The Lucky Farmgirl

Chapter 2130 - 2105: Understanding

Yin Li nodded with satisfaction and sighed, staring at the bow in her hand, "This bow is prepared for Huo."

Manbao was surprised and looked down at the bow and arrows in her hand. Could Yin Huo actually pull it?

"Unfortunately, Huo is in poor health, so this bow has never been given. Since Lord Zhou is a woman and her strength is small, this bow is now gifted to you."

Manbao declined, "How can I accept? Since it was meant for Yin Huo, even if he can’t use it now, keeping it as a memento is still quite nice. After all, it’s the sentiment of an adult."

Yin Li shook his head, "Things must be used to have value, leaving them to gather dust is truly a waste."

Manbao didn’t know how to refuse anymore, but she also didn’t know of any use for holding a bow and arrows herself. Needing her personally in a fight would be a near-fatal struggle.

Since it can’t be refused, she accepted it.

Manbao hugged the bow with a smile and thanked Yin Li.

Yin Li saw her smile, her round face full of obedience, and sighed inwardly that having daughters was better; they are so obedient and considerate.

Then he thought, he also had daughters, and not just a few, but none were as considerate or capable as her, which left him feeling complex.

So it’s not about having sons or daughters, but about who gave birth?

Yin Li rubbed his forehead and invited Zhou Man to sit in the lounge beside the martial field.

Manbao placed the small bow aside, sat on the chair, took the tea poured by Yin Li, yet was diligently thinking, she hadn’t done anything bad involving Yin Huo recently.

Could it be Bai Shan and Bai Erlang secretly involved Yin Huo in something behind her back and Lord Yin blamed it on her?

Manbao held the tea in deep thought, wondering if she could find an excuse to slip away and go back to ask Bai Shan and the others if she still had time.

Yin Li glanced at the guard, who then went down to bring back a plate of small buns.

Facing the adult’s gaze, the guard kept a straight face, placed the items down, and left. What could he do? How could there be snacks in the West Inner Court? When hungry, everyone just gnaws on buns, right?

So, for now, let’s treat the buns as snacks.

Manbao snapped back and saw the buns pushed in front of her, she paused before saying, "Lord Yin, I’m not hungry."

Lord Yin secretly glared at the guard who had already left, smiled at her, and said, "Then let it be for now. Lord Zhou, you’ve been helping to regulate Huo’s health. A few days ago, I asked Imperial Doctor Tan to look at him, he said although Huo is still physically weak, his condition has been fundamentally improved."

Manbao nodded, "Yes, his base has been improved."

She paused and hinted, "But some things he lacked from the beginning, no matter how much we replenish, it won’t completely recover, so he needs to be cared for more carefully than others in the future."

Yin Li then clasped his hands and earnestly asked Manbao, "What does it mean to be careful?"

Upon hearing this, Manbao put down the teacup; she had been thinking about whether to have a serious talk with Yin Li.

Yin Huo’s illness was brought from the womb, his "weakness" is etched into his genes, so even with regulation, it merely prevents his "weakness" from being quickly fatal.

But Yin Huo’s illness is not only from the womb.

He also has a psychological illness.

He is the most sensitive person Manbao has ever met, his emotions affect his body, and at the same time, emotional balance can nourish both spirit and body.

Sometimes his physical conditions fluctuate greatly; laypeople might not understand, but she knows it’s mostly due to his overthinking. Sometimes when he figures things out, his condition improves, while not figuring out leads to deterioration.

Even though they have a good relationship, it’s not possible to be too open where every matter can be asked and every word spoken.

So they try to interact naturally; if he is willing to talk, they ask, and if not, they stop.

Such care is fine once or twice, but too many times, people around might feel irritated. But this illness cannot be managed by just a few friends; those around him also need to help.

Manbao said, "The places medicine can reach are not difficult, and the Yin Family has money and resources, whatever prescription is given can be obtained; to achieve better results one must do what medicine cannot."

Yin Li asked, "For example, let him be happy?"

Manbao then smiled, "The phrase ’be happy’ is quite difficult, just ensuring he doesn’t feel bitter and hurt is sufficient."

Yin Li fell silent. Indeed, being happy is difficult, not to mention, if he’s asked for a healthy body, where could he get him one?

But ensuring he doesn’t feel bitter and hurt can be managed.

Yin Li pinched his thumb, then said after a while, "Huo wants to go with you to the Western Regions."

Manbao was stunned, suddenly sitting straight, "He wants to go to the Western Regions?"

Seeing her big reaction, Yin Li knew she wasn’t aware, probably neither Bai Shan nor Bai Cheng knew, it seemed it was indeed the child’s own idea.

Yin Li smiled bitterly but showing little expression on his face he nodded, "Yes, so I’ve asked Lord Zhou to see if he can go on a long journey?"

Manbao pondered, "There’s nothing saying he can’t, didn’t he go to Xiazhou before? At that time, it was almost a forced march, and he was fine."

Manbao thought carefully, felt excited, yet restrained the corners of her mouth which wanted to smile and said, "Although we’re going to the Western Regions, we won’t be forced marching, but prioritize comfort, with me around, small ailments won’t be a problem, if we encounter bad weather or severe illness, we will stop and rest..."

Yin Li stared at Zhou Man’s face, seemingly seeing her delight, slightly shaking his head, knowing any further questions would only yield affirmative answers.

He simply no longer asked about Yin Huo’s physical condition, turning to inquire about their planned itinerary instead.

Where are they going to depart from, what places to pass along the way...

Manbao and the others’ destination is Gaochang, but there were many routes from the capital to Gaochang, they planned to pass through Xiazhou to Huaiyuan, after crossing the Great Wall they will take the path through Liangzhou, then exit Yumen Pass and head west, if not delayed, and walking daily, they should reach Gaochang in about two months.

Even showing this itinerary to Yin Li would yield no criticism, as the planned route follows official paths or known Tea Horse roads, not remote, with relatively high safety.

Yin Li calculated inwardly, if they set off next month, they should be able to reach Gaochang in June, just uncertain if the method for cowpox is easy to find, if it can be found within a month, they could return by July, approximately back to Chang’an by September.

Calculating like this, letting his son travel to the Western Regions doesn’t seem so difficult to accept.

However, knowing the world’s most inevitable term is "unexpected," Yin Li made up his mind and asked, "Have you calculated, if an unexpected situation arises, how long will you be gone this time on your envoy mission?"

Manbao: "Three years?"

Yin Li: "... How much?"