Chapter 72: Seeing General Song's Photo
Shen Zhi went back to the house, changed his clothes, and set off for the town in the carriage pulled by the chestnut horse. After the little wolf cub was named Xuetuan, the chestnut horse also had his own name, Xiao Hongzao.
The town was still quite quiet, probably because the King of Huainan had not given up investigating his theft. "Go ahead and investigate, but you'll never find out the truth in your lifetime," Shen Zhi thought to himself.
As usual, Shen Zhi went to Jihetang first, but she didn't prescribe pregnancy-preserving medicine today. She met Erdan at the foot of the mountain today, the boy who reported the last time Shen Zhen was kidnapped. Erdan was only eight years old and depended on his grandmother for life. Today, Erdan said that his grandmother had caught a cold and had been coughing for a few days. Shen Zhi asked him to go home and take good care of his grandmother, and she would bring him medicine when she came back from town.
Shen Zhi asked Doctor Zhao to prescribe some cold medicine, and bought some medicine for injuries. She just accidentally saw that Erdan's trouser legs had several holes, and there were bruises on his exposed legs. It was probably because he fell while chopping wood. This is also a poor child.
After leaving Jihetang, Shen Zhi went to the Song residence and told the doorman that he had made some new cakes for Old Madam Song. The doorman recognized Shen Zhi and hurriedly asked someone to take Shen Zhi to the inner house.
When Old Lady Song learned that Shen Zhi had come, she winked at the maid beside her, who immediately found an excuse to send the maids out of the room.
Song Rou and Mrs. Song happened to be here to pay their respects to the old lady, so they stayed. The whole family looked out the door eagerly. If they were not afraid of arousing other people's suspicion, they would have wanted to get up and go to the door to greet them.
Soon, Shen Zhi was brought in by the maid. After the maid left, Shen Zhi took out a box of cakes from the backpack. It was a cloud cake made early this morning, which was very suitable for the teeth of the elderly. Mrs. Song helped to take it and handed it to Mrs. Song. After the old lady took it, she put it down and looked at Shen Zhi eagerly.
Shen Zhi suddenly looked up and met the gaze of Old Lady Song, and his eyes couldn't help but turn red.
Old Madam Song's expression changed immediately, and she asked hurriedly, "Girl, is there something wrong?"
Shen Zhi saw that the old lady had misunderstood, and hurriedly explained: "No, no, I felt distressed when I saw the old lady's eyes, and I couldn't help crying." Shen Zhi took out two more photos and handed them to the old lady. "This one was secretly taken when they were having dinner last night, and this one was taken with him before I came here this morning. Old lady, please take a look first, I will take it away later, it's not safe to leave it here."
Old Madam Song held the photo in her trembling hands, and couldn't get enough of it. This was her son who had died more than ten years ago, and now she was sure that he was still alive. He hadn't changed at all, and was still so handsome. No, he had changed, matured, and a little vicissitudes. How much suffering the poor child had suffered outside. The old lady burst into tears. The old woman beside her advised her that this was a good thing and not to be too sad. Shen Zhi also told her that General Song would soon return home with a legitimate reason.
Mrs. Song next to her was also wiping her tears. This man was her eldest uncle. He looked very similar to her husband, but more manly.
Song Rou stood behind Old Lady Song and looked at him. This was her father. She had never seen her father in her memory. He was as tall and majestic as she imagined him to be. Song Rou choked up and looked at Shen Zhi, begging, "Miss Shen, can you let me go see my father?"
Old Madam Song also looked at Shen Zhi eagerly.
Shen Zhi couldn't bear to refuse, but had to refuse: "Madam, you can't go. Now the people of Huainan King are watching everywhere. It's easy for you to attract attention. Miss Song can use the excuse of going hunting with me to the mountains to stay at my house temporarily. Madam, General Song said that he wants to come back to eat the wild vegetable dumplings you made."
"Okay, okay, let him eat enough when the time comes. When he was a child, our family was not well off and we often had to eat bran and vegetables. Only on his birthday did we go out to buy a pound of cornmeal to make wild vegetable dumplings for him. At that time, wild vegetable dumplings were the most delicious food in his eyes." The old lady recalled the past and felt more and more distressed for her sensible eldest son.
Shen Zhi took out a golden necklace and handed it to Old Madam Song, but the old lady hesitated and refused to accept it.
"Madam, are you sure you don't want it? I specially asked someone to order it for you." Shen Zhi smiled slyly. She gently pressed the pendant in the middle with her hand, and the lid popped open. Inside was a miniature photo of General Song.
"This, this is... Hey, I want it, I want it." Old Madam Song was so happy that she quickly reached out to take it.
Shen Zhi took the two photos from Old Madam Song and said with a smile, "Old Madam, I must take these photos and give them to General Song. It's not safe to keep them here. You can carry this gold chain with you and take a look at it secretly when you have nothing to do. You don't have to worry about outsiders knowing."
Old Madam Song asked the maid behind her to help her put it on, and then she quietly hid it under her collar, nodded and said, "That's right."
Old Madam Song heard the maids talking outside and knew that the maids who were sent out had returned. She wiped her tears and said loudly, "Rou'er, you have been a playful person since you were a child. This girl from the Shen family told you that she caught a rabbit in the mountains, and you wanted to go and watch the fun. Why don't you ask Ah Fu to go to the market to buy a rabbit some other day?"
"Grandma, I don't want the rabbit you bought. I want to go up the mountain with her to hunt rabbits." Song Rou pulled Old Lady Song's clothes and said coquettishly in a loud voice.
The old woman also imitated her and loudly dissuaded her, "Miss, there are ferocious beasts on the mountain. We can't go there."
Song Rou curled her lips and said, "The rabbits are all outside the mountain. Grandma, please let me go."
Old Madam Song smiled and said, "You naughty monkey, when your second uncle took you to the farm when you were little, you were like a wild horse that had broken free from its reins, running around everywhere, acting like a tomboy all day, following the farm owner's boy to go to the river to catch shrimps, and to the mountains to get bird eggs. If your second uncle hadn't tied you up with a rope, you would have refused to come back. Even a Song Mansion as big as ours can't hold you back. Okay, pack your clothes and go over there with Miss Shen to play for a few days. I'll ask your second uncle to pick you up in a few days, and you have to come back obediently."
Song Rou happily hugged Old Madam Song and kissed her: "Thank you, grandma. I'll go pack my clothes." After that, she hurried out and almost bumped into the maid who came in.
The maids filed in and bowed to Old Madam Song, saying, "Old Madam, the things you asked us to prepare are ready."
Old Madam Song smiled at Shen Zhi and said, "Miss Shen, when I heard you were coming, I quickly sent them to prepare some supplements for you. I heard that there was a pregnant woman in your family, so I asked them to get some bird's nests for you to take back later."
Shen Zhi hurriedly declined, "Madam, no, it's too expensive."
Madam Song scolded, "You are too rude to me. I treat you as my own granddaughter."
Shen Zhi smiled and said, "Then I'll accept it. Thank you, old lady."
In a blink of an eye, Song Rou came running over with her packed bag.
Madam Song looked at the small bundle and asked, "That's all you have to take."
Song Rou was a little confused, what else could she do?
Shen Zhi smiled and said, "Don't worry, old lady. I have everything ready at home. Miss Song just needs to bring some clothes to change into."
Song Rou pouted: "What Miss Song? From now on, you should call me Big Sister like Yu'er, and I will call you Xiaozhi."
"Yes, yes, yes, we will call you Xiaozhi from now on." Mrs. Song also said with a smile.
"That's great." Shen Zhi answered readily.
Shen Zhi and Song Rou said goodbye to the Song family and left.