"Xiao Cui'er! Open the door quickly." Peng Changrong mustered up his courage, stood on the steps and knocked on the door. He stiffened his neck and opened his throat, shouting, "Xiao Cui'er? Cuimei?"
However, no one answered in the yard. The roar made the two puppies, Da He and Xiao Qin, jump around and bark at the top of their lungs.
Guo Honglei waited for a few breaths, his smile fading. He grew increasingly anxious, and suddenly he could no longer stand. He quickly walked towards the steps at the gate, frowning and asking, "Why is there no one answering? Where did the dog come from?"
"Strange, why are there two more puppies? They are quite fierce." Peng Changrong first peeked inside through the crack in the door, and then rushed to the wall with his companions, standing on tiptoe and craning their necks to look around.
Peng Changxing didn't care about his brother's joke anymore. He asked anxiously, "Did something happen at home?"
After the Jingyang Marquis's mansion was raided and they were exiled 3,000 miles, they struggled to move from one post station to another before finally settling in Heqin. In their minds, this courtyard in Liucun was their current "home."
In an instant, Guo Honglei's heart was hanging high. All the anticipation that had been galloping along all the way disappeared. He raised his hand and was about to knock on the door -
There were several loud bangs, and the doors of the main hall and the side rooms in the courtyard opened almost simultaneously. Cuimei flung open the doors and ran, shouting, "Peng Changrong! Is that you?"
Peng Changrong quickly replied, "Yes, it's me! Open the door quickly."
"Hmph, I knew it. Just wait for me!" Cuimei blushed and became furious after being teased in the house.
Lin Qin quickly glanced around, patted his hand that was touching the wall, and said happily: "Don't worry, everyone is coming out to greet us. Everything is fine at home!"
"That's good." Guo Honglei breathed a sigh of relief, feeling relieved.
Zhou Yan and his wife hurriedly lit the lamp and supported Madam Pan. The young servants, thin and nimble, led Zou Gui, who was the first to leave everyone behind. As they ran, they asked, "Is the young master back?"
"Yes!" Lin Qin urged, "Why don't you open the door quickly?"
Zou Gui answered happily: "I'm coming, right away!" He rushed to the gate of the courtyard and removed the thick board that latched the door in a few moves.
Cuimei followed closely behind, swiftly opening the door. Unexpectedly, Peng Changrong was so close that she took a step back. Then, with her hands on her hips, she demanded,
"Peng Changrong! What nonsense were you talking about just now?"
"Hehehe." Peng Changrong quickly stepped back and replied with an apologetic smile, "No, who's talking nonsense? I just asked you to open the door."
Cuimei approached quickly and said angrily, "Don't try to cheat. Everyone heard it and made fun of it... I won't let you go!" As she spoke, she saw that the other party wanted to run away, so she hurried to chase after him, raised her hand to grab his sleeve, but accidentally stepped on empty air, stumbled and fell down the stairs, "Ah -"
"Be careful!" Peng Changrong was shocked and quickly caught the man. He took the man to the side and whispered, "Calm down, calm down. I was wrong. I know I was wrong."
Cuimei was hugged in public, her face flushed with shame. Without saying a word, she gritted her teeth and punched the man's chest and arms, cursing, "You did it on purpose! You, you are so hateful, just wait and see how I deal with you!"
"Okay, hit me, hit me hard, let out some steam." Peng Changrong lowered his head and hands, his face flushed, letting the soft fists hit him.
Immediately afterwards, Jiang Yushu, hastily draped in a coat, rushed over and rushed out of the courtyard. She barely stopped on the steps, just in time to meet the people below, panting.
Guo Honglei stood tall and dusty, his eyes bright in the torchlight and moonlight. He opened his arms involuntarily, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Are you going to fall?"
"Why, why did I fall?" Although Jiang Yushu was confused, she responded subconsciously, jumped down the stairs lightly, and held his strong arms with both hands, and said with emotion: "You are finally back!"
Guo Honglei smiled, looked at her carefully for a few seconds, then grabbed her with his backhand and easily lifted her up the stairs. He whispered in her ear, "There's no scar on your forehead. You won't have to live with a mask for the rest of your life. Congratulations."
"Congratulations, Second Young Master!" Jiang Yushu bowed.
Guo Honglei asked in surprise: "Congratulations?"
"Yes." Jiang Yushu suppressed a smile and said seriously, "I can avoid looking in the mirror because of the scar, but you can't always cover your eyes. It's even more 'happy' that you don't have to face an ugly monster for the rest of your life."
Guo Honglei laughed out loud, "So, congratulations?"
"Congratulations!" Jiang Yushu smiled.
At this moment, Nanny Pan, who had fallen asleep, finally arrived. She was surprised and excited, and called out, "Young Master!"
"Young Master, hey, you're finally back!" Zhou Yan held up the lantern. Zhou Yan's wife stopped the puppy and said, "Stop yelling, you two. Remember, these are our people."
Guo Honglei supported the wet nurse, and they asked each other about their well-being and laughed constantly.
Jiang Yushu's eyes were bright and she was smiling. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cuimei and the others standing by the wall. She asked loudly, "Cuimei, what are you doing there? Come on, come inside."
"Hey, here it comes!" The petite Cuimei grabbed Peng Changrong's collar, her face flushed with shame, and she bit her lips and glared.
Peng Changxing, Lin Qin, and Zou Gui were watching the excitement and started to shout, "Fight! Fight!"
"Miss Cui, don't be soft-hearted."
"Give him a slap in the face and see if he dares to talk nonsense again!"
Peng Changrong stood there, turned around and asked, "Brother, how could you instigate her to hit me? Are we still brothers?"
"What's the big deal about a few slaps?" Peng Changxing crossed his arms and teased, "Just stand there and take the beating. Maybe if the girl gets happy, she'll—"
"Shut up!" Cuimei quickly covered her ears, stamped her feet angrily, twisted her waist and ran into the yard, running straight to the kitchen, and said angrily: "Humph, people with the surname Peng are not good people!"
The young couple walked side by side, chatting and laughing. Guo Honglei, without even turning his head, warned, "Alright, stop making such a fuss. If you continue, Changrong will probably get slapped in public."
"Yes!" Lin Qin and others closed the gate with a smile.
Jiang Yushu was at a loss for words and said, "Just now we were in the house and heard someone yelling 'Xiao Cui'er'. We were all startled. Cuimei was so angry that she ran out to catch the person after she came to her senses."
"No one answered the door for a long time. I thought something happened at home," Guo Honglei sighed. He was neatly dressed in military uniform, handsome and upright, full of heroic spirit.
Jiang Yushu looked at the other person's military uniform curiously and explained, "We originally planned to rest. It's inconvenient to go out in this outfit, so we have to put on some clothes."
"I see." Guo Honglei glanced at her and realized that her hair was covered by her collar. It was obvious that she was in a hurry to greet him and had no time to tidy up her clothes.
He smiled and casually hooked his hand to help her smooth her hair.
kitchen
Xiao Tao hid behind the window, silently clutching the window frame, staring out intently, distraught, watching the series of intimate actions of the head of the family and his wife after they met again after a short separation, staring blankly at the young man who became more handsome after his experience, feeling confused and at a loss.
The next moment, Cuimei walked into the dark kitchen, muttering coquettishly, "Peng Changrong is not a good guy." Her heart was pounding, but when she looked up, she saw a person standing by the window. She was so scared that her heart stopped beating and she screamed in fear, "Ghost——"
"Cui Mei, it's me!" Xiao Tao responded quickly, blowing out the tinder and lighting the oil lamp. She forced a smile and said, "You little bastard, you keep yelling 'ghosts, ghosts!' It's so annoying that my ears are covered in calluses."
Cuimei patted her chest, her shock finally calming down. She said awkwardly, "You standing by this dark window is really scary. You can't blame me for shouting 'There's a ghost!'"
"I was just fiddling with the tinder." Xiao Tao pretended to be cheerful, rolled up her sleeves, and urged, "Young Master and his men have come a long way, exhausted. Whether they had dinner in the army or not, they should have something to eat when they get home. Come, I'll roll the noodles while you boil the water."
"Okay!" Cuimei also rolled up her sleeves and helped cook while boiling water.
A moment later, Nanny Pan and Zhou Yan's wife also entered the kitchen, and the four of them worked together.
This is an old house that was left idle by a wealthy family in the village. It is simple everywhere, but fortunately it is spacious: there are three main rooms, one of which is the main hall, and six side rooms on the left and right, which are enough for the Guo family to live in.
The head of the household and his wife each lived in a main room.
Zou Gui was carrying a lantern and a bundle. Jiang Yushu pushed open the door and said, "This is your bedroom. Come in and take a look. Sit down and rest for a while. You can have dinner later and then take a bath."
"Hmm." Guo Honglei stepped over the threshold, took a closer look and was stunned:
The upper room of the old country house was clean and tidy, with the faint smell of new wood. In the middle, a plain gauze screen separated the inside and outside. The inside room contained a bed and boxes, while the outside room had bookshelves and a desk, on which were placed the four treasures of the study and candlesticks.
There is a square table under the window, and on the table there is a blue and white porcelain vase with a bunch of wild flowers in it, exuding a refreshing fragrance.
There was no luxurious furniture or toys in the room, but it was very simple and elegant.
For a moment, Guo Honglei felt lost in thought, as if he had left the vast frontier, where the winds from the rivers and mountains were strong, and returned to the capital. He had often ridden out of the city with close friends and classmates, either to enjoy the mountains and rivers or to go hunting. If it got too late, they would rest at the mansions of marquises or at the suburban farms of relatives and friends, full of energy and conversation all night long.
The bedroom in front of him brought back countless memories.
Seeing that the other party remained silent for a long time, Jiang Yushu asked, "What's the matter? Is there something that doesn't suit your taste? Tell me, and I'll see if I can change it."
Guo Honglei came back to his senses, shook his head, and said calmly, "I remember that my second uncle had a farm at the foot of the mountain in the eastern suburbs. The guest rooms there are somewhat similar to this one."
"...Really? What a coincidence." Jiang Yushu was quick-witted and immediately noticed that the man was feeling melancholy and nostalgic. She hurried over to the desk, pulled out several family letters from the drawer, and interrupted, "Come and sit down! Look, these are letters from the old lady, my third and fourth brothers, Brother Gong, and relatives and friends in the capital."
"Oh?" Guo Honglei perked up, took a seat, took the letter, flipped through it, and asked in surprise, "Liujia Village is quite remote. How did the letter get here?"
Jiang Yushu replied briefly, "Friends and relatives are all aware of our family's situation. Letters have been sent to Changping and Heqin. I asked County Magistrate Liu to help arrange for the letters to arrive. Although the delivery is slow, not a single one has been lost."
"Thank you for your hard work when I was not at home." Guo Honglei looked up with a deep gaze.
Jiang Yushu smiled and said, "It's not hard! County Magistrate Liu is very grateful for your 'life-saving grace'. As soon as I asked, he agreed immediately, without any effort." She paused, then remembered something and said cautiously, "Well, you're not home, and I'm afraid I'll miss something urgent. No matter who wrote 'Personally' on the envelope, I opened it. You won't be angry, will you?"
"It should be so. Why should I be angry?" Guo Honglei scanned the text quickly.
Zou Gui lit three candles. Jiang Yushu moved the candlestick closer and said softly, "Take your time to read. I've already replied to all the letters. You can pick a few more to reply to."
"Well, let me take a look first." Guo Honglei nodded, his gloomy look swept away, and he ordered: "Grind the ink."
"Yes." Zou Gui was a family-born boy who had been a book boy since he was young. He was skilled in grinding ink and spreading paper.
Seeing that the other party was no longer sad, Jiang Yushu was secretly relieved and said lightly: "Then you take a rest first, I'll go to the kitchen to take a look."
"good."
After watching his wife leave, Guo Honglei read the letter while praising her: "When I left at the end of June, this house was old and shabby, and covered in dust. I'm amazed that you managed to keep it so clean and tidy."
"All the furnishings in this room are the young lady's idea!" Zou Gui said happily.
Guo Honglei paused, then slowly pulled out the letter from his mentor, Lu Zhidong, and asked with a smile, "Did she arrange all this?"
"Yes." Zou Gui, being a quick-witted man, knew the master would appreciate hearing this, so he explained in detail, "The young lady believed that the young master had been well-read since childhood. No matter how skilled in martial arts he was or how many years he had spent in the military, he would always be a refined person. Therefore, she personally arranged the arrangements and drew several diagrams beforehand."
Guo Honglei was very interested. "Oh? You're drawing pictures?"
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"Yes!" Zou Gui described it vividly, gesturing. "After cleaning thoroughly, the young lady walked around with a pen in her hand, muttering, 'The bed needs to be made new, the desk needs to be put here,' and so on. It took her three full days to finally decide on the design and quietly find a carpenter to build the furniture."
Guo Honglei glanced around, his heart warmed and soothed. He didn't bother to read the letter, but simply sat up and asked, "Where did you get these screens, coffee tables, window screens, vases, etc.?"
Zou Gui spoke incessantly, explaining everything one by one. "The young lady is very cautious and repeatedly told us not to show off our actions. So, everything here, inside and out, was made by ourselves if we could. If we couldn't, we asked the villagers to buy it in town. For example, the base of the screen was made by a carpenter, the gauze was made by ourselves, and the window screens were also pasted by us. As for the vase? Haha, it's not an antique, only worth thirty copper coins. The young lady said it looks nice, so we put it up."
Guo Honglei walked to the window, bent over to admire it, and gently touched the petals with his slender fingers. He praised, "Although it's not expensive, it's simple and elegant, and it's really beautiful." He thought about it and turned to ask, "Do you pick flowers every day?"
"Hmm... no." Zou Gui thought for a moment and whispered, "The young lady has been decorating your room for about a month. Around the Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone was looking forward to your return. Although she didn't say it explicitly, she searched for wild flowers after finishing her farm work and arranged them in a vase for people to enjoy. It was a pity that you didn't come home for the festival. Since then, Cuimei and I have found it interesting and have been bringing some flowers home every day. It's not a big deal anyway, so it became a routine."
Mid-Autumn Festival? She must be disappointed that I didn’t go home.
Guo Honglei's cheerful smile faded, and a feeling of apology rose in his heart. He said helplessly, "I would like to come back to visit more often, but the military rules are strict. Without a warrant from the higher-ups, anyone leaving the army without permission will be treated as a deserter."
"Don't worry!" Zou Gui heard the apology and immediately changed the subject, comforting him: "The young lady has always been worried about your safety and has no resentment. She is amazing. She is very knowledgeable about agriculture and sericulture. She is smart and capable. Now that the potatoes are in bloom, most of the villagers are polite to us, except--" He suddenly stopped, showing annoyance.
Guo Honglei was startled, then he straightened up, examined the servant's demeanor, returned to his desk and sat down, and asked in a deep voice, "Except what?"
"Ahem, ouch." Zou Gui's face was bitter, and he was extremely embarrassed. He hesitated and said, "The young lady has instructed that you are not allowed to report trivial matters as if they were important. This will cause trouble to the young master, and even distract you from the battle. That would be disastrous. Therefore, I dare not say anything more."
Guo Honglei laughed in anger and demanded sternly, "How ridiculous! You listen to her, but you've decided not to listen to me?"
"No, no, how dare I?" Zou Gui waved his hands, feeling torn.
Guo Honglei growled, "Why don't you tell me now? Tell me! Who bullied you when I was away?"
"Bullying? No one dares to bully openly, but the rumors make people angry. Besides, the villains hiding in the dark are always worrying." Zou Gui was cautious and glanced at the door frequently, fearing that Jiang Yushu would catch him talking too much.
Guo Honglei's face darkened instantly, his eyes sharp as a torch. He asked slowly, "What about 'rumors'? And what about 'scoundrels'? Tell me the truth in detail, don't hide anything, otherwise—"
"I'll tell you! Tell you right now! Please don't send me to Changping County." After being together for many years, Zou Gui knew the young master's personality very well.
Guo Honglei said sternly, "If you dare to hide even a single word, pack your bags and go to Changping tomorrow morning and replace me with an honest person."
"Sir, please calm down. I'll tell you right away!" Zou Gui did not dare to hesitate and whispered in his ear for a long time.
Soon after
Jiang Yushu returned, approached the desk, lowered her head, and asked, "Who are you writing to?"
"Uncle and father-in-law." Guo Honglei looked calm, as if nothing had happened.
Jiang Yushu urged, "Put it aside and write it tomorrow! The noodles are ready. Eat and take a bath and go to bed early. I heard from Lin Qin that you only have one day off and you must be back before the twilight hour tomorrow, right?"
"Yes." Guo Honglei put down his pen as he was told, stood up and walked towards the main hall. Zou Gui lowered his head and looked submissively, not daring to look at the young lady.
"Oh, it was too hasty." Jiang Yushu sighed and then said, "I didn't know you were coming back, so I didn't prepare any fodder or stables. I had no choice but to send the four horses to the village head's house. He raises cattle. I'm sorry for the trouble. I'll find time to build a stable and prepare some hay for myself some other day."
Guo Honglei turned around, stared at the other man's much thinner face, and said without hesitation: "No need to wait until tomorrow morning, let's try to build one!"
"Okay." Jiang Yushu was in high spirits, walking with the wind in her step, feeling cheerful. She glanced at him again and again and couldn't help but say, "The Second Young Master looks so majestic in his military uniform!"
But you are wearing a coarse cloth dress, without any makeup, and without a single piece of jewelry on your body. You are busy with farm work every day, exposed to the wind and sun, and thin from hard work... In an instant, Guo Honglei was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, and he suddenly stopped and grabbed his wife!
"Ah—" Jiang Yushu had taken a few steps forward when she was dragged backwards. She stumbled and stumbled, and before she could stand still, she was suddenly pulled into the other person's arms, unable to move. She asked helplessly, "What's wrong with you?"
Seeing this, Zou Gui touched his nose and tactfully moved away.
Guo Honglei instantly lost control of himself, tightening his arms and saying in a hoarse voice, "If I had known this would happen, I would have——"
If she did not propose marriage, her father-in-law might beat her seriously on the spot.
The girl is good, and her marriage is good, but I am not... My husband's family fell into decline, and the women in the family became exiles and suffered a lot. The pampered daughter of the Minister's Mansion in the past now lives in such poverty.
Jiang Yushu struggled hard, but the man didn't budge. Her cheek was pressed against his shoulder, which was fine; but her chest was pressed against the breastplate of his military uniform, and the hardness of his soft spot pressed against hers. The pain was unbearable, but she was too embarrassed to speak out.
"What's the matter? Let's talk it over nicely and let go first." Jiang Yushu's face turned red and she struggled in embarrassment.
Guo Honglei was lost in thought, locking her tightly in his arms. His strong arms tightened, and he said in a hoarse voice filled with guilt, "Miss, you've really been wronged by marrying me."
"Why are you bringing up this again for no reason? I, I—" "It hurts!" Jiang Yushu gasped, tears welling up in pain. She couldn't help herself, so she thought quickly and said awkwardly, "Let go! You're pulling my hair!"
"Huh?" Guo Honglei was startled, then quickly let go, "I didn't notice for a moment."
Jiang Yushu was in so much pain that she couldn't stand straight for a moment. Under the pretext of fixing her hair, she bent sideways to wipe away her tears, feeling both amused and helpless. She said sternly, "It wasn't your fault that I was stripped of my title, had my property confiscated, and was exiled. Why blame yourself? Besides, my whole family is suffering, not just me. You had company in exile, and I had company in farming. Although it was hard, it wasn't so difficult that I couldn't survive. I don't feel wronged. On the contrary, watching the crops grow little by little is very satisfying and interesting."
"Forget it." Guo Honglei sighed, completely unaware that he had hurt someone. He put one hand on his wife's shoulders, strode with his head held high, and said solemnly, "You really are a fool."
Jiang Yushu immediately became angry and retorted in a low voice: "You are the stupid one! You are just a blockhead."
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"You—" Guo Honglei frowned, "Who's the dumb one? I'm not one anyway."
Jiang Yushu burst out laughing, but when she came to her senses, she felt that she shouldn't call people by nicknames, so she said, "Okay, you're not, I am!"
"You are not either." Guo Honglei smiled.
At the same time, in the woods behind the Guo family
"Oh, I'm so tired!" Liu Qun slumped down, leaning against a tree trunk, and complained, "Does the Guo family have any gold, silver, or treasures? I've been hiding in the mountains for half the night, and I'm tired and hungry."
The other three were sorting out the knockout drugs, while others were wiping their scimitars. They said confidently, "Don't worry, I've been watching for over half a month and have figured it out. It must be there!"
"Come down the mountain at midnight. Once we succeed, we'll go to the south and have a good time."
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On a dark and windy night, at xxxx o'clock [doge]
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