Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 892

Chapter 892: Staying in the Capital

After Chunlan’s marriage, four new girls around ten years old came to An Zhi’s courtyard. Cuisi became the head maid.

On the day Chunlan returned home, An Zhi gave Chunlan a large red envelope. Seeing Chunlan standing shyly with Fusheng, An Zhi felt relieved.

The next day, just after noon, news arrived from the An Mansion that An Xu had returned, albeit with a minor injury. An Zhi rushed to the mansion, only to find An Xu sitting there.

“Brother, were you not injured?” An Zhi asked anxiously.

An Xu pointed to his right leg. “It’s just a minor injury, nothing serious. It hurt a little on the way back to the capital, but I wanted to spend the New Year with my family, so I told them to hurry.”

Hearing that it was nothing serious, An Zhi sat down with relief.

Huiping had tea brought, complaining, “I told the messenger not to mention your brother’s injury, but they still told you. Now that you’re pregnant, in the dead of winter, if you bump into something, Pei Que will hold us responsible.”

As she spoke, Huiping came over and looked at An Zhi’s belly. “Only four months; it’s not very noticeable yet.”

An Zhi touched her lower abdomen and said, “I heard my brother was injured, and I could not wait to come and see what happened. How long will he stay this time?”

Huiping sat down next to An Zhi, smiling, and said, “Your brother will not be returning to the Northwest this time.”

The Northern Desert had suffered two consecutive defeats, and the Xiliang had also submitted a peace treaty with the Northwest. There would be no war in the Northwest for the next few years.

With the Northwest at peace, there was no need for An Xu to guard it; the Bai family was more than capable of protecting it.

An Xu then submitted a memorial requesting to return to the capital, which would also resolve the issue of being separated from his family.

Li Xing had no objection to this; in fact, he was even more pleased that An Xu could return to the capital and weaken the Northwest’s strength.

Therefore, An Xu would not leave the capital before a major war broke out but would instead serve as a general in the city’s garrison, guarding the capital.

An Zhi was surprised and delighted to hear that her brother would not return to the Northwest. She exclaimed excitedly, “When you were in the Northwest, I could not help but worry every time I thought about you. It’s so good that you’re back now, and we can reunite. This is wonderful!”

When An Xu first returned to the residence, his daughter did not even recognize him, which made him feel even more certain that returning to the capital was the right choice.

“However, if there is war, I will still go to the front lines,” An Xu said.

“No matter what happens in the future, at least you’re in the capital now, and I’m very happy.” Since her brother went to the Northwest, An Zhi and her brother had seen each other very little, and even when they did meet, it was after a long separation.

Now that An Chengye had lost his official position, An Xu’s return would be able to support the An family. With An Xu around, An Zhi could worry less and focus on her academy.

An Zhi sat for a while and asked, “How have Uncle and the others been these past few days?”

“They are all fine,” An Xu answered readily. “Uncle and cousin are both doing well. In the past two years, there’s been more farmland in the south of the Northwest, and the Northwest is not as impoverished as before. Moreover, after the reconciliation with Xiliang, cattle and sheep from the north can be sold to the Northwest, so things should be better than before. Zhi’er, you do not need to worry about Uncle and the others. It’s you who should be more careful now that Pei Que has become the Prime Minister.”

“I’m doing well too,” An Zhi smiled. “I do not have to worry about Pei Que’s affairs much. I also have things to do at the academy. The students all call me ‘Teacher’ when they see me.”

Having been a teacher for a day, she would be the teacher of those students from then on. With the title of Dean of the Academy, An Zhi was more proud of her own hard work than of the glory brought to her by Madam of Pei.

Most women were devoted to their husbands and children, but she took a different path, which filled her with both anticipation and confidence.

An Xu had also heard about the girls’ academy. He had never been interested in studying, so the mention of an academy gave him a headache. “It’s good that you’re running an academy and gaining respect. You’ve always been better at studying than I was; if you were a man, you’d at least be a Jinshi.”

An Zhi smiled and said, “When my brother was little, he loved skipping school. He always copied his homework from me. But back then, because I was a girl, I could not go to school, so I would look at the books you brought home and help you with your homework.”

Huiping had heard An Xu mention this before, and now, hearing it again, she could not help but sigh, “I did not like studying either, but Mother was strict, so even if I did not like it, I had to study. But after Father passed away, Mother relaxed her standards a lot. So, if your brother and I do not like studying, then I’m afraid the children in the family will not either.”

An Xu immediately replied, “That’s alright. Send the young lady to the academy to be taught by Zhi’er. As for the boy, if he does not study, he can learn martial arts from me and go to the battlefield.”

Huiping was reluctant to send her son to the battlefield, but children always need a way out, so she did not object. She invited An Zhi to stay for dinner, and as evening approached, Pei Que arrived.

A light snow began to fall. Huiping had prepared a copper hot pot, and the whole family sat at two tables in the same hall, creating a lively atmosphere.

An Chengye, after drinking two cups of wine, mustered his courage and pulled Pei Que aside, saying, “I truly never expected this day to come. The day you helped Pei Yu annul the engagement, I was terrified, and I still am. It’s strange, really; I’m probably the first person in the world as afraid of their son-in-law as I am.”

Pei Que felt awkward being pulled by An Chengye, but fortunately, Meng Jie immediately came over and took An Chengye away. “You two continue eating; I will take him back to rest.”

After An Chengye left, An Zhi secretly glanced at Pei Que’s profile. Although Pei Que’s brows were slightly furrowed, he was still as handsome as ever.

She leaned slightly towards Pei Que and whispered, “Actually, back then, I was quite afraid of you, too.”

The Fourth Master Pei of the capital was a formidable figure; everyone who knew him was somewhat intimidated.

An Xu laughed heartily. “I’m not afraid; it’s just that I never imagined my brother-in-law would be from the Pei family. Back then, I specifically told Zhi’er to stay away from the Pei family.”

Pei Que put down his chopsticks, reached under the table, and took An Zhi’s hand. “At first, I did not expect to marry such a beautiful wife either.”

“Ugh, so cheesy.” Huiping shivered. “Now everyone in the capital knows you two are so loving. Stop with the cheesy talk; let’s go set off fireworks after we finish eating. I especially had them prepared.”

At the mention of fireworks, the children could not wait. They quickly finished eating and came over, begging to have the fireworks set off soon.

Yue’er squeezed between An Zhi and Pei Que, also pleading for the fireworks to start quickly.

Pei Que and An Zhi each took one of Yue’er’s hands, and they went to the courtyard, where servants had already prepared the fireworks.

As the beam of light shot into the sky, colorful specks scattered, accompanied by snowflakes fluttering down.

While everyone marveled at the beauty of the fireworks, only Pei Que turned to look at An Zhi, a gentle smile in his eyes, just as he had on many past occasions.