NCCnovel Chapter 244 Old-time Homes
Chapter 244 Old-time Homes
He Xiuzhang never expected to see Xue Tong again.
Her eyesight has deteriorated in the past two years. Her eyes become dry after embroidering for a long time, so she gradually stopped taking on intricate embroidery designs and only taught the new girls at Qianxiu Workshop.
Yu Niang is now the youngest head embroiderer in Qianxiu Workshop. Her skill with needle and thread surpasses even her former elegance. Two years ago, she even received a reward from His Majesty.
It was a pair of gleaming gold scissors, inlaid with a red gemstone, with a jade tassel pendant hanging from the handle, exquisitely crafted.
The golden scissors were placed in front of He Xiuzhang by Yu Niang, their brilliance dazzling He Xiuzhang's eyes.
That's when she decided to take a break.
In any job, the new generation always surpasses the old. Now that her daughter has completed her studies, it's time for her to rest.
After she stopped working as the head embroiderer at Qianxiu Workshop, her life slowed down considerably.
When people have nothing to do, they start to reminisce and miss things.
He remembered the two children who had stayed at his house for a period of time many years ago.
She hadn't consciously thought of Xue Lan and the others before, but when she suddenly recalled them, she realized she couldn't even remember the faces of those two children.
After thinking it over, all I can remember is that the smaller one was more playful, and the larger one was very good at needlework.
She asked Yu Niang to bring out her wedding dress and carefully felt the stitches on the hem.
She spent half her life as an embroiderer, serving royalty and nobility most of the time. Her hands touched silk and held silver needles, and the fine, even stitches under her hands were incredibly clear to the touch.
The familiar feeling was like a torrent, a bond that had been imprinted in my heart during our time living together.
Even so, she still couldn't remember what the two children looked like.
Their faces were shrouded in a gray mist, making them difficult to see.
It was as if the wear and tear of memories had, without her noticing, stolen away her memories of those two children.
Even so, when he unknowingly walked up to the Silent Abode and saw that completely unfamiliar figure from behind...
She still managed to utter those two words.
The girl turned her head, and the blurry face in her memory suddenly became clear, as if it had been embroidered back on stitch by stitch.
Her features have matured, but in her expression and movements, one can still vaguely see the shadow of that pretty and lively little girl from back then.
He Xiu held the white wolf-patterned purse in her hand and gently beckoned to the girl:
"Going home with my aunt."
His voice was gentle, just like when he first met the young girl at Qianxiu Workshop.
After Yu Niang got married, she originally lived with Xu Shi elsewhere, but she was, after all, one of the embroiderers of Qianxiu Workshop. Xu Shi did not intend for her to put down her embroidery needle after marriage and let her skills gather dust.
So, in the third year of their marriage, he bought a courtyard house in an alley below Yu Niang's house, so that his wife could focus on embroidery at Qianxiufang.
When Xue Tong followed He Xiuzhang to the courtyard gate, they bumped into Yu Niang, who had come out looking for someone.
The woman was dressed in an indigo blue dress, her hair neatly styled in a bun adorned with two swallow-shaped hairpins. As she left, she pulled down her sleeves, which she had originally rolled up.
Under the grey-blue sky, the man beside her held a lantern for her.
"Zheng'er, Jin'er, your mother and father are going to find your grandmother. You two..."
"mother?"
Before Yu Niang could finish her sentence, she saw He Xiuzhang and the girl behind her at the door.
Xue Tong saw Yu Niang and was about to speak when he heard Yu Niang's trembling voice:
"Tongtong?"
The woman grabbed her husband's sleeve, pulled his hand holding the lantern, and snatched the lantern from his hand. The warm yellow light illuminated a small area in front of them.
She finally saw Xue Tong's face clearly, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
The woman's voice was firm yet tinged with a gentle smile: "Tongtong, you're back."
Xue Tong nodded.
That evening, Xue Tong ate in the courtyard.
Two young women, along with Xu Shi's two children, leaned over the table, watching their usually gentle yet stern mother with smiles in their eyes. They piled all the delicious food into the pretty older sister's bowl.
Xue Tong looked at the mountain of food piled up in front of her and knew that if she didn't stop it, disaster would follow. So the girl raised her hand to block Yu Niang:
"Sister Yu Niang, I can't eat anymore."
Yu Niang paused in her chopsticks, then put them down and pinched Xue Tong's cheek: "I remember it was your sister who didn't like to eat back then. Didn't you always eat two bowls?"
Xue Tong's smile froze instantly, as if she had been frozen in place.
Holding her bowl, she looked at the two children whose eyes shone with admiration and felt she should squat in the corner.
Although she is a system that has lived for many years, she still cares about her reputation.
Seeing the girl opposite her suddenly stop laughing, Yu Niang covered her mouth. Smiling in front of everyone, she said, "Oh dear, I misremembered. It was your older sister who ate two bowls."
The change of address was really awkward, but the two children were too young, so this flawed change of address was enough.
After everyone finished eating, Xue Tong wanted to help clear the dishes, but Yu Niang stopped her.
The little boy named Zheng'er stacked the bowls and chopsticks on the table and strode towards the kitchen with his short legs. He even stumbled a little along the way.
Xue Tong wanted to help him up, but the little boy refused, saying, "Sister, don't worry about me, Zheng'er can manage on his own!"
The little girl named Jin'er followed behind her brother, her voice sweet and soft: "Brother is so amazing, Jin'er likes brother the most."
The scene is warm and inviting, like a dream under the dim light.
Yu Niang withdrew her loving gaze from her two children, and then asked Xue Tong, "You said your older sister is learning from an elder, what is she learning?"
Xue Tong's expression froze for a moment, her brain racing.
What to study?
What is Xue Lan studying?
How can you survive for ten years in a cave with no food or water?
The Destiny Refiner: I'm Forging Unparalleled Weapons with My Hands?
The girl considered several options in her mind before finally giving what she thought was a plausible answer:
"My older sister is learning blacksmithing!"
A moment of silence fell over the crowd upon hearing this. Yu Niang asked incredulously, "Your sister, a silversmith, is now forging iron?"
She thought that with Xue Lan's skills, even if he wasn't a royal craftsman, he was at least a master craftsman in a famous shop.
But Xue Tong is now telling her that Xue Lan is forging iron.
Seeing the strange looks from those around her, Xue Tong sighed inwardly.
She didn't want to use such a bizarre excuse.
But she is now a Taoist practitioner, and Taoist practitioners are not allowed to lie.
Otherwise, you'll be struck by lightning.
That night, Xue Tong naturally stayed at Yu Niang's house. In the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep, the little short sword in her storage bag quietly ran out on its own and went to the roof to look at the moon.
When Xue Tong went up, she saw Yin Hun holding the little tiger doll that Xue Lan had given her before, looking rather listless.
The little girl spoke softly, "Sister, I miss the King."
Xue Tong patted her head: "It's okay, she'll come back."
In the mountains south of Dayong, moonlight poured down like a piece of soft silk, landing on a stone pier on the ground.
A golden light suddenly flowed across the three large characters "Wuwen Pavilion" on the stone pier, which had been silent for several years, shimmering like a babbling brook.
Then, a breeze suddenly arose at the foot of the cliff, and the blurry scenery under the moonlight began to disappear gradually, like a scroll being lit from the middle, revealing a dark cave entrance.
Suddenly, a silver-white figure flew out of the cave, a blue light flashing on the long sword in its hand, the sharp sword light carrying demonic energy slashing behind it.
"boom!"
A flower mixed with demonic energy, sword energy, and baleful energy exploded behind the inner demon. She touched the ground with her toes and slowly fell from mid-air.
The woman's eyes were filled with coldness. She raised her hand, twirled her sword, and slung it behind her back. Looking at the cave entrance still covered by thick dust, her tone was full of icy mockery:
"Is Lord Wolf King finally unable to resist the urge to kill me?"
As the woman finished speaking, a hand covered in black ash appeared from the thick dust and clung to the cave wall.
The gentle, smiling female voice was slightly hoarse, with a cough caused by the dust:
"Look at me, who looks more like someone who's about to die?"
A pale-faced woman emerged from the cave, her dark black robes making her appear like a ghost in the night.
Xue Lan's features have become much sharper than they were years ago; her once gentle and soft features have taken on more angularity, making her look less like the gentle and vulnerable girl she once was.
Fortunately, she also had a pair of well-shaped eyes with curved pupils, which softened her sharpness considerably.
As for his height, he hasn't grown an inch in nine years...
The woman clutched her chest, looked up at the deep blue sky, then at the long, black knife in her hand.
"This thing is too malevolent; it seems I have to swear a solemn oath to be struck by lightning."
The inner demon rolled its eyes at her: "See if He still pays attention to you."
Xue Lan naturally knew that Heaven did not want to see her, and the woman's voice was gentle:
"It's time to go see Xiaotong!"