Chapter 51 Chapter 51 "Thank you, Master, for what you did to my wife..."
The next morning, just as the sky was getting light, there were voices in the backyard of the mansion.
Chu Yao stood by the path in the courtyard early in the morning, with her hands hidden in her sleeves, and her eyes looked towards the corridor from time to time, as if she was waiting for something.
Until Yue Bai walked out of the house in casual clothes, with steady steps and a normal expression.
Chu Yao's eyes lit up, and she quickly stepped forward and called out, "Master Yue."
Yue Bai was stunned. Seeing that it was Chu Yao, he paused slightly and slowed down his pace.
Chu Yao lowered her head, pulled out a sachet from her sleeve, and handed it forward, saying softly, "I borrowed some scraps of cloth from Madam last night and embroidered a little trinket. I thought... thank you for your help yesterday, so this will serve as a token of my gratitude."
The sachet is not luxurious, it just has two white magnolia flowers, and the stitching is a bit rough, but it is clean and elegant.
Yue Bai looked down at the sachet she handed him, a look of discomfort on his face.
Since joining the army, he had never had such contact with a woman, let alone accepting anything personal. He opened his mouth, wanting to refuse, but seeing Chu Yao's sincere expression and a hint of caution in her eyes, he couldn't refuse her and could only whisper, "Thank you."
The sachet was put away, and Yue Bai left quickly after saying this, as if he was escaping.
When he arrived at the tent and just walked in, Ji Yang caught a glimpse of the sachet hanging from his waist. He raised his eyebrows and said calmly, "Why haven't I seen you wearing something like this before?"
When Lu Linchuan heard this, he immediately came up and joked, "It's probably from a woman. Did Yue Bai meet his sweetheart?"
Yue Bai's ears turned slightly red, and he gave an embarrassed laugh, saying, "No way...it was given to me by the girl who went home with my wife last night when I left this morning."
Ji Yang's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, but his tone grew colder. "Then you better be careful. Women who are too proactive with a man often have bad intentions."
Lu Linchuan smacked his lips and looked sideways at him: "Why, what did Madam do to make the Lord complain like this?"
Ji Yang glanced at him sideways and said coldly, "I wasn't referring to her. I was just thinking about how many female spies have followed the army over the years, pretending to be beautiful women and sneaking into the camp. Which one of them didn't throw themselves into the arms of a man?"
Lu Linchuan laughed: "Didn't you chop them all off? Yue Bai is not you, what can he gain from you?"
Yue Bai shook his head and whispered, "I don't think Chu Yao... is scheming. Didn't the governor order me to investigate last night? She is indeed a native of Ningling. Both her parents died in the flood. The neighbors know her. They say she has a sister who disappeared six months ago and her whereabouts are still unknown."
"Missing?" Lu Linchuan stopped smiling and his expression became more serious.
Yue Bai nodded. "I heard it from the neighbors, but there's no definitive answer. Some say he went to another place, others say he was kidnapped at night... Anyway, his whereabouts are unknown."
Ji Yang paused while flipping through the construction drawings in his hand and whispered, "Whether it's true or false, be careful."
After saying this, he stood up, put the blueprint on his back, looked out at the sky, and said, "The water in the city has receded. Starting today, we will start the reconstruction. Let's go."
It was a sunny afternoon when someone suddenly came to the door of the county magistrate's mansion.
Xie Guijing was dressed in green, carrying a vermilion lacquer box in his hand. He had no servants with him, and his expression was gentle. He stood at the gate of the mansion and ordered the servant, "Please tell the servant that Xie Guijing from Zichuan has come to see the governor's wife."
The servant agreed and just as he turned around, he saw someone passing by in the distant courtyard. It was Chu Yao. Thinking it was a coincidence, the servant stepped forward and said, "Miss, the Madam has a visitor, a young man named Xie, who said he wanted to see the Madam."
Chu Yao was startled when she heard this, her eyes turned slightly, then she nodded in agreement and turned to walk inside.
In the stone pavilion in the backyard, Jiang Ci sat on a stone bench with a small table in front of him and a cup of light tea.
Chu Yao walked over quickly and said softly, "Madam, Mr. Xie is here."
Jiang Ci hummed, his eyes fixed on the pond, and said, "Since he's here, please come in."
She told Wanniang to prepare tea and Yinshuang to lead the way. She remained sitting in the same place, looking neither hurried nor slow.
Not long after, Xie Guijing walked slowly in from the corridor. His steps were not fast, and there was a sense of calmness in his steps. He entered the courtyard and bowed, "Greetings, Madam Governor."
Jiang Ci looked at him, a faint smile on his lips: "We have known each other for many years, and there is no one else here, so there is no need to be so formal. Please sit down."
Xie Guijing sat down, placed the lacquer box on the table, and gently opened the lid. "This is Zichuan's snack. I originally gave it to you yesterday, but you left in a hurry. I specially brought it to you today. It's not too late, right?"
Jiang Ci's eyes lit up as she casually took a piece from the box. It looked like it was stuffed with glutinous rice and still had a delicate fragrance. Without saying anything, she put it in her mouth, chewing and nodding, "It still tastes the same."
Wanniang poured a cup of tea and handed it to her. Xie Guijing took it and smiled at her: "It's been a long time since we last met. Wanniang is still so energetic."
Wanniang smiled and replied, "Master Jing is still so good at talking."
As soon as the two finished speaking, Chu Yao, who was standing behind the corridor in a corner of the courtyard, looked at Xie Guijing without saying a word, just watching quietly.
Yin Shuang walked over unnoticed and whispered to her, "Chu Yao, go to the kitchen and get some fruit."
Chu Yao was called back to her senses, responded softly, and turned to leave. After a while, she returned with a plate of cut fruit and placed it on the corner of the table.
Xie Guijing saw her, his eyebrows moved, and he asked, "Aci, is this your new maid?"
Jiang Ci took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, and covered his lips with a handkerchief: "No, it's not. It's just that she is homeless, and I saw that she had no one to rely on, so I asked her to stay in the mansion for a while."
Xie Guijing nodded: "I told you that you don't like crowds, nor do you like too many people waiting on you."
Jiang Ci smiled without saying anything, and changed the subject: "Are you going to the construction site today?"
"Yes," Xie Guijing replied, "I brought a few surveyors with me. We're going to take a look at the terrain today so we can assign people."
Jiang Ci listened and nodded. Neither of them said anything. She lowered her head and took a sip of tea. Xie Guijing looked at her, his fingers gently stroking his knees.
In the past, we always had endless things to talk about, but now that we meet again, I feel like I have less to say.
Xie Guijing also noticed her deliberate distance and finally stood up: "It's almost time. I won't disturb you to rest. I'll go ahead and check the terrain."
Jiang Ci also stood up: "Okay." Her tone was gentle and her expression was calm.
The two walked to the gate of the courtyard together. Xie Guijing took a few steps and, as if unable to help himself, turned back and glanced at Jiang Ci's back.
His brows furrowed slightly, but in the end he just sighed softly and left silently.
At this time, Chu Yao stood under a tree in the back corner of the courtyard and asked Yin Shuang in a low voice: "Who is this... Mr. Xie?"
Yin Shuang glanced at her and said, "He's an old friend of yours, from Zichuan. He's here on orders from the Governor of Liangzhou to help the Dongyang Army rebuild their houses."
Chu Yao nodded slightly, her eyes darkened, and she said "oh" thoughtfully.
In the evening, a faint glow floated in the sky.
Jiang Ci instructed Wanniang to pack the hot dishes prepared in the kitchen into lunch boxes, carefully checking the lids to make sure they were secure. Then, she took Yinshuang and Chu Yao with her, and the three of them headed towards the construction site.
Chu Yao walked beside Jiang Ci, her eyes filled with admiration and innocence, and whispered, "Madam and the Governor have a really good relationship."
Jiang Ci smiled, his tone gentle, and didn't say much.
Chu Yao took another step closer, blinked her eyes and said, "I hope that in the future, I can also marry a good man like the governor, just like my elder sister."
Jiang Ci was about to speak when Yin Shuang suddenly curled her lips and said in a tone that was neither light nor heavy: "He is indeed a good man, but be careful or he will draw his sword and kill you if we disagree."
Chu Yao was stunned by what she said, and turned around to ask, "Sister Yin Shuang, what does this mean?"
Jiang Ci smiled lightly and spoke to ease the atmosphere for her: "She meant that the governor has a bad temper."
Chu Yao said "Oh".
Soon, the three arrived at the construction site.
Jiang Ci paused. From a distance, he spotted Xie Guijing and several surveyors surveying the ditch terrain. A scroll of atlas lay spread out on a makeshift wooden table. Ji Yang stood nearby, his eyes focused, listening intently.
She stood still for a moment, not saying anything to disturb him, just watching quietly.
Ji Yang was not good at engineering work, but at that moment, he did not interrupt or seem impatient. He looked calm as always, nodding from time to time, and it was clear that he was listening attentively.
Jiang Ci's heart moved slightly, and he thought: He may not understand everything, but he is willing to listen patiently, which is better than many conceited men.
At this moment, Ji Yang happened to turn his head, and his eyes swept through the crowd and fell on her.
Xie Guijing noticed his pause and turned around, also seeing Jiang Ci standing not far away.
The three of them approached.
Jiang Ci said, "You've worked hard. I can't help much with the construction, so I can only ask Wan Niang to prepare some more braised meat so that you can eat better."
As she spoke, she turned around and told Chu Yao and Yin Shuang to open the food boxes, take out the dishes one by one, and place them neatly on a wooden platform set up in a corner of the construction site.
The fragrance overflowed, and some Dongyang soldiers smelled it and swallowed secretly.
Ji Yang turned around and said to everyone, "Rest first."
He did not sit down immediately, but walked back to the side, picked up the cloak on the wooden rack, came back and spread the cloak on the stool, and then turned back and said, "Sit down."
Jiang Ci didn't refuse and sat down in the seat he gave up.
Ji Yang took the chopsticks and saw that she hadn't started eating yet, so he asked her, "Why don't you eat?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Guijing suddenly interrupted with a smile, "Aci doesn't like the taste of ginger. He has never eaten food cooked with ginger since he was a child."
Ji Yang paused, his eyes darkening slightly.
Jiang Ci nodded, his tone normal: "Yes, I don't like ginger."
Xie Guijing continued, "When she was little, she caught a cold. Wanniang made ginger soup for her, but she secretly poured it all out. In the end, her fever got even worse..."
Before he finished speaking, Ji Yang looked up at him, his tone still calm, but with a hint of interruption in his words:
"Master Xie, you remember clearly what happened to my wife."
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Xie Guijing glanced at Jiang Ci, chuckled and said nothing more.
Jiang Ci, however, seemed oblivious. He lowered his head, picked up a piece of meat and passed it to Ji Yang, saying, "This braised beef was freshly cooked by Wan Niang using Ning Ling's recipe. Try it."
Ji Yang took it, said nothing, and just lowered his head to eat two bites.
All around them was the chaotic sound of hoeing and running water, and in the distance, the sounds of the Dongyang army setting up tents and unloading materials. The setting sun cast long shadows on the men. The wind blew through the stacked wood, and the air was thick with the scent of fireworks.
Yin Shuang stood aside, glancing around the construction site as if looking for someone.
Chu Yao lowered her head silently and glanced back and forth between Xie Guijing and Ji Yang.
Jiang Ci suddenly remembered something and turned around to say, "I ordered some roasted venison from Changxing Restaurant. It should be ready by now. Go get it and share it with everyone."
After hearing this, the two men took the order and left.
On one side of the construction site, a dilapidated house hadn't been cleaned up yet. Half of the roof was tilted, the wooden beams were exposed, and the tiles were crumbling. This place had been ordered to be sealed off, but the children were playful and didn't care about the rules.
Two children, about seven or eight years old, came in from nowhere, chasing and playing with each other, their laughter piercing the dusty wind and weaving through the piles of wood and stones. They ran and ran, and before they knew it, they had run to the bottom of the dangerous building.
Jiang Ci just raised his eyes and saw that corner at a glance.
Her expression suddenly changed, and she blurted out, "Come out! Come out from that side—don't go in!"
But the distance was quite far and the construction site was noisy, so the children couldn't hear it clearly at all.
Ji Yang also turned his head to look behind him at this time, and realized something was wrong. He turned his eyes and saw the two children running into the eaves.
He frowned and was about to get up and go over.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Ci had already run over.
Her skirt was lifted up, and she rushed to the slanted eaves in a few steps, not caring about the slippery mud. She squatted down and tried to pull the two children out: "Stop playing, come out quickly, this house is about to collapse!"
But the two children were so engrossed in their play that they didn't listen. One of the boys even took a few steps further inside, pointing at the tiles above and laughing, "Sister, this looks like a boat!"
Jiang Ci's face darkened and he suddenly reached out to pull.
Unexpectedly, the child dodged suddenly and his toes hit a loose supporting wooden stake.
There was only a crisp sound of "creak" -
Time seemed to stand still.
Above the eaves, the diagonal wooden beam broke with a snap, and collapsed with a whole wall of shaking tiles, raising a cloud of dust like fog.
Jiang Ci reacted almost instantly, opening her arms without hesitation and scooping up the two children, one in each hand. She ducked her head to protect them. She bent extremely low, pinning the two small figures firmly beneath her.
At that moment, tiles collapsed and beams fell.
Ji Yang had already rushed over. Seeing the ruined house collapse in an instant, dust and smoke billowed in his face, he suddenly stopped, his face horrified. His throat tightened, and he almost screamed out her name.
"Jiang Ci!"
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