Chapter Thirty-Two: Returning Home
The summer heat in Zhuoshui Village had not yet subsided, but the morning and evening breezes had already brought a touch of coolness.
The rice in the fields has begun to sprout ears, a patchwork of green and yellow.
Zhang Yili and Xiong Zixiang's wedding is set for August 25th. Like a rice seed that has been planted, it has taken root steadily in the expectations of both families, waiting only for a bountiful harvest.
That evening, with the embers of sunset still hanging in the sky, Xiong Zixiang walked into the Zhang family's courtyard in the twilight.
He was wearing that slightly worn, dark brown constable's uniform, and the hilt of the broadsword at his waist was still quite conspicuous.
His face didn't show much expression, but his brows were more serious than usual, and he frowned, which was rare for him.
Zhang Liuyi was tidying up the dishes with his sister-in-law Li Xiulan in the kitchen when he heard familiar footsteps. His heart skipped a beat, and when he looked up and saw it was him, the smile that had just appeared on his face quietly faded when he met his eyes.
"Brother Zixiang? What brings you here?"
She wiped the water off her hands and came out.
Xiong Zixiang didn't go into the main room. Instead, he stood under the old elm tree in the courtyard, took out a small cloth bag that was folded into a square and wrapped in a clean coarse cloth from his pocket, and handed it to her.
"Your clothes."
He seemed a little shy as he slowly said, "That night... I washed the floral shirt you covered me with."
Zhang Liuyi paused for a moment before recalling the events of the housewarming party, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
She took the cloth bag, opened it, and inside was indeed the slightly worn floral overcoat, washed clean, folded meticulously, and exuding a faint scent of soap.
"Why make a special trip just to repay this?"
Her voice softened, her fingers unconsciously stroking the edges of the cloth bag, but a warmth filled her heart.
Xiong Zixiang didn't reply, his gaze falling on her flushed cheeks. After a pause, he said, "Tomorrow morning, I have to escort the county magistrate to the prefectural city to attend to some official business."
"To the prefectural city?"
Zhang Liuyi's heart sank.
"It's not a short road, and I've heard... the road has been rather dangerous lately?"
She didn't dare use words like "bandits," but the worry in her eyes was genuine.
Xiong Zixiang nodded, which was taken as tacit agreement with the statement that things were not peaceful.
"Yes, it is a bit far and troublesome. However, it is my duty to go."
He paused, looked into her eyes, and made a promise with a firm tone: "I will definitely be back by August 12th at the latest, and it won't interfere with our plans."
He was referring to the wedding date of the 25th, hoping to make it in time for the family reunion on the 15th.
Zhang looked into his dark eyes, which held his usual composure.
She took a breath and nodded vigorously: "Okay, I'll wait for you. Be careful on your way back, and come back safely!"
"rest assured."
Xiong Zixiang responded, glanced at her again, said nothing more, turned around, and strode into the night.
His back was straight, and his pace gradually quickened.
Zhang Liuyi stood under the elm tree for a long time, holding the floral dress that smelled of soapberry.
The autumn wind rustled through the leaves at night, carrying a chill.
She gripped the cloth bag tightly in her hand, silently reciting the date: August 12th.
Life went on as usual. Zhang paid attention to setting up his stall, helping with household chores, doing all the small needlework needed for the wedding, and taking stock of all the wedding items.
But the tension in my heart grew tighter and tighter with each passing day.
She started counting the days; seven days until August 12th… five days… three days…
At the stall, she would sometimes drift off into thought, slowing down her movements when serving soup.
When I got home, I couldn't help but look at the path leading to the main road at the entrance of the village.
Zhang Liuji noticed his sister's unease and comforted her.
"Yi-jie, don't worry. The prefectural city is far away, and it's normal for the time to be a little off, whether the errand goes smoothly or not. Zixiang said he'd be back by the twelfth, so he'll definitely be back, okay!"
Li Xiulan chimed in, "Yes, our Xiang-ge is the most reliable person. He said he'd come back, and he definitely will!"
When Madam Song heard about it, she came over and took her hand to comfort her: "Don't worry, Yi-jie! That brat Zixiang knows what he's doing, he won't get into any trouble!"
Zhang listened attentively to her family's words of comfort, nodded, and forced a smile, but the worry in her eyes did not disappear.
She kept telling herself: It's okay, he promised, he'll definitely come back, he's just delayed on the way...
On August 11th, the path at the village entrance remained quiet.
On August 12th, from dawn to noon, and then as the sun began to set, that familiar figure still did not appear.
Zhang Yi's heart sank little by little. She no longer hid her anxiety and ran to the village entrance several times a day.
Standing under the old elm tree, I tiptoed, craned my neck, and stared intently at the end of the official road.
Every time she heard the sound of horses' hooves, her heart would leap into her throat, only to plummet again as a stranger's figure swept past.
In the evening, she lost her appetite and lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), unable to close her eyes completely.
As she listened to the chirping of autumn insects outside the window, her mind was filled with Xiong Zixiang's solemn face before his departure and his weighty promise. Various thoughts popped up uncontrollably, but she forcibly suppressed them, feeling a tightness in her chest.
She secretly ran to the vicinity of the Xiong family's house to look around. Song Shi also seemed a little uneasy, pacing back and forth in the yard and glancing towards the village entrance from time to time.
The future mother-in-law and daughter-in-law stood at a distance, their eyes occasionally meeting. They both saw the same worry and anxious anticipation in each other's eyes, but neither of them spoke.
Just as I was about to go back to the village entrance, I suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats behind me.
Zhang Yi turned around abruptly!
A travel-worn figure was seen riding a horse, turning from the main road onto the small path at the village entrance, galloping towards them.
It's Xiong Zixiang; he's finally back.
The horse reined in in front of the courtyard gate. Xiong Zixiang dismounted, his movements still nimble, but he couldn't hide his exhaustion.
His constable uniform was covered in dust, and he had injuries on his face. From his left cheekbone to below his eye, there was a dark red abrasion about an inch long. The edges of the wound were red and swollen, and the surrounding skin was covered with purplish bruises. His mouth was also slightly cut and covered with a dark red scab.
He looked disheveled, with chapped lips and bloodshot eyes, clearly having rushed back at breakneck speed.
"Brother Zixiang!"
Zhang Liuyi exclaimed in surprise and rushed to him, her gaze fixed on the injury on his face.
"What...what happened to your face?"
Before Xiong Zixiang could speak, Madam Song had already run over upon hearing the noise. She immediately noticed the injury on her son's face; the dark red scabs and purplish-blue marks were particularly glaring to her.
The worries and anguish of the past few days suddenly found an outlet, turning into a mix of anxiety, anger, and heartache.
"Xiong Zixiang!"
Song's voice was choked with sobs as she rushed over, ignoring the dust covering her son, and raised her hand to beat him mercilessly.
"You finally decided to come back? Huh? Look at the time! You said twelve o'clock, twelve o'clock! It's almost dark and we're not seeing you anymore! Do you know how worried your family was about you?"
"Look at your face, you're disfigured! Working like this, risking your life? Are you even injured? How can your parents rest easy? You're told to keep an eye on this girl..."
As Song spoke, her voice choked, and her eyes instantly reddened. She looked at the injuries on her son's face with a mixture of anger and heartache. Her pounding hands turned into a tight grip on his arm, as if afraid he would run away again.
Xiong Zixiang let his mother hold him and said, "Mom, be careful, I'm not injured. I'm just tired from the long journey. Don't worry about me." After saying that, he pursed his chapped lips and his eyes were full of guilt.
He endured another round of accusations from his mother, his gaze passing over her trembling shoulders to look at Zhang Liuyi, who stood behind him, his face pale.
Looking at the scene before him, at the glaring wound on Xiong Zixiang's face, and listening to Song Shi's tearful rant, Zhang Liuyi could no longer hold back the worry and grievances he had been suppressing for days.
Her eyes instantly reddened, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
She bit her lower lip tightly, not crying out loud, her body trembling slightly from suppressing her sobs.
Those bright eyes, now blurred with tears, stared intently at the injuries on Xiong Zixiang's face, filled with lingering fear and heartache.
The injury looked a bit scary, but knowing that he was alright was a relief. A mix of immense relief and lingering fear overwhelmed her.
Seeing her tears, Xiong Zixiang felt a pang of guilt, his heart tightening even more.
He wanted to tell her he was alright, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something.
He raised the hand that his mother hadn't been holding, as if to wipe away her tears, but then stopped halfway through, letting out a hoarse sound.
"...Don't cry."
Looking at the injuries on her son's face and then at Zhang Yi's tears, Song's anger finally turned into a deeper sense of helplessness.
She sighed heavily, released her grip on her son's hand, wiped away her tears, and spoke with a weary voice.
"Children are all debts. It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Come inside, wash your face, look at your injuries..."
She turned around and walked somewhat unsteadily into the inner room to find medicine for her son's injuries.
As dusk settled, the courtyard fell silent.
Only Xiong Zixiang and Zhang Yili remained, standing face to face.
Looking at the undried tear stains on Zhang Xiaoyi's face, Xiong Zixiang reached out and gently wiped her cheek with his rough fingertips, removing the cold moisture.
Zhang noticed the warmth of his fingertips and saw the fresh scar on his face so close to hers, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
"Brother Zixiang, let me see your injury." She no longer cared about the traditional separation between men and women before marriage and leaned closer to examine his face carefully.
Fortunately, although it looks a bit scary, it's all superficial wounds and not deep. It should be almost healed in five or six days after applying medicine.
"What about your body?" Xiong Zixiang had no choice but to pat himself hard to show that he had no wounds.
She also felt around on his arm, but found nothing, so she was relieved.
"I was delayed in the prefectural city for a few days, and I was in a hurry to get home, so I didn't ride the horse properly, which is why it's like this. Don't worry about me, okay?" Xiong Zixiang comforted her, his voice gentle and tender.
"Brother Zixiang, I understand. You should go back and apply the medicine. Don't come during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Take good care of your injury! I'm afraid Father will worry if he sees your wound."
Knowing that Xiong Zixiang was alright, she spoke cautiously, with a touch of girlish coquettishness.
Xiong Zixiang is in a worse situation; he is injured and disfigured. In order not to worry Zhang Dashan, he cannot spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with Xiaoyi.
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