The Virgin Mary in the Book: I Decide My Life with Two Swords

Cang Yue Kingdom - Beside the Official Road

The south in early September was still shrouded in the afterglow of midsummer. In the evening, Yelu Zongzhen's troops set up camp beside a river to rest.

Ye Ling lit a larger stove that she had taken out from the space a long time ago. This was based on the experience she had gained from previous camping trips. She had people make several stoves of different sizes, which saved the time of looking for stones to build a stove and could be used directly.

Bi Cheng was confused, looking at the fire, the chopping board, and the various utensils: "Si Shi, where did you get all these things from?"

"Don't worry about it, go feed the horses. You are not needed here. Just wait for dinner." Ye Ling poured oil into Huo Zhong, heated the oil over a warm fire, and took out the proofed dough.

"I'll find you some more wood," Bicheng said, then turned and went to the woods to find firewood.

Yelu Zongzheng came over and asked: "What are you doing?"

"Cooking!" Ye Ling replied.

"You can cook too?" Yelu Zongzhen seemed to have discovered a new world.

"I'm not a lady from a wealthy family. If I don't know how to cook, I would have starved to death long ago."

"Aren't you Ye Tingzhan's daughter? Aren't you also a lady from a wealthy family?"

Ye Ling smiled and said, "Your Highness is really good at being sarcastic."

Yelu Zongzheng also smiled and carefully checked all of Ye Ling's belongings: "You brought so many things?"

"Your Highness, do you think I'm doing this much? You brought an entire house and a team of chefs with you!"

Yelu Zongzheng nodded: "That's right, what are you cooking today?"

"Youbing, Your Highness is not used to these rough foods, go back!"

"That may not be the case." Yelu Zongzheng sat on the stool Duan Kai brought him, crossing his legs. "I will eat here with Ye Sishi tonight."

Ye Ling was speechless: "Are you serious, Your Highness?"

"What else? I've treated you to five days of meals. Isn't it time to return the favor today?"

"Okay, then you just sit and wait!" Ye Ling had already made an eye contact while speaking.

"Has your sense of taste returned?"

"That's right! As a person, you should always look forward. Besides, my junior brother is not dead, he is just seriously injured."

"Really?" Yelu Zongzhen obviously didn't believe it.

"No matter what you think, he will never leave my world," Ye Ling said as he put the first pancake into the pot.

The fried pancakes sizzled in the pan, emitting an enticing aroma. Ye Ling flipped them expertly, her eyes focused and determined.

Yelu Zongzheng looked at her quietly, a strange feeling rising in his heart. He said softly, "Actually, I hope what you said is true about your junior brother."

Ye Ling was slightly stunned, then a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. This is my private matter."

Bicheng came over with firewood in his arms, sniffed the aroma and said excitedly, "Servant, this smells incredibly fragrant."

“It will be ready soon.”

After the first pancake came out of the pan, Ye Ling shared it with two people: "Be careful, it's hot."

Yelu Zongzheng took a bite and his eyes lit up: "I didn't expect your cooking skills to be so good."

Ye Ling said, "It's just some home-cooked food."

"It's so delicious," Bicheng couldn't help but praise.

"Help me light the small stove behind the carriage so I can cook something," said Ye Ling.

"Okay," Bicheng will do it immediately.

After the small stove was heated, Ye Ling took out two pots of food from the carriage and stewed them in one pot.

Bicheng was a little worried: "Si Shi, is this delicious?"

"I don't know. Anyway, I don't want to fry them one by one. I'll just eat this big pot of stew!"

"That's fine, this big pot of stew allows me to eat the vegetables and drink the soup, killing two birds with one stone" must be my self-consolation.

After a while, all the fried cakes were out of the pan and the stew was ready.

Duan Kai brought over a tall wooden table and two stools. Ye Ling gave each person a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. "Come on, Your Highness. This is what an ordinary family's dinner would be like. There aren't many meat or vegetables. You can try it. If it doesn't taste good, don't eat it. Don't force yourself."

Yelu Zongzheng had never eaten such a meal in his life. His previous meals were not delicacies from land and sea. Now that he sat down, he could only bite the bullet and put a little bit in the bowl, looking at Ye Ling: "You...why don't you eat first?"

"Are you afraid that I will poison you?" Ye Ling asked back.

"That's not what I meant," Yelu Zongzhen explained quickly.

Bicheng was immediately displeased. His family's steward cooked the meal himself, yet the man was still skeptical. So he picked up a spoon, scooped a bowl, and began to eat. To his surprise, the stew was incredibly delicious: "Steward, it smells really good!"

"Sit down and eat, don't stand." Ye Ling also started eating.

Yelu Zongzheng took a small bite with half-belief, and his eyes lit up: "It really works!"

"Eat more if you can. Your Highness may never have such a simple meal in your life," Ye Ling said while eating.

Yelu Zongzheng was also eating and chatting: "Does Ye Sishi eat this often?"

"Even food like this wasn't available much before, and I have to thank my master, brothers, and junior brothers. Without them, I would have died long ago."

"I'm sorry, I don't know much about your past, but let the past be the past. Time will heal everything."

"Some people seem more unfamiliar the more you look at them, and some things become more heartbreaking the more you think about them. It's not that you think too much, but the details are hurtful enough, and time cannot heal everything. Some things will still be heartbreaking when you think about them many years later. The only thing that can heal yourself is the relief and understanding in your heart after seeing through everything. In fact, I was not like this before, but slowly, I changed," Ye Ling said softly.

Yelu Zongzheng looked at Ye Ling and said, "If a woman suddenly changes her personality, there's no doubt she must have gone through a life-or-death ordeal, shedding a layer of skin and losing half her life. When you crawl out of that hellish trough, no one can hurt you anymore. If you ask her how painful that time was, she'll just tell you it's all over. So, keep going, a woman who's been reborn from Nirvana will become stronger and stronger. Your sweetness is on the way, and all light will eventually shine through the darkness!"

Ye Ling smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. It is truly rare to be able to understand someone so well."

Yelu Zongzheng shook his head slightly. "In the past, I always thought that if I treated others better, they would treat me better. But now, I believe that only if I treat myself better will I be better. Others selfishly ask you to be magnanimous, while others pretend to be ignorant and try to cover up your grievances. There are always those who stand on their own side and criticize you for not being accommodating, instead of just giving and being morally self-satisfied. No one is stupid. Constantly perfunctory will only lead to further separation. Friendship, love, and family all require a two-way journey."

Ye Ling was slightly stunned. "Your Highness is right. If you can't keep someone warm, they are snakes. If you can't feed a wolf, they are sated. If you can't figure out the human heart, you will never be able to tell the people around you clearly. If you don't fall into hardship once, you will never be able to tell whether they are human or ghost. Those who point it out to their faces are all friends, but those who talk behind their backs are all dogs."

"A bosom friend!" Yelu Zongzheng was delighted. "I never seek a sense of security or belonging from anyone else. No matter how big someone else's roof is, it's not as good as having your own umbrella. The best way to protect yourself is to never overestimate your importance in others' hearts. Cut losses in time. Don't hope, don't expect, don't hope, don't count on, and you won't be disappointed."

Ye Ling looked at the person opposite him: "Your Highness is a man with a story, but I am not curious at all, because all of you royal family members have your own stories."

"That's right." Yelu Zongzheng seemed to remember something and fell silent for a moment. After a long while, he spoke again: "I once gave my heart and soul to a dearest relative. Everything I did was my priority. I protected him from childhood. But one day, I suddenly realized that the person I had been protecting had been using me the whole time, even pushing me out to take the blame for his crimes, without any regard for our past friendship. Since then, I no longer believe in so-called family and friendship. They are all hypocritical exploitation."

Ye Ling thought for a moment before continuing, "That view... is correct, but it doesn't represent everyone. I used to think similarly to you, but ever since I met Master, his brothers, and Su Su, I've slowly changed. I know for sure that Master and the others truly love me, and I'm willing to do anything for them."

Yelu Zongzheng smiled slightly: "Ye Si has done a good job, so you will not be alone for the rest of your life. Congratulations."

"Your Highness will also get what he wants."

Yelu Zongzheng shook his head: "You just said it, there is no such thing as sincerity in the royal family. We are born into the vortex and cannot escape it."

"Your Highness, there's no need to be so pessimistic. Life is like this. There will always be many things you can't do, many things that don't go as planned, and exhaustion. Everyone in this mortal world has their regrets! Remember only the joys, not the sorrows. For us, the humble, it's enough to just live well. The true meaning of life is to be simple and content."

"You are no small figure! You even live a more exciting life than mine."

"So what? The Buddha said: Only on the day of death do we realize that everything is empty. Life is but 30,000 days, a mere borrowing of a body. We take nothing with us, so why cling to it? If there's a connection, cherish it; if not, let it go. Letting go of yourself is wisdom, letting go of others is compassion."

"Some people and some things cannot be let go just by saying so. People of different surnames who are affectionate to each other are not of different surnames. It is unfair for compatriots to be ruthless to each other." After saying this, Yelu Zongzhen fell silent again.

"Love between people of different surnames is not love between people of different surnames, but being ruthless to fellow countrymen is a crime against fellow countrymen. This saying is really good." Ye Ling repeated, then stood up and began to clear the dishes. "In my opinion, women must be clear-headed, avoid useless emotions, and worry less about things they shouldn't worry about. It all starts with money and ends with money. Focus on money, aim for big profits. Money can overcome all the sufferings in the world."

Yelu Zongzheng was successfully pulled out of his sadness: "You really are a money-grubber."

"You don't understand. Everyone and everything in this world can deceive you, except money. With money, you can accomplish anything you want. If you don't have money, then it's bullshit."

"Sir, I'll let you take a rest." Bicheng took the rag from Ye Ling's hand and started washing the dishes.

Yelu Zongzheng also stood up: "I had a special meal today. Perhaps I will never forget it in my life."

"Then thank you, Your Highness."

"It is I who thank you."

The two chatted for a long time before taking a rest.