A’Fu was awakened by the cold.

Though they had already been traveling for so many days, she still couldn’t adapt to such hardship.

It was too harsh.

In both her lifetimes, she had never suffered like this.

A’Le had laid out everything that could be used as padding, but the ground in the wilderness still made her entire body ache. She moved her hands and feet with some difficulty.

A’Le, sleeping beside her, immediately woke up.

“Young—” She started awake, still somewhat disoriented, nearly blurting out “Young Miss,” but fortunately a hand covered her mouth in time.

In the dim blue light, A’Fu’s dark eyes looked at her as she said softly: “Elder sister, it’s still early. Sleep a while longer.”

A’Le came fully awake and turned over to sit up: “Little sister, I’m not sleepy anymore. You didn’t sleep well, did you?” She pushed the clothing she’d been lying on toward A’Fu. “Use mine as padding too. You sleep a bit more.”

A’Fu shook her head at her: “I’m not sleepy anymore.”

The two whispered to each other. On the other side of the campfire, the military men sleeping in disarray made displeased murmuring sounds.

A’Fu shushed A’Le. The two quietly got up, carrying water bottles and small bundles, saying in low voices to the two relay soldiers on watch: “We’re going to wash up.”

There was a small river nearby with a dense grove by its bank—very convenient for girls to take care of personal matters.

The relay soldiers on watch nodded without asking much, only admonishing: “Be careful. There are wild beasts in the area too.”

A’Fu expressed her thanks, and the two of them left with A’Le.

The river water was icy cold and bone-piercing. A’Fu had no interest in washing up. After relieving herself, she sat on a rock by the river in a daze.

“I’ll fetch water to heat up, then you can wash,” A’Le said. She herself rolled up her sleeves and simply washed using the ice-cold water.

A’Fu shook her head: “No need. Being a bit dirty is actually quite good.”

A’Le looked at the girl’s face—without hat or scarf. The night before sleeping, she’d wiped her face with hot water and applied a little medicinal fragrant salve to prevent frostbite. Even just like this in the morning light, her skin appeared fair and delicate.

Miss was so beautiful—if she revealed her true appearance, the journey wouldn’t just be arduous, it would be dangerous.

Throughout the journey, Miss called everyone “good person,” but A’Le knew that not one of these people was truly a good person.

“Then apply some more medicinal powder,” A’Le said quietly, taking out a small porcelain bottle from the small bundle.

A’Fu nodded and lifted her face. A’Le dipped her hand in the powder and gently applied it to her face.

“A’Le, you’re truly amazing,” Chu Zhao said, looking at A’Le. “You can make powder to conceal one’s appearance, you can make salve to treat frostbite, and you can smoke and preserve wild rabbit and pheasant meat. Without you, I couldn’t do anything well—I’d probably be dead.”

A’Le was startled: “Young—sister, you mustn’t say such things. I only know these useless, crude things that bring you shame. Thank you for not blaming me, Miss, and still being willing to keep me. I originally thought I’d never see Miss again.”

As she spoke, her eyes reddened and tears fell.

A’Fu didn’t correct her form of address. The riverside in early morning was completely open—there were no other people.

Seeing A’Le crying, she felt somewhat complicated emotions. Actually, A’Le wasn’t wrong. According to the trajectory of her previous life, the two of them had indeed never seen each other again after that.

It was rather laughable, really. When she first awakened, she had even forgotten about having a maidservant named A’Le.

……

……

A’Le was a maidservant who had grown up with her, two years her senior.

Rather than calling her a maidservant, it was more accurate to call her a playmate.

A’Le was a border region orphan who had mixed with the marketplace from childhood, surviving by stealing, until she stole from her father who had brought her along in plain clothes to the market to watch performances. Father had caught her.

Father hadn’t punished her but told her to change her livelihood—stop stealing things and accompany the young miss in learning to ride horses.

Just like that, the two learned to ride horses together, practiced with swords and spears together on the training grounds, swaggered through the streets together, then came to the capital together to Uncle’s household.

But just upon entering the household gates, A’Le, who had never been a proper maidservant, made a fool of herself—she ate the bathing beans that a maidservant brought for washing hands, thinking they were snacks, causing the maidservants to burst out laughing.

She had been furious with shame because of this. After entering the capital and seeing how noble young ladies conducted themselves, she refused to use a maidservant like A’Le anymore. She had Uncle’s wife dismiss her and found the best maidservants in the household instead.

From that point on, A’Le disappeared from her memory.

When she had been reborn and awakened after falling from the artificial mountain in the Chu family garden, until she prepared to leave the Chu household, she hadn’t thought of A’Le at all. It was only that night when climbing over the wall that she encountered A’Le waiting outside.

A’Le kept her head lowered, shrinking into the darkness, afraid that seeing her would make her angry: “I’m just worried about you, wanting to see you.”

Only then had she recognized her, remembered her.

Then she brought her along.

Only after bringing her along did she learn that this A’Le who couldn’t be a proper maidservant could do many useful things for traveling and survival.

A’Fu looked at A’Le, wondering what A’Le’s fate had been in the previous life. Had she been sold by Uncle’s wife, or sent back to the border commandery, or had she remained at the Chu household? But regardless of which, A’Le certainly hadn’t had a good ending.

She herself hadn’t had a good ending, and A’Le hadn’t had a good ending either. Who told her to be her maidservant?

She couldn’t help but reach out to touch A’Le’s face. In such a short time, A’Le’s face had already become rough. The salve to prevent frostbite—A’Le had only had time to prepare a little, and only bore to use it on Miss—

“What deep sisterly affection.”

A drawn-out voice came, interrupting A’Fu’s reverie.

Without looking, she knew it was that A’Jiu.

A’Fu withdrew her hand to wipe her own tears, pushing A’Le: “Sister, don’t be sad. I’m fine. I won’t cry anymore.”

A’Le lowered her head. She wasn’t good at speaking, and to avoid exposure, she spoke very little.

A’Jiu came over with his robe half-open, saying with a half-smile: “Being so delicate and tender—you don’t seem like a child from a poor family.”

This relay soldier called A’Jiu had always been suspicious of her, watching her, scrutinizing her, constantly using words to probe and needle her. Truly difficult and annoying.

She had endured it the previous few times, but this time, probably because she’d been thinking about her previous life, her mood was somewhat poor.

“Soldier sir,” A’Fu raised her head, looking at A’Jiu. “Actually, before my mother fell ill, our family’s days were passable. Moreover, with parents present, which child isn’t pampered and tender?”

Having said this, she pulled A’Le’s hand and walked away briskly.

A’Jiu didn’t pursue them to strike anyone, only gave a mocking laugh behind them.

A’Fu led A’Le back to the camping area. The relay soldiers had all gotten up, chewing on dry rations while checking the horses.

“A’Fu, you’re back,” Zhang Gu greeted them. “A’Jiu specially went to find you. Huh? Why are you crying?”

A relay soldier nearby smiled: “It must be A’Jiu bullying people again.”

Zhang Gu frowned: “That A’Jiu—”

“No,” A’Fu quickly shook her head, raising her hand to wipe her eyes. “My sister and I were thinking of Mother, not knowing how she is now.”

At this point, her nasal tone was thick, choking up.

Zhang Gu hastily consoled her: “Quickly stop thinking about it. Look forward. Hurry to see your father, and everything will be fine.”

A’Fu made a sound of agreement and curtsied to Zhang Gu.

“Go quickly and eat something. We’re about to set out,” Zhang Gu said kindly. Watching the two girls walk toward the campfire, he thought for a moment and added, “Don’t be angry with A’Jiu. That boy was punished and sent to do this job—he’s holding in a bellyful of temper.”

Punished? A’Fu thought. What was this A’Jiu’s background? He seemed to have been raised in pampered comfort, yet had an air of roguishness about him. Strange and peculiar.

However, forget it. What did it have to do with her?

“Yes,” A’Fu nodded gratefully to Zhang Gu. “I’ll remember that.”