Chapter 89 Giving the General a Surprise
"Will the old general like me?" Her voice was so low it was like a mosquito's buzz, her anxiety barely concealed. "After all, I am a concubine's daughter who escaped from the Ye family, with a bunch of little kids in tow. I am not worthy of the Pei family general's military achievements."
Pei Zhi reached out and ruffled her hair, his gesture casual yet affectionate: "He'll be happy to see that you can take good care of me, draw up a defense plan even more solid than mine, and lead your soldiers to see through the Turks' tricks."
He picked up the glass on the table and brought the honey water to her lips: "Besides, with me here, he has no choice but to like it."
Ye Wanning was amused by him, opened her mouth and took a sip of water. The sweetness slid down her throat, warming her heart. She watched Pei Zhi seal the letter and stamp a small tiger head mark on the seal—it was a scrap of his personal seal, which she had previously laughed at for being childish.
"When will you send it back?" she asked.
"I'll have my guards deliver it via the secret passage first thing tomorrow morning. It'll be three days faster than the post station." Pei Zhi put the letter into his personal brocade pouch. "I also had my guards bring some border specialties, all the raisins and almonds you said were delicious, for my father to try. Consider it... a token of your appreciation."
Ye Wanning's face flushed even more. She turned to pack up the military books, but Pei Zhi grabbed her wrist. He stuffed the brocade pouch into her hand, his voice gentle: "Take this. You can give it to the guards yourself tomorrow, okay?"
The letter in the brocade pouch still carried his warmth. Ye Wanning held the pouch and nodded gently. The wind was still blowing outside the tent, and the candlelight inside cast long shadows of the two of them, intertwined, like a preordained destiny.
The next morning, when Ye Wanning delivered the message to the guard, she specially tied a small begonia knot on the outside of the brocade pouch—a knot her mother had taught her, saying it would bring peace. Watching the guard's figure disappear into the morning mist, she secretly hoped that General Pei would understand the little tiger's meaning, that he would appreciate her "heartfelt intentions," and even more so, that one day she could walk proudly into the Pei family compound, stand beside Pei Zhi, and offer General Pei a cup of tea.
Although Pei Zhi's arrow wound had mostly healed, the border region was still very cold, and his left arm would ache and itch again on rainy days. Ye Wanning searched through the medical books left by her mother and finally found a prescription to dispel cold and promote blood circulation, called "Double Flower Drink"—it was made by boiling fresh crabapple blossoms and honeysuckle with a small amount of ginger, and drinking it could warm the body and relieve pain.
Early that morning, she took Chun Tao to pick crabapple blossoms in the valley near the military camp. The crabapples in the valley were in full bloom, their pink petals glistening with morning dew and emitting a faint fragrance. Ye Wanning carefully plucked the petals and put them into a bamboo basket, thinking to herself: I need to add some maltose after brewing the medicine, otherwise Pei Zhi will definitely find it too bitter.
Back at the military camp, she went into the makeshift kitchen, washed the crabapple blossoms and honeysuckle, put them in an earthenware pot, added water and ginger, and simmered them over a low flame. The aroma of the medicine quickly spread, mixed with the sweet scent of the crabapple blossoms, and it smelled warm.
"Miss, would you like some honey?" Chuntao handed over a small porcelain jar. "Last time, Lord Pei said that honey is more soothing to the throat than maltose."
“No need, he likes the sweetness of maltose.” Ye Wanning shook her head with a smile and took out an oil paper package from her bosom. “This is maltose that the secret guards brought for me from the capital. He liked to add this to his porridge when we were at the border last time. I’m giving the general a surprise this time.”
After the medicine had thickened a bit, she scooped in a spoonful of maltose, stirred it well, poured it into a porcelain bowl, and carried it towards Pei Zhi's tent. As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw Pei Zhi frowning at the map, his left arm resting on the table—he must be in pain again.
"General, please drink your medicine." She placed the porcelain bowl on the table, gently pressing his arm. "Does it hurt again?"
"It's nothing, just an old ailment." Pei Zhi smiled, picked up the porcelain bowl, took a sip, then suddenly froze, his eyes filled with shock, "This taste..."
"What's wrong? Is it too bitter? I added maltose." Ye Wanning's heart was pounding.
"It's not bitter, it's...it's too familiar. This taste is exactly the same as the herbal tea that the old woman who saved me twenty years ago brewed!"
Twenty years ago? Ye Wanning was stunned. Twenty years ago, her mother was still alive. Her mother often went to Begonia Valley to gather herbs. Could it be...?
"Is the old woman the general mentioned wearing a blue cloth dress, with her hair tied up in a bun, and always carrying a medicine basket?" she asked eagerly.
Pei Zhi nodded, his eyes filled with excitement: "Yes! How did you know? I was only ten years old back then. I went hunting in Begonia Valley with my father and accidentally fell down the hillside and broke my arm. It was that old woman who saved me, bandaged my wound, and even brewed this herbal tea, saying it could relieve pain and improve blood circulation."
It's her! It must be Mother!
Ye Wanning's tears welled up instantly. When her mother was alive, she loved to wear blue cloth clothes and loved to go to Begonia Valley to gather herbs. The "Double Flower Drink" was a recipe that her mother devised herself, and no one else knew the secret.
"General, do you remember what your mother-in-law left for you that day?" Her voice trembled, and a bold guess formed in her mind.
Pei Zhi hummed in agreement, thought for a moment, and then suddenly took out a small brocade pouch from his bosom. He opened it, and inside were two dried crabapple blossoms. Although twenty years had passed, the shape of the petals was still faintly visible. They were tied together with a red string and were well preserved.
“She left this for me, saying it would keep me safe.” Pei Zhi handed over the dried flowers. “She also said that if anything happened in the future, I could take this to the capital to find her. But later, my father was transferred to the frontier and never returned to the capital.”
Ye Wanning took the dried flowers, her fingertips gently caressing the petals, tears streaming down her face. This was her mother's way! When she was little, her mother would dry crabapple blossoms and tie them like this, saying it would bring good fortune.
"General, look at this." She took out two dried flowers from her small brocade pouch—they were left to her by her mother before she died, and they were tied with a red string. "These are what my mother left me."
Pei Zhi looked down and his eyes lit up instantly. The two dried flowers in Ye Wanning's hand could be perfectly pieced together to form a circle with his two flowers; the petals and patterns could be connected, and even the way the red string was tied was exactly the same!
"Your mother... is the old woman who saved me back then?" His voice trembled, unable to believe his ears.
Ye Wanning nodded vigorously, tears streaming down her face: "Yes! My mother's name is Su Wan, and she loves crabapple blossoms the most. Twenty years ago, she often went to Crabapple Valley to collect herbs, and she even said that she saved a little boy who broke his arm. I never imagined that it was you!"
Pei Zhi looked at the pieced-together dried flowers, then at Ye Wanning's tear-filled eyes, his heart churning with turmoil. So their destiny had begun twenty years ago. So the gentle old woman from back then was the mother of his beloved. So the amulet he had carried for twenty years was a gift from her mother.
“No wonder…no wonder I felt a connection with you the first time I saw you.” He reached out and gently took her hand, his fingertips trembling. “No wonder I felt like I’d seen your little tiger somewhere before. Turns out I’d seen it before, but I was too young to remember.”
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