Seeing this, Xu Xinghe knew she couldn't reason with him.
He has always been like this; once he has decided to do something, he will never easily change his mind.
Especially when it comes to tasks and responsibilities.
A surge of anger welled up inside her, and Xu Xinghe abruptly stood up, throwing the notebook she was holding onto the kang (a heated brick bed). "Go if you want! I don't care about you anymore!"
After saying that, she turned around and rushed out of the house into the yard. Looking at the weeds in the corner of the yard, she reached out and plucked handful after handful.
Inside the house, Jiang Linchuan watched her storm off, feeling a pang of heartache.
He knew Xu Xinghe was worried about him, but he had no other choice.
That hidden stronghold was like a time bomb; he couldn't feel at ease until he personally defused it.
He picked up the small notebook from the kang (a heated brick bed), carefully put it away, then leaned against the edge of the kang, closed his eyes, and began to silently gather his strength.
Three days later, he had to go, and he had to come back alive.
For the mission, for the motherland, and even more so for the girl in the courtyard who was still angry with him.
In the courtyard, Xu Xinghe was pulling at the weeds when tears unknowingly streamed down her face.
She didn't really want to upset him; she was just too scared.
She feared that he might encounter misfortune on his departure, and that she might never see him again.
But Xu Xinghe also knew that she couldn't stop him.
He is a soldier, and responsibility and mission are ingrained in his very being.
A breeze swept through the courtyard, bringing a refreshing coolness.
Xu Xinghe squatted on the ground, her shoulders trembling slightly, her mind a complete mess.
On the path.
Yi'an walked into the village and, before she knew it, arrived at Uncle Li's house.
A suppressed sob was heard.
He paused for a moment, then gently pushed open the half-closed courtyard gate and saw Xu Xinghe squatting under a stone tree in the corner of the courtyard, her shoulders trembling slightly and tears falling.
This was the first time Yi'an had seen her shed tears.
In my memory, she always possessed a resilient strength that kept strangers at bay; she had never shown such vulnerability.
He instinctively stepped inside. "Su Xiao? What's wrong?"
Xu Xinghe stiffened abruptly upon hearing the sound.
She still had a birthmark drawn on her face, which was now wet with tears, and someone might notice it!
She immediately raised her hand to cover her cheek tightly, and quickly turned around, her back to Yi An, her voice hoarse but feigning calm, "What are you doing here?"
Yi An stood there, watching her slender back, her fingers twitching slightly. "Are you alright? Did you... fail to find what you were looking for at Eagle's Beak Cliff, or did you run into some trouble?"
"I'm fine," Xu Xinghe interrupted him, her tone distant. "I just got some sand in my eyes and rubbed them a couple of times. If you don't have anything else to do, go back. Don't let anyone see you like this, it's not good."
Jiang Linchuan is right here now, and she doesn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.
Seeing this, Yi An could only stop asking questions. "Take good care of yourself. If you need any help, feel free to contact me anytime."
After saying that, he closed the courtyard gate and turned to leave.
Walking along the village path, Yi An kept her head down, constantly thinking about how Xu Xinghe had cried earlier.
Actually, the birthmark had already faded a bit, but he just didn't say so.
Under a tree not far away, a group of villagers had gathered, chattering amongst themselves.
The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to reach his ears.
"Have you heard? The man Ah Cui picked up is actually Su Xiao's fiancé!" An older woman clicked her tongue, her voice booming. "Who would have thought that Su Xiao, with such a big birthmark on her face, looking so ugly, could be so lucky? That man is so handsome, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, even with his injury, his heroic spirit can't be hidden!"
The old woman next to her nodded in agreement, "That's right! None of the young men in our village can compare. It's just a pity about Su Xiao's face, otherwise they would be a perfect match."
"What do you mean 'well-matched'? I doubt it. That man is badly injured, covered in whip marks, it's terrifying to look at. He's probably gotten into some trouble outside, he's not a good person!"
"That makes sense. These days are not peaceful. We should be more careful around outsiders who are covered in injuries."
"Su Xiao is really bold, she just took the person back like that."
Yi An stood to the side, her heart suddenly jolted.
Isn't that man from Black Wind Ridge just like that?
Is it him?
Unexpectedly, the person Su Xiao had been searching for all along was actually her fiancé!
So that's what their relationship was like!
Xu Xinghe spent a long time pulling weeds in the yard before finally calming down, turning around and pushing open the door to go inside.
On the kang (heated brick bed), Jiang Linchuan was already asleep. Perhaps it was the effect of the spiritual spring water, or perhaps the fatigue of the past few days had finally dissipated, but his brows were relaxed, his breathing was even, and his complexion was much better than before.
Xu Xinghe tiptoed over, sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and quietly looked at his face.
With thick eyebrows and a high nose, he exuded a resolute and heroic air even in his sleep.
This is the image she has been longing for day and night.
Now that they were so close, she finally felt a little more at ease.
Not long after they sat down, they heard Uncle Li's footsteps outside the courtyard gate.
Xu Xinghe immediately got up and went out, "Uncle Li, you're back."
"Hey, just got back from the fields," Uncle Li wiped the sweat from his brow, his gaze inadvertently sweeping into the house. "Are there... guests inside?"
“Yes,” Xu Xinghe nodded, “He is the man I brought back. He is also a soldier. Please tell everyone that he is my fiancé. There’s a lot of gossip in the village right now. Please ask them to keep quiet and not spread his information outside, so as not to cause any unnecessary trouble.”
Upon hearing that it was a soldier and concerned Xu Xinghe's private matter, Uncle Li immediately nodded, "Don't worry, Xiaoya! Leave this to me. I'll go and tell the old folks in the village to keep quiet and not gossip."
After saying that, Uncle Li didn't rest and turned to walk out the door.
When Xu Xinghe returned to the room, Jiang Linchuan was already awake, leaning against the headboard looking at her with gentle eyes.
"Awake?" Xu Xinghe walked over, her voice softening unconsciously. "Are you hungry? You definitely haven't eaten properly since yesterday."
Jiang Linchuan looked at the lingering red marks under her eyes and knew she had really been angry. He nodded honestly, "Hungry."
"Wait here, I'll go cook for you." Xu Xinghe turned and went to the kitchen.
She worked quickly, first rinsing the rice and putting it in the pot, then taking out a can of meat from her personal space, chopping the meat into small pieces, pouring it in when the porridge was half-cooked, stirring well, and then simmering it over low heat.
Soon, a rich aroma of meat wafted from the kitchen.
Xu Xinghe ladled out a bowl of warm meat porridge and brought it into the house.
She sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and then held it to Jiang Linchuan's lips. "Drink slowly, don't burn yourself."
Jiang Linchuan obediently opened his mouth, eating while watching Xu Xinghe's focused face.
Even with a birthmark on her face, she was still the most beautiful person in the world in his eyes.
"Xinghe," he swallowed his porridge, "I'm sorry for making you worry."
Xu Xinghe paused in feeding him, "Eat first, we can talk about other things later."
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