The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 154: Chapter 154: Seeing Zhen Jili Again

"You’re saving some for him, but not for me?"

Lu Yu’s large head poked over again.

But he was immediately shoved aside by a merciless Song Jing.

Lu Yu ground his teeth. "Even if we saved you some, you wouldn’t get to eat it! The tutor is giving you extra lessons tomorrow."

That reminded Ji Huan of the academy exams, so she asked Song Jing, "What month are your tests?"

"They were pushed back a bit this year. August."

"More time to prepare is a good thing."

Wu Rongying, who had been glancing outside repeatedly, couldn’t help but frown and pipe up. "We should be getting back."

Although the exams were still a few months away, every moment before them was precious to him. He felt they had already wasted too much time today.

Lu Yu scoffed and slung an arm around Li Guanchun.

"The bookworm himself hasn’t said a word, so what’s your hurry? You study so much you’re about to turn into an idiot. What’s wrong with coming out to relax a little? Right, bookworm?"

Li Guanchun glanced at him, then at Ji Huan, but said nothing.

’Lu Yu had a point, but it wasn’t right to keep people waiting.’

So Ji Huan hurried Song Jing along.

Song Jing nodded, said his goodbyes to Widow Xie and Hu Liang, and the group hurried back to the academy.

Widow Xie sighed as she watched their retreating figures, shaking her head. "It’s really not easy for these scholars..."

Ji Huan helped her collect the stools. "Come on, Aunt Xie. It’s not like our lives are any easier than theirs."

Hu Liang chimed in, "Yeah, Ma. We work from dawn till dusk every day. If you have time to feel sorry for others, you might as well pity your own son."

Widow Xie threw a rag at him. "If you could pass the exam and become a Scholar for me, I’d dote on you so much you wouldn’t know which way was up!"

Hu Liang quickly waved his hands. "On second thought, never mind. I think I’m getting more than enough attention as it is."

"You’re hopeless!" Despite her exasperation, Widow Xie couldn’t help but laugh.

Ji Huan laughed along with them.

On the way back, Hu Liang pulled their cart and chatted with Ji Huan.

"Wan, you were so angry earlier. Was it because of the military Lord who helped us make our connection?"

Ji Huan shook her head. "Not entirely."

"I just feel that we can’t worship someone like a god when we need them, only to turn around and curse them the moment we don’t. How is that any different from biting the hand that feeds you? It doesn’t matter who made the final call on the peace treaty, or what people elsewhere are saying about it. At the very least, we people of the Northern Pass shouldn’t forget how we got the peace we have today. We can’t let our heroes be disheartened, even if this peace turns out to be temporary. The situation could have been much worse, couldn’t it?"

’A wicked person who has committed countless evils can achieve salvation the moment they lay down their sword, earning praise for the smallest act of kindness.’

’But a good person who has spent decades building bridges, repairing roads, giving out medicine, and feeding the poor without fail can fall from grace with a single misstep. Their entire reputation will be destroyed in an instant.’

’That was the situation Kou Changqing was in now.’

Hu Liang looked ashamed. "You’re right. And what you said when you yelled at those people was spot on, too. Actually, I deserved a scolding myself. Just yesterday, I was..."

Hu Dacheng sidled up, raising his hand. "Me too! I said I didn’t like General Kou anymore... But I don’t actually hate him. It’s just... I admired him so much, so when I heard he’d lost the battle and everyone was cursing him, I..."

"If you change your attitude just because others are insulting and cursing him, that only proves your admiration for him was superficial. But you can’t be blamed for that. After all, you have no way of knowing the true character of the person you idolize. None of us really know him, but there is a principle you must understand."

"What principle?" Hu Dacheng and Hu Liang asked in unison.

"Never mock the teacher who educates, never mock the doctor who saves, and never mock the soldier who protects the nation."

Ji Huan spoke these words slowly and clearly.

After she explained her meaning, Hu Liang gritted his teeth and cursed himself, "I’m a real piece of shit!"

Ji Huan smiled.

"It’s understandable for ordinary people to be angry about the peace treaty. Complaining, feeling disappointed, having negative emotions—that’s all normal. But you two are different from those others. You didn’t spew vicious, filthy words to insult and attack him. That in itself is very good."

Hu Liang and Hu Dacheng didn’t feel any better. Their hearts were still heavy.

Seeing this, Ji Huan could only try to console them. "Well, you can always make up for it in other ways in the future."

"How can we make up for it?"

"It’s difficult to truly be empathetic, but at the very least, we must learn to be respectful and understanding. In the future, whenever something comes up, remember to understand the situation first and only make a judgment after thinking it through. Discerning right from wrong—that’s the best way to make amends."

The two of them nodded in unison.

Hu Dacheng even clenched his not-so-sturdy fists. "If I ever hear anyone dare say a bad word about my idol again, I’ll beat them up!"

He had learned the word "idol" from Ji Huan and was already putting it to good use.

Unexpectedly, Widow Xie grabbed him by the ear. "And who do you think you’re going to beat up?"

"Ow! Ma, Ma, go easy on me!" Hu Dacheng yelped, grimacing as he flailed about.

He finally wriggled free, clutching his bright red ear. "I’ll reason with them first, and *then* I’ll fight," he said plaintively. "That’s fine, isn’t it?"

"You, reason with them? Your sister Wan is great at reasoning, and even she almost got beaten up today..."

Ji Huan was enjoying the spectacle when she unexpectedly took an arrow to the knee. It was beyond awkward.

Back in the village, Ji Huan went to the Hu family’s home first to pick up Dabao.

"Dabao was especially good today," Ximei said. "He just stayed there practicing his writing and didn’t go anywhere."

’He did keep peeking out the window, but as long as he wasn’t running wild or biting anyone, that was a minor detail.’

Ji Huan praised Ximei for being so attentive, then turned to find Dabao looking up at her, blinking.

Ji Huan stifled a laugh and pinched his cheek. "Our Dabao is the best boy. But your big sister did pretty well today, too, didn’t I? I said I’d be back early, and here I am. Right?"

Dabao furrowed his brow in thought, then gave a very reluctant nod. "Good."

Ji Huan: "..."

"PFFT HAHAHA! Sister Wan, Dabao said you were good!"

Hu Dacheng collapsed onto the kang, roaring with laughter. Hu Ximei, Xiao’an, and Hua also burst into a fit of giggles.

Ji Huan pointed at Hu Dacheng. "Aunt Xie should have tanned your hide just now!"

Then she glared at Dabao. "You little brat. No respect for your elders."

After having lunch at the Hu family’s home, Ji Huan played with the children for a while before taking Dabao home.

Just as they turned down the path to her house, she saw a person and a horse standing by the front door.

They were too far away for Ji Huan to make out who it was.

As she drew closer and got a better look, her jaw dropped in astonishment.

"Zhen Jili? What happened to you!"

While Zhen Jili had never been one for propriety and wasn’t particular about his clothes or appearance, he had at least always kept himself reasonably clean.

But the person standing before her now was filthy, with matted hair and a scruffy beard. At first glance, he looked like a beggar.

Moreover, he was noticeably thinner than when she had seen him before the New Year. The flesh had vanished from his cheeks, making his cheekbones seem excessively prominent.

Zhen Jili had a blade of grass dangling from his mouth. He chewed on it for a moment, and then, as if by habit, swallowed it.

When he spoke, his tone was the same as ever.

"Sis, your brother here went to war. Did you think it would be right for me to come back fat and content with a big potbelly?"

’Good,’ Ji Huan thought. ’He’s still in the mood to joke. It seems he doesn’t have post-war PTSD.’

Ji Huan opened the gate and invited Zhen Jili into the courtyard.

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