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

Cangyue Country's Nanlai Paradise

In the early morning, greeting the rising sun, the carriage moved slowly forward on the official road. Qian Qing took a piece of Wanqi's clothes for Eighth Sister to change into, and she immediately felt like a different person.

Wanqi liked this new friend very much, and the two of them kept playing with the rabbit bags in their hands.

Qian Qing moved closer to Ye Ling and whispered, "Miss, what are you going to do with Eighth Sister? I asked this morning. She has eight girls. Her mother gave birth to a son, but he died in childbirth. His father cruelly abandoned the eighth child. Now there are only two girls left in the family. The rest were either bought or thrown away. It's really inhumane, but... I heard that they didn't have a single grain of rice at home and couldn't even afford to eat, so they abandoned the children."

"Why do you, these son-loving bastards, have so many children when you're so poor you can barely afford to eat?" Ye Ling said angrily, "Well, it's just right. Wanqi needs a playmate."

Qian Qing glanced at Eighth Sister and nodded, "Yes, there are only a few of us in this mountain courtyard. Wanqi is still a child, so she needs someone her own age to play with."

"Her mother died and her father abandoned her, so we took her with us. It's just an extra mouth to feed, and we can also accompany Wanqi and her sisters to grow up together.

Qian Qing nodded in agreement.

More than twenty days later, at noon on the first day of March, Ye Ling's carriage entered the Nanlai city gate. There was no assassination along the way, and it was very quiet.

Qian Qing glanced at the street outside the car and said, "Miss, why don't we just go directly to Shaoyang Mountain? Why go into the city?"

"Buy some daily necessities. I've been very tired recently and I'm thinking of staying in the mountains for a while, so let's buy more things," Ye Ling said.

"I understand!" Qian Qing said, looking at Wanqi and Eighth Sister in the carriage: "You two children have only known each other for a few days, and you are so familiar with each other?"

"Sister Qianqing, Eighth Sister is so amazing, she knows everything!" Wanqi said.

"I can do a lot of work, such as washing clothes and cooking." Eighth Sister was not as scared as she was at the beginning. She immediately emphasized her abilities, fearing that she would be abandoned by Ye Ling and the others. These ten days were the happiest time of her life. She did not have to go hungry, nor was she beaten or scolded. She never knew that life could be like this.

Then the few of them started a shopping spree. The thing Ye Ling had the most now was money, so she bought whatever she liked, and bought countless kinds of meat and vegetables.

Li Ye watched as all the things were moved into the carriage, but they disappeared. He was full of questions, but Qian Qing threatened him not to ask, otherwise she would not want him anymore.

The group had dinner in the city. As it was getting dark, Ye Ling had Li Ye unload the carriage in a deserted alley and lead the three horses outside to wait. He put the carriage and the remaining horse into the space and took out three saddles. "Li Ye, put on the saddles. We'll leave before the city gates close."

"Yes." Li Ye had more questions, but still didn't dare to ask.

"Qianqing, you take Eighth Sister with you and let her ride from behind and hold your waist. Wanqi, you let Brother Li Ye hold you while riding. I have to free my hands. If that blind thing dares to block the way, I will give him a slap in the face," Ye Ling said while tightening the saddle.

"Okay," Wanqi responded in a milky voice.

Li Ye looked at Qian Qing and whispered, "Can you ride?"

"You're kidding! I'm going to travel the world with my young lady, so how could I not know how to ride a horse?" Qian Qing said as he got on the horse with some difficulty: "How is it?"

Li also smiled and nodded: "Okay, a heroine."

"It's a must," Qian Qing said proudly, "Eighth sister, hold on tight to your sister, and let's go home."

Five people and three horses left the city gate before dark, galloped towards Shaoyang Mountain, climbed the mountain in the dark, and arrived in front of two trees.

Li also spoke: "Miss, there is no way."

"Give me the horses. Qianqing, hold the eighth sister and lead the way. Be careful not to fall. Li Ye, hold Wanqi and you go first," said Ye Ling.

"Follow me." Qian Qing walked in front with ease.

Ye Ling instantly put the three horses into the space and followed immediately. Because it was too dark, Ye Ling took out three flashlights.

Qian Qing was not surprised. Li Ye was confused and studied it for a long time: "Miss, what kind of fire stick is this? It's so bright?"

"Shut up and follow me. Be careful where you step. There are too many rocks here." Ye Ling said as they walked, "Qianqing, who picked you up last time?"

"The Ma Tao beside the Sect Master was waiting at the Nanlai branch. It was Hall Master Xia who went up the mountain. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have dared to leave with him," Qian Qing replied.

"That's right. Only Uncle Xia can break Master's Stonehenge." As they arrived at the Stonehenge, Ye Ling continued, "You guys wait outside. I'll go in and disable the mechanism on the other side. Otherwise, it's too dangerous."

After Ye Ling finished speaking, he used light skills to accurately avoid all the traps along the way, arrived at the other side, closed the traps to let Qian Qing and the other three over, then activated the traps, and by the way, modified the Stonehenge for safety reasons.

The five people continued to move forward, and after two quarters of an hour, they finally arrived at the courtyard. When they pushed open the wooden door, a familiar smell hit them in the face, but the courtyard was overgrown with weeds.

"You're finally back," Qian Qing said with a smile.

"We'll just get some sleep tonight. Qianqing, you stay in your old room and squeeze in with Eighth Sister. Li Ye will stay in Jiuyou's room. Tomorrow morning, we'll start cleaning up. We've already had dinner, so there's no need to eat again. Let's each clean up our own room. Wanqi will sleep with me tonight, and we'll assign you new rooms tomorrow. Li Ye, there's a temporary storage room built by Jiuyou at the door. There's lamp oil in it. Let's light all the lanterns in the yard with new ones."

"Okay." Li also took a flashlight and went to the small room to look for lamp oil.

Ye Ling took out a few new lanterns from the space. Qian Qing went up to Ye Ling's room on the second floor first and tidied it up for her.

A quarter of an hour later, the courtyard was quiet but bright, with more than a dozen lanterns lit all night long.

After Wanqi fell asleep, Ye Ling entered the space, took a shower and changed clothes, and then went to see Jiuyou as usual.

"Master, Jiuyou moved several times today. He should be waking up soon." Mengmeng was very happy.

Ye Ling touched Jiuyou's cheek and said, "Silly boy, let's go home. I finally understand what Master meant by those last few words before he died. He said, 'Child, if all else fails, let's go home. I'll build you a small courtyard. It's not big, but it's a place where you can escape all the trivialities of the world. You can avoid seeing anyone you don't want to see and be free from worry.'"

"Master, are you sad again?"

Ye Ling smiled bitterly. "The dead cannot be resurrected. I know I should be patient and accept the change. I just think Master was very foresighted. He knew that after hearing what happened to Yuan Jialin, I would definitely not be able to stay in Langya Pavilion anymore, so he showed me the way in advance. This is the home Master gave me. Jiuyou, please wake up soon. Our family of six can live in seclusion in the mountains here, at peace with the world."

Jiuyou's hand moved. He had been trying hard to respond to Ye Ling recently. He knew everything in his heart and could hear everything, but he just couldn't move or open his eyes.

Ye Ling was very happy to see Jiu You move his hands. "Then go to sleep. Good night. I have to help clean up the yard tomorrow. It will be very busy."

The mountains and forests in March are like poetry and distant places, showcasing the mystery and tranquility of nature in the spring season. Trees, streams, and wildflowers together form a beautiful painting, bringing a fresh and natural atmosphere.

The warm morning light illuminated the courtyard. Ye Ling stretched lazily and went out. Standing in the corridor on the second floor, he looked at the courtyard. Li Ye had almost finished clearing the weeds in the yard. Qian Qing was also busy in the kitchen, with smoke rising. Wan Qi was still asleep, and Ba Mei was helping Li Ye to shovel the weeds with a small shovel.

Qian Qing was the first to notice Ye Ling and immediately went upstairs with a basin of hot water: "Miss, wash up and you can have breakfast. I threw away all the unusable and broken things in the kitchen."

"I'll restock your supplies later." Ye Ling began to wash up.

Qianqing cleaned the house skillfully. The climate here was humid and there was almost no dust. The furniture could be cleaned with just a wipe.

After washing her face, Ye Ling also helped to clean up. The two of them quickly finished mopping the floor and left the room. Ye Ling went down the stairs, and Qian Qing walked backwards, mopping the corridor and stairs clean.

Ye Ling stood in the courtyard and said, "Let me assign the tasks. Qianqing, you will be responsible for cooking and cleaning the remaining rooms. Li and I also have a big project to do."

"Slave...I understand," Qian Qing responded. Ye Ling did not allow her to call herself a slave anymore, so she had no choice but to change it to "I".

"Miss, all the horses have been taken out to graze. It will take half a day to graze the grass in the yard," Li Ye said.

"It's okay, don't worry, just follow me," Ye Ling said as he walked into Qian Qing's room.

Li followed in with a shovel in hand: "Miss, we are all...?"

"This room is a bit small. It's filled with a bed, a wardrobe, a dressing table, and a small round table," said Ye Ling.

"The bed you bought for Qianqing is too big and takes up a lot of space."

"You don't understand, let's tear down this wall"

"You mean to connect these two small rooms to make one big room?"

"Yes, I'll give you Qianqing as your wedding room. It will be spacious for you to live in later. The small room opposite you can't be expanded because it's next to the kitchen. Although we have an outdoor stove, we still have to cook in the kitchen when it's cold and rainy. And it's also cleaner to store rice, flour and seasonings in there. Then let Wanqi and Eighth Sister live in the small room opposite. What do you think?"

"Thank you, Miss" Li Ke was happy.

"Hurry up and clean up the room the day before. I will hold a wedding for you two. Didn't we agree on this a few days ago? Besides, you are not young anymore. Qianqing and I are the same age. This year has passed, and you are twenty-one years old."

"Yes, I'll get started right away. The wall is made of wooden boards and it's not a load-bearing wall, so it's very easy to demolish." Li was also full of strength. For his wife, he had to work hard.

Ye Ling first went out to the kitchen opposite. Qian Qing had already cleaned up the place early in the morning. He took out rice and flour, filling two large jars, and then put in oil, seasonings, vegetables and meat.

"Wanqi Wanqi, come down quickly and mow the grass," Eighth Sister shouted in the yard.

"I'm coming," Wanqi, who had just gotten up, trotted down the stairs. "Eighth sister, let's clean up our new home together. This will be where we live from now on. Do you like it?"

Eighth Sister nodded: "I like it, I like it very much."

Ye Ling came out of the kitchen, looked at the two children, smiled slightly, and after going around in circles, she came back here again. Maybe this was her life, this was her home.