Chapter 28: Bone Ring with a piece of plain gauze wrapped around his hand, and the tip of his nose is filled with bitter medicine...
Three days passed in a flash. Fang Yilan bid farewell to the northwest with a group of people and set off for Shangjing.
The war has ended, and the world has become less solemn and more peaceful.
Fang Yilan leaned against the carriage window, taking in the scenery with great interest. The yellow sands of the northwest plateau had been etched in her mind for far too long, the monotonous yet magnificent scenery having almost completely filled her days since her time travel. Now, at last, she had the chance to see a different kind of scenery, and anticipation welled up in her heart.
The situation in the northwest is very good. It would be great if we could stop the war and travel around.
After watching for a while, I gradually felt tired and fell asleep unknowingly.
Zhao Huaixu took in her expression, but his eyes were full of sarcasm, as if he was mocking her naivety.
That place where people are eaten without leaving any bones behind is not a relief but a quagmire.
In the afternoon, the sun was high in the sky. Zhao Huaixu stood up and changed his seat, sitting by the window. His body just blocked the glaring sunlight. The light in the car instantly became much softer. Fang Yilan's brows, which had been frowned by the strong light, gradually relaxed.
A burst of rapid horse hoofbeats sounded from behind, waking Fang Yilan up. He lifted the curtain to check what was going on, and found that it was Zhuang Gu riding his horse at full speed, catching up with them.
Zhuang Gu pulled the reins, and the horse neighed. With a hint of grievance, he shouted loudly, "General, how could you leave me behind? Xun Yun and Xiao Yue are both following you, why don't you take me with you?"
Fang Yilan raised an eyebrow and jokingly said with a half-smile, "You are Lieutenant General Lin's right-hand man. How dare I snatch you away from him? He will be furious with me."
Zhuang Gu chuckled, scratched his head, and took out a letter and shook it. "General, please stop teasing me. General Lin specifically ordered me to accompany you to the capital. He also said that he would keep a close eye on you to prevent you from causing any trouble once you get there."
Fang Yilan felt a little embarrassed, so she simply turned a blind eye and lowered the car curtain to block her view from the outside world.
But he saw another person sitting in the carriage, looking out the window with a sad face and not saying a word.
"Yuan, what's going on?"
Zhao Huaixu seemed to be awakened by these words, slowly turning his head, his eyes still shrouded in a layer of loneliness. He strained his lips into a faint arc, offering a self-deprecating smile: "Yu'an is naturally happy for the General. Everyone respects and loves you, and would risk their lives for you. On the other hand, Yu'an has nothing of his own, and little talent or knowledge. There's really very little I can do to help the General..."
After saying that, he slowly turned his head away, his gaze falling back to the window, leaving only a desolate profile.
"Ah? You can't say that."
"It's okay, General. I'll be fine if I just calm down."
"It's because your injury hasn't healed yet. Once you're fully recovered, you can take on more responsibilities." Fang Yilan scratched his hair into a mess, racking his brains to make up for it.
"Yuan can do more for the general now."
"for example?"
"For example, serving the general's daily life."
"Ahem, this is not good." Fang Yilan almost choked on her own saliva when she heard it.
"Yuan understands and will not embarrass the general..."
"Okay, okay, you have the final say!" Fang Yilan slapped his thigh and spoke immediately.
Hiss, why do I always feel like I’ve been cheated?
...
When they arrived at the inn to rest at night, Shuxue bit her handkerchief and cried silently in Xunyun's arms, looking at the room fiercely as if she wanted to poke a hole in the door.
Inside the house, Fang Yilan's black hair fell down like a waterfall, with a soft luster. She unbuttoned her inner garment, rolled up the hem and tied it tightly, leaving only her injured waist and abdomen exposed, and then walked out from behind the screen.
Zhao Huaixu was sitting at the desk, taking out bottles of medicine from the medicine box one by one. When he heard footsteps, he turned around and looked.
Fang Yilan had a plain face, but there was a kind of cool and bright beauty between her eyebrows. Her eyes seemed to hide broken stars, her nose was straight, and her lips were as red as cherries. Zhao Huaixu was slightly stunned by her sight.
Seeing the person standing ten feet away from him, he couldn't help but chuckle: "General, you are so far away, Yu An can't reach you."
As he spoke, he leaned forward, pressed Fang Yilan's lower back and pulled him forward.
Fang Yilan's waist is slender but powerful, with very shallow muscle lines and a few shallow scars on it. The knife wound on her abdomen has formed a scab, and a small part of the scab has fallen off, revealing a bit of light pink tender flesh inside.
Fang Yilan felt the warm breath, like a feather brushing, hovering near the wound, and with a tendency to get closer. Her heart tightened, and she quickly stretched out her hands, holding Zhao Huaixu's face in her palms and lifting it up.
"Don't get so close, it's itchy!" There was a hint of shyness in her voice.
Seeing the man's clear eyes, he obviously hadn't expected such a thing, and his expression was a little dumbfounded. Having embarrassed him once, Fang Yilan thought she had won back a game, so she held his face and shook it from side to side.
So stupid.
After finally completing the steps of applying the medicine and then wrapping the gauze around her, Zhao Huaixu could only hold her waist with his left hand to prevent the gauze from falling off. This hold almost wrapped around half of Fang Yilan's waist.
"Okay!" Fang Yilan felt that every moment was torture, and her whole body was uncomfortable. She cursed herself in her heart, not knowing what was wrong with her that she had agreed to let him help.
Just as he saw Zhao Huaixu finally tie the bandage, he couldn't help but press his shoulder and step back.
Zhao Huaixu's hand slid from her waist to her back, locking her tightly in his circle, and his other hand slid along Fang Yilan's arm to her wrist, and finally clasped their fingers together.
Fang Yilan suddenly felt a cold touch on her fingers, and then she lowered her head to take a look. It was a ring.
"What's this?"
"It's a return gift."
The ring is grayish white and carved to look like snake scales. The texture is delicate and lifelike, but it is impossible to tell what material it is made of. The edges of the snake scales are locked with silver and connected together piece by piece.
"General, you can wear it on your hand when you shoot arrows in the future." Zhao Huaixu raised his head and said softly.
"It's really beautiful." Fang Yilan exclaimed sincerely, raising her hand in front of her eyes and examining it carefully in the moonlight. The silver-gray metal edges intertwined with the smooth white center. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it. She couldn't help but ask, "What is it made of?"
When Zhao Huaixu witnessed this scene, his body couldn't help but tremble slightly.
The bone fragment that carried his humiliating past, all the suffering and resentment, when it was slipped between her fingers, he actually had a strange feeling, as if the fragments of his body that had been shattered long ago, after countless years of wandering, had been pieced together again to form a complete self.
He took great pains to calm his mind, which was almost out of control. He smiled gently as usual and cleverly avoided Fang Yilan's probing gaze: "I made it myself. As long as the general likes it, that's all."
Fang Yilan was still immersed in admiring the ring. She vaguely felt that Zhao Huaixu's face seemed to be particularly red, but the light was too dim and she couldn't see it clearly.
"Of course I like it." She gently stroked the ring on her finger and made a few bow-drawing gestures. "In the past, when I shot arrows without the ring, my fingers were often rubbed by the bowstring. Now that I have this good thing, I can wear it on the battlefield in the future."
After applying medicine to Fang Yilan, Zhao Huaixu helped her comb her hair and washed her face and hands.
When everything was ready, Zhao Huaixu helped her lie down on the bed and pulled the quilt over her.
He took her hand, brought it to his lips, kissed her fingertips, and whispered "Good night." Finally, he carefully tucked in the quilt, making sure no cold wind could get in, and finally stood up to leave.
His eyes swept over the blood-stained gauze that had been replaced on the table. Zhao Huaixu naturally reached out and picked it up, saying softly, "General, please settle down as soon as possible. I'll take this gauze out and throw it away for you."
"Then thank you for your help." Fang Yilan snuggled in the quilt with only her eyes showing, a faint smile still in her eyes. She nodded happily and watched him leave the room.
That night, Zhao Huaixu also slept very soundly. No noise could wake him up. He lay on his side on the bed, his body slightly curled up, with a piece of white gauze wrapped around his hands. His hands were clenched on his lips, and there was a bitter medicinal fragrance on the tip of his nose, as if he was having a beautiful dream that he didn't want to wake up from.
The group wandered like this, stopping and starting for the better part of a month, before finally arriving at Luxin. This place was a prestigious mountain resort near Shangjing, especially famous for its hot springs. Emperor Jingwen had even visited here to enjoy the scenery.
As dusk fell, Fang Yilan and his group needed to find a place to rest.
As soon as we reached Luxin Pass, we saw a man in official uniform standing at the entrance of the mountain road, looking forward to something, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing Fang Yilan and his group, his eyes lit up, and he hurried forward to bow. "Excuse me, are you General Fang? I'm Dong Heng, the Minister of Rites. I calculated the schedule and guessed that the general and his group should be arriving soon, so I have been waiting here for a while. Grand Tutor Yuan specifically instructed me to come and greet the general. I also invite you to rest at the villa to relieve the fatigue of the journey."
Genji was obviously well aware of their itinerary.
Fang Yilan didn't show any emotion on his face, but immediately replied, "That's fine. We've been traveling so much these past few days, and we're really tired." He turned around and ordered, "Everyone, follow me to Tinglan Villa. Let's have a good rest and relax in the pool."
When everyone heard this, they cheered and responded one after another.
Following the plank path up the mountain, the villa is truly exquisitely built, with a meticulously laid-out courtyard, where the mountains and water complement each other. Jagged rockeries are staggered in an orderly fashion, while gurgling water flows around the pavilion, creating a gurgling sound. A tranquil bamboo forest, cut into natural screens, cleverly separates the elegant rooms, creating a sense of elegance and privacy, akin to a paradise, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the world.
On one side of the villa, an open grassland was specially built. On one side of the grassland, there is a spacious horse shed with a row of Arabian horses parked there for tourists to ride and enjoy the scenery.
Jiaoyue was tied up with reins all the way. In order to take care of the carriage behind, Fang Yilan only took it to the open area near the pipeline for a jog to relieve boredom during the occasional free time.
Fang Yilan led it to the stable and patted Jiaoyue's body gently. Jiaoyue understood what she meant, spread out its four hooves, and galloped away with big strides, its mane flying wildly in the wind.
"General, your horse is truly extraordinary." Dong Henglang smiled widely and did not hesitate to express his praise.
Fang Yilan's eyes followed the bright moon in the distance tenderly: "This horse originally belonged to my brother."
Dong Heng's raised brows dropped again, a trace of regret appearing on his face. He expressed his regret: "General, I am deeply sorry."
After he finished speaking, Dong Heng noticed that the atmosphere was somewhat tense, and cleverly changed the subject: "By the way, there is a shooting range specially set up in this horse farm. I wonder if the general is interested in going there to show off his skills?"
Fang Yilan hadn't exercised freely for a long time, and she felt suffocated all over. So, under the guidance of Dong Heng, she strode towards the shooting range.
I picked up a wooden bow from the weapon rack to get a feel for it. Wearing the ring given by Zhao Huaixu on my finger, it was indeed much more convenient to hook the string.
"General, the bone ring on your hand is so exquisite."
"Oh? Minister Dong, you have a good eye. How did you recognize this as a bone ring at first glance?"
"To be honest, I also have a pair of bone knives hidden in my home. They are made of ox bones. The color of the bone knife is very similar to the general's ring. The texture is warm and delicate, non-reflective, and very wear-resistant. This material is made into a ring for stringing, which is really perfect."
Dong Heng had been working in the officialdom for many years and always spoke in a way that suited the person he was speaking to. He saw Fang Yilan often rubbing the bone ring unconsciously, and the ring was obviously handmade, so he thought that such praise would definitely touch her heart.
However, after hearing what he said, Fang Yilan's expression not only did not show joy, but instead became gloomy in an instant.
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The author has something to say: The ring is based on Bulgari's snake tail ring. If you are interested, you can check it out. Also, the information I found says that removing a rib will not affect a person's normal life [dog head]
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