swan
As the weather quietly warms up, I hear that the closest town to the military camp is Xiafeng Town, where there is a lakeside courtyard. The scenery there is beautiful, with a clear blue lake. Everyone who comes here hopes to find love and become a couple, hence the name "Mandarin Duck Lake."
Qin Xiangde was intrigued by the news and, after inviting Peng Xuan'an and Pang Linqiu, they went together to the Mandarin Duck Lake.
The three entered Xiafeng Town and headed straight for the lakeside courtyard.
The three walked onto the white stone bridge and took in the beautiful scenery of the lakeside.
The lake is clear and the March breeze gently caresses the tender leaves. Many peach trees are planted along the lake and its banks.
March is the season when peach blossoms are in full bloom.
Pink and white peach petals swirl down on the breeze, creating ripples as they touch the lake's surface. The water ripples gently propel the petals, some half-submerged, adding a touch of color to the emerald lake.
Swans, mandarin ducks, and other birds roam the lake, swimming in pairs.
Upon seeing this beautiful scenery, Qin Xiangde couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
No wonder some say that if you want to find love, you must come to Yuandui Lake, where you can find pairs and couples.
Pang Linqiu's eyes lit up; she was very pleased with the beautiful scenery.
Standing on the bridge, admiring the beautiful scenery, she leaned on the bridge railing with both hands and said contentedly, "Brother Mohe, where is this? It's so beautiful!"
"This is the Mandarin Duck Lake. Do you like it here?" he replied.
"I love it! I really like it!" she replied with a smile.
Qin Xiangde glanced at the stunned Peng Xuan'an, nudged him with his elbow, and Peng Xuan'an, seeing Pang Linqiu's smile, instantly cheered up. He was jolted awake by Qin Xiangde's elbow and turned to look at him.
"what?"
"When you spend time with Linqiu, I..."
Hearing their conversation, Pang Linqiu turned to look at them in surprise, "Brother Mohe! Where are you going?"
Qin Xiangde gave an awkward smile. "I need to go..." He tried to think for a moment, then stammered, "I need to go buy... uh... something..."
She hurried over, her big, teary eyes wide with fear that he would abandon her, and pleaded softly, "I can go with you!"
Qin Xiangde quickly waved his hand, his lips twitching: "That's very far, you stay here with Xuan An obediently..."
"I don't want to!" she shook her head in protest.
He wore an expression of helplessness, as if his children were disobedient: "Linqiu will be obedient and quick."
Seeing that Pang Linqiu opened her mouth as if to say something to refuse, Qin Xiangde quickly said, "Then I'll go to the bathroom and buy you some good food, okay?"
Pang Linqiu paused for a few seconds, then agreed with some disappointment, "Alright then."
“Okay.” He turned to Peng Xuan’an. “Xuan’an, keep an eye on her.”
“Okay.” Peng Xuan’an nodded. Along the way, Pang Linqiu felt as if he didn’t exist, as she had been chatting with Qin Xiangde the whole time.
Qin Xiangde left, leaving only the two of them and some couples who were all smiles and looking affectionate. The two of them seemed a bit out of place.
Pang Linqiu continued to gaze at the lake view from the bridge railing, and Peng Xuan'an also came closer to watch.
They kept a distance between them, and he knew she definitely didn't want him to be so close, or rather, she was rejecting him. A strange sadness welled up inside him; his eyes were half-closed, lost in thought. He couldn't understand why he was no match for Qin Xiangde.
The air is filled with the fragrance of peach blossoms, and couples stroll across the bridge. It's so lively, so why is it so... quiet?
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, wanting to start a conversation, as he was getting a little uncomfortable just quietly looking at the scenery.
His gaze swept across the lake, finally settling on two black swans on the surface of the lake, their necks intertwined in a gesture of affection, with several goslings swimming behind them.
He thought of what to say, and first sighed, then leaned on the railing with both hands, his deep black eyes gazing at the lake, a look of sadness on his face as he longed for love but couldn't find it.
"When will I be able to be like them? To drift along in the gentle breeze, to be loving and devoted, to raise our offspring together, and to journey to the end of our lives together?"
She glanced at him disdainfully, then followed his gaze to the pair of geese, and froze for a moment, her eyelids twitching inexplicably.
Two large, similarly sized black swans were completely different from the other pairs of swans nearby, which were of different sizes... but these two were almost identical, clearly indicating that one was male.
"You?" Her eyes were strange and somewhat surprised.
He was pleased to hear her speak. He had thought she would understand his meaning and ignore him, but to his surprise, she did. She asked softly, "Miss Pang, when do you think I can be like them?"
She rubbed her chin, hesitated for a moment, then looked at him, "General, do you really want to do this?"
He nodded, looking at her with tender eyes: "Do you think... she'll be with me?"
"Him?" She clenched her right fist and held it to her lower lip, a hint of reluctance flashing in her eyes. The plot of the book "An He Xing" flashed through her mind again.
The two strolled along the Mandarin Duck Lake, where they saw a pair of mandarin ducks playing in the water, chirping lovingly. They exchanged a smile, their eyes brimming with affection. Then they found a secluded spot…
The corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up again. When she realized that her smile was getting more and more obvious, she quickly covered it with her hand and coughed a few times to suppress her laughter.
Seeing her looking like she wanted to laugh but didn't dare, Peng Xuan'an assumed she found the matter very funny and couldn't help but feel sad.
She softened her maternal smile, took a deep breath, and hesitated before saying, "Well... it's not impossible..."
His pupils dilated, both surprised and delighted that she... had agreed?
He beamed, "Then I'll..."
Before he could finish speaking, she reluctantly said, "Then I'll reluctantly and painfully give it to you!"
"?...!!" He frowned at her, puzzled.
She was taken aback by his reaction.
"What...do you mean by this?" he asked.
"What else could it mean?" She pointed to the two swans. "Didn't you want to be a couple with Brother Mohe?"
"?! ...
"Weren't those two male swans what you implied?" she asked innocently.
He exclaimed in astonishment, "Where are the two males?"
She pointed to the two geese from the beginning and said, without a doubt, "There they are, two males."
He found it absurd and argued, "Nonsense! They are clearly a male and a female!"
“Two males!” she retorted defiantly, frowning and glaring.
“If they’re both males, where would the cubs come from?” He crossed his arms, still finding her words absurd and feeling that his own words made more sense.
She smiled wryly, speechless. "They're not stupid. They'll raise the female swans after they give birth! They'll raise both males together!"
"Absurd! It's a male and a female!"
"Two males!"
Qin Xiangde returned, carrying a dessert box. He was puzzled as to why the two had been arguing about male and female...
"What are you arguing about?" he asked as he approached.
When Pang Linqiu saw Qin Xiangde return, she quickly grabbed his hand and accused Peng Xuan'an as if she were complaining, "Brother Mohe! Those two swans were clearly male! He insisted that one was male and the other was female!"
"Huh?" He thought it was something serious.
"You argued about this?" He looked at her gently.
Peng Xuan'an insisted on his point: "Xiangde, where would you find two males taking care of a baby?"
"It's clearly two males!" She hid behind Qin Xiangde and raised her voice to continue.
"One male and one female!"
Qin Xiangde also found her statement absurd, but he didn't want the two of them to continue arguing about it! He waved his hand to stop their quarrel: "Alright! Let's fish out the male and female ones and see! We'll know at a glance!"
"Okay!" the two said in unison, each disliking the other.
The three found an old fisherman by the lake, pointed at the two geese, and insisted on seeing whether it was a male and a female or both males.
The geese were forced to be pulled ashore. The old fisherman examined the two geese and burst out laughing: "Hahaha."
Qin Xiangde silenced the two men, ordering them to stand behind him and not argue. He then stepped forward and asked the fisherman, "Uncle, are these two geese a male and a female, or both males?"
The elderly fisherman laughed and said, "This little girl is right! Two ounces."
Peng Xuan'an couldn't believe his ears, still thinking it was a male and a female, and even more convinced that the fisherman was lying, "How could two males have offspring?! Isn't that absurd?"
The fisherman just smiled calmly, "Young man, you don't know this, but this gander finds a female goose to lay its eggs, then drives the female goose away and lives with another gander to raise its young together."
“I…” Peng Xuan’an was speechless. He glanced back at Pang Linqiu, only to see her roll her eyes and make a face.
She added sarcastically, "One male and one female~"
"..." He was somewhat resentful but also disappointed. He was resentful because he had guessed wrong, and disappointed because...she didn't want to be with him...
Qin Xiangde turned around and saw the face she was making. He chuckled and said, "Alright, are you two satisfied now?" He stepped forward and gave some loose silver to the old fisherman, thanking him, "Thank you for your help, Uncle. These two children are so naughty. We've troubled you with this."
The old fisherman, seeing the money, smiled even more broadly: "No need to trouble yourself, it's normal for young couples to act childishly."
"..." He was taken aback.
"..." She looked down on it.
She emphasized unhappily, "Uncle! We're just friends!"
The old fisherman smiled kindly and said, "Oh, okay."
The three left the place and strolled around the streets of Xiafeng Town. The streets were very lively, with stalls of all sizes displaying a dazzling array of goods.
Peng Xuan'an followed Pang Linqiu obsequiously, "Miss Pang, is there anything you'd like to eat or want?" He wanted to make amends.
"No." She held the Cuiming cake that Qin Xiangde had bought and ate it.
Qin Xiangde chuckled softly and asked gently, "Why are you two arguing about this?"
“He said he imagined those two… um…” Her mouth was covered by Peng Xuan’an.
Peng Xuan'an whispered, "Please don't say it!" He was afraid she would reveal what Qin Xiangde and he had talked about. He was not gay! He had absolutely no homosexual tendencies! He didn't know why Pang Linqiu would associate him with Qin Xiangde.
Pang Linqiu sighed helplessly, slapped his hand away in disgust, and said irritably, "It's nothing, he just wants to swim in the lake like a goose!"
Qin Xiangde laughed out loud upon hearing this.
Before leaving Xiafeng Town, Pang Linqiu rushed to a bookstall to ask if they had the eighth and ninth volumes of "An He Xing," but they didn't. Peng Xuan'an, curious about the contents, bought a copy on a whim, and the three returned to the military camp.
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