Chapter 93: Post-Battle Summary

Seeing his sister-in-law bringing his niece over, Yan Huaiwen thought for a moment and moved aside to make space.

Yan Yu climbed onto the cart and sat next to her father.

Li Xuemei took a seat on the other side.

With his wife and daughter sitting on either side of him, Yan Lao’er visibly relaxed.

No matter how much they adapted to their current identities, their closest family would always be each other.

“Dad! I was so scared today.” Yan Yu leaned against her father, rubbing her little head against him until she found a comfortable position.

Yan Lao’er instinctively wrapped an arm around her, stroking her little head gently, again and again.

“How could you be so brave? You pushed us aside and faced those mountain bandits alone. My heart almost jumped out of my chest!” Yan Yu chattered on, “For a moment, I really wanted to take out the bamboo crossbow we hid and shoot them all dead. But in the end, I didn’t dare. Dad, am I useless? I just stood there and watched you being bullied by the bandits…”

“Actually, thinking back, our chances of winning weren’t bad. Maomao could handle one, Uncle Qi Si and Uncle Qi Wu could take down two, and Uncle Hu? No need to say—give him a bamboo crossbow, and he could probably take on three. And there were so many mountain folk too. The three remaining bandits wouldn’t have stood a chance. So why was I even scared?”

Li Xuemei, sitting beside them, interjected, “Being scared is normal. You must never charge in recklessly. I heard people say those bandits had killed before. They’ve taken many lives. Such people don’t just disregard others’ lives; when they get into a frenzy, they don’t even care about their own.

“They had knives. You were so close to them. If you had been injured—even just a scratch—in this heat, we have no alcohol, no iodine, no bandages… nothing to clean the wound. The risk of infection would be huge.

“People could die!”

Yan Lao’er’s hand paused.

Clearly, her words had sunk in.

Yan Yu looked at her mother with admiration.

As expected of her mother, who had been reading medical books lately—she hit the nail on the head and shifted the whole conversation.

“Then if we run into bandits again in the future, we should do the same as today—shoot from a distance and not let them get close. Our villagers and the mountain folk look strong, but they’re definitely no match for ruthless bandits. If they get too close, someone’s bound to get hurt,” Yan Yu said worriedly.

Mother and daughter began discussing how to handle wounds.

Yan Lao’er’s thoughts drifted along with their conversation.

“Did anyone get hurt?” he belatedly asked.

Seeing that he was finally willing to talk, Li Xuemei and Yan Yu both sighed in relief.

“There shouldn’t be any injuries,” Yan Yu answered.

Still uneasy, Yan Lao’er decided to check on the others.

“Where are you going?” Li Xuemei asked.

“I’m going to take a look around and see how everyone’s doing.”

“You should worry about our second baby first,” Li Xuemei said, stroking her belly.

Yan Lao’er tensed immediately.

“Are you feeling unwell? I’ll go find Brother Cui.”

“I’m not unwell,” Li Xuemei said seriously, her tone gentle. “I’m just scared and want you to stay with me more.”

She took his other hand and placed it on her belly.

“The baby is scared too. You’re the father—you need to take care of yourself. The three of us are all relying on you.”

The confusion in Yan Lao’er’s expression vanished. A smile gradually spread across his face.

“I’m fine. Our family is fine. Everyone is fine.”

It was as if he was reassuring his wife and daughter, but also himself. “Isn’t that great? If it weren’t for the time and place, we should be celebrating.

“That Third-in-Command of the bandits was all high and mighty, forcing Uncle An and the others to join them. People like him—one less is always better.

“Are bandits even human? They’re not even animals.

“If this were the modern world, what would this be called? Righteous heroism! Tsk! I should get a Good Citizen Award. Maybe even a banner and a cash prize…”

He slapped his thigh, suddenly excited.

“If we hung a banner in the shop, wouldn’t all the students from your school come running to see? Hahaha!

“In the future, when they write essays about role models, they could just write about me! Hahaha!”

Li Xuemei glanced at her daughter.

Yan Yu nodded vigorously. “Of course! This is such good material. My Dad, My Father’s Deeds, The Heroic Father, Oh Father! I Am Proud of You, Father’s Silhouette, The Most Unforgettable Summer, Fighting Alongside My Father… If we could travel back now, I could write about this from elementary school to middle school! The teacher would have to give me an A!”

“They’d have to! It’s a true story—absolutely real. You could even write The Hero’s Daughter!”

Li Xuemei struggled to keep a straight face.

She took a deep breath, rubbing her belly.

“Pfft!” Yan Yu burst out laughing.

She giggled so hard she snorted like a goose.

Yan Lao’er got even more amused.

He and his silly daughter—one giggling, the other chuckling—laughed until tears came out.

Everyone around turned to look, wondering what was going on with Yan Lao’er.

“Dad, are you feeling better?” Yan Yu asked, still laughing.

“I’m great!”

“Dad! Don’t take the blame for others. We didn’t do anything wrong—we’re fine!”

“That’s right! We’re amazing!”

“Well then, amazing Dad, you should go check on the villagers. They were scared to death.”

“Hey! Leave it to me!”

Yan Lao’er was fully revived.

Yan Yu followed him like a little shadow.

“Why are you following me? Stay with your mother.”

“No, I want to hear how you’re going to spin this.”

“I’ll be telling the absolute truth—don’t ruin it for me.”

“I won’t say a word—just listening in.”

“Alright then. Stay back a bit, don’t interfere with my performance.”

“Got it!”

When Yan Lao’er gathered everyone together, it wasn’t just Village Chief Luo and the elders—every household’s womenfolk came to listen too.

Today’s event was huge for the entire village.

Like Yan Lao’er, they were all overwhelmed and unsure of how to process it.

Yan Lao’er took one look—goodness, the whole village was here.

He cleared his throat and said, “So, about today… This was a first-time experience for all of us, and there were definitely some shortcomings.

“For example, our formation wasn’t great. The people in front blocked those behind, so they had to move sideways to shoot. That’s why our second volley was more coordinated than the first.

“Oh, right—the kids did really well! They deserve praise. They were even better than us adults—quick thinkers, knowing to crouch low while shooting. Really great! Not only did they find good angles, but they also had steady stances. We should learn from them.”

Everyone stared wide-eyed.

No one had expected Yan Lao’er to say this.

Wasn’t he supposed to comfort them?

Yan Yu thought: My dad is evolving so fast—he’s already doing a post-battle summary?!