Outside Qixia Gate, the stars and flames were like dragons.
The villagers held torches and looked at the water. Lord Qian led the officers and soldiers along the river bank to check the water level and flow. Xu Jiang and Wei Bo stood on a hill and rock, holding torches and looking at the opposite bank.
"There's a fire!" Xu Jiang exclaimed as he looked at a string of flames floating out from Liuyuan.
The people around looked over and saw it was indeed a fire. They waved their hands with flames and shouted towards the other side. Some called out the names of family members, some asked about the situation, and some spoke in ambiguous words just to vent their excitement.
Xu Jiang was infected by this and couldn't help but shout Lou Yunchun's name over and over again tirelessly.
When the flames drifted to the shore, everyone realized that it was a team of horse-riding officials. Xu Jiang could not see the face of the leader clearly, but recognized from his figure that it was Lou Yunchun.
She grabbed the stubborn donkey's neck and shook it, saying happily, "He's okay! He's okay!"
The old man who measured the water level was named Wei, and he was happy for her. "Good fortune will come to those who are lucky. Madam and husband, do good deeds and accumulate merits, and you will naturally be safe."
Xu Jiang said to Wei Bo, "Don't worry, your family will be safe!" Then she raised the torch and shouted to Lou Yunchun, "Zhaoyue, Zhaoyue! I'll wait for you to come home!"
The word "go home" touched the hearts of many people. The surrounding villagers were deeply excited and raised their torches, shouting: "Go home! Go home!"
Lou Yunchun, leading a patrol to survey the water, saw torches blazing on the other side of the river, accompanied by shouts of joy. He paused to watch for a moment. Suddenly, a familiar voice drifted in on the wind, and he opened his eyes wide, eagerly searching the crowd on the other side.
"Teruzuki, I'm here."
There was a cacophony of voices and the rumbling of water, but he managed to catch the silken sound and followed it to find a man and a donkey standing on a hill.
It's Xu Jiang! Why is she here? Is she waiting for him?
Lou Yunchun was stunned for a moment, and felt that the wilderness in his heart was ignited by the torch in Xu Jiang's hand, and the blood crawling in his limbs and bones was boiling.
He immediately raised his torch in response.
"He saw me!" Xu Jiang tugged at the stubborn donkey's mane to steady himself, waving his arms vigorously. "Zhaoyue, you must return safely. I'll be waiting for you to come home!"
Lou Yunchun heard it, and finally couldn't hold back any longer, and replied with a deep breath: "Okay!"
The patrolman behind him was so frightened by the sudden sound that he almost dropped the torch.
The two patrolmen huddled together and whispered.
"Who are you promising this to, sir?"
"I don't know, maybe it's a family member."
"How can you recognize so many people?" A patrolman looked towards the other side. Apart from the floating and swaying torches, there were only some black heads.
"Hey, look at that donkey. Does it look like the mount of the young lady, sir?"
The two men raised their torches and stared at the donkey intently. Then they saw that the person holding the donkey and waving the torch seemed to be a woman, so they nodded.
“It’s true.”
"It's so late, and you're still waiting for us, it shows how deeply the young lady loves us."
"We adults are no less frightened than that young boy. I was so frightened by his shout that I almost let go of the door."
"Oh, what do you know? This is called a blooming iron tree, a long accumulation of hard work."
"Ah, looking at this, I miss my wife a little bit."
"Oh, it's like someone has no wife."
A horse came up from behind, startling the two men so much that they turned around at the same time. They saw that the young man who had just arrived had a face longer than the face of the horse he was riding.
The two of them burst into laughter.
I forgot there is a bachelor here.
Lou Yunchun was brought back to his senses by his subordinates' laughter. He cleared his throat and ordered everyone, "Gaoyang Township is located on high ground. After we inspect the river, we will return to the city from Gaoyang Township."
Upon hearing this, everyone raised their torches and cheered.
Lou Yunchun looked toward the other side of the river, then rode his horse to the water's edge and called out to Xu Jiang, "A Jiang, go home and wait for me!"
"What?" It was too noisy around and Xu Jiang couldn't hear clearly.
The patrolmen behind Lou Yunchun exchanged glances, a sly smile flickering in their eyes. Then, imitating Lou Yunchun's tone, they shouted in unison, "A Jiang, go home and wait for me—!"
"Ajiang, go home and wait for me—!"
The patrol guards of the Dali Temple were well-trained. Their shouts penetrated the raging waves and storms and reached the other side.
The patrolmen shouted more than a dozen times. Xu Jiang, blushing, waved the torch and replied, "Okay!"
The villagers on this side didn't understand what was going on, but they also responded: "Okay!"
What's wrong with going home? When the water recedes, they can go home too.
Lou Yunchun was frightened by his subordinates' wild shouting. He turned around with a stern face and glanced at them, but saw that their faces were relaxed and they did not seem to be afraid of him as usual.
His expression relaxed, and he said gently, "Let's go. Let's finish our patrol early and go home early."
The patrol guards cheered again.
Lou Yunchun turned his head to look at the blurry yet clear figure on the opposite bank, and a smile couldn't be suppressed on his lips.
Seeing Lou Yunchun leading his men upstream, Xu Jiang finally lowered her aching arm and said to Wei Bo, "Wei Bo, I'm going home."
Wei Bo smiled and said, "The water is receding soon, and I will be home soon."
Xu Jiang also showed a bright smile, "Everyone will go home."
Xu Jiang hurried back to the bookstore, lit the lights inside, and washed the stubborn donkey whose hooves were covered in mud. Then she lit the stove to boil water for the medicinal bath.
I bought the medicinal bath bag from Doctor Chen at Qianjinfang a while ago. I soak in it occasionally at the turn of spring and summer to strengthen my body.
She got up last night to check if she had caught a cold, and today she was frightened and blown by the river wind all day, so she felt a little heavy, so a medicinal bath was just right to drive away the cold.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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