Chapter 61 Do you want a kiss?
With the iron arrowhead, Zhao Xiping was able to draw the bow much more easily. The arrowhead did not fly away, and he could draw and shoot arrows faster. After practicing for a few more days, he could almost shoot arrows continuously.
Two arrows were shot one after another, and a fat rabbit was nailed to the ground. Sui Yu cheered, dropped the work in her hands, and ran to pick up the rabbit.
"Great! We won't be short of meat this year." Sui Yu smiled brightly, holding up the rabbit's ears, and said, "When we get home at noon, you can clean up the mess and stew the rabbit meat for dinner."
Zhao Xiping touched the bowstring. He hadn't expected him to have a natural knack for archery. On the battlefield, he'd miss nine out of ten times with a bow. He wondered if it had something to do with the bow itself. He pulled out an iron arrow, untied the bowstring, and shot it skyward. The arrowhead grazed a bird's wing, sending it shrieking in fright.
Now that he was going to the battlefield, he felt much more confident.
"If I were at home when winter comes, I would ride a camel out to hunt wolves and get the wolf skins to make wolfskin coats for you and your sister." Zhao Xiping promised first.
"Let's not talk about hunting wolves for now. Keep practicing your archery and catch more rabbits." Sui Yu left with the rabbits, saying, "I won't let you do any farm work. Just practice your aim."
Zhao Xiping knew what was important and what was not. The first was to save his life and the second was to make a contribution. As for the crops in the fields, even if they were left barren for a year or two, it wouldn't have any impact.
He shot arrows in the field every day. After he shot five rabbits and seven field mice, no rabbits or field mice came to visit the five acres of bean field again.
In ten days, Sui Yu and Sui Liang, together with Zhao Xiping who came to help from time to time, had cleaned up the five mu of bean field. All the weeds were pulled out and the bean seedlings were in bloom.
"Captain Zhao, why do you carry a bow on your back every day?" Someone came to inquire about the situation. He lowered his voice and asked, "Tell me, is there going to be a war?"
"No, I just want to hunt some game, practice my archery, and go out to shoot wolves when winter comes." Zhao Xiping did not mention anything else. Before he earned military merit, he did not intend to talk about helping Sui Yu escape slavery, so as not to cause trouble.
"I was sick last month and spent a lot of money. I had no money to buy meat, so I could only make a living in the wild," said Sui Yu.
Many people knew that Sui Yu was ill. When they saw Zhao Xiping carrying her on his back to see a doctor during the day and at night, many people praised Zhao Xiping for his kindness. If it were someone else, they might just let her die of illness and make room for another one.
The people who came to inquire about the news left, and Zhao Xiping and Sui Yu also packed up their farm tools and walked back. When they reached the river, Sui Liang stood up and ran over with the cat official, and the camels, pigs and sheep followed.
The piglet and the lamb had been bought for two months. The piglet didn't eat much, so it had grown taller, but it had no flesh on its body and was skinny. The two lambs had grown a lot, and were lively. They jumped around as they walked, and loved to butt the racks. If someone stretched out their hand or raised their foot, they would rush to butt with their heads.
When I walked into the alley, I found a person standing at the door. He was dressed as a servant and looked unfamiliar.
"But Captain Zhao?" asked the servant.
Zhao Xiping had a premonition. He nodded and asked, "Is it Captain Qu who is looking for me?"
"Yes, Captain Zhao, please come with me."
Although she was prepared, Sui Yu was still nervous at this time. She took the bow and arrow from Zhao Xiping and watched him leave without any spirit.
"Sui Yu, what happened?" asked someone in the alley.
"Nothing." Sui Yu forced a smile, opened the door and led the camel in.
Sui Liang walked behind and closed the door.
Sui Yu poured the grass she brought back on the ground, and a group of chickens rushed over to eat it. She counted them and found that there were enough.
Sui Liang took out worms from his pocket. He only allowed the laying hens to eat them. After the hens finished eating the worms, he walked to the wall and took out two eggs from the chicken coop.
There were two more eggs, and Sui Liang held them up to show Sui Yu.
"Put it in the jar. We will stew rabbit meat tonight." Sui Yu looked up at the sky. He had prepared everything that could be prepared, and the rest was left to fate.
As the aroma of meat wafted from the kitchen, Zhao Xiping returned. Before Sui Yu could ask, he began to explain, "There are bandits blocking the road in the Gobi Desert west of Yumen Pass. Three groups of merchant caravans have already been killed. Captain Qu has arranged for me to follow the others tomorrow, disguised as a bodyguard, and follow the caravans through Yumen Pass to the Gobi Desert to kill the bandits."
"Gobi Desert?" Sui Yu had seen a video explanation in his previous life. There were rocks everywhere and the area was extremely vast. People could not tell the direction when they entered, and even a compass would not work.
"Well, you haven't seen it. When you're freed from slavery, I'll take you to see it. The rocks in the Gobi Desert are very strangely shaped and huge. A person standing under them would be as small as an ant." Zhao Xiping glanced into the pot and said, "Make some more flour tonight and bake me some dry cakes. I'll take them away tomorrow."
"good."
Sui Yu suppressed the panic in her heart, washed her hands and went to knead the dough.
Zhao Xiping picked up a piece of rabbit meat with chopsticks and fed it to his mouth. After it was well-seasoned, he took a bowl and said, "I'm going out for a while. I'll eat when I come back."
He took a bowl of rabbit meat to Uncle Niu and told him that he was going out to kill bandits. "It might be a month at the shortest, or two months at the longest. When I'm not home, I need to collect the food every month. Please help me collect it and send it home."
"That's not a problem, but why do you want to go on a mission out of the blue?" Uncle Niu was anxious.
"Perhaps Captain Qu heard about my daily archery practice, and he thought I was very useful." Zhao Xiping didn't tell the truth to Uncle Niu. He also instructed, "If you don't go out to the fields every day, come to my house from time to time to prevent those who are not careful from getting bad intentions."
"No, the people living here are just a little bit gossipy..."
"Just go if I tell you to. You are you, and others are others. People's hearts are hidden, so how can you know what others are thinking?" Tong Huaer said. She said to Zhao Xiping, "Don't worry, I'm at home every day. I'll go around more often."
Zhao Xiping thanked him. He wasn't looking for trouble. Lately, he'd been eating meat almost every meal, and Sui Yu had been taking tonics daily. Not only had she gained weight, but her complexion had also improved, her hidden good looks slowly emerging. As a man himself, he knew a man's moral character best. He could never be sure if anyone had ulterior motives.
The rabbit meat was left behind, and Zhao Xiping left with the empty bowl.
Sui Yu had already kneaded the dough. When she heard the door open, she lifted the lid of the pot, shoveled out the vegetables, took out the rabbit meat, added water to the pot, and boiled it just enough to make the dumpling soup.
"Whose house did you go to?" Sui Yu asked.
"Go and tell Uncle Lao Niu that he is a kind man. When I am not at home, go to him if you encounter any problems." Zhao Xiping said.
"Okay, don't worry too much about home." Sui Yu handed him the chopsticks and said, "Eat, and go to bed early after dinner."
"Um."
Zhao Xiping had been waiting for this day, and his heart was relatively calm. He had a good appetite during the meal. He ate rabbit meat and also had two bowls of dumpling soup.
"Do you want to feed the pigs or wash the dishes?" Putting down the bowl, Zhao Xiping let the distraught woman choose first.
Sui Yu looked up at him and said, "I feed the pigs and I wash the dishes. Go pack your luggage."
"There's nothing much to pack, just a few sets of clothes." Zhao Xiping stood up to clear the dishes and said, "I'll wash the dishes, and you cook the pigs."
There was still some unfinished dumpling soup in the pot. Sui Yu added firewood to the stove, scooped a ladle of water into the pot, and poured in the weeds brought back from the field. He stewed everything in the pot and poured it out to feed the pigs.
Zhao Xiping went to fetch water with a bucket, and Sui Yu went into the kitchen to wash the pot and boil water for bathing. After she and Sui Liang finished bathing, they went into the house first.
The door opened and closed again, footsteps came in, and water was poured into the vat. Zhao Xiping hung up the wet clothes and strode into the house, saying, "I'm not home, so you can fetch water on the camel's back. When it gets dark, lock the door and don't go out."
"Okay." Sui Yu packed his clothes and said, "I've also given you the wolfskin. It has a lot of hair on it, so if you get lost, you can pluck the hair and put it on a stone as a mark."
"Okay, that's pretty smart." Zhao Xiping rubbed her head. He looked at the bed and asked, "Is Sui Liang asleep?"
Sui Liang was not asleep. After hearing this, he pretended to be asleep and lay motionless on the bed.
It seemed that she was asleep. Zhao Xiping turned Sui Yu's face over. She seemed to have lost her soul all night, and her thoughts were written on her face. He looked at her all night and felt very comfortable.
"Worried about me?" he asked.
Sui Yu nodded honestly.
Zhao Xiping laughed.
"What are you laughing at? Isn't the Gobi Desert dangerous?" Sui Yu was puzzled.
"It's dangerous, very dangerous." Even if there was no danger, Zhao Xiping would still insist that it was dangerous.
"I'm a little regretful." Sui Yu muttered. She grabbed the man's hand and placed it on her chest. "I've been exiled from Jiangnan to the northwest for nearly a year. I've never felt as uncomfortable as I do tonight. My heart is beating so fast."
The smile on Zhao Xiping's face froze. The soft touch of her hand made him feel hot all over. As for what she said, he just listened to it without taking it to heart.
"...You must come back. I will stay at home for you and make you something delicious when you come back." Sui Yu looked at him and muttered to herself.
"Yeah." Zhao Xiping pulled his hand away and said, "Go to sleep."
It was indeed time to go to bed early. Sui Yu took off his shoes and went to bed, saying, "If you wake up when the rooster crows, wake me up. I'm afraid I'll forget to sleep."
"Um."
The two men lay down and blew out the oil lamp. Seeing that there was no movement, Sui Liang stopped eavesdropping and fell asleep in a short while.
The man at the end of the bed turned over. Perhaps he was worried about going on a trip with no return date. The restlessness in his chest made it difficult for him to fall asleep that night.
Sui Yu's ankle was tickled, and she thought Zhao Xiping had touched it accidentally. She retracted her leg, and then her other foot was grabbed.
"Are you still asleep?" Zhao Xiping asked in a low voice.
"Um."
"Come to sleep."
Sui Yu bit her lip, she finally realized that something was wrong with him.
"Come here." Zhao Xiping pulled her again.
Sui Yu stood up, she tucked in the mattress and lay down, saying in a soft voice, "What are you doing?"
The man was breathing heavily, and in the dark, he touched his hot face with a rough hand, then touched his nose, and pressed his fingertips on the corner of his mouth.
Sui Yu grabbed his wrist and stared at the dark shadow approaching.
"I thought about it, if I died outside this time, it would be such a loss. I wouldn't even touch the wife I married." After he finished speaking, he kissed her awkwardly. He was so flustered that his teeth knocked against his fingers.
Sui Yu laughed, but the laughter disappeared in an instant.
His pounding heartbeat was like the chirping of cicadas in summer, and his rapid breathing drowned out the sound of the wind outside the door. Zhao Xiping turned over and hugged the woman tightly in his arms. This hug made him feel more than the clumsy kiss just now.
"Just stay home and wait for me to come back." He whispered.
"Yeah." Sui Yu nodded.
"If, I mean if, I die, you don't have to die with me. You can continue to live in this small courtyard with Sui Liang and do what you need to do. If the government doesn't allow you to live here, you can find another man to marry."
Sui Yu punched him and said, "Don't make me cry."
"I'm serious."
"Pooh!" Sui Yu looked up and urged, "Hurry up."
"Same as my mother." Zhao Xiping disdains the words of bad luck.
Sui Yu punched the stubborn guy again.
Sui Yu did not go back to the bed to sleep that night. When the rooster crowed for the first time, she carefully moved out of the man's arms, picked up her clothes and went out in the dark to cook.
Kneading the dough, rolling it out, and making pancakes, fifty pancakes were ready and it was dawn.
Zhao Xiping had already fed the camel and given it plenty of water, and hung the bag and bow and arrow on its back.
The water in the pot boiled, and Sui Yu threw thirty dumplings into it. These were dumplings made with pancake bread. Since there was no vegetable at home, she used pickled radish and half a field mouse meat as the filling.
"I'll make you some dumplings when you go out and come back to the store. I'll make you some soup noodles when you come back." Sui Yu said.
"There are quite a lot of things to pay attention to." Zhao Xiping took the bowl and ate two dumplings in one gulp. He said, "After I leave, you can sleep for half a day."
"Um."
"I'll take one camel and leave one for you."
"good."
"Don't go out after dark. If you hear any noise at night, shout."
"knew."
After finishing a bowl of flatbread, Zhao Xiping finished his instructions. He picked up the bag of flatbreads and said, "If I don't come back next month, ask Uncle Niu to get food for you."
Sui Yu nodded, she gathered her hair and sent him out.
"No need to send me off. Just wait for me at home."
Sui Yu continued to nod, and before the bolt was lifted, she whispered, "Do you want a kiss?"
Zhao Xiping's face suddenly turned purple. In broad daylight, he dared to think but not to do.
"How shameless!" He fled with his camel.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com