"No Wedding Unless Enemies and Lovers" 《不是冤家不拜堂》Chapter 221

 Five years later, Beiling.

"Older sister, what are you doing?" A chubby boy stuck out his bottom, he crawled along the grass to the girl wearing a flowery jacket hiding behind a rock.

"Hush! Don't be noisy! You scared the sparrows away!" The  girl rolled her eyes at the boy, her porcelain face had two little dimples, the flowery jacket wasn't old fashioned on her, instead she looked like a new year doll.

Sparrow? The boy scratched his head, tilting his head he looked at the girl who had a rope in her hand, "Sparrows can fly, you can't catch them like this!"

The girl reached out a chubby little hand to cover the boy's mouth, "Shut up don't speak!"

The boy blinked his large eyes, both hands covering his mouth not speaking.

Another few sparrows came flying down, landing on the wicker basket but they didn't go under the basket to steal the white rice, the girl looked on anxiously, her hand holding the rope tightened.

The boy rested his chin on his hand looking at the sky, reciting: "Hoeing the crops in the midday sun, sweat drips to the soil. Who knows that of our male in the dish, every grain comes after hard toil, older sister, do you want to eat rice, that's why you threw the rice for the sparrow to eat?"

The girl gave him a "you talk too much" look and pouted turning her head to the side, it was at that moment several sparrows landed on the ground, the boy reached out tugging on the rope in the girl's hand, with a crash, the basket covered the ground, successfully catching two sparrows.

The boy danced about: "Older sister did you see? I'm amazing, I caught two sparrows."

The girl rolled her eyes, "That is a trap I set, don't steal my hard work!"

The boy took to his heels and ran inside the house: "Mother, mother, Mo Mo caught two large sparrows!"

The girl chased after him: "Mothers, mother, it isn't as younger brother said, it's Xiang Xiang who caught them!"

Inside the house, Ji Ling Xue was looking at an invitation, the once in five years medicinal ingredient festival was taking place in the capital city, even though winter lasted the longest out of the four seasons in Beiling, it was certainly the most well-known medicinal country with an abundant forest and vegetations in the grassland, as well as meadows, marshes and aquatic plants, some of the herbal medicines include cistanche, thorowax, milk vetch root, ginseng, gastrodia elata and over five hundred other herbs. 

Amongst them black atractylodes rhizome, sago pondweed, bear pill, were all used to treat Xiao Xiang's poison.

Ji Ling Xue and Xiao Yi Chen brought their two children all over, they saw many famous doctors, most of which, after seeing the poison in Mo Xiang, only shook their heads, Ji Ling Xue was already used to it, every time she saw the little Mo Xiang have a poison reaction, she was so worried she cried, but she was helpless.

Afterwards, she came across a poison doctor who thought of a brazen method, cure poison with poison, inside Mo Xiang another poison was placed to supress the other, Ji Ling Xue was unable to find an antidote so gave consent.

Ever since curing poison with poison, Xiao Xiang grew up soundly, this made Ji Ling Xue very happy, but these two poisons in her were not a long term solution, as a mother, Ji Ling Xue hoped her child could be healthy, if the poison in Mo Xiang could be eliminated, Ji Ling Xue was willing to do anything.

Ji Ling Xue said: "The medicinal herb festival in Beiling is here, it's being held in the capital, I want to take a look."

Xiao Yi Chen looked up from the account book: "Fine, I also had the same idea, we've stayed here for too long, it'll be good to have a change of scenery, let's set out after ten days, I'll let this shop out first."

After giving up the position of emperor and empress, Xiao Yi Chen became a businessman, each place they went to they started a business, thus they had more and more shops, only after they left a place, they would let the shop, this was called capital return.

"Mother, mother!" Xiao Xiang and Xiao Mo both leapt into her arms, Ji Ling Xue's eyes were filled with warmth, rubbing her son's head, the her daughter's, "Xiang Xiang, Mo Mo, what did you do before coming back?"

Xiao Xiang said gesturing, "Mother, mother, Xiang Xiang caught sparrows, can mother cook sparrows for Xiang Xiang to eat?"

Xiao Mo put his hand up: "Mother, Mo Mo caught them!"

Ji Ling Xue shook her head, these two were very gluttonous, ever since she roasted sparrows out of boredom, Xiao Xiang kept thinking about it, always asking Ji Ling Xue to make it again, Ji Ling Xue was rather protective of sparrows, she also felt there was no need to spoil children all the time, so she found some excuse to refuse, she didn't think the two children would personally catch sparrows so she had to think of a reason to refuse.

Xiao Yi Chen beckoned the two children over, "Mo Mo, Xiang Xiang, come over here!"

The two children suddenly held Xiao Yi Chen's arms one on each, Xiao Xiang: "Daddy, are you looking at the account book, are you tired, Xiang Xiang will massage your shoulder."

Xiao Mo: "Daddy, when Xiao Mo grows up I'll help you look over the account book, I'll help daddy in the future."

Xiao Yi Chen smiled his eyes curving, Ji Ling Xue had given birth to two very sweet-talking lively children who won the hearts of people, "I heard you caught sparrows, daddy's two babies are amazing, let's go, take daddy to take a look, where are the sparrows?"

Xiao Xiang nodded like a bobble head, eagerly pulling on Xiao Yi Chen's arm, Xiao Mo followed after them with a jolting bottom.

"Daddy, that's it!" Xiao Xiang pointed at the basket on the ground.

Xiao Yi Chen nodded, indicating he understood, walking over he lifted the basket, the two sparrows cried out and spread out their wings flying away, they disappeared in a blink, Xiao Yi Chen patted his hands: "En, those two sparrows are so agile..."

"Wa...daddy, you let the sparrows we tried so hard to catch go, wa..." The two children spoke in unison, then started wailing so much Xiao Yi Chen felt his head was about to explode.

"Daddy, compensate, compensate...me for the sparrows I struggled to catch..." Xiao Xiang grabbed Xiao Yi Chen's sleeve, wiping her tears on his sleeve.

Xiao Yi Chen's lips twitched, he couldn't bear not to wipe the tears from Xiao Xiang's eyes: "Fine don't cry, daddy will catch sparrows for you."

As soon as these words came out, the two children immediately stopped crying.

Xiao Xiang pulled on Xiao Yi Chen's sleeve swinging it back and forth, acting spoiled: "Daddy, take us out to play, we don't have to catch sparrows."

Xiao Yi Chen nodded taken each of them by each hand, saying: "Fine, daddy will buy sugar-coated hawthorns for you!"

"Good, good!" Xiao Xiang clapped her hands.

"Daddy, I want to eat a sugar figurine!" Xiao Mo said.

After the three of them left, Ji Ling Xue stretched and lazily laid on the bed and found the god of dreams for a chat.

On the streets, Xiao Mo pulled on Xiao Yi Chen's sleeve: "Daddy, it's almost mother's birthday, have you prepared a present for mother?"

Facing the inquisitive looks of the two children, Xiao Yi Chen's lips twitched, asking instead: "Then have you prepared a present for mother?"

Xiao Xiang said: "I want to give mother my favourite snack."

Xiao Mo said: "I asked for a safety talisman for mother, a Mt Mao Daoist priest chanted the sutras one hundred and eighty times before Guanyin, it's very effective."

The two children turned to look at Xiao Yi Chen, saying in unison, "Father, what are you giving her? If you haven't thought of something, we can help you prepare, daddy you only need to pay."

Xiao Yi Chen: It felt like these two brother and sister were setting him up!

In the ready-made clothes store, the female owner laughed as she brought out a gorgeous apricot coloured silk skirt: "This is the finest material in my store, the skirt was made in accordance with the young lady and young master's request."

Xiao Yi Chen nodded, he didn't ask for the price, taking out a piece of gold he placed it on the table, "Wrap it up!"

Xiao Mo and Xiao Xiang's little mouths were wide open, moving their finger they said: "Daddy, that skirt only costs one hundred silvers, how much money can you make with that piece of gold?"

Xiao Yi Chen didn't care: "Keep the change, buying a skirt for your mother, of course it has to be the best."

Xiao Mo and Xiao Xiang looked at each other, then they made a decision, the two of them went to pick an outfit for themselves, since daddy had paid so much, they ought to change the clothes on them.

Leaving the ready-made clothes store, Xiao Xiang held Xiao Yi Chen's arm: "Daddy, let's book to a restaurant, treat mother to a nice meal tomorrow."

Xiao Yi Chen nodded, "May as well, where do you want to eat?" Even though he said this, he already knew the two children were gluttonous.

Sure enough, the two children used tasting as a reason, they entered the most expensive restaurant in the area, ordering the most expensive dish, who made it that their daddy was very rich, they wouldn't bankrupt their daddy from a meal.

An hour later, Xiao Xiang and Xiao Mo leaned against the back of their chairs, hand rubbing their plump bellies, it was clear they ate their fill.

Xiao Yi Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he took two pills from his sleeve, passing one to each of them, "Your mother made me bring these along, she knew you would eat too much, its a pill to aid digestion so your stomachs won't feel so bad."

Xiao Xiang and Xiao Mo each snatched a pill and ate it, burping, "So much better."

There was suddenly a clamour downstairs, the two sister and brother who loved a commotion stuck their heads out of the window to watch, it turns out there was a pickpocket, an elegant and graceful young man in white had subdued them, garnering applause.

Xiao Xiang said: "That young man in white is very handsome, sadly he's a little old."

Xiao Mo said: "That person's martial art isn't bad, it would be good if he becomes my master."

Xiao Yi Chen raised an eyebrow moving his head closer to take a look, instantly his eyes brightened, raising his hand he picked up a chopstick and threw it down.

"Wa, daddy how can you secretly attack someone?" The two righteous brother and sister turned to question him.

Xiao Yi Chen's lips twitched, "I'm not secretly attacking him, I'm only greeting him that's all."

The way the two children spoke made him out to be a sinister and nasty person.

Downstairs, the man in white reached out two fingers to accurately catch the chopstick, then he looked up, the next moment with light martial arts, he elegantly landed beside Xiao Yi Chen, "Such tacit understanding, I just arrived here, you can treat me to a meal?"

Xiao Yi Chen rolled his eyes, "Bai Mo, how come you're here?"

Bai Mo picked up a peanut throwing it into his mouth: "I came to take a walk, there's a saying, rather than read a thousand books why not walk a thousand miles..." He paused, looking at the two little balls sitting opposite him, the smile on his lips grew even bigger, "Time really flies, Xiao Xiang and Xiao Mo are so big!"

"This older brother, so you know our daddy?" Xiao Mo and Xiao Xiang said in unison, an "older brother" made Bai Mo eyes' curve in joy, haha, they really are clever children.

Bai Mo looked over Xiao Xiang's face, turning to ask Xiao Yi Chen, "The poison has been cured?"

Xiao Yi Chen shook his head, "No, a poison is being used to supress the other poison, these last years Ji Ling Xue and I have travelled to a lot of places, looking for famous doctors, in the end this was the only method, then we came to Beiling, a senior Daoist monk wandered here, after seeing Xiao Xiang he said three medicinal herbs, if we can gather them, we can cure the poison in her."

Bai Mo got happier as he listened, eagerly asking: "What three herbs?"

Xiao Yi Chen said: "Black atractylodes rhizome, sago pondweed, bear pill."

Bai Mo froze having heard what was said, after a while he said: "I didn't mishear right, I've heard of  black atractylodes rhizome, it's available in Beiling, but it blooms once every four years, only once in four years, if lucky it can be seen at the herbal medicine festival, but sago pondweed...why have I not heard of it before, also bear pill, isn't in the gall of a bear?"

Xiao Yi Chen nodded, indicating to Bai Mo he had heard correctly.