At this moment, even the snow seemed to warm up.
After Su Xiaolu and Su Chong put away their swords to their heart’s content, Su Xiaoling finished painting. She carefully took the painting back to her room and stored it properly after it was dry.
After the new year, life returned to normal.
Su Xiaolu no longer practiced her sword so intensely this year. She began to enter the mountains to pick herbs. In order to practice martial arts in the past few years, she had not collected herbs properly.
Now that she had mastered martial arts, she could relax a little. She could pick herbs and treat people’s illnesses.
On the second day of February, Hu Shuangshuang was engaged, and Su Sanlang’s family went to the banquet.
The Yang family’s attitude was sincere. Yang Jin also had a good impression of Hu Shuangshuang. He secretly looked at Hu Shuangshuang several times, and his face turned red.
Under Madam Cao’s guidance, Hu Changshou led Hu Changyang to abbot the situation and let the Yang family know that he could already take charge.
Su Xiaozhi didn’t say much. She just told Yang Jin not to let her daughter down and returned to her room to lie down.
The engagement went very smoothly. The betrothal gift from the Yang family was five taels. This was already very sincere for an ordinary family. Moreover, Father and Mother Yang also clarified the division of the farmland in the family. This was notarized.
Yang Jin’s brother, Yang Cong, and his wife, Madam Lu, looked pretty good too.
Madam Lu whispered to Hu Shuangshuang secretly. She looked easy to get along with.
Su Xiaoling, Chen Daniu and Chen Erniu accompanied Hu Shuangshuang.
Su Xiaolu could not sit still, so she walked around and dug some herbs by the roadside for the Hu family. These herbs could be used to boil water for chickens and birds to prevent the plague.
After the engagement banquet ended, Su Sanlang and Chen Hu’s families returned to town.
After walking far away, Madam Zhao asked, “Xiaoling, what did Shuangshuang say to you? Does she like this marriage?”
Madam Qian was also curious and wanted to know.
Not to mention them, even Su Sanlang and Chen Hu wanted to know.
Su Chong and Su Hua also listened quietly.
Su Xiaolu regretted digging for herbs now. If she had known earlier, she would have accompanied Hu Shuangshuang and listened to their whispers.
Su Xiaoling said softly, “Yang Jin’s sister-in-law, Madam Lu, told Shuangshuang to be at ease. The Yang family is very easy to get along with. Her in-laws are very good. After the family’s annual harvest is calculated, they will be given 10% for private use. Then, the rest of the money will be saved and split equally between them when they leave the family.”
When Madam Zhao and Madam Qian heard this, they smiled at each other.
Madam Zhao said, “Shuangshuang is blessed.”
If that was the case, Hu Shuangshuang had met a good family. Every year, she would have her own money. This way, her life in the future would not be very difficult.
Su Sanlang, who was walking behind, heard it too. He was in a good mood.
From the looks of it, this was a good start. In the future, they would have to rely on the combined efforts of the husband and wife.
In March, many flowers bloomed.
The trees all sprouted new shoots.
Su Xiaolu brought Su Xiaoling out of the city to pick herbs. Su Xiaolu was much happier with Su Xiaoling.
When they spent the night in the mountains, they ate delicious roasted meat.
She would also teach Su Xiaoling about wilderness survival. She would teach her about vines that could be made into ropes, plant roots that could be eaten, and where there was a water source.
Su Xiaolu picked clusters of flowers from the mountains and gave them to Su Xiaoling.
The most common things in the mountains were all kinds of raspberries. There were many types, spanning all four seasons.
Su Xiaolu would also fly with Su Xiaoling. Su Xiaoling was not used to it, so she felt at ease after landing.
Su Xiaoling felt very fulfilled in the past few months.
Summer was almost over, and the Fall Quarter Examinations were approaching.
In July, Lin Pingsheng gave Su Chong, Su Hua, and Zhou Heng a break.
He let them relax before setting off for Furongzhou to participate in the Fall Quarter Examinations. This time, they would go alone. Lin Pingsheng would not go with them.
Since it was to relax, Su Xiaolu immediately brought them to the mountain to pick herbs.
In this season, many wild fruits in the mountains were ripe.
Over the past six months of intense studying, Su Chong, Su Hua, and the others had become much calmer. Su Xiaolu climbed up the treetop and knocked down the hornet’s nest with a rock. She made a trumpet with her hand and shouted at them under the tree, “Big Brother, Second Brother, Brother Zhou Heng, run quickly. The hornets are here…”
Su Chong, Su Hua, and the others also heard the sound of the beehive falling. When they heard Su Xiaolu’s shout, they saw a swarm of hornets buzzing. Their expressions changed and they held hands and started to run.
Su Xiaolu smiled as she watched. At this moment, they had forgotten that they had applied insect repellent when they entered the mountain. It was a smell that any insect hated.
Being chased by hornets was just an illusion.
Seeing so many hornets, they subconsciously wanted to run.
They ran wantonly. Although they were in a sorry state, they smiled as they ran.
After running for a long time, they were exhausted. They stopped and realized that there were no hornets chasing after them at all.
“Xiaolu did it on purpose.”
They came back to their senses.
Su Xiaolu flew out of the forest and asked with a smile, “Big Brother, Second Brother, how do you feel? Are you feeling relaxed?”
As they ran, their muscles and bones must have relaxed.
Su Xiaolu put away the jar full of bees. She took these back to extraction. As soon as she walked up to them, her face was pinched.
“Xiaolu, don’t play pranks next time.”
Su Xiaoling said helplessly. After running so far, she seemed to have forgotten everything. The wind in her ears and her family beside her made her feel very strange. She felt strange when Zhou Heng pulled her. However, as soon as she stopped, Zhou Heng let go.
Su Xiaolu nodded with a smile. “Okay.”
Su Xiaolu led them to a stream, where everyone caught small fish and crabs.
Then, they built a fire. Su Xiaolu and Su Chong caught two hares and a pheasant. After cleaning them up, they roasted them together.
Su Xiaoling squeezed some wild fruit juice onto it and it gradually cooked under moderate heat.
After traveling a few times like this, Su Chong, Su Hua, and Zhou Heng relaxed.
July 9th.
The few of them prepared to set off.
In the end, Su Xiaoling decided to stay. She decided to stay and accompany her parents.
Su Xiaolu had no choice but to give up.
It was a long journey to Furongzhou, about ten days away. Su Sanlang bought a carriage.
Su Sanlang and Madam Zhao went out to send them off. Chen Hu and his family also came to send them off.
Su Chong drove the carriage and said solemnly to Su Sanlang and Madam Zhao, “Father, mother, go back. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of my younger siblings.”
Su Sanlang and Madam Zhao nodded.
Su Chong and Su Xiaolu were both martial artists, so they were not worried about their safety.
“Chong, Hua, Heng, have a safe trip.”
Everyone was waving.
Su Chong drove the carriage away.
Su Xiaolu waved goodbye to her family through the small window. Looking at her family’s reluctant figure, her heart was filled with melancholy. She only calmed down when she left the town.
Su Chong said, “Let’s go to Anping County to meet Zijin first, then go to Furongzhou together. I haven’t seen Zijin in a long time. I wonder how he is now.”
