The Rebirth of a Farm Girl from a Military Family and a Cannon Fodder Princess

"What? What did you say?!" Zisu was extremely surprised and could hardly believe her ears.

Xiangli repeated, "Hua'er and her general brother have arrived. The general even said that he must see the girl!"

How could this be?! Didn't Madam Jiang consider her a thorn in her side?! It would take at least three or four days to get here. How did these two siblings manage to deceive Madam Jiang? If they hadn't come secretly, Madam Jiang would never have agreed to let Jiang Chun come. Madam Jiang regarded her as a monstrous threat.

If the Second Madam knew that Jiang Chun had come to see her, would she be so angry that she would vomit blood?

Zisu put down the jam in her hand and went to the reception room of the thatched cottage.

Today, the thatched cottage has become a guest house.

The second courtyard was reserved for the eldest princess to live in later, but the first courtyard was used to entertain guests. Even if villagers from Wuliping came to visit, they would be taken to the thatched cottage to be entertained, so that the family members would not be disturbed!

For example, if it were Yi Ge'er and Han Ge'er's children, they would definitely be noisy. If they were entertained at the thatched cottage, Grandma could have some peace and quiet. If it were the elderly people who came to visit Grandma, entertaining them at the thatched cottage would prevent Zisu from being judged by those elderly people and save her from the embarrassment of being asked to be a matchmaker.

Jiang Chun arrived, and Zisu, being a thirteen-year-old girl, could have refrained from attending. However, Zisu's family situation was unique; there were no adult men in the household. Her maternal grandmother and Madam Yu were even less likely to entertain an adult male, so Zisu had no choice but to go in.

Besides, this person specifically asked to see her! It seemed impossible not to go. Oh well, Hua'er was there anyway! He was just Jiang Chun; she'd never imagined marrying someone like him. Since that was the case, she might as well be open and honest; there was no need to avoid him.

Zisu took her younger brother and cousin to see Jiang Chun and Hua'er.

When Hua'er saw Zisu, she rushed over from afar: "Sister Zisu, I missed you so much! When Aunt brought Yue'er here, I really wanted to come along, but my mother wouldn't allow it and kept a close eye on me, so I couldn't get away at all! Sister Zisu, didn't you miss me too!"

Zisu squatted down, opened her arms, and hugged Hua'er: "Little Flower, I missed you so much too!"

The two embraced affectionately, and Jiang Chun, watching from the side, couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

Given how her mother treated Zisu, one would expect her to dislike him and Hua'er as well. Yet, she didn't hold a grudge and remained so affectionate towards Hua'er. Such magnanimity is truly admirable.

No wonder Hua'er was so attached to her; her aunt spoke highly of her, and even her father raved about her. As for her mother, it's said that she initially had a very good impression of Zisu. However, after learning that her father wanted him to marry Zisu, her mother suddenly became extremely displeased with Zisu. All of Zisu's previous virtues inexplicably disappeared from her mother's eyes.

Even the advantages of perilla have become disadvantages!

For example, Zisu was lively and cheerful, but her mother said she was shameless and lacked the virtue and chastity of a proper daughter. For example, Zisu was knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, but her mother said she was restless and that a proper daughter should follow the three obediences and four virtues, and shouldn't read any other books besides those.

In short, Zisu, who was once the best in her mother's heart and eyes, suddenly became a shameless woman who was not even qualified to be his concubine!

This reality is truly ironic.

If my father hadn't taken a liking to Zisu and hadn't intended for her to be his daughter-in-law, my mother would probably still think of Zisu as a good girl now.

My mother is really something. That was just my father's idea; Zisu had no idea about it at all. And yet, my mother still took her anger out on Zisu, openly humiliating her.

Jiang Chun looked at the beautiful, kind, wise, and elegant girl in front of him, and his feelings were very complicated.

If his mother hadn't acted that way, this beautiful and lovely girl might have become his wife and spent her life with him. However, things have come to this, and marrying her may now remain just a dream.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, and greeted her with a smile: "Greetings, Miss Shangguan. My name is Jiang Chun. Please forgive my intrusion!"

Hua'er quickly introduced, "Sister Zisu, this is my eldest brother!"

Zisu smiled slightly and gave a graceful curtsy: "General, it's alright. Hua'er is my good friend. Since you are her elder brother, there's nothing wrong with you staying here for a while! I'm not an old-fashioned person, and I won't have any bad intentions!"

Jiang Chun quickly replied, "Thank you! This time, Hua'er and I would like to stay here for three days. Is that convenient?"

Zisu: "Alright, it's fine! You and Hua'er can stay at the thatched cottage! Princess Xia Tian, ​​who is also a guard, will stay at the thatched cottage. You two can get to know each other!"

As he spoke, he called out, "Guard Xia, please come here for a moment."

Before she could finish speaking, Xia Tian appeared out of nowhere and respectfully asked, "Greetings, young lady. What can I do for you?"

Zisu: "This is General Jiang Chun. Please get to know him. He will be staying at the thatched cottage for the next few days."

Xia Tian quickly bowed to Jiang Chun: "Greetings, General! This humble Xia Tian greets you!" He had actually met Jiang Chun a few times, but had never been in close contact with him.

After saying that, he bowed to the flowers again: "Xia Tian greets Miss!"

In the Jiang family, Hua'er is the eldest daughter, and Yue'er is the second daughter.

Hua'er was delighted to see an acquaintance here: "Xia Tian, ​​I know you! Are you the one Auntie lent to Sister Zisu?"

Xia Tian: "No, from now on I will be the Second Young Master's personal bodyguard and also his martial arts instructor. From now on, I will follow the Second Young Master!"

"Oh, so you can stay here and protect the people of Little Stone Pool from now on?" Hua'er asked, a little surprised.

"Yes, from now on I'm a member of Xiaoshitan!" Xia Tian replied with a smile, his handsome face beaming with joy and happiness.

Jiang Chun suddenly found his smile very irritating.

Why would a mere guard be so handsome?

Zisu is an extraordinary woman, unlike ordinary girls. Perhaps she might take a liking to Xia Tian, ​​the guard? That possibility isn't out of the question. After all, she can earn her own money and doesn't need to rely on a man. And Xia Tian is handsome, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and comes from a respectable family.

Sigh, if she chooses Xia Tian, ​​he'll be so angry he'll vomit blood. Losing to a mere guard would be such a disgrace! Mother, why do you have to give me such a difficult problem?

Zisu was unaware of his inner turmoil and didn't bother to care what he was thinking. She arranged for the brother and sister to stay and then took her leave.

Today, she is going to Taoliyuan to pick bayberries and make dried bayberries.

After taking a bath and changing clothes, and having lunch, Hua'er found out where Zisu was and hurriedly dragged her older brother to Taoli Garden.

"Sister Zisu, I'm here!" Hua'er called out from afar.

Having no other choice, Zisu climbed down from the tree: "Little Flower Sister, why don't you rest at home? Aren't you tired after traveling such a long way?"

Hua'er: "Not tired at all. We came by carriage anyway, and rested for a night on the way. I'm not tired at all!"

Tired? Who says I'm not tired? But seeing how distracted my older brother is, I'll sacrifice myself and come with him to find Zisu!

Sigh, poor eldest brother. Sister Zisu doesn't seem to want to talk to him. It won't be easy for him to win her heart. Sigh, what is Mother doing? To put it bluntly, she's committing a sin!

She stirred up her elder brother's feelings for her, yet she forbids him from marrying her. It would have been better if Father had never had such thoughts in the first place, and everyone had just remained ordinary friends.

Alas, life is full of things that cannot always go as planned.

"Brother, what should we do?" Seeing everyone so dejected, she felt very sad and heartbroken. She knew she had to try and get closer to Sister Zisu to dispel the resentment in her heart. Otherwise, her brother would have no hope at all!

Sure enough, Sister Zisu only said goodbye to her older brother before heading off to pick bayberries with her basket.

Before Hua'er arrived, she had naturally made preparations, bringing several baskets and hampers. Since she was there, she was obliged to help with the work. This time, her elder brother's two personal guards also came along. She herself brought two personal maids.

"Sister Zisu, wait for me!" Hua'er quickly picked up a basket, took off running, and rushed forward.

Zisu said helplessly, "How about this, I'll climb the tree to pick them, and you can pick the lower ones!"

Hua'er said, "Sister Zisu, I'm a little lighter, I'll climb the tree and pick them! You're taller than me, so you can stand under the tree and pick them!" When she stayed here last time, she also learned to climb trees. These bayberry trees in front of her were not very tall, and she was not afraid at all.

Zisu thought for a moment and then agreed: "Okay, be careful!"

If she falls, the second madam might come knocking on her door, and she wouldn't be able to defend herself.

As Hua'er climbed the tree, she laughed happily, "Sister Zisu, don't worry, this tree isn't very tall. Even if I fall, it won't matter! After I go back to the capital, I'll learn martial arts from my father. I won't be that pampered girl anymore!"

In fact, ever since she stayed here for a few months last time, she's no longer a hothouse flower. Since then, she's been dressing herself, pouring her own water, picking her own food, and washing her own underwear. She no longer expects to be waited on hand and foot, living the life of a lazy bum.

Jiang Chun also found a bayberry tree, picked up a basket, and flew to the top of the tree to pick the bayberries at the very top, leaving the ones at the bottom for others to pick. He worked quickly and efficiently, and in no time, he had picked a basket full of bayberries.

Zisu sat upright on a branch, looking through the abundant fruit at the graceful figure on the tree beside her, her feelings were complicated.

Alas, what a pity! If Hua'er's mother hadn't been prejudiced against her and could have gotten along with her, this man would have been a very good choice. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned; she and this young general were destined to be apart!

Sigh, I shouldn't think about it anymore. It's not my thing, so there's no point in thinking about it! Besides, she didn't want to marry into a wealthy family. She just wanted to find an ordinary, responsible man and live a simple and happy life.

After picking the bayberries, Zisu deliberately avoided Jiang Chun and didn't set foot in the thatched cottage again. Jiang Chun invited her to the cottage, saying he wanted to talk to her, but she politely declined.

She wouldn't waste her energy and emotions on someone with whom a relationship was destined to fail; she distanced herself from the beginning to avoid causing trouble. She was a young woman, and she had to cherish her reputation to avoid harming herself and her family.

Jiang Chun was deeply saddened. He stayed at Little Stone Pool for three days but couldn't even see Zisu alone. It was clear she was avoiding him, deliberately keeping her distance. Her decision was obvious. He was destined to miss her in this lifetime!

This was such a painful realization that he was disoriented and unable to eat or sleep. No matter how delicious the food was, it tasted like cardboard to him, leaving him with no appetite.

If he misses her, he may never be able to fall in love with another woman in his life!

Jiang Chun arrived with hope and left with deep sorrow.

On the third day after returning to the capital, he bid farewell to his parents and headed to the Northwest.

Before leaving, he locked himself in the study with his father and had a long talk.