TGDS Chapter 85.1

The Good Dad System (Arc 12) Chapter 85.1: (Ancient Times) The People Around My Daughter Have All Been Reborn (4)

Within the capital city, as always, people came and went. This was the capital of a dynasty, and merchants, scholars, and high-ranking officials mostly gathered here. Numerous wards and streets radiated out from the central Great Xia Palace, with the closer the streets were, the more prosperous they were, and every inch of land was precious.

General Pei’s residence was located in a cluster of official residences not far from the palace. This was the house where Pei Naochun’s grandfather had lived since his generation. In recent years, it had been renovated several times and expanded due to his promotion. Anyone who passed by would feel respect upon seeing the wide gate and the single character “Pei” on the plaque.

In those days, apart from the learned scholars, most ordinary people lacked the means and opportunities to learn to read. They simply remembered what they saw, because almost every few years, soldiers from the frontier would travel thousands of miles, carrying coffins and the deceased’s clothes, to bury them. Having seen so much of this, even if they couldn’t recognize other characters, they could still remember the character “Pei.” Although some of them were illiterate and lived a life of hardship, they still knew who protected the peace of the entire Great Xia, allowing them to live and work in peace.

The coffins and cenotaphs brought back to their ancestral home were mostly buried or erected in Pei Family Village, not far from the capital. In addition, many veterans, due to injury or old age, were sent back with their families to guard the brothers they had fought alongside.

Early in the morning, the gates of General Pei’s mansion were already wide open. Unlike other households where the gatekeepers were indentured servants, the guards throughout the mansion, aside from the usual maids and nannies, were all personally trained guards of the Pei family. Most had seen blood and were decisive in battle, yet when standing by the gate, they concealed their sharpness, appearing no different from ordinary servants.

Passing through the front room for entertaining guests, and then through a long corridor, one arrived at the back courtyard. The spacious, brand-new rooms were rarely used, mostly empty. Even with diligent cleaning, they lacked any human warmth. This wasn’t due to the Pei family’s extravagance; it was simply that only one in ten would return from the battlefield, and gradually, fewer and fewer people lived there.

“Miss, you should go practice your needlework,” said Xiuyu, a maid who had been with Pei Yuzhuo since childhood. Her father was a guard serving Pei Naochun. Having grown up together, the two were very close and had no barriers between them.

“I don’t like practicing needlework.” The little girl, about six or seven years old, with a thick head of hair neatly tied in a child’s bun, dressed smartly, was fiddling with the book spread out on the table, occasionally glancing expectantly at the dagger inlaid with beautiful gems hanging beside her.

Xiuyu sighed helplessly, “Miss, what will you say when the old lady comes?” In fact, the book that the young lady was practicing with was something she had secretly obtained from her father.

The little girl finally gave up, plopped down on the stone bench, put her hand on the table, propped her chin up, and looked worried, with a bit of an adult’s air about her: “Yes, then I’ll go practice some needlework.”

There was no infighting in the General’s Mansion, after all, the population was very small, and the only proper masters were the old lady Pei and Pei Yuzhuo. Pei Yuzhuo was the only child in the family and was very loved and cared for from a young age, but this did not make her spoiled; on the contrary, it made her even more sensible.

From a very young age, she grew up listening to stories of her grandfather, great-grandfather, and father. To lull her to sleep, the family’s nanny would repeat the stories she had heard over and over again—

“Back then, the Ning Dynasty hadn’t been established yet. There were several scattered forces, and almost every autumn and winter, foreign enemies would invade. Your great-grandfather was always fearless. As long as they dared to come, he would fight them. During the twenty years he guarded the border, the Great Xia Dynasty never lost a single city.”

“When your grandfather went to the battlefield, he was still quite young, but he was born with great strategic acumen. Not long after he arrived, he used light cavalry to conduct guerrilla warfare, at one point making the Ning Dynasty people extremely vulnerable and forced to scatter and hide.”

“When your father went to the battlefield, he was younger than your grandfather. Your grandfather left in haste and didn’t have time to teach him much. When he went, the old lady fainted, feeling that he was risking his life. What could she do? This is the fate of the Pei family. However, perhaps the master inherited the military talent flowing in the Pei family’s blood. He was invincible. The Ning Dynasty people originally thought that our Pei family had no one left, but when the master arrived, they still slunk back.”

Even the wet nurse had a mixed expression of regret and pride when she talked about this. On the one hand, she was proud of the Pei family’s bravery, but on the other hand, war meant death. The Pei family members went one after another, and in the end, only a bunch of children were left in the family.

At an age when she was still too young to understand, Pei Yuzhu grew up listening to these stories. She often dreamed that her father, whom she had only seen in portraits, appeared and took her to the battlefield to quell the foreign enemies.

But when she woke up, she was still the pampered young lady of the general’s mansion.

In General Pei’s mansion, there was a long corridor with specially commissioned floor carvings. Although called an “old lady,” Old Madam Pei wasn’t actually very old, only in her early forties. Her clothes and jewelry were very simple. Since her husband’s death on the battlefield, she had built a small Buddhist shrine, where she prayed daily, desiring nothing more than to care for her granddaughter.

“Who does this girl resemble?” Old Madam Pei’s voice was filled with emotion. She had actually seen her granddaughter there earlier, trying to imitate martial arts.

Beside her was Granny Li, her head bowed. “Perhaps she resembles the master.”

“Yes.” She could see Pei Yuzhuo in the distance, already inside, presumably practicing needlework. She didn’t intend to go in, turning to leave. “But what’s the use of resembling her father?” She thought of her deceased daughter-in-law, her gentle features, but she bore no resemblance to this child.

Granny Li dared not speak; she knew the old lady was in a bad mood.

“Does this mean that our Pei family will have to send even our daughters to the battlefield from now on?” She repeated, as if answering herself, “No.”

In her life, she had seen too many people go. When her husband left, he was still full of vigor and had a robust physique, but when he returned, he was not even fully recovered. And her son? He had only spent the first fourteen years of his life at home, and in the last ten years, he hadn’t even come back for a single New Year.

She had long noticed that her granddaughter was interested in military strategy and martial arts, but she pretended not to hear it. Perhaps it was fate that her daughter-in-law couldn’t give birth to a son, that the Pei family’s duty to protect the borders of the Great Xia Dynasty had come to an end, and it was time for a change of leadership. No one else should go.

She felt ashamed of herself. Old Madam Pei sighed sadly. She couldn’t count how many times she had knelt before the Buddha and begged, begged that her good-for-nothing son, with a broken leg and a missing hand, couldn’t fight and could only come home, at least to keep his life.

Grandma Pei doted on Pei Yuzhuo. She hoped that her son’s only daughter would live a peaceful and joyful life, grow up healthy and safe, find a good husband, and spend her life with him, hand in hand, through thick and thin, with many children and grandchildren in the future. This wish was not unlike that of most elders for their children and grandchildren. In fact, given the wealth and status accumulated by the Pei family, such a request was not considered high at all. But precisely because it was within the Pei family, such expectations felt like a luxury.

Every time she saw Pei Yuzhuo secretly practicing martial arts, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of anxiety, remembering the past when her husband was often away, but her son had devoted all his energy to learning military strategy and marksmanship, waiting to go to the battlefield and drive out the enemy. Later, he kept his word; look, he hasn’t returned for ten years now.

“Granny Li, tell me, how can we get Yuzhuo to settle down?” she asked casually.

“This old servant thinks that Miss Pei is always sensible. If you, Madam, just mention it, she will definitely change her ways,” Li Mama respectfully suggested. This was indeed true. Because Madam Pei was in poor health, Pei Yuzhu had always felt a strong sense of responsibility to take care of her grandmother and never shirked her duties. Last time Madam Pei was unwell, Pei Yuzhu even set up a bed in her room and stayed with her for almost half a month until she recovered before moving out.

“Yes, she will be sensible,” Madam Pei thought to herself, determined to give her granddaughter a good talking-to in a few days. “By the way, has Chun’er sent back the letter?” She sent letters every year, which didn’t waste manpower. After all, there were many soldiers on the border, and the Pei family had specially arranged a team to help transport goods and letters, and also to resell the goods, traveling back and forth between the border and the capital all year round.

“I reckon it’ll be in the next day or two.” Granny Li knew this all too well; the return of supplies always happened around this time. She was also annoyed. This master was good in every way, except for this one thing: perhaps because he was a man, every letter he wrote consisted of the same three questions: “How are you? I’m doing well. Take care of yourselves.” He never seemed to ask more or say more.

Although the letters were short, they were still there. If they didn’t receive any letters, things would be even worse. Old Madam Pei and Pei Yuzhu couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning, convinced that something must have happened to Pei Naochun on the frontier.

Because of their mutual concern, the relatives on both sides had developed a habit of only reporting good news and not bad. The letters, from long to short, now seemed more like a signal that he was safe and sound on the frontier.

Speak of the devil, and he appears! The two women walked slowly, and before they even reached the house, they saw the family guards trotting over. Upon seeing them, the guards immediately bowed and said, “Madam, the things and letters sent by the master have arrived. The steward is putting them into storage now. The letters are here.” He respectfully held up the letters; this time they were quite thick. If it weren’t for Pei Naochun’s signature on them, one might have thought it was some kind of fabricated lie.

Granny Li immediately took them from the guards, and both women noticed another letter underneath, equally heavy.

“Is this for Miss?” Granny Li, quick-witted as ever, asked immediately upon seeing the old lady’s expression.

“Yes,” the guard replied respectfully.

“Go,” the old lady ordered, watching the guard leave. She took the letter from Li Mama and quickened her pace as she walked back. On one hand, she was uneasy, fearing something had happened to cause such a long letter. On the other hand, the guard seemed normal, and she wondered if her son wanted to say something to her. Ultimately, her concern clouded her judgment, and she couldn’t calm herself down.

After walking a while, she returned to her room. As soon as she entered, the old lady began to open the letter. She had no complicated thoughts; she just wanted to see what her son had written. As soon as she opened it, she couldn’t help but gasp in surprise. Inside were more than ten pages filled with writing. She was utterly astonished. Looking at Li Mama, the two remained silent for a long moment.

“He’s become sensible.” Before even reading the letter, Old Madam Pei praised him. Sons and daughters are different. Although she knew her son was filial, for the past ten years, besides sending New Year’s gifts on time and replying to letters, he had done nothing else. Sometimes, when she got angry, she would scold Li Mama, saying that having this son was like giving birth to him for nothing.

But after scolding him, she was still sad. She had watched her son grow up, and he was still young when he went to the battlefield. In a few more years, the time mother and son would spend apart would be more than the time they would spend together…