Xue Dashan and Ning-niang watched Li-niang leave happily with the candy, sighing inwardly that she was indeed a child raised in a prestigious household.
—At such a young age, she already understood social graces and handled them so well.
Thinking of the foster daughter they had raised, who had been as nervous and quiet as a little mute in front of the Marquis and his wife during their first meeting.
Xue Dashan and Ning-niang suddenly felt very sorry for the Marquis and his wife.
They had raised the couple’s daughter so well, yet the couple had raised the Marquis’s daughter to be so provincial.
Xue Ning watched Li-niang leave and then surveyed the cowshed.
The cowshed was quite large and kept fairly clean, but there was still an indescribable smell inside.
Even though she had left the Marquis’s manor empty-handed, she still looked out of place standing in the cowshed in her current clothes.
Fortunately, she had survived the apocalypse; she had smelled far worse scents before. Otherwise, the stench of this cowshed would have been truly unbearable.
She didn’t mind it, but Xue Dashan and Ning-niang felt extremely apologetic toward her.
Even though she was their own daughter, both of them felt very constrained.
Ning-niang awkwardly offered her small stool, wanting Xue Ning to sit but not knowing what to call her.
Seeing this, Xue Ning spoke up voluntarily: “My original name was Xue Ling’er, ‘Ling’ as in ‘spirit.’ From now on, I’ll change my name to Xue Ning, changing ‘Ling’ to the ‘Ning’ from Ning-niang.”
Ning-niang was stunned for a moment: “Would that be alright? What if the Marquis and his wife are unhappy when they find out?”
Xue Ning~
It was a lovely name.
Much better than Xue Xiao-mei~
Xue Ning: “What’s wrong with it? I’m the master of my own name. Besides, I’ve already left the Marquis’s manor. From now on, my affairs have nothing to do with them.”
Ning-niang: “…Oh.”
Although Xue Ling’er was a pretty name, she liked Xue Ning better.
After all, the ‘Ning’ came from her, Ning-niang.
Her biological daughter’s name was truly beautiful and thoughtful.
Looking at Xue Ning, Ning-niang could not hide the joy in her heart.
Seeing Ning-niang’s silly grin, Xue Ning paused before speaking up again:
“I remember I have a brother? Where is he?”
Ning-niang: “Your brother went for military service. Usually, he’s the one who does the wood-chopping at home. It was only because he left for service that your father went up the mountain to chop wood himself.”
“It’s a good thing your brother went. If he hadn’t, he might have been the one to get hurt.”
Their son was still so young; Ning-niang would naturally rather her husband be paralyzed than her son.
In this dynasty, all men had to serve in the military, starting as early as sixteen and at the latest by twenty-three.
During times of peace, a man could apply to return home after two years of service.
During times of war, they could only apply to return whenever the war ended.
Most men chose to serve after getting married and having children.
After all, life was unpredictable.
Just like now, although the interior was at peace, the border had never been very quiet.
By serving after marriage, even if an accident occurred, they would at least have left behind their bloodline.
Xue Ning’s biological brother was four years older than her, and he had just reached the age for military service this year.
She was a bit curious why her brother had decided to serve so early.
Hearing Xue Ning’s question, Ning-niang told her that her son, Xue Rong, had decided to go early because his fiancée’s family had written to say her mother had passed away suddenly, and the fiancée had to observe a one-year mourning period.
Originally, Xue Rong had planned to marry his fiancée during the New Year.
Now that she had to mourn, the wedding date was naturally delayed.
Xue Rong thought that since the mourning lasted one year and military service lasted two, it would be better to serve now and have his fiancée wait one more year. That way, they wouldn’t have to be apart after they married.
Xue Ning: “Does my brother know what happened at home? Does his fiancée know?”
Ning-niang shook her head: “Neither of them knows~”
“Your brother went to the northern border to serve, and things are always unstable there. We didn’t want him to be distracted.”
“Your future sister-in-law is currently in mourning, and her home is far away. We didn’t want to trouble her, either.”
Xue Ning: “…You two really are quite considerate of others.”
Xue Dashan, Ning-niang: “…”
Those were clearly words of praise, but why did they sound so sarcastic?
Just then, the village chief arrived: “Is this the real Xue Xiao-mei?”
Seeing the village chief, Xue Dashan and Ning-niang hurriedly called out to him respectfully.
This time, after the accident at home, they truly owed a lot to the village chief for helping them with everything.
“Hello, Village Chief~”
Xue Ning nodded to the chief: “I am my parents’ biological daughter. My name was originally Xue Ling’er, ‘Ling’ as in spirit, but from now on, it’s changed to Xue Ning. ‘Ning’ as in my mother, Ning-niang.”
The village chief looked at Xue Ning warmly:
“Xue Ning, that’s a very nice name. I heard you plan to return to live with your biological parents, is that right?”
“When the people from the Marquis’s manor came to pick up the other girl, they said they couldn’t bear to let you come back and suffer. Why have they agreed to let you come back now?”
Xue Ning: “The Marquis’s manor isn’t missing a pair of chopsticks, but my parents are missing a daughter~”
Xue Ning’s answer pleased the village chief: “What a good child.”
“Your father is paralyzed now, and your mother, in her despair a couple of days ago, set the house on fire. Although you might suffer a bit coming back at this time, I must say your return couldn’t be more timely.”
“Seeing you, your parents will surely be very happy and will want to live properly again.”
Hearing this, Xue Dashan and Ning-niang were both embarrassed and pressed: “Chief, we will live well from now on.”
The chief’s words made them sound like irresponsible children.
Xue Ning smiled at the chief: “I will take good care of them.”
“Village Chief, our house was burned down, so I plan to rebuild. I’ll have to trouble you with that.”
The chief nodded with a smile: “That’s exactly why I’m here.”
“Our Xue Family Village is right next to such a large mountain range; most of the materials for building a house can be taken from the mountains.”
“As for labor, we can ask the villagers to help when the time comes. Once it’s built, just treat them to a meal and give them some small gifts.”
“It’s currently the agricultural off-season, so everyone is free. Are you planning to build on the original foundation or find another spot?”
Xue Dashan and Ning-niang instinctively looked at Xue Ning.
Following their gaze, the village chief looked at Xue Ning:
“Are you planning to let Ning’er make the decision?”
Xue Dashan nodded, and Ning-niang agreed.
They had always been open-minded in this regard and wouldn’t feel that their children had no right to participate just because they were young.
Moreover, Xue Ning seemed to be a person with ideas of her own.
The village chief already knew their temperament, so he turned to consult Xue Ning for her opinion.
Xue Ning was somewhat surprised that her biological parents were so progressive.
Hearing the chief’s question, Xue Ning said she wanted to see the original foundation first before making a decision.
Before the sun set, Xue Ning went with the village chief to inspect the original site.
Along the way, when they met villagers, the chief would take the initiative to introduce them to Xue Ning.
Before long, the news of Xue Ning’s return to Xue Family Village spread through the entire village and even reached the Marquis’s farmstead.
Regardless of how the people at the Marquis’s farmstead reacted, Xue Ning was not very satisfied after seeing the family’s original foundation. She followed the village chief for another walk around the village.
In the end, Xue Ning chose a vacant lot next to a bamboo forest, not far from the foot of the back mountain.