Extra: Six Ding Returns to the South: Cooking Warmth in the South

The battle is over.

Ding Guinan followed Wang Mengzi and his men, and stepped into the capital for the first time along with the mighty triumphant army.

The capital city was really big. The bluestone roads were wide and flat, with shops lining both sides. People were coming and going, and the hustle and bustle made him dizzy. The tall city gate towers and towering palace walls made his neck sore.

The Mingzhou brothers who were traveling with them were all excited, pointing and talking about where they were going to drink and where to watch the fun. Ding Guinan just followed behind Wang Mengzi and the others silently, lowering his head and looking at the dusty toes of his boots.

He was panicked, even more panicked than the first time he went to the battlefield.

The war is over, what else can he do?

For the first half of his life, he was a dog slave who barked like a dog and licked food to survive. He was not even considered a human being.

Later, he met His Majesty and General Wang. He picked up a sword and became a soldier, Captain Ding, who charged into battle under the general.

Although life in the military camp was hard and he faced death at all times, during those years he felt like a human being. He had a place to eat, battles to fight, goals, and... dignity.

But now, there is no war.

The capital city was so prosperous, and although the officials and common people here looked at them with admiration, there was also a kind of alienation and scrutiny that he could not understand.

He was afraid that others would know his past, that others would point fingers at him behind his back, laugh at him for being a "dog", or even... that others would beat him for no reason.

He could only follow Wang Tou'er, Wang Dayong, and those old brothers who had fought together from Mingzhou, as if only in this way could he find some support and confirm that he still existed.

On the day the imperial edict of reward came down, when the eunuch who delivered the decree read out his name in a shrill voice, he was stunned for a long time, and then he hurriedly expressed his gratitude under the shoving and pushing of his comrades.

"Promote Ding Guinan to the rank of Fifth-Rank General Dingyuan, and grant him a residence in the capital and a thousand taels of silver..."

He didn't quite catch what was said after that, only remembering "fifth-rank general" and "a mansion." A fifth-rank general...he was Ding Guinan, a fifth-rank official? And...a house?

The official from the Ministry of Rites was polite and took him to see the house that had been granted to him.

The location is not the best, but it is not bad either. It is a three-courtyard house with blue bricks, gray tiles and a vermilion gate. When you push the door open, you will see a bright courtyard paved with bluestone. There are main rooms, wing rooms and ear rooms, totaling more than a dozen rooms.

There is an old tree in the yard with lush branches and leaves.

"General Ding, are you satisfied with this courtyard? All the necessary furniture and furnishings are available. According to regulations, it is also equipped with a doorman, a maid, and a long-term attendant. They will be waiting for your orders in the future." The official from the Ministry of Rites introduced with a smile.

Ding Guinan nodded helplessly, looking around as if his eyes were not enough, and kept repeating: "Okay, okay, everything is fine..."

After the others left, the forty-year-old maid came over cautiously and asked him, "Master, what would you like to eat tonight? I'll make it for you."

Ding Guinan jumped up suddenly as if he was scalded, waving his hands repeatedly: "No, no need! I can do it, I can! I'll do it, I'll do it!"

He almost fled into the kitchen.

The kitchen was fully stocked with rice, flour, oil, and salt. He rolled up his sleeves and expertly kneaded the dough and lit the fire, tasks he was accustomed to in the barracks. Soon, a pot of steaming hot pancakes emerged. He quickly stir-fried some cabbage, chopped some bacon, and rolled them in pancakes, handing them to the three servants who watched him eagerly.

"Eat, eat." He felt a little embarrassed.

The three of them looked at each other, took the cake, and said respectfully, "Thank you for the reward, sir."

Ding Guinan scratched his head, rolled one for himself, squatted on the kitchen threshold, and started eating. The pancake was hot and the dish was fragrant. As he ate, the feeling of unreality in his heart surfaced again.

At night, he lay on the large carved bed covered with a soft mattress in the main room, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

He got up, holding the lamp, and carefully looked at the front yard, the back yard, and every room. He touched the cold blue bricks and shook the sturdy door frame.

This bright yard, this house that protects us from wind and rain, this soft bed...are they really all his?

When I woke up the next day, it was already bright.

Sunlight streamed in through the window lattice, filling the room with light. Ding Guinan opened his eyes and stared blankly at the unfamiliar curtains above him. It took him a moment to react. He sat up abruptly and looked around. The room was still there, the quilt was still there. He reached out and touched the soft blanket, and an indescribable warmth surged in his heart, and his nose felt a little sore.

This must be the best day in the world, he thought.

He began to report for duty every day, wearing his fifth-rank military officer uniform and receiving a salary that was not generous but definitely not small.

He was the only master in his family, with three servants. The expenses were not high, and he lived an unprecedentedly comfortable and peaceful life.

He was very satisfied and even felt a little luxurious.

Until one day, Wang Mengzi patted him on the shoulder and said carelessly: "Guinan, the war is over, it's time to start a family! How about I find you a wife?"

Ding Guinan was stunned at the time, with his mouth open, unable to utter a word for a long time.

After returning to his small house, he sat in the main room, staring at the flickering candlelight for a long time.

Wife? Marry a wife?

He held it in for a long time, then called the doorman, Old Zhang, the maid, Aunt Li, and the young servant, Xiao Zhuzi, over and asked, "Well... how... how do I get a wife? What is a wife? What kind of woman should I marry?"

Aunt Li smiled first and said gently, "Master, marrying a wife means finding someone who understands you and can live with you. You have to find someone who is kind-hearted and good-natured, who can get along with you, who is caring and good at managing the household."

Xiao Zhuzi also interjected: "Yes, Master, we have to consider you, not just for the sake of beauty."

Old Zhang was more practical: "Master, now that I'm an official, I have to find someone with a clean background. It's best...it's best if she can read a few words so she can teach her little master in the future."

Ding Guinan listened carefully, pondering it over and over in his mind.

Good-hearted, able to talk to each other, and considerate of him...

They are both right.

However, lying in bed at night, he couldn't help but think about getting a wife...

If the girl knew that he was a former dog slave, would she despise him? Would she laugh at him behind his back? What if… what if he married her and found out he didn't even know how to get along with women? What would he do?

Even though he wore this official uniform and lived in this big house, the inferiority complex in his bones was like a maggot on the tarsal bone, which would come out from time to time to bite him. He never felt that he was noble.

He tossed and turned, and suddenly thought of Song Yaoer.

The girl who dared to assassinate the enemy chief even though she was trapped in the enemy camp.

The good girl who was posthumously awarded the title of fifth-rank loyal and brave general by His Majesty.

He vaguely thought, if only she were still alive, how wonderful it would be. He could muster up the courage to ask her if she would be willing to... marry him.

He began to try hard to recall what Song Yaoer looked like, but it had been so long that his memory had become blurred. He only remembered that she was thin and had a yellowish complexion, but her eyes were particularly bright and energetic.

He envied her and admired her, thinking that women like her were truly capable and amazing, and that he always seemed to be inferior to her.

Sadly, she passed away a long time ago.

The next day was a day off, and Ding Guinan went out alone and asked for directions to the most popular temple in the capital.

He bought a perpetual lamp and asked a monk to write Song Yaoer's name on it.

He heard people say that by doing this, people can live a better life in the next life and no longer suffer, so he wanted to do something for her.

He knelt on the mat, looking at the flickering lamp. Ding Guinan clasped his hands together, his lips moving for a long time before he whispered in a very low voice, as if afraid of disturbing something: "Song... Song Yao'er, even though you're gone, I... I still want to ask you something."

He paused, as if gathering his courage.

"I'm now a fifth-rank official, just like you. You're more capable than me, and I've always known that. If you were still here, I'd... I'd let you manage the household, and I'd listen to you. I'd give you all my monthly salary, and all the money and gifts His Majesty rewards me. I'd buy you whatever you want, and I'd treat you well."

"Will you...will you marry me?"

In the empty Buddhist temple, there was only the curling scent of sandalwood incense, and the Buddha statue looked down at him compassionately and silently.

Naturally, there was no response.

Ding Guinan knelt there blankly for a long time, until his legs and feet became numb, and then he finally understood.

He finally stood up slowly and took a last look at the eternal lamp. The light was bright and warm, but it could not illuminate the melancholy in his heart.

He turned around and walked out of the temple step by step.

The sunlight was a little dazzling. He turned around and took another look at the hall filled with smoke, and sighed deeply in his heart.

How come you just left like that?

Whatever.

He raised his head and took a deep breath of the slightly warm air of early summer in the capital.

If we are destined to meet again in the next life, if you are willing...

Let’s be husband and wife again.