Chapter 69: Post-Marriage Chapter 4 “Amu, I’ve been thinking about this day for a long time.
Du Lan put away the cigarette, wrapped her mask around her face, lifted the curtain and walked out into the wind and snow.
The snowflakes hit her face and it hurt, but she wrapped herself up well. She squinted her eyes and walked along the way Chen Jinshi usually came.
She is very familiar with this kind of environment and can take good care of herself on snowy days. She grew up in such an environment.
After walking for a while, she took out her flint and steel, struck out sparks with a few clicks, and lit a small cluster first, then continued forward with the light.
It's not difficult to find him if he comes, just follow the familiar path.
In the snow, Chen Jinshi was squatting with his horse on a leeward slope. In the snow late at night, he was not completely without the ability to survive.
He could stay here for the night and then go to Dulan's house at daybreak. He estimated that they should be not far away. Now, even if he could still walk, the horse could not. He did not dare to move forward rashly. It was getting dark, and he did not know how long it would take to walk from here to Dulan's house.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Dulan heard a faint horse neighing in the distance. His heart tightened, and he hurried towards the direction of the sound.
"Chen Jinshi!" Du Lan shouted and rushed over. Because she was wearing so many clothes, her figure looked a little clumsy.
He looked up suddenly and saw that familiar figure approaching with a torch. He couldn't explain what he felt. He wanted to throw himself into her arms, cry in her arms, tell her about the hardships he had endured, and receive her comfort and sympathy.
He sat up and asked, "Dulan! Why did you come out?" He opened his mouth to ask a question.
Only when Du Lan walked closer did she see clearly that there was a layer of frost on his eyelashes and a small crack on his lips. She pounced on him with her heavy body.
"I knew you would come. I saw you were taking so long that I had to come out to look for you."
He jumped up to pick her up, and she threw herself into his arms, feeling a wave of fear in her heart.
If she didn't come, did he really plan to stay here all night?
Thinking of this, she fell on his chest, hit him twice, and then struggled to get up.
Chen Jinshi lifted her up and said, "I'm fine. I just didn't expect you to come out looking for me. What if I'm not here? Wouldn't you... You're really messing around!"
She took out some dry cow dung from her pocket, turned around, dug a shallow pit on the leeward slope, and lit it. She then handed him the sachet of hot milk tea and said, "Drink something hot first to warm yourself up."
She took out a blue cigarette and lit it to let Su He know that "the person has been found and is safe."
There was snow on his cloak, and Du Lan reached out to brush it off for him. If she hadn't come, and if he had spent the night here alone, he would probably be covered in snow when he woke up tomorrow morning. Judging from the current amount of snow, if he lay still, he would be covered in snow half a person's height by tomorrow morning.
Chen Jinshi held her hand and said, "I'm glad I came. Otherwise, how long would you have been looking for me this evening?"
Du Lan glared at him: "You still say that! If I didn't know that you are like this, why would I come out to find you?"
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms, and they both fell into the snow, not feeling the cold at all.
He smiled and said, "So this is just right, isn't it? Dulan."
"If we were even slightly apart, we wouldn't have run into each other."
"It's a miracle that we can be together."
After he said this, Dulan could no longer blame him.
She hoped that he didn't come, but if he really didn't come, she would definitely come out to find him tonight.
"How's it going? Can we go now?"
Chen Jinshi pointed at the horse's legs and said, "The horse's legs are a little frozen. I'm afraid it will fall into the ice again. I originally thought of waiting until daybreak before leaving so it can rest."
As he spoke, he tried to stand up, but because he had been squatting for too long, his feet were numb and he almost fell down. Du Lan hurried to support him, but he lost his balance and fell down again with him in his arms.
For a moment, the two of them rolled around twice in the thick snow, and neither of them could get up. Their heavy felt boots tapped twice on the snow, and they suddenly laughed.
He hugged her tightly. She struggled a bit and glared at him: "What are you doing!"
Chen Jinshi held her motionless, looking up at the sky and sighing: "Do you know how long I have been thinking about this day, Am?"
Du Lan was stunned: "What are you thinking about?"
He took a deep breath. The air was very cold. He felt uncomfortable taking such a deep breath. The tip of his nose turned red and there was a stinging pain in his nasal cavity.
He buried himself in her chest, which was covered in a thick fur coat. He wanted to feel as much as possible how warm her embrace was and what kind of shelter and security she could give him.
He was so obsessed with her that he wanted to be a person who could not live without relying on her.
Chen Ying pulled him away, took out the fox fur blanket from the horse, and spread it on the snow.
"The dry cow dung I brought is enough to burn for a while. Let's warm the horse's legs first. We can't abandon it." She moved the fire closer to the horse.
Chen Jinshi hugged her and wrapped her in a blanket.
The wind and snow were still howling, and the heat from each other's bodies was transferred to each other.
His fingertips gently brushed away the strands of hair on her forehead and stroked her slightly cold cheek: "Amu, I'm sorry today."
Du Lan didn't say anything. His palms were warm. He held her tightly, and his fingertips repeatedly stroked her palms.
Chen Jinshi lowered his head slightly and kissed her between the eyebrows.
Du Lan took off her mask, revealing half of her face. "I don't blame you. Like you just said, if you hadn't come, I don't know what I would have done tonight."
His kiss went down along her brow, across the tip of her nose, and finally landed on her slightly cracked lips.
His lips were also cracked. Their lips rubbed against each other, mixed with their breath. It was a little painful when the warm tip of the tongue licked them, and a fishy-sweet taste was available.
He gasped and suddenly hugged her tightly.
Dulan felt that there, in the darkness, in the wind and snow, the heat exhaled by each other was like their souls intertwined.
"Chen Jinshi, no."
"Mom, I've been thinking about this day for a long time." Chen Jinshi's voice mixed with his breathing fell on her lips.
Du Lan's heart suddenly softened, and he put her on the blanket and completely held her in his arms.
The fire crackled and the horse neighed softly beside it, seeming to feel a little better.
Their body temperatures blended together as they hugged each other in a hot embrace. The moment their skin touched, Chen Jinshi let out a low gasp. He could hardly describe the feeling.
At this moment, he seemed to have become her real child, the child born from her womb. He was so obsessed with this forbidden place that he went back and forth, tossing and turning.
The wind and snow were howling outside, and the snow falling on my head was cold, but the inside of the blanket was as hot as a stove.
The light from the fire, the neighing of horses, and the howling of wind and snow constituted their entire world.
The moment the snow particles fell on them, they would be instantly melted by the heat.
He lowered his head and kissed away the sweat on her cheek, slowing down his movements. Du Lan opened her eyes, suddenly put her arms around his neck, and leaned in to kiss him.
He needed her to give him lots and lots of love and kisses.
"Are you cold?"
She shook her head slightly.
He thought he should have been the one curled up in her arms, a scene he longed for so much.
But his presence eventually overshadowed hers.
He would envelope her completely, overwhelm her.
Du Lan lay on his back, his eyes hazy, and he realized once again that he had grown up.
He satisfied her, but sometimes he was rebellious and wanted to keep her hanging for a while, like hanging her halfway out, waiting for her to beg him.
She knew that he also wanted to control her and wanted her to beg him for something.
Dulan was willing to satisfy his wish, so she opened her mouth and begged him:
"I like you very much, you have to be nice to me, okay?"
"What does Emu like most about Chen Jinshi?"
"I like it most..." She raised her chin slightly, her fingertips running down his chest, stroking his skin, "I like your hands."
Chen Jinshi leaned over and bit her lips, "What else?" His voice was very hoarse.
Dulan raised her hands to wrap around his neck and pressed her lips to his chest: "I like it here."
Chen Jinshi groaned softly and kissed the tip of her ear: "Amu, can you scream out? Chen Jinshi likes to hear it."
If Dulan wants to get what she wants, she has to coax him well.
He breathed hoarsely, his hands on her shoulders, pinching her waist, but he felt a little powerless, and his head suddenly drooped and fell on her chest.
"Chen Jinshi, what's wrong with you?"
Du Lan lifted his shoulders and saw that his lips had suddenly turned pale.
"Chen Jinshi!"
He pulled up the corners of his mouth and smiled stiffly: "Mom, I, I seem to be sick." He pinched her waist, his lips and cheeks turned pale, his arms became weak, and his upper body fell completely on her.
Du Lan took out the medicine bottle from her bosom. After so many years, she still hasn't changed this habit.
She was under him, pouring out the pills, when he suddenly grabbed her hand.
He leaned over and kissed her, struggling to get the breath from her mouth.
She couldn't provide him with too much, but her breath was so sweet that even if he could only inhale a few strands, it was enough.
He was gasping for breath as if he was risking his life. His breathing in her ears gradually became harsh. He was breathing too hard.
It really feels like I'm heading towards death. This isn't my last chance.
Du Lan stuffed a pill into his mouth and forced him to swallow it.
"Chen Jinshi, don't be desperate. You still have a long way to go."
The horse snorted beside him, and when the wind and snow died down, he bent down and kissed the top of her head.
He rose from her waist and approached her, still carrying an aggressive aura, then leaned over and buried his head in the crook of her neck, clinging to her like he did when they were children.
"slim Shady."
His breathing was still not easy, as if he had to pass through layers of obstacles to inhale from the outside world and exhale from his body.
The horse shook its tail and took two steps with its hooves.
Chen Jinshi wrapped her clothes and bent down to kiss away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"The snow has stopped, let's go back."
Dulan nodded, propping herself up with the blanket and trying to sit up, but Chen Jinshi gently held her down. He first wrapped the fox fur blanket around her, then bent down and lifted her up horizontally.
"I'll carry you."
Du Lan put her arms around his neck and put her face in the warm crook of his neck.
He had a rein on his wrist, and the horse followed behind them, its hooves making a crunching sound as they stepped on the snow.
After walking for a while, I saw lights on in the direction of my home in the distance.
"It's Dad." Du Lan said softly.
Chen Jinshi paused and quickened his pace while holding her.
"I had come so close. Toward evening a gust of wind came from nowhere, and I lost all sense of the direction, and dared not go any further."
Su He came forward with a torch in hand. When he saw Chen Jin, he scolded him repeatedly, "Nonsense! I didn't expect you to actually come! Going out in this weather is a deadly thing, don't you know?"
Chen Jinshi lowered his head and accepted the scolding willingly.
"Dad, stop scolding me. I admit my mistake. It's all my fault."
Su He personally lifted the door curtain for him: "Stinky boy, come in quickly!"
Muren also climbed up from the kang, squatted by the fire pit, lit a fire and made milk tea.
"Brother-in-law, you must be hungry. I'll cook something sweet for you to fill your stomach first."
Du Lan went to the inner room alone to make the bed, while Chen Jinshi was still standing there being scolded.
Su He really didn't know what to say to him: "It's good that you don't want to die. If you die, Du Lan can remarry General Xie."
Chen Jinshi was anxious and stepped forward quickly: "That won't do! Father-in-law, you can't do things like this!"
Dulan made the bed, came out from behind the curtain, and glared at Su He: "Dad, how can you talk like that?"
"Am I wrong? If he dies, will you remain a widow forever? We don't have such a custom in Loufan!"
Su He said this while panting, his beard fluttering towards Du Lan, obviously he was very angry.
Chen Jinshi sat down somewhat disappointedly, and Muren brought him the milk tea.
"Dad, I think my brother-in-law is very lucky, so don't worry."
Su He said, "Why should I worry? It doesn't matter who Dulan marries. General Xie would never do such a thing."
—
Chen Jinshi's border pacification duties were transferred to Xie Qingyue by order of the Emperor.
Unfortunately, the people in Loufan didn't know about it, and Xie Qingyue had no choice but to accept the order, but he had to do it.
The villagers trusted him very much, and many things were much easier for him to do than for Chen Jinshi.
Although Chen Jinshi is Su He's son-in-law, unfortunately, for a strange reason, no one trusts him.
Even if he really gave a yak to each of his fellow villagers, he would not be as popular as Xie Qingyue.
"Lord Chen snatched General Xie's marriage. General Xie is so pitiful. We should be more supportive of General Xie."
"General Xie would never do anything bad to us. We will cooperate unconditionally with him in whatever he wants to do."
"General Xie wants to buy fine Loufan horses for the military camp. We must select the best horses in our family and give them to him."
As the son-in-law of the Suhe family, Chen Jinshi knew what the emperor asked Xie Qingyue to do, but he did not intend to tell Suhe.
"Don't tell my father. This is an inevitable trend and cannot be resisted. If he finds out, it will only cause more trouble and even lead to casualties."
Loufan had been caught between the two countries for a long time, and it had no choice but to submit to one side.
Since the current emperor is relatively tolerant and reasonable, why not go with the flow?
Dulan believed that Xie Qingyue could handle this matter well and could get it done without resistance or dissatisfaction from the villagers.
Xie Qingyue bought good horses from every household and exchanged them for a completely reasonable amount of gold and silver, which was the best of both worlds.
On the day of the transaction between the two parties, snow was falling again, but it was much milder than in the past few days, like salt sprinkled on the land of Loufan.
Xie Qingyue, dressed in military uniform, led a team of soldiers and personally inspected the teeth and hooves of each horse.
The villagers gathered around, their faces showing no wariness towards ordinary officials. Instead, someone took the initiative to heat up milk tea and said, "Thank you, General, for warming your hands. You can take your pick of horses; they are all the fastest breeds in Loufan."
Chen Jinshi was standing on a slope in the distance, wrapped in a thick fur robe that Dulan had sewn for him.
He had just received an imperial edict from the capital, ordering him to be responsible for escorting the fine horses that Loufan presented as tribute back to the capital after the beginning of spring.
The word "tribute" is particularly reflected in the edict. It seems that the emperor is determined to make him a bad guy in Loufan.
The wind blew snow foam onto Chen Jinshi's face, but Xie Qingyue was now feeling very proud.
In the evening, the villagers dispersed and Xie Qingyue walked towards him leading a black horse.
"Master Chen, look at this horse."
The horse's back was as broad as a flat plate, its waist and back were tight without any excess fat, its limbs were slender and its bones were strong, its hooves were as hard as iron, its mane and tail were thick and smooth, and they fluttered in the wind when it walked, as if it was covered with a layer of flowing black gauze. Its eyes were big and bright, and its pupils were as clear as black jade.
Xie Qingyue placed the horse in Chen Jinshi's hands and said, "This is the best and fastest horse I have seen today."
Chen Jinshi saw the reins in his hands and frowned, "General Xie, what do you mean by this?"
Xie Qingyue raised his hand and gently stroked the horse's back. The black horse shook its tail obediently, and its mane became smooth.
"Dulan will like this horse. With it by her side, the journey back to Beijing will be much easier."
Chen Jinshi tightened his grip on the reins, his eyes gradually darkening.
He still didn't know whether Du Lan would go back to Beijing with him, or whether Su He would release her.
If they knew that the horses donated by the villagers this time were "taken away" from Xie Qingyue by him and brought back to the capital to be presented to the court, it would be hard to say whether his identity as "Su He's son-in-law" would be stable.
Xie Qingyue smiled and said, "Dulan will go with you. She always chooses you."
Chen Jinshi gently touched the horse's neck. The black horse seemed to have understood human nature and rubbed its head gently against his palm. The warm touch made his tense shoulders relax a little.
The wind also became gentle, sweeping across the gradually thawing grassland.
Spring is coming soon.
"In fact, Su He didn't want Dulan to stay in the grassland. He once said that Dulan was not suitable for this place."
"Why?" Chen Jinshi was a little surprised.
"If you hadn't insisted on involving her, she would have opened medicine shops all over the streets and alleys of Jinling after she left your house. She never thought of coming back."
Chen Jinshi suddenly realized that all his previous worries, the fear that Du Lan would not want to go back to Beijing with him, had disappeared, and was replaced by an extremely strong sense of self-blame.
As they were talking, Dulan emerged from the poplar forest on a white horse. She raised her head and gestured to Xie Qingyue, "My father asked me to call you back for dinner. General Xie, please come with us." She reined in her horse and her eyes lit up for a moment as she fixed her gaze on the black horse. "What a fine horse! Did you get one today?"
Chen Jinshi smiled and handed her the reins of the black horse: "Consider it as a token of my appreciation for the Buddha, this is for you."
Xie Qingyue just smiled and didn't say anything.
Du Lan jumped off the white horse, took the reins, and climbed onto the black horse.
The black horse seemed to be particularly familiar with its master. As soon as Du Lan sat down, it shook its mane gently, looking very handsome.
She gently squeezed the horse's belly, and the black horse turned around with steady steps. Du Lan smiled with her eyes curved.
The three men rode their horses towards Suhe's house. Chen Jinshi was just half a step away from her and looked at her thickly wrapped body.
Yes, the wind was so strong and the snow was so heavy that the wind could almost scratch people's skin and leave scars. If it weren't for those things, she would have been willing to stay in Jinling or the capital.
When they returned home, dinner was already prepared. Su He was sitting at the table on the kang, a wine bowl in hand. Seeing them return, he smiled at Xie Qingyue and said, "Thank you, General! You're finally here! Not only Qi Qige, but even I've missed you!"
Xie Qingyue dismounted and handed the reins to Muren, who came to meet him. He first circled Suhe's yurt and nodded to Suhe: "It seems that your family has prepared well. How is this winter? Is it going well?"
Su He smiled and said, "It's good, it's good, my son-in-law is a capable person."
When Xie Qingyue arrived, Qiqige rushed towards him: "Uncle-in-law! You're here."
Xie Qingyue caught her and said, "Qiqige, you've grown taller and fatter again."
Qi Qi Ge's eyes curved into crescents from laughing, and he seemed a little shy, which was unusual for him.
In March of the spring, Chen Jinshi was ordered to return to Beijing.
Su He packed Dulan's luggage with a grim look on his face, and Tuya was reluctant to let her go.
"Can't you just not leave?"
Du Lan consoled him: "Shouldn't you have thought of this day when your daughter married him?"
"You were gone for so long, and we knew you were living well over there. General Chen is a very reliable person, so we didn't think too much about it. But this time is different. You've come back, and you're going back..." Life doesn't seem to be so good anymore.
Tuya stood aside, secretly wiping away her tears, and stuffed another bag of milk tofu into her bag: "This is what you like to eat. It may not be available in Beijing. If there is not enough, send a message home and I will send you more."
Dulan looked at them and suddenly felt a lump in her throat. Qiqige asked from the side, "Auntie, when can we take Qiqige over to play?"
Dulan touched Qiqige's head and said, "Wait until Qiqige grows taller."
Chen Jinshi was escorting good horses back to the court, and Xie Qingyue sent a team of elite soldiers to escort him.
When the team set out, the flowers on the grassland had just sprouted, and the wind was warm.
For Su He, such partings were nothing new.
"Dulan, just come back if you're unhappy."
Du Lan sat in the carriage and waved to his father.
She couldn't wait to go back and see Su Lanzhou to find out how her pharmacy was doing.
As the group walked out of the Populus euphratica forest, the villagers who learned the whereabouts of the fine horses rushed out and shouted at Chen Jinshi, who was riding on a tall and fine horse and wearing a crimson official uniform.
At that time, he already had a stern look on his face. He had to play the bad guy for Xie Qingyue's next plan.
He listened to the people behind him calling him a "liar" and "ungrateful" without changing his expression.
"We agreed on a fair purchase! How did you turn it into tribute? You're taking credit for our hard-earned money!"
Du Lan lifted the curtain of the carriage and wanted to explain for him, but was stopped by Chen Jinshi's eyes outside the window.
The imperial court did pay for the purchase of the horses, but the people of Loufan cared about the reputation.
Was it fair trade or tribute? The silver they received was no longer a trade gain, but a reward from the imperial court.
If you change the words, the meaning will be completely different.
Who wants those rewards!
Xie Qingyue stood in the distance and watched them leave with a bitter look on his face, waiting for the villagers to turn and look at him with a victim's expression to gain more sympathy.
A few vegetable leaves hit Chen Jinshi's back until the cursing behind him gradually faded away.
Xie Qingyue seemed to have made a difficult decision, and finally decided to "disobey the order" and sent his troops out to fight with Chen Jinshi's troops: "These are fine horses that the villagers have bred with their blood and sweat. You can't take them all away!"
The villagers looked at General Xie with tears in their eyes. How could there be such a good person like General Xie?
Chen Jinshi slowed down, turned his head to look at Du Lan, and softened his voice: "I'm sorry for putting you through this."
Du Lan shook his head and gave a wry smile: "Compared to directly sending troops to subdue Loufan, this is already the best outcome."
"The Emperor promised me that he would reduce Loufan's tribute by 30% in the future. I assure you that the lives of the villagers will get better and better."
Xie Qingyue's men finally took back half of the good horses that they had agreed with Chen Jinshi earlier, and the remaining half followed Chen Jinshi back to Beijing to report.
Du Lan knew that there must be some people in the court who still did not regard the people of Loufan as human beings and were clamoring to send troops to conquer them all day long. The good horses they brought back this time would make those people quiet down a little.
Xie Qingyue "disobeyed the imperial order and seized the horse" to stabilize the people's hearts, while Chen Jinshi was responsible for showing that they had surrendered in front of the court.
Everything will go smoothly, in a way that she can accept.
But Du Lan never thought that Chen Jinshi would one day be able to play such a "bearing humiliation" role and give the credit to Xie Qingyue. He has always been a person who can't hold back his thoughts.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
