The room fell into silence once again.
"Miss Jun, aren't you a doctor?" Xiao Zhi said.
Miss Jun understood what she meant.
Indeed, for a doctor, that was overstepping bounds.
But she was not truly a doctor.
"I am a doctor, but it's not just the sick that I need to save," she sighed.
This is my father's kingdom, these are my father's people. I couldn't save my father's life, how can I stand by and watch his kingdom and people fall into chaos and do nothing?
"But I will still try to come home soon," she said with a smile.
Xiao Zhi uttered an acknowledgment and picked up her needlework again.
Xia Yong and Yang Jing seemed not to know what to say.
"Then I'm going to play with Hanqing," said Miss Jun with a smile.
Xiao Zhi hummed a response, her head bowed as she stitched rapidly.
Xia Yong and Yang Jing watched as Miss Jun turned and walked out.
As her footsteps receded, quiet returned to the room.
"Sister-in-law, are we... are we just letting her go?" Xia Yong couldn't help but speak up.
"She wants to go, should we stop her?" Xiao Zhi spoke without raising her head. "No one can stop a person determined to do something. Let her do what she wishes. As long as she's happy, that's fine."
Xia Yong and Yang Jing agreed hesitantly and then withdrew.
Xiao Zhi's head was bowed, her needle flying faster and faster through the cloth until, suddenly, she let out a hiss as a drop of blood oozed from her fingertip.
She put her finger in her mouth.
"As long as she's happy, that's good. As long as they're happy, that's good. Whether others are happy or not, whether we're happy or not, what does it matter to us?" she murmured to herself.
Xia Yong and Yang Jing, who had left, didn't hear Xiao Zhi's murmur. They walked one behind the other without speaking, their expressions heavy.
Suddenly, Yang Jing bumped into Xia Yong, who had stopped without warning, and Yang Jing, too lost in thought, hadn't noticed.
"Who is that lady anyway?" Xia Yong asked, hitting upon a key question. "How did she persuade Miss Jun?"
Turning, he looked at Yang Jing.
"She couldn't have been deceiving her, right? That lady seemed quite formidable to me."
Yang Jing sighed.
"Could Miss Jun be so easily deceived?" he said.
Indeed, the girl was quite capable herself, Xia Yong fell silent.
"Moreover, she might not have been persuaded by anyone," Yang Jing continued. "All along, so many messages have been sent from the city, all about the dynasty's affairs. And you've seen it too: the Jinyiwei, the government soldiers, and the feudal authority, their attitudes towards her are special. She is very concerned about the dynasty's affairs."
Xia Yong sighed and nodded, sitting down on a nearby stone, gazing at the village below in silence for a while before suddenly breaking into a laugh.
"Really, she is truly a disciple of our elder brother," he said. "Do you remember when we first met him and he talked about going to kill enemies, serve the nation, and protect the people? That really scared me."
Yang Jing also chuckled.
"Back then, we were like dogs who could be killed by anyone—a mere commoner. Yet, he brazenly wanted to become, what was it he said?" he spoke. "'A savior?'"
Xia Yong laughed.
"Look at you, still uneducated after all these years. Elder brother said there's no such thing as a savior," he said. "It's all up to us."
Yang Jing scratched his head with a smile.
"I can't remember his fancy words," he said. "Anyway, he's formidable, and I just do whatever he says."
After saying this, both men fell into a somber silence.
"Actually, back then I should've gone with him," Yang Jing suddenly said again. "It was always him doing everything by himself, relying on himself. His heart must've been tired and suffering, holding it all up alone, I... I wasn't of any help...."
His voice, usually robust and hearty, began to choke up.
"Brother Dajing," Xia Yong stood up, his voice hoarse as he called out, "don't talk about it."
Yang Jing squatted and turned his head away, staying silent.
The two men lapsed into silence once more.
But at this moment, on the back hill, Miss Jun and Zhao Hanqing were having a lively and jovial conversation.
"Your archery is no problem now," Zhao Hanqing said as he pulled an arrow from a tree branch, flipping and jumping down with a splash, "The accuracy is fine, it's just that you still lack strength. Practice more and it'll get better."
Miss Jun lifted her sleeve to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
"Alright, I'll practice more in the future," she said as she laid a pile of dried grass and twigs on a nearby stone and sat down.
Zhao Hanqing sat down next to her.
"Check if I recited it correctly," she said.
Miss Jun took the pages and looked them over carefully, then suddenly made an 'hmm' sound, furrowing her brows.
Zhao Hanqing immediately extended his hand with a smile.
"What are you laughing at; you still can manage to laugh," Miss Jun scolded, pulling a tree branch from the stone.
Zhao Hanqing hurriedly withdrew his smile, making a regretful expression.
"How can you be so dumb, how can you be so dumb," Miss Jun hit Zhao Hanqing's hand with the branch.
Lifting it high before letting it fall gently.
"Is your brain made of walnut kernels?"
At this, Zhao Hanqing could not help but burst into laughter, and Miss Jun laughed too, tossing the branch in her hand away.
"Did my father really hit you like that?" Zhao Hanqing asked curiously, "Did he really scold you like that?"
"Of course, he really did hit," Miss Jun said, "And as for scolding, that happened even more. But he wasn't scolding, he was being sarcastic, the kind that you can't react to right away."
Zhao Hanqing laughed again.
"He really is interesting," she said.
Miss Jun nodded in agreement.
"He truly is interesting," she said, "You must remember to take the medicine I gave you, and to wash your face daily with the boiled water."
Zhao Hanqing nodded.
"Once we gather all those medicines, your face will surely heal," Miss Jun said, "I reckon your father has almost found them all; they must be on some overseas fairy mountain."
Zhao Hanqing once again nodded with a smile, her eyes filled with hope.
Miss Jun lowered her head and took out the handwritten notes.
"Keep this with you," she said.
Zhao Hanqing hesitated, then quickly waved her hands in refusal.
"I'd better not," she said, "Whether you keep it or I, it's the same."
"I need to leave home, though," said Miss Jun with a smile, "This time it might be a long while before I return."
"Aren't you coming back in a month?" Zhao Hanqing asked in surprise.
"There's been a change in the temporary plan; I need to go to Hejian Prefecture and do some other things," said Miss Jun, "So it might take longer and I might return later."
Zhao Hanqing's smile gradually faded as she lowered her head to look at the handwritten notes being handed over.
"When my father left, he said the same thing to my mother, and now he hasn't come back either," she lifted her head to look at Miss Jun, "Are you also not going to come back?"
This trip would take her to places closest to the Jurchen people, to defend the nation and protect the people, she would have to confront the Jurchen people face to face.
The battlefield is not like suppressing bandits; the woodcutters are not brigands who are fierce on the outside but weak on the inside. With constant changes in the blink of an eye, who can guarantee absolute safety?
Forget the battlefield; even in daily life, who can guarantee accidents won't happen? Even a person like her master could fall to his death.
Who wants to die? No one wants to die, she least of all. Her sister and brother are in prison, her enemies are still alive and well. She has died once before and is even more afraid of dying, yet, just because she doesn't want to die or is afraid to die, does it mean she should avoid doing certain things?
"Hanqing, nobody doesn't want to return home," Miss Jun held Zhao Hanqing's hand and spoke earnestly, "I will always remember that I have to return and that you're waiting for me. I will protect myself well."
She placed the handwritten notes in Zhao Hanqing's hand.
"Didn't you say that you don't believe in your father, but you believe in me?"
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Thanks to the 11-page patron, Ice from the South, for rewarding me with He's Bi O(∩_∩)O haha~
Thank you, everyone, it's Friday!