Chapter 6: I Won’t Afraid You of “Almond Eyes and Goose Eggs…”
"Almond eyes, oval face, fair complexion, and extraordinary bearing. It's no exaggeration to say she's beautiful." The servant thought as he described her, then added with a hint of doubt, "She looks like a young lady, but her clothes don't look like one."
After saying this, even Chang Sui's expression changed.
He quickly signaled the doorman to shut up and secretly went to check his master's expression.
But Yan Heng just sneered and started walking again.
It was as if he didn't care at all and his patience was running out.
Chang Sui hurried to catch up, but saw Yan Heng stop again.
Without even turning his head, he ordered, "Next time she comes, whether I'm there or not, she'll be gone."
-
Ji Yunchan knew nothing about this.
After the afternoon twilight hour, she went to the general's mansion again.
Yan Heng returned early that day. When Ji Yunchan went there, he had already returned, but the answer he got was "not here".
She stepped down the steps of the general's mansion, looked at the carriages and horses returning home, and waited in vain.
Chang Sui happened to see this scene when he came back from work.
He paused and was about to go in through another door when his eyes met Ji Yunchan's who looked up.
He walked closer with courage, "Miss Ji, what are you doing...?"
"Chang Sui." Ji Yunchan didn't know what the people around Yan Heng thought of her. She was just staying in Yan Heng's territory, and her usually clear thoughts became a mess. She asked bluntly: "Yan Heng... when will he come back?"
The weather had turned cold in the evening, and Chang Sui couldn't bear it, "Miss Ji, it's cold, go back."
"I'm fine." Ji Yunchan shook her head.
"He will take a long time..." She pressed on, her voice becoming softer and softer as she spoke, and she couldn't continue.
She looked at Chang Sui steadily.
With a little hope that came from nowhere.
Chang Sui scratched his head, his eyes falling on the bundle in Ji Yunchan's arms, "If you have anything for the general, it's the same if you give it to me. I'll pass it on for you."
His words were cryptic.
Yan Heng just didn't want to see him.
Ji Yunchan lowered her eyes, and heard a hint of tacit accusation in these words.
She held the bundle, which contained Yan Heng's cloak and her newly embroidered knee pads. She applied slight pressure with her fingers, causing the fabric of the bundle to sink deeper.
Then he nodded and handed the bundle to Chang Sui, "These are his clothes, please give them to him for me."
"Thank you for rescuing me that night."
After saying that, he stuffed the bag into Chang Sui's hand and turned away.
If he hadn't tried his best to restrain himself, he would have almost fled.
Chang Sui looked at Ji Yunchan's back, then looked at the bundle in his hand and shook his head.
Bad fate.
He was about to go into the mansion when the gatekeeper came over stealthily and whispered, "Master Chang, is this girl an old acquaintance of the general?"
"Am I usually too easy to talk to?"
Chang Sui frowned and slapped him on the forehead: "Don't ask questions that you shouldn't ask."
After saying that, he picked up his bag and walked towards the mansion.
…
In the study, the lights flickered.
Yan Heng holds a book of military strategy in one hand, and the outline is clearly visible.
He was looking intently with his eyes lowered, and did not raise his eyes when he heard Chang Sui come in.
Chang Sui considered it for a moment, and just as he was about to speak, he heard his low, emotionless voice: "Ji Yunchan was here?"
"Master, you are wise and cunning."
Always flatter, be careful when approaching.
Yan Heng snorted softly, and just as he raised his eyes, he saw Chang Sui holding a bundle in front of him.
Looking up, I heard Chang Sui say, "This is the dress the master wore the night he returned. Miss Ji is here to express her gratitude."
"Leave it there."
Yan Heng opened his lips but did not comment.
He withdrew his gaze and continued to study the military strategy on the paper.
After fighting many battles, when I look back at the art of war, I always feel a greater sense of understanding and coherence.
It’s just that this page is a little obscure today.
Chang Sui agreed, put down his bag, and poured Yan Heng a cup of tea.
Yan Heng maintained his posture and did not turn the page for a long time.
The candle flame flickered, the wick was slightly flooded, and the room was dim for a moment.
Chang Sui stepped forward to light the lamp wick, and Yan Heng put the book down and looked at the sky outside.
The birds were silent and the sky was getting dark.
It is the book that is obscure, not because his mind is restless.
His eyes fell on the inconspicuous bundle.
Although it is inconspicuous, it is very eye-catching when placed in the study.
Yan Heng casually pulled it over and opened it. Inside the bundle were the clothes that he had casually thrown to Ji Yunchan that day.
The black fur looked like burnt ashes in the candlelight, which made him lose interest all of a sudden.
Turning his head away from looking, he ordered, "Take it back to the main house."
Chang Sui agreed and was about to tie the bundle again when a brown corner leaked out. He turned it over in confusion and saw the pair of knee pads embroidered with a flying goose right in front of him.
"Master, look."
Yan Heng looked back casually, then stopped.
Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, her bright eyes were lively and vivid, and her bright red lips moved in a girlish manner: "Yan Heng, women's work is so boring, but you still have to learn it."
The image of Ji Yunchan not liking embroidery appeared in front of him.
What did he say then?
Yan Heng stared at it for a moment and subconsciously reached out his hand.
When it was about to touch the fur of the knee pad, it shrank back as if it had just woken up.
A mocking smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Don’t you dislike it?
Such a clumsy way of flattering.
Chang Sui bravely said, "It's getting dark now. I guess Miss Ji hasn't gone far yet."
Yan Heng raised his eyes, and his sharp gaze fell on Chang Sui, with a sense of oppression around him.
He couldn't bear it for many years and knelt down to kowtow.
"The slave is too talkative."
Only then did Yan Heng look away.
Rather than saying it to someone else, it was more like saying it to myself: "What's it got to do with me?"
He thought indifferently that whether Ji Yunchan liked female workers or walked at night was no longer relevant to him.
Yan Heng took a sip of tea, then didn't feel thirsty anymore, so he put it down.
But the words on the book became increasingly obscure as the sky darkened.
He tapped his fingers on the table impatiently.
After a moment, it stopped abruptly.
Yan Heng pinched his brows, feeling extremely confused.
He called out, "Chang Sui, go and tell..." He changed his mind midway through his words, grabbed the cloak and threw it over himself, "I'm going out for a while."
For the last time... He warned himself secretly as he walked out.
"There are not many people outside at this time." Chang Sui reminded in a low voice.
There are not many people here, Yan Heng thought.
He couldn't help but quicken his pace.
…
Ji Yunchan was ashamed and sad as she hurriedly left the general's mansion.
With these two thoughts in mind, she walked back for two minutes without paying attention. Only then did she realize that it was getting darker and there were fewer and fewer pedestrians and vendors on the street.
The cold wind made her nose and eyes feel sore. She looked around and saw only a hunchbacked old man carrying a load and walking in front of her.
A sense of crisis prevailed, and consciousness returned to clarity.
Ji Yunchan realized belatedly that she was a little scared and quickened her pace.
I had nothing on me, feeling empty. I couldn't help but think of the reassuring weight of Yan Heng's cloak when I returned from the prefectural government that night.
The old man turned a corner and entered the alley.
There was a sound of dogs barking in the distance, carrying with it a distant, penetrating fear.
Ji Yunchan hugged her arms and looked up at the moon in panic.
She saw a bright and clear moon hanging in the sky. She stared at the moon and took a deep breath.
The boy's seemingly nonchalant yet earnest voice of comfort from deep in my memory echoed in my mind: "Yuanyuan, there's nothing to be afraid of. If you're scared, just look at the moon."
Ji Yunchan walked without stopping, staring at the moon without changing for a moment, and felt that the moon now was no different from that time.
She was also afraid at that time.
What I am afraid of are the ghosts in the strange stories.
The book of strange stories was borrowed from her best friend. It was wrong for her to read miscellaneous books secretly, but she was afraid and didn't want anyone to know.
I have always had a good reputation and am deeply trusted by my parents, so it is even more difficult for me to tell them about this.
She was so scared that she couldn't sleep the whole night. There was a big dark mark under her eye. She covered it with powder, but the young Yan Heng still noticed it.
She woke up to the sound of birds chirping in the rattan chair under the grape trellis, with the weeping crabapple trees and the spring breeze blowing her hair. When she opened her eyes, she saw Yan Heng picking flowers and throwing them to her.
The maidservant on the side was anxious. Ji Yunchan rubbed her eyes and murmured with a sleepy voice, "Are you annoying, Yanheng?"
"If you don't wake up soon, the snacks will get cold." Yan Heng crossed his arms.
"Hmm?" Ji Yunchan raised her eyelashes and followed his line of sight. She saw that there was indeed a glass cup on the stone table in front of her, with something that looked like an egg cake in it.
"What is it?"
Her curiosity was piqued, and she looked up and asked Yan Heng.
Yan Heng met her gaze. The girl had put on makeup today, and her eyes were bright, making her eyebrows and features look even more picturesque.
Is today a big day?
The doubt disappeared in an instant, Yan Heng opened his mouth to praise her, but his sharp eyes noticed that there were faint dark circles under her eyes covered by powder.
I figured it all out at once.
Yan Heng sat down opposite her, flirting with her. He had a look that kept people at a distance, with his eyebrows raised, and when he had no expression, he looked like someone who was not easy to mess with.
He looked at her interrogatively: "You've been curled up here like a lazy cat for several days. There are black marks under your eyes. Can't you sleep well?"
But Ji Yunchan didn't buy his tricks. She gave him a perfunctory look and even retorted: "Has anyone ever said you're so fierce?"
She casually scooped a spoonful of the egg cake-like dessert into her mouth.
"How can I say I'm fierce? I've never seen you afraid. You're such a spoiled brat, Ji Yunchan." Yan Heng wasn't one to be distracted. He raised his chin defiantly and said in a stern tone, "Is it because it's hot?"
"This dessert is like cheese, delicious."
…
Yan Heng raised his eyes expressionlessly and said nothing.
Seeing that she couldn't fool him, Ji Yunchan put down the spoon listlessly, lowered her eyes and whispered, then looked at him again, with a hint of weakness in her tone: "Anyway, I'm really scared. Don't call me spoiled..."
The expected word "spoiled" did not appear. After hearing this, Yan Heng pondered for a moment.
Then came the nonchalant yet earnest words of comfort: "Yuanyuan, there's nothing to be afraid of. If you're scared, just look at the moon."
Ji Yunchan didn't understand: "Why?"
"No reason. You remembered my words, and when you looked at the moon, you naturally remembered how I said them."
Yan Heng raised his hand and couldn't help but want to touch the dark circles under her eyes, but stopped when his thumb was about to touch her skin.
He restrained himself and withdrew his hand.
The young man, newly grown, was full of ambition and high spirits, only regretting that he had not yet come of age. He solemnly promised the girl he loved: "What I am not afraid of, I will not scare you."
Ji Yunchan looked at him and felt that these words burned into her heart, burning away all the fear of strange powers.
A few years later tonight——
Ji Yunchan looked up at the moon and prayed devoutly.
There was a faint sound of footsteps behind her, and she turned her head with a sense of urgency.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
