Grand Tutor Tao returned from He Jingyuan’s place and went straight to look for Fan Changyu. Upon reaching her camp, he was informed that she had gone home.
The recruits weren’t required to fight yet, and the commanders had one day off every five days. The lower-ranking soldiers could also enjoy this day of leisure. Those like Fan Changyu, who had their residences near the garrison, could return home for a day.
Grand Tutor Tao clasped his hands behind his back and glanced at the sky, muttering, “Fate plays tricks on us. How have all these matters become so entangled?”
When Xie Zheng found the small courtyard Fan Changyu had rented, following the address Xie Qi had provided in his letter, the sun was already nearing dusk.
The courtyard was somewhat secluded, with a stone path leading to the entrance. A pomegranate tree stretched its branches over the courtyard wall, its red flowers had all fallen, leaving small pomegranate fruits the size of fingernails on the stems.
The gate was open. A woman in her fifties sat on the threshold, slowly trimming a basket of greens. A young woman, now dressed in women’s clothing, sat on a low stool, helping the older woman with the vegetables.
Inside the courtyard, a skinny old man was working on some tools, while a young man beside him was bent over, helping to plane wood.
Xie Zheng stopped, holding his horse’s reins, and quietly observed the scene for a long time.
Perhaps it was the glow of the setting sun, but everything before him was bathed in a warm, golden light, giving him an unexpected feeling of home.
The undercurrents of the imperial court seemed far away, leaving only tranquility in his heart.
Footsteps and the sound of a child happily humming an off-key nursery rhyme came from down the road.
Xie Zheng turned to look and saw Chang Ning skipping ahead, her two little buns bouncing with each step. Xie Qi followed behind, herding a mother duck and a group of ducklings. He said with some exasperation, “Young Miss, please slow down. Be careful not to fall…”
The gyrfalcon waddled along as well. When a duckling fell behind, and Xie Qi couldn’t manage them all, the gyrfalcon would peck at it, frightening the fluffy yellow duckling into chirping loudly and scurrying forward.
Xie Qi looked up and was startled to see Xie Zheng standing by the road with his horse. He quickly called out, “Mar… Master.”
Chang Ning also exclaimed in surprise, “Brother-in-law?”
Fan Changyu, sitting at the courtyard entrance, heard the commotion and looked out. Seeing the man and horse standing in the sunset, she was first stunned, then wiped her hands on her clothes and stood up. She wanted to go help Xie Zheng with his horse but hesitated and remained where she was.
Madam Zhao, however, was delighted to see Yan Zheng. She urged Fan Changyu, “Quickly, Little Yan has come. Why aren’t you going to greet him?”
Fan Changyu was purely surprised that Xie Zheng had appeared in Chongzhou so quickly.
Wasn’t he supposed to be leading troops to attack Kangcheng?
Why had he suddenly come here?
Fan Changyu approached with a head full of questions. Just as she was about to offer to take the horse, Xie Wu, who had been helping Carpenter Zhao plane wood in the courtyard, rushed over and took over the task.
He grinned and said, “The cow pen is empty. I’ll tie up the horse there first.”
This courtyard had originally belonged to a farming household, complete with a pigsty and cow pen.
After Madam Zhao arrived, besides growing some vegetables nearby, she also raised a brood of chickens and ducks. Every day, Chang Ning would beg Xie Qi to take her along to herd the ducks to the river for a swim before bringing them back.
Carpenter Zhao, as a craftsman and veterinarian, was conscripted into the army and didn’t need to train with the main force. His schedule was even more flexible than Fan Changyu’s. After Fan Changyu brought Madam Zhao back, she went to find him.
Carpenter Zhao hadn’t expected to see his wife again in a foreign land. When he was conscripted, he had prepared himself to die away from home. Now that the old couple could be together, he spent most of his time back in the small courtyard.
Being unable to sit idle, he noticed that the tables, chairs, and stools in the courtyard were old and began crafting various household items.
The once desolate and dilapidated small courtyard gradually filled with the warmth of home.
Fan Changyu looked at the man she had been separated from for only a few days and asked honestly, “Weren’t you going to Kangcheng? Why have you come here?”
The orange-red sunset fell on her cheeks, making her face appear as if it were covered with a layer of rouge. Xie Zheng stared at her for a moment before saying, “If the mountain won’t come to me, I must go to the mountain.”
Fan Changyu, having been forced to study under Grand Tutor Tao these days, listening to his lectures on the great principles peppered with classical particles, had indeed improved her knowledge. She understood his allusion, and her face, already lit by the sunset, grew even redder.
Madam Zhao had already stood up with the trimmed vegetables and said happily, “Little Yan, come sit inside.”
She was delighted to see Xie Zheng. Since ancient times, few people returned alive from war. With her old man safe and sound, and Changyu’s husband also well, Madam Zhao felt it was a great joy. She turned and instructed Carpenter Zhao, “Old man, quick, slaughter that speckled old hen from the chicken coop.”
Xie Qi, who had just herded the ducks back into their pen, said, “Madam, let me do it.”
As he spoke, he picked up an old hen from the chicken coop near the duck pen and headed toward the kitchen.
Madam Zhao, unaware of Xie Zheng’s true identity, feared he might misunderstand and said, “That was Little Qi just now, and the one who helped you with your horse earlier was Little Wu. They’re both soldiers under Changyu’s command. You don’t know, but Changyu has become quite capable now. She’s an officer in the military camp! She’s in charge of dozens of men.”
Fan Changyu hadn’t told the elderly couple about Xie Zheng’s true identity when she first arrived. Firstly, she was afraid of frightening them, and secondly, their previous marriage arrangement was no longer valid. Fearing that something might happen in the meantime, she had planned to explain everything once the dust had settled.
Who would have thought that Madam Zhao would praise her small position as a squad leader in front of Xie Zheng? She quickly interrupted, “Madam, what shall we eat tonight?”
Madam Zhao’s attention was indeed diverted as she pondered the welcome dinner, muttering to herself, “We have the chicken, but unfortunately, there’s only one mother duck, and we need to keep her for the ducklings. We can’t kill her. Let’s make a pork rib soup as well…”
Presumably, to give the “long-separated” couple some time alone, Madam Zhao asked Carpenter Zhao to help with the fire when she went to the kitchen, and she coaxed Chang Ning to go to the kitchen as well.
Xie Wu, who had gone to tie up the horse, had yet to return, leaving only Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng in the courtyard.
She said somewhat awkwardly, “I haven’t told Madam Zhao and the others about your identity yet.”
Xie Zheng said, “It’s fine.”
He then asked her, “How have things been in the military?”
Although the two had parted on good terms, Fan Changyu now felt uncomfortable all over. She drew circles on the ground with her toe and said, “Adoptive Father secured me a position as a squad leader. Everything is going well at the moment.”
Xie Zheng gave a faint “Mm” in response.
Fan Changyu couldn’t find anything else to say. Noticing the long, person-height wooden box he was leaning on, she asked, “What’s that?”
Xie Zheng said, “It’s for you.”
“For me?” Fan Changyu glanced at him curiously and reached out to take it, finding it quite heavy.
Opening it, she saw a mohu saber with a black blade streaked with golden-red forging patterns, only the edge gleaming brightly. It looked brand new.
Fan Changyu picked up the long saber and weighed it in her hand, feeling that its weight was perfect for wielding. She lightly brushed her fingertip along the edge, and it immediately broke the skin, drawing tiny beads of blood.
She exclaimed in surprise, “What a sharp blade!”
Looking up at Xie Zheng, she asked, “Did you have it specially made?”
Xie Zheng neither confirmed nor denied, merely raising an eyebrow and saying in a lazy tone tinged with a hint of amusement, “I’m waiting for you to quickly achieve merit and establish yourself.”
Fan Changyu realized the meaning behind his words, her face burning again. She gripped the saber’s hilt tightly but still raised her eyes to look at him determinedly, saying, “I will.”
Xie Zheng was slightly taken aback by her gaze, his eyes deepening. He asked, “Do you want to try out the new saber?”
Fan Changyu thought he wanted to spar with her and said happily, “Sure!”
She had already assumed a fighting stance.
But Xie Zheng said, “Let’s go outside.”
Fan Changyu thought he found the courtyard too small for them to move freely, and readily agreed, “Then let’s go to the riverbank. The terrain there is more open.”
She called out to the kitchen, saying they’d be back later, then picked up her newly acquired saber and followed Xie Zheng outside.
By this time, dusk had fallen over everything, and there was no one at the riverbank.
Xie Zheng casually picked up a wooden stick to use as a weapon. In the past, Fan Changyu had wielded two butcher knives, employing a broad and forceful fighting style. Now, with a well-balanced long-handled mohu saber in hand, she was able to maximize her advantages even further.
In the moonlight, the weapons in their hands clashed so quickly that only blurred shadows could be seen. The clash of metal against wood produced contrasting sounds – one clear and ringing, the other low and muffled.
Compared to short knives, Fan Changyu’s movements with the long-handled saber were more fluid, but because she had few opportunities to use such a weapon in actual combat, and because her opponent was Xie Zheng, her technique still showed some inexperience.
However, for some reason, Xie Zheng seemed not to be using his full strength tonight. He rarely matched her brute force, mostly using skillful techniques. Fan Changyu, accustomed to favoring offense over defense, found herself unable to unleash her full power against such evasive tactics. When she became impatient, her saber strikes left openings.
After one of her chopping attacks, Xie Zheng exploited a gap in her defense. His wooden stick knocked the mohu saber from her hand. She stumbled on loose gravel and stepped back, her back hitting a post on the dock. As she reached to retrieve her saber, Xie Zheng’s wooden stick was already pointing at her chest, half an inch away.
Fan Changyu was inwardly startled. She had worked up quite a sweat from the fight, her breathing heavy and her chest heaving noticeably. Her clothes almost brushed against the wooden stick Xie Zheng was pointing at her.
In the darkness of night, Xie Zheng’s expression was unclear, but she heard him say, “You’ve lost.”
His voice was unexpectedly hoarse.
Fan Changyu replayed the recent moves in her mind, pursing her lips. She wanted to move but found that Xie Zheng showed no intention of withdrawing his wooden stick. Somewhat unwilling to concede, she said, “Again!”
The man before her, however, only stared at her unblinkingly.
Fan Changyu raised her eyes to meet his gaze, startled by the darkness in his eyes. She instinctively wanted to look away but felt as if bewitched, only able to stare at him blankly.
When he lowered his head to kiss her, her breath caught slightly. Listening to the gentle sound of flowing water by the river, her long lashes trembled, and she slowly closed her eyes.
Compared to before, his kiss was gentler this time, but particularly lingering.
Fan Changyu felt she could hardly breathe and tried to push him away, but he caught her hands and pinned them above her head. His other hand gripped her jaw as he kissed her deeply.
Perhaps due to their recent sparring, his entire body was burning hot. His breath was like fire, and the thin summer clothes could hardly block the intense heat from his body.
The heat intensified his scent. It wasn’t perfume or sweat, but a unique fragrance that belonged only to him. It smelled good.
Possibly due to lack of oxygen, unlike the previous kisses that left only her lips and tongue numb, Fan Changyu felt her limbs growing weak, barely able to stand.
The man before her seemed to be in an even worse state. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his breathing as heavy as a beast on the verge of madness, his breath scorching against her neck.
Fan Changyu instinctively sensed danger and tried to turn her head away as much as possible. After thinking hard, she suggested, “Should we have another fight?”
The man suddenly bit a small piece of flesh on her neck in frustration, sucking on it as if in revenge.
The subtle yet distinct pain made Fan Changyu draw in a sharp breath, not daring to speak again.
Her knowledge of matters between men and women was limited, but she sensed that upon hearing her slight gasp, his body seemed to tense even more, with sweat beginning to seep from his temples.
Fan Changyu noticed his intense discomfort and gently patted his back in an attempt to soothe him.
He released her neck from his bite and gazed at her from half a foot away, his pupils darker than the night. His hoarse voice carried a soft tone, “Fan Changyu, when can I marry you?”
He was truly handsome, with damp, messy hair falling across his forehead. His deep phoenix eyes held a mix of dominance and a barely noticeable hint of compromise and grievance. His lips were tightly pressed, making one want to kiss them.
Fan Changyu’s heart softened. She raised her hand to touch his face and said very seriously, “When I’ve saved enough ‘dowry’ for myself, I’ll marry you.”
The dowry she wanted was not money, of course, but what she had mentioned to him before – the confidence to walk alongside him.
Xie Zheng stared at her, “Good, I’ll wait for you. In this life, I’ll marry no one but you and you must not marry anyone else.”
Fan Changyu said with amusement, “I’ve only ever liked you in my entire life. If I don’t marry you, who else would I marry?”
These words left Xie Zheng stunned for a good while.
Fan Changyu felt a bit embarrassed after saying this and looked away, saying, “Madam Zhao has probably finished cooking. Let’s go back.”
But Xie Zheng suddenly asked, “What about your former fiancé?”
So much had happened since Fan Changyu left Qingping County that she had almost forgotten about Song Yan. Hearing Xie Zheng mention him now, she looked at him in disbelief, “You think I would like him?”
Xie Zheng stiffly squeezed out two words, “In the past.”
Fan Changyu never expected him to suddenly bring up old matters. After all, he had always been utterly dismissive of Song Yan in the past.
She said somewhat helplessly, “Whether you believe it or not, not even in the past.”
She scratched her head, a bit embarrassed, and said, “Actually… I wasn’t very familiar with him. In the past, it was mostly our parents who interacted. From childhood to adulthood, his mind was full of nothing but the classics. When I was little, I ran wild with all the children in the alley, and when I grew up, I was confined by my mother. I rarely saw him, and even when we did meet, we hardly exchanged a few words. I always felt he was quite arrogant and didn’t seem to want to marry a butcher’s daughter like me. I even privately suggested to him that we call off the engagement.”
Xie Zheng suddenly blurted out, “You sent him a pair of clay dolls.”
Fan Changyu was utterly dumbfounded. For the first time, she felt this man’s memory was a bit too good.
She stammered, “No, I was not even eight years old then. Sending him a pair of clay figurines wasn’t because of any romantic feelings. It was just because his father had just passed away, and I felt sorry for him, that’s why I sent them.”
Xie Zheng’s lips tightened, and he said nothing.
Fan Changyu scratched her hair and asked, “Haven’t you ever given gifts to little girls in the past, just out of courtesy?”
He coldly dropped two words, “Never.”
Fan Changyu didn’t know how to handle the current situation. It was as if she were some kind of playboy who, upon meeting a girl he liked, suddenly found her concerned about his past.
She sighed, “If you mind…”
He interrupted her, “I don’t mind.”
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, dark lashes and said, “Let’s go back.”
His departing figure in the moonlight was both graceful and lonely.
When Fan Changyu caught up with him, carrying the mohu saber, she was still bewildered, not knowing how she had suddenly become a heartless woman who had deeply hurt someone.
Back then, Fan Changyu tried to talk to Xie Zheng again, but he mostly responded with only one or two words.
Fan Changyu also realized that he didn’t want to engage with her for the time being, so she simply closed her mouth and didn’t say another word to him until they got home.
During the meal, Madam Zhao probably also sensed the strange atmosphere between the two.
After the meal, Xie Wu and Xie Qi rushed to clean up the bowls and chopsticks. Xie Zheng sat in the courtyard, chatting intermittently with Uncle Zhao, while Fan Changyu went to find bedding for sleeping on the floor.
There were only three rooms in the courtyard. Usually, Madam Zhao and Chang Ning shared one room, Xie Qi had one to himself, and the remaining one was left for Fan Changyu.
Whenever Fan Changyu returned, Carpenter Zhao and Xie Wu would usually come back together. At such times, Chang Ning would generally sleep with Fan Changyu, the elderly Zhao couple would share a room, and Xie Wu would squeeze into Xie Qi’s room.
Tonight’s situation meant that someone would inevitably have to sleep on the floor.
As she was about to return to her room with the bedding, Madam Zhao blocked the doorway, her face somewhat serious, and said, “Changyu, Auntie has something to say to you.”
Fan Changyu thought it must be something urgent, so she put down the bedding for the time being. After Madam Zhao closed the door and sat down inside the room, she said, “Please speak.”
Madam Zhao looked at her and sighed, “Changyu, Auntie knows that you’ve become successful now, but there’s a saying among common people: ‘A wife who has shared your hardships should not be abandoned.’ When times were tough for you, it was Little Yan who stood by your side and helped you through. Later, he was even conscripted. This bond is incomparable to others. Little Yan is good-looking and well-built. No matter what, Auntie still hopes you two can get along well. Don’t be like those heartless men who forget their roots once they become wealthy.”
Fan Changyu found it hard to explain and could only say stubbornly, “We’re doing fine.”
Madam Zhao frowned and said, “When he first arrived, everything seemed fine. How come after you two went out, he came back with that expression? You must have quarreled. Don’t try to fool Auntie. I’ve been through it all. I can tell something’s wrong just from the look in your eyes.”
She thought for a moment and asked, “Little Wu has always been by your side. If Yan Zheng is concerned about this, why don’t I act as a matchmaker and find a wife for Little Wu?”
Fan Changyu quickly said, “It’s not about that. Auntie, please don’t worry. It’s not a big deal. I’ll find an opportunity to talk it out with him.”
Madam Zhao was half-believing, half-doubting. She looked at the bedding Fan Changyu had taken out, stuffed it all back into the cabinet, and closed the cabinet door, saying, “Then you two sleep in the same room tonight and talk things through properly. I’ll take care of Ning.”
Fan Changyu made a last-ditch effort, “One blanket isn’t enough.”
Madam Zhao glared at her, “How is it not enough? It’s already summer. You can each use a corner of the blanket. Why are you taking so many blankets? Are you trying to force him to sleep on the floor?”
As she was pushed back into the room, Fan Changyu felt even more aggrieved.
This wasn’t the mood she wanted to create!
Soon after, Xie Zheng also came into the room, undoubtedly persuaded by Madam Zhao.
Fan Changyu sat on the edge of the bed, their eyes meeting. She squeezed out a dry “Are you going to rest?”
Xie Zheng then removed his outer robe, wearing only his middle garment, and lay down on the outer side of the bed.
Fan Changyu looked at the large space he had left for her. Given how strained their relationship had become, she didn’t have the heart to suggest he sleep alone.
She blew out the lamp and groped her way to the inner side of the bed, past his feet. She also lay down close to the inner edge, leaving a large space in the middle.
In the darkness, neither of them spoke for a long time. Finally, Fan Changyu sighed and said, “How can you be so unreasonable? When I gave gifts as a child, I had no idea what the Song family would become, nor did I know I would meet you. You can be upset about current matters, but how can you mind things from the past? What do you want me to do?”
The person lying on the outer side didn’t move. A deep voice sounded in the darkness, “When I was four years old, I lost both my parents.”
Hearing this sudden statement, Fan Changyu thought he was referring to her giving Song Yan clay dolls because his father had passed away, and now he wanted a gift from her too.
She said helplessly, “Those clay dolls were made by Uncle Zhao for me to play with, just like the grass grasshoppers Chang Ning plays with. How about I make a pair of dolls for you with my own hands?”
As she asked the last three words, she reached out and took his hand, gently shaking it.
It felt as if a feather had lightly brushed across her heart.
He remained silent for a long time before answering with a single “Okay.”
He wasn’t minding; he was jealous.
Jealous that in the years before he met her, while he was trudging along alone, there was another child who, because of the pain of losing his father, could receive her sympathy, have something she had given, could grow up with her, see what he could no longer see – her appearance in every year of her past – and even had been engaged to her.
Just thinking about these things made an indescribable malice spread in his heart.
But he didn’t dare tell Fan Changyu these things. He was afraid she would think he was crazy.
Having received his response, Fan Changyu felt she had finally appeased him and said, “Then it’s settled.”
As she was about to withdraw her hand, he firmly grasped it, giving her no chance to pull away.
Fan Changyu looked at him in surprise, only to see him with his eyes closed, as if he had already fallen asleep.
She felt both helpless and amused, her heart melting. She fell asleep lying flat, holding his hand.
After Fan Changyu’s breathing became steady, the man who had been pretending to sleep suddenly opened his eyes. He turned his head slightly, gazing at her unblinkingly in the darkness of the night.