Chapter 80 The Wedding "Go home." she said.
The General's Mansion was abuzz with activity. For the past few days, Liu Yeshu had been personally directing the servants' cleaning. Several new pots of wintersweet blossoms had been added beneath the old locust tree in the courtyard, and large red lanterns were hung along the eaves. Even the firewood shed in the backyard was neatly organized, its chopped firewood neatly stacked with meticulous care.
"Miss," Chun Xing came over with hot water and saw Liu Yeshu still wiping the window lattice. She said hurriedly, "You've been busy for three days. Your hands are blistered. It's time to rest."
"It's the end of the year, so I have to clean up." Liu Yeshu rubbed his aching wrist, but still opened the account book to check. "By the way, remember to keep the hot soup in the kitchen warm at all times."
"Don't worry, young lady!" Chun Xing chuckled. "You've said this for the third time!"
Finally, on a chilly morning, Qi Yu returned to Ning'an County. The city gates were already crowded with people waiting to greet him. Old Man Wang, whose eaves had fallen off the beam while he was repairing the roof a few days ago, also arrived, leaning on a cane.
In the carriage, Qi Yu held Liu Yeshu's cold hand and asked softly, "How was the harvest this year?"
Liu Yeshu's eyes sparkled, her delight unconcealed. "It's 20% better than in previous years." She wanted to talk about the insect plague, but seeing Qi Yu's tired eyes, she softly said, "Let's go back home first. I've prepared some mutton soup."
Returning to the General's Mansion, Qi Yu paused to gaze upon the newly renovated courtyard. Beneath the old locust tree, several wintersweets bloomed proudly in the snow, their branches dotted with pure white, their delicate fragrance wafting through the air.
"Is this wintersweet a new addition?"
"Yes," Liu Yeshu poured him a cup of hot tea herself. "Since you like the elegant fragrance, I specially had a few plants brought in from outside the city." She carefully pushed the teacup towards his hand. "Be careful, it's hot."
After drinking the hot soup, Qi Yu asked about the affairs of the mansion. Liu Yeshu recounted the events of the past few days. When she mentioned the insect plague, Qi Yu couldn't help but hold her hand and said, "Thank you for your hard work." The thin calluses on his palm caressed her knuckles.
"Did your journey to Beijing go smoothly?"
"It went very smoothly," Qi Yu said with a smile in his eyes, "His Majesty said that this battle was a great victory and he wants to reward us handsomely. But..."
"But what?"
"Your Majesty wanted me to return to the capital to take up a position, but I declined." Qi Yu's expression was solemn. "Although the Xiongnu have retreated, the countries in the Western Regions are ready to make a move. We must be more careful at the border in the next few years."
Liu Yeshu nodded, understanding that the border was his concern.
"However, I have requested a reward from His Majesty." Qi Yu took out a scroll of imperial edict wrapped in gold silk and satin from his bosom, "Take a look at it."
Willow Leaf unfolded the imperial edict, its golden characters gleaming in the candlelight: "I have heard that General Qi is both wise and brave, and with the assistance of the daughter of the Liu family, this great victory is truly a blessing from heaven. I hereby grant the two of them permission to marry."
Her fingers trembled slightly and her eyes lingered on those words again and again.
Qi Yu looked around with a smile in his eyes: "Has this yard been redecorated? What a pity, it has to be redecorated again."
*
It was a spring day in Ning'an County, with a gentle drizzle. The gates of the Qi Mansion were filled with red flags inscribed with "Great Joy," and the courtyard was decorated with colorful tents and hung with large red lanterns.
Even before the morning dew dried, the Liu family was already filled with joy. Liu Yeshu sat before a carved bronze mirror, letting her matchmaker style her hair in the unique frontier style of a "Phoenix bun." This unique bun, featuring a short lock of hair hanging low in the center of the forehead, known as a "wind-facing bang," was a hallmark of frontier women. After the bun was done, the matchmaker gently inserted the white jade hairpin from Mobei into the bun. The grain cart carved on the hairpin gleamed in the morning light.
"What excellent craftsmanship," Chu Yurou praised repeatedly as she ran her fingers over the embroidery on the wedding dress. "This phoenix is so lifelike, and every feather is embroidered so meticulously!"
The wedding dress Liu's mother had hand-sewn for her was embroidered on crimson satin, a pair of phoenixes spread their wings, ready to take flight, their feathers meticulously connected. Most strikingly, the phoenixes were surrounded by patterns of wheat ears and a grain cart, alluding to her story with Qi Yu. The "ringing bells" by her ears swayed gently with her movements, producing a clear, ringing sound, believed to ward off evil and ward off disaster.
"Sister!" Liu Yeling rushed in holding a sandalwood box, her face full of excitement. "Look at this I made for you!"
Liu Yeshu took the wooden box and was stunned when she opened it.
Inside the box were a pair of exquisitely crafted wooden carvings: one depicting the food cart that had saved the army, the other the chicken coop where she had started her business. Every detail was so lifelike that even the wheels could turn and the small door of the chicken coop could open and close.
"This is something Uncle Wang and I discussed," Liu Yeling rubbed her hands, a little shy, "Just consider it a wedding gift for you."
"It's almost time!" Mrs. Wang urged from outside, "The auspicious time is coming!"
The bridal sedan set off to the sound of gongs and drums, and firecrackers rang out continuously along the way. Liu Yeshu peeked through the gap in the sedan curtain and saw that both sides of the street were crowded with people who had come to congratulate them.
"Miss Liu is our great hero!" someone shouted. "If it weren't for her, our wheat fields would have been destroyed by insects long ago!"
"That's right! I heard that in the battle in Mobei, she prepared all the dry rations for the soldiers."
"She and General Qi, they are truly a match made in heaven!"
The bridal sedan arrived at the Qi residence amidst the blessings of the crowd. Qi Yu, dressed in a bright red wedding dress, stood at the door, his expression solemn yet filled with anticipation.
The bridal sedan arrived at the Qi residence amidst the blessings of the crowd. Qi Yu, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, stood at the door, his hair tied up with a jade crown, and a sword at his waist. He had the majesty of a general and the joy of a groom. When he saw Liu Yeshu in the sedan, his eyes were filled with tenderness.
During the ceremony, the two exchanged glances, each seeing joy in the other's eyes. They kowtowed, offered tea, and entered the bridal chamber—everything went according to protocol. By the time the last wave of guests had departed, dusk had nearly fallen. Qi Yu finally had some free time and entered the bridal chamber. Liu Yeshu was sitting in front of a bronze mirror, playing with the pair of wooden sculptures.
"Is this Ling'er's craft?" Qi Yu sat down next to her.
"Yes. I heard that the imperial court ordered that this new type of grain cart be named "Lingche" and ordered military camps in various places to imitate it. Now it will be of great use." Liu Yeshu said with a smile.
"It's not just the food carts," Qi Yu stared at Liu Yeshu's profile, "but also the geography book you gave me. If it hadn't recorded the oasis and sheltered valley, more than half of the army would have been lost in the snowstorm."
Liu Yeshu put down the wooden carving and said seriously, "There is something I have always wanted to tell you."
"I know," Qi Yu took her hand, "you must have some special ability. But if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to tell me."
"Speaking of which," Qi Yu suddenly laughed, "I'm curious, how did you come up with those methods to deal with locusts?"
A sly glint flashed in Liu Yeshu's eyes: "Well, are you sure you want to ask now?"
Qi Yu coughed unnaturally and gently stroked Liu Yeshu's hair. The white jade hairpin shone brightly in the candlelight.
"Don't ask," he whispered, "There are more important things to do."
Liu Yeshu felt his breath approaching, like a warm spring breeze brushing against her face. She closed her eyes slightly, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, like a butterfly about to emerge from its cocoon.
The drizzle outside the window gradually subsided, and moonlight streamed in like a veil. Their breaths mingled, like two intertwined vines on a spring day. The red candles in the room illuminated the phoenix pattern on the wedding gown. The pair of phoenixes embroidered in gold thread seemed to come alive, dancing in the candlelight.
The ringing ring made a subtle sound, like the sound of water flowing over pebbles in a spring stream. Liu Yeshu's hair was wet with sweat, sticking to her smooth forehead. Qi Yu gently wiped away the sweat from her forehead, his movements as gentle as if he were caressing a new spring leaf.
"Husband, do you want to hear a story?" Liu Yeshu snuggled in Qi Yu's arms, "A story you have always wanted to hear."
Qi Yu stroked her hair gently: "Tell me about it."
"In a place far, far away, so far away you can't even imagine, people there live very differently," Liu Yeshu said slowly. "The farm tools there are huge iron machines that can plow a hundred acres of land in a single day. Horse-drawn carriages don't need to be pulled; they run on their own, faster than a thousand-mile horse."
She felt Qi Yu's breathing stagnate slightly, but he did not interrupt her.
"That's where I came from. There, I was a student at an agricultural university, specializing in farming and breeding. One day, I got a magical object that could tell me everything I knew about farming. Then..." She paused, "I came here and became the daughter of the Liu family."
"Is that magical thing still there?" Qi Yu asked softly.
"Yes," Liu Yeshu nodded. "It's like an all-knowing teacher. It taught me how to deal with insect plagues, how to make dry food that won't spoil, and even told me about the terrain of Mobei."
Liu Yeshu raised her eyes: "Would my husband think I'm... scary?"
Qi Yu's fingers brushed across her cheek, a smile on his lips: "How can it be scary? I thought you were a demon in disguise, deliberately approaching me, intending to bring disaster to the country and the people."
"What kind of demon is that?" Liu Yeshu raged, her slender fingers reaching for Qi Yu's waist. Qi Yu was quick-witted and grabbed her wrist. Using this movement, he pressed forward, his other hand restlessly tickling her waist.
Liu Yeshu was no match for Qi Yu, and he tickled her until she begged for mercy. She twisted and turned, trying to escape, her long black hair spreading like silk on the quilt as she struggled. A few strands of hair tangled between Qi Yu's fingers, carrying a faint fragrance.
In the candlelight, her cheeks flushed with laughter, her eyes gleaming with tears. The wolf-tooth necklace on her chest rose and fell slightly with her rapid breathing, making a small sound.
Qi Yu's movements gradually stopped, his gaze settling on her red lips, his eyes darkening. In the candlelight, he saw the gleam of sweat on her neck, her long black hair spread out on the red pillow, the jade pendant on her chest rising and falling slightly with her rapid breathing. She hadn't yet recovered from her laughter, her eyes glistening, a faint smile playing on her lips.
He leaned in, his warm breath brushing against her ear. She tilted her head slightly, but he grabbed her by the scruff of the neck. The phoenix on her wedding gown seemed to come alive in the candlelight, dancing gracefully.
After an unknown amount of time, Qi Yu's fingers gently stroked her flushed face: "Why did you choose to stay here? Isn't that place better?"
"Zhuang Zhou dreamed of a butterfly..." Liu Yeshu was a little sleepy. "I've figured it out now. No matter what situation I encounter, I should live my life the way I should."
As the sky began to turn pale, a drizzle began to fall again. The sound of the rain was so gentle that it drowned out the whispers in the room, except for the occasional crisp sound of the silver bells.
*
Five years later, Ning'an County has become a completely different scene.
At the early morning market, vendors hawked their newly arrived fruits and vegetables, while farmers carried heavy loads of vegetables. Silk shops, grain and oil stores, wine shops, and teahouses lined the streets, making them far more lively than before.
Looking out over the farmlands on the outskirts of the city, layer upon layer of terraced fields rise up the mountainside, crisscrossed by canals that channel mountain springs for irrigation. New farm tools can be seen in the fields from time to time: improved plowshares are sharper than before, and newly added waterwheels make irrigation even more labor-efficient.
All of this is inseparable from Liu Yeshu's years of hard work. She has gradually put her knowledge into practice, refined it, and then passed it on to farmers. Every spring plowing and autumn harvest, she personally goes to the fields to provide guidance, covering every detail, from seed selection and fertilization to irrigation and storage.
The specially established Agricultural School was overflowing with students. Early in the morning, young students hurried in, carrying their books. Liu Yeling taught farm tool making in the school, often spending most of the day in a session. He was now a renowned craftsman, his farm tools not only practical but also designed with user convenience in mind.
At the end of that summer, urgent news arrived from the Western Regions: Dayuan was blocking trade routes and looting caravans. Qi Yu was examining newly arrived farm implement blueprints when Steward Zhao hurriedly delivered a military report. He unfolded it, his expression suddenly grave. This battle was of grave importance, affecting not only the smooth flow of trade routes to the Western Regions but also the availability of war horses.
On the eve of their departure, the moonlight shone like water. Liu Yeshu carefully inspected the military supplies under the lamplight. On the table lay various dry ration samples, specially formulated with herbs to prevent heatstroke. Beside them lay the blueprints for Liu Yeling's newly improved forage cart, featuring a movable awning on the roof and custom-made water storage devices on both sides.
"Qi Ning is asleep?" Qi Yu hugged her from behind, his chin resting lightly on her shoulder.
"I'm asleep," Liu Yeshu leaned in his arms, feeling his body temperature. "I've prepared a geographical map for you when we go to Dayuan this time."
She pulled out a beautifully drawn map, which she had spent days and nights creating based on the information provided by the system. The location of every water source, oasis, and city-state was clearly marked, even the local products and climate were recorded in detail.
On the day the army set out, the morning dew was still wet. Three-year-old Xiaobao held a wooden pony in his arms, specially made for him by Liu Yeling. "Daddy, please come back safely!" the little fellow said in a baby voice, his eyes red.
Qi Yu picked up his son and gently wiped the tears from his face: "When Dad comes back, I'll take you to catch fireflies." Seeing his son's tears burst into laughter, he said, "You must take good care of Mom."
Journeying west, the army passed through three oases. At each location, Qi Yu chose campsites based on the records in the local gazetteer. These hidden water sources and suitable grazing pastures provided ample supplies for the army. Improved grain carts proved invaluable in the desert, and water storage systems freed the soldiers from worrying about water.
Outside Dayuan City, a fierce battle was inevitable. The Dayuan cavalry advanced with great force, their steeds far superior to those of the Han army. But Qi Yu was prepared. He employed the same strategy he had used in Mobei: using light cavalry to lure the enemy deep into their territory while the main force outflanked them.
More importantly, the Han army was well-supplied, and the soldiers were not afraid of a protracted battle. Liu Yeshu's specially prepared dry rations were not only durable but also infused with medicinal herbs to prevent heatstroke. Every night, the soldiers would build fires in their modified food carts and cook their meals. A bowl of hot soup and a piece of specially prepared dry rations would instantly restore their strength.
This battle lasted from spring to summer, and from summer to autumn. Qi Yu adopted a strategy of encircling a point and attacking its reinforcements, first cutting off Dayuan's supply lines and then annihilating its reinforcements in batches. Although Dayuan's war horses were valiant, they gradually became exhausted after the protracted battle. They were ultimately forced to surrender, offering a thousand fine horses and a promise to keep trade routes open forever.
It's autumn tea picking season. In the tea plantations nestled among the mountains, the leaves of the tea trees have transformed from the tender green of spring and summer to a deep, dark green, exuding a mature allure. These are rare tea trees, introduced by Liu Yeshu from the south of the Yangtze River. After years of refinement, they have not only adapted to the border climate but also developed a unique aroma in autumn. In the fields, clusters of saffron, as vibrant as flames, add a touch of brightness to the tea mountains.
"Although autumn tea isn't as fresh and tender as spring tea, it has a unique flavor." Crouching in the tea garden, she carefully demonstrated pruning techniques. Her slender fingers gripped the scissors, delicately cutting away the withered branches and leaves. "In autumn, tea trees need to be pruned to prepare for next year's spring tea. Remove the old leaves to give the new buds strength to emerge."
The students from the Agricultural School gathered around her, taking careful notes. Someone asked, "Teacher, why is the tea so fragrant in autumn?"
"This has something to do with the climate of our frontier," Liu Yeshu said with a smile. "The temperature difference between day and night is large, so the tea leaves grow slowly, and the flavor is deeper when they settle."
Suddenly, a cheer came from afar. "Dad is back!" Qi Ning broke free from Chun Xing's hand and stumbled towards the city gate, his small figure rising and falling among the tea gardens.
Qi Yu dismounted, his dusty robe still stained with the windblown sand of the Western Regions. He scooped up his son and gazed across the tea garden toward the familiar figure. Liu Yeshu was still as elegant as ever, her blue gown making her stand out against the tea garden, though her expression had a more composed air. Over the years, she had protected this land in her own way, transforming the barren land into fertile soil.
As the sun sets, the tea plantations and flower fields are stained golden in the evening glow. From the agricultural school, the sound of reading aloud blends with the distant chirping of returning birds.
The system suddenly popped up a prompt: [Points have reached the conditions for returning to modern times, do you want to redeem them now?]
Liu Yeshu stared at the interface for a moment, then smiled. She looked up and saw the figures of the father and son stretched out in the sunset.
"Look what Daddy brought you?" Qi Yu took out a celadon lantern from behind him, with a faint light flickering inside.
Qi Ning's eyes lit up, "Firefly!" He jumped to hold the lantern, "Dad is true to his word. I caught one on the way back! Look, Mom!" The light of the firefly swayed gently with Qi Ning's footsteps, illuminating his happy little face.
"Shu'er?" Qi Yu turned around and called her.
"Mom..." Qi Ning also stretched out his little hand to her.
The aroma of tea lingered in the air, and dusk deepened. She closed the system interface and hurried along the path between the tea gardens. She held Qi Yu in one hand and Qi Ning in the other. Her left side was covered with sword calluses, her right side was warm and soft.
"Go home," she said.
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