"Another war?"
"I wonder if Your Majesty is going to attack Wei this time or…"
In the courtyard, the woman held a long sword in her hand and looked at Pan, who was arranging his armor, with a worried expression.
"A woman should be careful with her words when it comes to matters of the country!”
"Lan."
Pan took the sword and looked at Xia Lan beside him.""You are the son of the family. After father leaves, you have to take good care of mother and sister.”
"Don't worry, Zhongfu."
Xia Lan cupped her hands slightly, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes.
Pan nodded and left the courtyard.
……
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
On the first day of October in the Qin calendar, it was the annual sacrifice.
The annual sacrifice was the new year of the Qin calendar.
The Great Qin calendar was not the Xia calendar used by the later generations, but the unique Zhuanxu calendar. According to the Zhuanxu calendar, the first day of the tenth month was the New Year.
On this day, Xia Lan squatted under an old locust tree outside the village. She held a dried branch in her hand and fiddled with the fallen leaves on the ground in boredom.
The young man raised his head from time to time and looked into the distance.
In the light of the setting sun, he wanted to see that familiar figure.
"Child, are you still waiting here?"
An old voice came from behind.
"Uncle Li, it is said that the Great King has won the war against Zhao. Counting the days, father and the uncles should be back soon.”
Xia Lan stood up and looked up at the old man behind her.
"Hehe…I'll be back."
The old man smiled kindly, but there was a trace of worry and sadness in his eyes.
Since ancient times, casualties were inevitable in wars.
Therefore, every expedition meant a life and death separation.
The old man's son had disappeared during the last war between Qin and Zhao.
"Child, the sun has set.”
"Your father…they will come back.”
The old man looked at the village road that was dyed red by the setting sun in the distance and muttered.
It was as if they were also anticipating that there would be a figure at the end of the world who would come with multicolored light…
……
Back in the courtyard, Xia Lan gently pushed open the door.
A petite figure stumbled over from the courtyard.
"Big brother, big brother, has father returned?”
Xiao Yun 'er looked at the open courtyard door behind Lan and raised her head to ask in a childish voice.
Xia Lan smiled and shook her head.
Seeing this, a trace of disappointment flashed across the little girl's face.
"Eldest Brother," she said happily,"Mother made millet and stewed meat for today's festival.”
After all, she was still a child. The delicious food easily washed away her longing.
"Lan."
The woman walked out of the kitchen and looked at the siblings in the courtyard. A lonely look flashed across her eyes, and then she smiled and said,"Let's eat."
Xia Lan nodded and pulled the little loli's hand into the kitchen.
……
The night of October was as cold as water. Longxi was located in the north and it was already late autumn. The night air was even colder.
After dinner, the family of three prepared to sleep early.
"Dong! Dong!"
Outside the courtyard, there was a sudden rush of knocking on the door.
"Father is back!"
Xiao Yun 'er, who was lying on the bed, heard the knocking sound and immediately jumped up from the couch in surprise.
Beside them, Xia Lan and the middle-aged woman were also delighted. They quickly stood up and opened the door to welcome them.
The family of three opened the courtyard door in the cold.
Under the faint moonlight, Xia Lan saw three soldiers in Qin armor standing at the door with bloodstains on their faces.
" Uncle, you're back!?"
Xia Lan said in surprise, but her eyes were looking behind them.
The person in the lead was Gongshiju, who had gone out with his father. Lan also found the two people behind him familiar. They were probably the guards of Ten Mile Village.
"Lan."
Gongshiju forced a smile and gently rubbed Lan's head. He then looked at the woman and said,""Sister-in-law."
The woman nodded with a pale face and did not say anything.
She had already noticed that Xia Lan's father was not among the three people who had returned.
Could it be…
"Sister-in-law, these are Brother Pan's things and the king's gift…"
"Compensation…"
Gongshiju had a complicated expression on his face. He took out a long sword from his back and handed over a heavy cloth bag.
Compensation?
When Xia Lan heard this, she felt as if thunder had exploded in her ears, and her mind instantly went blank.
The woman's body swayed as she hurriedly held onto the door frame beside her, tears instantly flowing out of her eyes.
Moments later-
She took the sword with trembling hands and the bag of money that her husband had exchanged for with his life.
"Mother, where's father?"
Beside him, Xiao Yun 'er did not seem to understand what the situation before her meant. She raised her head and asked curiously.
"Lan 'er, send your Uncle Ju off."
The woman held back her tears and staggered into the house, holding Xiao Yun 'er's hand.
"Mother, why isn't father back yet? Did he go to buy Yun 'er some cerealose?”
Xiao Yun 'er asked.
"Hmm…"
The woman's voice was filled with grief.
"Lan…"
Gongshiju watched the mother and daughter leave, then looked at Xia Lan in front of him, his eyes filled with grief.
"Uncle, where…where did father die in battle?”
"Where is the body now?"
Xia Lan asked softly.
Since he had died in battle, he still had to transport his father's body back and bury it properly.
A hint of hesitation flashed across Gongshiju's eyes.
"Lan, perhaps Brother Pan…"
He paused.
He did not know if he should give this family hope.
But…
"Your father might not be dead."
Gongshiju said after a moment.
" He didn't die?!"
Xia Lan's eyes flashed with joy as she hurriedly grabbed Ju's arm.""Then…"
"Lan, listen to uncle." Ju said slowly.
"In that battle, your father and I were ambushed by the Zhao army. My team was in charge of breaking out, and your father's team was in charge of covering.”
"But after the battle, your father's soldiers didn't come back. We went back to look for them and only found Brother Pan's sword.”
Hearing this, Xia Lan understood.
In other words, his father might not be dead, but just missing.
Perhaps they were captured by the Zhao army.
"Uncle, I understand." Xia Lan said in a deep voice.
Gongshiju nodded and left with the other two.
……
The next day.
Xia Lan got up early.
Just as his father had said before he left, he was the only man in the family when he was not around.
As Xia Lan prepared breakfast, her mind was in a mess.
He didn't know if he should tell his mother that his father might still be alive.
If she said it, it would be equivalent to giving her hope. At that time, if the news of her father's death was confirmed, the blow would be even greater.
If he didn't say it…
Xia Lan shook her head, not knowing what to do.
She scooped up a bowl of cooked porridge and went into the room.
"Mother, you should eat something."
Xia Lan said softly as she looked at the woman who was still bedridden.
However, the woman's eyes were red as she stared at the roof in a daze. She did not say a word, and tears flowed from her eyes from time to time.
"Big brother, mother…mother has been like this all night.”
Beside him, Xiao Yun 'er clumsily got down from the couch. The braids on her head were already in disarray.
Xia Lan put down the porridge in her hand, helped her put on her clothes, and simply combed her hair.
"Mother…"
"Uncle Ju said…that Father might not be dead.”
……
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