Chapter 157

Zheng Ruqian's eloquent words suddenly stopped.

The eyes of all the children focused over in an instant.

Little Jiang Sheng was so stunned that she didn't even notice the roasted duck leg falling from her hand. She just stared blankly at Fang Heng, asking incredulously, "Third brother? What are you talking about?"

Fang Heng felt a little pressured, but thinking about what was to come, he straightened his posture again and said earnestly, "Although Wang Yuyao only said those hurtful words about me to preserve our engagement, there is some truth to what she said. As long as I'm alive, as long as I'm in Anshui County, the Fang family will never let this go."

"Rather than enduring their endless harassment and harm, and being wary of unpredictable slander and framing at any time, it would be better to leave far away to reassure the Fang family completely."

The teenager analyzed seriously, word for word.

It made the angry Zheng Ruqian, the pouting Jiang Sheng, all freeze in place.

"But where can you go?" Xu Mo asked softly.

The eyes of the whole family focused over again.

Fang Heng pursed his lips and looked northward. "Three years ago, my father was stationed there to guard the northern border and swore to drive out the Northern Nomads and defend the dynasty."

Unfortunately, until he closed his eyes, the borders of the Dayu Dynasty were still in dire straits. Every time the cold season came, the nomadic tribes, suffering from hunger and cold, would rush into villages with blades in hand and massacre and plunder unscrupulously.

No one could truly understand this suffering without experiencing it personally.

The common people of Shili Village struggled with poverty and starvation, yet they didn't know that the common people on the border could lose their lives at any moment.

Just like the wandering Jiang Sheng would not understand that in addition to hunger and cold, a group of people on fast horses could rush in and nail innocent children to the wall.

There were many kinds of suffering in life, but happiness was always simple and plain.

Over the past three years, while harboring hatred for the Fang family, Fang Heng had also been thinking of General Fang's aspirations as he tirelessly trained in martial arts.

To guard the borders and bring peace to the world. It sounded easy in theory, but was so difficult in practice.

Now time had flowed to their generation, and they should also contribute their meager strength to ensure the peace and prosperity of future generations.

"I always thought I would become a great general, lead thousands of troops to conquer the Northern Nomads, and guard the borders," Fang Heng said bitterly. "But now I'm just an ordinary person. Without the Fang family's backing, I may never get the chance to be a general in my life."

"But I can't give up. I have to go to the bitterly cold north and join the battlefield to kill the enemy. Even if I can only save one person, it's better than the precarious struggle for survival in this treacherous place, better than being stared at like a target and recklessly persecuted, better than bringing misery and harm to everyone."

If one lived, one must fulfill one's self and purpose.

Fang Heng's purpose was to join the fight, kill the enemy, and save life after life.

Not to practice martial arts drearily in Anshui County and wait for the Fang family's schemes over and over again.

As his voice trailed off, the entire Zanhua Courtyard fell silent.

The sensible people knew that the third brother's choice was right and should not be obstructed.

But emotionally, how could anyone accept their loved one facing danger and precariousness?

After a long while,

Xu Mo stood up and broke the silence in Zanhua Courtyard.

Although he would miss Fang Heng and worry about him, he was the eldest brother, an example to all his younger siblings, so he should take the lead and show support. "Younger brother, I support you. We were born on this land and grew up on this land. We love it here, and we should dedicate ourselves to this land."

Without the dedication of our forefathers, how could we have the peaceful lives we enjoy today?

Now it was their generation's turn to contribute their meager strength, to ensure the peace and prosperity of future generations.

"But..." Xu Mo's tone changed. "You are our family. No matter where you are, please protect yourself, please cherish your life, and please wait for our reunion."

With this preface, Zheng Ruqian swallowed all the dirty words he wanted to say. He walked up to Fang Heng and gave him a punch.

"Stinky third brother, from now on you have to come back every New Year. I don't want you missing from our family."

Fang Heng grinned.

Wen Zhiyun and Chang Yan walked up.

One stammered, "Third brother, I'm preparing medicine for you, lots and lots of medicine. You must not get hurt."

The other gritted his teeth. "Third brother, the world will be at peace, and you will come back too."

Fang Heng patted their little heads with one hand each. "When the two of you grow as tall as me, I'll come back."

Wen Zhiyun faltered. Chang Yan huffed and turned his head away.

Finally Fang Heng's gaze landed on little Jiang Sheng, the only little girl in the family, who should have been doted on, but was actually sweet and tender-hearted, sometimes a little like Second Brother Zheng, fierce and impulsive.

At the moment she sat there, seeming to want to smile, but her eyes were red, with glistening tears pooled in her eyes that desperately wanted to fall but were forcibly contained.

Finally, Jiang Sheng pursed her lips and said in a small voice, "Third brother will come back, right?"

He won't disappear from Jiang Sheng's life like that nine-year-old brother, right?

She was so lonely. She had wandered for seven years before picking up five brothers.

They relied on each other for survival. They laughed and played tricks. They earned a living and defied oppression. They outsmarted schemes with wisdom.

The three whole years felt like her brothers had become an inextricable part of her life, that they would never be torn away.

Just as they had promised that day, they would never separate.

But during her tenth spring festival, Third Brother had decided to leave.

Overwhelming panic seized her, making Jiang Sheng's body tremble uncontrollably. She was so afraid of separation, of loss. If all relationships were doomed to disappear, it would have been better for her to remain a wandering orphan, starving and freezing to death on the streets.

"Jiang Sheng," Fang Heng said solemnly, breaking through her panic, "not all separation means loss. We will meet again. We are still family."

"Third brother will always be your third brother, always rushing ahead to protect our little Jiang Sheng."

The little girl with buns and wearing a bright red new dress had a red runny nose on her round face. Her big eyes brimmed with tears that stubbornly would not fall.

The teenager bent down and gently rubbed her cheeks, wiping away the tears that slid down her eyes.

Jiang Sheng could no longer contain her emotions. Her lips pursed and her tears cascaded like waterfalls. "Wahh, bad Third Brother, big bad Third Brother, you broke your promise to leave. Third Brother is a liar."

The tender reproach echoed in Zanhua Courtyard.

Even the tough Xu Mo and Zheng Ruqian reddened their eyes, not to mention the sensitive ones like Zhang Auntie and Cui Er Aunt who had long been sobbing with handkerchiefs in the corner.

But no matter how sad they were, farewell was inevitable.

In Fang Heng's memory, because the nomadic tribes also wanted a prosperous year, their actions were most fierce around the New Year holidays, so he had originally planned to leave for the north after the first day of the New Year at Zanhua Courtyard.

So the time was very pressing.

Wen Zhiyun rushed back to the medical hall without stopping. Not only did he dig out the golden sore medicine made in previous years, but he also ground piles after piles of new medicine. Siblings Wang Xiaozhu and Wang Xiaosong came to help without complaining even when their fingers blistered.

Perhaps it was because the time was fleeting beyond imagination, Jiang Sheng stopped making trouble. She tugged Fang Heng's sleeve with sobs, "Third brother, keep us company properly before leaving."