Chapter 35: Yuanyuan, don’t be afraid. “Ji Yunchan.” His name is…

"Ji Yunchan."

He called out, but the girl in front of him still turned her face to the side, looking angry and ignoring him.

"Ji Yunchan." Yan Heng simply squatted down in front of her, his voice coaxing, looking at her with a smile, "Are you really angry?"

......

"Are you really ignoring me?"

......

"I was wrong. I was too harsh. I apologize to you." He rested his chin on Ji Yunchan's leg and looked up at her. "Forgive me?"

If the smile in his voice wasn't so obvious, Ji Yunchan would have almost thought he was really apologizing.

She wiped her tears and remained motionless: "General, you are busy with official duties. You should go and take care of your official duties."

"Are you trying to drive me away?" Yan Heng laughed again, then stood up and remained silent for a long time.

Just when Ji Yunchan thought he had really left and looked up with a sense of emptiness in her heart, she found that he was still standing there, but he had stopped smiling and looked much more serious.

Seeing her looking at him, Yan Heng raised his eyelashes and spoke solemnly, "It's my fault, Yuanyuan. I have a bad temper and my moods are unpredictable. I made you suffer."

Ji Yunchan was stunned when she heard him call her "Yuanyuan" and listened attentively to his apology to her.

"Forgive me?" He looked at her seriously.

Ji Yunchan sniffed and answered irrelevantly: "But why?"

She fluttered her eyelashes and explained, "Why did my husband... change his expression so quickly?"

"It's a test."

Yan Heng's Adam's apple moved slightly, and he bent down to hold her hand. Seeing that she did not refuse, he sat down again.

Ji Yunchan didn't understand and looked puzzled.

Seeing this, Yan Heng gave a bitter smile, as if he was helpless. He touched Ji Yunchan's cheek lovingly and said softly, "You are so different from before. You put yourself too low."

Yan Heng spoke, and Ji Yunchan fell into a trance. Yes, ever since she had been with him day and night, she had become cautious and prudent, no longer showing the same anger or laughter as before.

But with so many past events happening one after another, how can things remain the same?

"You should understand that since I am willing to sleep with you, no matter what happened in the past, I will let it go." His expression was serious, and he said everything that had been in his heart for many days.

Ji Yunchan's pupils trembled slightly, and she murmured, "I have done so much to let you down..."

"I keep my word, you know." Yan Heng held her hand firmly.

"General..." She was already sobbing when she spoke, her eyes sparkling with tears, like a sinner who had been redeemed. She changed her words mid-sentence: "Ah Heng."

Yan Heng indicated that he was listening and reached out to wipe away her tears. However, Ji Yunchan could no longer care and rushed into his arms eagerly.

Yan Heng folded his arms and hugged the person tightly.

"Why are you crying again?" He whispered softly and patted her back. "You're so delicate."

Ji Yunchan burst into tears. She cried in Yan Heng's arms, sobbing until she was out of breath. She almost turned all the years of separation into tears, soaking a large area of ​​Yan Heng's clothes.

Yan Heng had never seen her like this before. At first he made jokes and made fun of her, but gradually he stopped laughing and just comforted her in a low voice. It was not until half a minute later that she stopped crying.

Yan Heng pulled her away a little. Her eyelashes were wet, and the tip of her nose was red, like a small animal pulled out of the water. He felt both pity and cuteness, so he brought her some tea. She drank it with sobs, then clung to him like a candy cake, refusing to let go.

"You are so coquettish, why don't you act coquettishly with me when you do something wrong?"

Yan Heng was in a good mood. He pinched Ji Yunchan's nose and complained, "It's as hard as a rock. I have to hit it until my head is broken and bleeding."

"Can't you just give in to me? It gives me a terrible headache." He babbled, pressing his forehead against hers and nuzzling her nose with his nose. "Ji Yunchan, try to comfort me, pull on my clothes, and maybe I won't be angry anymore."

Ji Yunchan blinked and said "hmm" softly.

The two people's clothes were pressed together, the distance was so close that it was out of focus, and their trembling eyelashes brushed against each other's cheeks, arousing an itch.

Yan Heng rubbed Ji Yunchan's cheek reluctantly. Her cheeks were round and soft like tofu, and her face was slippery. He couldn't get enough of rubbing them. He coaxed her, "Now that you've brought it up, is there anything you wanted that you've been holding back on?"

"Husband, please let me go first. It hurts."

Ji Yunchan couldn't resist his enthusiasm, frowned, and pushed him twice.

Yan Heng moved away a little and saw that her cheeks were red from being rubbed by him. He subconsciously touched his face and felt the stubble that had grown.

The girl was so delicate that it seemed like she could be squeezed to produce water. Yan Heng was careless for a moment and let out a distressed "hiss". He was surprised and said: "It's red, does it hurt?"

Ji Yunchan shook her head, thought for a moment, and asked him, "Can we plant red plums in the yard?"

"Of course." Yan Heng nodded.

He did what he said and was very proactive. The next day, he asked someone to find a gardener, buy seedlings, and plant plum blossoms in the yard.

People were coming in and out of the yard. Ji Yunchan sat by the window, reading the book of strange stories that she had not finished reading yesterday. There were so many people around that she was not even afraid of the ghosts in the book.

It was a cold winter day and the soil was frozen, but the gardeners wielded their tools skillfully and planted the seeds in just one morning.

Ji Yunchan woke up from her nap. The birds were singing happily outside. She put on her coat and went out. She saw a few red plum buds standing there. She walked in and touched the buds, and felt happy.

She stood gracefully in front of the red plum blossoms, her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque, and she had a temperament like a swirl of smoke and clouds around her. Her hands were slender, and her expression was calm and happy.

So when Yan Heng came back, he saw this picture of a beautiful woman holding plum blossoms.

He stood there admiring it for a while before stepping forward.

"Husband, you're back?" Ji Yunchan greeted him with a smile.

Yan Heng took her hand and asked, "Do you still like it?"

"I like it." Ji Yunchan nodded. As Yan Heng strolled leisurely among the trees, a thought suddenly occurred to her: "Will it survive if I transplant it in winter?"

"Don't worry, we're looking for a famous gardener in Shuozhou. If he's willing to take it, it will naturally survive."

Ji Yunchan felt relieved after hearing this, and she didn't care much whether it would bloom this year. As long as it survived, it would be fine. It would bloom next year or a few years later.

Thinking of this, she looked at Yan Heng tenderly: "When the flowers bloom, I will dance under the tree for Ah Heng to see."

Seeing that she was still willing to dance, Yan Heng was touched.

After such an experience, most people will turn around and forget about it, never mentioning what happened that day again, and even abandoning their behavior and words at that time.

"That scene must have been stunning," he said.

Ji Yunchan's expression was bright as she imagined the future. Yan Heng couldn't bear it anymore and pulled the person to a stop.

"What's wrong, husband?"

There was a smile in her eyes as she looked at him.

"The war is about to begin." Yan Heng sighed and said seriously, "I will be very busy in the coming days, and I'm afraid I will have to leave home for a while."

The smile on Ji Yunchan's face fell, and her eyes were filled with worry: "Is the situation still clear? How long will it take?"

"It's still bright, at least a month, at most two." Yan Heng said, "There have been many blizzards this year, and the people of Shuo have had a hard time. They're ready to go south and plunder. We need to scare them into staying quiet."

Ji Yunchan nodded in understanding. When she looked up again, her eyes were filled with earnest concern and instructions: "My husband, please take good care of yourself, for the sake of the soldiers under your command, the people of Shuozhou, and for... me."

"Okay." Yan Heng smiled and reached out to stroke her cheek. "Don't worry. Maybe the plum blossoms will be in bloom by the time I get back."

Ji Yunchan also raised the corner of her mouth and said, "Then I'll go pack up for the general."

"No need. All the necessary military supplies are available in the barracks." Yan Heng held her close, a hint of reluctance in his eyes. "I came back just to say goodbye to you."

Ji Yunchan didn't expect it to happen so quickly. After thinking for a moment, she looked up and said, "Then... General, please wear the knee pads I made. They can protect you from the cold and keep you away from the wind and frost."

"Okay." Yan Heng nodded, followed her into the house, and found the pair of knee pads.

Two geese flapping their wings were embroidered on the thick fur, looking vivid and lifelike. Yan Heng concealed the momentary sadness in his eyes, rubbed the needle and thread with his fingertips, and said with a smile, "Your embroidery skills have improved."

When Ji Yunchan thought about making these kneepads, her heart was in turmoil. She kept avoiding them, so she simply decided not to make them look like anything else and focused solely on embroidering these two geese. Looking back now, she felt only emotion, and whispered, "This is the best embroidery I've ever done."

"If you don't like doing it, then don't do it in the future, okay?"

Yan Heng placed his hand on his arm with care and raised his chin towards her.

"Hey." Ji Yunchan agreed. Seeing that he was about to leave, her face showed a hint of reluctance. She put her hand on his arm and said, "General, remember to write to me."

"Got it." Yan Heng nodded and touched her cheek one last time. "When I come back, I'll tell you some good news."

"Then I will stay home and wait for my husband's triumphant return."

-

This battle between the Tongshuo people was far from as easy as Yan Heng said.

The military camp in the western suburbs broke camp and set off. The number of soldiers patrolling and standing guard in the city was twice as many as usual. The defenders at the city gate stood solemnly, all wearing armor and conducting strict inspections.

During this period, there was a heavy snowfall.

The sky and the earth were white, and thick snow had accumulated on the branches of trees and roofs. The blacksmith's shop was doing a booming business, and the sparks from his hammers flew, burning small holes in the snow. These holes kept piling up, and the snow became riddled with holes.

The rising heat melted the icicles on the eaves into water, which dripped down and flowed into the streets and alleys in a dirty manner.

The city was already buzzing about the war, and with the snow, panic spread. Food prices soared by several percent, and even the pharmacy owners joined in the excitement. Fortunately, Shuozhou officials intervened in time to put a stop to the price gouging.

As the snow fell, Ji Yunchan hid in the house with the heating on, her knees covered with a blanket. She should have felt warm as spring. But the howling cold wind reminded her of the day when she had thrown herself into the flame, and she couldn't help but shiver.

"Yuanyuan, don't be afraid."

She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and muttered to herself.

The room was empty, with only the echo of her own voice.