Transmigration: A Farm Girl's Brocade-Chapter 25 - There is still hope_1

Chapter 25: Chapter 25 There is still hope_1

Chapter 25: Chapter 25 There is still hope_1

Qing Quan added more chapters!

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It wasn’t unheard of for people to go missing during the war; some fled mid-battle, while others died in unknown locations. However, deserters were few and far between due to the severe punishment of beheading. It was unthinkable for someone as promising as Qian Manjiang to desert, so the most likely possibility was that he had died.

For the families of those who served, a missing loved one was the most devastating. If a person died, there was a consolation prize of ten taels of silver, and if disabled, there was an eight-tael settlement fee. If a person returned, there was still a disbandment fee of five taels of silver. But for those missing in action, there was neither money nor person, not even a proper explanation.

This time, not only did Qian Sangui fall ill, even Lady Wu collapsed onto her bed. She had clenched her teeth and persevered for so many years; the “death news” of her son broke her completely. The family was once again in dire straits.

Hearing that her most beloved grandson was missing, which essentially meant death without the discovery of a body, Old woman Qian also fell ill.

Qian Dagui’s family immediately stepped up, helping to find a doctor to treat the illness, coordinating with Qian Ergui and his son to work on the third wife’s farm, and soliciting Lady Xu to cook for a few days.

Qian Xiang also brought some meat to comfort Lady Wu and purchased some ginseng slices to nurture Qian Sangui’s health.

Most of the country folks remained good-hearted. Many other families came to visit theirs, with some bringing a pair of eggs, others carrying a pound of white flour, and even two poorer families brought over a basket of vegetables.

In a corner, Qian Yixiu, upon learning small dad’s situation, was also very upset. How would this family carry on? However, she was also somewhat touched. Except for the discordant notes struck by Lady Tang, the other relatives showed compassion. They were not like those outrageous relatives in some transmigration novels, who hope to bully the sick to death early to seize their property and sell their children.

But other families had their matters to tend to, particularly with the autumn harvest approaching. Five days later, their home returned to its usual tranquility.

Cheng Yue, who had been hiding in her room, also emerged from her small abode. Unaware that others had started calling her Widow Cheng behind her back, with some even labeling her the foolish widow, the days when a few glimpsed her true face resulted in rumors spreading about the foolish widow’s celestial beauty.

The only one in the family who refused to believe Qian Manjiang was dead was her. She stubbornly believed that her Brother Jiang wouldn’t deceive her, and would come home after several cycles of flowers withering and blooming. Once more, she timidly approached the courtyard gate, peeking through the closed door at the wildflowers blooming outside.

It was the end of August, and though some weeds had started to yellow, the season of blossoming flowers was past. Nevertheless, a very few wildflowers were still blooming brightly, seeming even more arrogantly stunning. From years of observation, Cheng Yue knew that when the grass turned yellow, the flowers would be close to wilting completely. Come next year’s bloom, the day of Brother Jiang’s return would be that much closer.

Eleven-year-old Qian Manxia, now the sole laborer of the household, led the two younger ones to the kitchen to make food. After cooking, the trio brought the meals to Qian Sangui’s and Lady Wu’s bedside to assist the couple in eating.

Qian Manxia said tearfully, “Dad, Mom, we still have Jinwa; our family still has hope.”

Qian Yeejin quickly pledged his support, “Grandpa, Grandma, I’ll eat less to save some for you. When I grow up, I’ll become the top scholar and an official, to make you proud and take you out to eat at fine restaurants.”

Qian Yixiu, who rarely spoke up, also whispered today, “And there’s Yixiu. I can work too. I’ve just stoked the fire, and yesterday I fed the chickens.” She wiped away her tears, smearing her little face even more.

Cheng Yue, who had entered unnoticed, said, “And there’s Yueyue. I don’t eat for free; I can sew and earn money to buy food.”

Lady Wu looked at the four people in front of her bed, one confused and three young, then turned to see Qian Sangui, who was taking fewer breaths in than out, and burst into tears. What would they do without her?

In the past few days, everyone had been using this argument to persuade her, telling her she must endure for the sake of her husband and grandson. But she couldn’t listen, consumed with the thought that she had no hope left, she might as well be dead.

Yet now, seeing how affectionate these children were, she felt she couldn’t bear to leave them.

She extended her arms, embracing Qian Yijin and Qian Yixiu, sobbing loudly. After crying, she sat up and ate. The meal was a bowl of noodle dumpling soup containing a single egg. Lady Wu did not decline, finishing not only the noodle soup but also the egg. With some strength returned to her body, she got out of bed to help her husband eat.

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Qian Sangui was presently frail, so Qian Yixiu did not dare enter the room and instead lingered in the main hall, peering at the family through the door. Lady Wu may have taken in what the first three had said but seemingly ignored what her young mother Cheng Yue had conveyed. In fact, among everyone’s suggestions, it was Cheng Yue’s that held the most constructive potential.

Why wouldn’t Lady Wu be willing to spend some money on embroidery materials and fine fabrics for Cheng Yue to try her hand at embroidery to sell? Even Lady Wu conceded that Cheng Yue’s handiwork was very good; she must have received specialized training at home. It was only sometimes, due to a lack of control over her hands or mind, that she would stitch incorrectly.

Perhaps initially, there would be some waste of fabrics and money, but once she grew accustomed to it, even if her embroidery wasn’t extremely exquisite, it would still be much better than that of the rural women, and it could be sold to contribute to the household expenses.

Qian Yixiu thought about further exploring her young mother’s potential once she had crossed over in the future.

Lady Wu was rallying, and the household began to function normally again.

But this year’s household expenses had grown even larger. Qian Sangui’s body had suffered greatly after the shock, and it took a lot of expensive medicine for him to survive. Qian Yixiu didn’t fully understand the traditional medical jargon, but she guessed that his illness was mainly due to an injury that affected his vitals, severe malnutrition, and a heart condition. Such diseases were afflictions of the affluent and required a good diet, rest, and state of mind, free from hunger, fatigue, and irritation. Even in her previous life, such conditions were difficult to manage.

Logically, it seemed impossible for the household to provide for these needs, yet Qian Sangui was still alive. The limited ginseng and medicinal supplements they had could not possibly sustain his life all these years. The reason for his survival was either his originally strong constitution, his fate not yet sealed, or simply that Bull Head and Ma Mian had not deigned to visit him.

Qian Yixiu also had another theory, which was that the water consumed by Qian’s third wife’s family was different from that of the other villagers, and it seemed to be of much higher quality.

Because this area was rich in water sources, besides the very wealthy families who dug wells in their yards, the villagers all drank spring water. To the east of the village and at the foot of Xijing Mountain, there was a deep pool known as Butterfly Spring, where villagers fetched water.

As Butterfly Spring was quite a distance from Qian’s third wife’s house, they fetched water from Pine Pool, located just behind their yard to the west.

Pine Pool was at the foot of Shixi Mountain, next to an ancient pine tree believed to be thousands of years old, thus giving it its name. Pine Pool had an approximate diameter of five meters and was unfathomably deep, bordered by a ring of small rocks. The part of the pool indented into the mountain base allowed the overflowing spring water to flow into the ravine at the mountain’s foot, joining other streams to form a shallow brook that traversed the wilderness into Hong River.

The ancient pine beside Pine Pool was lush and its growth unparalleled, not only the best-growing tree below Shixi Mountain but also seldom matched by the trees of Xijing Mountain.

This had aroused amazement among many, and the reason was known only to Qian Yixiu. While several springs flowed down from Shixi Mountain, only Pine Pool’s water came from a direction that looped around Shixi Mountain. Although the stream was small, it flowed ceaselessly day and night, and the pool never ran dry.

This speculation didn’t just apply to Qian Sangui, but also to everyone in Qian’s third wife’s family. Villagers exposed to the elements, basking in the harsh sun, would inevitably have poor skin. However, while the people of Qian’s third wife’s house were not as fair and delicate as those in the city, their skin was still much better than other villagers. Even with some signs of malnutrition, they weren’t dark-skinned, including the little father who had gone missing.

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