Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Sleepiness Meets the Pillow
Chen Lingan stared at the smiling Xiaoman for a long time before he said stiffly, "You come—"
"What am I doing here? To go to Yanbei with you, of course!" Xiaoman interrupted him. "Don't try to persuade me. It's useless. I have legs on my body. I can go wherever I want. Don't even mention the bitter cold in Yanbei. The countryside of Xuanfu is even colder. Haven't I lived well for over ten years? As for being a burden, don't even mention it. Without you, the grass on my grave would be a foot tall. It's safest to follow you!"
She kept talking, blocking out all the words Chen Lingan could say.
Xiaoman breathed a sigh of relief, a faint blush spreading across her face. "I've accepted the betrothal gift you sent me, but you can't regret it now."
Chen Ling'an lowered his eyes and looked at her, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, the arc not big, it could be called a smile at most, but the smile in his eyes seemed to never end, clearly expressing his current mood.
Therefore, that low "good" was softer than the evening breeze.
Xiaoman smiled warmly and expertly handed each of the two guards a large red envelope. "Big Brothers, I won't delay your trip. Please give me some time."
The older jailer took one look and saw, wow, two hundred taels of silver! He couldn't help but feel ecstatic, but he said with a reserved expression, "We have to get there before the Autumnal Equinox. Girl, please hurry up."
Xiaoman's eyes fell on the wooden yoke on Chen Ling'an's shoulders, and she smiled apologetically, "Brothers, now that we've left the city, can you take off the yoke? He can't run away anyway."
"This..." The two jailers looked at each other, hesitant.
Then there was the sound of horse hooves and wheels, and a carriage drove out of the city gate. He Ping sat on the shaft, and the whip in his hand snapped in the air.
"We finally caught up!" He Ping jumped off the carriage, turned around and helped Mrs. Jiang and Chen Xiaomei get off.
Xiaoman widened her eyes. We had agreed not to let them send her off, so why did they still come?
"Don't worry, I'm not going to take you back." Mrs. Jiang saw through her thoughts at a glance, "I've thought about it over and over again, and I still can't let you go like this."
She lifted the curtain and pointed to a bundle in the carriage. "These are snacks, sesame cakes, scallion pancakes, and other easy-to-carry snacks. We may not have places to stop along the way, so you need to take them."
Xiaoman took one look at the huge bag that was as bulging as a mountain and immediately shook her head, "Forget it, I can't carry it."
"There's a horse to carry it for you." He Ping untied one of the horses pulling the cart and laboriously moved the bundle onto the horse's back.
Chen Yanning couldn't bear it when she saw her brother wearing shackles. She pulled her brother's sleeve and cried breathlessly.
He Ping glanced at the two jailers, coughed twice, and said with dignity, "Take off the wooden shackles."
The young jailer didn't recognize him and was about to shout at him, but the older one next to him laughed and said, "We were just about to unload it, but it just so happened that the young master gave the order first."
As he spoke, he opened the shackles.
Chen Ling'an flexed his wrists and whispered to comfort his sister for a long time until she finally stopped crying. Then he walked over and thanked Mrs. Jiang again and again.
Mrs. Jiang was also feeling very uncomfortable. She kept nagging him, telling him to put on more clothes because the weather was cold, to drink more water and not to get a sore throat, and to control his temper now that he was living under someone else's roof... She talked for a full quarter of an hour and still hadn't finished.
Ever since his family changed when he was young, no one had ever spoken to Chen Ling'an like this. He was not used to it for a while and seemed a little at a loss as to what to do.
Xiaoman lowered her head and chuckled secretly.
Mrs. Jiang finally reacted, wiped her tears, and said sternly, "I don't ask for anything else. I'm leaving my Xiaoman in your care. If you see her someday, and she's missing a single hair, I'll hold you responsible."
He Ping yelled, "Xiao An'an, next time you comb my sister's hair, you must count carefully!"
Chen Lingan was troubled by him and said, "You can go back now."
"That's so mean. You just throw it away after using it." He Ping forced a crying face, looking like an abandoned and bullied young wife, which made Chen Lingan feel sick.
Seeing that it was getting late, the older jailer stepped forward and said, "I'm sorry to bother you, but if we don't leave now, we won't be able to reach the post station on the outskirts of the city before dark. We can camp outdoors, but I'm afraid it won't be convenient for this young lady."
Chen Ling'an nodded and said goodbye to Mrs. Jiang and others.
Seeing that Chen Xiaomei's tears were about to burst into tears again, He Ping pointed at the flaming sunset in the sky and said, "Xiao An'an, open your arms and run towards the sunset!"
Chen Ling'an's eyebrows twitched. "Why would I run towards the sunset with my arms outstretched? I'm sick!"
"Embrace a new life! It means you've regained your confidence and vitality, and you've turned over a new leaf and started a new life."
"Then we should face the rising sun... Bah! Get out of here!"
Chen Ling'an turned around and left. He didn't want to see this big brother who had intermittent brain cramps again for a moment!
Mrs. Jiang couldn't help laughing, and even Chen Yanning burst into laughter.
The sadness of parting was swept away.
The young jailer asked quietly, "Brother Niu, who is this guy? He looks crazy."
Old Ox laughed and said, "He doesn't even recognize him? The runner-up in the imperial examination who was paraded on horseback last year, Mr. Lin Ting's last disciple, refused the emperor's offer of an official position, and not only was he not punished, but he became a favorite of the emperor. Little Pony, in our line of work, we have to be able to discern who is behind these prisoners."
Little Ma Qi said, "In my opinion, does Chen Ling'an still have a chance to make a name for himself?"
Lao Niu: "Who knows? No matter if he comes forward or not, we've taken his money, so we shouldn't make things difficult for him. Chen Ling'an has no grudge against us, so we can just lock him up when we get there."
"Will he run away?"
"You're really... you don't understand Chen Ling'an at all." Old Niu sighed inwardly as he looked at the person in front of him. "Where are his sister, his young wife, and the whole family? How could he possibly run away? I used to work at the Jiangning County Government. Lord Zheng described him as cold and heartless, but in fact, he would remember anyone who showed him the slightest kindness or goodwill."
Xiao Ma touched the back of his head, looking incredulous.
Lao Niu patted him on the shoulder and quickly caught up with the two people and one horse in front.
It's rude not to reciprocate, so the two jailers treated him with great courtesy, and Xiaoman certainly wasn't stingy with his money. He treated them to delicious food and drinks along the way, and chose the best inns for their overnight stays. When they got tired, they could easily hire a mule cart or a boat, so the journey was remarkably smooth.
It is autumn now. The further north you go, the more you feel that the sky is high and the land is vast, the grass and trees are continuous, the breeze blows, the clouds move and the trees sway, it is really refreshing.
Xiaoman let out a long sigh. "I've lived in Jinling for over a year. The bustling scenery is nice, but I still prefer the crisp, refreshing breeze of the north. And the endless expanse of land I see as far as the eye can see. Where am I?"
Chen Lingan laughed and said, "Bao'an County, how come you don't even recognize this place? You must have been through the only way to the south from Xuanfu."
Xiaoman was suddenly excited, "Bao'an County is right next to Xuanfu, we can go home and visit!"
Chen Lingan said, "I'm afraid that's not possible. I have to serve in the Huai'an Guard. We don't have enough time, so let's take a detour."
Xiaoman was disappointed for a moment, then smiled again: "Anyway, it's close, I can go there anytime I want in the future."
The two jailers looked at each other and didn't pour cold water on her: he was a criminal and was not allowed to leave the station easily. Moreover, those who were exiled to the military would be beaten with a stick in advance when they entered the garrison, whether there was anything wrong or not. Those who were connected would be given the job of feeding horses and watching the stables, while those who were not would just wait for the dirty and tiring work of feeding slop.
I don’t know what Huai Anwei will mean at that time!
As the sky gradually darkened, there was a village ahead, with smoke of various colors rising from the sky. Faintly, one could hear the sounds of children playing and women calling their children and husbands to eat.
Lao Niu suggested that they stop in this town, and everyone in the group had no objection.
There are about a hundred households in this village. There is a small tavern at the east entrance of the village with three vacant rooms.
The shopkeepers were an elderly couple. As they served the food and wine, they smiled and said, "It's really better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. We just arrived in town to exchange for wine and meat, and you guys are here."
Xiaoman looked at the chickens, ducks, fish and meat, and asked curiously, "Are the people in this village very rich? We only buy meat during the Chinese New Year. Outside of the New Year, it's hard to even get a plain steamed bun."
The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Usually, the villagers would be reluctant to give up. But this year, the harvest is good. We've harvested 30% more grain. After a year of hard work, we deserve to eat something good."
Everyone was tired, so after dinner, they went back to their rooms to rest.
Chen Ling'an was still sitting at Xiaoman's door.
Along the way, except for post stations and large inns, Chen Ling'an would go to his room to rest. In remote rural inns like this one, Chen Ling'an would wait at Xiaoman's door.
He hadn't lain down to rest for several nights in a row. Xiaoman felt really bad for him, but she knew he wouldn't listen even if she tried to persuade him. So she made up her mind and opened the door: "Come in and sleep."
Chen Ling'an looked at her, then looked at the only kang in the room and shook his head.
Xiaoman said shamelessly: "Such a big kang can't accommodate two people? What are you afraid of? Anyway, everyone knows that I am yours... Humph, I'm not a tiger, I won't eat you."
The candlelight illuminated her face, making it look even more rosy and beautiful, like a dew-soaked rose.
Chen Ling'an's Adam's apple rolled slightly, but he still refused bluntly.
At least he could take a nap outside the door, but inside, he probably wouldn't be able to fall asleep the whole night.
Xiaoman was too embarrassed to force him to do anything, so she stamped her foot and said, "Just be stubborn, and you'll be the one who suffers."
With a crash, the door closed.
With a bang, the door opened again, and a quilt was thrown out, covering Chen Ling'an's head squarely.
With a loud bang, this time the door was completely closed.
Chen Ling'an let out a breath, slowly pulled the quilt off his head and wrapped himself tightly.
Unlike Nanjing, the nights in September in the north are already very cold, and they will only get colder in winter. The conditions in the garrison are difficult. Even if there is charcoal, it is first used by the garrison officials. Ordinary people may not be able to buy it even if they have money.
You can't ask Xiaoman to suffer with him.
He closed his eyes and thought carefully about every security officer. After thinking again and again, he found that none of them could speak.
I couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. I used to be obsessed with revenge and never cared about who I offended. Now, when I want to burn incense and worship Buddha, I can't even enter the mountain gate.
I felt sleepy and my mind started to become hazy.
Was it a dream? The earth was shaking, the ground was trembling, dust and gravel were hitting his body, and his ears were filled with the roar of fighting. He seemed to be back to the days when he was in the army.
wrong!
Chen Ling'an shuddered all over, opened his eyes suddenly, ran out of the tavern in two or three steps, and lay on the ground to listen carefully.
It's the vibration of horse hooves, the distinct triplet rhythm, the crisp knocking sound.
It's a Mongolian horse!
one two three……
A cavalry of at least fifty people!
Chen Ling'an jumped up and quickly set the haystack next to him on fire. He then kicked open the old shopkeeper's door and grabbed him. "Northern Yuan soldiers are attacking at night. Sound the gong to announce it! Quick!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
