Chapter 288 Zhou Langnian Niang
Southern Xinjiang.
The hazy mist in the early morning had just dissipated, the red sun was rising slowly, and the small village with beautiful mountains and rivers began a day of work.
There were many farmers working in the fields with their trousers rolled up and their legs leaning on hoes. The early morning breeze brought cool moisture, and they felt comfortable. From time to time, they straightened up, wiped the sweat from their foreheads, and squinted their eyes to enjoy the feeling.
On the path along the ridge of the field, there were firm and steady footsteps. A man was wearing a gray-white coarse cloth shirt and carrying a medicine basket on his back. The basket contained freshly picked herbs. He had fair skin and a gentle and warm look. His slender and slightly upturned red-phoenix eyes were dotted with tiny starlight.
His clothes were wet with dew, and he clutched the shoulder straps of the medicine basket with both hands. The wooden Buddhist beads carved from small-leaf red sandalwood were probably the most valuable item on his body. The beads, worn on his fair wrist, matched the man's elegant and restrained temperament very well.
As he walked closer, the villagers raised their hands and greeted him out of habit: "Zhou Lang, you're back so early!"
The man pursed his lips and smiled in a simple and gentle manner: "Well, I'll come back early so I can make breakfast for my wife."
Several farmers were distracted by his smile.
"No matter how many times I see Zhou Lang, he is still very handsome."
"Mrs. Zhou Lang is also pretty, and Nian Niang is as pretty as a fairy. Oh, they are a perfect match. My wife has always envied them."
"Hahahaha, Zhou Lang is such a good man. But if I had a beautiful girl like this at home, I would also want to lift her up."
"Go away, go and pursue your dreams. Nian Niang is just recovering from an illness and can't work in the fields. I'm not angry at all!"
The man smiled at the farmers' joke.
"Oh, by the way, Zhou Lang, our big watermelons are very good this year. I asked our boy to deliver them to Nian Niang. You can crush them and make some watermelon juice."
The middle-aged man with wheat-colored skin spoke in a simple manner. Upon hearing this, the man bowed and thanked him: "I would like to thank Brother Liu on behalf of my wife."
Brother Liu held his head back and said embarrassedly: "No, no, neighbors should take care of each other."
The man carrying the medicine basket disappeared step by step in the fields, and the farmers were filled with emotion.
"After seeing Zhou Lang in the morning, I feel like I won't be tired from working all day."
As soon as the man pushed open the gate of the yard, he heard a crisp young voice in the house, "Is it delicious? Does Nian Niang like it?"
Then the woman's voice with a smile came again: "This watermelon juice is sweet and delicious, of course I like it very much."
The man suddenly felt a sense of crisis. He hurriedly put down the medicine basket and pushed open the door to the inner room. He saw a woman with delicate features sitting on the head of the bed. There was a look of frailty and pity in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows.
The boy's face turned wheat-colored due to years of working in the fields. His facial features were not outstanding and his appearance was ordinary. But when he laughed, he was as bright as a little sun and very lovable. At this moment, he was sitting on the bed and smiling at the woman with squinting eyes.
The door opened with a swish, and the woman turned to look: "Zhou Lang."
The man looked at the boy with jealousy, and said in a rather sour tone: "My wife doesn't treat me so intimately."
The young man was inexplicably glared at and was very confused, but he was also surprised that Zhou Lang kept calling "Madam, Madam" but Nian Niang never called him "husband".
The boy seemed to have done something wrong and became hesitant. He asked cautiously, "What did I do wrong...?"
He was afraid that his rudeness and lack of knowledge would displease these two godlike beings.
Nian Niang stuffed the watermelon juice she was holding into the man's hand unhappily, and said to him, "Go away, go away. I'm just giving you a taste of this kind child's kindness. Stop being so jealous all day long."
Zhou Lang felt aggrieved, but when he saw that there was still half of the watermelon juice left in the white porcelain bowl, he knew that she couldn't finish it and he was picking on her again. But in fact, this was not the case. Nian Niang left some for him because of the hard work Zhou Lang put in collecting herbs for her every day.
After drinking the cool and sweet watermelon juice, Zhou Lang's fair ears turned slightly red, for some reason. He then put the bowl on the table and ran over to rub the woman's shoulders attentively.
"Madam, are you feeling better today?"
The woman squinted her eyes contentedly like a cat: "Well, it should be almost healed in two days."
The man smiled gently, and he was immediately happier. He stood up and was about to go out: "I'll boil the medicine first. If you're tired, you can rest first."
After saying that, he turned around and gave a gentle smile to the restrained young man beside him: "Thank you, little brother, for accompanying my wife to relieve her fatigue these days. I am afraid that she will be bored while I go to boil medicine, so I would like to trouble you to stay here and talk to her."
The young boy was embarrassed when he heard this and waved his hands repeatedly: "What's the matter! I'm the one who has been bothering you all the time!"
Zhou Lang smiled and went to boil the medicine. The young man looked at him with envy and said, "Zhou Lang is not only handsome, but also proficient in everything. His temperament is much more noble than that of the royal family. He is really a banished immortal who has come down to earth."
The woman opposite him suddenly looked confused, with a look of "I don't understand" which made the boy giggle.
"Nian Niang is also the most beautiful woman I have ever seen!"
The boy blushed as he spoke.
The young woman was so delighted by the praise that she couldn't stop smiling. She reached out and touched the boy's head, as if to give him an award.
The boy's face turned even redder, his ears were burning with embarrassment, and his words became stammering: "By the way, I am almost old enough, and I will be joining the army in a few days. I won't be able to see you and Zhou Lang anymore."
He hung his head dejectedly. "Can you stay here longer? I want to come visit you after I return from the army."
It turned out that Nian Niang and Zhou Lang had just arrived in this small village two months ago. Nian Niang's full name is Nian Yue, and Zhou Lang's full name is Zhou Ri.
At first, when the pair of god-like figures came, everyone thought they were some nobles and were very terrified. Finally, someone plucked up the courage to ask and found out that it turned out that the man had made some money from business, but because his wife was in poor health, the man gave up the business and took his wife to a beautiful place with mountains and rivers to recuperate.
The two were different from these farmers. They had some money because they did business. They were generous and kind, and often gave money to help other poor families in the village. As a result, everyone started to love and care for them.
I just don't know when they will leave.
Maybe Nian Niang will leave after she recovers?
The young man was unhappy, and Nian Niang sighed: "I will soon recover from this illness, and Zhou Lang will take me back to continue running the business."
An instant of sadness flooded into the young man's heart, but something even more sad was yet to come.
"Oh no! Oh no!"
A loud shout was heard outside the house. Zhou Lang, who was fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan while boiling medicine in the yard, said in surprise, "Brother Liu, what happened? Why are you so panicked?"
Brother Liu was hunched over with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead, his face was pale, and his lips were trembling uncontrollably.
"Oh my, something big has happened! There's another war! The Jing Kingdom has attacked! They want revenge for Emperor Jing!"
Nian Niang, who was listening attentively inside the room, was stunned.
Brother Liu had a worried look on his face: "What's even more terrifying is that the Kingdom of Yue has also attacked, saying they want to avenge the King of Yue. This alliance between Jingyue and Southern Xinjiang is going to be completely ruined!"
Now even Zhou Lang, who was always smiling and cheerful, was stunned.