Chapter 729: Rain Pouring Like a Torrent 【Thank You! Again, Thank You! 39k Words Owed】

Third watch, third quarter (just before 4 a.m.)

Inside the bedroom, not a finger could be seen in the dark.

“Huh!”

A sound of someone exhaling deeply came forth.

Behind the curtains,

On the bed,

Xu Zaijing opened his eyes, greeted by utter darkness.

Xu Zaijing was about to close his eyes and rest them briefly,

when suddenly,

a flash of white light pierced through,

instantly illuminating both inside and outside the curtains.

That single flash instantly banished all sleep from Xu Zaijing.

Less than a breath later,

“Boom!”

A continuous, thunderous roar exploded from the sky.

When Xu Zaijing pulled back the curtains and sat on the edge of the bed,

“Whoosh!”

The sound of howling wind swept past the window, whipping the courtyard’s plants and trees.

The bedroom door opened, and Yun Xiang entered, carrying a candlestand.

“Young Master, I see a heavy rain is coming—shall we still go today?”

Xu Zaijing rubbed his face and said: “Yes. Go.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Under Yun Xiang’s assistance, Xu Zaijing began washing his face and dressing.

Afterwards,

Yun Xiang rummaged through Xu Zaijing’s wardrobe, filled with countless garments.

Soon, she unfolded before him a neatly folded, heavily lined oilcloth cloak.

After putting on the cloak, Xu Zaijing looked at Yun Xiang, who was also preparing to don her own oilcloth cloak, and said: “Autumn has come—the rain is chilly. Put on some fur.”

Yun Xiang glanced at him by candlelight and replied: “Yes, Young Master.”

Moments later,

the master and servant stood at the house’s entrance,

opened the door,

and a chilly wind struck their faces, making Yun Xiang’s lantern sway violently.

In the dim candlelight,

the flowers and trees in the courtyard swayed wildly, their branches thrashing.

This made Yun Xiang naturally draw closer to Xu Zaijing.

After walking a few steps along the corridor, the master and servant entered the courtyard.

“Tap. Tap.”

Sparse raindrops struck their bodies.

The wind was strong,

forcing Yun Xiang to press one hand against her hat to keep it from being blown away.

Yet her lantern continued to sway uncontrollably.

“Mm.”

Seeing Xu Zaijing extend his hand, Yun Xiang smiled shyly and handed him the lantern.

“Thank you, Young Master!”

Leaving the courtyard,

they entered the path leading to the riding ground,

where the wind suddenly intensified and the raindrops grew dense.

The wind pushed against the backs of the master and servant, making their steps feel surprisingly light.

When they reached the riding ground,

Xu Zaijing noticed that the lantern outside his master’s wooden hut had already been taken down.

It must be because the wind was too fierce—the lantern could not remain hanging; if it fell or broke, it would be a nuisance.

Entering the wooden hut,

Xu Zaijing donned a weighted sandbag vest, nearly as heavy as armor, and slowly stepped outside—where the rain and wind now seemed even fiercer.

Standing behind Xu Zaijing, Yun Xiang, lit by the candle on the hut’s table, watched the rain splashing at the door and said: “Young Master, is this what they call ‘rain pouring like a torrent’?”

Xu Zaijing smiled at her, stepped into the rain curtain, and vanished from Yun Xiang’s sight after only a few paces.

Beside her, Qing Yun nodded to Yun Xiang and followed after.

Such weather, with thunder and heavy rain, was unsuitable for archery practice.

Xu Zaijing’s usual steel long spear had been safely left inside the hut.

In this weather, on the open, flat riding ground, wearing full metal armor and carrying a steel long spear—

walking through the rain,

cool droplets slapped against his face,

standing in the dark rain, Xu Zaijing felt a strange surge of excitement and joy.

Soon, the sandbag vest soaked through and grew heavy; the icy rain seeped into his undergarments.

Slowly jogging across the riding ground, Xu Zaijing began his training.

Outside, the storm roared loudly; inside the hut, Yun Xiang occasionally heard the “whooshing” wind.

Bored, Yun Xiang walked a few steps toward the door, opened it, and peered curiously outside—her vision met only rain and darkness.

The autumn wind chilled her, and she quickly retreated, shutting the door.

As the sky gradually brightened, the rain lessened.

On the riding ground,

Xu Zaijing, having run for a long time, began breathing slightly faster.

As he passed again by the long side of the wooden hut,

Qing Yun, trailing behind him, leaned on his knees, gasping as he shouted: “Young Master, I—I can’t go on! Let me rest!”

Saying this, Qing Yun continued to pant heavily.

Xu Zaijing shook his head with a smile: “Alright, rest then. I’ll train a bit longer.”

Hearing this, Qing Yun nodded, struggled to unfasten his sandbag, tossed it aside, and collapsed onto the muddy ground without caring for the mud and water.

Xu Zaijing, meanwhile, continued jogging lightly across the field.

Though accustomed to it, Qing Yun still shook his head in slight despair as he watched his Young Master’s figure.

Then, turning his gaze, he saw a female servant from the Xu household hurrying toward them from the direction of the main gate.

Qing Yun’s heart stirred, and he shouted urgently: “Young Master!”

At the main courtyard of the Xu family’s matriarch,

outside the central chamber,

Xu Zaijing, with his keen hearing, frowned as he listened to his mother’s pained cries from within.

Zhu Mama, her sleeves rolled up, stepped out of the room.

She glanced at Xie Shi, Hua Lan, and Zai Zhang, then nodded with a smile.

Before Xie Shi and the others could speak, Zhu Mama turned to Xu Zaijing, drenched in mud and water, and said: “Jingge’er, the Lady knows you’ve been training this morning, soaked through.”

“She had someone prepare ginger soup to ward off the chill—go bathe, drink it, and warm yourself, so she won’t worry about you during her crucial moment and waste her strength and focus.”

Zai Zhang turned to Xu Zaijing and said: “Little Five, listen to Mother—go quickly!”

Xie Shi nodded: “We’re here.”

Hua Lan also nodded.

A cold wind blew, and Xu Zaijing shivered slightly, saying: “Alright, I’ll go then.”

Zhu Mama looked at him and said: “Go, Jingge’er, no need to rush.”

“Yes!” Xu Zaijing scanned the group, then turned and walked away.

Inside the bathing room,

the large tub emitted steaming white vapor,

Xu Zaijing sat in it, holding a large bowl of ginger soup, and, ignoring its heat, drank it down quickly.

After finishing the soup, Xu Zaijing looked down at the steaming water in the tub and turned to Yun Xiang, standing beside him: “Bring me the towel quickly.”

“Young Master, you’ve only just gotten in—aren’t you saying the rain is cold? Why not soak a bit longer—”

Seeing Xu Zaijing’s expression, Yun Xiang immediately turned and handed him the towel.

In three swift motions, he dried himself, changed into fresh undergarments, took the outer robe himself, and put it on before walking out.

“Young Master! Your hair isn’t dry yet!”

Yun Xiang chased after Xu Zaijing, calling out to him.

But Xu Zaijing walked with swift strides; even running, Yun Xiang could not catch up.

Xu Zaijing, dressed in new clothes, arrived at his mother’s courtyard.

Looking around, he found his sister-in-law and brother standing at the main house’s entrance, both smiling.

“Wah! Wah!”

A loud infant’s cry came from inside the room.

“How? So soon?” Xu Zaijing said, stunned.

Xie Shi Hualan and the others ahead turned to glance at Xu Zaijing, then turned their attention back to the room.

Soon,

Zhu Mama stepped out again.

Looking at the crowd outside, Zhu Mama smiled: “Congratulations, everyone! The lady has given birth to a girl—both mother and child are safe!”

At these words, everyone in the courtyard burst into laughter.

Xu Zaijing’s lips could not stop smiling as he looked at Zhaizhang and others: “Hah! I have a little sister now.”

Two quarters later,

The room where Sun Shi had given birth was cleaned, and Xu Zaijing and the others entered one by one.

The three children of the Xu family’s younger generation followed among the crowd.

Curtains were drawn inside the room.

Behind the curtains,

Xie Shi and Hualan spoke with their mother-in-law.

Outside the curtains,

Xu Zaijing sat nearby, holding his newborn sister, with Zhaizhang and Xu Xingdai beside him.

Looking at the infant, who had cried only a few times since birth, Xu Xingdai said: “Uncle, your little sister looks so ugly.”

Zhaizhang laughed and patted his nephew’s head: “When you and Zhongge were born, you looked just like this.”

As Sun Shi and her two sons laughed and spoke across the curtains,

“Mother! Mother!”

A woman’s voice called out from outside.

“The eldest daughter has arrived.”

A maid announced from the door.

“Where is she?”

Soon,

Pingmei rushed into the room, followed by Bai Shi and Tingyi, both looking concerned.

Seeing Xu Zaijing holding the swaddled infant outside the curtains, Pingmei exclaimed: “Little Five.”

Xu Zaijing smiled: “Big Sister, we’ve gained a little sister.”

After holding her for a while, the hungry Liu Liuniang began wailing loudly.

The wet nurse, already prepared, quickly took her.

By the time Anmei arrived with her son and Pan Da Niangzi, the sixth daughter of the Xu family had fallen asleep again.

As the saying goes: rain in the morning means a clear day.

When Gu Shu’s mother, Xu Zaijing’s aunt, arrived at the Xu household, the sun had already risen in the east.

In the morning,

The news that the Marquis of Yongyi’s lady had given birth to a precious daughter spread through Bianjing.

Fast horses from the relay stations galloped westward, carrying rewards.

Jiying Alley,

The Sheng household,

Sheng Laofuren shook her head with a smile, saying to the two maids, Fang and Cui, beside her: “I’m this old, and yet I’ll still be going to my niece-in-law’s full-moon banquet in a month.”

The two maids exchanged a knowing smile.

(End of Chapter)