CHAPTER 225: CHAPTER 122: CLOSE

Chen Zigeng called "Brother" naturally, even the smile on Song Xian’s face was more harmonious.

Song Xian said to Xie Liangchen, "It’s cold outside, Zigeng isn’t wearing much, let’s talk in the house!"

Xie Liangchen was momentarily dazed, as if she suddenly became an outsider.

Song Xian stepped into the house, deliberately making his movement bigger, which made Chen Zigeng laugh.

Song Xian carried Chen Zigeng onto the kang, while Chen Zigeng rushed to the end to get his coat to wear.

Song Xian sat on the kang without moving, slightly raised the corner of his mouth and looked at Xie Liangchen: "We got drunk last night, did we cause you trouble?"

The words were spoken so naturally, as if the younger brother was his biological brother.

Xie Liangchen put down the medicine bowl decisively: "No, General brought Zigeng to the house, and you both went to sleep together."

Chen Zigeng said, "I remember it was Brother who carried me into the house last night." Later, after he lay down, he fell asleep until near dawn when he dreamed of a stomachache, barely making it into the woods, just about to untie his pants when he was awakened.

Chen Zigeng thought his grandmother called him to the restroom, but when he saw General Brother sleeping next to him, he was truly startled. He followed General Song to the restroom, and only when he returned did he realize it wasn’t a dream, the General slept with him.

Song Xian looked at Xie Liangchen: "I vaguely remember you took me to see the spinning wheel."

Indeed, they went to see it, but it wasn’t her leading. Song Xian insisted on eating red bean soup. Xie Liangchen said, "Sir remembered wrongly."

Song Xian said: "Miss Xie even asked me to spin the wheel."

Xie Liangchen looked up at Song Xian again. If she had known he would remember so much, she wouldn’t have spoken like that first.

Words, once spoken, can’t be taken back; reversing them would look deceitful, wouldn’t it?

Xie Liangchen said: "No." No branches, no spinning wheel, no sister.

Xie Liangchen’s emotionless expression appeared slightly serious. Song Xian watched her for a long time. He wasn’t entirely without memory of the things that happened after getting drunk. He remembered the spinning wheel, and Miss Xie taking him to the house.

She seemed to have returned...

Unfortunately, after a nap, the details couldn’t be recalled.

Why was Miss Xie so adamant that these things didn’t happen? It was his reputation lost due to drunk behavior, yet she avoided it even more, could she be helping him hide it?

Xie Liangchen saw the smile in Song Xian’s eyes deepened; she looked away and said, "Sir, drink your medicine while it’s hot!"

Chen Zigeng concernedly asked: "Brother, what’s wrong? Are you sick?"

Song Xian didn’t answer Chen Zigeng upon hearing this but instead shifted his gaze to Xie Liangchen, looking confused and perplexed.

Xie Liangchen wished she could grab her younger brother and scold him. She kept her face unchanged: "General said he has a headache; it seems to be a cold. He had me make a prescription, but it was too late to grab medicine last night, so I had Chu Er take the medicine this morning."

Song Xian responded: "Sorry, I drank too much red bean soup and got a little drunk. I can’t remember those words. I troubled Miss Xie to busy herself." A bowl of medicine only, yet she explained so thoroughly, as if afraid of misunderstandings.

Xie Liangchen said: "The General is too polite; it’s nothing much really."

Song Xian drank the medicine down, and Chen Zigeng worriedly asked: "Brother, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Song Xian put down the bowl: "Miss Xie, as you said, I feel a bit of a headache."

Xie Liangchen remembered bumping into Song Xian’s weakness yesterday and naturally asked: "Besides the headache, are there any other symptoms?"

Song Xian’s clear eyes looked at Xie Liangchen and shook his head: "No."

It’s good that there’s nothing. Xie Liangchen remained calm: "Then it’s no big deal. I’ll give the prescription to Chang An later to brew two more doses, and you’ll be cured."

While they spoke, Chen Zigeng finished dressing, and all three walked out of the house.

Mrs. Gao also came looking: "The food is ready, it was hard for the General last night."

As she spoke, Mrs. Gao scolded Chen Zigeng: "Next time don’t do that, General Song is busy with official duties and still has to look after you."

Chen Zigeng said to Song Xian: "Thank you, Brother."

Brother? Mrs. Gao’s expression paused, how could Zigeng address General Song like this? Seeing General Song not angry, and even patting Chen Zigeng’s shoulder.

"Take care," Mrs. Gao said to Chen Zigeng, "Don’t cause trouble for the General and your Sister."

After finishing, Mrs. Gao said to Xie Liangchen: "I looked at the spinning wheel, the ingot is wrapped with so many threads; how long did you spin last night?"

Exposed so quickly.

The one who spun the wheel wasn’t her but Song Xian; all those threads were spun by Song Xian.

"Not long," Xie Liangchen didn’t look at Song Xian, directly responding to Mrs. Gao, "The wool wasn’t much to begin with."

Mrs. Gao wanted to speak but was pulled away by Xie Liangchen. Having just lied, she must find ways to support it; otherwise, Song Xian would inevitably become suspicious.

Xie Liangchen thought for a moment and glanced at Song Xian. Not sure if it was a coincidence, Song Xian was slowly stretching his right arm.

Xie Liangchen quickly diverted her gaze.

Song Xian, having practiced martial arts for years, naturally didn’t feel anything wrong after spinning the wheel for a moment. He just felt Xie Liangchen’s stammering demeanor was odd; sure enough, upon slightly moving his arm, her gaze immediately shifted away.

So the vague memories were true.

"Sister, don’t be angry, I won’t make red bean soup again in the future."

Song Xian heard Chen Zigeng’s voice.

Sister.

The address sounded different from before now.

Song Xian carefully recalled, a voice belonging to him rang in his mind.

"Sister, why aren’t you sleeping?"

It seemed he called her "Sister."

Song Xian looked at Xie Liangchen, was this why she pretended nothing happened?

Chen Yongyi didn’t expect to entertain General Song for breakfast early in the morning. Breakfast somehow felt more intimate than dinner; he saw General Song with a smile, even exchanging side dishes with Zigeng.

After breakfast, Xie Liangchen said: "The spinning wheel is made; we should return to Chen Family Village. I suppose Zhenzhou has gathered the wool."

Song Xian nodded: "Be careful on the road. I’ll have the Ministry of Construction make a few more spinning wheels and send them to Zhenzhou."

Xie Liangchen responded.

Half a day without going to the government office, Song Xian had to return to deal with affairs. The long-missing Chang An, holding the horse, waited at the door.

Before leaving, Song Xian looked at Xie Liangchen and her brother: "There’s still something in Zhaozhou. I won’t go back with you now, but it won’t delay for long; I’ll be in Zhenzhou in at most three to five days."

Xie Liangchen said nothing; beside her, Chen Zigeng responded: "Brother, remember to take your medicine, we’ll wait for you in the village."

The two conversed back and forth, making no one feel anything amiss.

After speaking, Chen Zigeng smiled at his Sister beside him. He knew Brother’s words weren’t for him but for Sister to hear.

No worries, he will help pass them forward.

"Let’s go," Xie Liangchen reached out to pat her younger brother’s shoulder, "Pack up, let’s return to the village."

Returning to the village, there’s still much to do; whether things succeed depends on this endeavor.