Chapter 79: Can a Daughter's Heart Be Known? (Part 1)

It was already the eighth day of the first month of Xi Ning's third year.

In the side room, a single lamp flickered like a bean. Han Yunniang leaned on the table, her small chin resting on her arm, lost in thought.

'Why hasn't Third Brother come back yet...'

She tilted her head, the lamplight casting a rosy glow on her face as she counted the days on her fingers. Third Brother had been taken to Guwei on the twenty-second day of the twelfth month. At the time, the Empress had complained, "The emperor doesn't send hungry soldiers to war, and battles don't coincide with the New Year. Even the Western bandits celebrate the New Year. It's almost the end of the year, yet they still drag people out."

Third Brother had said he would definitely be back before New Year's Eve. But now, New Year's Eve and the New Year had passed, and it was already the eighth day of the first month. Third Brother, who should have returned long ago, was still nowhere to be seen.

"Big liar!"

Han Yunniang idly traced her fingers on the table. On the old square table, every scratch and groove had been counted over and over again. The embroidery she was supposed to do today lay untouched on one side. She might get scolded by the Empress tomorrow, but the little girl couldn't muster the energy to work.

The flame, having burned through the lamp oil, flickered a few times and finally went out, plunging the room into darkness, with a strong smell of lamp oil spreading.

The little girl still slumped at the table, neither wanting to get up to add more oil to the lamp nor to go to bed. She just lay there limply, tracing circles with her fingers.

In the distance, a dog barked, breaking the silence of the night. Soon, all the guard dogs in the village began to bark wildly. Even the small black puppy, which had just been weaned and was kept outside the courtyard, joined in with its high-pitched yelps.

The little girl finally sat up straight. Were wolves entering the village? Or a tiger?

Xialongwan was close to the Qinling Mountains, and the village's fence was not very sturdy. Wild animals entering the village at night was a common occurrence, happening two or three times a month. However, they rarely caused any damage and were usually driven away by the guard dogs.

Han Yunniang pushed open the door of the side room, and Han Qianliu and Han Aili also came out of the main house, wrapped in their clothes. They looked at each other, and Han Qianliu went to check if the front door was securely fastened. At this moment, the sound of hooves approached, gradually drowning out the barking of the dogs, and stopped in front of the house.

"It's Third Brother!" the little girl exclaimed with joy.

Han Gang and Li Xin dismounted at the doorstep. A blurry black shadow darted to their feet, its eyes glowing green, barking wildly. Han Gang was startled for a moment, but upon closer inspection, he saw it was a small black puppy, which was why it was hard to see in the dark.

On the third day of the first month, Han Gang had returned from Guwei with Wang Shao, having spent five days on the journey. They arrived in the city in the afternoon and escorted Wang Shao back to his residence. Han Gang considered for a moment and decided to return home early to report his safety. He felt guilty for not being able to spend the New Year with his parents and the little girl.

From Qinzhou to Xialongwan, if it were spring, summer, or autumn, the ferry would have stopped operating by nightfall, and it would be impossible to return after the seventh hour. Fortunately, it was now winter, and the cold north wind had frozen the river solid, allowing them to ride across the ice without needing a ferry.

After days of travel, Han Gang's bones felt like they were about to fall apart, but he was still young and had recovered his strength from his illness. However, he didn't expect that the first to greet him would be this small black puppy. In just half a month, it had even dug a hole in the wall.

The sound of wooden-soled shoes echoed from the courtyard to the door, and the gate creaked open. Under the moonlight, a familiar, charming face appeared before Han Gang. But as soon as she met his eyes, Han Yunniang's joy faded, and she pouted, turning her head away.

Han Gang smiled. The little girl was throwing a tantrum.

"Third Brother!"

Han Aili and Han Qianliu also came out, surrounding Han Gang and Li Xin, both surprised and delighted. In this era, news was hard to come by, especially over such a distance. Everyone at home had been worried since Han Gang went to Guwei, deep into the territory of the barbarians, and had stayed longer than expected.

"Father, Mother, your son has returned..." Han Gang was about to kneel and pay his respects according to custom.

"No need to kneel! You've been reading too much!" Seeing the thin layer of frost on her son's and nephew's lips, hair, and clothes, Han Aili was heartbroken and pulled Han Gang up, urging him, "Quick, get inside! Get inside quickly!"

With the mother's command, Han Gang and Li Xin led their horses into the courtyard. The small black puppy followed, barking all the way. Han Gang bent down, grabbed the puppy by the scruff of its neck, and lifted it up. The puppy, only one or two months old, whimpered and dared not bark loudly, looking pitiful.

Han Gang's family had kept a guard dog two years ago, which he had seen when he returned home to mourn his two elder brothers. But after he recovered from his illness, he never saw it again. This was understandable, as his family had been so poor during his illness that they couldn't even afford to feed a dog. Now that their situation had improved, they could afford to keep one or two for protection.

Han Gang asked, "Where did this thing come from?"

Han Qianliu replied, "It's one of the puppies from your Uncle Liu's family. They were born a few days ago and were given to us as a New Year's gift. It hasn't been named yet. Third Brother, can you think of a good name?"

"What kind of name does a dog need?" Han Gang said casually, "It's a small black dog, not a white wolf. If it's not called 'Little Black,' what else? Names like 'Wangcai' or 'Laifu' are too common, and I don't like them."

"What kind of name is that?"

"It's a small black dog, not a white wolf. If it's not called 'Little Black,' what else? Names like 'Wangcai' or 'Laifu' are too common, and I don't like them." Han Gang laughed, placing the newly named puppy on the ground. It darted behind the millstone in the courtyard, then poked its head out and barked at Han Gang.

"Stop talking and get inside to warm up."

Han Gang and Li Xin were wrapped in their cloaks, their faces frozen blue from the night air. Han Aili urged them to get inside quickly, while Han Gang first scooped up a handful of snow from the millstone and rubbed it on his frozen cheeks and hands.

In winter, frostbite was the greatest concern. If one's ears, like Wang Hou's, developed frostbite and started to ooze, it would recur every year. Entering a warm room directly from the cold would also cause sores. Li Xin followed Han Gang's example, and they rubbed the snow on their faces and hands until they were warm before stepping into the warm room.

As soon as they entered, a wave of warmth enveloped them, and Han Gang sighed in relief. In this era, there were no thermometers, but he estimated the temperature to be around minus ten degrees Celsius. Although it was better than the extreme cold after the first cold snap in the twelfth month, running in the wild for three days at this temperature was still very dangerous.

Perhaps due to the lack of an industrial revolution or changes in the natural climate, the temperature in the Northern Song Dynasty was much colder than a thousand years later. It was said that Guangzhou would even snow in winter, and in some years, the Taihu Lake would freeze solid enough to walk on. In Qinzhou, it was not uncommon to see bodies lying on the roadside after a cold snap, and the cremation grounds in the north of the city would be busy for two or three days.

Han Gang avoided frostbite thanks to his preventive measures. He instructed Han Yunniang to go to the kitchen to prepare hot soup to warm up Han Gang and Li Xin, while Han Aili stoked the fire and invited them to sit by it.

Han Qianliu also sat by the fire. "Third Brother, didn't you say you would be back before New Year's Eve? Why did it take so long? I couldn't get any answers when I went to the city. What happened?"

"Nothing serious! We were just delayed by the snow. It's over two hundred miles and several mountains away, and the snow in Guwei is much heavier than in Qinzhou. The snow at the end of the twelfth month was over a foot deep in Guwei. By the time we returned, we could only ride fast after passing Fugang City."

Han Gang spoke lightly, as if nothing significant had happened. However, the situation in Guwei was not trivial. Although the conflict between the Longbo and Shuotuo tribes in Guwei Fort was forcibly suppressed by Liu Changzuo, even he didn't expect that the one killed in Guwei was the third son of the Longbo tribal chief. The chief, having lost a beloved son, would not let the matter rest. The Shuotuo tribe, backed by Muzheng of Hezhou, was even more powerful, and Muzheng's brother, Dong Yu, had married a daughter of the Shuotuo tribe. If a fight broke out, they would not stand idly by.

The two tribes had a long-standing feud, and a major conflict was inevitable. Wang Shao had ordered Liu Changzuo to investigate thoroughly and atone for his mistakes. On the day of the incident, he sent an urgent message to Qinzhou, requesting Li Shizhong to mobilize troops. Once the conflict broke out, they could take the opportunity to strike and weaken Muzheng's influence in Guwei and Weiyuan.

Wang Shao's proactive move put Li Shizhong in a difficult position again. Once the two tribes started fighting, the question of whether to intervene or not became a new dilemma for the governor of Qin-Feng.

Moreover, the fact that the two tribes fought in Guwei Fort while Wang Shao was there was a mistake, but if Li Shizhong were to investigate, Liu Changzuo, as the fort's commander, would bear the brunt of the blame, while Wang Shao would not be held responsible. At that time, the top-ranking Western Route Inspector, who was among the top ten in the Qin-Feng army, would likely be forced to side with Wang Shao. Whether to investigate or not would be another problem for Li Shizhong.

Wang Shao was fortunate. In another timeline, he would have been attacked by Li Shizhong and Xiang Bao for failing to detect the conflict between the Longbo and Shuotuo tribes, leading to a deeper crisis.

The unsung hero who helped Wang Shao avoid this predicament was unaware of his contribution. He was now sitting in the warm room with his cousin Li Xin, drinking hot soup, and listening to his parents' complaints with a hint of resignation.

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End of Chapter 79