Chapter Eight Visiting Her Home

  Wu Ge and Wen Ge were playing Go at the entrance of their ancestral home. Wu Ge was about to lose, when he saw Zhen Shi Niang getting off a horse carriage. He kicked the chessboard with his foot and said, "Mother is back, I won't play anymore!" Then he ran towards Zhen Shi Niang, shouting "Mother! Mother!"

  "You're cheating!" Rarely winning once, didn't expect the chessboard to be destroyed by Jian Wu. Wen Ge also quit, rushed up and grabbed Jian Wu, pulling him back, "Mom said men should know how to lose, come back and finish this game of chess with me!"

  "Who says I'm playing truant!" Wu Ge's face turned red, "I went to pick up my mom!"

  "You're going to destroy the chessboard just because you lost? You're just being a sore loser!" Wengong dragged him and wouldn't let go.

  Wu Ge became enraged and turned around to fight with Wen Ge.

  "Brother Wen and Brother Wu, quickly let go, you'll hurt yourselves if you're not careful." The nurse who was standing by hastily came forward to pull them apart.

  Although they were just a little over four years old, Jian Wu and Jian Wen would fight like two small tigers when they got into a dispute, how could their nanny possibly intervene?

  These two kids fight every day as soon as they open their eyes.

  Seeing her son entwined with someone in an instant, Zhen Shiniang sighed and turned back to pay the carriage fare. She walked a few steps forward and said, "Wen Ge, Wu Ge let go!" Her voice was not loud, but Zhen Shiniang's face was extremely serious.

  Wen Ge and Wu Ge both loosened their grip, but neither of them was willing to concede defeat, staring at each other like fighting cocks.

  The wet nurse took the opportunity to walk forward and tidy up their clothes, muttering to herself, "It's just a few stones, win or lose, can't eat as rice?" She raised her head to see Zhen Shi Niang with a stern face, and quickly shut her mouth.

  "What's going on?" asked Zhen Shi Niang.

  "He's being unreasonable!"

  "He's just making excuses!"

  Wen Ge and Wu Ge said at the same time.

  Zhen Shining didn't say a word either, her face calm and serene as she looked at the two of them. She remained silent until they both closed their mouths and looked up at her, before speaking up, "Let Wen-ge speak first."

  "We're playing Go, and he lost so he's destroying the board!" Jianwen pointed at Jianwu furiously, "Mother said that men should know how to lose graciously and not throw a tantrum when they do! It's all because of you!"

  Zhen Shining looked at Jian Wu.

  "...I'm just going to pick up my mother!" Jian Wu argued strongly.

  Zhen Shining lowered her head to look at the chessboard on the ground, which had been destroyed by more than half. She already understood in her heart and shifted her gaze to Jian Wu, "Seeing that mother is back, Wu'er knows how to welcome her, this is filial piety, mother is very happy." Jian Wu proudly raised his chin towards Jian Wen, but Zhen Shining changed the subject, "Wu'er wanted to welcome mother, why did he have to destroy the chessboard?"

  "My..." was seen through, Jian Wu lowered his head and didn't speak.

  "Zhen... Shi... Wu!" Zhen Shiniang called out his full name.

  "I... I was wrong..." Jian Wu stuttered.

  "...do you know where you went wrong?" Zhen Shining still had a sullen face.

  "I shouldn't be afraid of losing and make excuses to quit!" Jian Wu muttered under his breath.

  "Ah, good boy for daring to admit his mistake." Zhen Shi Niang nodded in satisfaction, but her expression turned stern, "Mistakes still need to be punished, so punish you by writing this sentence thirty times!"

  "Daughter..." Jian Wu's small face instantly fell.

  Zhen Shining ignored her and turned to Jianwen, "......You're his older brother, you know he's wrong, so you should advise him properly. How can you just hit him without saying a word?"

  "My sister said I'm only half a time older than him!" Jian Wen was quite disgruntled, as Jian Wu Hu was stronger than him, why should he yield?

  "Hmm..." Zhen Shiniang's tone slightly rose.

  "I understand," said Jianwen softly.

  "Punish you by having you write with your younger brother ten times."

  Jian Wen was also punished, and Jian Wu immediately became excited, using his hand to pull his mouth towards Jian Wen and making a happy face.

  Qiu Ju was chopping firewood in the yard when she heard Zhen Shi Niang's voice, so she threw down her work and ran out. "Miss, you're back so early today?" Seeing that her hands were empty, she exclaimed, "...You didn't buy donkey hide?" She asked again, "...Was it that the agar didn't sell well and you didn't get any silver?"

  If she accepted the account, her family's young lady would never forget these things.

  Reminded by Autumn Chrysanthemum, Zhen Shi Niang suddenly remembered the matter of Shen Zhongge in the medicine hall, and she was shocked, thinking to herself, "Almost forgot about the big thing." She raised her head and ordered the wet nurse and Autumn Chrysanthemum, "You two take Wen Ge and Wu Ge to Xi Que's house first." She also instructed Jian Wen and Jian Wu, "Honestly stay at Xi Que's house and finish writing what I just punished you for. Without my order, don't come back!" Her tone was rarely serious.

  "My servant's firewood hasn't been chopped yet..." Qiuju looked at Zhen Shiniang in confusion.

  "Wait till this afternoon..." Zhen Shi Niang had already entered the courtyard.

  It was rare to see Zhen Shiniang so serious, and Nainai and Qiujie exchanged a puzzled glance before pulling Jianwen and Jianwu towards the Xikui residence.

  In a flurry of activity, Zhen Shiniang quickly gathered up all the children's belongings in the house.

  She sat on the chair, panting slightly, and when she lifted her head, she saw a stunningly beautiful face in the mirror. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought to herself, "With this getup, he'll recognize me at a glance as the woman he met at the pharmacy!"

  Li Qi and Feng Xi both knew she had two sons.

  This thought flashed through her mind, and Zhen Shiniang hastily got up, rummaging through trunks and chests to dress herself.

  She must change her appearance to make him think he misrecognized her in the pharmacy!

  "Miss, what's going on?" Jiakuai's urgent voice came from outside while she was busy. After hearing that Zhen Shiniang drove them out as soon as they returned, Jiakuai didn't know what had happened and hurried over from her home where she was resting during pregnancy. As soon as she entered the house, she was stunned, "Heavens, Miss, what are you doing?!"

  "Hush..." Just as she was about to speak, a magpie suddenly chirped, and Zhen Shiniang's hand trembled. The rouge instantly overflowed from the corner of her mouth, and she hastily made a silencing gesture. "I just saw General Shen in the pharmacy."

  "Who... General Shen?" Stunned for a moment, Jiyu immediately opened her eyes wide, "Miss, are you saying the general has arrived?" Suddenly shouting in a sharp voice, "Did the general recognize you? He found out you were selling medicine, he knew you went to the pharmacy to sell medicine?!" Her face turned whiter than ever.

  The news that the legitimate wife of a great general secretly sells medicine has tarnished the general's reputation, and if things get out of hand, it could cost her her life!

  At first, if she hadn't been really desperate, she would never have agreed to her family's young lady practicing medicine and buying medicine.

  In the Zhou Dynasty, pharmacists and folk doctors were lowly artisans who were not allowed to intermarry with even ordinary noble families, let alone high-ranking generals.

  Zhen Shining didn't fear as much as Xi Que, what she worried about was Shen Zhongge discovering the existence of Jian Wenyi and Jian Wu, and taking them back. Seeing Xi Que's shocked expression, she smiled and said, "That's why I disguised myself, if he really comes to confront us, we'll just play dumb!" Her tone carried a hint of childish mischief.

  The magpie's heart settled down instantly.

  "Come on, Miss... even if you want to dress up, you don't have to be so exaggerated, right?"

  Zhen Shining touched her face, "What's wrong..."

  Just then, a heavy footsteps came from the courtyard, "...Is anyone home?"