Chapter 24

Qingyun had another nightmare, but this time she returned to her childhood and saw herself attending her father's funeral from a third-person perspective. The little her was walking at the front of the crowd, holding a photo that was already blurred in her memory.

The people around her were putting on a show of mourning, and the funeral banners at the front of the procession kept swirling in front of her. Her mother leaned on her grandmother's shoulder, unable to control herself, and she was also crying. In this procession, only she and her mother were truly crying, feeling sad for her father's passing.

"Qingyun, you must remember that it's better to rely on yourself than on others. But that's a lesson you'll learn when you grow up. Right now, Dad is here, so you can rest assured and lean on Dad's shoulder."

"Dad, I want to eat spicy strips."

"Forget about it. If your mother finds out, she'll kill me."

"Then Daddy, I want the stars and the moon in the sky."

"That's fine, I'll set up a ladder and get it down for you tomorrow."

"You're talking nonsense! That's for three-year-olds! I don't want stars or the moon, I just want spicy strips!"

Her memory is getting fuzzier, but she will always remember the taste of that bag of spicy strips—it was both spicy and salty.

"Dad, I still want to eat the spicy strips you bought..." The person on the bed was already in tears, she was just murmuring in her sleep. Song Junwu looked at her, lowered his eyes and remained silent, silently thinking about what she was saying.

When Qingyun woke up, she felt thin and aching all over; even the slightest movement aggravated her discomfort. She slowly opened her eyes and saw only a green gauze curtain hanging above her head, with a glass lamp in the middle. A sweet fragrance wafted into her nostrils, and at first, she didn't quite understand what was happening.

She simply turned over, closed her eyes, and prepared to continue sleeping. After a while, Qingyun sat up with a start, remembering that her bed and home were in terrible condition. How could there be a glass lamp hanging above the bed? She cautiously looked around and found that a screen blocked the view in front of the bed.

The flower and bird paintings on the screen were lifelike and quite elegant. At that moment, she thought it was just a tasteful room in the commander's mansion. She put her thoughts aside, lay down again, covered herself with the blanket, and prepared to sleep. But when her rough hands subconsciously touched the bedding, she found it incredibly smooth.

She immediately searched her mind for the name of this fabric, and only one four-character idiom came to mind: 绫罗绸缎 (lingluochouduan). Yes, this quilt doesn't feel like it's made of brocade. This mansion is really rich; even the guest rooms are so luxurious.

Qingyun didn't think much of it and covered her head completely. The hormones emanating from the bedding and that special fragrance always made her feel that something was strange but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. As she thought about it, she fell asleep again.

When Song Junwu came in again, he saw Qingyun lying sprawled on the bed. He called a maid to settle Qingyun back in before going out to entertain guests.

When Qingyun woke up again, she found herself lying stiffly on the bed, like a corpse, with her hands folded over her chest. She wondered when her sleeping posture had improved, and she also felt some strength returning. She got up to find some water, and saw a large vat next to the table filled with large chunks of ice, which was now emitting wisps of cold air.

A white feather fan with a spinning wheel was placed nearby, but the little maid who was fanning it had already fallen asleep. Qingyun didn't want to disturb her, but then she heard voices and followed the sound.

When a woman dressed in a nightgown, exuding an ethereal beauty, appeared in the small hall, the group instantly fell silent. The surroundings became eerily quiet, and everyone's eyes were fixed on Song Junwu's back. Sensing something amiss, he frowned and followed the crowd's gaze to look behind him.

Song Junwu: "..."

Qingyun: "..."

After a while, Song Junwu cleared his throat, and Qingyun, who had been stunned, finally came to his senses. He immediately put on a smile and hurriedly said, "You guys chat." After saying that, he stumbled back and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Only the remaining people were left. They realized what had happened and laughed awkwardly. None of them had expected to witness Song Junwu's bedroom activities. However, none of them knew when he had taken in women.

"When did you bring this concubine into the house, Lord Song?"

"This woman doesn't seem to be from this city. Could she be a beauty we found when we went to Kui County?"

"It is a wonderful thing to have such a beautiful woman by my side. How can we let the brothers know?"

The group teased Song Junwu, all wanting to find out more about the girl. However, some sharp-eyed people recognized her as Qingyun and were dismissive of her.

After dealing with these people, Song Junwu returned to his room and found that there was indeed no one there. Looking at the wide-open window, he knew exactly where the girl had gone. He smiled helplessly at the sight.

Qingyun was in a terrible predicament. Her mind was racing with thoughts, and she ran away without even changing her clothes. She still remembered where Song Chaoyun's courtyard was. Despite the strange looks from others, she hurriedly rushed in. She had considered a million possibilities, but she never imagined that this place was actually the Commander's Mansion!

Song Junwu, the border guard commander, would also be staying here. Good heavens, who would have thought she'd be sleeping in this person's room? Only now, recalling the smell on the bed, did I realize it must have been Song Junwu's body odor.

She felt inexplicably ashamed, but she was certain that there was nothing between her and the other person.

Muscle soreness and post-coital pain are not the same thing. If you ask her how she knows, Qingyun isn't stupid; it doesn't hurt anywhere else.

Noticing Song Chaoyun's ill-intentioned gaze, Qingyun knew without guessing what the girl was thinking. Knowing the two of them, she was certain Song Junwu wouldn't take advantage of her; she was just deliberately scrutinizing her with that look.

After slowly changing his clothes, Qingyun finally asked, "How many days later is it now?"

Song Chaoyun chuckled, picked up an incense stick, lit it, and placed it on the incense holder before leisurely speaking, "Now you know your own limitations."

That's nonsense. She could feel that she had a fever. She slept and woke up, and felt dizzy again. Only a high fever would cause this. The key is that in ancient times, where catching a cold would mean death, she actually survived. It's because she has a strong immune system and is very lucky!

Song Chaoyun said, "You've been asleep for two days now." As she spoke, she recalled the ramblings Qingyun had made in his sleep when she looked at him, and her eyes darkened as she looked at him.

Upon hearing this, Qingyun hurriedly came out from behind the screen and asked how the saplings were doing.

Qingyun's method was indeed effective. Not many seedlings were uprooted; most had broken branches, which wasn't a big deal. However, replanting the lost seedlings was no easy task. Everyone had been busy these past few days, primarily working on the villages swept by the storm.

Several mansions and farmhouses were blown down, and some people who refused to leave were buried under the broken tiles. They are now being managed in a ward. Song Chaohua discovered that the villagers here were very unruly. He had tried to persuade them earlier that a strong wind was coming and they should all move to the stone houses in the city.

However, some troublemakers refused to accept this, insisting that it was just a fabricated excuse to seize their farmland and houses. Now, their houses have collapsed and their legs have been broken, leaving them with no means of livelihood for the next year.

What Qingyun didn't know was that she was still struggling to weave straw nets at that time. If Song Chaoyun hadn't ordered that the dead and injured be placed somewhere, she could have completely ignored their lives. Song Junwu's previous discussions with others were also about post-disaster reconstruction.

After listening, Qingyun thought for a moment and then said, "Since we need to repair the official road, why not hire those people whose houses have collapsed? Firstly, we'll have people to use, and secondly, they'll have money to repair their houses."

Song Chaoyun leaned against the chaise longue, playing with the jade in her hand, and nodded in agreement; she thought so too.

But then Qingyun seemed to remember something else. The places where tornadoes pass through are just like the places that are flooded, and they are prone to epidemics. So we must do a good job in epidemic prevention.

However, Qingyun thought she should go and check on the situation herself first. She mentioned the plague to Song Chaoyun and then prepared to leave. Before leaving the mansion, she stopped by Song Chaoyun's small kitchen and grabbed a few steamed buns to fill her stomach. The aroma of pork mixed with the sizzling oil exploded in her mouth.

"Looks like I'll have to keep coming here to freeload from her."

She finished the bun in her hand and ran towards the sand dunes. She was a forest ranger, which meant she had to walk a lot of steps every day, but the original owner of this body was, after all, a young lady from a wealthy family. With her body still recovering from a serious illness, Qingyun was somewhat powerless.

She walked under the blazing sun, her veiled hat distorted by the intense heat, a hot wind blowing from the desert ahead. Suddenly, she heard the sound of horses' hooves. Qingyun instinctively looked back and saw a woman wielding a whip, heading towards her.

Qingyun didn't take it seriously at first, until the person darted out and then rode back. The person was wearing a front-opening, narrow-sleeved, cloud-patterned swirling skirt and a pure white Guanyin headscarf. When he looked up, he was surprised to see that it was Lin Wanjun. How could she have changed so much in just one day?

She was wearing coarse linen clothes before.

Lin Wanjun pulled on the reins, dismounted, and galloped over, tightly grasping Qingyun's hand, her brows furrowed. "Are you better?"

Qingyun nodded, then looked her up and down again, thinking to herself that clothes make the man and the horse make the horse. With a little dressing up, she looked pure and refined, truly possessing the charm of a fairy.

However, Lin Wanjun was somewhat surprised that she came out so quickly. "You have a severe cold and should have rested for a few more days. Why are you out now?"

Qingyun felt a little guilty upon hearing this. She couldn't very well say that she couldn't stay any longer, and she also wanted to see the extent of the damage to the saplings. She smiled and said, "If you don't work, what will you eat? You can still move around."

Lin Wanjun, knowing Qingyun's thoughts, didn't waste any words. She easily mounted her horse and invited Qingyun to come up with her, saving them a lot of walking. However, looking at the horse, which was taller than her, Qingyun was in trouble. She couldn't climb up; even with her feet on the saddle, she couldn't get any leverage.

After several attempts, she simply gave up and told Lin Wanjun to go first. Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly felt dizzy and then found herself sitting steadily on the horse. It turned out that the other party had simply picked her up around the waist and carried her onto the horse.

Qingyun exclaimed in surprise, "You can actually lift me up in one go?!"

Lin Wanjun just smiled when she heard this, "You're not heavy." Then she hugged her tightly and swiftly whipped her horse.

The jolting of the vehicle made Qingyun immediately hug the other person tightly, thinking to himself that Lin Wanjun was indeed unremarkable in appearance, and although she looked delicate, you would never know that she had such great strength.

Qingyun leaned close to the other's neck as much as possible to speak, "You can ride a horse?"

The sensation and sound of the other person's chest vibrating reached Qingyun's ears and body in the next second. "So what if you ride a horse?" Lin Wanjun said as she got up. Qingyun looked fearless, but he just couldn't play polo. His legs trembled as soon as he got on the horse.