After returning from He Jingyuan's, Tao Taifu went straight to look for Fan Changyu. Only when he arrived at her camp was he told that she had gone home.
The new recruits did not have to fight yet. The commanders had one day of rest every half-month, so the soldiers under them also got this day off. Those like Fan Changyu, who had their own residence near the garrison, could go home for a day.
Tao Taifu clasped his hands behind his back and glanced at the sky, murmuring, "Fate truly toys with people. How did everything get tangled up together like this?"
By the time Xie Zheng, following the address mentioned in Xie Qi's letter, found the small courtyard Fan Changyu had rented, the sun was nearing dusk.
The courtyard was somewhat secluded, with a stone slab path leading to its gate. From within the courtyard walls, a pomegranate tree extended its branches and leaves. The red blossoms had all fallen, and pomegranate fruits the size of a fingernail dotted the calyxes.
The courtyard gate was open. A matron in her fifties sat on the threshold with a basin of green vegetables, slowly snapping them. A young woman, changed back into her dress, sat on a low stool, helping the matron with the vegetables.
Inside the courtyard, a wiry old man was crafting some sort of utensil, while a young man beside him was engrossed in helping plane wood.
Xie Zheng, leading his horse, paused and watched quietly for a long time.
Perhaps it was the afterglow of the setting sun casting a layer of warm, dusky light over everything, but the scene before him unexpectedly gave him the illusion of home.
The treacherous undercurrents of the imperial court seemed to fade away, leaving only a piece of tranquility in his heart.
The sound of footsteps came from the other end of the path, along with the cheerful sound of a child humming an out-of-tune nursery rhyme.
Xie Zheng turned his head to see Changning skipping at the front, the two tufts of hair on her head bobbing along. Xie Qi followed behind, herding a mother duck and a group of ducklings, saying with some exasperation, "My little ancestor, please walk slower. Be careful not to fall..."
The Gyrfalcon also waddled along. If a duckling fell behind and Xie Qi couldn't manage, the Gyrfalcon would go over and peck it, scaring the little yellow fluff ball into squawking and scurrying forward.
When Xie Qi looked up and saw Xie Zheng standing by the path holding a horse, he was startled and quickly called out, "Mar... Master."
Changning also cried out in surprise, "Brother-in-law?"
Fan Changyu, sitting at the courtyard gate, heard the commotion and looked out. Seeing the man and horse standing in the sunset, she was first taken aback, then wiped her hands on her clothes and stood up. She wanted to go forward to help Xie Zheng with his horse but hesitated and remained where she was.
It was Aunt Zhao who beamed upon seeing Yan Zheng and urged Fan Changyu, "Quick, quick, Xiao Yan has come to find you. Why aren't you going to greet him?"
Fan Changyu was simply unprepared for Xie Zheng to appear in Chongzhou so soon.
Wasn't he supposed to be leading troops to attack Kangcheng?
Why had he suddenly come here?
With a head full of questions, Fan Changyu walked forward. Just as she was about to offer to take the horse, Xie Wu, who had been helping Zhao Mu Jiang plane wood in the courtyard, had already rushed over and snatched the task.
He grinned and said, "The cowshed is empty. I'll go tie the horse in the cowshed first."
This courtyard had originally belonged to a farming household, so it came with a pigpen and a cowshed.
After Aunt Zhao arrived, besides planting some vegetables nearby, she also raised a brood of chickens and ducks. Every day, Changning would beg Xie Qi to take her along to herd the ducks to the river for a swim before bringing them back.
As a craftsman and veterinarian conscripted into the army, Zhao Mu Jiang didn't need to drill with the main forces, so his schedule was even more flexible than Fan Changyu's. Fan Changyu had gone to find him right after bringing Aunt Zhao back.
Zhao Mu Jiang had never expected to see his wife again in a foreign land. When he was taken by the conscription, he had already prepared himself to die away from home. Now that the old couple could be together, he mostly came back to the small courtyard.
He was not one to sit idle. Seeing that the tables and chairs in the courtyard were old, he began to build all sorts of furniture and utensils.
The initially bleak and dilapidated courtyard slowly began to fill with the warmth of a home.
Fan Changyu looked at the man she had been separated from for only a few days and asked very honestly, "Weren't you going to Kangcheng? Why are you here?"
The orange-red sunset fell on her cheeks, making her face seem as if it were rouged. Xie Zheng stared at her for a moment before saying, "The mountain would not come to me, so I had to go to the mountain."
These past few days, Fan Changyu had been forced to study by Tao Taifu, listening to him drone on about the great truths with his classical phrases. Her learning had indeed improved, and she understood his words. The sunset made her face flush an even deeper red.
Aunt Zhao had already stood up with the snapped vegetables, saying happily, "Xiao Yan, quick, come sit inside."
She was delighted to see Xie Zheng. Since ancient times, few men had returned alive from war. The Old Man was fine, and Changyu's husband was also fine. Aunt Zhao felt this was a joyous occasion of the highest order. She turned and ordered Zhao Mu Jiang, "Old Man, quick, go slaughter that old speckled hen in the chicken coop."
Xie Qi, who had just herded the flock of ducks back into their pen, said, "Aunt, let me do it."
With that, he grabbed an old hen from the coop next to the duck pen and headed for the kitchen.
Aunt Zhao, still unaware of Xie Zheng's identity, was afraid he might misunderstand. She said, "That was Xiao Qi just now, and the one who took your horse earlier was Xiao Wu. They are both soldiers under Changyu. You don't know, Changyu is so capable now, she's become an officer in the army! She's in charge of dozens of men."
Fan Changyu hadn't told Aunt Zhao and her husband Xie Zheng's true identity. For one, she was afraid of frightening the two elders. For another, their previous engagement was no longer valid, and fearing some unforeseen change, she thought it best to wait until everything was settled before saying anything.
Who would have thought Aunt Zhao would praise her for being a mere squad leader right in front of Xie Zheng? She quickly interrupted, "Aunt, what are we eating tonight?"
Aunt Zhao was indeed distracted. She began to ponder the welcome feast for the evening, muttering, "We have chicken, but it's a pity there's only one mother duck. She still has to lead those ducklings, so we can't kill her. Let's stew a pork rib soup as well..."
Perhaps to give the "long-separated" couple more time alone, when Aunt Zhao went to the kitchen, she had Zhao Mu Jiang help with the fire and also coaxed Changning into the kitchen.
Xie Wu did not return for a long time after tying up the horse, leaving only Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng in the courtyard.
She said, a little awkwardly, "I haven't told Aunt Zhao and the others your identity yet."
"It's fine," Xie Zheng said.
He then asked her, "How are things in the army?"
Though they had been fine when they parted, Fan Changyu now felt awkward all over. She drew circles on the ground with the tip of her foot and said, "Godfather secured a position as a squad leader for me. Everything is fine for now."
Xie Zheng gave a faint "en."
Fan Changyu couldn't find anything else to say. Seeing the man-high, long wooden box he was leaning on, she asked, "What is this?"
"For you," Xie Zheng said.
"For me?" Fan Changyu glanced at him curiously. When she took it, she found it was quite heavy.
Opening it, she saw a Horse-Cutting Sword with a blade that was black with crimson-gold forging patterns, leaving only the cutting edge gleaming like snow. It looked brand new.
Fan Changyu picked up the long sword and weighed it, feeling that its weight was just right for wielding. She gently brushed her fingertip over the edge and it broke her skin, causing a tiny bead of blood to well up.
She said with some surprise, "What a sharp blade!"
Lifting her head to look at Xie Zheng, she asked, "Did you have this specially forged?"
Xie Zheng was noncommittal. He raised his eyelids, his tone lazy yet tinged with a smile, "I'm waiting for you to quickly achieve merits and establish yourself."
Fan Changyu understood the meaning behind his words, and her face burned even hotter. She tightened her grip on the sword's hilt but still raised her eyes to look at him resolutely. "I will."
Xie Zheng was slightly taken aback by her gaze. His eyes deepened a few shades as he asked, "Want to break in the new blade?"
Fan Changyu thought he wanted to spar with her and said happily, "Alright."
With that, she had already assumed a fighting stance.
But Xie Zheng said, "Let's go outside."
Fan Changyu assumed he found the courtyard too small and feared they wouldn't have room to move freely. She readily agreed, "Then let's go to the riverbank. It's open there."
She called out towards the kitchen that she would be back later, then carried her newly acquired sword and walked out with Xie Zheng.
At this hour, the world was already shrouded in twilight. There was no one on the riverbank.
Xie Zheng casually picked up a wooden stick to use as a weapon. Fan Changyu, who used to wield two pig-slaughtering knives, had a wide-open, aggressive fighting style. Now, with a long-handled Horse-Cutting Sword that suited her, she was able to bring her strengths to their fullest potential.
Under the moonlight, the clash of their weapons was so fast that only afterimages could be seen. The sounds of iron and wood colliding rang out, one a clear clang, the other a dull thud.
Compared to short blades, Fan Changyu's use of the long-handled sword allowed for more fluid movements. But because she had few opportunities to use a long-handled sword in actual combat, and her opponent was Xie Zheng, she still showed a degree of inexperience.
For some reason, however, Xie Zheng didn't seem to be using his full strength tonight. He seldom matched her brute force, mostly using skill and finesse. Fan Changyu, accustomed to heavy offense and light defense, felt she couldn't unleash her raw power against his evasive maneuvers. Her sword strikes grew hasty, revealing an opening.
After one of her slashes, Xie Zheng slipped through her defense. The wooden stick flicked the Horse-Cutting Sword from her hand. She stepped on a loose stone and staggered back a step, her back hitting a pier post. Just as she was about to reach for her sword, the wooden stick in Xie Zheng's hand was already pointing at her heart, a mere half-inch away.
Fan Changyu was secretly alarmed. She had broken out in a sweat from the fight, her breathing was heavy, and her chest heaved, her lapels almost brushing against the stick Xie Zheng pointed at her.
In the darkness, she couldn't see Xie Zheng's expression, only hearing him say, "You lost."
His voice, for some reason, was a little hoarse.
Fan Changyu replayed their exchange in her mind. She pursed her lips, wanting to move, but found that Xie Zheng had no intention of withdrawing his stick. She said, unconvinced, "Again!"
But the man before her only stared at her fixedly.
Fan Changyu met his gaze and was startled by the darkness in his eyes. She subconsciously wanted to look away but felt as if she were bewitched, and could only stare at him, transfixed.
When he lowered his head to kiss her, her breath hitched slightly. Listening to the gurgling of the river, her long lashes trembled, and she slowly closed her eyes.
Compared to before, his kiss this time was gentler, but exceptionally clingy.
Fan Changyu felt she was about to run out of air and went to push him, but he caught her hands and pinned them above her head. His other hand held her jaw, kissing her very, very deeply.
Perhaps because they had just been sparring, his whole body was burning hot. His breath felt like fire, and the thin summer clothes could not block the scorching heat of his body.
The heat intensified his scent. It wasn't incense or sweat, but a unique scent that belonged only to him. It was very pleasant.
It was probably the lack of oxygen. Unlike before, when a kiss only left her lips and tongue numb, Fan Changyu now felt her limbs go weak, unable to stand properly.
The man before her seemed to be in a worse state. He buried his head in the crook of her neck, his breathing as heavy as a beast on the verge of frenzy. The breaths he exhaled on the side of her neck were almost scalding.
Fan Changyu instinctively sensed danger. She turned her head as far to the side as she could, thought hard, and suggested, "How about we fight again?"
The man before her suddenly bit down hatefully on a small patch of her neck, sucking on it as if in retaliation.
The subtle yet distinct pain made Fan Changyu suck in a sharp breath, not daring to speak again.
She knew little about matters between men and women, but she felt that after hearing her soft gasp, his body seemed to tense even more, and beads of sweat faintly appeared at his temples.
Fan Changyu sensed his intense discomfort and patted his back soothingly.
He released her neck and simply stared at her from half a foot away. His pupils were darker than the night, and a soft note flowed through his husky voice. "Fan Changyu, when can I marry you?"
He was truly handsome. Sweat-dampened strands of hair fell messily across his forehead. Within his deep-set phoenix eyes was a domineering air mixed with a subtle hint of compromise and grievance. His lips were pressed into a tight line, making one want to kiss him.
Fan Changyu's heart softened. She reached out to touch his face and said very seriously, "When I've saved up enough of a 'dowry' for myself, I'll marry you."
The dowry she wanted was naturally not money, but the confidence to walk side-by-side with him, something she had told him before.
Xie Zheng stared at her. "Fine, I'll wait for you. In this life, I will marry no one but you, and you cannot marry anyone else either."
Fan Changyu found this amusing. "In all my life, you're the only one I've ever liked. If I don't marry you, who would I marry?"
This statement left Xie Zheng stunned for a good while.
Having said that, Fan Changyu felt a little embarrassed. She averted her gaze and said, "Aunt Zhao has probably finished cooking. Let's go back."
But Xie Zheng suddenly asked, "What about that ex-fiancé of yours?"
So much had happened since Fan Changyu left Qingping County that she had almost forgotten about Song Yan. Hearing Xie Zheng bring him up now, she looked at him in disbelief. "You think I would like him?"
Xie Zheng forced out two stiff words: "Back then."
Fan Changyu never expected him to suddenly bring up old scores. She knew that in the past, he had held Song Yan in absolute contempt.
She said with some exasperation, "Whether you believe it or not, not even back then."
She scratched her head, a little embarrassed. "Actually... I wasn't very familiar with him. In the past, it was mostly our parents who interacted. He was completely absorbed in his scholarly books since he was a child. When I was little, I ran wild with all the kids in the alley, and when I grew up, my mother kept me cooped up. I rarely saw him, and even when we did meet, we barely exchanged a few words. I always felt he was quite arrogant and didn't seem to want to marry a butcher's daughter. I even privately told him to call off the engagement."
Xie Zheng abruptly interjected, "You gave him a pair of clay dolls."
Fan Changyu was utterly dumbfounded. For the first time, she felt this man's memory was far too good.
She stammered, "No, I was less than eight years old then. I didn't give him the clay dolls out of any romantic feelings. It was just that his father had just passed away, and I gave them to him because I felt sorry for him."
Xie Zheng's lips pressed together, and he said nothing.
Fan Changyu ran a hand through her hair and asked, "Have you never given a girl something out of courtesy or something?"
He replied with two chilly words: "Never."
Fan Changyu truly didn't know how to handle the current situation. It was as if she were a seasoned heartbreaker who had met a girl she fancied, only for the other party to suddenly mind her past.
She sighed. "If you mind..."
He cut her off. "I don't."
Fan Changyu: "..."
What else could be said?
She and the man before her stared at each other, wide-eyed.
Finally, Xie Zheng lowered his long, thick, dark lashes and said, "Let's go back."
The silhouette of him turning to leave looked ethereal yet lonely under the moonlight.
As Fan Changyu shouldered her Horse-Cutting Sword and chased after him, she was still completely bewildered. She had no idea how she had suddenly become a heartless woman who had broken someone's heart.
Along the way, Fan Changyu tried to talk to Xie Zheng again, but he mostly replied with just one or two words.
Fan Changyu could see that he didn't want to talk to her for the time being, so she simply shut her mouth and didn't say another word to him all the way home.
During the meal, Aunt Zhao probably also sensed the strange atmosphere between the two.
After dinner, Xie Wu and Xie Qi scrambled to clear the dishes. Xie Zheng sat in the courtyard, making small talk with Zhao Da Shu, so Fan Changyu went to get the bedding for a floor pallet.
There were only three rooms in the courtyard. Usually, Aunt Zhao and Changning shared one, Xie Qi had one to himself, and the other was left for Fan Changyu.
Whenever Fan Changyu came back, Zhao Mu Jiang and Xie Wu would usually come back too. At those times, Changning would typically sleep with Fan Changyu, the old Zhao couple would take a room, and Xie Wu would squeeze into Xie Qi's room.
With the situation tonight, someone would inevitably have to sleep on the floor.
As she was carrying the bedding, intending to return to her room, Aunt Zhao blocked the doorway, her expression somewhat serious. "Changyu, Auntie has something to say to you."
Fan Changyu thought it was something important, so she temporarily put down the bedding. After Aunt Zhao closed the door and sat down inside, she said, "Please speak."
Aunt Zhao looked at her and sighed. "Changyu, Auntie knows you're successful now, but there's a saying that one should not abandon the wife who shared their hardships. When you were going through such difficult times, it was Xiao Yan who supported you. Later, he was even taken away by the conscription. This bond is something no one else can compare to. Xiao Yan is good-looking and well-built, too. No matter what, Auntie hopes you two will live well together. Don't be like those heartless men who turn their backs on people once they become rich and powerful."
Fan Changyu couldn't defend herself and could only say through gritted teeth, "We're fine."
Aunt Zhao's face was stern. "He was perfectly fine when he first arrived. How come he looked like that after you two went out for a while? You must have had a fight. Don't try to fool me. I'm an experienced person. I can tell just from a single look between you two."
She thought for a moment and asked, "Xiao Wu is always by your side. If Yan Zheng minds this, how about Auntie acts as a matchmaker and finds a wife for Xiao Wu?"
Fan Changyu quickly said, "It's not about that. Auntie, please don't worry. It's really not a big deal. I'll find a chance to talk it over with him."
Aunt Zhao was skeptical. She glanced at the bedding Fan Changyu had taken out, stuffed it all back into the cabinet, and then shut the cabinet door. "Then you two will sleep in the same room tonight and talk things out properly. I'll take Ning Niang."
Fan Changyu made a last-ditch effort. "One blanket isn't enough."
Aunt Zhao glared. "How is it not enough? It's already summer. Sharing a corner of the blanket is fine. Are you taking out so much bedding because you plan to kick him out of bed and make him sleep on the floor?"
When she was shooed back into the room, Fan Changyu felt even more aggrieved.
She wasn't the one throwing a tantrum!
Before long, Xie Zheng also entered the room. It was obvious Aunt Zhao had persuaded him to come in.
Fan Changyu sat on the edge of the bed. Their eyes met, and she squeezed out a dry sentence, "Shall we rest?"
Xie Zheng took off his outer robe and lay down on the outer side of the bed, wearing only his middle garments.
Fan Changyu saw the large space he had left for her. Their relationship was already this stiff; she couldn't bring herself to say something like asking him to sleep alone.
She blew out the lamp, fumbled her way around his feet to the inner side in the dark, and lay down along the inner edge of the bed, leaving a large empty space in the middle.
No one spoke in the darkness. After a long while, Fan Changyu finally sighed. "How can you be so unreasonable? When I gave things to people in my childhood, I had no idea what the Song family would turn out to be like, nor did I know I would meet you. You can be upset with me over things happening now, but if you mind things from the past, what do you want me to do?"
The person lying on the outer side didn't move. A low voice sounded in the darkness. "I lost both my parents when I was four."
Hearing him say this so suddenly, Fan Changyu thought he was trying to get a gift from her too, since she had mentioned giving Song Yan the clay dolls after his father passed away.
She said helplessly, "Uncle Zhao actually made that pair of clay dolls for me to play with, just like those grasshopper toys Changning plays with. How about I make a pair of dolls for you with my own hands?"
When she asked the last few words, she reached out, took his hand, and shook it gently.
It felt like a feather was gently brushing against his heart.
He was silent for a long time before answering with a single "Alright."
He didn't mind; he was jealous.
He was jealous that in the years before he met her, he had walked alone, while another child, because of the pain of losing a father, had received her pity, had something she had given, had been able to grow up with her, and had seen every year of her past that he could never see. He had even had an engagement with her.
Just thinking about these things made an indescribable malice spread in his heart.
But he didn't dare tell Fan Changyu this. He was afraid she would think he was a madman.
Receiving his reply, Fan Changyu felt she had finally placated him. She said to him, "Then it's a deal."
As she prepared to withdraw her hand, he held it firmly, giving her no room to pull away.
Fan Changyu looked at the person beside her in surprise, only to see his eyes were closed, as if he were already asleep.
She felt both helpless and amused, her heart melting into a soft puddle. She lay there flat on her back, holding his hand, and fell asleep.
After Fan Changyu's breathing became steady, the person feigning sleep suddenly opened his eyes. He turned his head slightly, gazing at her unblinkingly in the darkness.
OpenNovel