The Whole Village Thrives After Adopting a Lucky Girl - Chapter 252:
Chapter 252: Chapter 248: Boat Ride_1
Translator: 549690339
Spring tried to lift the suitcase; it was quite heavy but still manageable.
She wanted to open it and see how her daughter managed to fit so many things inside, but the suitcase was already locked.
Ah, it didn’t matter whether she saw it or not, as long as everything was packed properly.
Yingbao was also grooming, and when she returned, she saw Chen Zhao was already snoring on the bed.
“Mother, is Chen Zhao going to go back with us?” Yingbao asked.
“Yes, she is also a poor child. Her mother just passed away, and she was brought here while still in mourning. Ah, she told me she didn’t want to stay here, and pleaded with me to take her with us when we leave.” Spring sighed.
Yingbao remained silent.
Chen Zhao had indeed changed a lot recently, possibly due to the shock of losing her mother.
Or perhaps it was because she had been spending a lot of time with Spring lately, and was influenced by her.
In any case, Chen Zhao had become less annoying and no longer tried to confront her.
This was a good thing, and she hoped that she could keep it up.
In her previous life, Chen Zhao had set many traps for her, but she had always fought back immediately.
Now in this life, the Han family had died early, and Chen Zhao was only ten years old at this moment.
A ten-year-old girl could perhaps live a different life if she had someone to guide her properly.
That night, Xiao Chengjun suddenly returned to the Duke Residence.
The old lady was quite surprised to see her grandson come to the pavilion, and asked: “Chengjun, why are you back at this hour? How is the Prince?”
“The Prince has fully recovered and is recuperating,” Chengjun said. “I have been ordered by His Majesty to accompany my elder brother to Luzhou for a two-year assignment.”
The old lady was delighted: “Oh, good for you, Chengjun. Work hard, and when you come back in two years, I will help you find a good family to marry into.”
By the time he completes the two-year assignment and comes back, Chengjun’s relationship with the Prince would definitely earn him the Emperor’s favor.
Maybe Chengjun could be promoted to fifth or sixth-grade official by then, and it would be acceptable for a family of their status to marry one of the imperial princesses.
It’s a pity that the Emperor doesn’t have a daughter of suitable age, otherwise, Chengjun would surely have been able to marry a princess.
Xiao Chengjun smiled: “You’re worrying too much, Grandmother.”
The old lady patted him on the arm. “If I don’t worry, who will? Are you relying on your stepmother? Humph! Your brother Mo followed your father to Luzhou for so many years, but he still hasn’t married yet.”
The old lady’s second son, Xiao Weizhong, has been away in Luzhou for several years since he was separated from the Duke Residence.
Not only did he take his stepwife, Wang, with him, but he also took Xiao Mo, who was thirteen at the time, and put him into the garrison for experience.
Fortunately, Xiao Mo had some talent, and after several years of hard knuckle training, he was promoted to a fifth grade general at nineteen.
Now Brother Mo was twenty years old and should be getting married, but the Wang family had yet to arrange anything, to the old lady’s annoyance.
The old lady originally intended to arrange a marriage for her grandson in Beijing, but suitable matches weren’t just around the corner.
For those pure-blooded girls of equal social status, they wouldn’t consider a martial artist who lived thousands of miles away.
As for a consort daughter, that was out of the question.
It would be ridiculous for the legitimate grandson of the Duke Residence to take a consort daughter as his main wife.
But if they were looking at families of lower status, the old lady was not willing to settle for that either.
Xiao Chengjun saw his grandmother start to complain about his stepmother and decided not to say anything, only taking a sip from the cup of tea that the maid had brought.
“Where’s your brother? Why isn’t he back?” the old lady asked.
Xiao Chengjun said, “My elder brother is on an errand; I am going to send the Jiang mother and daughter home tomorrow morning.”
“Won’t this delay your journey?”
“Not at all, this route is exactly on the way. The Prince instructed me personally to do so.” Xiao Chengjun said, placing down the tea cup and bidding his grandmother goodbye: “The hour is late, Grandmother. I ask for your leave.”
The old lady sighed: “Ah, no sooner have you come back than you’re leaving again. I don’t know when your brother will return. You should go rest; we have an early start tomorrow.”
After a thought, she added: “I had previously asked my daughter-in-law to find an escort to send the Jiang mother and daughter home. This saves us the trouble.”
“It’s good to have you guarding, those escorts outside are not as reliable as the guards after all.”
Xiao Chengjun laughed and after bidding farewell to his grandmother, he went to his grandfather, the Imperial Teacher’s courtyard, and they chatted until late in the night.
When he left his grandfather’s courtyard, the moon was already low in the sky.
The next day.
Yingbao and Chunniang got up early to pack their things.
After washing up, they were led by Xiaoqing to bid farewell to the old lady and the wife of the Duke, only then did they instruct people to carry the four wooden boxes outside.
What Yingbao did not expect was that the person to escort them home was Xiao Chengjun.
She frowned and suspiciously eyed him a few times.
Isn’t he studying in the Imperial Palace? Why is he returning to Qinchuan County with them?
With all her doubts, she did not want to ask naively.
Chen Zhao, not seeing Chen Tiantian, curiously asked Yingbao, “Why isn’t our cousin leaving with us?”
“I’m not sure.” Yingbao shook her head and boarded a carriage with her mother.
Chen Zhao also wanted to squeeze onto the carriage, but the carriage couldn’t fit three people.
Reluctantly, she had to board another carriage.
This carriage was tied with three large boxes, all with Yingbao’s items.
Soon after, the caravan set off.
Yingbao quietly looked at the caravan and found that they had four carriages and more than twenty horse-riding escorts.
Xiao Chengjun was also riding a horse and was in the middle of the convoy.
Seeing her daughter continuously staring outside, Chunniang hugged her and whispered, “Baobao, if you’re tired, sleep for a while, mother is here.”
The mother and daughter talked for a while last night, only to fall asleep drowsily, and when she opened her eyes, it was already daytime.
Chunniang was still sleepy after waking up and the rocking of the carriage made it hard for her to keep her eyes open.
Like her mother, Yingbao nestled in her mother’s arms and soon fell asleep.
Suddenly, she was awakened by a burst of noise, and when she looked out, the caravan had reached the bank of a river.
“Everyone off the carriages! We’ll take the boat and go by water!”
Somebody shouted loudly, “Hurry up! Leave the carriages and lead the horses onto the boat!”
So, Yingbao and her mother got off the carriage and watched as the guards carried their boxes and other items onto a large boat.
Chunniang muttered, “Why are we going by water?”
“It’s faster by water.” Yingbao answered.
“Is it really?” Chunniang, who was on such a large boat for the first time, couldn’t help but curiously look around.
After boarding the boat, Yingbao leaned inside the cramped cabin and continued to doze off until she wasn’t even aware of when the boat had set sail.
When she woke up, she saw her mother and Chen Zhao lying next to her, already asleep.
Yingbao sat up, got up and out of the cabin to see Xiao Chengjun sitting on the deck.
In front of the fourteen-year-old boy was a small table, on which was placed wine and a small dish.
He threw back his neck and drained the wine in his hand, then turned his head and coldly looked at Yingbao.
That look was as creepy as a venomous snake.
With an indifferent stare, Yingbao asked, “Where is Xiao Mo? Why didn’t he come?”
Xiao Chengjun averted his eyes, poured himself a glass of wine and said, “My elder brother took the land route, not with us.”
“But he clearly promised to escort us home.” Yingbao stared at Xiao Chengjun, “Why did he leave us without telling us?”
Suddenly, Xiao Chen raised a hand, smashed the wine glass on the deck, and the glass shattered immediately.
