On the 6th of December, Xiao Ruxun, who had left Qufu to lead the army on the Northern Expedition, received a special letter.
The letter was sent directly by Chen Xie from Myanmar, and the word "Daddy" was written crookedly on the envelope. The moment Xiao Ruxun saw the letter, she suddenly felt a little sour in her nose. Then, her vision blurred uncontrollably, and tears fell straight down her face.
This was a letter written by his son and daughter to Xiao Ruxun. The word "Daddy" was written by his son, Zhenbang, and the other by his daughter, Yingying.
There were two letters in the envelope. One was written by Caiyun, and the other was written by the two little fellows with their crooked handwriting. Caiyun said in the letter that they were living a good and comfortable life in Myanmar. Every day, she strictly taught Little Zhenbang how to read and write. She also began to practice martial arts under the guidance of her grandfather.
Little Yingying was also studying. Caiyun personally taught Yingying how to read and write. She said that she wanted to educate Yingying into a qualified lady, so she had to read and write. However, she didn't know how to read a lot. She felt that girls didn't need to read so many books, but she had to learn more needlework and learn to be a good wife.
The letter from the two little fellows was filled with such simple words as "How's Daddy?", "Zhenbang is doing well", and "Yingying is doing well". Xiao Ruxun looked at it over and over again, and no matter how she looked at it, she couldn't bear to put it down. It was only when someone outside called for Yuan Huang to pay his respects that Xiao Ruxun hurriedly wiped her tears and invited Yuan Huang in.
As soon as Yuan Huang came in, he was surprised to see Xiao Ruxun's slightly red eyes.
"Ji Xin, what are you doing?"
Xiao Ruxun picked up the letters from his son, daughter, and wife and handed them to Yuan Huang. "These are letters from Caiyun. There are also letters from Zhenbang and Yingying to me. These two little guys can write letters, hehe..."
Yuan Huang's face lit up with joy as he took the letter. After reading it, his face was also full of smiles.
"Zhenbang and Yingying are also at this age. This year, they should be six years old, right?"
Xiao Ruxun nodded and said with a smile, "They are five years old and six years old. They are twins and were born on the same day. It's been a year since I went north to Datong, Shanxi. I've only seen Zhenbang and Yingying once. The last time I saw them, they hadn't learned to write, but now they can write. They grow so fast."
Yuan Huang put down the letter and said with a smile, "Yes, they grow so fast. In the blink of an eye, five years have passed."
"When Caiyun was pregnant, I went to Korea to fight a war. The war lasted for more than half a year. When she was pregnant, I wasn't by her side. I only rushed back just before she gave birth. A month after the child was born, I rushed south to conquer the Dongwu Country. When the war ended, it was another few months. It wasn't easy for me to have three years of time with my family, but this year, I've been fighting non-stop. Deacon Yuan, I've really let them down.
Deacon Yuan, I really let them down. "Xiao Ruxun couldn't help but wipe his eyes.
For some reason, he couldn't hold back his tears at this time. His heart, which he thought was as hard as iron, softened at this moment.
Perhaps at this time, only his family was the last trace of warmth in Xiao Ruxun's heart.
Yuan Huang said slowly, "A man's ambition is to travel far, but when he has time, he should spend more time with his family. This world is not peaceful. No one knows if this meeting will be the last time. Not everyone can enjoy the joy of family."
"Yes, that's why I'm lamenting. I've been fighting outside all year round. I've really let the three of them down."
Xiao Ruxun smiled as he picked up the letter and began to write a reply.
"Caiyun even asked me if I wanted to teach Zhenbang the art of war now. What does such a young child know about the art of war? Back then, the four of us only learned the art of war after we were ten years old. Now, we should build a good foundation, recognize all the words we need to recognize, understand the principles we need to understand, and then build a good foundation for our bodies to learn martial arts. "
Yuan Huang expressed his agreement.
"En, the child is still young. There's no need for him to learn profound knowledge like the art of war. But if he wants to learn martial arts, he should make early preparations and build a good foundation. His body will be stronger in the future."
"Also, Caiyun asked me if I wanted to bind Yingying's feet. My, Xiao Ruxun's, daughter wants to bind her feet? Caiyun doesn't bind her own feet, so why would she want her daughter to bind her feet? "
Xiao Ruxun was only dissatisfied with this point.
"Ji Xin, you don't plan to bind Yingying's feet?"
Yuan Huang looked at Xiao Ruxun with a little surprise.
"Of course. Why should she bind her feet? Why should she bind her natural feet? She was perfectly fine, yet she ended up half crippled. I've always wondered what kind of twisted person would force a woman to bind her feet and let her daughter suffer a lifetime of pain. "
Xiao Ruxun's opposition to binding feet really surprised Yuan Huang.
In the current era, binding feet was not only a fashion, but also a symbol of status. Farm girls often needed to work in the fields, so they didn't have the capital to bind their feet. There was even a rule in Zhedong that women from lowly families were not allowed to bind their feet. In other words, binding feet not only required status, but also money. Ordinary people couldn't afford it.
In this era, only daughters of noble families could bind their feet. If you didn't let your daughter bind her feet, it would be easy to be ridiculed and ostracized by others. Just like Kang Youwei, who didn't let his daughter bind her feet, he was greatly ostracized in his hometown.
At present, this unreasonable bad habit couldn't be shaken, but Xiao Ruxun couldn't accept this kind of thing happening to his daughter. She was born with a pair of feet, but she insisted on making it a cripple. That kind of appearance was unbearable.
"Although this kind of thing is mostly decided by father, Ji Xin, you also have to consider the views of others. With your current status, this is not a small matter. It's related to Yingying's future marriage."
Yuan Huang seemed to want to persuade Xiao Ruxun.
"This Xiao's daughter doesn't need others to make thoughtless remarks. Can't you make the decision for your own daughter? In ancient times, there was no custom of binding feet. It gradually flourished since the Song Dynasty, so this matter is not necessary. This Xiao admires the achievements of the Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties, and should use this as a standard to motivate myself. "
Xiao Ruxun waved his pen and wrote a letter to his family: "Not only that, the books that should be read still have to be read. Caiyun has also read a lot of books, including military books. That year at Pinglu City, Caiyun personally went to the battlefield and beat the drums to cheer for our army. Our army's morale was greatly boosted, and only then did we defeat the enemy with inferior forces. Caiyun is an extraordinary woman. It is my fortune to be able to marry her. Then how can our daughter fade into the crowd?"
Yuan Huang knew that he couldn't persuade Xiao Ruxun.
He always felt that in some strange aspects, Xiao Ruxun was too different from others. For example, he didn't take concubines, he didn't get close to women, he didn't like money, he didn't like flattery, and he didn't like women binding feet. Of course, this kind of thing wasn't a big deal. Right now, the matter of entering the army was the important matter.
"Ji Xin, there is at most half a month before we reach the capital. If we hurry, we can reach the capital in ten days. After reaching the capital, there are some things that you should prepare. If you are prepared now, it will be easier to deal with in the future."
Yuan Huang said the purpose of coming here.
In order to prevent the most undesirable thing from happening, some things needed to be prepared in advance.
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