Full House Spring

Chapter 111 Urgent Report from the Guard Station
Kuang Chengdong exclaimed and reached out to snatch the crossbow from the maid's hand.

He seemed to be appreciating an incomparably beautiful work of art, his eyes sparkling with childlike innocence and joy, and he said excitedly:

"Sister-in-law, I love this crossbow so much. It must be very expensive, right?"

He didn't say any polite words. In his eyes, his sister-in-law was not an outsider and there was no need to be so formal with her.

Xia Li raised his eyebrows slightly, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said slowly:
"As long as you like this divine crossbow, then the money is worth spending. With this divine crossbow, you and your elder brother will have more chances of survival on the battlefield. It will be of the greatest value in your hands."

These words of affirmation made Kuang Chengdong's eyes suddenly brighten, as if the brightest stars in the night sky suddenly shone. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly involuntarily, and he said loudly: "Thank you for your trust, sister-in-law. I will definitely be your right-hand man and strive to achieve success as soon as possible, and I will never let you down."

Xia Li shook his head, raised the corners of his lips and said:

"You are wrong. Building achievements is for your own future. It doesn't matter whether I am disappointed or not. No matter whether it is grandpa or grandma, they just hope that you return safely."

These words touched Yu's heart. She nodded gently and said, "Your sister-in-law is right. As long as you return safely, it will be better than anything else."

Kuang Chengdong's eyes flickered slightly, and he solemnly bowed to Xia Li, his movements showing endless respect, and said solemnly: "Chengdong will follow my sister-in-law's instructions."

Xia Li smiled with her eyes curved, and said nothing more. Then it was Kuang Chengzhi who came forward. He had a somewhat twisted personality, and he didn't get too close to Xia Li, nor did he deliberately find fault with her. He just politely bowed and called her sister-in-law.

Xia Li treated him gently and gave him a small suit of armor that fit him as a gift. When Kuang Chengzhi saw it, his eyes lit up. Although he still pursed his lips, the joy on his face was obvious. Xia Li knew how to grasp people's hearts.

Kuang Yulin was looking forward to it. The gifts that her sister-in-law gave to her brothers were so thoughtful. She thought the gifts prepared for her would not be bad either. When it was her turn, she walked forward, bowed gently and said softly:

"It would be great if my sister-in-law came to marry me. Yuru and I have rarely been out. When we follow my sister-in-law, we won't have to worry about anything."

Xia Li's lips curled up slightly, her eyes sparkling with a playful light. She said nonchalantly, "Cousin, you are too kind. Last time at the prefectural government of Zhang, I saw that you behaved very well. You didn't look like someone who couldn't handle socializing. On the contrary, Yuru looked innocent. You should go out more often."

Although Kuang Yuru heard the hidden meaning of her sister-in-law's words, she did not respond and just smiled innocently. Kuang Yulin said uncomfortably: "Sister-in-law, you are too kind. I still have a lot to learn from you. For the sake of our family, you can't keep it to yourself."

Xia Li didn't want to cause trouble for herself, so she smiled and said, "I think Second Aunt is very good at etiquette, so I think it would be more appropriate for your mother to teach you personally. If there is anything you don't understand, you can ask Aunt Zhou beside me, she knows a lot."

Nanny Zhou stepped forward at the right time and said with a smile on her face, "Young lady, if you have any questions, just ask me. I learned the rules from the nanny who taught me in the palace, so I guarantee you won't make any mistakes."

Kuang Yulin had a forced smile on her face and nodded reluctantly. Xia Li gave her a pair of jade bracelets, which looked good. Although they were not the best, they beat all the jewelry in her makeup box.

The last one was Kuang Yuru. After the brief time they had spent together last night, Yuru was no longer afraid of her sister-in-law. She respectfully offered tea to her sister-in-law with a bright and pleasing smile. Xia Li prepared a set of sapphire head ornaments for her. This special treatment made Kuang Yulin so jealous that she almost went crazy.

However, no matter how angry she was, it was useless. There was a difference between relatives and strangers. If it got out, outsiders would not be able to find fault with the gift. She could only watch. The old man would not pay attention to such a small matter. After serving tea, he said to Xia Li gently:
"There is nothing important in our family on weekdays, so we all eat in our own courtyards. There is a family dinner tonight, and you can decide how to arrange it in the future. You and Chengrui just got married, so he will be at home with you during these days of rest. You can go out and walk around."

Xia Li raised a faint smile and said softly, "I understand. Thank you, Grandfather, for your concern."

The old man laughed loudly and said, "This is nothing. It's all what I should do. My grandson is someone you can trust with your life. Although I have schemed against your father, I will not push you into the fire pit. If he has wronged you in this life, I will never let him off easily!"

Xia Li frowned slightly, then relaxed her brows. She glanced at Kuang Chengrui with a hint of amusement on her lips.

After coming out of the front yard, Xia Li wanted to go back and rest. She had severe pain in her waist and legs, so she had to ask Du Ruo to massage her for a while to relieve her fatigue. Kuang Chengrui had nothing else to do, so he wanted to accompany her back, and the others went the same way with them.

As soon as they passed through the corridor, they saw Cui Yingying, wearing a peach pink skirt, walking towards them with a twisted waist. Her face was a little thin, her eyes were sunken, and she looked extremely haggard and tired.

When Kuang Chengming saw her, his face immediately darkened. He quickly stepped forward and scolded her in a low voice: "Why did you run out? Didn't I tell you not to come out casually?"

Cui Yingying was about to cry and said, "How can my cousin be so heartless? I have been locked up in my room all day and my body is almost broken. Today my sister-in-law is coming home, why can't I come out and greet her?"

Kuang Yulin knew that this charming woman would be a disaster sooner or later. She said angrily, "You are just a concubine who is not presentable. What qualifications do you have to greet the eldest sister-in-law? Why don't you go back to your room."

Cui Yingying suppressed the surging emotions in her heart and said in a low voice, "I know that I am of low status and cannot compare to the great grandmother, but at least I have a good life under my grandfather. How can I stay away from people? Even if I take a step back, I am nothing. The child in my belly is at least a descendant of the Kuang family. You still haven't asked a doctor to check my pulse. How can this be justified?"

Xia Li saw that this was Kuang Chengming's concubine. He had a son before marrying his wife. He was really unscrupulous. Kuang Chengrui looked at Kuang Chengming and said solemnly, "You should solve this little thing yourself as soon as possible. Don't let everyone know about it. You don't care about your face, but the Kuang family still cares about its reputation."

Kuang Chengming's face turned pale and he said impatiently: "I know what's going on. It's not your turn to worry about it."

Kuang Chengrui said with sharp eyes: "I hope you will do what you said and don't let grandfather clean up the mess behind you."

Kuang Chengming refused to argue with him and wanted to pull Cui Yingying away. Cui Yingying was extremely excited at first when she found out she was pregnant, thinking that if she could give birth to a son, she would have hope for the rest of her life. But after she told Kuang Chengming about it, he was not as happy as she expected. Instead, he told her not to tell anyone else about it.

Cui Yingying couldn't understand the reason, but her heart felt inexplicably tight. After hesitating for a few days, she finally decided to expose the matter today.

She didn't understand why these people reacted so strangely. The new grandmother didn't seem to be afraid of the baby in her belly. She wanted to say something else, but Kuang Chengming didn't give her a chance.

Cui Yingying subconsciously looked at Xia Li for help, but unexpectedly Kuang Chengrui stepped forward, blocking her line of sight. He did not take a step back until the two figures disappeared from her sight. Xia Li did not ask any more questions and walked straight to the backyard.

She went into the room and lay down on the bed, signaling Du Ruo to massage her waist and back. Kuang Chengrui waved his hand, signaling Du Ruo to leave, and he sat next to Xia Li and stretched out his hands to massage her. Nanny Zhou was very discerning and led the servants to retreat under the eaves to wait. Kuang Chengrui had a very good grasp of the strength, and he massaged lightly or heavily, making Xia Li breathe out a comfortable breath. She said lazily: "Since the Kuang family can't accommodate the eldest son of a concubine, why do you keep the concubine in the mansion?"

Kuang Chengrui explained in a low voice: "That little Cui is the niece of my second aunt. She was originally used to plot against me, but I didn't fall for it. Her own son accepted her with a smile. We don't have to worry about the affairs of the West Courtyard. The child will not be born. Neither my grandfather nor Cui will allow it."

Xia Li turned sideways, held up her chin to look at him, and asked with a smile: "Don't men value offspring? Regardless of whether he is legitimate or illegitimate, his surname is Kuang. For a military family like ours, we shouldn't care so much, right?"

Compared to the civil officials' residence, the military officials' residence is indeed much more relaxed. Kuang Chengrui paused and said in a calm tone: "Our family is different. Grandfather has strict rules. Even if he doesn't have high expectations for my second brother, he won't allow him to break the rules."

Xia Li was stunned, then smiled and said, "So, my grandfather has given me great respect. Isn't he worried that I am not capable of managing the family? If I don't act properly, he will lose the bet."

Kuang Chengrui shook his head and chuckled, "That's not the case. Grandfather rarely makes the wrong choice of people. Even if you can't hold on, don't you still have me? The worst that can happen is that I'll just have to work harder."

Xia Li sat up and said with a smile, "Don't bother Lord Kuang with this little thing. I indulged you once in the wedding night last night. Don't forget that you don't want to have children for the time being."

Kuang Chengrui said calmly, "I will not go back on my promise. What do you want to do?"

Xia Li was quiet for a few seconds, then said truthfully, "You also know that my maid Du Ruo is a doctor. She has some contraceptive and non-harmful medicines. I plan to take them regularly, and when I want to have a baby, I can stop taking them."

Kuang Chengrui frowned and asked, "Can her medicine be trusted? How is her medical skills?"

Xia Li knew that he was worried about him again, and said softly:

"Although Du Ruo is not very old, she has been accompanying her aunt to diagnose women since she was young. She has learned all her aunt's skills. It's hard to say about other diseases, but she is very confident in women's diseases."

Kuang Chengrui pondered and said, "Give me one of the pills. I'll ask the military doctor at the garrison to take a look. This way I can feel more at ease."

Xia Li did not refuse his kindness and said calmly: "I'll get it for you later."

The two had just gotten married, and they hadn't completely understood each other's temperaments yet. Many things needed to be discussed. Kuang Chengrui kneaded her again, and said in a low and pleasant voice: "How do you feel now? Are you still sore?"

Xia Li hummed and said lazily, "I feel much more comfortable now. Thank you, Lord Kuang."

Kuang Chengrui leaned close to her ear and asked in a hoarse voice, "How about taking you out for a horse ride tomorrow? I'm very busy and have no time to rest. I don't know when I can go out with you next time. The Dongyi people have been making small moves frequently recently. I'm afraid that there will be a war soon."

Although Xia Li had been mentally prepared, she was still shocked by the news. She sat up straight and said solemnly, "If the Dongyi people really attack us, Jiaozhou and Laizhou will probably be in turmoil. If the situation is urgent, do the old and young in the family need to be sent away to avoid disaster?"

Kuang Chengrui knew that she was thinking about the future. He stared into her eyes and said slowly, "If the war is really serious, you can take our women back to Laizhou to go with your father-in-law and the others. Grandfather will not leave easily."

Xia Li saw the determination in his eyes and knew that he would live and die with Jiaozhou. She felt a sense of respect for him and smiled, saying, "If that day really comes, I will take good care of this family for you."

Kuang Chengrui never doubted Xia Li's ability. Her strong character was extremely good.

Perhaps because people wanted the couple to develop a good relationship, no one came to disturb them. On a sunny afternoon, the two of them were reading books and playing chess in the yard, feeling quiet and comfortable.

Cui finally showed up at the family dinner in the evening. She changed her previous behavior of always competing with Yu and became much more low-key and quiet. When she saw Xia Li, she took the initiative to apologize to her.

Xia Li didn't think that being confined for a few days could change a person's temperament drastically. She didn't bother with Cui and it was okay for her to put on a show in front of the old man.

When the family dinner started, Xia Li took the initiative to stand beside Yu and served her the dishes. Although she came from a prominent family, she was also a daughter-in-law. The rules were like this, so there was no need for her to stand out. But Yu felt very uncomfortable. After she took two bites of the dishes with her chopsticks, she hurriedly said, "Xia Li, please sit down and eat. We don't have so many rules in our family. Just show your respect."

For Mrs. Yu, it was enough for her daughter-in-law to have such an attitude and to show her enough respect. She was not the type of person who liked to tease others.

Cui pretended to be mute. She was secretly thinking about how to make Cui Yingying drink the abortion medicine, so she didn't pay attention to Yu.

Overall, the family dinner was harmonious, at least the old man was satisfied. But his good mood did not last long. When the moon was at its zenith and the old man was about to lie down, a servant came to report that there was an urgent report from the garrison, and ordered the commander to return to the garrison.

This was not the first time that Kuang Chengrui had encountered such a situation. In the past, he didn't care and could just pick up the knife and leave. But this time, facing Xia Li's inquiring gaze, he felt guilty.

Xia Li's clear eyes seemed to be like the glimmer of morning dew, flashing with tenderness and curiosity. Kuang Chengrui said in a hoarse voice, "It may be the Dongyi people who are invading. I have to go back to the garrison. The date of return is uncertain. Maybe... maybe I can't accompany you back home."

Xia Li couldn't explain how she felt. She suppressed her complicated emotions, turned around and shouted outside, "Shi Mi, go into the house and pack two sets of clothes for me, and bring some of the dried meat and fish from Qiao He to me."

Kuang Chengrui lowered his head and looked at her, and said in a low voice: "Don't bother, I'm too busy to eat."

Xia Li smiled and said, "You can put these in your pocket and use them anytime. They can fill your stomach when you don't have time for a proper meal. Qiao He's cooking skills are very good. You'll know once you've tasted them."

Kuang Chengrui couldn't say no, so he followed Xia Li's wishes, got on the horse with a bag on his back, and galloped away with Kuang Chengdong...

　Happy New Year, my dears (≧ω≦*)~ In the new year, I wish you good health and may all your wishes come true~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)