Chapter 98

When Master Tao came back from He Jingyuan's visit, he went straight to look for Fan Changyu. When he arrived at her camp, he was told that she had returned home.

The new recruits do not need to fight yet. The generals take one day off every half a decade, and the soldiers under them can also have this day of free time. Those like Fan Changyu who have their own residence near the garrison can go home for one day.

Master Tao put his hands behind his back and glanced at the sky, muttering, "It's fate that makes everything happen like this."

-

By the time Xie Zheng found the small courtyard rented by Fan Changyu according to the address mentioned in Xie Qi's letter, it was almost sunset.

The yard is a bit remote, with a stone path extending to the gate. Inside the courtyard wall, a pomegranate tree has its branches and leaves sticking out. The red flowers have all fallen, and the flower stalks are decorated with pomegranate fruits the size of a fingernail.

The courtyard gate was not closed. An old lady in her fifties was sitting on the doorstep, holding a basin of vegetables and folding them slowly. A young girl who had changed into women's clothes was sitting on a low stool, helping the old lady fold the vegetables.

In the yard, a skinny old man was making some tool, and a young man next to him was busy helping to plane wood.

Xie Zheng held Ma Dun's hand and stopped, watching quietly for a long time.

Maybe it was the afterglow of the setting sun that cast a layer of dim warm light on everything in front of him, which actually gave him the illusion of being at home.

All the undercurrents in the court were gone, leaving only peace in my heart.

There were footsteps again down the road, and the sound of children humming joyfully and off-tune nursery rhymes.

Xie Zheng looked to the side and saw Chang Ning hopping and walking in front, with the two tufts of hair on his head swaying. Xie Qi was walking behind with the mother duck and a group of ducklings, and said helplessly: "Ancestor, please walk slower, be careful not to fall..."

The Saker Falcon also followed, staggering back and forth. If there were any ducklings that lagged behind and Xie Qi couldn't take care of them, the Saker Falcon would go over and peck at them, scaring the yellow-haired ducklings so much that they chirped and hurried forward.

When Xie Qi looked up, he was startled to see Xie Zheng standing by the road with his horse, and he called out hurriedly, "Master..."

Chang Ning was also surprised and said, "Brother-in-law?"

Fan Changyu, who was sitting at the gate of the courtyard, heard the noise, looked outside, and saw a man and a horse standing in the setting sun. He was startled at first, then he wiped his hands on his clothes and stood up. He wanted to go over to help Xie Zheng pull the horse, but he hesitated and stood still.

But when Aunt Zhao saw Yan Zhengxi's happy face, she urged Fan Changyu, "Hurry up, Xiao Yan is here, why don't you go and pick him up?"

Fan Changyu simply did not expect Xie Zheng to appear in Chongzhou so soon.

Isn’t he going to lead his troops to attack Cannes?

Why are you here suddenly?

Fan Changyu went forward with a puzzled look on his face. Just as he was about to offer to help lead the horse, Xie Wu, who was helping carpenter Zhao planing wood in the yard, rushed over and snatched the job.

He laughed and said, "The cowshed is empty. I'll tie the horse there first."

This yard was originally a farmer's yard, with pig sheds and cow pens built here.

After Aunt Zhao came, in addition to growing some vegetables nearby, she also raised a nest of chickens and ducks. Every day Changning would ask Xie Qi to take her with her to the river to take the ducks for a swim and then come back.

As a craftsman and veterinarian conscripted into the army, Carpenter Zhao did not need to train with the army and had more flexible time than Fan Changyu. After Fan Changyu brought Aunt Zhao back, he went to find him.

Carpenter Zhao had never thought that he would see his wife again in a foreign land. When he was conscripted into the army, he was ready to die outside. Now that the couple can be together, he goes straight back to the courtyard most of the time.

He was a man who could not sit still. When he saw that the tables, chairs and benches in the yard were all old, he began to make various household items.

The courtyard, which was gray and dilapidated at first, gradually began to have the air of life.

Fan Changyu looked at the man whom he had not seen for a few days and asked honestly, "Didn't you go to Cannes? Why are you here?"

The orange sunset fell on her cheeks, making her face look like it was covered with rouge. Xie Zheng stared at her for a while and said, "If the mountain doesn't belong to me, then I have to belong to the mountain."

Fan Changyu had been forced to study by Master Tao these days. He had listened to him talk about the great principles every day, and he had made progress in his studies. When he understood what he said, his face became even redder in the setting sun.

Aunt Zhao had already stood up with the folded dishes in her hand and said happily, "Xiaoyan, come in and sit down."

Seeing Xie Zheng so happy, she knew that few people could come back alive after going to war since ancient times. The old man was fine, and Changyu's husband was also fine. Aunt Zhao felt that this was a great joyous event. She turned around and called Zhao the carpenter, "Old man, hurry up and kill the old hen in the chicken coop."

Xie Qi, who had just driven a group of ducks back into the pen, said, "Auntie, I'll go."

As he spoke, he took an old hen out of the chicken coop next to the duck pen and went to the kitchen.

Aunt Zhao didn't know Xie Zheng's identity yet, and was afraid that he might misunderstand her, so she said, "That was Xiao Qi just now, and the one who led the horse for you before was Xiao Wu. They were all soldiers under Chang Yu. You don't know that Chang Yu is now very capable and has become an official in the military camp! He has dozens of people under him."

Fan Changyu did not tell Aunt Zhao and his wife about Xie Zheng's true identity at first. Firstly, he was afraid of scaring the two elderly people. Secondly, their previous marriage was no longer finalized. He was afraid that something unexpected might happen in the middle of the marriage, so he wanted to wait until everything was settled before telling them.

She had never expected that Aunt Zhao would brag about her small position as captain in front of Xie Zheng. She quickly interrupted him and asked, "Aunt, what are we having for dinner tonight?"

Aunt Zhao's attention was diverted. She started thinking about the welcoming banquet tonight and muttered, "We have a chicken, but it's a pity that there's only one female duck. We have to keep it to take care of the ducklings. We can't kill it. Let's stew some pork ribs soup..."

Probably in order to give the two who had not seen each other for a long time more opportunities to be alone, when Aunt Zhao went to the kitchen, she asked Carpenter Zhao to help light the fire, and Changning was also coaxed into the kitchen by her.

Xie Wu, who had gone to tie up the horse, did not return for a long time, and Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng were the only two people left in the yard.

She said somewhat embarrassedly: "I haven't told Aunt Zhao and the others about your identity yet."

Xie Zheng said, "That's fine."

Then he asked her, "How is your service in the army?"

Obviously, they were fine when they parted, but now Fan Changyu felt uncomfortable everywhere. She drew circles on the ground with her toes and said, "My adoptive father found me a military position as a captain. Everything is fine now."

Xie Zheng said "hmm" lightly.

Fan Changyu was at a loss for words. Seeing that he was holding a long wooden box that was more than a meter tall, he asked, "What is this?"

Xie Zheng said: "For you."

"For me?" Fan Changyu looked at him curiously, and when he raised his hand to take it, he found it was quite heavy.

When he opened it, he saw a black blade with golden-red forging patterns, and a Mo Dao with a sharp edge placed inside, which looked very new.

Fan Changyu picked up the long knife and weighed it. She felt that the weight was just right for her to wield it. Her fingertips lightly brushed across the blade, breaking the skin and causing tiny beads of blood to seep out.

She was a little surprised and said, "What a fast knife!"

He raised his head and looked at Xie Zheng: "Did you order someone to beat him up?"

Xie Zheng didn't comment, but raised his eyelids and said lazily with a hint of smile: "I'm waiting for you to make achievements soon."

Fan Changyu realized what he meant, and his face became hot again. He tightened the handle of the knife in his hand, but still raised his eyes and looked at him firmly, saying: "I will."

Xie Zheng was slightly startled by her look, his eyes darkened a little, and asked: "Do you want to practice with your new sword?"

Fan Changyu thought he wanted to spar with him, and said happily, "Okay."

As he spoke, he was already showing signs of starting a fight.

Xie Zheng said, "Go outside."

Fan Changyu thought he was worried that the space in the courtyard was too small and he was afraid that he couldn't display his skills, so he said, "Then let's go to the riverside, the terrain there is more open."

She called to the kitchen and said she would be back later, then she followed Xie Zheng out with the knife she had just gotten.

At this time, the sky and the earth were already twilight, and there was no one on the river beach.

Xie Zheng picked up a wooden stick as a weapon. Fan Changyu used to carry two pig-killing knives, which was a style of fighting with great force. Now that he had a handy long-handled Mo Dao, he could use his advantages to the extreme.

Under the moonlight, the weapons in the hands of the two men crossed and only a shadow could be seen. The iron and wooden sticks collided and made sounds, one clanging and the other muffled.

Compared with the short sword, Fan Changyu's long-handled sword has more coherent moves. However, since she rarely has the opportunity to use the long-handled sword in actual combat, and she is facing Xie Zheng, she still looks a bit immature.

But for some reason, Xie Zheng didn't seem to be trying his best tonight. He rarely fought with her with brute force, and basically used cleverness. Fan Changyu was used to focusing on attack rather than defense, and was outmaneuvered by the opponent. She felt that she couldn't vent her brute force, and her sword was damaged when it became too urgent.

After she chopped, Xie Zheng found an open door and knocked the sword out of her hand with his wooden stick. She stepped on the gravel and staggered back a step, her back hitting the pile on the pier. When she tried to lean forward to pick up the sword, the wooden stick in Xie Zheng's hand was already pointing at her heart at a distance of half an inch.

Fan Changyu was secretly startled. She was sweating a lot because of the fight just now. Her breathing was heavy and her chest was heaving violently. The lapels of her clothes almost brushed against the wooden stick that Xie Zheng was pointing at her.

I couldn't see Xie Zheng's expression in the darkness, I only heard him say, "You lose."

For some reason, my voice is a little hoarse.

Fan Changyu recalled the moves just now, pursed her lips, and wanted to move, but found that Xie Zheng had no intention of taking back the wooden stick in his hand. She said unconvincedly: "Come again!"

The person in front of her just stared at her without blinking.

Fan Changyu raised his eyes and looked at him. He was startled by the darkness in his eyes. He subconsciously wanted to look away, but he seemed to be bewitched and just stared at him.

When he bent down and kissed her, her breathing was slightly choked. She listened to the gurgling sound of the river, her long eyelashes trembled, and she slowly closed her eyes.

Compared to before, his kiss this time was gentler, but especially sticky.

Fan Changyu felt that she could hardly breathe, so she tried to push him away, but he grabbed her hands and pressed them on her head. With his other hand, he grasped her chin and kissed her deeply.

Maybe it was because he had just trained in martial arts, but his whole body was hot and his breath felt like it was on fire. His thin summer shirt could not block out his scorching body temperature.

The heat intensified the smell on his body. It was not the smell of incense or sweat, but a unique smell that belonged only to him. It smelled very nice.

Probably due to lack of oxygen, unlike the previous kiss where only his lips and tongue felt numb, Fan Changyu felt his hands and feet go weak and he could barely stand.

The person in front of her seemed to be in a worse condition than her. He buried his head in her neck, breathing heavily like a mad beast, his breath spraying on her neck was a little burning.

Fan Changyu instinctively sensed danger, and tried to turn his head to the side. After thinking hard, he suggested, "How about we fight again?"

The man in front of her suddenly bit a small piece of her neck flesh and sucked it in revenge.

The subtle yet obvious pain made Fan Changyu gasp for air and he dared not speak any more.

She didn't know much about matters between men and women, but she felt that after he heard her slight breathing, his body seemed to tense up even more, and there was a hint of sweat in his hair.

Fan Changyu noticed that he was in great pain, and patted him gently on the back as if to soothe him.

He released his grip on her neck and stared at her from a distance of only half a foot. His pupils were darker than the night sky, and his hoarse voice was filled with tenderness: "Fan Changyu, when can I marry you?"

He was really handsome, with his sweaty hair scattered in front of his forehead. His deep phoenix eyes were strong yet with a hint of compromise and grievance. His lips were tightly drawn, making people want to kiss him.

Fan Changyu's heart softened, she raised her hand and touched his face, and said very seriously: "I will marry you when I have collected enough 'dowry' for myself."

The dowry she wanted was naturally not money, but what she had told him before, the confidence to walk side by side with him.

Xie Zheng stared at her: "Okay, I'll wait for you. I will marry you in this life, and you can't marry anyone else."

Fan Changyu said with a smile: "I have only liked you since I was a child. If I don't marry you, who should I marry?"

These words left Xie Zheng stunned for a while.

Fan Changyu felt a little embarrassed after saying this, so he turned away and said, "I think Aunt Zhao has already prepared dinner, let's go back."

Xie Zheng suddenly asked, "Where is your ex-fiancé?"

So many things have happened to Fan Changyu since he left Qingping County that he almost forgot about Song Yan. When Xie Zheng mentioned him, he looked at him in disbelief: "Do you think I will like him?"

Xie Zheng uttered two words stiffly: "Once upon a time."

Fan Changyu never expected that he would suddenly bring up the past. You know, he used to be absolutely disdainful of Song Yan.

She said helplessly: "Whether you believe it or not, there was no such thing before."

She scratched her head and said awkwardly, "Actually... I don't know him very well. In the past, it was mostly the adults in our two families who interacted. He was full of sage books since he was a child. When I was a child, I played with the kids in the whole alley. When I grew up, I was restrained by my mother and rarely saw him. Even if I met him, we couldn't say a few words. I felt that he had always been very arrogant and didn't seem to want to marry me, a butcher's daughter. I even told him privately that the marriage was off."

Xie Zheng suddenly said, "You gave him a pair of clay dolls."

Fan Changyujian was stunned. It was the first time she felt that this person's memory was too good.

She stammered, "No, I was less than eight years old at the time, and I gave him a pair of clay dolls not out of any romantic interest, but because his father had just passed away and I felt sorry for him."

Xie Zheng pursed his lips and said nothing.

Fan Changyu scratched his hair and asked, "Have you never given anything to a little girl out of courtesy before?"

The other party said coldly: "No."

Fan Changyu really didn't know how to deal with the current situation. It was as if she was a playboy who met a girl of her dreams, but she suddenly cared about her past.

She sighed: "If you mind..."

The other party interrupted her: "I don't mind."

Fan Changyu: “…”

How else can I say this?

She and the person in front of her stared at each other.

Finally, Xie Zheng lowered his long, dark eyelashes and said, "Go back."

The figure turning away looked elegant and lonely under the moonlight.

When Fan Changyu picked up the Mo Dao and chased after him, she was still confused. She didn't know how she suddenly became a heartbroken and ungrateful woman.

-

Along the way, Fan Changyu tried to talk to Xie Zheng again, but he basically only responded with one or two words.

Fan Changyu also realized that he didn't want to talk to her for a while, so he simply shut up and didn't say another word to him until he got home.

During the meal, Aunt Zhao probably also noticed the strange atmosphere between the two.

After dinner, Xie Wu and Xie Qi rushed to clean up the dishes. Xie Zheng sat in the yard chatting with Uncle Zhao. Fan Changyu went to look for a quilt for the floor.

There were only three rooms in the yard. Usually, Aunt Zhao and Changning had one room, Xie Qi had one room each, and the other was reserved for Fan Changyu.

Every time Fan Changyu came back, Carpenter Zhao and Xie Wu basically came back together. At this time, Changning would usually sleep with Fan Changyu. The old couple of the Zhao family would sleep in one room, while Xie Wu would squeeze into Xie Qi's room.

In a situation like tonight, someone must do the floor work.

When she was about to go back to her room with the quilt in her arms, Aunt Zhao blocked the door and said sternly, "Changyu, Auntie has something to tell you."

Fan Changyu thought it was something important, so he put down the quilt for the time being and waited for Aunt Zhao to close the door and sit inside before saying, "Go ahead."

Aunt Zhao looked at her and sighed, "Changyu, I know you are rich now, but there is a saying among the people that a wife who has shared the hardships of life should not be divorced. When you were in such a difficult time, it was Xiaoyan who supported you through it, and later she was conscripted and taken away. This kind of affection is incomparable to others. Xiaoyan is also good-looking and healthy. No matter what, I still hope that you will live a good life. Don't be like those ungrateful men who turn their backs on you once they become rich."

Fan Changyu was speechless and could only bite the bullet and say, "We are fine."

Aunt Zhao said with a fierce face: "He was fine when he first came to find you. Why did he look like that after you went out? He must have been upset. Don't try to comfort me. I'm an experienced person. I can tell if there's something wrong with your eyes."

She thought for a moment and asked, "Xiao Wu has always been by your side. If Yan Zheng cares about this, how about Auntie act as a matchmaker and find a wife for Xiao Wu?"

Fan Changyu quickly said, "It's not this, Auntie, don't worry about it. It's really not a big deal. I will find a chance to talk to him about it."

Aunt Zhao was skeptical. She took a look at the quilts that Fan Changyu had found, stuffed them all back into the cupboard, and then closed the cupboard door and said, "Then you two can stay in the same room tonight and talk it out. I'll take care of Ning Niang."

Fan Changyu struggled desperately: "One quilt is not enough."

Aunt Zhao glared at him and said, "Why not? It's summer now, and each person can just use a corner of the quilt. Why are you bringing so many quilts? Are you trying to force people out of bed and sleep on the floor?"

When he was kicked back to the room, Fan Changyu felt even more aggrieved.

This temper is not what she wants!

Not long after, Xie Zheng also came into the room. Needless to say, he was also persuaded by Aunt Zhao to come in.

Fan Changyu sat on the edge of the bed, and the two looked at each other. She said dryly, "Do you want to take a rest?"

Xie Zheng took off his outer robe and lay down on the outside wearing only his inner garment.

Seeing that he had reserved most of the seat for himself and their relationship had become so strained, Fan Changyu felt embarrassed to ask him to sleep alone.

She blew out the light, groped her way around his feet to the inside, and lay down next to the inner edge of the bed, leaving a large space in the middle empty.

No one spoke in the dark night. After a long while, Fan Changyu sighed and said, "How can you be so unreasonable? When I was a child and gave gifts to others, I had no idea that the Song family would behave like this in the future, and I didn't know that I would meet you. You can be upset with me because of the present, but you care about the past. What do you want me to do?"

The person lying outside did not move. A deep voice echoed in the darkness: "When I was four years old, I lost both my parents."

Fan Changyu was shocked to hear him say this, and thought he was listening to her saying that she gave him the clay doll because Song Yan's father passed away, and he also wanted to ask her for a gift.

She said helplessly to him, "Those clay dolls were actually made for me by Uncle Zhao, just like the straw grasshoppers that Changning played with. How about I make a pair of dolls for you myself?"

When she asked the last three words, she reached out, took his hand and shook it gently.

It felt like a feather was brushing gently against my heart.

He was silent for a long time and answered with a "OK".

He doesn't mind, he's jealous.

Jealousy that in the years when he had not met her, he had to walk alone, but there was another child who could gain her compassion because of the pain of losing his father, had the things she had given him, could grow up with her, see her appearance at every age in the past that he would never be able to see again, and even had an engagement with her.

Just thinking about this, an inexplicable malice spreads in my heart.

But he didn't dare tell Fan Changyu about this, for he was afraid that Fan Changyu would think he was a lunatic.

After hearing his reply, Fan Changyu felt that he had finally appeased this man, and said to him, "Then it's settled."

When she was about to withdraw her hand, he held it firmly, leaving her no room to move.

Fan Changyu looked at the person next to him in surprise, but saw that he had his eyes closed, as if he had fallen asleep.

She felt helpless and amused, her heart softened, and she just held his hand and fell asleep lying down.

After Fan Changyu's breathing became steady, the dozing man suddenly opened his eyes, slightly turned his head, and stared at her without blinking in the night.

The author has something to say:

Auntie: You can’t just give up after doing something irresponsible. You have to be responsible for others, blah blah blah…

Changyu (with a wronged face): I don’t know how I became such a treacherous scumbag…

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It’s later, but it’s just a fat chapter?

The story of the life story is coming soon, let's start with some sweetness to lay the emotional foundation.