There was a charcoal fire in the room, ancl a small door was specially opened at the corner with a screen window to block the wind. The room smelled of chicken soup; both of them looked very leisurely. Then, there was a gentle knock on the door outside.
“Aunt, I've come to see Sister.”
Mother Fang quickly asked the girl to open the door, "Come in quickly, we were just talking about how you haven’t been home for so many days.”
Lin Shiheng entered the door with a smile, “I just got cold outside, and I was afraid of bringing it into the room. I held back for a while, and I didn’t come in until I warmed up.”
“Why so much trouble? We are burning coals in this room. You won’t give Sister Cheng a cold.”
Mother Fang herself welcomed him and carefully looked him up and down, “We heard what happened in front of the door from the little girl, did the rest of the Shen family leave safely? Did you have any conflicts with them?”
“Aunt, don’t worry. The Shen family’s head was so angry with that bastard, almost vomiting blood. When I saw it, I’m afraid the Shen family's head would be very sick when he got back home.”
He wasn’t a young man. After being blown by the cold wind for so long, he was hit hard by his most cherished son. When he left, Lin Shiheng saw that his body was shaking.
“He deserves it!”
Mother Fang had no sympathy for the opponent. After hearing that Father Shen didn’t seem well, her face immediately showed a look of relief.
“He should be given a good taste of what it’s like to be infuriated by his son!”
“Shen Yunqing made the Shen family lose face in public. There were so many people watching, and the Shen family was weakened this time. Their fame doesn't only rely on reputation, but also the stores supporting their expenses. I had someone carry the name of his family's store out to publicize what happened today properly. In acldition. his family also has enemies; they will definitely take advantage of this opportunity to strike.”
“We no longer need to worry about the Shen family."
Mother Fang listened excitedly, “I also thought about it before. Although a dead camel is bigger than a horse, when reputation is ruined, it makes no difference.”
(TNote: a dead camel is bigger than the horse = a ruined noble family still has more advantages than a poor family.)
“Youre right, Aunt."
Lin Shiheng smiled and respondecl. He suddenly looked at the little maids in the room and raised his voice, “You guys go out first."
Although he wasn’t a Fang family member strictly, he was also raised by Mother Fang as a young master. The little maids responded and went out in succession.
Instantly, there were only three people left in the room.
This scene seemed familiar. Mother Fang immediately recalled the last time Lin Shiheng dismissed people for telling her that he would marry Fang Licheng. Her heart tensed up, and she subconsciously looked back at her daughter in bed.
Since Fang Licheng was taken back, she was busy taking care of her daughter, and Lin Shiheng left early and came home late. She even forgot about this matter for a while. and now when she thought about it, her heart was a bit torn.
If Brother Heng brought up the past, she didn’t know if she should agree or not.
Sincerely speaking, she naturally felt that her daughter was very good, and Brother Heng was also a caring and responsible person. If they got together, the days would surely be smooth.
What made Mother Fang hesitant was that she was worried that Lin Shiheng was proposing to marry her daughter to repay the Fang family, and if so, wouldn’t that be condemning him?
Although she knew that he was good-natured and knew how to repay kindness, they were raised together. How could Mother Fang let the child she raised repay the kindness by sacrificing the rest of his life?
Because of the many thoughts in her mind, Mother Fang looked back at her daughter with a complicated look.
Fang Licheng was a little puzzled and tried to brace herself to sit up a little.
“Is Brother Heng going to say something?”
“Yes.”
Lin Shiheng knelt to Mother Fang with a thud, “Aunt, I want to join the army. Please allow me.”
Join the army?
This incident surprised Mother Fang even more than Lin Shiheng’s proposal to marry Fang Licheng.
“Where did this idea come from? No place is safe nowadays. If you join the army, you would have to go to war! Those bullets don’t have eyes. What if...”
At some point. Mother Fang's voice trembled, and she obviously couldn’t accept it.
“No! Our family is good. If you want to use your life, you will stay at home and always stay in Jin City."
She rarely orderecl things so firmly to this child she raised from childhood. After all. Lin Shiheng had always been clever, and he often knew what to do without her urging.
But now, the young man kneeling on the ground looked stubborn, his eyes were full of determination, and he refused to give.
“Nowadays, the country is in turmoil, and the aggressors are throwing their weight around in my country. Jin City seems prosperous and peaceful, but in fact. it’s just a mirage, cleceiving itself."
“You still can’t go to war!!!”
Mother Fang was so anxious she almost wanted to tie him up and secure him in the room, not allowing him to go anywhere.
“You re young and don’t know how dangerous the battlef ield is. Don’t you remember the cook who cooks in our yard? Her husband had a leg blown off and felt pain day and night. He couldn’t even cure the pain by taking medicine, so he took opium to stop the pain, and his whole body was wastecl. After spending all his money at home, he became addicted and went out in the middle of the night to freeze to death in the street!!"
“If he didn’t join the army at the beginning, how could he fall into this situation!"
“Aunt.”
Lin Shiheng knelt with his back straight, “I know you’re worried about me. But if everyone was afraid of death, and everyone refused to join the army, when the invaders come, who will protect our country?"
“Anyone can go, but not you!!"
As Mother Fang spoke, her tears fell again. She was just an ordinary woman who listened to her father and brother at home and listened to her husband after getting married. She might worry about the country’s affairs, but she never thought of letting her family participate.
“Brother Heng, listen to Aunt. You can’t go!!!”
She took out her handkerchief and wipecl her tears, trying to calm down. She urged softly, “I understand your feelings. How about this? We donate a batch of belongings, which is also considered as a contribution to the country.”
“And then what?”
For the first time, Lin Shiheng didn’t speak softly but looked serious and said, “Continue to live in Jin City, and only look at the outside world through newspapers. If we win, we would all be happy, but what if we lose?"
“How will those people treat us Chinese? Aunt, you lived at home for a long time. Maybe you don’t know. Once defeated, the invaders will occupy our land. They would kill the men, insult women, and take possession of the property. The most hateful thing is that some scums take pleasure in killing people, bury them alive, or burn them alive. Once defeated, what Fang family, what Shen family, everyone would be nothing but meat under the knife. Our life and death are up to them.”
Seeing Mother Fang’s pale face, Lin Shiheng didn’t stop but continued, “All our knowledge of the outside world is known from newspapers and people’s word of mouth. But newspapers can t write about past events, and they can’t write about how we will be treated if we lose.”
“Aunt, I’m a man. I want to serve the motherland. I also want to be able to protect our family if something happens. There are talented people in Jin City who are dedicated to the country. They have the country in their hearts, which is admirable. But there are also many people like Shen Yunqing, who keep saying that they are patriotic. Still. their energy is directed at women, saying that they want to abandon old customs, but they are just finding ways to legitimize the old customs. I don’t think I have the same great literary skills as the former, but I don’t want to be a disgusting person like the latter.”
When he finished, he lowered his head and heavily knocked his heacl on the floor.
“So please, Aunt. Grant me this!"
Mother Fang was speechless for a moment, but Fang Licheng, who was lying on the bed, looked at her ever-loving brother with more admiration in her eyes.
In any case, being able to say these words, Brother Heng was already much stronger.
“Mother, just agree to Brother Heng."
She opened her mouth to pleacl and looked at Lin Shiheng. who slowly straightened up and looked at herself, "Brother Heng, you could say these words, it must be because you have been thinking of joining the army for more than just a day. The reason you didn’t take action before must be because you were worried about the family, right?”
Lin Shiheng nodded and aclmittecl, “Yes."
“Do what you want to do. Now that I have returned home. Fath... the Shen family’s head has a bad temper ancl may plan on cloing something before. But now, looking at this situation. the Shen family is already having a hard time protecting themselves. It seems that he won’t even have the spare time to clo anything for our family."
“After you leave, Mother and I will live in seclusion, won’t attract any trouble, and won’t let people provoke us. You can go with peace of mind and not worry about home.”
“Sister Cheng!!!”
Mother Fang’s voice changed her tone in anxiety.
“Brother Heng is so young and still a child. How can I feel at ease!?”
“Mother, Brother Heng is not young. At his age, it’s time to marry and have children. You love him, but you should also think about it. He is a man with great ambition. How can he stay in the small Jin City for a lifetime? “
Mother Fang was about to say something else when Lin Shiheng spoke again, “Aunt, without a country, we won’t have a home.”
“If the country is gone, how can we have a home? I’m only begging Aunt to agree. So, I would be able to serve the country!"
Saying that he knocked his heacl again, “Please, Aunt. Let me.”
Mother Fang was gripping her handkerchief, and the tears that hadn’t flowed for several days were flowing out. She pulled him up with teary eyes and sat down on a stool with anger and resentment.
“You both persuaded me together; what else can I do?!"
“Just remember, be careful. Even if you aren’t thinking about yourself, think about your sister and me. We are alone and wiclowecl. and now we have a child here. If something happened to you, we have no way to live."
Seeing her recl-eyed while saying harsh words, Lin Shiheng knew that she was angry and stood up according to her wishes. He whispered, “Aunt raised me, but I still made Aunt angry. I have been unfilial.”
“Aunt, please wait patiently. I swear, within three years from now, I will come back with glory and make you an envied noblewoman.”
Mother Fang was angry, but the intentional words still amused her. She still had tears in her eyes and gently hit him with no anger.
“You child, still uniting with your sister to fool me. What age is this? How could there be a nobleman? Saying it like that. people would ridicule us for being a feudal family, not being able to shed the roots of the old society.”
“You don’t have to say these sweet words to fool me. What glory nonsense? The most important thing is for you to come back safely. You are already this old. You should be getting married but prefer to go and join the army..."
As she spoke, she remembered Lin Shiheng’s words of marrying Fang Licheng before, ancl her voice suddenly stopped, causing Fang Licheng to look over in puzzlement.