Chapter 6, Chapter 6, Wait for Me
Zong Cheng choked on a mouthful of water and coughed violently.
Rong Si ignored him and just listened to him cough.
Zong Cheng recovered, his face flushed from coughing. "So fast?"
Rong Si looked up, somewhat impatiently, "Didn't you say that this is bad and that is wrong, that people will criticize us..."
Zong Cheng realized what was going on, "The young lady agreed?"
Rong Si hesitated to say, "I guess so."
He could sense that there was something else embellishing her words, but her story didn't seem like a lie.
The nervous unease he exuded when he was in trouble didn't seem feigned.
He was familiar with the plight of refugees. They seemed willing to risk everything, but in reality, they were afraid of everything. They were hesitant and lacked a clear purpose, fearing that they might accidentally fall into the mire again.
Zong Cheng's eyes changed, and excitement surfaced in them. "Great, this is a good thing. I have to tell you all about it."
Their village hasn't had such a joyous occasion in a long time.
Although there are many men in the village, even if they have a girl they like outside.
Firstly, due to his status as a bandit, he couldn't bring himself to drag the young woman into the fire.
Secondly, what respectable girl would want to associate with bandits?
There were a few who told Rong Si they wanted to settle down and start a family, so they left the village and went down the mountain to get married.
The betrothal gifts were provided by the military.
Zongcheng had been married before, although he later left home, he was still aware of this.
Yu Wanyin felt groggy in the morning and then felt a hand on her forehead.
After a moment of disorientation, Yu Wanyin suddenly opened her eyes and sat up in a panic.
But it turned out to be Aunt Duan.
Aunt Duan quickly patted her, "Don't be afraid, it's alright."
"I'll test whether you can burn it or not."
Yu Wanyin finally relaxed.
Aunt Duan touched her forehead; she still had a low-grade fever. "Were you always this weak before?"
"A condition caused by congenital deficiencies."
Aunt Duan gently touched her face and said, "Take a rest for the next few days and get well soon."
Yu Wanyin lowered her eyes and agreed.
After Aunt Duan prepared breakfast and medicine for her, she went out. Yu Wanyin got up and realized something was wrong.
A stiff, aching pain suddenly struck my neck.
At first, Yu Wanyin thought she had accidentally strained her muscles.
I pressed it a few times before realizing I had a stiff neck.
It was probably because the men's pillows were too high, and Yu Wanyin wasn't used to using them.
She didn't feel comfortable mentioning it to Rong Si, so she took a blanket from the room, folded it up, and it was usable enough.
Rong Si returned in the evening.
Two geese were hanging on the horse's back, and the hunting boys who had returned from their hunt exclaimed in surprise, "Our lord has hunted geese!"
"Damn, it's still alive."
Those who hunt in the mountains know that what's in the mountains and running on the ground is the easiest to catch.
Wild geese are extremely difficult to catch, requiring speed, opportunity, and accuracy.
If you're really serious, you might not catch a single goose in several days, so it's rare for anyone to waste time hunting geese.
"Will we have wild geese to eat tonight?"
Zong Cheng pushed them away and helped Rong Si take the betrothal goose away, saying, "Go away, all you can think about is eating. You can't eat now."
Several teenagers stood there, pressing Rong Si for an explanation of how he had hunted it and asking if he could teach them.
After listening to Rong Si's perfunctory words, Yu Wanyin had at least a rough idea of his temperament.
This person has a bad temper, and his whole body is as hard and unyielding as a rock.
But the group of teenagers' high spirits did not diminish in the slightest because of his coldness.
Even after being dismissed by the enemy, they shouted excitedly that they would try it out another day.
Bonfires were lit across the open field.
For dinner, they sat together in twos and threes, grilling wild game in the cool mountain wilderness.
Yu Wanyin sat by the window, watching the campfire gradually grow stronger, steaming through the mountain stream and carrying the savory aroma of roasted meat throughout most of the village.
Aunt Duan and a group of young men sat together, helping Yu Wanyin prepare dinner.
Among them was the boy she had met that day, Su Fang.
I heard it was for preparing dinner for the girl.
The group of teenagers became even more excited and began to help Aunt Duan.
After Aunt Duan finished her work, she turned around and saw Yu Wanyin looking in their direction.
She got up and went inside. "Want to go for a walk?"
Yu Wanyin hesitated.
She had been cooped up for two days while recuperating, and she wanted to go.
that is……
Aunt Duan could tell that she wanted to go, so she immediately pulled her up, "Come on, come on, let's go together."
Yu Wanyin was like a shy and timid little fox, cautiously adapting to her surroundings.
But she was the only one who was reserved; the others greeted her with great familiarity.
Someone specially cleaned up a seat for her. Yu Wanyin sat next to Aunt Duan, with a bonfire blazing in front of her.
She had never been this close to anything so dangerous before, but seeing how relaxed the others seemed, she secretly thought that perhaps nothing would happen.
Half a sheep was placed on the bonfire, and the host roasted it.
Su Fang is very young, probably only seventeen or eighteen.
Yu Wanyin could tell that the boy was extremely hot, but he still insisted on wearing his shirt.
The people around him helped him in an orderly manner.
Yu Wanyin asked if there was anything she could do to help.
The surrounding teenagers looked left and right, and chose the easiest task for Yu Wanyin: tending the fire.
It's simply a matter of clearing some of the smoldering embers so that the fire can burn brighter.
Yu Wanyin took the thin wooden sticks from their hands, but still awkwardly poked at the fire.
She wasn't very good at using finesse, and after poking and prodding for a long time without success, she used some force, and suddenly a spark flew out from the crack and floated in front of her.
Startled, Yu Wanyin hurriedly stood up, only to have her back unexpectedly bump into a hard, thick chest. A strong hand gripped her wrist from behind, stabilizing her.
Her figure was still much smaller than his. She subconsciously turned her head and, by sheer coincidence, twisted her stiff neck, letting out a very soft moan.
That glance landed in the man's dark eyes, reflecting the flames.
Rong Si didn't know how someone could be so delicate, groaning after just one bump.
This vulnerability, which stirred up her inherent weakness, made the man tighten his grip on her wrist.
Yu Wanyin's eyes reddened, and she stammered, "My hand hurts."
Rong Si looked away, followed her clenched hand, took the fire poker from her hand, and tended the fire instead.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a red mark around her wrist.
Yu Wanyin stepped aside and sat down again, feeling very uncomfortable because there was a man next to her.
She coughed twice on purpose to let Aunt Duan notice, "There's a lot of dust in here, and you're still not well. Do you want to go back?"
Yu Wanyin took the opportunity to descend a step and went back to her room to hide.
It's laughable.
I went back to his room.
The few days she spent recuperating were relatively peaceful and quiet.
The next day, Rong Si led a few people down the mountain, and when they returned in the evening, they brought many things with them.
There were red lanterns, red curtains, red candles, and some red paper fruits and other odds and ends.
Yu Wanyin knew what it meant, but tacitly refrained from asking.
After all, from the moment she returned to the bandit stronghold wearing his clothes in full view of everyone, their innocence was destined to be tainted.
But Yu Wanyin felt extremely guilty at this moment.
She would occasionally feel uneasy when she thought about her marriage to Chu Yu.
There is a grudge between these two people from a past life.
She didn't know what to do, so she could only try to cover it up for the time being.
The village was bustling with activity, decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations everywhere.
Rong Si's house needed to be rearranged. He came in with his things and noticed that the pillows he had prepared earlier were placed aside by her, and where the pillows were placed was a blanket folded several times.
Rong Si asked casually, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Yu Wanyin reacted for a moment, realizing what he meant, and mumbled a reply, "A bit high."
Rong Si remained silent, only saying before leaving after making the bed, "Come down the mountain with me tomorrow, and choose whatever you want."
Yu Wanyin was a little surprised.
She watched Rong Si's retreating figure and fell into a long silence.
The next morning, vendors set up their stalls one after another in the streets and alleys at the foot of the mountain, and smoke curled from chimneys throughout Jiangling City, filling the air with the aroma of cooking.
Rong Si led her down the mountain. Yu Wanyin wore a veiled hat and her original plain white clothes as she followed him into the shop.
The shopkeeper recognized him and greeted him warmly as soon as they met.
Yu Wanyin observed carefully for a while and found that the shopkeeper was also a very perceptive person, perhaps because the business relied on them.
Perhaps knowing that such matters concerning bandits should not be inquired about, they did not ask him why there was a woman beside him.
Rong Si told them to bring out several bolts of cloth and cotton seeds for Yu Wanyin to choose from.
The shopkeeper chatted idly to the side, "After being closed for several days, we can finally open again."
"how?"
“You must have heard,” the shopkeeper muttered under his breath, “that the Left Prime Minister was on a tour of the city the other day, and we dared not open our doors.”
The fear of officials among the common people is nothing new, especially since local officials often use searches as a pretext to extort money. There are rumors that shops would immediately close and hide when officials patrolled the city.
"I heard about it. Are you not looking anymore?"
"The royal family is preparing to return to Shang'an. They didn't look for us yesterday, so I guess they've quieted down." The shopkeeper told Rong Si with great curiosity, "It's strange, I heard they were looking for a woman..."
Yu Wanyin suddenly tugged at Rong Si's sleeve, gesturing towards the silk fabric, "I want this."
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up when he saw her pick out the most expensive piece of horse at a glance. He instantly forgot what he wanted to say, his mind solely focused on making money. "Young lady, you have excellent taste! This is our newest and finest find, perfectly suited to a lady as exquisite as you..."
The shopkeeper enthusiastically introduced the product, saying, "This material, combined with this type of cotton, makes a pillow that not only soothes the nerves and helps with sleep, promoting health and well-being, but also relaxes muscles and improves blood circulation, and can even prolong life..."
Rong Si didn't want to listen to too much; she said she wanted it, so it was settled.
While they were at it, they went to a nearby fabric shop and selected a few bolts of cloth to make clothes.
Cutting, measuring, and selecting patterns would take some time, and Rong Si wouldn't be of much use in the shop anyway, so he gave her a purse and said, "After you've finished cutting, wait for me at that teahouse on the street."
Yu Wanyin accepted the purse and agreed.
She felt more at ease without him there.
Rong Si returned to the previous shop, saying, "Use the fabric I chose earlier to make another quilt and a cushion."
After making her decision, Yu Wanyin went directly to the teahouse he mentioned.
The teahouse was located by the river, so Yu Wanyin went to the quieter second floor to wait for him, taking off her veil and placing it aside to get some fresh air.
It's clear that Chu Yu's inspection tour of the city was quite a grand affair recently, but now the teahouse business is very slow, with hardly any customers.
The entire long street was like this.
Yu Wanyin was thinking about what the shopkeeper had said halfway through.
Chu Yu is looking for a woman... Could it really be her?
Yu Wanyin was a little incredulous. She propped her chin up and looked at the rivers and mountains in the distance with unease.
Very inopportunely, the sound of soldiers and horses galloping through the streets and alleys could be heard once again.
The street vendors on both sides of the street were checked one by one. This search caught them off guard, and many vendors were caught before they could run away.
Yu Wanyin frowned and looked over at the searching soldiers.
Suddenly, their eyes met those of the gentle and powerful minister at the head of the horse!
Meanwhile, Rong Si casually leaned against the shop, watching the shopkeeper hesitate several times about whether to lock the door to avoid the search. After thinking for a while, he finally sighed, "Forget it, you can't hide forever."
As expected of the Left Prime Minister on his inspection tour, he was no ordinary person; "he was truly persistent."
Rong Si lifted his eyelids, listening to the newcomer's gloomy eyes.
The shopkeeper noticed the unusual aura emanating from Rong Si and felt uneasy. He smiled and tried to ease the tension, saying, "I heard that the Left Prime Minister is looking for a woman."
Rong Si frowned, having heard a key phrase, "Who?"
The shopkeeper pondered, "Not necessarily. They didn't say, but I noticed they only arrested women for inspection recently, so it must be a woman."
"It shouldn't be his sweetheart, after all, he's engaged to that beauty from Yingzhou, who else could catch his eye with such a beauty?" the shopkeeper guessed. "He's probably looking for Qi Zhong's wife and children, I heard they've gone missing."
He became interested as he talked about those people's amusing stories, "It must be those powerful and wealthy people who have good fortune with women. I heard that the little beauty was as beautiful as a flower, with unparalleled beauty. Nobles and princes flocked to her, but unfortunately, he snatched her away."
A commotion could be heard outside.
Rong Si's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he suddenly looked towards the long street outside the door.
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