accompany
Jingwan sat on the edge of the bed, her feet immersed in the warm wooden tub. She was so comfortable that she was drowsy, her hands propped up on the edge of the bed, but her head was drooping.
She hadn't been sleeping well lately. Even when he was with her, she would wake up frequently before leaving the territory under Li Ling's control, unable to fall back asleep. This caused dark circles under her eyes and loss of appetite, and all the fat she had gained in Lingnan was wasted.
Lu Chang gently massaged her feet. Seeing that she was very sleepy, he took a soft towel and gently wiped them clean before carrying her to the bed.
She woke up at that exact moment, grabbed Lu Chang's collar, and asked somewhat fearfully, "Where are you going, cousin?"
Lu Chang could see her fear and dared not let go. He simply held her and gently comforted her, "I won't go anywhere."
He covered her with the blanket, propped himself up on the bed with one hand, and as Jingwan smelled the comforting cypress scent, she couldn't resist the drowsiness and fell into a deep sleep.
She woke up in the middle of the night to find no one beside her and the bedside cold. Lu Chang must have left long ago. Jing Wan's heart pounded, and she ran out of bed to look for Lu Chang.
When she first arrived at the Xinli mansion, she was disoriented and kept calling out "cousin" as she ran around aimlessly.
Knowing that she disliked having strangers around, Lu Chang had no servants leading her inside the house. When she ran out of the courtyard, the commotion woke Chunlai. The person who had been sleeping soundly inside hurriedly put on her outer clothes and came out. She saw Jingwan with her long black hair reaching her waist, running around in only a cream-colored nightgown. It was still dark, but she was the most conspicuous. She rushed over, took Jingwan's hand, and hurriedly comforted her: "Awan, Young Master Lu should be discussing matters at Xueyazhai."
As he spoke, Chunlai pointed in a direction for Jingwan. Before he could say "I'll take you there," Jingwan ran off, lifting her skirt as she ran very fast. Chunlai chased after her, holding his breath.
When she reached Xueyazhai, she tried to rush in, but was stopped by soldiers outside the door.
The soldiers didn't recognize her, so they naturally wouldn't let her in. She anxiously called for her cousin from outside, which alerted Lu Chang, who was inside discussing military and political affairs with the generals.
His brow twitched, and without paying any attention to his subordinates who were practicing on the sand table, he strode out. His subordinates naturally heard the woman's voice, but they just looked at each other and lowered their heads in silence.
Only Chen Min, who was getting excited, was arranging troops on the sand table and talking non-stop in front of the generals, as if he could defeat Li Ling's army in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, just as his heroic spirit was rising, Lu Chang hurriedly ran out.
Chen Min was so engrossed in his speech that he didn't hear Jing Wan's voice. He only kept calling out "General" and chased after Lu Chang out of the inner study.
Lu Chang first saw Jing Wan, who was looking at him with tears in her eyes and tilting her head. The large white robe on her thin body had a kind of broken beauty.
Lu Chang had the doctor light a calming incense stick in her bedroom today, hoping it would help her sleep more soundly, but she still woke up.
Thinking of how helpless she would feel when she woke up and found herself not by his side, Lu Chang felt a pang of heartache and wanted to go over and hug her, only to find that she was barefoot, with her bare feet exposed.
Her ten fingers were neatly tucked together like little seashells. He sighed with heartache, bent down, slipped one hand behind Jingwan's knees and wrapped the other around her slender waist, picked her up, and carried her towards the dormitory.
Chen Min, who was following behind, was dumbfounded. The word "General" that was about to come out of his mouth was swallowed back. He could only watch as his most admired general left with a woman in his arms without looking back.
Chunlai stopped when she saw Lu Chang come out. She smiled with relief as she watched Lu Chang carry Jingwan away. But when she looked up, her eyes met those of Chen Min, who was chasing after Lu Chang.
Chen Min was flustered and hurriedly bowed to her from a distance. Chunlai did not dare to look at him, but also curtsied in return, pulled her coat tighter, and left in a hurry.
Little did she know that as soon as she turned around, Chen Min kept staring at her graceful back.
It's only because there's no one else around that they dare to be so presumptuous.
Jingwan was placed on the bed by Lu Chang. Only then did she fully wake up. Unaware of her surroundings, she tugged at Lu Chang's sleeve and asked him cautiously, "Have I kept you waiting, brother? You can go back now. I'm not afraid anymore."
She said those words, but she held onto his sleeve tightly. Lu Chang gently stroked the strands of hair that fell across her face and smiled, "I'm tired too. I want to get some sleep. Come on in, make room for your brother."
Jingwan quickly moved inside, squeezing against the wall to make room for Lu Chang.
As soon as Lu Chang lay down, she rolled over and snuggled into his arms, remaining motionless.
After a long while, I thought she had fallen asleep, but then I heard her say, "Just for one night. Tomorrow night I can sleep by myself."
Jingwan looked up at Lu Chang, her eyes appearing even brighter in the deep night.
Lu Chang was even more reluctant to part with her, kissing her fragrant and soft hair, their fingers intertwined in the warm quilt.
Xinli is a famous city in the Northwest, and people who crossed the border to the north often stayed here. However, because it is far from Yongye in the east, Jingwan has never been here.
Lu Chang didn't want her to get sick from being cooped up at home, so he sent his elite troops to keep her company and take her out for a walk.
Even with Lu Chang accompanying her, Jingwan waved her hand and said she didn't want to go, looking like she was refusing.
When asked why, she only said she was tired and didn't want to go out. How could Lu Chang not know what she was thinking? She was the most playful person, how could she say she didn't want to go out?
He knew, of course, why she did this. Back in Pingdu, Yang Nancheng had nearly bumped into her while riding his horse through the street, and Bo Jun had been punished by her family for it. After that, she dared not go out again.
She often felt guilty about this, feeling that her mistakes had implicated others.
This time, she went to see Gongsun Jiadao's wedding, was kidnapped by thieves, and went through a lot of hardships. She was still able to tell him that she would be happy if he stayed with her for just one more night.
She was afraid of wasting her own time and causing herself trouble, so she only dared to ask for one night's company.
Lu Chang knew she was afraid of causing trouble for others because of him, so she simply stayed home, as it was safer that way.
But he didn't want Jingwan to be so cautious.
She should be just like she was in Lingnan, boldly and domineeringly clinging to him, demanding that he do this and that, living life without considering the consequences, simply following her own whims.
After receiving Lu Chang's signal, Chunlai tried to persuade Jingwan several times, but she still wouldn't budge.
She slept soundly until nightfall, and when she noticed Lu Chang holding her, she only slightly opened her eyes before falling back into a deep sleep. When she woke up again, she was already in the carriage.
Despite the noise outside, the place remained prosperous even with the southern army stationed there. Because it was located at the junction of the north and south, the local people were bold and tolerant, and the local customs were different from other places.
Everyone seemed to have a premonition that the army stationed here would soon march north and defeat Li Ling's army, so merchants brought in a large amount of supplies to sell to the army.
Occasionally, soldiers would take leave and spend a lot of money in the city, making the new calendar increasingly prosperous.
Jingwan didn't want to get off the carriage and clung to the soft couch. Lu Chang tried to pull her, but she resisted even more.
Seeing that her hands were red, he dared not use brute force, but he had no choice but to smile and say, "Wait here, I'll be right there."
Before he could turn around, Jingwan hugged him: "Don't go."
Lu Chang chuckled and patted the back of her hand, saying, "Alright, alright!" He then lifted the curtain and gave some instructions to the guards.
Before long, a guard handed over a food box. The food box had three layers. Jingwan was curious about what was inside. Although she didn't speak, she stared at it intently.
Seeing her sniffing hard with her little nose, Lu Chang teased her by not opening the box. Only when she looked a little aggrieved did he slowly pull out a box.
The spicy aroma of the dish instantly filled her nostrils, along with a hint of wine. She looked at the wine-braised snails and swallowed hard, her mouth watering.
Lingnan also has fragrant snails, but she hadn't been able to eat them for a long time. With these large fragrant snails in front of her, she couldn't wait to pick one up, scoop out the meat, and suck out the hot, spicy sauce.
Lu Chang opened the second layer. She didn't recognize the dish; it looked like pieces of meat, yet it was crystal clear and garnished with green and red peppers. She could only guess how delicious it must taste.
The third layer is a dessert, shaped like a spring roll, but filled with a red and sticky sauce and wrapped in a translucent, steaming layer of dough.
Lu Chang picked up the dessert for her first. Jing Wan hesitated before taking it, and after taking only a small bite, she looked at Lu Chang with delighted surprise: "It's cherry!"
Cherry season is long over, so this is cherry pickling I made while cherries were in abundance.
Next came the crystal-clear dish. After taking a bite, she realized it was pork skin jelly. It was a cold dish, not greasy at all, and paired with the whelk, it was truly an exquisite delight.
Seeing her enjoying her meal, Lu Chang feigned regret: "Sigh, I wanted to take you to Chang Le Restaurant for a nice meal, but you refused." He looked at the dishes, shook his head with his chin on his hand: "These are just a few dishes from Chang Le Restaurant, nothing special. There are many more real delicacies!"
Jingwan, still chewing on a pastry, asked Lu Chang blankly, "Are there really still many delicious things to eat?"
Lu Chang laughed and said, "Of course! We don't know if we'll ever return to the new calendar again. If we miss it, it would be a real pity. Little Wan'er, don't you think so?"
Jingwan looked at Lu Chang, silently swallowed the biscuit, and gently tugged at Lu Chang's sleeve: "Cousin, take me to play!"
Lu Chang laughed: "Okay!"
That night, Lu Chang booked a private room, and without any outside interference, Jingwan ate very happily. At Lu Chang's urging, she even drank a small cup of Xian wine.
With flushed cheeks and a dazed look in his eyes, Lu Chang did not take a carriage on the way back, but carried Jingwan on his back along the main street.
She let out a burp, smacked her lips, and then closed her eyes.
Lu Chang couldn't help but smile and slowed down his pace.
“Cousin—” Jingwan’s voice was soft.
"Um?"
"Thank you."
Lu Chang said, "A drop of kindness deserves a spring of gratitude in return. How will you repay me?"
She kept her eyes closed and smiled, "Then I'll repay you with my body, brother. I'll marry you after the war!"
Lu Chang was amused by her: "Alright, I'll wait for your betrothal and marriage proposal."
Since that day, Jingwan seemed to have become the same person she was in Lingnan, throwing tantrums and making Lu Chang furious again.
Chunlai laughed at her for being childish, so she deliberately tickled her armpits. While they were making a fuss, people from Ningzhou arrived. That bastard Cui Dongchi actually sent people to take Chunlai away.
Chunlai's face turned pale instantly. She lowered her head and gave a bitter smile.
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