After helping Chu Zhao split the stone, He Yan went back to the house.

When she got to the house, she left the middle door open, so she could see Xiao Jue's room. Xiao Jue was sitting at the table, not reading the military register. Under the light, he closed his eyes, pinched his forehead with his fingertips, and seemed to be taking a nap.

He Yan thought to herself, how pitiful, he hasn't even had a rest since he came back. She walked to Xiao Jue's side and bent down to look at him. The dim light fell on his face, making his handsome appearance even more hazy. His eyelashes were thick and long, like a tiny fan, making people want to reach out and touch them.

Just as my fingertips were about to touch the tip of my eyelashes, someone said, "What are you doing?"

He Yan suddenly retracted his hand. He had already opened his eyes and his cold and indifferent gaze swept across her face.

"Nothing." He Yan stood up straight as if nothing had happened. "There was a bug on your face. I helped you get rid of it."

Xiao Jue was too lazy to pay attention to her.

"It's so late," He Yan said, "Commander-in-chief, you should go to bed. You've been reading for half a day, don't you want to rest?"

Xiao Jue rubbed his wrist, looking slightly tired. When they were in Jiyang before, they also lived in a room without even a screened door. But at that time, except for the last few days, there was nothing to do. Every day, they turned off the lights early to rest. Once they returned to Jiyang, there were more things to do.

"Watch it before going to bed," he said.

"Will I be training with the Southern Army tomorrow?" He Yan asked, "Do I need to tell Coach Liang?"

Xiao Jue: "No need, I've already told Liang Ping."

He Yan nodded.

"You don't seem worried?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Why worry?"

"The amount of daily training for the Southern Army soldiers is no less than that for the Liangzhou Guards."

"I've known this for a long time." He Yan sighed, "People always strive for higher positions. It's only right, it's only right." She wasn't worried about training, it was just about suffering. Suffering in the Southern Army was better than suffering in the Liangzhou Guards, at least there was more hope.

As she was talking, she caught a glimpse of a food basket on a small table nearby. The small table was previously filled with the local products sent by Cui Yuezhi, and now it must have been cleaned up, so the food basket stood out. He Yan asked, "Commander-in-chief, didn't you eat?"

"What?"

"You have to eat." He Yan helped him open the food basket. The dishes inside were extremely rich, with meat, vegetables and snacks. He Yan sighed and praised, "Are the dishes of Liangzhou Guards so good now?" But after a moment, he denied it, "No, this should be your meal alone, right? Being a governor is good. Even if you eat alone, the food is so exquisite. Among so many generals in the Wei Dynasty, you eat the best."

Xiao Jue was speechless: "Have you seen it?"

He Yan thought to herself, she had indeed seen it. During the years when she was a general of Feihong, she ate less than half of what Xiao Jue did. Not to mention snacks, even meat was good. Maybe it was because Xiao Jue was the second son of the Xiao family, and she was from an "ordinary family" when she joined the army? Generals were divided into different ranks, but Liangzhou Wei's cooking skills were really good, and the flowers carved on the snacks were really beautiful.

He Yan called him, "Commander-in-Chief, please come and eat. It's getting cold."

Xiao Jue glanced at her and saw that this person looked so enthusiastic that she seemed like the owner of an inn. He seemed to find it funny, but after a moment his expression returned to calm and he walked to the table and sat down.

In Jiyang, they often ate at the same table, and it had become a habit. He Yan subconsciously gave him a pair of chopsticks and took one for herself. She had actually eaten the familiar Liangzhou Wei dry cakes in the evening. She had a big appetite, and at this moment she forgot that she was not in Jiyang, not "Wen Yuyan", and happily reached out to pick up a piece of sugar cake.

After being clamped, He Yan reacted and looked up at the person opposite her. The young man looked at her leisurely, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"I'll just eat a little," He Yan said, "The governor wouldn't be so stingy, would he?" She was getting bolder and bolder in front of Xiao Jue. When she first entered Liangzhou Guard, He Yan would never have thought that there would be a day when she would dance so wildly in front of Xiao Jue.

"Don't talk while eating." Mr. Xiao said coldly.

He Yan's mouth was bulging with sweet cakes. He looked at the man in front of him who was eating very elegantly and said vaguely, "Commander-in-chief, this beard is so spicy."

"What are you talking about?"

He Yan swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "I say, this chef is so nice. The food she cooks is what you like. Of course, I like it too."

Xiao Jue pulled the corner of his mouth: "What don't you want to eat?"

He Yan had long since stopped caring about his habitual attack on others. At this moment, he accidentally saw a palm-sized wooden box on the table. He picked it up and saw a picture of the Jiyang City Water God Festival engraved on it. He was stunned for a moment, "Is this a gift from Master Cui?"

Xiao Jue: “Yes.”

He Yan opened it and saw that it looked like ointment for hands. He leaned in and sniffed it, and there was a faint floral scent. He couldn't help but exclaimed, "The things in Jiyang City are really exquisite. Lord Cui looks tall and handsome, but I didn't expect him to be so meticulous. He even prepared this for you."

Xiao Jue sneered: "I don't need it."

"Why?" He Yan was puzzled: "Isn't it pretty?"

“Pungent.”

He Yan: “….”

As a son of a rich family, he really has high standards. He described such a light and pleasant smell as pungent. He Yan asked, "It's a pity if you don't use the gift from her heart?"

"If you like it, take it." Xiao Jue said impatiently.

He Yan: "Really?" Seeing that Xiao Jue didn't refute her, she knew that Xiao Jue wasn't joking. She immediately put away the wooden box containing the ointment. The box was small, but it reminded her of another thing that she had forgotten.

In the battle with the Wutuo people in Cui Mansion, Jiyang, He Yan was injured. Lin Shuanghe gave her a box of "scar removal and skin regeneration" medicine, which was exactly the same as the one Shen Muxue gave her before. But Lin Shuanghe said that only Xiao Jue had this medicine. After thinking for a while, she looked at Xiao Jue and asked tentatively: "Commander, did you ask Miss Shen to give me a box of scar removal medicine?"

Xiao Jue paused as he was about to pick up his chopsticks and asked, "Don't you want it?"

"Did you really give it to me?" He Yan hesitated for a moment, "Do you... also think that scars on women's bodies are shameful and a shortcoming that cannot be spoken of?"

Xu Zhiheng was like this back then. Although she didn't say anything, some things remained in her heart and could not be dispelled. This situation seemed familiar. If all men in the world thought so, she would not be surprised. But if this person was Xiao Jue... He Yan thought, she would be a little disappointed.

Although this disappointment is unreasonable.

Xiao Jue glanced at her calmly: "You think too much."

He Yan was stunned.

The young man's voice was very calm. "It's just a scar. Everyone has it. You don't have to be nervous or care about it. If it can be cured, treat it. If it can't be cured, forget it. You don't have to be so hard on yourself."

Don't be so hard on yourself?

He Yan lowered her head and said nothing, but her palm tightly grasped the wooden box containing the ointment. After a moment, she said softly, "It seems that I am narrow-minded."

Maybe she really shouldn't be too hard on herself.

…

Early the next morning, He Yan went to the Southern Army to join in the daily training.

The soldiers of the Southern Prefecture were different from the Liangzhou Guards. When He Yan first arrived at the Liangzhou Guards, they were all new recruits. The new recruits were lively and noisy all day long, and they would occasionally find time to laugh and joke during training. The soldiers of the Southern Prefecture were all veterans, and they were extremely serious during daily training. No one talked, and the atmosphere was solemn as if they were about to go to the battlefield.

The deputy commander of the Southern Army Daily Training was called Tian Lang. He Yan had met him once before, when he was the man who was scolded by Xiao Jue when he returned the jade pendant to her. This man's temperament was exactly the same as Xiao Jue's, cold and hard. For a moment, He Yan missed Liang Ping's noise or Ma Damei's gentleness. Even Shen Han, who sometimes showed unusual enthusiasm and concern, became the object of her longing.

Tian Lang was also paying attention to He Yan.

The Southern Army hadn't recruited any new soldiers for a long time. Even if they did recruit new soldiers, they wouldn't be new soldiers from Liangzhou Guard. But this young man named He Yan was different. He was well-known in Liangzhou Guard. It was said that he had fought with Ridamuzi before and never lost. Later, he went to Jiyang with Xiao Jue and fought against the Wutuo people in Jiyang. Xiao Jue already trusted the young man's approach.

The young man looked weak and frail, and I thought he would not be able to keep up with the daily training of the Southern Army. But he did quite well and did not seem to have any difficulty. Tian Lang was relieved. He Yan was the one Xiao Jue had nominated to join the Southern Army. If he could not complete the daily training, Xiao Jue would not be too happy. Tian Lang was always afraid of this young boss.

He Yan didn't know that because of Xiao Jue, he had become the number one person that the deputy general needed to pay attention to. The happiest thing was probably that in the evening, after all the daily training was over, he could go to the martial arts field next door to find Hong Shan and the others.

As soon as I walked in, I heard Xiao Mai's excited voice: "Brother He, how is it? Are the soldiers in the Southern Palace strong? Do you have a competition?"

"...No." The soldiers in the Southern Army had been trained for many years and did not have that much competitive spirit. Perhaps in their eyes, He Yan was just one of the millions of ordinary soldiers and was not worth paying any attention to.

"Ah He, why don't you show them what you can do? Fortunately, you have gained a foothold among the Southern Army." Hong Shan joked with a smile.

"I've been taught a lesson." Wang Ba snorted, "There are always people who are better than you. The soldiers in the Southern Palace are not the Liangzhou Guards. They are a bunch of rubbish!"

He Yan looked at him with a smile: "Brother Wang, you are scolding all of us, including yourself. Is this okay?"

"I am already a member of the Vanguard Battalion." He said arrogantly, "I don't belong to the Liangzhou Guards."

Jiang Jiao was speechless: "That is also the vanguard camp of Liangzhou Guards."

As she was talking, He Yan jumped onto the railing next to the martial arts stage. She liked to sit on it, swinging her legs like a swing, but as soon as she jumped on it, something in her arms rolled out and landed at the foot of the stone.

Stone bent down and picked up something from the ground. Xiaomai asked, "What is this? Can I eat it?"

"It looks like a hand ointment?" Huang Xiong asked, "I've seen my younger sister use it. What's painted on it?"

"The pattern of the Water God Festival in Jiyang City," He Yan said, "that's all."

"What's wrong with you?" Wang Ba looked away in disgust. "Ointment for hands? Isn't this something women use? You're a grown man, and you use these things? Isn't that disgusting?"

He Yan: "Why can't men use hand ointment? I'm being particular! You bandits, of course, don't understand these things."

"Why do you look down on bandits?" Wang Ba was furious. "We bandits are also divided into different classes!"

Seeing that they were about to quarrel again, Jiang Jiao quickly stepped out and said, "Okay, stop quarreling. But Brother He, we practice swordplay and stickplay in the martial arts arena every day, and you use this... It's useless, right?"

I was afraid that if I moisturized my hands today, I would cut them tomorrow. The speed of moisturizing my hands was not as fast as the speed of cutting them. After all, everyone had scars from daily training in the martial arts arena. Imagine that she was covered with a faintly fragrant ointment one moment, and the next moment she was holding a huge stone chain and throwing it up and down. People probably thought she was sick.

He Yan said vaguely: "It's just a kind gesture from the people of Jiyang, don't waste it." As he said that, he stretched out his hand and was about to take the ointment box from Shitou's hand.

Just as he stretched out his hand halfway, a soft female voice rang out: "What is this?"

Everyone turned around and saw that it was Shen Muxue. In the night, she was holding a lantern in one hand and a basket full of herbs in the other. She was dressed in white and looked like a fairy from heaven. Her eyes fell on the box in Shitou's hand and she asked hesitantly, "Is this... hand cream?"

"Yes." Hong Shan said.

"Can you show it to me?"

Naturally, no one refused the request of the beautiful female doctor. Shen Muxue took the box in front of her eyes, and when she saw the water god pattern painted on it, her eyes flashed. After a moment, she raised her head, looked at everyone, and asked, "Whose hand ointment is this?"

"Mine." He Yan said.

Shen Muxue looked at her. It was almost night, and only the dim torches illuminated the martial arts arena. The young man sat on the railing, smiling casually. Her heroic features were also given a soft color, especially her eyes, which were bright and moving. If they were on a woman's face, I don't know how moving they would be.

Shen Muxue was shocked at her own absurd idea.

He Yan reached out to take the box, but Shen Muxue stepped back and did not give it back to her. She just asked softly, "Is this... given to you by the governor?"

She had seen it before? He Yan nodded: "Yes."

Shen Muxue's body stiffened.

He Yan noticed that she looked a little strange, and after thinking for a while, he asked, "Miss Shen, do you like this box? If you like it very much, I can give it to you."

In fact, what Jiang Jiao said made sense. It would be a waste of God's gift to give this hand cream to her. Her hands were covered with scars from being rubbed by ropes, knives and sticks. If she kept her hands tender, she would not even be able to pull a bow.

It would have been better if she hadn't said this. As soon as she said this, Shen Muxue suddenly raised her head, and her eyes, which had always been gentle and tender, actually showed some anger. She stuffed the box into He Yan's hand and said coldly, "No need." She turned around and walked away with the basket.

He Yan didn't even have time to say goodbye to her.

Although Shen Muxue had a cold personality in Liangzhou Guard, she had never lost her temper or said harsh words to anyone. This was the first time she had made such an obvious gesture of anger. Xiao Mai tugged at the corner of He Yan's clothes: "Brother He, Miss Shen seems to be angry, why?"

He Yan: “How would I know why?” She and Shen Muxue had always kept to themselves, and this was the first time they had spoken to each other since she came back. Shen Muxue’s reaction was really confusing.

"Does she like you?" Huang Xiong stroked the Buddhist beads around his neck. "She got angry because you don't understand romance?"

"Forget it, Shen Muxue would be interested in him?" Wang Ba sneered, "What are you dreaming about in broad daylight?"

"Forget it," Jiang Jiao patted He Yan's shoulder, "Brother He, you should be more careful about your behavior in your daily life to avoid causing misunderstandings from others." He seemed to think of his fiancée who died early, and said with a sad look, "It's not good to delay someone's life."

He Yan: “…”

Because of what happened to Shen Muxue, He Yan and his brothers discussed why Shen Muxue was angry. In the end, they didn't come to a conclusion. The final conclusion was: Maybe she just didn't like He Yan. There was no reason. Every once in a while, a woman would have a few days when she didn't like someone.

After finishing the meal with his friends, it was completely dark. He Yan walked towards the house. Halfway through, he saw Chu Zhao again.

"It's so late, why are you still outside, Brother Chu?" He Yan greeted him, "Are you going to pick up stones today too?"

Chu Zhao laughed when he heard this: "How come Brother He said this? I seem like a fool."

He Yan thought to herself, this hobby of staying up late at night to pick up stones was actually no different from a fool in her eyes.

"I saw that it was windy at night and it might rain tomorrow, so I took the books that were left outside to dry back home." Chu Zhao smiled and pointed to the book in his hand.

He Yan: “I see.”

It was probably intentional. The house Chu Zhao lived in was really simple, even worse than the last time. Last time, he had a cook with him. This time, Chu Zhao came directly from Jiyang to Liangzhouwei. Except Ying Xiang and a few servants, he had no one around him. Therefore, he lived poorly and ate simply. However, some people can enjoy the breeze and the bright moon even in the worst environment. Chu Zhao was probably such a person. Not only did he not make people feel that he was a wolf, but he also had a bit of elegance.

"I heard that Brother He went to the Southern Army's daily training today?" Chu Zhao walked back with her side by side. "How was it? Was there anything you were not used to?"

"It's OK." He Yan smiled and said, "Except that the deputy general doesn't like to talk much, everything is fine."

Chu Zhao shook his head and smiled: "Brother He is very capable and can adapt to any situation."

He Yan looked at him. This man always spoke in a good temper and in a gentle manner. He also knew that she was Xiao Jue's person and her position was delicate. She never asked about military affairs. She had a very good sense of propriety. Even if it was just a casual chat on weekdays, it was such a daily routine that had nothing to do with itching. If it was an ordinary person, an ordinary girl, over time, she would definitely feel guilty about him and think that she was judging others by her own standards. In addition, Chu Zhaosheng looked like this, this guilt would easily turn into pity in the end, and pity would go a step further and become love.

No wonder he is the number one man in the girls' dreams in Shuojing City.

However, she had seen Xiao Jue's face too much, and she felt that such a gentle smile was a bit polite, and the thin figure also looked too weak. He Yan was horrified, and felt that what Hong Shan and the others said, "A woman will always dislike a few people in a month", seemed to be true. For example, now, Chu Zhao did nothing, but she was still so picky, which was really unreasonable.

In order to avoid overthinking, He Yan asked Chu Zhao, "Brother Chu has such a good temper, he should rarely make women angry, right?"

Chu Zhao asked in confusion: "Which girl did Brother He make angry?"

This guy is too sensitive. He Yan perfunctorily answered him, "I'm not angry, it's just that when Doctor Shen saw me today, she looked a little strange, and my friend told me..." Although it was a little hard to say, He Yan still said it, "Maybe Doctor Shen has a crush on me?"

Chu Zhao stared at her blankly for a while, then burst out laughing. He always paid attention to his appearance, and this behavior was already out of line. After laughing for a while, Chu Zhao said, "Brother He, although you look very suave now, but..."

He Yan was puzzled. She wasn't that bad. Looking at the way Chu Zhao smiled, it seemed that it was unreasonable for him to like her. You know, didn't Song Taotao like her too?

"Brother He, don't worry." Chu Zhao coughed lightly, "Doctor Shen will never fall in love with Brother He. Brother He doesn't need to worry about this."

He Yan: “…Why?”

"Because Dr. Shen has liked Commander Xiao for many years. Commander Xiao is the only one in her heart. How could anyone else be in her eyes?"

He Yan was stunned.

After a while, she finally asked, "Doctor Shen... likes the governor?"

"Brother He, don't you know?" Chu Zhao was also surprised by her reaction. After thinking for a while, he said, "Yes, you are a new soldier in Liangzhou Guards, so you should not know these things. But colleagues in the court actually know that Doctor Shen has liked Governor Xiao for many years."

"If the eldest daughter of the Yushi family didn't really like someone very much, why would she abandon her status as an eldest daughter and come to such a cold and bitter place to be a little female doctor?" Chu Zhao smiled and said, "It can be seen that she likes Governor Xiao very much."

He Yan suddenly became enlightened. In an instant, she suddenly remembered why she felt so familiar when she first saw Shen Muxue. In fact, it was not the first time she saw Shen Muxue. She had seen her once when she was a teenager. Shen Muxue was younger than she is now, but she was already very beautiful. On the day when the students of Xianchang Hall were hunting in the mountains, the emperor came in person, and many civil and military officials of the court were also present. As the youngest daughter of Shen Yushi, Shen Muxue attracted the attention of all the teenagers at that time.

He Yan was also among the group of young men. He looked at the pretty girl wearing a rabbit fur cape and holding a stove in her hands. She was as beautiful as a fairy from heaven, and he was extremely envious.

At that time, Shen Muxue kept looking at Xiao Jue.