HomeLove Story of Young General and PrincessExtra Chapter: The Protagonist's Present Life · Final

Extra Chapter: The Protagonist’s Present Life · Final

On New Year’s Eve, Jiang Zhiyi and Shen Yuance had enjoyed reunion dinners both at the military camp and at home. After the feasts, they nestled together in the warm pavilion of Yaoguang Garden, each with a set of leaf cards, sitting across from each other at a small tea table on the luohan couch, whiling away the hours as they stayed up to greet the new year.

As the game reached a critical moment that would determine the winner, Jiang Zhiyi was frowning intently at her cards, considering which one to play against Shen Yuance, when a yellowish furry shape moved through her peripheral vision. Looking down, she saw Tiger Tiger raising its neck and standing on tiptoe, appearing eager to climb onto the couch.

When they had first settled in Hexi, Jiang Zhiyi had wanted to bring Tiger Tiger from Chang’an, but initially worried about the long journey—it would be terrible if the cat became ill due to unfamiliar conditions during the trip. So she had delayed for a while, until Li Dafeng returned to Guzang and she entrusted him with bringing Tiger Tiger along.

With the miraculous Dr. Li caring for it along the way, Tiger Tiger had arrived safely by their side.

Jiang Zhiyi, busy examining her cards, her lips silently moving as she calculated, managed to free one hand amid her concentration to poke Shen Yuance’s forearm resting on the table.

Shen Yuance understood immediately and extended his long arm downward.

Tiger Tiger climbed up along his arm, a plump, solid ball of fur settling firmly on his shoulder, occupying the high ground to survey the entire card layout. As Jiang Zhiyi reached out to flip the leaf card in front of her, the cat suddenly raised its paw to push her hand away.

Shen Yuance, quick-eyed and swift-handed, grabbed the cat’s paw.

Jiang Zhiyi’s hand, halfway through playing a card, paused. Looking up, she saw Tiger Tiger extend its second paw, which was also swiftly restrained by Shen Yuance.

“What mischief are you up to? Itching for trouble?” Shen Yuance turned his head to look at Tiger Tiger.

“Meow—” Tiger Tiger struggled to balance on its remaining two paws.

Jiang Zhiyi, seeing Tiger Tiger’s gaze fixed on her cards, as if reluctant for her to play that particular one, held up the card in her hand and blinked, asking Shen Yuance, “If I play this card, will I be unable to beat you?”

The corner of Shen Yuance’s mouth curved upward: “How would I know? I can’t see your cards.”

“You can’t see them, but you can calculate, can’t you?”

In the cold winter months, Jiang Zhiyi disliked going out in the wind, so lately she had often nestled at home with Shen Yuance, playing games for entertainment. At first, Jiang Zhiyi had assumed that Shen Yuance was not as skilled at games as Shen Yuance had been, and might not even match her skills. But the result showed that she had truly underestimated the twin brothers’ inherent similarities. Shen Yuance learned games quickly and mastered them swiftly; he had even grasped the secret of rolling dice to achieve the outcome he desired. She thought that if he hadn’t become a war god, he could have become a gambling god renowned throughout the world.

Jiang Zhiyi beckoned to Tiger Tiger: “Tiger Tiger, come tell me, which card should I play?”

Shen Yuance glanced at his shoulder: “A true gentleman doesn’t speak while watching others play chess. Seeing my cards and then acting as a spy—was this shoulder perch given to you for nothing?”

Tiger Tiger’s two paws were still firmly held in Shen Yuance’s grasp as it lowered its head in surrender.

“He can cheat even when rolling the dice; we don’t need to be gentlemen,” Jiang Zhiyi clapped her hands at Tiger Tiger. “Come here!”

Tiger Tiger broke free from Shen Yuance’s grasp and leaped toward Jiang Zhiyi.

“Ungrateful little one,” Shen Yuance snorted with a laugh. “Yesterday I spent the whole afternoon playing with it for nothing.”

“Was that playing with it? You were just toying with it. Who plays with a cat until it lies flat on the ground rolling its eyes?”

“Didn’t Li Dafeng say it was too fat and needed to slim down for better health? I just made it run a few laps. In the military camp, that would be nothing.”

“Tiger Tiger was pampered by me from a young age. It’s not one of your military cats. You need to help it build strength gradually, step by step.”

“I understand,” Shen Yuance looked at Jiang Zhiyi and clicked his tongue softly. “You’re both my ancestors.”

Hearing the suggestive “both” in his words, Jiang Zhiyi’s face flushed warm. The one being helped to build strength gradually, step by step, was naturally not just Tiger Tiger, but also herself, who always lacked stamina in the bedroom. And indeed, over the past year, when Li Dafeng checked her pulse, he genuinely said that her physical foundation had improved considerably compared to before.

“If your mind is no longer on the cards,” Shen Yuance, perceiving her wandering thoughts, gathered his cards and tapped them on the tea table, “let’s put them away—”

“Who says so? I still want to beat you!” Jiang Zhiyi picked up Tiger Tiger, taking one of its paws to point at the cards. “Come, which one do you think can win?”

Tiger Tiger looked at the cards for a long time before pressing a paw down on one.

Shen Yuance propped up his temple with his hand and sighed.

Observing Shen Yuance’s expression, Jiang Zhiyi flipped her hand and played that card.

Shen Yuance smiled lazily, leaning back to reveal his hidden cards.

Seeing his cards, Jiang Zhiyi’s eyes widened: “With such good cards, why were you sighing?”

“I sighed to give my wife a moment’s joy of thinking she might win. If I hadn’t sighed, wouldn’t even that moment be gone?” Shen Yuance took out a set of excellent cards and showed them to her.

“Isn’t this bullying? I don’t have any cards that can beat yours…” Jiang Zhiyi pouted and dropped her head onto the tea table.

Shen Yuance tilted his head to look at her: “Do you want to ‘press’ me that badly?”

“As the saying goes, one shouldn’t lose throughout the entire year. Shouldn’t I ‘press’ you at least once on New Year’s Eve?”

“True,” Shen Yuance nodded. “Then… shall I teach you how to ‘press’ me?”

Jiang Zhiyi suddenly sat up straight: “How to ‘press’ you?”

“First, have Tiger Tiger go elsewhere.”

Jiang Zhiyi glanced at the small Pekingese dozing on the ground in the distance and patted Tiger Tiger’s bottom: “Go, play with Yuan Tuan.”

Tiger Tiger jumped down from the couch and went meowing toward Yuan Tuan.

Jiang Zhiyi lowered her head to smooth out the wrinkles in her nightgown. Looking up, she saw that Shen Yuance had also removed the tea table from the luohan couch.

“Didn’t you say you would teach me?”

“Yes,” Shen Yuance reached forward, grasped her wrist, and pulled her toward him. Jiang Zhiyi fell forward, following his reclining motion to land on top of him. “Aren’t you ‘pressing’ me now?”

After a moment of surprise, Jiang Zhiyi raised her eyes in anger: “Yuan! Ce!”

Shen Yuance’s shoulders shook with laughter: “I truly can’t lose at cards. Isn’t it better to let you ‘press’ me in a different way?”

Jiang Zhiyi stared at his shameless expression and vengefully bit his lower lip.

In the warm chamber, a heat more intense than the charcoal fire spread throughout, and amid their humid entanglement, pieces of clothing were thrown off the couch one by one.

In the distance, the cat and dog crouching on the ground heard the sounds, pricked up their ears, and widened their eyes, gazing toward the two people embracing on the luohan couch.

Sensing the stares from behind, Shen Yuance’s hand paused as he was untying Jiang Zhiyi’s last ribbon.

Jiang Zhiyi looked hazily at his halted hand and raised her head, breathing heavily.

Shen Yuance lifted the person on top of him in one motion, walked forward to close the latticed screen, blocking the two sets of eyes, then turned to place her back on the couch.

With her back against the couch, Jiang Zhiyi watched him bend down. Panting, she raised her hand to hook around his neck: “…Didn’t you say I was ‘pressing’ you?”

Shen Yuance flipped her over, letting her straddle him: “Satisfied now, little ancestor?”

*

In the end, the hours of staying up to greet the new year were not whiled away with card games but thoroughly consumed by couch games.

By the time Shen Yuance had tidied everything up, it was past midnight. Jiang Zhiyi lay prone on the couch, deeply regretting her excessive desire to win, insisting on getting the upper hand over him. After this bout, he was quite comfortable, but she was so exhausted that she couldn’t even move a finger.

“Aren’t we going to release lanterns?” Shen Yuance sat on the edge of the couch, stroking her head, remembering that she had mentioned releasing Kongming lanterns tonight.

“We will. It only happens once a year; we can’t skip it,” Jiang Zhiyi propped herself up and spread her arms. “Carry me there…”

Shen Yuance smiled as he picked her up vertically, grabbed her cape to drape around her, and asked Qing Song to prepare the carriage.

Jiang Zhiyi, as if her legs no longer functioned, clung to Shen Yuance’s neck as he carried her out of the residence and into the carriage.

The carriage rolled along, passing through alleyways adorned with lanterns and decorations, neighborhoods bright as day, and night markets filled with music and song. As midnight approached and passed, people began to leave their homes, men and women, young and old, gathering together to hang firecrackers in front of their doors to welcome the new year.

Jiang Zhiyi gazed at the splendid scenes passing by the window, smelled the festive atmosphere in the air, and leaned peacefully against Shen Yuance’s shoulder.

When the carriage reached the city gate of Guzang, Shen Yuance carried Jiang Zhiyi out of the carriage. Jiang Zhiyi patted the back of his hand: “When releasing sky lanterns, sincerity is what makes them effective. We should walk this short distance.”

“So many rules,” Shen Yuance smiled as he set her down and took her hand as they walked up the path to the city wall.

Jiang Zhiyi and Shen Yuance climbed higher and higher, shoulder to shoulder, gazing down at the streets and paths below. Suddenly, she felt this scene was somewhat familiar.

Thinking back, two years ago during the first lunar month, she had taken Shen Yuance up to the city tower of Chang’an, showing him the prosperity of Chang’an. Now, two years later, it was his turn to lead her up to the city tower of Guzang, showing her the bustling scenes of Guzang.

In this place, nearly two thousand miles from her hometown, she felt not the slightest sense of unfamiliarity or hesitation.

Reaching the city tower, Shen Yuance opened the Kongming lanterns that Jiang Zhiyi had prepared beforehand and asked her: “Why are there three?”

“Besides ours, there’s one for Uncle and one for Elder Sister and her husband.”

Together, they unfolded the lantern covers. Shen Yuance knelt on one knee and lit the lamp wicks with fire.

The three sky lanterns rose slowly, glimmering as they flew toward the boundless night sky.

Just as midnight passed, firecrackers throughout the city exploded with crackling sounds at the same moment.

Jiang Zhiyi, watching the bustling crowds at the street corners and the playful children, put her arms around Shen Yuance’s waist and raised her voice above the sound of firecrackers: “How lively!”

Shen Yuance held her tightly and lowered his head to say, “It will be this lively every year from now on.”

The two embraced and smiled, turning their heads to gaze at the myriad lights of the city, and among those myriad lights, the one that belonged to them.

【The End】

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1 COMMENT

  1. Awww what a beautiful story. I’m going to miss A-Ce gege and Yiyi.
    So glad I stumbled on this story 😇

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