The Youngest Daughter, Chang Le

Chapter 43

Lady Zhang changed her pinching to kneading, realizing through this incident that she hadn't noticed how her youngest and most mischievous child had grown into such a thoughtful and capable person.

"Don't sigh, you'll age faster," Zhu Changle leaned in to hug her mother, nuzzling her neck affectionately, just as she used to do when throwing tantrums as a child. "Mother, you should see your little Changle as tall and mighty. How could someone so impressive be petty? I'd rather spend that time thinking about food. Speaking of which, I just remembered that Dingding's beggar's chicken is truly a masterpiece, inherited from his maternal grandfather. I haven't tasted it in so long. When we reach our destination, I'll ask him to make some for us."

Lady Zhang couldn't help but laugh. Really, she could hardly hear a serious word from her daughter.

"It's the tall and mighty Lady Zhu who isn't petty. It's your mother who's small-minded," Lady Zhang patted her back. "I remember everything."

"You should remember the happy things instead. Remembering those other things will give you wrinkles, and that would make me unhappy. My mother must remain a beauty even after twenty more years."

"Half the wrinkles on my face are because of you," Lady Zhang gave her a reproachful look, then gently adjusted her daughter's clothes and said softly, "We've packed most of the things. Go check if there's anything else we need to pay attention to, and let Lady Li know."

"Yes, ma'am."

Zhu Changle opened the door and made a gesture of invitation. Lady Zhang smiled and walked out first.

After watching her mother enter her second brother's room, Zhu Changle ran into the courtyard and climbed onto Lan Ping's shoulders. "Little Bottle Cap, you're back."

"The ship has left the dock."

"We're about to set off here too." As the wind picked up, Zhu Changle grabbed her windblown hair and glanced at the carriage, realizing what had been overlooked. She called Lady Li over and instructed, "The wind is strong today. Find a way to secure the curtains so they won't be blown up."

Lady Li understood and immediately went to work with the servants.

At this moment, Zuo Qing came out of the room carrying Zhu Changwang on his back. This was the first time he hadn't walked on his own during this journey, indicating how truly exhausted he was.

Seeing her eldest brother's weariness that he couldn't hide despite his efforts to appear spirited, Zhu Changle bit her lip. She ran ahead to lift the carriage curtain to one side and helped her brother down from Zuo Qing's back.

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"I can manage from here," Zhu Changwang smiled, slowly moving back into the carriage.

Qiuli stood on the steps with his hands behind his back, observing the scene. He clearly saw Zhu Changle's hands clenched into fists behind her back. Recalling the conversation he had overheard between the siblings last night, this was something he found hard to understand, having never experienced the bond between brothers and sisters. To be anxious for another, to think for another, to sacrifice for another without hesitation - how could one do all this for another person?

Playing with his folding fan, Qiuli watched as the Zhu family members emerged from various rooms. He observed Zhu Changle lending a hand here and there, helping everyone into the carriages, except for approaching Zhu Changning and his wife. That Madam Xu stole three glances at Zhu Changle in the short distance from the doorway to the carriage, showing wariness and dislike, but also attention. In his view, this was the most normal mode of interaction in those grand households.

"Qiuli, let's go," Zhu Changle waved her hand and then whistled to call Little Tail over. Qiuli's horse also came along.

Qiuli walked over and tapped the horse's head with the handle of his fan. If he hadn't confirmed that Zhu Changle's horse was also male, he would have suspected this little beast had taken a fancy to that divine steed.

As daylight gradually appeared, the caravan left Yufeng Town, looking no different from any ordinary convoy.

Aunt Feng approached and reported in a low voice, "Young Miss, there are quite a few tails."

Zhu Changle nodded slightly. Now that they had an audience, it was time to put on a show.

"We've been delayed quite a bit. Let's try to cover more ground today and take fewer breaks on the road."

Knowing she was deliberately creating a false impression, Dingding played along to provide cover. "Be careful the horses don't give up halfway and refuse to go on."

"I'll make sure to reward them well when we reach the post station."

Along the way, the group continued their playful banter and laughter, seemingly carefree. During rest stops, Zhu Changle still bounced from carriage to carriage as usual, but until nearly noon, none of the passengers had left their carriages.

Calculating that the other side must be getting impatient to test the waters, Zhu Changle remained on high alert even while horsing around with Dingding, not daring to stray for a moment.

An eagle's cry rang out, and at the same time, Qiuli made his move. He leapt from his horse, opened his fan, and swept it forcefully. A powerful gust of wind rushed towards the attackers closing in. They didn't dare to face it head-on and flipped backward several steps to avoid its sharp edge. The others, a half-step slower, spread out to guard various positions around the carriages.

"If I asked which road our friends are from, would that be a stupid question? Your aunt doesn't need to ask to guess pretty accurately," Zhu Changle bared her teeth. "Let's ask something else. How much am I worth?"

Dingding laughed so hard he nearly fell over. "Zhu Changle, are you particularly upset that you're not worth much?"

"How could I possibly not be valuable! It's them who are blind!" Zhu Changle spat back. Those people were really clueless, no, they really didn't know who they were dealing with!

Lan Ping never participated in such banter. She drew her greatsword and was the first to engage! As soon as she moved, the two who had been bantering immediately followed suit. Just as the others were about to join in, Zhu Changle called out loudly, "You all guard the carriages well!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a second batch of men suddenly appeared, charging towards the carriages from several directions, disregarding everything else. Qiuli, Aunt Feng, and Ban Lian took up positions in a triangular formation to guard. Although they were on the defensive, it wouldn't be easy to break through their guard.

But there was a weak point.

A man in black grabbed a dagger and suddenly turned towards the rear of the first carriage, stabbing at the horse's rump. The startled horse neighed loudly and reared up, lifting the carriage compartment. The curtain swayed, revealing that the carriage was empty.

"Retreat!"

The enemy immediately withdrew in an orderly manner. Clearly, they had become suspicious and came to test the waters.

Seeing that her plan had worked, Zhu Changle inwardly praised herself profusely. She usually preferred action over thought, otherwise, there wouldn't be a place for her eldest brother at home!

"Wah..."

The entire scene froze. The retreating men in black uniformly stopped in their tracks. What was this?

"Wah wah..."

"Kill!"

The men in black, who had been receding like the tide, now surged back like a rising tide. Zhu Changle lowered her head and exhaled, then whistled and raised her sword to meet them.

An eagle's cry came from afar, growing nearer. Little Golden swooped down from the sky, diving straight for the man fighting Zhu Changle. Master and servant coordinated perfectly, quickly taking down one opponent. Without pause, they attacked the next.

Little Golden hovered just above his master's head, occasionally flying higher or lower, seizing any opportunity to claw at the enemy. His sharp beak put immense pressure on their opponents, causing them to lose focus and fall even faster.

Dingding glanced over and clicked his tongue, his dog-beating stick not idle either. This was why Little Zhu said Little Golden doubled her power when he was with her. The momentum of this human-eagle duo was too impressive. Even after all these years, he still hadn't gotten used to Little Golden's fierce charges. No matter how many times he faced it, it still made him uneasy.

On the other side, Qiuli effortlessly fenced with the enemy, half his attention on the human-eagle pair. The eagle's tail feathers had not yet fully shed their grayish-white color, suggesting it wasn't quite fully grown. However, its current power was already formidable enough. It was a great helper, making even him a bit tempted to raise one.