Chapter 11 An Ordeal on the Way Back to the Capital

Chapter 11 An Ordeal on the Way Back to the Capital

Si He frowned and asked, "What does the general mean by this?"

"What do you mean? I just asked her to explain to the ancestors, but she wouldn't say a word. Does she even respect me as her father?"

Su Xiao didn't dare ask Qingbao a question, so he looked at Si He and continued,

"Now that our ancestors have scolded us all, are you satisfied? You just want to use our ancestors' words to get me to take you back to the General's Mansion to enjoy a life of luxury, don't you want to live a miserable life here anymore?"

Upon hearing this...

Si He looked at Su Xiao with unfamiliar and distant eyes, "How did you become like this!"

She grew up here and was Su Xiao's childhood sweetheart. Although the old lady favored Su Mengmeng and her daughter and made things difficult for her many times.

But she still believed that the man in front of her still had some affection for her and Qingbao. As long as Su Xiao came back, her daughter, if not living a very good life, could at least grow up safely.

Unexpectedly, on the very day her husband returned, she saw through his true character.

She waited patiently for two years, protecting their only daughter.

He felt he couldn't endure hardship and was eager to go back and enjoy a life of comfort.

"I also want to ask, how did you and Qingbao become like this? You can't even endure a little hardship. Sihe, I'm so disappointed in you and your daughter!"

"Since you and Qingbao want to go home with me, then I'll send someone to take you back. I won't pick you up myself. You'd better watch yourselves!"

Su Xiao shook his head in disappointment at Si He, then flicked his sleeve and prepared to step out of the ancestral hall.

Qingbao's eyes sparkled as she said, "Aren't you going to pick us up? That's great!"

If Su Xiao weren't there, they would likely be in danger, but if Su Xiao were there, they would definitely be in danger!

On the way back, Su Xiao faced a calamity, a great disaster was about to befall him.

Su Xiao was completely unaware of this, and was so angry at Qingbao's words that he almost vomited blood.

The lesson he had just learned meant he couldn't scold or beat her. What if her ancestors came knocking on his door again? He would be so helpless!

He could only silently endure it. After he went out the door, he saw his mother walking towards him with a big smile on her face.

Su Xiao's face darkened. "What are you laughing at!"

Old Madam Su was completely dumbfounded. "Son, I'm so happy for you! How did the memorial service go?"

"It went quite smoothly, even the ancestors came up." Su Xiao said impatiently, then turned and left.

While stamping her feet, Old Madam Su asked repeatedly, "Oh? Why did you just leave like that?"

The clan leader came out shortly after and happened to bump into her.

Madam Su quickly grabbed the clan leader, "Clan leader, I heard that the ancestors have come up to congratulate Xiao'er, is that true?"

Clan Chief: ...

I barely managed to catch my breath, and almost passed out again.

"It's true, we'll have our ancestors come find you next time." With that, the clan chief quickly ran off.

Madam Su clapped her hands with her left hand and exclaimed with delight, “That’s wonderful! Even our ancestors want to come and see me in person!”

She quickly caught up with the clan chief, asking as she went:

"Chieftain, have the ancestors said when they're coming to find me? Should I make some preparations? Hey? Chieftain, why are you limping? How come you're walking so fast with a limp?"

The clan chief, being chased, limped faster and faster, yelling, "Damn it, even a cripple like me gets chased by this tiger woman!"

*

After paying respects to his ancestors, Su Xiao was to immediately return to the capital and enter the palace to receive the Emperor's rewards.

"Dad, are you really not going to wait for Sister Qingbao and the others? Mengmeng is no longer in pain, so please don't blame Sister Qingbao, okay?"

Su Mengmeng bit her lip, her eyes filled with tears and pleading.

She deliberately brought up her injury so that Su Xiao would care about the head she had bumped into by Qingbao the night before.

Su Xiao looked at the bandage on her forehead and felt a pang of heartache. He reached out and hugged Su Mengmeng.

“I heard from your grandmother that Qingbao treated you like this, and you still spoke up for her. She made me, her father, look bad in front of the clan. I don’t need to save face for her.”

"Mengmeng, when we get back to the capital, your mother has brought you lots of gifts. Dad will stay with you and make sure Qingbao doesn't bully you."

Those things were all prepared by Si Yao for her daughter, and she absolutely couldn't let Qing Bao take them away.

"But if Daddy doesn't take Sister Qingbao back with him, Sister Qingbao and the others will lose face in the village," Su Mengmeng said with a wronged expression.

"Face? She never gave me, her father, any face in front of our ancestors, so why should I care about her face? I've already sent two people to pick them up. Whether they come back or not is fine. From now on, you and your mother will be my only wife and daughter."

Si Yao was able to help him fight and make military achievements; she was an incredibly dashing woman.

As for Si He, he knows nothing and is nothing but a burden to the General's Mansion or the Si family.

If it weren't for the instructions from his ancestors that Qingbao shouldn't suffer any more, he would have been somewhat reluctant to take them back.

Sihe has grown up in the village all her life, and she thinks she will live the same life for the rest of her life without feeling wronged.

Su Mengmeng buried her head in her father's arms, looking soft and cute, but in reality, she had secretly curled one corner of her mouth.

Qingbao, even your father hates you.

When I get the chance, I'll gouge your eyes out again!

General Su rode away on horseback, followed by a large procession of carriages carrying his female relatives.

In Si He's courtyard, two soldiers in plain clothes were waiting at the gate. Not even a carriage was prepared; they had to walk back to the capital.

She was looking at the mess in the yard, cleaning up the things on the ground bit by bit, and then arranging them neatly.

Last night, Qingbao and I buried three kittens by ourselves, and Sihe even put up a small tombstone for each of them.

"Madam, the general has already left. How much longer are you going to clean up?" the soldier outside the courtyard gate urged impatiently.

Qingbao was holding an old rag and struggling to help her mother clean the table.

The tiny little dumpling, with its sleeves rolled up to reveal its chubby arms, lay on the table, looking as small as a dish.

Hearing the soldier urging her on, she plopped down on the table, her little eyebrows furrowing in displeasure.

“This is my mother’s house. What’s wrong with cleaning it up? If you’re unhappy, you can leave.”

Her voice was both sweet and very serious, as if she had been in a position of power for a long time.

The two soldiers suddenly felt a chilling sense of oppression wash over them.

"Your subordinate wouldn't dare, your subordinate will help you clean up right away."

They helped get things done.

For some reason, the two grown men actually obeyed Qingbao's orders.

Qingbao snorted, "You guys are kind enough to avoid the disasters on your way." The little one has a good memory; once she's seen the lives of those around her, she'll never forget them.

The reason she was happy that her scumbag father didn't pick her up was because a disaster was about to happen on the way back to Beijing.

It just so happens that Mother has deep feelings for this courtyard and wants to clean it up.

She could tell that her mother didn't want to go back to the general's mansion.

So, she swung her little legs and pleaded, "Mother, don't you want to know where Grandpa and Grandma are?"

The maternal grandparents that Qingbao mentioned were Sihe's adoptive parents.

The old couple from the Si family are not worthy of Qingbao calling them maternal grandparents.

Si He stopped what she was doing, looked at Qing Bao, her eyes full of hope:

"Qingbao, do you know where my parents are?"