Chapter 102: Going south, he couldn't help but kiss her.
Chen Yue glanced at them both, his tone hardening, "Yueniang and the others are sorting and copying medical texts in the front. The general is resting behind the tent."
Qingsong uttered "Ah", scratched his head, and muttered: "Are you still sleeping? I thought I was the only one who went with him that time. Why are the beds in the academy so comfortable to sleep on?" But when he thought about the time when he followed Shen Changfeng to the Imperial College to study, and listened to the kids next door talking nonsense, it was indeed very easy to sleep, and he could even fall asleep while standing.
Shen Changfeng had originally taken Qingsong to stand in the corner as punishment, but later the person who was punished became Chen Yue.
Qingsong sighed and said, "Just sleep if you want. He can only sleep for a while at the academy. It always feels like he's rushing to finish everything before the clockwork runs out. He never stops."
Jiang Jin nodded, looked at the silent Chen Yue, and suddenly asked, "What about you?"
Chen Yue's eyebrows twitched slightly, then quickly returned to normal. He asked, "What?"
Qingsong laughed: "What about you? Are you just going to stand there and watch the general sleep?"
Chen Yue was silent for a moment, then said, "When Yue Niang encounters a character she doesn't recognize, she sometimes asks me."
Qingsong sighed, "I never thought that Master Lin was a scholar, but his daughter couldn't even read."
Chen Yue moved his lips, but ultimately said nothing.
Jiang Jinqi asked curiously, "So it seems that the general doesn't have that kind of feelings for Yue Niang?" Shen Changfeng takes care of her in every way. It can't be because her last name is Lin, right?
Chen Yue shook his head, "Don't say such things. It's bad for the reputation of my daughter."
In reality, everyone in the camp knew that Master Lin had joined the army because of his daughter. After Lin Yue'e was abducted and taken to Black Wind Village, this experience would make it difficult for her to find a good marriage outside, regardless of whether something happened. The people of Fubo Village knew the truth, but they didn't really care much about it. They could face death any day if they took up arms, so they were lucky to have a girl who liked them.
It was probably because of this that Master Lin had the idea of finding a husband for his daughter in the army.
A few of them were chatting about something else when they heard a slight movement outside. They exchanged glances and walked out, holding the hilt of their knives.
In the official residence.
Shen Changfeng had a splitting headache. He propped himself up and reached out to grab the copper pot on the table. He took a sip from the pot. It was water, bland and tasteless.
He sat up, holding his forehead, shook his head, grabbed the nearest wine jug, tilted his neck back and shook it, but there were only a few drops, which could not quench his thirst.
He scratched his hair and fumbled around for the wine jugs at his feet—he needed wine, he really, really needed wine. When he touched one that was clearly heavy, he felt relieved and took a gulp—still water.
His irritation grew, and he threw the wine jug to the ground. There were two other wine jugs on the desk, and he stumbled over to them, picked them up, and sniffed them. It was still water.
Needless to say, it must have been a good thing done by Chen Yue and the others.
He let out a few long breaths, but was unable to suppress the almost pathological addiction in his heart.
When he led troops into battle in the past, he had a place to vent his anger and resentment, and gathered all his resentment, hatred, and pain on the blade. He used all his strength to hack and kill, staying ready at all times, and rushing thousands of miles. He was so busy and tired that he had no extra energy to think about other things.
But the tranquility of Xuanfu was torment and torture for him. He felt that time had become extremely long. He had tried every way to keep himself busy, but it was not enough. The days without her seemed to be stretched out exponentially, and no matter how he used them, there was still a lot left.
As soon as he closed his eyes, he would unconsciously recall her dimples, her kindness, and the sweetness they had experienced together. However, these beautiful moments that kept him alive were all ended abruptly by her betrayal and abandonment.
Such memories were nothing short of torture for him, and he fell into immense pain, lost in the past. Missing her became a disease.
In order to treat his illness, he went to see a doctor.
The doctor's surname is Jiu.
He could drink quite a lot; ordinary alcoholic beverages couldn't satisfy him, so he'd settle for the strongest, most potent soju. But he couldn't get drunk. He was a general, and he had to keep a clear mind at all times, so he could make the most accurate decisions quickly in emergencies.
Thus, a thin thread always tautly stretched his mind, that was his critical point. He constantly maintained a delicate balance between sobriety and depravity. To achieve this, he required self-control so immense, even terrifying. His spirits were not weakened by drinking; on the contrary, they were always in an abnormally high state.
Such repeated torture would cause great damage to the body, but he didn't care.
Shen Changfeng rarely lost his temper, provided no one dared to touch his taboos. But now, someone had stolen his medicine.
He could feel the rebellion in his blood roaring wildly, and the muscles on his face were twitching slightly uncontrollably.
He scooped up some cold water to wash his face, and inadvertently saw a silhouette on the water surface, and met a pair of bloodshot eyes.
Looking at the twisted, broken figure, he suddenly remembered how she'd always frowned when she saw him coming home drunk. She was so pretty when she frowned. He couldn't help but kiss her. She didn't like him drinking too much, but she'd still make him hangover soup and nag him while she wiped his face with a wet handkerchief. He couldn't help but kiss her.
His thoughts were easily diverted, the surging rage flew away into the sky, and the restlessness in his blood was slowly calmed down.
Qingsong rushed into the official residence with a happy face. He called out a few times but heard no response. He walked into the room and saw Shen Changfeng staring at the basin motionlessly, as if he was possessed by a demon and admiring himself. He didn't know what was wrong with him.
Qingsong's mouth relaxed a little, worried that he might suddenly fall ill. He stopped at the door and asked cautiously, "General?"
Shen Changfeng's spirit immediately returned to its place and asked, "What's the matter?"
Qingsong and the others had been worried that Shen Changfeng would develop a drinking habit if things continued like this, and they had been hoping for a turnaround. Finally, today, while patrolling the border, they caught two horse thieves, who brought good news—well, terrible news for someone.
Back in the barracks, Shen Changfeng flipped through the interrogation statements, his eyes falling on the man and woman kneeling on the ground, and he said slowly, "Tell me, what happened."
The fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy's eyes were filled with earnestness, his face practically emblazoned with the words "Brother, it's me." Hearing Shen Changfeng's tone, he felt no rebuke, but rather a genuine concern. His eyes welled up, and he was nearly moved to tears. He sighed, "It's a long story. That crazy woman, that Su..."
A tall figure with a scar on his face placed his hand on the young man's neck and bowed together. A female voice spoke, "General Rong, I and your humble servant are trying to make a living. I can't read a word, and I had no idea that selling horses illegally would violate the laws of the Wei Dynasty."
She sighed and continued, "I know I was wrong. Please punish me, General." As she spoke, she increased the strength in her hands.
The young man gasped in pain and nodded continuously: "Yes, yes, I know I was wrong. Please punish me, General Shen!"
Shen Changfeng looked at Duan Sanniang and Duan Silang, pondered for a moment, and said, "I understand that since this is your first offense and you're under pressure to make a living, I won't be escorting you to the garrison this time. However, all the horses you sold must be handed over to the government. You will be fined fifteen strokes of the cane and a fine of silver... In lieu of punishment, you will be forced to work in the camp, feeding the horses and doing odd jobs for three months. Do you agree to this?"
Duan Silang nodded hurriedly. "I'm convinced, I'm convinced!" He was so convinced! Staying in the barracks meant he'd have food to eat and a place to stay. If he did well, he might even be able to continue working as a handyman in the camp. God bless him, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd spent the night under a roof.
When leaving Beijing, Shen Changfeng was rescued by Qin Yan and the Duan siblings. Although the Duan siblings were dressed simply at that time, they had a look of genuine satisfaction on their faces. Later, when he was marching through Henan, he also had a brief meeting with Qin Yan. At that time, the Duan siblings were still with Qin Yan to help take care of the baby.
Su Qinxue gave birth to a daughter and gave her to Qin Yan. Qin Yan didn't say it, but Shen Changfeng could see that he loved his daughter very much. Duan Sanniang said that he wanted to carry Xiao Man'er on duty.
Xiao Man'er was raised to be plump, white, and cute. She smiled whenever she saw anyone and even reached out to ask Shen Changfeng to hug her. Her full name was Qin Anyi, a name Qin Yan had given her himself.
Qin Yan also gave names to the Duan siblings. Duan Sanniang said she wanted names that would make people understand and mean having enough food to eat and living a good life.
Children from poor families generally did not have names and were called by their birth order. Qin Yan named her Duan Manlou, and Duan Silang was called Duan Mantang.
The Duan siblings were very happy, and Shen Changfeng laughed along with them, but as he laughed, he felt very sad. He felt that he had accidentally intruded into someone else's happiness, feeling out of place and embarrassed.
But now, the two siblings were dressed in rags and looked down and out, as if they had been wandering around for a long time. Shen Changfeng didn't ask why they had left their hometown, but he could vaguely guess the reason. It was probably related to Su Qinxue.
Duan Silang finally met an acquaintance who knew the inside story and wanted to complain, but Duan Sanniang didn't let him.
At that time, Duan Sanniang had brought Xiao Man'er home. She saw a swaddling cloth at the entrance of the government office, found a jade pendant inside, calculated the time, and immediately picked up the child and went to find Qin Yan. Unfortunately, Qin Yan was away on official business, so Duan Sanniang had to take care of Xiao Man'er for two months, acting as both father and mother. She also helped to give Xiao Man'er this nickname.
Duan Silang, filled with anguish and unable to vent, sighed softly. Everything had been fine. Last year, Su Qinxue had finally agreed to divorce Qin Yan, and before that, she'd wanted to come to Nanyang to see her daughter. But somehow, after two days, she'd suddenly changed her mind, refusing to divorce. Her attitude grew increasingly hostile, constantly provoking conflict with Qin Yan and forcing him and Duan Sanniang to leave Nanyang.
Duan Sanniang didn't want to make things difficult for Qin Yan, so one night she grabbed Duan Silang, threw him onto a donkey cart, and left.
Since his brother and sister didn't know how to make a living, they had to resort to stealing and robbing, which was when they were caught by Shen Changfeng's men. Although it was their first offense, it was actually their first offense many times.
Shen Changfeng sent the two siblings away and sat in the main seat, looking thoughtful.
He had also held Xiao Man'er in his arms at the time. The baby wasn't even a year old yet, still growing teeth, and she would pull at his collar and nibble, drooling all over him. Qin Yan took her back apologetically, then feigned anger and scolded the baby. Shen Changfeng laughed at him for becoming a wet nurse, but in fact, he was extremely envious.
Putting aside the beginning and the middle, Qin Yan has a daughter! And this is born to the woman he loves the most!
Shen Changfeng didn't dare to imagine how happy he would be if Lin Meizhu was willing to give birth to a baby for him. It would be worth dying for.
However, the Duan siblings told him that Xiao Man'er was missing. Not long ago, she disappeared from home without any warning on the eve of Qin Yan's birthday.
Qin Yan was heartbroken and fell seriously ill. He forced himself to send out notices, offering a large sum of money in the hope that some capable person would provide him with clues and help him find his daughter's whereabouts.
The talented man Shen Changfeng made a life-changing decision. He decided to go south to help Qin Yan find his baby.
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