Salted Fish Lady Loves to Eat Melons

Chapter 74: Big Brother is tough, it's no big deal to be punished

"You still have the nerve to cry at the gate? You've brought shame to the palace." Xiao Jin's cold voice was like snow wrapped in cold wind.

When the Xiao family saw that his veins were bulging, as if he was looking for someone to vent his anger on, they were so scared that they swarmed towards the gate.

Madam Xiao instinctively didn't want to disobey, "Ying'er, let's go to the mansion first and tell grandma what happened later."

Back in the hall, Xiao Libo couldn't wait to ask, "Sixteenth sister, did you really get into trouble in the palace?"

"Second brother, do you even need to ask? Sixteenth sister said she almost died in the palace. She must have gotten into some big trouble."

"Sixteenth sister, don't just cry. Tell us what happened first so that we can have a better idea."

"Wow... I saw my sister-in-law playing the piano and getting rewarded by the emperor, so I also wanted to play the piano to show off myself. The emperor didn't say anything, but a minister wanted to beat me with a stick."

"Sixteen! You deserve to be beaten with a stick. Can you compare with our sister-in-law?" Xiao Lao Er said gloatingly.

"Second brother is right. Sixteenth sister wants to compete with eldest sister-in-law. Don't you have any self-awareness?"

"Hmph, let alone playing the piano in the palace, even at a normal flower viewing banquet, Sixteenth Sister is not qualified to play the piano on stage."

The words of her brothers and sisters were like needles that pierced the soft spot in Xiao Jinying's heart, as if telling her that she was just an insignificant existence.

Everyone's attitude made her feel extremely ashamed and helpless. She was so angry that her whole body was shaking and tears were sparkling in her eyes.

Her eldest brother sat in a high position, looking down at her with infinite anger in his eyes, which frightened her so much that she didn't even dare to cry.

"Ying'er, grandma doesn't think you looked like you'd been beaten?" Old Madam Xiao asked when she saw her granddaughter had stopped crying.

"My granddaughter was not beaten. It was my eldest sister-in-law who knelt down and begged for mercy on my behalf, saying that she had not disciplined me well and that she should be punished..."

"Sixteenth sister, how could you cause trouble and let our sister-in-law be punished?" Xiao Laosi was so angry that he stood up and questioned.

"Sixteenth sister, it's fine if you usually make trouble in the mansion, but you even dared to cause trouble in the palace and let your sister-in-law take the blame for you."

"Sixteenth sister, you are so mean. My sister-in-law didn't allow you to attend the palace banquet, but you insisted on going, and you got into trouble after you went."

"Sixteenth sister, do you want to kill us? If anything happens to our eldest sister-in-law, we will have to eat porridge every day!"

Seeing that everyone was looking at her angrily, Xiao Jinying was so scared that she blurted out, "Sister-in-law was not punished, but it was my brother who was punished in the end."

"........."

The brothers who had just fiercely accused Xiao Jinying suddenly became as quiet as chickens after hearing the words.

At the same time, a thought came to their minds: Big Brother is tough and it's no big deal for him to be punished.

"What punishment did the emperor give your eldest brother?" Xiao's father couldn't help but ask. He knew the emperor too well and he would definitely not let go of punishing the Xiao family's children.

"Brother, you are punished to go to the border tonight. If I hadn't been so reckless as to anger that minister, you wouldn't have set out at night."

"..."

When the Xiao family brothers and sisters heard what Xiao Shiliu said, they kept silent even more. They were all fantasizing in their hearts: How nice it would be if the eldest brother was not at home!
They eat meat three times a day and don't have to deal with the low pressure of the cold-faced King of Hell.

"Jin'er is leaving tonight, so let's eat right away." There was no trace of anger in Old Madam Xiao's voice.

But she was happy in her heart. Her husband was a man of no ability, and the less capable a person was, the greater his expectations for his children and grandchildren.

He dreamed that one day his son would catch the emperor's eye, and then be promoted to a higher position and revive the Xiao family's glory. He himself lived a life of drunkenness and dreams every day, but forced his children to work hard. How could such a beautiful thing happen in the world?

Her eldest son was making continuous progress, but her husband was never satisfied and always nagging him to make more progress.

In the end, he turned his son into a playboy. In the morning, he would drink and walk his bird with friends, and in the afternoon, they would go to a brothel together.

Not only did the playboy son fail to win the emperor's appreciation, but he was also even more disliked by the emperor because of his playboy nature.

The old Marquis Cheng'en was severely reprimanded by the emperor, who even ordered him to never attend court again.

Then her husband died of depression, leaving them, an orphan and a widow, struggling to support the Cheng'en Marquisate.

Although the old lady did not force her grandchildren to succeed like her husband did.

But she was still influenced by her husband and always had a wish in her heart, which was to hope that her grandchildren could restore the glory of the Xiao family.

When she heard that her eldest grandson was going to the frontier, she was very excited. She was glad that the emperor was willing to make use of the descendants of the Xiao family.

When Xiao Jin saw his grandmother’s excited face when she heard that he was going to the border, she didn’t worry about his life or death at all?
He looked at the little girl again and saw that she was also frowning at her grandmother, and he felt much better.

The meal was eaten in silence at the Xiao residence. Most people in the Xiao family were happy, but they did not dare to show it because their eldest brother looked unhappy.

After dinner, Wen Qingwan hurried back to the yard to help Xiao Jin pack his luggage, and Xiao Jin went with her.

She said embarrassedly: "Husband, I didn't know you were going to the border so soon, and I didn't prepare winter clothes for you."

"My lady has prepared summer clothes for your husband, which are more than enough. The north wind is so fierce that brocade and silk are not suitable."

"Is it very cold in the north?" Wen Qingwan asked curiously. She had never left the capital in her two lifetimes.

“It’s very cold, especially in the winter when it’s covered in ice and snow, the cold air can condense into white fog and everything will freeze.

In that environment, if you accidentally touch your ear, it's like touching a frozen blade, and the whole ear will snap off."

Wen Qingwan, who was packing her luggage, was so frightened that her clothes fell to the ground. "Is it that scary?"

"It's okay once you get used to it." Xiao Jin said calmly, although he exaggerated a little.

But he was indeed not lying, as one of his soldiers accidentally lost his ear.

"Husband, the northern border is so difficult, why don't you not go!" Wen Qingwan said a little reluctantly.

She only met a person who treated her well once in two lifetimes. If he died on the battlefield, she would be alone again in this life!
Xiao Jin was extremely happy that the little girl kept him, and this made him more determined to try his best to come back alive.

"My wife, the emperor's order cannot be disobeyed. Your husband must leave tonight. You must take good care of yourself. Your husband will definitely come back safe and sound.

I want to live a good life with you, have children with you, and grow old together with you."

"Well, we'll live a good life together when you come back." Wen Qingwan said gently.

She naturally knew that the emperor's order could not be disobeyed, and she just spoke rashly and willfully.

“The words ‘live a good life’ contain too many things. People in the Great Sheng Dynasty were all living a good life, and some people worked hard on the farm all year round.

Some people go out to set up stalls before dawn, some beg on the streets, and some sell their children because they can’t afford to eat.”

(End of this chapter)