Chapter 44 Chapter 44 "Do you hate the people here?"
He flashed in front of her and cast a chilling gaze at the man on horseback.
The rider also pulled the reins to a halt, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. He dismounted hastily and apologized repeatedly.
"How dare you ride your horse in the street? What if you hurt children or women?" Ji Yang growled.
The man trembled and knelt to apologize, nodding repeatedly, "I was reckless. It really wasn't intentional."
Jiang Ci rose from his embrace, her face still slightly pale. Ji Yang turned to look at her, his tone finally softening a bit: "Are you frightened?"
Jiang Ci shook his head and whispered, "I'm fine."
Ji Yang then let the man go and warned him coldly, "You are not allowed to ride your horse in the streets again."
The man nodded in agreement, led his horse and walked away with his head down.
After the dust settled, the streets became bustling again.
Jiang Ci straightened his clothes and chuckled, "It seems Yuguan County is more lively than I thought."
Ji Yang's eyes were still on her shoulder, and he seemed not to have fully recovered.
"Let's go," Jiang Ci looked up at him, his tone light and cheerful again. "We're almost at the alley where I remember the noodle shop. If it's still there, I'd like you to try some Liangzhou cooking."
The noodle shop sat beneath the old locust tree at the alley's entrance. Its sign was already rusty, but the gray tiles and yellow walls evoked a sense of the olden days. Jiang Ci stood in front of the door and laughed in surprise, "It's still there."
As she spoke, she pushed the door open and walked in.
The shopkeeper was an old man with gray hair. He saw them come in, looked them over, and then smiled and said, "Come in and sit down. What would you like to eat?"
Jiang Ci glanced at the sign on the wall and said, "Two bowls of noodles, a plate of pickled cucumbers, and a pot of cold tea."
The shopkeeper nodded and went to the kitchen.
The tables and chairs in the shop were simple, with wooden chairs with mottled paint. In the corner, a few locals could be heard chatting and drinking tea. Jiang Ci chose a seat by the window, and Ji Yang sat across from her.
He remained silent, his eyes fixed on the crowd outside the window, seemingly having little interest in his surroundings.
Jiang Ci didn't force it, and only said softly: "The noodles here are wide, and the soup base is light. It uses the local chicken bone grass from Liangzhou. I can't stand the greasy Zichuan, so I always miss this."
Ji Yang nodded and said nothing more.
There was a brief silence.
After a long while, he suddenly asked, "How many times did you come to Yuguan County when you were a child?"
Jiang Ci was a little surprised that he took the initiative to speak, then nodded and said, "Just once. My father came to do some work, and I stuck with him."
Ji Yang lowered his eyes, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the table.
"Do you like it here?" His tone was flat, but it made Jiang Ci pause.
She thought for a moment and said, "Yes, I remember it so clearly because I never had the chance to come again. When I was little, I loved the Hu pancakes here, the market, and the sound of the wind blowing through the eaves at night."
Ji Yang chuckled softly, not a happy laugh, but a sarcastic sneer.
"The night wind in Liangzhou is not a pleasant thing."
Jiang Ci was stunned and didn't reply.
There was silence between the two again.
Soon, the noodles were served. Amidst the lingering steam, the faint aroma of chicken bone grass wafted into his nose. Jiang Ci stirred the noodles in the bowl, picked up a piece of it with chopsticks, and took a bite.
"It still tastes the same." She sighed softly.
Ji Yang lowered his head and took a sip. The broth was light, and the noodles were chewy, yet tasted like chewing wax. A cold, hard feeling welled up in his heart, but he suppressed it. He simply ate in silence, as if swallowing memories of the past.
After the meal, Jiang Ci stood up and paid the bill. The sun was setting outside the store, and there were more voices of people packing up their stalls on the street.
She said softly, "Thank you for accompanying me today."
Ji Yang didn't look at her, but asked in a low voice:
"Then do you know how many people in this city hate me to the core?"
She looked at his back and suddenly understood that all his coldness and silence today were not just simple boredom. Liangzhou was a memory, an attachment, and a belonging to her; but to him, it was an old hatred, a quagmire, and a humiliation that had nowhere to go.
Jiang Ci answered him frankly at this moment: "Do you hate the people here, or do the people here hate you?"
Ji Yang was speechless for a moment.
Jiang Ci spoke slowly, his tone serious:
"Since my father is willing to marry me to you, it means that Liangzhou will rely on your reputation as the Grand Commander of Dongyang. And the people of Liangzhou will also become the people you need to protect."
She looked at him with clear and firm eyes, "The day I get married, they will not only be people from Liangzhou, but also the responsibility on your shoulders, Ji Yang."
She paused, her tone slowed down a bit, but still remained sincere:
"So today, can you put aside your prejudices for a moment and walk with me to see Yuguan County? I just want you to see for yourself—the people here are no different from the people of Dongyang. They, too, have been displaced by war and struggled to survive in the mud."
Ji Yang slowly turned his head to look at her, his eyes becoming more complicated, as if he was struggling and wavering.
He walked to her side, his tone no longer cold and sarcastic, and simply said, "Since you said you want to show me, then let's go."
The night deepened in the streets, and the last rays of sunlight on the horizon disappeared into the clouds. Jiang Ci led Ji Yang on a slow walk through the streets of Yuguan County.
The atmosphere here is completely different from Fengdu. It lacks Fengdu's bustling bustle, but instead possesses a warm, tranquil charm. Pedestrians walk in groups of three or four, laughing and chatting, children chase kites, and the aroma of fried tofu wafts from the alleyway where smoke rises.
Ji Yang walked half a step behind Jiang Ci, his eyes quietly scanning the shops on both sides. He didn't say anything, but heard Jiang Ci say with a smile: "Look over there, that old man selling candy figures. I saw him when I was a child. I wonder why he's still here."
The two walked to a street stall displaying a row of handmade paper crafts. Jiang Ci casually picked up a mechanical lantern and flicked it gently. The lantern's interior slowly spun, and the floral and bird designs on the paper unfolded, seemingly coming to life.
She liked it immediately and handed it to Ji Yang: "Have you seen this?"
Ji Yang took it and frowned as he looked at it for a long time, but he didn't know how to activate the mechanism. Jiang Ci laughed and leaned over to point at the shaft at the bottom: "Just give it a slight push here and it will move."
As soon as she finished speaking, her fingers had already pressed the mechanism for him. The movement was natural, and her fingertips accidentally brushed against his palm. Ji Yang's fingers tightened, and his body paused slightly, but he did not pull away.
The lanterns spun, and the flowers and birds on the paper danced. Jiang Ci looked at the lanterns, a smile in his eyes: "It's quite interesting, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Ji Yang responded in a low voice, as if he had not yet recovered from the touch just now.
Not far ahead, a group of people were watching a fireworks display. Sparks flew up, illuminating a corner of the street. Jiang Ci excitedly pulled Ji Yang closer, watching as he said, "When I was little, I was most afraid of this. I always thought it would burn people."
In the firelight, her profile was clearly reflected. Ji Yang looked down at her without saying a word.
A burnt aroma wafted over from the other side of the bridge. Jiang Ci sniffed and turned to look at him: "There seems to be roasted rice cakes over there. I want to eat some."
"I'll go." Ji Yang started walking before she finished speaking.
Jiang Ci watched him walk away, the corners of his lips curled up slightly, then he turned around and called a few children to the roadside, leaning close to their ears and whispering a few words.
The children's eyes lit up and they nodded repeatedly. Jiang Ci took out a few copper coins from her sleeve and handed them to them. The children ran away happily, and soon brought more friends with them to spread her words one by one.
There was a commotion on the street. Jiang Ci stood on the bridge and looked up at the night sky dotted with lights in the distance.
A moment later, Ji Yang walked back from the crowd, holding a freshly baked rice cake in his hand. Jiang Ci heard the footsteps and turned to look at him.
He walked to her side and handed her the rice cake, but Jiang Ci suddenly said, "Ji Yang."
"Ah?" Ji Yang responded subconsciously, and just as he turned his head and opened his mouth -
Jiang Ci had already stuffed the roasted rice cake in his hand into his mouth.
He was startled. In front of him was her eyes and eyebrows, which were so close to him. The reflection of the water lanterns under the bridge seemed to be floating with faint starlight.
"Isn't it delicious?" Jiang Ci chuckled softly, "You won't be able to taste it outside of Yuguan County."
Without waiting for his response, she turned around and walked towards the inn.
Ji Yang bit the rice cake and stood there for a while. Finally, he sighed and took a step to catch up.
The two walked one after the other, through the crowd returning to the alley after the night market, and returned to the simple inn.
Jiang Ci paused slightly and turned back in front of the door. Ji Yang had just taken a few steps when she whispered behind him:
"Thank you, Governor, for today."
Ji Yang did not look back, but just paused slightly at the end of the corridor, his fingertips slowly curled up in his robe sleeves.
Early the next morning, the sky was already bright and fireworks were set off on the streets of Yuguan County.
Ji Yang stood up, put on his clothes, got on the bed, and took a sip of cold tea.
Yesterday she casually mentioned the fried tofu in Yuguan County, and he kept it in mind. Thinking that since she was pregnant, she should have a good rest, he planned to go to the street alone to find some hot food.
He walked out of the inn alone and headed towards West Street. Tea stalls on the street had already set up stoves, and wisps of steam were rising.
After walking a few steps, I heard a few people talking among themselves at the tea stall:
"Have you heard? The Grand Commander of Dongyang went to Ningling to control the flood. He worked with the people to carry mud and sand. He was covered in mud and water during the day, and slept on the floor with everyone else at night."
Another person was surprised and said, "Is this true? I thought he was a heartless killer who would destroy everything in the world when he started fighting."
Another old man took a sip of tea, put down his cup, and said slowly, "Hey, you all heard this, but I saw it with my own eyes. I just came back from Ningling a few days ago, and I saw the governor personally distributing military rations to the people. He himself hadn't had a single bite of hot porridge in three days. What general in the world can do that?"
Someone interrupted, "I also heard that his wife is from Liangzhou."
"Oh, then wouldn't it be possible to transport goods to Dongyang openly from now on? The trade routes between Liangzhou and Tingzhou will be smooth!"
"The governor's wife is from Liangzhou, so we are related to the governor." Everyone laughed.
Suddenly, someone sighed softly, "In the future... the Grand Commander of Dongyang might become the Commander-in-Chief of Liangzhou."
"Yes, with a governor like him in charge, we don't have to fear war anymore. Unlike those Xiliang soldiers, they kill, burn, rob, and kill. They grab anything they can find, even chickens and dogs!"
These words, one after another, exploded in Ji Yang's ears.
He froze in his tracks, his brows furrowed, but he didn't speak immediately. He thought it was just idle chatter, but continued walking, crossing two alleys and overhearing an elderly couple at a tofu stall recount how he had distributed food to the people, personally carried the wounded, and cared for the people while repairing the dam late at night.
Further ahead, a child's clear singing voice came from the alley wall:
"Ningling's waters are rising and the sky is about to collapse.
The Governor of Dongyang carries a shovel.
Carrying mud and sand without fear of hardship,
Share food and save people as if they were your own family.
The white robe is not stained with the blood of the people,
He asked with a smile, "Who doesn't know him?"
Ji Yang was stunned when he heard this and stood still.
He looked behind the wall with a complicated expression, walked over, grabbed a child who was hopping on the grid with his friends, and asked in a low voice: "Who taught you this song?"
The child tilted his head back, opened his clear eyes, looked at him, and answered innocently, "Our teacher taught me that! He said the Grand Commander of Dongyang is a great hero and will protect us."
The child said, grinning at Ji Yang: "Big brother, you look so handsome, just like the great commander!"
Ji Yang was speechless for a moment, let go of the child's hand, and stood there for a long time.
His eyes fell on the bustling streets and morning light in the distance, and the lingering sound of the children's song seemed to still echo in his ears.
It turns out that the things he thought no one would remember or care about have now become words passed down by word of mouth among the people.
He had watched countless times with cold eyes as others described him as "cold-blooded and cruel" and "Dongyang Killer God", but he never thought that someone would say he was a good person.
At that moment, his heart suddenly shook, as if his heart, which had been as cold and hard as iron for many years, was gently touched by someone.
An inexplicable emotion surged up silently.
He suddenly thought of Jiang Ci.
It all started with her.
That heart, forged by hatred, war, and humiliation, was pried open this morning by the simple kindness of the people of Liangzhou and a song.
He took a deep breath, turned around, picked up the hot tofu, and walked quickly towards the inn.
It was early morning, the sun barely illuminating the rooftops of Yuguan County. Jiang Ci leaned against the window of the inn's second floor, clutching a corner of the curtain. Looking down, she saw the streets gradually becoming bustling. The cries of vegetable vendors, the aroma of breakfast stalls, and the sounds of early-rising children chasing each other intertwined into a scene of bustling life.
But her gaze only rested on one person.
Ji Yang walked down the street, a lunch box in one hand. His expression was different from usual, no longer that cold, stiff look. He seemed to have finally let go of something, and the wrinkles between his brows, which had been tightly knitted for so long, actually relaxed slightly.
There were still people sitting around on the street chatting and laughing, still spreading stories about his deeds.
Jiang Ci looked at him, the corners of her lips slightly raised, a soft light flashing in her eyes. She gently closed the window, returned to the couch, and closed her eyes.
Not long after, there was a soft knock on the door.
She got up slowly, put on a coat, and then opened the door sleepily.
Ji Yang stood outside the door, his body awash in the morning air. He walked in, placed his soy milk and fried tofu on the table, and said in a low, unnatural voice, "I brought it back for you while it's still hot in the morning market."
Jiang Ci was slightly startled, then the corners of his lips curved up, and he said in a lazy tone, as if he had just woken up: "Thank you for your hard work, Commander."
I thought he would just nod in silence, but unexpectedly, he bucked his usual behavior and quietly replied, "The Yuguan morning market outside is quite lively, and quite... unique."
She turned around, hiding the smile on her face, and walked towards the dressing table with a slight glance. The bronze mirror reflected a cunning look on her lips: "Commander, Yin Shuang is not with me, can you help me comb my hair?"
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