In the

dark, both of Xia Fen’s legs kicked out, rus.h.i.+ng into Xia Ling Mei’s embrace.

His small body rocked in his arms for a little while, finally he grasped hold

of her waist, rapidly breathing he climbed a little higher, then holding his

mother’s neck, rubbing his head against hers over and over, repeatedly calling

`mother`.

Xia Ling

Mei held her son tightly, slowly exhaling. This small idiot was like a cat

seeing fish when he sees his mother, no matter where, no matter what he was

doing, he wouldn’t care, as if in his eyes apart from his mother there was no

longer anybody else or anything.

“Speak in

whispers, your daddy is sleeping.”

Xia Ling

Mei turned her head to look at w.a.n.g Yun Feng on the bed. Maybe he was too

tired, Xia Fen had made such a ruckus, w.a.n.g Yun Feng still slept very deeply.

Bedding were kicked off, showing the arm he was half hugging, originally Xia

Fen was lying in there, now it was already completely empty. It looks as if,

these days that Xia Ling Mei hasn’t been here, w.a.n.g Yun Feng looked at his son

very importantly.

Xia Ling

Mei patted Xia Fen, this clever child was already very familiar with his

mother’s moves, rumbling he climbed from the front of his mother to her back,

still holding onto her neck and not letting go. From over her shoulders he saw

Xia Ling Mei rearrange w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s lapel, arranging him into a comfortable

position. w.a.n.g Yun Feng budged a little, seeming as if he woke up for a short

while, probably thinking it was Xiao Bai coming to check on Xia Fen’s sleeping

posture, he felt around the bed for a bit, directly coming across Xia Ling

Mei’s wrist, muttering: “How can you roll from the bed to the floor.” Pulling

her hand under the quilt, subconsciously tucking the quilt in, falling asleep

again in a daze.

In the dark

room, there wasn’t a sliver of light, but Xia Ling Mei could distinguish which

ash-colour was his face, which was the quilt. Xia Ling Mei heartachingly

extended her fingertip to touch his cheeks, his skin was rough, pus.h.i.+ng down

there was no feeling of plump flesh.

Xia Ling

Mei examined w.a.n.g Yun Feng closely up down and everywhere once, then did she

piggyback Xia Fen out of the room, turning into the side room next door. During

the day this was where w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s trunks and baskets of junk were piled

up, when Xiao Bai saw Xia Ling Mei had arrived, he hurriedly tidied up the bed

in that room. Even if it’s the mistress, there was still no reason for him to

be sweet with the master in the disaster region, it would not be good to

attract suspicion and jealousy. Because it was Winter was coming, 

Xia Ling Mei had

the shadow guards bring along some winter clothes, there were hers and w.a.n.g Yun

Feng’s, the shadow guards were also concerned about their comrades here, they

did not bring too little personal goods here, there was nowhere to hide it, everything

was piled here, crammed in that only the bed was empty

Xia Ling

Mei herself shook out a sheepskin cape, it wasn’t good to bring too luxurious

items to disaster regions, sheepskin was both common and warm, and was sewn on

the inside, on the outside it was a very common material, in truth it was warm.

After carrying Xia Fen inside she immediately used the cape to wrap him up, Xia

Fen was much more well-behaved in Xia Ling Mei’s arms than w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s.

Compared to w.a.n.g Yun Feng, Xia Fen had been away from Xia Ling Mei for much

longer, increasingly not willing to take half a step away from his mother,

tightly shrinking into her arms not moving.

Xia Ling

Mei stroked her son’s head, and pinching his cheeks, shoulders, chest, waist,

hands and foot, even his bottom was not let off and was squeezed, even more

heart-broken than compared to just before.

w.a.n.g Yun

Feng was an adult, and was doing his job, it was certain the demanding work

would make him lose weight. But her son who ought to have been free and

unfettered on the outside unexpectedly came here to bear hards.h.i.+ps, as a mother

she couldn’t help be anxious. She had intentionally looked over the dinner

before, even the third ranked maids at the residence ate better, her eyes

nearly reddened on the spot. Everywhere around them were victims, she couldn’t

say, but in her heart it really hurt.

“Mother!”

Xia Fen moved around a little in her arms, yawning, “mother sleep with me.”

“I can’t,

mother is only worried about you, wanting to see you. Just sleep with your

father tonight, tomorrow I’ll come and join you.”

Xia Fen

pursed his lips: “I don’t like him, I want mother.”

Xia Ling

Mei flicked his nose: “You don’t like daddy but allow him to protect you? Fen

Er don’t fuss, mother has something to do tonight, tomorrow morning I’ll come

find you again, you can’t be an annoying troublemaker.”

When is Xia

Fen willing to honestly behave. In accordance with his former behaviour, Xia

Ling Mei in any event hated to scold him, if there was something wrong he would

just act cute. Consequently, Xia Fen struggled a little while in Xia Ling Mei’s

arms, using all his strength he forced his mother onto the bed, he crossed his

legs together, hugging her with both arms: “I want to sleep with mother!”

Xia Ling Mei

stared, turning him over she placed him on her knees, brus.h.i.+ng aside the cape

she pulled down his trousers, hitting her hand on her son’s bottom. A speedy

sound, like a thunder exploding in the night, both resonant and ringing.

Xia Fen was

shocked, almost crying out loudly. Granted w.a.n.g Yun Feng had spanked his bottom

with a chicken feather duster, why is the mother he loves the most hitting him

as well? Mother has been led astray by the cheap father! You are…en, according

to the crown prince’s theory: villains colluded together, husband and wife

follow each other’s bad example! Specialising in bullying their own son!

Xia Fen

sobbed completely broken-hearted sprawled on the bedding, even though there

wasn’t a single tear, but his heart was genuinely wounded. He still didn’t dare

to make a noise, because mother was still staring at him in anger. Why was

mother angry? He was obviously the person who was beaten, mother looked like

she was the one who suffered. 

According to Juan Shu’s teaching: This is the way

of the world, bully intolerable!

Xia Fen had

been with this w.a.n.g family of bookish hypocrites for a while, inevitably he

also learned a lot more, when they wanted something in a daydream some certain

words couldn’t help but be spoken, appearing to be of great talent.

Xia Fen

feeling aggrieved was carried back to w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s room by Xia Ling Mei,

then once again squeezed back in w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s arm, compared to the

continuous affection from when she rushed over, when she left it was simply

unfeeling, she didn’t even turn her head to look at Xia Fen once.

Xia Fen bore

into w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s arms, mother is too bad, mother is too brutal, mother

doesn’t love Fen Er…again shrinking into the warm chest, putting the sole of

his feet into his cheap father’s inner clothes, putting his father’s arms

around his waist.

w.a.n.g Yun

Feng deeply asked in a muddle: “Where did you go just now?”

Xia Fen

quietly: “To wee wee.”

w.a.n.g Yun

Feng simply didn’t suspect him, hugging his son tightly not leaving a gap:

“Sleep.”

When his

eyelids fluttered, Xia Fen thought: mother even hit her own son, cheap father

must have often been beaten?

Xia Ling

Mei truthfully had something to do that night. At first she had only thought

w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s body was slightly weak, but after seeing him did she then

discover he had lost a terrible amount of weight. w.a.n.g Yun Feng was unlike Xia

Ling Mei and Xia Fen, he was a weak scholar, hitting pressure points was simply

to use in a sudden outburst against enemies, usually he very rarely trained his

body, and with the old wounds over these few years, arriving at Zhuozhou, heavy

humidity, and tiring, if he didn’t take care of his health sooner or later he

will be serious ill. Moreover the unexpected Xia Fen, the father and son did

not know how to look after people, if they collapsed, Xia Ling Mei would be

scared half to death.

However,

seeing the father and son sleeping together, her secret worries during her

journey here was reduced. At least, with Xia Fen here, w.a.n.g Yun Feng wouldn’t

let his imagination run wild like the old housekeeper said. The power of

relatives, to w.a.n.g Yun Feng it was immense. And cannot be excluded, with Xia

Fen by his side, even if w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s body collapse his spirit would still

not collapse, he would protect his son with his last breath.

Therefore,

the over worried Xia Ling Mei could no longer bear to see Xia Fen’s acting

spoiled, wholeheartedly wis.h.i.+ng it would be slightly better if her son would

depend on w.a.n.g Yun Feng even more.

Late at

night she ran to the little kitchen, Hei Zi who had not revealed his face at

all had long ago complied with her order to go hunt pheasants and hares in the

mountain forest, it was winter, a lot of animals were hibernating, he searched

everywhere for prey, and accidentally catch a female bear deep in the mountain.

He didn’t kill the mother bear, only knocking the bear out, then from her chest

cut a little opening to take out some bile, after he applied herbal medicine

then released it.

Xia Ling

Mei shredded the pheasant, strips of fowl and plain rice congee was boiled

together with medicinal ingredients. The fowl’s bottom was especially left out

to string together into a skewer to be fried, and with noodles, making mushroom

steamed dumplings, thinking about it, she also threw  a few sweet potatoes into the open fire,

hanging a medicine pot to boil medicine for w.a.n.g Yun Feng.

She asked

Hei Zi to watch the fire in the kitchen, she herself returned to the room again

to tidy w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s personal items. He didn’t have many winter clothes, now

his health was poor, it was best for him to wear fur, but this would also make

it easier for him to be criticised by people. Xia Ling Mei pondered over it,

turning his middle layer clothing inside out, cutting another of her own rabbit

fur cloak, sewing it into the belly, waist, shoulder and other such areas of

the middle layer clothing, again making him several knee coverings that he

could wear under his trousers, so people couldn’t see it. Adding two more

layers to the sole of his shoes, putting rabbit fur into the insole. After

doing the knees, she again did the hands and elbows, then made wrist

protectors. Only she used three layers for the wrist protectors, the middle

layer was rabbit fur, on the surface it looked like common material. 

After

making it for her husband, she then had to do it for her son, busy continuously

until early morning, only then did her eyes feel a light sting.

Compared to

that father and son, at least she could still preserve the dignity of an

official family, in order to not attract attention Xia Ling Mei, had removed

all the golden hairpins on her, only wearing the clothes of a Jianghu married

woman, not splendid but actually simply and practical. When she was in Beiding

city, as long as she was awake she would definitely wear makeup, here she was

natural without makeup, restraining the pampered rich woman’s att.i.tude, only a

little bit more neat and imposing than a common woman.

After she

had tidied up properly, when she heard the sound of w.a.n.g Yun Feng leaving next

door, that’s when she went to find Xia Fen. Xia Fen was already used to looking

after himself, he didn’t need someone to worry about dressing him and eating,

like an extremely wild young beast, a little bit too savage, but still didn’t

need to rely on others, even more he didn’t have the usual arrogance of a child

of an influential family.

Xia Ling

Mei made Xia Fen wash his face and rinse his mouth, she swiftly cleaned that

entire room, seeing that it wasn’t going to rain, she might as well put the

quilt outside, by the dried up thin tree trunk and the wall she put up a bamboo

frame to air out the quilt and other things.

The father

and son personal matters were dealt with by Xia Ling Mei, Juan Shu and Xiao Bai

did other things, running errands for w.a.n.g Yun Feng.

Waiting

until w.a.n.g Yun Feng had organised his own family’s important matters, she then

went to the kitchen to bring out the basket of food, going to the lobby.

There

weren’t many people in the early morning, the smell of food wafted out from

many of the houses, some people were carrying things in succession. The gap in

the dam had long ago been repaired, the sun was out over these last days, the

ground also gradually revealed moist earth, some villages on higher grounds

were already safe and sound, the villagers who had received supplies to past

the winter already wanted to go back. If there was still time, they could fix

their houses before the new year, then rush to plough the fields in the spring,

in time for the first harvest.

Xia Ling

Mei stood at the courtyard entrance for a while, unexpectedly she saw that Hua

family sedan. Could it be that Lady Hua has come again?

Xia Ling

Mei grinded her teeth, w.a.n.g Yun Feng, you really believe you don’t attract love

affairs?

Her

original carefree mood immediately vanished like smoke in thin air. Xia Ling

Mei strolled in along the broken rocks, before she spoke, she saw Lady Hua

leaning in w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s arms in the inner hall, Xia Fen aggressively

advanced at Hua Bao Xia waving the biggest long sword.

“You fox

dare to seduce my daddy!” He shouted violently, shaking the village chief who

hadn’t left tottering.

Xia Ling

Mei stepped forward, stepping inside the threshold, she laughed sinisterly in

front of everyone, exposing her sharp teeth like a vixen: “Lord w.a.n.g, you’re so

lucky with woman!”

w.a.n.g Yun

Feng suddenly lifted his head: “Ling… Ling Mei!”

********************************

T/N: Sorry I have to leave you hanging for this week >_