TSWRLM -Chapter 214 Uncle, You’re Just Like My Father

Late at night, in Yunzhou territory, by a small creek far from the main road.

Zheng’er was tugging again, Lin Bao was holding the child and washing his bottom by the creek, while Lin Hu was in the water using a forked stick to catch fish.

His eyesight was sharp and his aim precise; before long, he had caught seven or eight fish.

“Uncle Hu, that should be enough. Come up and warm yourself by the fire.”

On the shore, Chun Xi efficiently cleaned and gutted the fish while giving instructions.

Lin Hu silently returned to the shore and sat by the fire to warm himself.

Chun Xi skewered the fish on sticks and placed them by the fire. Then she gathered some wild grass, burned it into ash, mixed the ash in water, let it settle, and poured the water over the fish.

Chun Xi’s original clothes had been given to the female corpse; now she wore the same coarse short garments as Lin Hu and the others, dressed like a man.

After several days of traveling in harsh conditions, Chun Xi’s skin had darkened, and she looked tired, but her eyes still sparkled—especially when handling food, full of eager anticipation.

Lin Hu had seen a lot in his line of work, but he had never met a girl so gluttonous yet fearless.

After pouring the ash water, Chun Xi also took a wild fruit she hadn’t finished earlier, split it open, and rubbed the juice onto the fish.

Lin Bao returned with the child, and seeing this, couldn’t help asking, “A-Xi, what are you doing now?”

Chun Xi immediately explained, “Uncle Bao, I found a plant by the river called saltwort. If you burn it and soak the ashes in water, it adds a bit of saltiness and makes the fish meat tender. With wild fruit juice, it removes the fishy smell. This is a secret recipe my father taught me. My father used to be a bodyguard, traveled all over, and he also taught me another method…”

These past few nights, Chun Xi had been preparing their food. Conditions outdoors were limited, but what she made, while not extraordinary, was far better than anything these two rough men could cook.

Lin Bao relaxed his guard around Chun Xi. Hearing her talk about her father, he became curious: “Your father was a bodyguard? Which bureau did he belong to? Where did he travel—maybe we even…”

“Cough, cough!”

Lin Hu coughed to interrupt Lin Bao and gave him a sharp look.

Lin Bao quickly fell silent.

They were kidnappers. They had kidnapped the wife of a third-rank imperial official. If caught, they would be beheaded. They could not let themselves be distracted by this young girl calling them “uncle.”

Lin Bao sat next to Lin Hu, and the child in his arms reached out mischievously to grab his beard.

The child had lost some weight from not having milk in the past few days but was healthy and energetic. After a few days, he was familiar enough to them, no longer afraid—pulling his beard, scratching his face, occasionally urinating on him.

“You little brat, if you grab my beard again, I’ll cut off your hand!”

Lin Bao glared, threatening, but the child wasn’t scared and giggled instead.

Since they intended to manipulate Chun Xi through the child, they didn’t actually punish him.

Lin Bao, annoyed by the beard tugging, handed the child to Lin Hu.

Lin Hu was stern and imposing; the child calmed down in his arms, blinking curiously at him.

Lin Hu didn’t have Lin Bao’s patience and pressed the child’s head against his chest.

“Eee-ah~”

The child flailed in protest. Lin Bao watched for a moment, and seeing the child about to cry, quickly pulled him out: “See? Move again, and Uncle Hu will suffocate you—believe it!”

The child didn’t understand, but clearly preferred Lin Bao and reached out for a hug.

Lin Bao’s expression softened, and he held the child close.

The smell of grilled fish drifted through the air.

Chun Xi busily turned the fish over, roasting them until golden and oozing with oil. She picked two larger ones and handed them over: “They’re done. Uncle Hu, Uncle Bao, try them while they’re hot.”

Lin Hu ate silently, while Lin Bao took a bite and his eyes lit up. “This is really good! Your method works.”

Chun Xi proudly raised her chin. “Of course. It’s my father’s secret recipe. I won’t share it with just anyone.”

For men in their line of work, braving harsh conditions and bloodshed was normal. Yet these past few days with Chun Xi felt unusually comforting.

If nothing had happened back home, his daughter with Uncle Hu would be about this age.

Lin Bao’s heart softened, and he asked, “How did a bodyguard’s daughter marry a third-rank official?”

“That’s a long story.”

Chun Xi took Zheng’er from Lin Bao, tore the fish skin, and fed the tenderest part to him. As she fed him, she recounted her life since her father’s death.

As a child, she loved hearing stories of her father and his comrades traveling across the land. Now, telling her own story, she captivated her audience.

Lin Bao at first focused on eating, but when he heard about Chun Xi being mistreated after entering the Wei household, he was furious. “Damn it! A mere steward dares to be so arrogant! If it were me, I’d have cut him down with a single strike!”

Chun Xi’s expression softened with emotion. “Uncle Bao, you’re just like my father.”

“If I were your father, I’d have stormed into that damn Wei household already.”

Lin Bao replied without hesitation. After finishing a fish, Chun Xi handed him another.

He took a bite, but felt uneasy. If her father were alive and knew his daughter and grandson had been kidnapped, he would have brought his brothers from the trade to rescue them—there was no way they’d be bullied like this.

Chun Xi, however, showed no sadness, continuing her story of life in the Wei household.

In the first two years, she didn’t understand social rules and suffered many setbacks. But she gradually learned to read people and act cautiously. With new servants, life improved. However, soon after, Wei Lingze was injured and paralyzed. Without money to influence the household, she was assigned to serve him.

Lin Bao became even angrier hearing how violent and cruel Wei Lingze had become, taking out his frustration on the servants. “That damn young master—why didn’t he die on the battlefield? Those who injured him weren’t even his servants, yet he vents on his own staff! Even if he can’t stand again, he still has people serving him. He’s not out on the street begging; what’s there to complain about?”

“Servants are expendable. Thanks to my father’s protection from heaven, I not only survived the young master’s cruelty but also got money to leave the Wei household and met a husband who loves and cares for me.”

“But my husband’s life has been full of misfortune too. He lost his mother young, topped the imperial exam at seventeen, yet was sabotaged by his stepmother, married two short-lived wives, and then married me, a woman of humble origin. Now that I’m in trouble, his reputation as a ‘jinxed husband’ may never be cleared.”

Chun Xi had spoken lightly until she mentioned her husband, when sorrow appeared.

Lin Bao looked at the half-eaten fish and couldn’t continue.

Officials’ wives were usually privileged and indulgent, colluding with their husbands. But this girl and her husband were pitiful, one more so than the other—so pitiful he felt almost guilty for their suffering.