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The weather was cold.
Early in the morning, before Father went to work, they enjoyed a scene of paternal affection as he tried to teach her painting.
Father had seen her drawing of a human face last time and may have thought she was a painting prodigy, so he prepared to teach her how to paint.
Things like impressionistic ink wash painting.
Holding a brush.
Jiang Changtian was surprised to find that his little girl's aesthetic sense seemed rather fixed.
She simply couldn't appreciate the beauty of ink wash painting.
As if her tastes had been set in stone.
After a morning of fatherly instruction, Jiang Changtian was nearly ready to shout in frustration.
After being glared at twice by Mom, he finally left for work.
Jiang Mianmian felt relieved.
What era were these parents from? Teaching children seemed to be bad for their hearts.
But what could she do? Father had made an ink dot and asked her what it was. Even if the king of heaven came down, it would still just be an ink dot. How could she lie?
She felt Father's aura was a bit off at that moment.
After Father went to work, the air seemed much clearer.
Jiang Mianmian wanted to tell Mom to keep an eye on her husband - could it be that he was going through male menopause due to his age?
But Mom's punishments hurt, so she decided against it.
After breakfast, Jiang Mianmian followed Grandma to watch her arrange gifts to be sent to the Capital City.
They now had relatives in the Capital City.
Her brother-in-law's family was from there.
Mainly, Grandma was instructing Elder Sister on what to send, Mom was learning, and she was observing.
"The winter solstice is coming soon, and winters are cold in the Capital City. We can send some things to keep warm. Even though we're not there in person, we should prepare what's needed. The gifts should be comprehensive," Grandma instructed the eldest daughter as she packed things.
Jiang Yu looked at Mom and smiled, "It feels like we're stealing things from home."
Qin Luoxia tapped her forehead, "What nonsense are you talking about? You're already married but still so immature. Your grandma is right. If you put your heart into sending these things, at least Xiao Meng's parents will worry less about him coming all this way."
Jiang Yu nodded, "I understand, Mom~~"
In any case, they prepared all kinds of warm furs, along with scarves, gloves, woolen socks, knee pads, headbands, and slippers made by her younger sister.
There were also various foods, preserved vegetables, dried meats, noodles, and so on.
Nothing too expensive, but very practical and diverse.
They also sent several carts of supplies to Grandpa Meng stationed at the border, focusing on warmth and food.
He tied a flag with white cloth at the edge of the cliff.
To warn people to be careful.
Of course, Lord Commander was very careful.
He wondered why Lord Yu would have been standing in this place for no reason.
Looking at the spot, there should have been other people standing next to Lord Yu at the time.
Lord Yu's attendants stood outside, all saying they didn't know what happened.
They just heard a sound, and Lord Yu had fallen down with a scream.
They didn't see anyone.
Then Lord Commander indeed found a pair of footprints nearby.
And they were rather small.
They looked like a woman's footprints.
Lord Yu had been investigating a case before his death.
He was investigating the case of missing nuns from Shangqiu Convent.
Commander Jiang said seriously, "Brother Yu came to my house and looked around everywhere. Those two nuns mysteriously disappeared. Brother Yu must have discovered something significant while investigating this case and was silenced. These footprints are the proof."
So all the evidence pointed towards Shangqiu Convent.
Commander Jiang was very efficient.
He didn't let Lord Yu die in vain.
Before Lord Yu's body was even buried, while it was still lying in state, he led a large group of men to surround Shangqiu Convent.
He demanded they hand over the murderer.
That day.
The worshippers who had come to burn incense at Shangqiu Convent were terrified.
The nuns of Shangqiu Convent were also frightened.
A dense crowd stood at attention at the gates of Shangqiu Convent.
A bird startled by the commotion flew out from the courtyard, only to be shot down by an arrow, falling straight back into the compound.
The cold wind blew.
Commander Jiang's hair tips and clothes fluttered in the breeze.
Sunlight shone on the plaque above the convent gate, its golden characters gleaming: "Abandon not your own path, disturb not others' hearts."
The leaves at the entrance of the temple had been swept clean.
The scent of incense was thick and rose to the sky.
The fragrance permeated the air.
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