Chapter 88 Chapter 88 "Do you want to see here too?"

Huaizhou put the note away and nodded at the departing carriage from a distance.

Zhang Jingxuan then lowered the car curtain to hide the thoughts in his eyes.

It is always right to act first and ask for permission later, and let the Zhang family prepare for the marriage in advance.

Now, all that was missing was her going back with him.

He suppressed the thoughts in his heart and gently patted the girl's back in his arms.

Xue Yuanyin gradually stopped crying. Her emotions had been accumulating for a long time, and now that she had released them, she felt much better.

She raised her face a little embarrassedly, and a handkerchief was handed to her. She took it and wiped her tears. Her mood gradually calmed down, only her eyes were still slightly red.

Xue Yuanyin put away her handkerchief, lifted the curtain and took a look outside. The carriage was rumbling along the official road. It was a hot summer day, and the surrounding trees were lush and green. The escort convoy was far ahead, and the two sides of the road were deserted, quiet and peaceful.

According to her plan, she followed him from a distance all the way, and also escorted the convoy to the same post station for food and lodging. After sending him to the third city, she turned back the same way.

Xue Yuanyin lowered the curtain. Although Zhang Jingxuan chased after her, she still emphasized:

"I'm here mainly to bid farewell to my father. No matter what grudge you have with him, he is still my biological father."

There was a hint in his words, as if warning him not to act rashly. Zhang Jingxuan couldn't help but laugh and said, "Okay."

…

The journey of escorting Xue Chang to the border was very boring, especially since Xue Yuanyin and Xue Chang had a father-daughter relationship where they would always quarrel whenever they met. Xue Yuanyin was in a bad mood all the way and spoke very little.

Zhang Jingxuan was unexpectedly honest. Seeing that she was in a bad mood, he did not disturb her. He brought a book with him and flipped through it casually while the carriage was moving, as if giving her space to vent.

When they arrived at the third city, Xue Yuanyin thought that they might not be able to meet again in the future, so she went to say goodbye to Xue Chang. Naturally, they had a quarrel and parted on bad terms.

When she faced Xue Chang, neither of them was willing to give in, and they were always pissed off by each other. Only after the escort convoy left did Xue Yuanyin's expression gradually improve.

When Xue Chang and his group disappeared from her sight, she returned to the carriage. Zhang Jingxuan put down the book, raised her eyes and said:

"Marquis Qing'an is gone?"

Xue Yuanyin nodded.

Zhang Jingxuan took her hand and asked in a natural manner:

"What are your plans next? Are you heading back to Beijing?"

Although Xue Yuanyin was there to see Xue Chang off, she didn't want to rush back. She glanced at him and said casually:

"You seem anxious to return to Beijing?"

Zhang Jingxuan said without changing his expression: "No, I just wanted to ask when you plan to go back."

Although his eyes were looking at her, his five knuckles forcefully penetrated her fingers and rested on his thigh, while his other hand gently kneaded the bones of her slender wrist.

His movements seemed slow and casual, yet they felt like a fine electric current spreading from his wrist bones upwards, creating a burning sensation that always made her feel itchy and numb. She couldn't tell whether he was being truly casual or deliberately teasing her.

On the way there, she was just anxious and didn't feel anything. On the way back, when it was just her and him, Xue Yuanyin realized something was wrong.

It seems a bit... too intimate.

She was not used to such an intimate and sticky way of getting along with him, so she pulled her hand back uncomfortably and changed the subject abruptly:

"We've been so tired from the journey, how about... we stop by the city ahead to rest and continue our journey the next day?"

Zhang Jingxuan nodded indifferently.

The carriage drove towards the post station in the city ahead. The narrow space became quiet again, and the scent of pine wood beside him became more and more noticeable.

With just the slightest movement, the sound of their clothes rubbing against each other would echo in the quiet carriage, just like the sound of him leaning on her with his breath hot, holding her hand to help him do that thing.

Private and ambiguous.

Xue Yuanyin was a little restless and stared at the scenery outside the window with a stiff neck.

Why haven't we arrived at the post station yet? I didn't realize this carriage was so cramped on the way here...

Especially since a pair of eyes kept glancing at her from the side, and the quiet carriage was filled with a subtle sense of charm, which made her feel even more unbearable.

Xue Yuanyin's mind raced. No, she had to find a safe topic to talk about.

She suddenly thought of something, lowered the curtain, turned to look at him, and said with a very natural expression:

"We haven't had a chance to catch up since we met. What did you go through at Qintang Pass?"

This topic was safe, and the vague charm finally dissipated, and she let out a breath calmly.

Zhang Jingxuan seemed reluctant to say more. The two years of danger and hardship were over, and bringing it up now would make him seem pitiful.

He pondered for a few seconds, briefly summarized it, and talked about some of the scars on his body:

"...In short, the minor injuries are all fine. I have three serious injuries. One is on my left shoulder. I can't use much strength in my left arm now, but fortunately it doesn't affect my ability to hold a pen with my right hand. One is on my back, and as you can see, there are some messy scars that haven't faded yet. Another is on my lower abdomen. I almost lost blood on the spot and fainted. The military doctor spent a lot of valuable medicinal herbs, and it took me a long time to recover."

Xue Yuanyin could vaguely sense the danger and cruelty of the war from his few words. He frowned slightly and said:

"Why didn't you tell me earlier about such a serious injury? Let me see."

She was worried about his scar and didn't notice the slight hesitation in his movements, so she went to open his collar on her own.

The moment Zhang Jingxuan hesitated, he had lost the best opportunity to refuse, so he stopped covering it up, unbuttoned his collar, pulled it open to his left shoulder, and exposed the scar.

Xue Yuanyin reached out and touched the scar, feeling a little distressed. The situation at Sanhe Pass was far less cruel than at Qintang Pass. Thanks to him, she was able to escape danger.

She pulled up the clothes on his shoulders and lifted up his outer robe. She had already seen the wound on his back, but there was still one last wound on his waist and abdomen that she had not yet seen.

There is a Dantian on the abdomen, I wonder if it is injured?

Zhang Jingxuan paused and raised his hand to stop him: "Do you want to see here too?"

Xue Yuanyin asked puzzledly, "Why can't I watch it?"

Zhang Jingxuan paused for a few seconds, sighed softly, said "Okay", slowly untied his waist belt, lifted up his outer robe and inner garment, and pulled his trouser waist down a little, exposing the scar on his lower abdomen.

Xue Yuanyin lowered her eyes to look at it. It was a wound that had grazed her dantian. It looked very serious, leaving a deep mark. She raised her hand and touched the scar with distress, muttering:

"Such a beautiful body, I haven't seen enough, how come there are scars..."

Zhang Jingxuan's waist and abdomen tensed up, and he suddenly grabbed her hand that was stroking his waist.

Xue Yuanyin was stunned, his eyes widened, and his movements froze.

The sack beneath his trousers suddenly came to life, quickly straightened up, and puffed up his robe right under her eyes. Even through his robe, she could see the young master's arrogance.

The carriage suddenly became quiet.

Xue Yuanyin's face suddenly turned red. It had been more than two years since she last saw him, and she had long forgotten that she had ever had any close contact with him. Now, when she suddenly saw him, she felt at a loss, her heart beating like a drum, and she was a little embarrassed. For a moment, she didn't know whether to look up or down.

She hastily pulled her hand back, sat up stiffly, and turned her eyes away, not knowing where to look. She stumbled out the word "you", but could not find the right follow-up.

This is so embarrassing. Can someone come and save her? What should she say? It's really terrible. She completely forgot that this thing can raise its head...

We're in a carriage, what should we do?!

Zhang Jingxuan raised his eyes, and saw the confusion and embarrassment in her eyes. There were all kinds of emotions, but there was no charm or expectation. He paused slightly, and calmly closed his robe and fastened his waist belt. His tone sounded very natural:

"I haven't seen you for a long time. It's not very obedient. You don't have to worry about it."

But the slight hoarseness in his voice revealed that he was not as calm and indifferent as he appeared.

Xue Yuanyin said "Oh" awkwardly, but didn't know what to say.

In just a few short moments, all the intimate contacts in the past flashed through her mind like a fleeting scene.

He was clearly trying to lighten the mood, but she felt even more uncomfortable for no reason. She pulled down her collar, trying to hide her feelings and change the subject:

"It's quite hot in mid-to-late June, especially in this not-so-spacious carriage. How come it's even hotter?"

These words completely turned the atmosphere in the carriage into a bad state. Even Zhang Jingxuan seemed speechless for a moment, not knowing how to continue the topic that had fallen to the ground.

Xue Yuanyin sighed in despair, feeling a little desperate.

She suddenly felt a little regretful. She would have to stay in the carriage with him for at least half a month!

Zhang Jingxuan's eyes deepened slightly, his Adam's apple rolled slightly, he suppressed those inappropriate desires and said softly:

"Didn't you like my body before?" Why are you so resistant now?

Seeing her still embarrassed expression, he didn't say anything else, and said in a voice as calm as possible:

"If you don't want me to, I won't do anything to you."

"I, I know. I'm not worried."

Xue Yuanyin didn't want to admit that she wasn't used to it, so she bluntly brought up something else: "Let's get to the post station and rest for a night before we go."

Zhang Jingxuan took a thin blanket from the carriage and draped it around his waist. He seemed not to notice her awkward change of subject and continued with her topic:

"good."

Xue Yuanyin nodded and turned to look out the window.

The atmosphere in the carriage, which had finally become lively, seemed to freeze again.

Zhang Jingxuan looked at her stiff back with his eyes slightly deep, and the corners of his lips slowly straightened.

They had been apart for so long that she herself didn't even notice that there was a certain awkwardness and unfamiliarity in her attitude towards him.

I have to find a way to restore the relationship to its previous state...at least make her willing to accept him.

-

As the carriage drove to the post station, it was as quiet as a needle.

Xue Yuanyin's mind was in a mess. She didn't expect things to turn out like this... Her relationship with him had obviously broken the ice, but there seemed to be a lingering awkwardness and embarrassment, as well as a sense of unfamiliarity.

As it got darker, we soon arrived at the post station.

Finally, she didn't have to sit stiffly in a carriage. She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got off and walked into the post station.

They were in a hurry on the way here, so the escort convoy spent the night in the wilderness, setting up simple tents.

This was the first time that Xue Yuanyin and Zhang Jingxuan came to the inn to spend the night together, so she booked the last two rooms from the innkeeper.

Regardless of the fact that they have no relationship now, even if they have some relationship, they are not close enough to live in the same room, let alone have only one bed in the same room.

Zhang Jingxuan didn't say much and walked into the guest room with a calm expression.

After looking around the room for a few times, he finally walked slowly to the window and touched the oil paper covering it.

…

Xue Yuanyin first had a deep sleep, and when she woke up it was already dark. She got up to prepare water for a bath, and just as she had finished tidying up, there was a knock on the door.

She opened the door in confusion and was surprised to see Zhang Jingxuan standing in the aisle outside the door. He was only wearing an outer robe and pants on the lower body, with his upper body and chest and abdomen exposed, and his hair was wet.

He said calmly, "I don't have a handkerchief with me. Do you have an extra one? Lend me one so I can use it to dry my hair."

Xue Yuanyin's eyes swept over his thin and muscular chest and abdomen, and she couldn't help but linger for a few breaths.

Although his body was covered with scars, it was surprisingly more handsome than before. The areas of his body were clearly visible, rising and falling slightly with his breathing. Could it be that he had developed these scars on the battlefield?

Her eyes were almost glued to the thin muscles of his upper body. She finally forced herself to look away, coughed lightly, and said:

"I have extra supplies. Wait a moment, I'll get them for you."

Xue Yuanyin went into the room to find a spare towel for him, and couldn't help but think, I didn't expect his figure to still be so good, I really want to touch it...

When she realized what she was thinking, she suddenly woke up and wanted to hit herself on the head.

She was almost blinded by his beauty! Zhang Jingxuan was such a scary person. She almost fell on him again just by accidentally exposing her chest and abdomen.

Xue Yuanyin took out a handkerchief and handed it to him. Zhang Jingxuan took it, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he said in a light tone:

"This post station must be quite old. The windows in my room won't close, and the oil-paper is torn. It's too easy for people to see me brushing my hair, brushing my body, or even changing my clothes. Do you have any good ideas?"

Xue Yuanyin was momentarily stunned by the question: "The window won't close? The oil paper is torn? That shouldn't be the case. This is a post station... How about covering it up with rice paper first?"

Zhang Jingxuan said calmly: "I asked, there is no paper in the post station."

Xue Yuanyin couldn't think of where to get paper for a while, unless she went out to buy it. But when she passed by just now, she saw that the shop was very far away. By the time she bought it, her hair would be almost dry. She hesitated for a moment, and her mouth was faster than her brain:

"How about you go into my room and clean it first?"

After saying this, Xue Yuanyin vaguely felt that her suggestion was somewhat inappropriate. However, Zhang Jingxuan seemed not to notice and nodded slightly.

"good."

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The author has something to say: Writing about their love life is much harder than writing about their quarrels...