addition, Qiao'er followed Wang Hai to the grassland after getting married, and it has been more than a year, so she missed him even more.

"Don't worry, sister-in-law. Qiao'er will be fine in the grassland. Besides, didn't my husband say that Guihua City is no different from the cities of Daming? My husband not only arranged people to take care of Qiao'er, but also prepared doctors and midwives. Don't worry about Qiao'er's delivery. Maybe there will be good news in a few days."

Zhang smiled and nodded. She knew that her worries were in vain. Besides, Zhu Shenzhu had arranged everything well in Guihua City, so she was relieved. In Zhu Shenzhu's eyes, Qiao'er was no different from his own daughter. He even doted on her a little more. It was just that she was worried subconsciously as a mother. In fact, Zhang had regretted it a few months ago. She regretted that she should have followed Qiao'er to Guihua City. If she had stayed with Qiao'er, she would not have the troubles she has now.

"When do you think uncle will send us news? How long will we have to stay here?" Zhang asked.

Xu Jingqiu shook her head. "I don't know about that, but I don't think we will stay here for too long. My husband sent us something some time ago and told us to live here with peace of mind. This place is not bad. Although it is not as prosperous as Pingyang and Pingshun, it has beautiful scenery with beautiful mountains and rivers. Moreover, the military households here are kind and friendly. Everyone takes care of each other on weekdays. It is more relaxed than living in the old house."

Xu Jingqiu's words made Zhang feel relieved. After all, they had lived here for quite a while. At the beginning, everything was fine, but as the days passed, Zhang was a little worried that something might have happened. But every time she asked, the answer she got was that nothing was wrong. Zhang gradually felt relieved, but even so, she was still very concerned about Qiao'er and Zhu Shenzhui.

After talking to Zhang for a while, they went to prepare dinner as it was getting late. After working in the kitchen for a while, Xu Jingqiu returned to the house to see her two sons. She was very pleased to see that they were already reading books in an orderly manner.

Although the two children were naughty, they were sensible, especially they never fell behind in their studies, even when they were in Yangtou Mountain. As a mother, Xu Jingqiu was relieved that her children were like this, but at the same time she was also worried about Zhu Shenzhui, and she felt a little worried.

Although Xu Jingqiu comforted Zhang in that way, it was just verbal talk. Xu Jingqiu was different from Zhang. Zhang was just an ordinary woman, but Xu Jingqiu was a woman with insight and ideas. Not only did she come from a scholarly family, she was also well-versed in poetry and books. She could see things that others could not understand.

They originally lived in the old house in Pingyang, but two years ago for some unknown reason Zhu Shenzui asked them to move to Luzhouwei, where they settled down under the care of their uncle Wang Rong.

After going to Luzhouwei, nothing seemed to have changed, and Luzhouwei was not far from Pingshun, so it was convenient for Xu Jingqiu to visit her parents. However, although Zhu Shenzhu did not explain the reason for the sudden move from Pingyang to Luzhouwei, Xu Jingqiu felt something in her heart.

If she guessed correctly, Zhu Shenzhu made such an arrangement because he was worried about the mother and children, including Zhang and Qiaoer, because Zhu Shenzhu was often not at home, and what he did outside was unknown. Placing them in Luzhouwei, with uncle Wang Rong and cousin Wang Jinwu looking after them, is safer than leaving them in Pingyang.

Since her husband had arranged it this way, Xu Jingqiu took her children and Zhang's mother and daughter to Luzhou Wei. She stayed there for two years. During these two years, everything was uneventful and nothing happened. Over time, she gradually got used to it.

But no one expected that just over three months ago, Uncle Wang Rong suddenly found Xu Jingqiu and brought a handwritten letter from Zhu Shenzhui. In addition to the daily greetings, Zhu Shenzhui also mentioned that they should leave Luzhouwei immediately and be relocated to Yangtoushan by Uncle Wang Rong.

Xu Jingqiu was very surprised at the time. Although Zhu Shenzhui did not clearly state in the letter why such arrangements were made, and her uncle Wang Rong did not reveal any information, he only asked them to pack up as soon as possible and leave overnight without notifying anyone. Xu Jingqiu concluded that something big must have happened, and it was an extremely urgent matter.

Xu Jingqiu calmed down quickly. She didn't ask why they were going to Yangtou Mountain. She didn't ask what Yangtou Mountain was and how they would be settled there. She packed her luggage overnight and left Luzhouwei quietly the next day. She was escorted by Wang Rong's men to Yangtou Mountain. After arriving at Yangtou Mountain, they had already prepared a place to stay. Li Hu, the centurion of Yangtou Mountain, treated them with great respect and never revealed any information about their identities to the outside world. He just said that they were military households that had moved from the garrison. Smart Xu Jingqiu also told them this identity to the outside world. Until today, few people on Yangtou Mountain knew their identities.

(End of this chapter)