Grandpa Lu looked at the two little guys, sighed silently, and put the two pheasants in his hand on the ground.
He looked into the house and asked, “Where is Aunt Li? Captain Song gave me two pheasants, saying that they were shot in the woods near the army. They’re fresh and tasty. Hurry up and ask your Aunt Li to come and deal with them. We will eat these two pheasants tonight.”
Lu Yang and Ruan Mian turned their heads at the same time, opened their eyes, stared at Grandpa Lu accusingly, and said in unison: “Reject wild game, start with me1this basically means that they want to set an example by not eating a “wild game” which are animals hunted for food!”
Grandpa Lu: “…”
Lu Yang glanced at the pheasants on the ground and said, dissatisfied: “Grandpa, watch what you say.”
Grandpa Lu touched his nose hesitantly and waved his hand, saying: “Okay, then I will let Aunt Li put the pheasants in the yard first, and have someone send them out to release them when there is time.”
Lu Yang smiled with satisfaction when he heard this, “Grandpa, this is right. When releasing them, remember to put them back in the forest, don’t destroy the ecological environment.”
Ruan Mian stood by, nodded vigorously, and shouted to the house with Lu Yang: “Aunt Li! Aunt Li!”
After a while, Aunt Li heard the sound and ran out of the bedroom upstairs. Her eyes were red, her face was flustered, and she walked in a panic.
Ruan Mian looked at his appearance, trembled subconsciously, and reached out to grab Lu Yang’s clothes. He didn’t even know why he was afraid.
Aunt Li saw Grandpa Lu and immediately rushed downstairs as if she saw a savior. She said anxiously: “Old Master, you are finally back, it’s not good! The general, the general is in trouble!”
The general of the empire is, naturally, Lu Yang’s father, Lu Zhengwei. When the three heard her words, their faces changed at the same time.
Grandpa Lu was still calm. He looked at Aunt Li and asked in a deep voice, “What happened? Where is Mixiang? Explain yourself clearly.”
Aunt Li took a deep breath and said quickly, “Just now, the military department sent a message saying that the major general was attacked in Ancheng and is now unconscious. After the madam learned the news, she rushed to Ancheng. I stayed to help her pack the things she needed and sent them to her after packing.”
Grandpa Lu staggered and almost fell down. Ruan Mian and Lu Yang’s eyes were red at the same time, and they quickly reached out to support him.
Ancheng is on the border of the empire. In recent years, it has been turbulent, and the enemy has repeatedly invaded. Lu Zhengwei was asked to go there a few years ago and has been guarding the border. He has rarely returned home in the past few years.
From Aunt Li’s words just now, it can be deduced that he was not only attacked by the enemy this time, but also unconscious. If the situation is not critical, the army will not let the news spread so quickly, and they will not alarm Grandpa Lu unless it is absolutely necessary.
Ruan Mian felt his heartbeat was very fast. He looked at Lu Yang and Grandpa Lu and could only try to hold on.
The events that followed seemed to happen in a rush, and in his memory, they were only a fleeting blur.
He and Lu Yang barely had time to feel grief or anger before they had to hurriedly take care of Grandpa Lu and then rush to Ancheng. By the time he came to his senses, he was already standing in the corridor of Ancheng Hospital, with the sound of Ning Mixiang’s gradually breaking cries in his ears, and before him were Lu Yang’s red eyes and pale complexion.
Ruan Mian seemed to have returned to the day when his parents passed away. People were coming and going around him, stumbling, and he stayed in a corner alone. No one paid attention to his helplessness and confusion.
The only thing to be grateful for now is that he can still be with Lu Yang at this moment when he is helpless.
For a long time after his parents passed away, he didn’t like to go to the hospital. He was extremely disgusted with the smell of disinfectant here, and even just approaching the hospital made him feel suffocated.
But at this moment, he suddenly realized that the hospital was not a place to die but a place to save. He prayed with all his heart that the hospital could save Uncle Lu.
He held Lu Yang’s hand with all his strength, wanting to give him all the warmth in his palm. He used his thin body to support Lu Yang as much as possible. Now was not the time to be weak. None of them could fall down.
In front of the operating room door, it later became very quiet. No one spoke; everyone simply waited attentively and anxiously.
After a day and night of emergency treatment, Lu Zhengwei’s life was finally saved. When the doctor came out, everyone instinctively let out a sigh of relief.
But the crisis was not over yet. The doctor said that no one knew when Lu Zhengwei would wake up, and even he didn’t know whether Lu Zhengwei could make it in this life.
The only thing they could be sure of now was that even if Lu Zhengwei woke up by luck, he would not be able to go to the battlefield again, and he would have no chance to have an opportunity to serve this way again.
Ning Mixiang couldn’t stand the shock the moment she heard the news and fainted. She usually looked cold and only knew how to shop, but in fact, she had always been very strong. Even if her husband couldn’t go home for a long time, she could still entertain herself. But at this moment, she finally reached her limit and couldn’t hold on any longer.
The Lu family was in chaos. All kinds of relatives were arguing constantly, making all kinds of useless suggestions and requests, clamoring, and making noises, which were of no use at all.
After Grandpa Lu learned that Lu Zhengwei had been rescued, he had no time to take a breath. Suddenly, the Ancheng military sent a message that the pirates took the opportunity to make trouble and besieged Ancheng after learning that Lu Zhengwei was unconscious.
Grandpa Lu didn’t rest for a moment, and he dragged his weak body to the military district to command the battle.
The relatives finally quieted down and went to help deal with the hospitalization.
Lu Yang and Ruan Mian stood there, watching everyone busying around, not knowing where to go.
In the ward was Lu Zhengwei struggling on the edge of life and death, in the emergency room was Ning Mixiang unconscious, and on the battlefield was the elderly Grandpa Lu.
For the first time, Lu Yang and Ruan Mian realized how weak they were.
Before they had time to grow up, their elders had already fallen.
The bad news didn’t end there. When Lu Zhengwei was injured, he was accompanied by an imperial traitor who was seriously wounded as well. This traitor could not be saved and has passed away. This incident has aroused suspicion from the imperial prosecution department, which now suspects that Lu Zhengwei might have also betrayed the empire and had some illegal dealings with the traitor, such as selling out the empire.
Because one of them is now dead and the other is unconscious, the supervisory department cannot judge their relationship now. If Lu Zhengwei is found guilty of treason, it will be a serious crime, and the entire Lu family will be implicated.
The supervisory department set up a special investigation team for this purpose. Lu Zhengwei has not woken up yet, but he has become the object of suspicion and investigation, and the entire Lu family is in danger.
Lu Yang and Ruan Mian were furious. They knew clearly that Lu Zhengwei would never betray the empire, but they had no evidence and could only wait helplessly for the results of the investigation.
Although the Lu family was a member of the royal family and the royal family believed that Lu Zhengwei was innocent, the supervisory department was not subject to any control and was a lone department in the empire. Even the royal family could not interfere with their investigation unless they had evidence to prove that Lu Zhengwei was innocent. Otherwise, they could only wait for the supervisory department to investigate clearly.
When the wall falls, everyone pushes it. Although the Lu family did not fall, no one knew what the Lu family would become next. There were always many people who flattered the powerful and trampled on the weak. At this time, no one dared to have close contact with the Lu family. Fewer and fewer people came to visit Lu Zhengwei. Except for his loyal subordinates and relatives of the Lu family, no one dared to visit him easily.
Lu Yang and Ruan Mian, exhausted from dealing with everything, were content to have some peace and quiet. They had no time to think about what others were thinking. With all the other matters keeping them occupied, they were already stretched thin. After Ning Mixiang woke up, she cared about nothing else and devoted herself entirely to watching over Lu Zhengwei. However, Lu Zhengwei’s injuries were severe, and there were no signs of him waking up; he remained in a deep sleep, unaware of everything that had happened.
The supervisory department has never stopped investigating, but the progress is very slow. There is no evidence. They can only investigate as much as possible. No one knows when there will be results from the investigation, let alone when they will come to a conclusion to prove that Lu Zhengwei is innocent.
Grandpa Lu led his troops to repel the pirates, but he was also injured. He had to stop working and go home to recuperate.
Grandpa Lu was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and seemed to have aged a lot. They brought Lu Zhengwei to a hospital in the capital, where the medical technology was more advanced. Although Lu Zhengwei remained unconscious and the medical facilities offered little immediate hope for his recovery, being closer to home was at least a small comfort.
After visiting Lu Zhengwei at the hospital, Lu Yang returned home to find Grandpa Lu sitting on the sofa, watching the sunset outside. The warm glow of the setting sun cast a dim light into the room, bathing Grandpa Lu in its gentle hues. His dim eyes gazed at the falling sun, lost in thought.
The house was unusually quiet, unlike its usual lively atmosphere. Aunt Li was in the kitchen, busy with tasks and shedding tears in secret. Ning Mixiang remained at the hospital with Lu Zhengwei, unwilling to leave his side for a moment.
Lu Yang stood still, looking at Grandpa Lu’s old back for a long time without moving. For the first time, he realized that his grandfather was really old.
In his heart, Grandpa has always been like a mountain, tall and mighty, unwavering. If Grandpa is a mountain, then Dad is a tree, pine and cypress, blocking the wind and rain.
If the mountain and the tree fall, what can the Lu family rely on? Is it his grandson who only knows how to enjoy?
Lu Yang lowered his eyes and walked out of the house. When he turned the corner, he looked up and met Ruan Mian’s eyes.
Ruan Mian stood on the steps in front of him, looking at him with tears in his eyes. He seemed to have a premonition of something and suddenly burst into tears.
Lu Yang walked over with heavy steps, stretched out his hands, and hugged him in his arms. Too many things have happened recently. After they came back, they didn’t even have time to talk properly.
Ruan Mian wiped his tears, lay on Lu Yang’s shoulder, and hiccuped a little. After a while, he asked in a low voice: “Baby Lu, are you leaving?”
Lu Yang felt a pain in his heart and hugged him tightly. His throat seemed to be choked, and he suddenly couldn’t speak.
Lu Yang didn’t say anything. Ruan Mian couldn’t help but shed tears again. He tried to hold back his tears and asked with a choked voice: “Baby Lu, am I not able to stay by your side all the time anymore?”
Lu Yang closed his eyes, hugged Ruan Mian with all his strength, buried his head in Ruan Mian’s neck, and fell into silent silence, because he didn’t know the answer.
Ruan Mian didn’t ask again, but just held his clothes tightly.
The setting sun shone dimly on them, stretching their shadows. They hugged each other tightly; no one spoke, the air was very quiet, only the windchimes hanging on the corridor rang crisply.
T/N: Hi ^^ Like my previous statement last time, this will be the last chapter uploaded for now, I’ll be back on Christmas break so please wait till then. Thanks for reading!