Chapter 90 Chapter 90: Xiyan
Yu Wanyin placed the book in the hands of the attendant beside Shan Chenjun.
She gave a brief instruction, "These are the books we just bought, please keep them for me."
"No one is allowed to move except me."
The attendant responded, "Yes."
Yu Wanyin knew that her sister's subordinates were all very disciplined; if they said not to move, they definitely wouldn't.
I can only feel at ease leaving it to them.
Yu Wanyin gave the order and turned around to see Rong Si standing to the side.
Before Rong Si could react, Yu Wanyin urged, "I'm hungry."
"I'm hungry," Shan Chenjun's voice came from not far away. "It's no problem. They just hunted some game in the mountains. Want to try some?"
Shan Chenjun gestured towards the even more expansive wilderness.
That expanse of land stretched as far as the eye could see, with rolling hills and green grass meeting the horizon.
They followed the caravan further into the distance.
This place is not far from where Su Fang and his friends usually go hunting.
Further west lies a deep, remote mountain forest.
The caravans came from the west, and after walking a short distance, you could see a caravan encamped there.
Therefore, the mountains and forests were bustling with activity at this time.
Deep in the forest and by the stream, caravans would stop and leave their goods and food.
In addition to traditional goods, traveling merchants also sold wild game from various regions for customers to try.
It was harvest season, and there were many more people hunting in the mountains and forests.
The caravan's camp was mixed with some local hunters and civilians.
Shan Chenjun's men found a secluded spot and took out the game they had hunted that day to clean.
Yu Wanyin watched them set up the fire, and she was quite familiar with these things.
They used to do this all the time in the village.
When the hunters from Bairi Village brought back their prey, the cooks would light a fire and set up a stove to roast it that same day.
Uneaten prey was either stored in an ice cellar or cleaned and pickled for easy winter storage.
Sure enough, Rong Si felt an itch to join in as soon as he saw them setting up the stove.
Yu Wanyin watched as he got up and walked forward, then skillfully helped them start the fire.
An attendant nearby chuckled, "The general can do this too."
Rong Si simply said, "It used to happen often."
Yu Wanyin sat to the side, holding a water bag in her hands, watching them pack up.
Soon, a familiar whistle sounded from the mountains and forests.
The sound of galloping hooves came with the wind. Su Fang and Zong Cheng arrived from who-knows-where. They saw them halfway up the mountain and called out, then came down the mountain with the game they had caught that day. "My lord, you have come too."
Su Fang generously piled up his catch next to him and said to the palace attendants, "This wild duck is fresh and plump; it will taste delicious roasted."
Zong Cheng tied up the horse, picked up his things, and walked towards Rong Si. "My lord, do you think Qiu Yan is about to die?"
Zong Cheng handed the wild goose he had hunted to Rong Si.
Rong Si took it, and the short arrow from the hunting goose pierced the goose's heart and lungs; "It won't live long."
Zong Cheng scratched his head. "This is not a good hunting method."
"If you use too little force, it will escape; if you use too much force, you won't survive."
Live geese are required for the wedding; dead geese will not do, but hunting live geese is extremely difficult.
It's no wonder that live geese are so expensive among ordinary people; even for officials and nobles, giving a live goose as a wedding gift was a sign of high status.
Zongcheng and his group spent several days in the mountains and managed to hunt some autumn geese, but unfortunately none of them survived.
Rong Si pondered for a moment, then placed Qiu Yan aside and picked up the bow and arrows from Zong Cheng's body. "Come on, follow me into the mountains."
Yu Wanyin saw them run into the mountains as soon as they sat down, "Where are you going?"
As Rong Si passed by Yu Wanyin, he bent down and said to her meaningfully, "Go prepare our lucky geese."
Yu Wanyin paused slightly.
Rong Si then asked, "Want to come along?"
Yu Wanyin looked at him and, as if possessed, replied, "Yes."
Then, Rong Si pulled her up from the rocks.
With a forceful movement, he placed the person directly onto his horse's back.
They then mounted their horses together.
This time it was Shan Chenjun's turn to call out to them, "Isn't Yaoyao hungry?"
Yu Wanyin replied, "I'll come back later to eat."
Shan Chenjun gestured to the attendant beside him, who hurriedly stepped forward, placed the freshly roasted wild game in a food box, and gave some food to Zong Cheng to take, saying, "Be careful on the road."
Yu Wanyin agreed, "Okay."
Rong Si spurred his horse and rode away. Once they were far off, Shan Chenjun remembered and asked, "When will you be back?"
Yu Wanyin's clear voice drifted from the mountain stream, "Before dark!"
The lingering sound, mixed with the clatter of horses' hooves, echoed exceptionally far into the valley.
A damp, cool breeze from the mountains brushed against my face, touching the corners of my eyes and brows.
Where the sunlight fell, the surroundings were filled with warm, sun-drenched velvet. Yu Wanyin also caught a whiff of the fresh, morning grass scent on Rong Si's body, which was quite unique.
They climbed the mountain all the way up to the summit.
The rustling sound of grass and trees brushing against each other filled my ears, and a fragrant leaf fell from the ground.
Occasionally, some autumn dew would fall on them.
The wind howled.
The wind blew smoothly up the mountain until we reached the summit.
The vast sky seemed within reach, and a thin layer of mist shrouded the distant mountains, creating a hazy effect under the golden sunlight.
Golden mist over green mountains, clear waters and blue skies.
Occasionally, a lone wild goose or a solitary goose would fly by through the mountains.
Yu Wanyin rarely saw such a scene.
While she was still in a daze, Rong Si pulled on the reins and stopped at the top of the mountain.
He casually gathered the bow and arrows hanging to the side and held them in front of the two of them.
Rong Si asked her, "Is there anyone you like? Pick one and make her our lucky goose."
Yu Wanyin found this intriguing, "Can you hunt down everything I like?"
Rong Si wasn't good at saying nice things, he was only good at telling the truth: "I'll try my best to do whatever you like."
Yu Wanyin looked at the distant horizon where a lone goose circled, its wings clear and full, gleaming in the sunlight. "Then let's go with that. I want it alive."
Wild geese are used for celebratory occasions and should not be eaten.
You can keep them for three months to overwinter, and then release them the following spring for good luck.
Rong Si's amber pupils were fixed on a lone wild goose flying not far away.
He took Yu Wanyin's hand and placed it on their bow and arrow.
Yu Wanyin didn't react at first, until he gripped the back of her hand, nocked an arrow, slowly drew back the bowstring, and aimed at the wild geese not far away, then she realized what Rong Si meant.
An increasingly vigorous sense of power surged through the backs of her hands, shoulders, and arms, filling her body just as it had always been.
Yu Wanyin's shoulders and arms were opened by him, and her gaze followed the direction the arrow was aiming at, seeing the autumn goose covered in golden light.
Behind the wild geese, the warm sun hangs high in the sky.
Yu Wanyin's gaze quickly passed through the autumn geese and reached the vast landscape beyond them.
Rong Si gradually exerted his strength.
The force permeated the entire longbow.
When the bowstring reached its limit, Rong Si let go along with Yu Wanyin.
The arrow whirled out, piercing through the vast clouds and sunlight, following a winding arc, and as it lost its momentum, it struck the tail feathers of the wild goose!
Qiu Yan was pulled straight down by the force. Zong Cheng, who was watching from afar at the foot of the mountain, saw the trail of Qiu Yan's fall and immediately blew his whistle.
The waiting subordinates immediately surrounded him and stepped forward to receive him.
They responded with whistles from the foot of the mountain.
In the past, the way they communicated across mountains and rivers in the village was by blowing whistles.
Yu Wanyin can now understand some of it.
A high-pitched whistle at the end signifies success.
In the past, they would have been mindful of many things in the village, and their whistles were always restrained and cautious, carrying a sense of defensiveness.
Now they were unrestrained, their equally loud tones rising and falling.
It sounds like a cheerful melody in the mountains.
They celebrated the return of their beloved geese.
Yu Wanyin turned to look at him, "Did you hunt it?"
Rong Si smiled without saying a word, and as she turned her head, he leaned down and asked, "Going back?"
"Shall we play a little longer?"
Yu Wanyin turned to look at the vast expanse of clouds and mist, took the reins from Rong Si's hand, and said, "Let's play a little longer."
As she spoke, she urged her horse to gallop away from the mountaintop.
Rong Si watched as she skillfully rode the horse, heading wherever she wanted, and smiled without interfering further.
Yu Wanyin's play in the mountains was different from Rong Si and the others'.
She truly enjoyed the scenery, without the perilous and violent struggles they faced.
A rock, a tree, rolling mountains, and vast plains can all fill her with immense joy and delight.
Without a doubt, she still prefers quiet.
She quietly and peacefully appreciates all things in the world that possess genuine beauty.
Quiet people have strength.
Like the silent mountains and rivers, it is tranquil yet vibrant.
During this time, they went down the mountain to meet up with Zong Cheng.
Zong Cheng had already prepared the wild geese he had hunted and put them in cages.
A large group of spirited young men were still gathered around to investigate and observe Rong Si's archery skills and his goose-hunting techniques.
Aside from birdsong, the only sounds in the mountains and forests were the chattering questions of young boys.
The two sounds are not very different.
Rong Si found it noisy.
But ignoring them only fuels their anger.
When Rong Si got annoyed by his persistent questioning, he would still offer a few words of explanation, then fall silent and prepare lunch.
These young people have always been good at finding a self-consistent place in the mountains.
They spread out a blanket for Yu Wanyin to sit on, while the rest of the people went to prepare other things.
After lunch, everyone went about their own fun in the mountains and forests.
Yu Wanyin urged her horse to a place with abundant flowers and leaves, and Rong Si became somewhat interested.
He dismounted, took the basket, and began to pick lemongrass.
Yu Wanyin followed.
She always knew that Rong Si loved to eat flowers and plants.
A very peculiar hobby.
Since flowers are hard to find normally, I look for lemongrass, which is easier to find.
Rong Si picked the fruit, washed it by the stream, and brought it back.
Yu Wanyin saw a patch of green lemongrass in the basket, interspersed with scattered jasmine flowers.
Rong Si handed it to her, and with the movement, a wisp of jasmine fragrance wafted over. "Want to try some?"
Yu Wanyin took it and hesitated, "Can I eat this too?"
"certainly."
Yu Wanyin understood the implication in his words, "You haven't eaten all the flowers in autumn, have you?"
Rong Si said leisurely, "I only eat good food."
Yu Wanyin tried to take it and put it in her mouth.
She was hesitant about these wild flowers and herbs. Jasmine flowers were usually used in tea and desserts, but this was the first time she had ever eaten them raw.
Rong Si was much more skilled than her.
The floral juice was squeezed out between the lips and teeth, bursting forth with a rich floral fragrance amidst the bitterness, instantly spreading from the mouth to the nasal cavity, chest, and abdomen.
Rong Si crushed the petals without any pity until they burst open with more juice between his lips.
Tear every inch of its softness apart until you swallow it whole.
Rong Si turned to look at Yu Wanyin, and just then he saw that Yu Wanyin was still negotiating with the jasmine flower between her lips.
She gently rubbed one of the petals, and it took her a long time to only suffer a superficial injury to the flower.
Rong Si chuckled. "How about it?"
Yu Wanyin nodded, "It's delicious."
“That’s not how you eat it.” Rong Si took two steps toward her, his eyes fixed on the petal she was holding between her lips.
The delicate white flowers contrasted beautifully with her rosy lips, making it difficult to tell which one was the truly delicious flower.
Yu Wanyin thought he was going to demonstrate how to eat, but suddenly a shadow loomed over her.
Rong Si grasped her chin, pressed her against the flowering tree, and bit her mouth, which was holding a petal.
Grind the soft material to extract the floral liquid.
Extract its fragrance, turning every breath between your lips and teeth into floral scent.
The golden mist in the deep mountains gradually turned red.
The clouds on the horizon were tinged with a bright glow, winding across the sky and the wilderness.
Having had a good harvest in the mountains, the group packed their belongings and set off to reunite with Shan Chenjun and his group.
Along the way, they encountered some soldiers from the Northern Chi tribe who had returned from their autumn hunt in the mountains.
In the current situation, even if these people are in the same court, they rarely interact on ordinary days, and they have generally not yet switched from enemies to allies.
But the people around Rong Si who had been bandits were all incredibly friendly.
They still have the mentality of bandits; once they've robbed or seized something, it's theirs.
These Northern Chi soldiers were under the same territory as them, and according to military rank, the Rongsi were the leaders in the court, so these people also belonged to them.
Someone went up to strike up a conversation, talking about today's harvest and hunting results.
Seeing their meager catch, Zong Cheng generously sent them a few wild rabbits and boasted about the live goose that Rong Si had shot down, saying, "We didn't hunt much today, except for a live goose that our lord caught."
Zong Cheng boasted openly and subtly, only to discover in the end that the Northern Chi people couldn't understand Chinese.
The soldiers following him burst into laughter.
The further they walked into the open fields, the more lively the surroundings became.
More and more caravans and soldiers came and went.
But among them was Mugo, who had previously conspired with them.
Mu Ge had probably just discussed something with Shan Chenjun, and upon hearing that Yu Wanyin had returned, he tactfully left Shan Chenjun's presence.
Not long after Mugo left, a subordinate stepped forward and reported, "General..."
Before he could finish speaking, Mugo saw Yu Heyue leaning out of the carriage next to him.
Yu Heyue was probably there to bring him dinner.
She got out of the car, took the food box and walked towards him. Halfway there, Yu Heyue's gaze was drawn to Yu Wanyin, who was coming towards her.
Yu Heyue called out to her, "Elder sister!"
Yu Wanyin snapped out of her daze and was somewhat surprised to see Yu Heyue there. "You're here too."
Yu Heyue nodded slightly, gesturing in Mu Ge's direction with her eyes.
Yu Wanyin immediately understood and said, "Then you should go quickly."
“It’s not in a rush.” Yu Heyue opened the food box. “I made some osmanthus pastries. Since you’re here, sister, take some and have a taste.”
Yu Wanyin remembered that Yu Heyue was very good at cooking. In the past, she would make some pastries at home and send some to the east and some to the west.
Yu Wanyin felt that Yu Heyue's ability to get along with everyone in that family was also a symbol of pitifulness.
They went to great lengths to curry favor and gain some benefit.
But people will still turn around and throw it away.
Their situations have never been different.
Yu Heyue handed the food box directly to the attendant beside her.
Yu Wanyin couldn't refuse, "Thank you for your trouble."
Yu Heyue waved her hands repeatedly, "No trouble at all."
Yu Wanyin chatted with her for a few words, then turned to go find Shan Chenjun.
Shan Chenjun was flipping through the chicken wings in his hand when he heard her footsteps. He teased, "Oh, you're back."
"I thought Yao Yao and her younger sister were having a good chat, so I forgot about her older sister."
"What do you mean by that?" Yu Wanyin sat down next to her and took out the food box that Yu Heyue had given her. "Heyue gave me these osmanthus pastries. She's quite good at making them. You should try some."
"It's a pity, my sister doesn't know how to make osmanthus pastries to please Yao Yao." Shan Chenjun placed the roasted meat into Yu Wanyin's hand. "Want some?"
Yu Wanyin squinted her eyes while biting into a osmanthus pastry, "Don't talk like that."
Shan Chenjun laughed, stopped teasing her, and took the box of osmanthus pastries.
Meanwhile, Mu Ge waited quite a while for Yu Heyue and Yu Wanyin to finish their conversation, watching longingly as the osmanthus cake drifted further and further away from him.
When Yu Heyue came over and handed him the remaining food box.
Mugo looked somewhat mournful. "Where's the osmanthus pastry?"
Yu Heyue said shyly, "It's osmanthus season right now, so you can eat it whenever you want."
"I finally managed to see my older sister once in a long time."
Mugo reluctantly accepted this reason, "Fine."
As they were heading back to their camp, a servant from Yu Wanyin's side brought them a new food box.
It's filled with freshly roasted wild game.
"This is what we hunted today. Princess, please add some more food for the two of you."
Mu Ge thought that Yu Wanyin had seen through his emotions just now, "Why is the princess so polite?"
The attendant replied, "Dining out naturally makes for more lively exchanges, General, please don't worry about it."
Yu Heyue pursed her lips and glanced in the direction of Yu Wanyin.
Mugo led Yu Heyue away.
Along the way, they encountered soldiers with their horses tied up coming from the other side.
Just as Mugo hesitated.
Yu Heyue gently tugged at his sleeve as a signal.
Mu Ge glanced at Yu Heyue, paused for a moment, and then bowed respectfully.
Rong Si simply nodded in return.
As one of the generals who returned to the Northern Chi camp, Mu Ge was still somewhat uneasy when he saw Rong Si.
Rong Si didn't care about that; he would return the courtesy if it was polite, and it didn't matter if it wasn't.
Mu Ge asked Yu Heyue, "Do you know him?"
“I don’t know him very well,” Yu Heyue said. She had hardly ever spoken to Rong Si, but she knew that he was her elder sister’s husband.
His military rank was much higher than Mugo's.
They are the ones who deserve respect.
It was her older sister again.
Mu Ge discovered that wherever Yu Wanyin was, Yu Heyue could see her.
She always talks about her older sister.
Mu Ge was about to speak to Yu Heyue when he looked up and saw that Yu Heyue was looking at Yu Wanyin again.
He reached out and pulled the person back, "Come on, stop looking."
Yu Heyue was still in a daze when he pulled her away.
She now understands clearly that if Yu Wanyin hadn't been in such a high position, she wouldn't have had a peaceful life.
She might have been a prisoner, a servant, or a concubine; she would never have been the perfectly healthy person she is now.
Yu Heyue always felt that she understood her older sister too late.
There's no point in sisters fighting.
The more firmly the elder sister stands, the better everything will be.
*
Evening was still clear and cloudless, with the Milky Way stretching across the sky.
After dinner, Shan Chenjun asked Yu Wanyin, "The weather is nice tonight and not too cold. Shall we sleep on the grassland for the night?"
The fact that Shan Chenjun brought up something that had previously only existed in Yu Wanyin's imagination left Yu Wanyin somewhat dazed. "Is it okay?"
“Sure,” Shan Chenjun said slowly, “the tent I brought today is perfect for stargazing.”
"After a while, it will be too cold to sleep on the grassland."
Shan Chenjun asked, "Are you coming with me, or should we each take one?"
Just as Yu Wanyin was about to say something, Rong Si, who was about to sit down, stood up again.
For some reason, she changed her mind and said, "Let's break up."
Yu Wanyin found a plausible reason, "After all, when we're away from home, you're my older brother."
Shan Chenjun nodded without any doubt and sent someone to make preparations.
Yu Wanyin glanced, intentionally or unintentionally, at Rong Si, who had just walked away but then turned back.
Rong Si, who had just planned to stir up some trouble to lure Shan Chenjun away, no longer needed to rack his brains and seemed quite pleased.
A campfire was lit in the mountains and forests, and all around were tents and campsites that were much the same as theirs.
There were tourists, vendors, and soldiers stationed on the outer perimeter.
The tents were arranged in neat rows.
Each one is spaced apart, scattered across this field.
Shan Chenjun chatted with Yu Wanyin for a while longer, and after 9 PM, they all returned to their tents to rest.
The douzhang is not an ordinary camp tent; it is funnel-shaped and about the size of one or two people sleeping in it.
It can be set up and disassembled at will, and is generally preferred for recreational activities.
Countless oil lamps lit up the tents, creating a scene resembling a clear, starry sky over the mountains and forests.
It also resembles a small, glowing mushroom growing on the grassland.
Yu Wanyin crawled into one of the small mushrooms, and sure enough, Rong Si was already waiting for her inside.
He was still flipping through some book in his hand, without lighting a lamp, but reading it by the moonlight.
Yu Wanyin crawled inside and lit the oil lamp. "Why don't you light a lamp? Won't it make your eyes dizzy looking like this?"
A halo of light appeared before my eyes, illuminating the small space inside the little mushroom.
When everything around me becomes crystal clear.
Yu Wanyin suddenly realized that she hadn't brought any books with her when she went out today.
Rong Si wasn't a book lover, but the books that appeared in her tent...
What else could it be but the picture book she bought today, which she can't explain away?
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This chapter features a random [dog head carrying a rose]
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