Chapter 68: Post-Marriage Part 3 She realized that he had grown up completely, to the point of...
Su He didn't expect that the problem of the southern ranch was finally solved by Du Lan.
That day, Du Lan suddenly found a jade pendant from an old wooden box at home. No one knew that this jade pendant could have such great power. After taking it out and showing it to the supervisor, the man dared not do anything anymore.
Seeing that the other side retreated and no longer harassed the ranch, Du Lan breathed a sigh of relief.
She knew that she shouldn't suddenly use the things the prince gave her after so many years. It meant too much.
It meant that she relied on his kindness; it meant that she had traveled thousands of miles to convey a message to the palace, and she knew that he would not blame her for using it to resolve his own crisis; it meant that the two people, thousands of miles apart, had once again established contact on her own initiative.
If Su He had not been so impatient and really wanted to lead the villagers to fight with the supervisor, Du Lan would not have used this.
Anyway, life on the ranch calmed down and the Suhe family began to prepare for the winter.
After the frost, the wind from the pasture brought hard stubble.
When I woke up in the morning, there was a thin layer of frost on the roof of the yurt.
Suhe got up before dawn, put on a thick sheepskin coat, and carried a wooden rake to the pasture to collect the last batch of hay, cut it into small pieces and put it into the haystack. He relied on it to feed the cattle and sheep in winter.
When Du Lan got up, the copper kettle in the kitchen was already steaming.
She poured the fresh milk she had squeezed a few days ago into a large wooden basin, added some curds, and sat on a small stool, stirring it slowly.
Tuya came in, holding Qiqige and a basket of potatoes she had dug out from the cellar. "Let's eat potatoes today, Dulan. Come and help me peel them later."
Qiqige was put down. She was wearing her lambskin boots and circling around the stove: "Auntie, when will uncle come?"
"Which uncle are you asking about?"
"Uncle."
Dulan smiled and moved her hand away: "It should be soon. Dad is waiting for him to come and repair the sheep pen."
"Oh, then when will my uncle come?"
As they were talking, Su He returned carrying a bundle of hay, sweat on his forehead. He tossed the hay in the corner of the yard, took a sip of the milk tea Tuya offered him, and said, "We've got enough haystacks on the west side. Let's dig a deeper cellar this afternoon and move the dried meat and potatoes in there. Otherwise, they'll freeze in the winter."
Du Lan said to Qiqige, "Uncle-in-law won't come here if there's nothing wrong."
Chen Jinshi rushed over in the afternoon. Before winter came, Dulan's family had a lot of things to prepare, so he had to come and help.
"Chen Jinshi, when winter comes and the first snow falls, you shouldn't go back and forth like this. The mountain is snowed in, and it's a two-day journey. If something goes wrong on the way, it's no joke."
Chen Jinshi and Su He worked together to reinforce the door frame of the yurt and tied the felt cloth tighter with wool ropes to prevent drafts when sleeping at night.
"Then I won't leave. I'll stay here and spend the winter with you."
Du Lan glared at him: "How can that be possible? What if something happens in the government office? We won't even be able to find you."
When winter came, Suhe's old illness recurred and he could not do heavy work. Tuya happened to be pregnant at that time. Dulan really couldn't leave. The family needed her labor force. It was impossible for her to leave her family and accompany Chen Jinshi to Bingzhou.
The winter in Loufan needs to be spent together as a family.
Chen Jinshi said, "No matter what, I will come to see you once every two weeks."
Du Lan didn't say anything. She knew Chen Jinshi's temper, a temper that no one could change.
I wonder how capable he is to cross two snow-capped mountains in the depths of winter to see her.
Su He scolded him: "Son-in-law! Are you kidding me? If you die on the way, no one will be able to save you."
Chen Jinshi just smiled: "Don't worry, father-in-law, I'm in good health."
Su He wanted to curse, but Tuya pulled his sleeve. She shook her head at Su He. This newlywed couple would risk their lives just to see each other, so how could they separate? No amount of persuasion would persuade them to leave.
Chen Jinshi helped Suhe store grass, grain, and dried meat for the family to survive the winter. The yurt and sheep pen were reinforced, and the whole family was ready for the winter.
Before the first snow fell, he returned to the yamen alone.
The snow wasn't heavy enough to completely cover the mountain roads, but it did leave a thin layer of ice on the grasslands, and the air was bone-chillingly cold. Dulan put on a thick sheepskin coat and held Qiqige on her lap, teaching her Chinese characters.
Qi Qi Ge held a small charcoal stick and wrote crookedly on the ground.
Dulan asked her, "What character do you want to learn first?"
"First learn Qiqige's name."
The little girl studied hard and learned it quickly.
Dulan asked her whose name she wanted to learn next. Qiqige glanced at her and blinked, saying, "My aunt's name."
Du Lan touched her head and a gentle smile appeared on her face. This child is so lovely.
After the first snow fell, the grassland became a frozen white shell.
The wind felt like a knife on their faces, so the whole family used the facial oil that Chen Jinshi had prepared in advance and bought from the capital.
Qi Qi Ge's face was also smeared with oil. In addition to these, Xie Qingyue also sent people from the military camp to deliver many things, and also brought a tiger-skin jacket for Qi Qi Ge.
When Su He went out in the morning, he had to use a shovel to shovel away the snow at the door. When he opened the door, snow poured in. Fortunately, he had put a curtain behind the door to prevent the wind and snow from getting in.
Not long after winter began, the snow was up to the knees. When I stepped on it, the snow particles flowed down my trouser legs and into my boots.
Dulan got up earlier than Suhe, and the copper kettle in the kitchen was already bubbling. The whole family could drink hot milk tea together.
The supplies at home are much better prepared and more complete than before, so we won’t freeze to death or starve to death no matter what.
When Suhe came back from the sheep pen, his cotton trouser legs were all wet and frozen stiff.
He sat by the fire and warmed his trouser legs by the flames.
Du Lan advised him, "Let me handle all the outings from now on. You already have a knee injury, and you feel the pain now, don't you?"
"Hey, it doesn't hurt. I'm just going out for a while."
Suhe was tough in words, but Dulan saw it all and turned around to take out a cloth bag from the corner of the yurt.
She squatted down and applied the ointment.
It was snowing heavily the day Chen Jinshi arrived. He emerged from the snowy fog on his horse, looking like a snowman, with snow all over his coat collar and eyebrows.
Dulan heard the sound of horse hooves and lifted the felt curtain to look out. He really didn't know how he got here.
"Chen Jinshi!"
She stood at the door, trying to run out to greet him, but her voice was straining.
"Why are you here at this time? It's snowing heavily these past two days."
Chen Jinshi pulled the reins, and the snow foam fell down along the corners of his clothes.
He grinned, dismounted, and untied a heavy cloth bag from the horse's back. "If I don't come, are you going to eat dry food all day?"
As he spoke, he took out a bag of snacks and stuffed it into her hand.
"Come into the yurt quickly. The fire pit is always burning."
She took his hand and could feel his frozen knuckles.
As soon as he entered the yurt, he felt warm all over. Qiqige, wearing a tiger-skin coat, rushed over and looked up at him: "Uncle, you are finally here. Did you bring any candy for Qiqige?"
There was candy for Qiqige in Chen Jinshi's bag, and Dulan took it out and gave it to him.
But Chen Jinshi didn't quite understand: "What uncle?"
Su He explained: "You are the eldest uncle, and General Xie is the younger uncle. Don't make a fuss, Qi Qi Ge puts you first."
Chen Jinshi was about to make a scene when Du Lan came over with milk tea: "Drink some first to warm yourself up."
Chen Jinshi forgot what he was going to say. He took the milk tea and drank it all in one gulp, the warmth flowing down his throat.
As soon as it got dark, Suhe added the last handful of dry cow dung to the fire channel under the kang. The sparks crackled twice and soon made the kang surface warm.
"It's warm to sleep now, son-in-law, try it."
Dulan spread out the woolen mattress that had been softened by the sun earlier, and folded two thick felt mattresses and placed them on the edge of the kang.
Qi Qige took off his shoes early and put his little feet on the kang.
Tuya called her from the other end: "Come here quickly, don't disturb your aunt and uncle's sleep."
Tuya and Muren were at the other end of the kang, while Suhe and Shen Qingyuan slept in the middle.
Qiqige laughed and threw himself at Chen Jinshi's feet: "Uncle, I want to sleep with you!"
Chen Jinshi was about to pick her up when Tuya came over, grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, covered her mouth and walked away.
Everything was quiet, and there was only a last bit of orange spark left in the fire pit in the yurt. Du Lan helped Chen Jinshi untie his belt in the dim light. Her eyes moved gently, so soft that they could wrap around him and carve his eyebrows into her eyes.
"Don't come out in the snow like this next time. Look at you, you don't even have a thick skin anymore." Du Lan lowered her voice.
Chen Jinshi grabbed her hand and held it in his palm: "I promised you that I would come once every two weeks."
The wind and snow outside the yurt had long since stopped, leaving only the occasional crackling sound from the embers in the fire pit, mixed with the family's regular breathing.
Du Lan had just moved a little further onto the kang when Chen Jinshi gently embraced her from behind. His palms pressed against her waist, carrying the warmth of his newly warmed body, afraid to disturb Su He on the other side. Du Lan reached back and reached out, a soft gasp coming from behind her ear.
"Does Am miss me?" His voice was very low, and his lips brushed the tip of her ear. The heat made her curl up. "The emperor wants to summon me back to the capital. What do you think he is up to?"
Du Lan didn't turn around, but pressed her fingertips against him fiercely. He groaned and said repeatedly, "Do you think I can disobey your order? I don't want to go back."
Chen Jinshi tightened his arms and pulled her closer to him, as if he didn't care what her hands were doing.
She asked softly, "When?"
"Until next spring at the latest." His breath sprayed on the back of her neck. He asked humbly and tremblingly, "Will you come with me?"
He wasn't really sure about that.
If she was willing to go back, how could things have developed to this point.
Chen Jinshi's arms suddenly tightened, holding her completely in his arms.
Du Lan was silent. Yes, if she went back, what would all the worries she had in the past mean?
"You are already my wife, Am, and no one can object."
Dulan was wondering what she would have to go through when she returned.
In fact, she is not afraid of being scolded or poked in the back by others.
But it was the general who brought her to Jinling and taught her literacy, etiquette, and the ways of the Han people.
It is her responsibility to maintain the Chen family's reputation and external dignity.
She was now going to destroy it all with her own hands, letting everyone know that the "respectability" she had maintained was to sleep on the same kang with the child she had raised. This went against her original intention of coming to the Chen family and also went against the general's expectations of her.
Chen Jinshi suddenly grabbed her wrist and panted softly in her ear: "That's enough, Am."
He lifted the quilt, turned over, and kissed her lips with a panting breath.
Du Lan's breathing suddenly stopped. She suddenly wanted to hide, but her back was pressed against the warm woolen mattress. She had nowhere to retreat and could only let his kiss slowly move down to her neck.
The yurt was extremely quiet, with only the sound of the two people's intertwined breathing, occasionally mixed with the sound of Sukhe turning over at the other end.
Chen Jinshi was so frightened that he stopped for a moment, rested his forehead against her shoulder, and laughed softly, hoarsely, and helplessly.
Seeing that she didn't say anything, Chen Jinshi gently kissed the corner of her lips again, his movements very slowly.
Chen Ying climbed onto his shoulders with both hands: "After I get back, I have to go see your father."
Chen Jinshi held her hand and said, "It's time to go. I'll go with you."
He leaned over her body, their scent filling her nostrils, gradually relaxing her tense nerves. It wasn't the first time they'd both been so restrained, pushing into each other with extreme depth, yet unable to let go. Dulan bit her lower lip, habitually, and leaned against his chest.
Su He turned over again, and there was a rustling sound from the kang. Chen Jinshi stopped again.
Du Lan felt that he was afraid of this and that, so she simply pushed him down and pressed him under her.
When she was a child, she heard Muren and Tuya shaking the family's kang, making it creak, but she just covered her head and fell asleep.
Chen Jinshi looked up at her. She rested her hands on his legs, her waist soft and flexible.
His pupils began to dilate. She was truly a goddess.
Later, I heard Su He make an impatient "tsk" sound. I didn't know whether he was awake or not, but he covered himself with the quilt and continued to sleep.
Du Lan's hair fell on his cheek, brushing against it again and again.
He raised his hand to support her waist, but she gently pressed the back of his hand.
She leaned over, her lips just inches away from his eyebrows, her breath brushed against his nose, tickling his Adam's apple so much that it rolled slightly.
The snow on the roof occasionally slid down, and the rustling sound mixed with Suhe's mumbling.
In the silver moonlight, he saw her eyelashes trembling slightly, her red lips slightly parted, and a moan escaped.
He sighed softly, willing to let her take control of everything.
But sometimes, she realized that he had grown up and had reached a point where she could no longer control him.
She leaned on his chest and felt the aftertaste.
He didn't do anything else, just rubbed her head gently.
The wind and snow were about to come, so he wrapped her tightly in a quilt, and her breathing gradually became steady.
Early in the morning, they were woken up by the sound of Suhe opening the door, and snowflakes fell from the roof.
Dulan put on a sheepskin coat and sat up, rubbed his eyes, and saw Muren and Tuya sitting by the fire pit and adding dry cow dung.
"Awake?" Su He didn't even raise his head.
Du Lan felt a little embarrassed, but when she glanced at the family, they all had calm expressions, as if they hadn't heard anything.
She was a little impulsive last night, and when she thought about it this morning, she felt a little embarrassed.
Du Lan said "hmm", stood up and walked to the kitchen door.
She saw Chen Jinshi bending over to nail the fence, still wearing the dark coat he had worn yesterday. The hammer in his hand struck the wooden nails again and again, his movements steady and powerful.
"Why don't you wear more clothes?" Du Lan walked over and handed him the thick scarf in her hand.
Chen Jinshi turned around and smiled, took the scarf and casually wrapped it around his neck, then continued with his work: "It's not cold," he pointed to the sheep pen, "I found a piece of old felt to cover them."
Du Lan looked in the direction he pointed, and sure enough, he saw a piece of gray-brown felt cloth on the sheep pen, tied tightly with a rope to block the cold wind.
At this moment, the sound of Qiqige crying suddenly came from the yurt, mixed with Tuya's coaxing.
Qi Qige hadn't cried for a long time. Du Lan was stunned, wondering what had irritated her again.
Dulan hurried to the yurt. As soon as she opened the door curtain, she heard Qiqige crying, "Is it true that my uncle-in-law will never come to Qiqige's house again?"
"What's wrong?" Du Lan walked over and picked her up, wiping the tears from her face with her sleeve. "Who bullied our Qiqige?"
Qiqige leaned on her shoulder and said, "Auntie said... my uncle-in-law won't come here anymore..."
Du Lan's heart softened. Xie Qingyue had often come to her house for some time, either helping with housework or helping with taking care of the children. It was normal for Qi Qige to be unable to let go of her feelings for him.
The adults knew that with a relationship like this, they shouldn't have any more casual interactions with each other.
But the child was only thinking that the person who used to treat her well and play with her just couldn't come anymore, and the person she used to call uncle couldn't be called anymore either, it didn't make sense.
Dulan sighed, hugged Qiqige and sat down on the kang, coaxing him softly: "No one said that my uncle-in-law will never come again. He went to the military camp to work. When spring comes and the grass is green, he might come to see Qiqige. Then he can take you riding, okay?"
Qiqige blinked her tearful eyes and looked at Chen Jinshi who was leaning against the door. "Is it because my eldest uncle is here that my younger uncle won't come?"
Chen Jinshi's gaze fell quietly on Du Lan, and his expression seemed a little lonely.
He took two steps forward, squatted in front of Qiqige, and said in a very soft voice: "No, my elder uncle and younger uncle are good friends. My elder uncle promised you that he would come to see Qiqige when spring comes."
Tuya sighed beside him, "Okay, stop crying. After breakfast, let your uncle help you build a snowman, okay?"
Qi Qige then nodded and slipped out of Du Lan's arms.
—
Chen Jinshi was dressed in navy blue official attire, with piles of files piled on his desk, and he was standing bent over the desk.
"Sir Chen, this is the snow report from the various post stations yesterday." The clerk stepped forward. "General Xie sent to ask if the transportation of food and fodder will be affected. The barracks need it urgently."
Chen Jinshi took it and quickly scanned the words on the paper. "Pass my order. Have the postmen along the route prepare snow removal tools and dispatch twenty strong horses for support. Make sure that the food and fodder are delivered to the camp within three days."
He spoke in a calm tone, and with a quick turn of his pen, he wrote the words "expedited processing" on the file.
Three days later, Xie Qingyue came specially to thank him.
Xie Qingyue rolled off the black horse. There was light snow falling outside, and a thin layer of snow fell on his shoulders. He raised his hand to brush it off, and his black cloak swept across the ground.
Chen Jinshi came out of the government office to greet him. Xie Qingyue bowed to him and said, "Thank you very much. The timely delivery of the food and fodder is thanks to your effective allocation."
Chen Jinshi avoided his greeting and extended his hand to lead him inside: "Thank you for your courtesy, General. It's my job."
The two of them walked into the side hall of the yamen. The clerk had already prepared hot tea, and the steam rising from it dispelled some of the chill.
The two chatted about border defense and food reserves, and the snow outside the window gradually became heavier.
"How's things at Dulan's house? I've always taken care of them during the winter, but I heard Tuya is pregnant again. I'm afraid they'll have a hard time this year."
Chen Jinshi tightened his grip on the teacup: "Thank you, General. I'll be taking care of the Dulan family this year, so they won't have a hard time."
—
That day, Suhe lifted the felt curtain and frowned as he looked at the wind and snow outside for a while.
Counting the days, Chen Jinshi is about to come again.
"Dulan, on a day like this, do you think he will come? He shouldn't come."
Su He only lifted the curtain and looked for a while before he was forced back by the biting cold. The wind carried icy chips that penetrated into the cracks between his bones. In just a moment, his face was covered with a layer of snow foam.
The cold wind was about to blow the yurt away from the ground.
"The wind is blowing so hard. It seems we have reached the most difficult stage of every winter."
Suhe hurried into the house. No one could go out during these days. Fortunately, there was a thick curtain covering the sheep pen.
Du Lan couldn't figure out Chen Jinshi either. He was stubborn, but he was not a fool who would not care about his life.
He probably won't come.
Tuya has been bedridden and her family members take turns taking care of her.
Qiqige sat on the kang and asked, "Aunt, when will my uncle come to help me build a snowman?"
Dulan pinched her little face, which was red from being roasted by the fire pit, and said softly, "It's very cold outside. Qiqige can't go out to make a snowman."
Two days later, Du Lan looked outside and counted the days. If Chen Jinshi had not arrived today, it meant that he really had not set out.
She breathed a sigh of relief. He was smart enough to know that he shouldn't have come.
Chen Jinshi had just passed the mountain pass on his horse when the road that was originally clear was swallowed up by a sudden white hair wind.
The wind, swirling with snow, pierced his collar and cuffs like countless tiny knives. He had just tightened the reins, hoping to find shelter, when the horse suddenly sprang into action. Its front hooves sank into an icy hole covered in snow, and it neighed, refusing to move forward.
He gritted his teeth and jumped off the horse. The snow instantly covered his knees, and the cold snow fragments flowed down his trouser legs and into his boots.
He wanted to pull the horse out, but the wind was too strong. As soon as he bent down, the wind and snow rushed into his mouth, choking him and making him cough.
What's worse is that when the wind blew, the sky and the earth were all covered in white, and even the direction of the sun could not be seen.
He could only lead the horse and walk towards Dulan's house relying on his vague memory.
The Suhe family started to eat dinner. The milk tea in the copper pot was emitting milky white steam and a burnt aroma. Qi Qige drooled, looking at the bowl and the pot at the same time.
Su He roasted some mutton that afternoon. Tuya sat on the edge of the kang, peeling soft-boiled potatoes. From time to time, she passed a piece to Qiqige's bowl and said with a smile, "Eat slowly. No one's going to snatch it from you."
Dulan was a little absent-minded.
The plates on the table gradually filled up with shiny roast lamb, crispy and tender roast potatoes, and a dish of crispy pickled sauerkraut.
"Is my uncle coming today?" Qi Qige asked in a crisp voice.
Tuya coaxed her: "It snowed so heavily these past two days that my uncle won't come."
Du Lan was slightly stunned. Everyone was sure that Chen Jinshi hadn't come. But he had never said he wouldn't come.
She suddenly stood up and said, "Dad, I have to go out and take a look."
Su He frowned and stopped her: "Are you kidding? It's already dark."
"I always feel that he will come. He hasn't arrived yet, so something must have happened." Du Lan became more and more worried the more he thought about it.
She ignored Su He's dissuasion, grabbed the thick sheepskin coat beside the kang and wrapped herself tightly, picked up a sharp dagger from the kitchen and put it behind her waist, then filled the sheepskin bag with hot milk tea, took out the flint and flint and put them in her sleeves, and stuffed two handfuls of dry cow dung into her pocket.
"I'll just look around along the route I usually take, and won't go far."
Su He handed her the cigarette General Xie had left behind. "If you're in danger, put the red one out and I'll go find you. If you're safe, put the blue one out."
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