Chasing Jade (Zhu Yu)

Fan Changyu took Changning to the military tent assigned to them by Gongsun Yin, then fetched water to wash her sister's face and comb her hair.

As she tied Changning's hair into little buns, she asked, "Ning Niang, do you remember how you were taken?"

Changning counted on her fingers as she carefully recalled: "Elder sister hid us in the cellar. Later, Aunt Zhao took Ning Niang to escape. We met some soldiers on the way and walked very far until they took us to an inn. Aunt Zhao said it was Jizhou City and we were safe now."

Fan Changyu realized the "inn" Changning mentioned was actually the government post station where they'd been temporarily housed. She quickly asked, "What happened then?"

Changning's eyes reddened again at the memory of being taken from the station: "Later the inn suddenly caught fire. Some bad men cut Aunt Zhao and tied Ning Niang up, stuffing my mouth before locking me in a box to take me away..."

At this point, she couldn't hold back her sobs: "Elder sister, Aunt Zhao bled so much... is Aunt Zhao dead too?"

Fan Changyu patted her back soothingly: "Aunt Zhao is fine. She's still in Jizhou now. You'll see her when we go back."

Only then did Changning stop crying.

Fan Changyu asked, "Did those villains put you in a box and take you out of the city by carriage?"

Changning nodded, then added: "When they let Ning Niang out, there were mountains everywhere. They threw away the box and carriage, then took Ning Niang on horseback to a very big house. They locked me in a dark room. After several days, a very fierce matron took me out and made me play with Bao'er."

Fan Changyu was puzzled: "Wasn't Bao'er locked up like you?"

Changning thought for a moment: "He was locked up, but all those fierce matrons and maids were trying to amuse Bao'er. They called him 'young master,' but Bao'er ignored them. Bao'er said a bad man had locked up his mother, and only by behaving could he see her again."

The more Fan Changyu heard, the more confused she became. This "locking up" Changning described sounded more like house arrest.

Moreover, those servants called Bao'er "young master." Could Yu Qianqian's husband be someone from that household?

Even if Fan Changyu wasn't particularly clever, she knew this matter was connected to the rebels—it definitely wasn't simple.

Changning looked up and asked: "Elder sister, after brother-in-law recovers, can we go save Bao'er and Aunt Yu together?"

Fan Changyu said: "After we descend the mountain, elder sister will go to Chongzhou to gather information."

This made Changning happy again.

Noticing something hanging from a red string around Changning's neck, Fan Changyu asked: "What's this?"

Changning pulled out an exquisitely carved jade pig pendant: "Bao'er gave this to me before we left. The one he gave me last time is still at home. He said he's kept the grasshopper I wove for him all this time, so he gave me this new pig pendant to wear always."

The previous jade pendant had been quite large—a jade lock design. While it looked fine when Yu Bao'er wore it visibly, it appeared rather odd on Changning. To avoid attracting envy or having it damaged during play with neighborhood children, Fan Changyu had kept the jade lock safely at home.She picked up the small pig-shaped jade pendant and examined it carefully. Even without knowing much about jade, she could clearly feel that its texture was much smoother and more lustrous than the previous jade lock, suggesting it was quite valuable. At the bottom of the pendant was carved the character "Bao," as if it had been custom-made.

Fan Changyu guessed this might have been a gift Yu Qianqian had prepared for Yu Bao'er in the past. As for why it was carved into the shape of a pig, considering Bao'er was about the same age as Changning, perhaps Bao'er was also born in the Year of the Pig?

She felt this pendant might hold even greater significance for Bao'er than the previous one.

The two children, meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land, likely saw each other as their only playmates.

Fan Changyu tucked the pendant into Changning's collar and said, "Then you should wear it carefully and don't lose it. After we rescue Bao'er and her mother, you can return it to her. This gift is too precious—Bao'er is still young, and we can't accept it, understand?"

Changning nodded. "Just like last time, if Aunt Yu agrees to give it, then Ning Niang can accept it, right?"

Fan Changyu smiled and patted her head. "Right."

Changning hadn't slept well these past few days. That night, nestled beside Fan Changyu, she yawned frequently after only a short while of talking.

After lulling Changning to sleep, Fan Changyu thought about how, when she saw Yan Zheng earlier that day, some bloodstains on him hadn't been washed off. She fetched a basin of water and headed to his tent.

He had always been a cleanly person. If not for his severe injuries, he would never have tolerated the lingering smell of herbal residues and bloodstains on his body.

When Fan Changyu arrived, Xie Zheng's tent was indeed still lit.

Unsure whether new wounded soldiers had been transferred there after she left, she called out at the entrance, "Yan Zheng, are you asleep?"

"Not yet," came a deep voice from inside.

Fan Changyu carried the basin in. As she lifted the tent flap, she saw Xie Zheng bare-chested, rewrapping bandages around his waist in slow circles. On the table beside him lay two empty травма medicine bottles.

Beads of cold sweat dotted his forehead. The pain must have put him in a foul mood, for his expression was cold when he glanced toward the entrance. Only after recognizing Fan Changyu did his gaze soften slightly. "Why are you here?"

"I brought water so you can clean up," she said.

Noticing the fresh blood soaking the discarded bandages, she recalled their earlier embrace and guilt flashed across her face. "Did I press against your wound earlier?"

"No," Xie Zheng denied, though he had already finished tying the bandages and was pulling on his robe.

Despite his denial, Fan Changyu still felt uneasy. Remembering he had been injured while saving Changning only deepened her guilt. Seeing him about to fasten his robe completely, she said, "Don't put it on yet. Let me help you wipe down."

Xie Zheng frowned reflexively. "You'll help me?"

Fan Changyu saw no issue—this wasn't the first time she'd done something like this. When she first found him, she had even pressed him down to apply medicine. There was nothing to be shy about. She nodded frankly. "Your wounds can't get wet, and you can't reach your back yourself. If you're embarrassed, I can find a young soldier outside to help instead."

Xie Zheng had already loosened the ties again. "You do it."

The black robe fell open, casting a deep shadow in the candlelight. His well-defined muscles gleamed like warm jade, while the bandages slanting from his shoulder to his ribs contrasted with his cool expression, creating an impression of fragility and strength intertwined.Fan Changyu wrung out the cloth and began gently wiping his face first.

Xie Zheng sat by the bedside, seemingly caught off guard that she had started with his face, pausing briefly in surprise.

Her movements were light and patient as she cleaned away the bloodstains and grime from his face. With a soft laugh, she said, "When I first found you, you were much dirtier than this—your face was so covered in blood I couldn’t even make out what you looked like."

Xie Zheng remained silent, simply watching Fan Changyu’s every move.

Her features were exquisitely delicate, and under the candlelight, she seemed bathed in a soft glow. Just looking at her was enough to soothe all the restlessness in his heart.

After finishing with his face, Fan Changyu wrung the cloth again and moved to wipe his upper body. Her hand hesitated near the bandaged wound, and she lightly traced the scar that stretched across his chest through the gauze, murmuring, "It must have hurt terribly, didn’t it?"

Xie Zheng only replied, "It didn’t."

Fan Changyu fell silent. When she looked up again moments later, her eyes were faintly rimmed with red.

Xie Zheng reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, studying her for a moment before suddenly leaning down to press a kiss to her eyelid.

It was so light that Fan Changyu felt as if a feather had brushed against her.

She blinked in surprise, staring at Xie Zheng in a daze. The sudden intimacy clearly caught her off guard, but she didn’t seem to dislike it.

When she was lost in thought, her gaze was clear and innocent, with a hint of vulnerability that made her seem easy to tease.

Xie Zheng’s voice was low in the quiet of the tent. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

After a brief silence, Fan Changyu blurted out, "You kissed me?"

The tent flap wasn’t fully closed, and the mountain wind seeped in, making the candlelight flicker and their shadows sway chaotically.

Xie Zheng looked at her and gave a faint "Mm," though the depth in his eyes was startling.

Another long silence followed.

Then, Fan Changyu suddenly straightened up and quickly pecked his forehead. "Now we’re even," she declared before picking up the basin and leaving the tent.

Xie Zheng watched her retreating figure, unable to snap out of his daze for a long while.

He had kissed her far more boldly before, yet the lingering warmth on his forehead now filled him with an irrepressible joy, the corners of his lips curling slightly.

Fan Changyu didn’t sleep well that night. For as long as she had known Yan Zheng, she had always seen him as family, as a friend—which was why she had been so furious when he had suddenly crossed the line before.

It wasn’t just his impropriety that angered her, but the fact that she had trusted him, and he had betrayed that trust.

But after everything that had happened since, that anger had long since faded. All she wanted was for everyone she cared about to be safe and well.

When she learned he was missing and possibly dead on the mountain, her first instinct had been to find him.

As for what to do afterward, she had imagined things returning to how they were before—just one more mouth to feed at home, and it wasn’t like she couldn’t afford it.

But tonight’s events had thrown her into confusion. He had kissed her again, yet she hadn’t been angry—just stubborn enough to peck him back on the forehead!

Fan Changyu tossed and turned irritably in bed, only to realize she had pulled the blanket off Changning. She quickly turned back to tuck her sister in properly.

It wasn’t until the fourth watch of the night that she finally managed to drift into a shallow sleep.At daybreak, Fan Changyu got up with dark circles under her eyes. After helping Changning wash up, she went to the cookhouse camp to fetch food for the wounded soldiers. She overheard complaints from the cookhouse staff that they hadn't caught any game in the past two days, so they couldn't provide special meals for the wounded soldier camp.

Changyu remembered the Army Doctor's words about Xie Zheng needing proper nourishment. How could he recover without meat?

After breakfast, she planned to follow the soldiers responsible for hunting deep into the woods to see if she could bag something good.

As for delivering medicine and breakfast to Xie Zheng, because of last night's incident, she was afraid meeting him would be even more awkward, so she left those tasks to other soldiers.

Early in the morning, Gongsun Yin went to report official matters to Xie Zheng and found him in an unusually foul mood. After some tactful probing, he learned that Changyu hadn't visited Xie Zheng all morning, which struck him as odd. So he went looking for Changyu.

Changyu was already prepared to go into the mountains. She intended to first send Changning to Xie Zheng's place for him to look after, but when Gongsun arrived, she entrusted him with taking Changning there instead.

Gongsun was surprised to hear Changyu was going hunting in the mountains. Worried something might happen to a young woman alone, he secretly dispatched two extra personal guards to follow her.

While leading Changning to Xie Zheng, he noticed the two crooked little buns on her head were so lopsided they were painful to look at.

He couldn't help asking, "Little one, didn't your sister do your hair this morning?"

Changning touched her buns and said, "She did! She even redid them!"

Gongsun: "..."

How was it possible for styled hair to look worse than unstyled?

He endured it the whole way before finally giving in and redoing Changning's buns himself.

Faced with the puzzled looks from the other personal guards, the one who'd served Xie Zheng the longest quietly explained, "Gongsun sometimes can't stand disorderly things. Seeing that child's uneven hairdo would have bothered him all day."