Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 161 Anger
"What happened?" Shi Yan and Pei Yan asked almost simultaneously.

Pei Qinghe's eyes flashed with anger as she squeezed out each word: "Grandmother and the others have set off for Jizhou."

what?
Pei Yan gasped and blurted out, "What is Grandmother going to Jizhou for?"

Pei Qinghe remained expressionless: "My second sister-in-law said in her letter that Grandmother insisted on going to Jizhou to pay homage to the Emperor. My second sister-in-law tried to stop her, but Grandmother scolded her angrily. Grandmother and the others set off early yesterday morning. My second sister-in-law didn't dare to delay for a moment and immediately sent someone to deliver the letter to me."

"That old fool!" Pei Yan was furious and almost cursed. "If they go to Bohai County, will they ever come back? No way! I'll take men on horseback and chase after them right away. It's only a two-day journey; I can catch up with them at top speed."

Let's go.

Pei Qinghe took a deep breath and reached out to stop Pei Yan: "No need to chase after them."

Pei Yan was startled and turned to look at Pei Qinghe.

Pei Qinghe had calmed down from her rage: "What good would it do to bring her back? You know Grandmother's temper. If she insists on going, no one can stop her."

"Let her be!"

Pei Yan's thick, dark eyebrows were almost knotted together: "Are you really not going to care? What about your mother? And your little dog, Xiao Yu'er..."

“My mother didn’t go, and Xiaogou’er and Xiaoyu’er were also left behind,” Pei Qinghe said. “A total of twenty-three people went, all of them elders over sixty years old.”

Pei Yan breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. By the way, did Second Sister-in-law send anyone to follow them?"

Pei Qinghe nodded: "Second Sister-in-law was worried that the journey might be dangerous, so she asked Pei Jia to lead a battalion of a hundred men to escort her."

With a hundred elite soldiers accompanying him, even commoners, refugees, and thieves would have to steer clear. If they were to encounter a large army, displaying the Pei-character flag would also intimidate them.

This is just so frustrating.

Pei Yan was in a bad mood and had a sour face.

Pei Qinghe was in a bad mood and had no interest in speaking.

This is a matter for the Pei family, and Shi Yan is an outsider, so it's not appropriate for him to interfere. After a moment, Shi Yan broke the silence in a low voice: "I'll have someone pack our luggage and return to Pei Family Village as soon as possible, so that the departure of the old lady won't cause any unrest among the people."

Pei Qinghe let out a sigh of relief: "There's no rush. It's already evening, so there's no need to travel at night. We can set off early tomorrow morning."

When Pei Qinghe went to say goodbye to the old master, his expression had returned to normal.

Old Master Shi said with a smile, "Sixth Miss has stayed at the Shi family for quite some time. The Pei family army can't do without her, so it's time for her to go back. I've asked Shi Li to prepare dozens of cartloads of grain for Sixth Miss to take back with her."

Pei Qinghe accepted the old master's kind offer without hesitation, nodding and smiling.

After Pei Qinghe left, Old Master Shi called Shi Yan over and asked in a low voice, "Has something happened to the Pei family army?"

Shi Yan sighed and recounted how the Lu family and others had gone to Bohai County.

Even the old master was stunned, and after a long while he said, "The old lady's temper..." He really couldn't find a polite and appropriate adjective to describe it.

Shi Yan said in a low voice, "Sixth Miss is very angry, though she doesn't say it. Grandfather should keep this to himself and not spread it around."

Old Master Shi glanced over and said, "I'm not an ignorant child. How could I gossip about such things?" He then added with some regret, "With the old lady and the others gone, Sixth Miss is in a bad mood. It seems there won't be a wedding this year. You'll just have to wait and see!"

Shi Yan said seriously, "You can't say such things carelessly. The Sixth Miss has never said that she wants me to be her son-in-law."

The situation is tense right now, and war could break out at any moment. Pei Qinghe has neither the time nor the inclination to find a son-in-law.

Old Master Shi was unwilling to hear this: "You abandoned your family and career to go to Pei's army, working day and night for them, wholeheartedly assisting the Sixth Miss. Does she not even give you a title?" The Shi and Wang families poured all their resources into supporting Pei's army, both as a gamble and as a show of support for Shi Yan.

However, there's no need to say these things. Many wealthy families in Youzhou were wiped out; the Shi and Wang families escaped unscathed thanks to the Pei family army.

"After the New Year, the Sixth Miss will be seventeen. You are three years older than her, and you'll both be approaching adulthood." Old Master Shi couldn't help but nag a bit: "I've heard that the eldest son of Magistrate Ji of Quanzhou County is exceptionally talented and extremely handsome. You'll be by the Sixth Miss's side all day, so you'd better keep a close eye on him."

These words were both funny and sad. However, Shi Yan felt a warmth in her heart knowing that her grandfather was thinking of her best interests, and she replied softly, "Grandfather, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Old Master Shi sighed deeply: "When you have some free time in the future, don't forget to come back and visit. I don't know if my old bones will be able to live to see the day you get married."

Shi Yan felt somewhat guilty: "It is my fault for being unfilial, unable to stay by my grandfather's side and take care of him often."

Old Master Shi snorted: "Don't try to coax me with those nice words. When you left the Shi family, you didn't think of your own grandfather at all."

Shi Yan coughed guiltily and poured tea and water to appease his grandfather. Just then, Shi Li and Wang Mengyi arrived carrying two children. The old master Shi beamed with joy upon seeing his great-grandchildren, but impatiently waved them away.

Shi Yanchong and Shi Li blinked.

Shi Li grinned.

……

Three days later, Pei Qinghe and his entourage returned to Pei Family Village with a large grain transport team.

Having stayed up for several nights without a good night's sleep, Mao Hongling's eyes were bloodshot, and her cheeks were thinner. She whispered with a face full of guilt, "Qinghe, I'm sorry, I couldn't protect Peijia Village for you."

Even the fiercest anger eventually subsided after a few days.

Pei Qinghe gently comforted her, "This is not your fault. Grandmother did not make this decision on a whim; she must have planned it for a long time. After I left, she quietly packed her bags and set off on New Year's Day."

"She's determined to go to Bohai County. We tried to stop her once, but not twice or three times. Oh well, let her go!"

Madam Lu was taking advantage of her granddaughter-in-law Mao Hongling's gentle and easily manipulated nature. If Pei Yun were here, she would have gone to great lengths to persuade Madam Lu. If it were Pei Yan, she would have knocked Madam Lu unconscious with a single punch. If it were Pei Qinghe, a single cold glare would have been enough to silence Madam Lu.

Mao Hongling felt much better after hearing these words and said softly, "The children didn't go with us, and those under sixty stayed behind as well."

“The old village houses were simple and dilapidated, so I took it upon myself to invite my mother-in-law and the others back.”

The mother-in-law that Mao Hongling mentioned is Pei Qinghe's biological mother, Madam Feng.

Feng was a second wife, and was only a few years older than her daughter-in-law, Mao Hongling.

Pei Qinghe's brows relaxed: "I'll go see my mother."

A year has passed, and everyone has grown a year older. Little Yu'er and Little Dog, siblings, have both started school. They greet their aunts with proper manners.

Pei Qinghe smiled and took out two pieces of candy, handing them to them: "Go out and play!"

Xiaoyuer puffed out her chest: "I'm not going to play, I'll stay outside the door."

The puppy shouted, "I'll guard the door for Auntie too!"

Pei Qinghe chuckled, her gloomy mood of the past few days vanishing instantly.

(End of this chapter)