Chapter 183: Worried To Death
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“After you go back, form a team and go to the border of the Nan State to cause a ruckus. You don’t have to really take any real action. Just create a ruckus and make the other party think that you are soldiers of the Chu State.”
“Your Highness, are you trying to sow discord between the two states?” Lin Kun asked.
“I just want to create something to keep Xiao Jue busy,” Xiao Jin said with an icy face. If he focused all his attention on finding him and Su Ying, it wouldn’t take long for Xiao Jin and Su Ying to be discovered. This small conflict wouldn’t cause the two states to go to war, but it wouldn’t be so easy to negotiate peace afterward.
Lin Kun understood what Xiao Jin meant. “Yes, Your Highness. I’ll execute it once I get back.”
Lin Kun left in the night after he finished reporting.
Achoo! When Su Ying came out of the bathroom, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew past and barreled into her nose, causing her to sneeze.
The weather was getting colder and colder.
Su Ying walked to the front yard. Lin Zhuyu heard her movement and walked out. “Mistress, you’re done washing? The winter clothes that we made for you are ready. Please come and try them on, Mistress.”
“Sure.” Su Ying followed her into the house.
Aunt Zhao was sewing clothes under the lamp with those few children.
“Mistress, come and take a look. Do you like this cotton-padded coat and pants?” Bai Shuang took out the cotton-padded clothes that she had made. Each piece was stuffed with a thick layer of cotton, and she could feel the warmth and weight in her hands.
Su Ying put on her cotton-padded coat. The coat was a little wider, but she would be wearing a few more layers of clothing during winter anyway, so it was fine for the coat to be a little wider.
As per Su Ying’s request, the lower half of the winter clothes were made into pants. This way, it would be more convenient for the wearers to move around when they were working.
“Mistress, you are still too thin. 1 have already made the coat so small, but when Mistress wears it, it still feels so empty.”
“I’m not thin. My flesh is firm. Here, have a feel. You can’t even feel my bones with your hand.”
Su Ying looked thin, but in reality, it was because her bones were small enough to hide within her flesh.
After trying it on, Su Ying took off her cotton-padded coat.
“It’s getting late. You guys should rest early. The light is not good and it’s easy to hurt your eyes.”
Zhang Cuiniang scratched her scalp with a needle and said with a smile, “Mistress, don’t worry about us. We’ll sleep later.”
“That’s right, Mistress. You should go back and rest. These pants are a bit too big. I will amend them first before sleeping.”
Su Ying nodded, then turned around and returned to her room.
“Why aren’t you two sleeping yet?” The moment Su Ying entered the room, she saw the two little ones staring at her with wide eyes.
“I want to sleep with Mother.”
Su Ying stepped forward and picked them up. “Go to sleep. Don’t you have to go to school tomorrow?”
The school building was ready. Chu Yun planned to let the children go to school tomorrow.
“Mother, can Big Brother and 1 really go to school tomorrow?”
The two little ones were too excited to sleep because they were going to school tomorrow. At the thought of being able to go outside, they couldn’t contain their joy.
“Of course. Mother will personally send you there tomorrow.”
“Alright!”
“Then hurry up and go to sleep now.”
The two little fellows obediently lay down beside Su Ying and hugged her as they fell asleep.
After the two little fellows fell asleep, Xiao Jin slowly said, “Xiao Jue didn’t die.”
Su Ying, who was about to fall asleep, suddenly woke up. “He’s quite lucky then.”
She had used quite a bit of strength in that stab, and she had pushed him to the bottom of the slope. Yet he still survived. He was truly a scourge that could live for a thousand years
“He must have worn soft armor to block the fatal blow.”
“He has already sent people here?”
“Mm-hmm. But they were stopped by the array formation. I will continue to strengthen the defense of the Tiger Base. I will think of a way to distract Xiao Jue for the time being. If you want to sell charcoal again, send someone else. Those people who had been seen by Xiao Jue before should not leave the Tiger Base for the time being.”
“Alright.”
“Hey, hey, hey!”
“Mother, Mother, quickly get up. Otherwise, we’ll be late for school.”
Su Ying opened her eyes and saw the younger toddler Ling grinning as she lay flopped down on the bed.
Su Ying stretched lazily and sat up on the bed. “Alright. I will be right there.”
“Mother, look! This is the school bag that Aunt Bai Shuang gave me.” The younger toddler Ling dangled a small school bag in front of her as if she was presenting a treasure.
Su Ying was a little curious. “What’s in the little school bag?”
Ling opened the school bag, took out the things inside and laid them out in a row. “There are meat buns made by Grandpa Hea and wild fruits given by Grandpa Murong. This is the water container prepared by Aunt Zhao, and there are also snacks and sweets bought by Mother.”
Su Ying didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she looked at the food laid out on the table. The school bag contained nothing but food. Those who didn’t know better would think that the two little fellows were going on an excursion. “Alright, put away all the food. You can’t eat them during class, okay?”
“I know, Mother.”
After breakfast, they got into the horse carriage and went to the school.
After arriving at the school, Su Ying jumped off the horse carriage and carried the children down.
There were already many children in school.
Su Ying had said before that as long as they were of the right age, they would be able to attend school. They wouldn’t have to pay anything for the first three years, and they would even be provided with school lunches.
The promise of lunch made almost all the children of the right age in the Tiger Base come to school.
There were a total of 30 rooms built in the school, and they were almost all full.
It was the first time the two little ones had seen so many children of the same age. They were both somewhat timid as they hugged Su Ying’s legs, unwilling to let go.
“Mother, 1 don’t want to go to school anymore,” Ling said as she pursed her lips in fear.
Although the older toddler Ji didn’t cry, he refused to let go of Su Ying.
“Don’t be afraid. Mother will accompany you two to go inside.”
“No, no! 1 don’t want to go to school!” Ling burst into tears at once.
When Ji saw Ling crying, he also pouted.
Xiao Jin, who was tagging along behind, exchanged looks with Su Ying helplessly. The two of them were at a loss on how to deal with this situation. After all, the little ones were so happy when they came. To their dismay, the little ones immediately became upset the moment they arrived.
Xiao Jin could only pick Ji up. “Ji, didn’t you always want to come to school to study?”
The older toddler Ji pouted and didn’t say anything.
“Go to school now. Father and Mother will come to pick you up later.
“Big men don’t cry, okay?”
Ji lay on Xiao Jin’s shoulder and sobbed for a while before saying, “1 won’t cry. I will study hard.”
Xiao Jin’s heart ached a little when he saw his son putting on a strong appearance. “Good lad.”
The younger toddler Ling, on the other hand, wasn’t so easy to placate. The more she cried, the louder her cries became. She wished she could just bury herself in Su Ying’s arms.
“Ling, be good. Don’t cry, don’t cry. Teacher Chu will still be the one teaching you in class later.”
“No. I want to stay with Mother.”
Su Ying’s heart ached so much that she almost gave in when she heard Ling’s voice was almost hoarse from crying.
“Ling, don’t you want to study with Teacher anymore?” Chu Yun could only step forward to help. The few adults placated the two children for a while before they managed to bring them into the school.
Xiao Jin mounted his horse but he saw Su Ying still standing outside the school gate, poking her head out like some sneaky thief. “What are you looking at?”
Su Ying didn’t even turn her head. “I’m looking at the kids. I don’t know if they are going to cry again or not. What if they pass out from crying?”
Su Ying felt that her maternal heart was really fraught with worry.
As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around and ran out of the walled courtyard.
Xiao Jin was bewildered. He could only get off his horse and follow her..