Chapter 79: Jiang Mianmian’s Early Education
Nighttime.
The mountain path was not easy to walk.
But Mother walked very steadily.
Mother walked in front to clear the way.
There wasn’t a single stumble along the way.
The benefits of being an infant were apparent again; otherwise, by the time she could walk, she would have had to walk to save her own life~~
She was so optimistic.
Jiang Mianmian truly felt that the reason she was so optimistic was that she hadn’t actually lived a hard life.
Anyone who had lived even a single day of hardship wouldn’t be this optimistic.
It was also because, although the family was poor, the hardship hadn’t fallen upon her.
She always felt very secure.
Even while fleeing for their lives, she felt that with Father, Mother, Elder Brother, and Elder Sister around, she would definitely be fine.
The four people above her were all taller than her.
On the road to escape, Elder Sister could even dig up mushrooms from the dark ground, saying in surprise while digging: “There were no mushrooms here during the day; could it be that they are easier to pick at night?”
Elder Brother walked in the back, urging Jiang Yu from time to time: “If you pick any more mushrooms, I’m going to leave you behind.”
The only one who had a bit of a hard time was probably Father; he fell twice, but he didn’t make a sound.
Seeing Father fall, Jiang Mianmian couldn’t help but call out in her soft, sweet voice: “Father, Father, add oil.”
Jiang Changtian didn’t know what “add oil” meant.
Qin Luoxia said: “Is it because she just saw me applying oil to your scalded hand, so she thinks adding oil will make it better, and is telling you to ‘add oil’?”
Jiang Changtian wasn’t hurt by the fall; he stood up and couldn’t help but kiss Mianmian on the head.
“Father is fine, add oil, it’s fine.”
So “add oil” could be interpreted this way; she had forgotten that people at this time didn’t say “add oil” (as in encouragement).
Jiang Mianmian, having had her head kissed by Father, was very happy.
Although they were fleeing for their lives, it felt to her like the whole family was on a trip together.
Fortunately, they hadn’t gone far before Mother found a cave for everyone.
Qin Luoxia lit a flint, saying somewhat awkwardly: “I found this place last time I came to dig for wild vegetables; it’s quite good.”
The cave wound inwards and had a faint, lingering odor, but it seemed to have been cleaned out.
The cave was hung with many air-dried boars? Bears? Wolves?
It looked like oversized wind chimes.
Qin Luoxia coughed twice, feeling uncomfortable again.
“I encountered them while digging for wild vegetables. Bringing them back to the village would have been too flashy, so I roasted them here to dry.”
Jiang Yu said excitedly: “Mother, I also picked fresh mushrooms. If we stew them, it will definitely be fragrant.”
Jiang Feng:…I still need to work harder. My sword isn’t sharp enough; I might not even be able to defeat Mother.
Jiang Changtian… Sister Xia has sacrificed so much for me; I must make her happy.
Jiang Mianmian… My Mother seems like Guangtou Qiang; are those Bear Xiong Da and Xiong Er hanging in the cave?
The location of this cave was excellent. It wasn’t far from the village, but it was very hidden because the entrance was curved; it would be hard for outsiders to discover there was a cave here.
The villagers were experienced in fleeing; by scattering and hiding in different places, the chances of survival were higher.
Qin Luoxia was also selfish. When she found this place, she had absolutely no intention of bringing anyone else; as long as she could take care of her own family, that was enough.
After all, this was a life-or-death moment; if one still worried about this and that, they wouldn’t even know how they died.
A small campfire was lit in the cave.
Mother even produced a straw mat. Jiang Mianmian was placed on the mat, and the family gathered around the fire.
Jiang Mianmian saw Mother take out an earthenware pot again.
There was water in the pot, and they set up a simple rack to boil water.
Jiang Yu wanted to throw mushrooms into it, but was flicked on the forehead by Elder Brother, and she behaved.
She held her head and said: “These mushrooms are very white; I’ve eaten them before, they aren’t poisonous, really.”
Jiang Mianmian shook her head: “No, no, no~~”
She didn’t want the whole family to end up in coffins.
Jiang Changtian couldn’t help but laugh, but felt even more heartbroken.
Qin Luoxia rolled her eyes upon hearing her daughter’s words.
It was really a shame for her mouth. When she was pregnant with her, times were hard and there was nothing to eat, but now she was like a reincarnated starving ghost, not worrying about anything, just thinking about food.
“Drink some hot water; the old saying goes that hot water cures a hundred illnesses,” Qin Luoxia said.
It was what her Mother said, and her Mother said her Father used to say that in the army, winter was truly cold, and they lacked clothes and food; a mouthful of hot water made them feel like they had come back to life.
The family gathered around the small fire, boiling the small earthenware pot. When the water in the pot boiled, everyone got a bamboo cup of hot water.
Jiang Mianmian had some too, placed further away, worrying she might touch it, so it had to be cooled first.
Jiang Mianmian was getting a little sleepy.
She snuggled into Father’s arms.
Father sat cross-legged, sitting very straight.
Even when it was just their own family, Father still had a dignified air.
Qin Luoxia was actually a bit tired; leaning against the rock behind her, she started to get drowsy.
She said: “I’ll doze for a bit; wake me up later, I’ll keep watch.”
As she said this, she leaned back and actually fell asleep very quickly.
When she fell asleep, she subconsciously leaned against her husband’s shoulder, sleeping even more soundly.
Jiang Feng and Jiang Yu, on the other hand, were a little excited.
It was probably the same feeling as Jiang Mianmian.
To children, it didn’t feel like fleeing, but like an outing.
Jiang Changtian had a baby in his arms, and his wife leaning against him.
One of his hands gently rubbed Sister Xia’s head, and the other hand patted the infant in his arms.
Seeing that the two older children had wide-open eyes and didn’t look sleepy, he said: “Father will teach you some ways of conducting yourself in the world.”
Jiang Mianmian lingered in Father’s arms; she wanted to listen too.
However, she was a bit sleepy, opening her mouth to yawn, her eyes slightly squinting.
Jiang Feng and Jiang Yu both nodded very seriously.
Usually, Father was very hardworking, leaving early and returning late. Even though they liked spending time with Father, they didn’t want to pester him, worrying that he was too tired.
Today, in the cave, the whole family was together, and this feeling was different.
Jiang Yu and Jiang Feng were both like good babies, obediently learning from Father to sit cross-legged and straight.
The wind in the cave was light, and the fire was steady.
Everyone’s shadows were cast by the fire onto the cave wall, tall and large.
Jiang Mianmian was leaning in Father’s arms. Looking at this moment, she inexplicably felt a sense of solemnity. She wondered, was this how Confucius taught his students?
Traveling the world with a group of students, passing by a cave to avoid the cold and spend the night, and when the mood struck, starting to lecture in front of a campfire.
Because the journey was long and supplies were incomplete on the road, hardworking students had to record on the walls, and thus murals were created???
Thinking this, Jiang Mianmian yawned again.
Father’s voice sounded above her head.
“If you hate someone, how do you eliminate them.”
Jiang Yu’s eyes widened.
Jiang Feng was also a bit stunned.
Jiang Mianmian woke up a bit. This was solid advice? Her Father had some real skills; no, wait, what was Father teaching?
Ways of conducting oneself, not how to make people pass away!!!
Jiang Yu said: “Use poison, quietly and without anyone knowing.”
Jiang Feng said: “If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. First, frame them with a crime, then kill them.”
Jiang Mianmian also wanted to speak… but after thinking for a long time, she really didn’t know this question; in a society ruled by law, it wasn’t allowed.
The long-haired young man had a calm face and a gentle expression.
One hand adjusted his wife’s head to be more comfortable, and the other hand hugged the child in his arms tighter.
He spoke slowly: “Fenger is right. First, convict them. Tell the world that this person has a bad temper, is a liar, is fickle, and is evil-hearted. Regardless of what the world thinks, they themselves will slowly be influenced by this narrative and gradually become that kind of person.”
Jiang Mianmian wasn’t sleepy anymore; this, wasn’t this just labeling?
“Secondly, frame them. Dig pits and set traps for them, keep digging pits and setting traps, one link after another, luring them into the trap so they have no way out.”
“Finally, study their weaknesses. When the time is ripe, attack their weakest point, leave them with no place to be buried, let no one believe them or listen to them, and let them die by their own hand.”
In the cave, Father’s voice flowed gently.
Gentle and calm.
Jiang Mianmian, however, felt inexplicably sad listening to it.
It felt like Father’s voice sounded a bit sorrowful.
Looking up across the campfire, Elder Sister had actually fallen asleep~~
How could Elder Sister fall asleep? This lesson was very important. Jiang Mianmian wished she could shout at her to wake up and keep listening; this was a professional course, you might need it for inner-chamber fighting in the future.
However, she was worried that shouting would affect Father’s lecture, and also worried about waking Mother up, so she could only yawn and continue listening.
Jiang Yu leaned against Elder Brother’s leg, and like Mother, started snoring softly.
Jiang Feng was still sitting, and continued to ask: “And then, Father, what if that’s not enough? What if the opponent is very strong? What if they still don’t die?”
“If they are very strong, you can ‘kill them with praise’. Flatter them everywhere, make them arrogant and conceited, and make them offend others.”
“If they are very strong and you have to listen to them, you can feign compliance. On the surface, be obedient and extremely loyal to gain their trust, and then backstab them later.”
Jiang Feng nodded seriously.
He held his sword with one hand and stroked Jiang Yu’s head with the other.
“Father, you sleep for a while; I’ll keep watch, I can do it.”
Jiang Changtian looked at the youth, long hair, long sword, and suddenly realized his son had grown up; he was more steady and taller than before.
“Good. I’ll sleep for a while, and then I’ll switch with you later.”
Jiang Changtian held the infant and leaned against his wife, closing his eyes.
Jiang Mianmian was already exhausted, and in Father’s embrace, she also fell asleep.
Her head was against Father, and her little feet were kicking Mother’s head.
Before falling asleep, she took a look: Ant was crawling back and forth in front of the campfire, the white horse was flicking its tail not far from the cave entrance, and across the fire were Elder Brother and Elder Sister.
The whole family was there, and she also fell asleep, soon starting to snore softly.
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