Chapter 432: Homecoming
I came to the border after a long absence. It was midsummer and the sun was scorching.
Mu Nanzhao gave his carriage to Gu Xixi and Lu Jing.
He accompanied them on horseback.
But Gu Xixi felt sorry for Mu Nanzhao's face and was afraid that it would be damaged by the sun, so before leaving, she took out her own sunscreen and forced him to put it on.
At this time, we were crossing the deserted rocky beach from the official road.
Gu Xixi opened the car window a little and looked at the silhouette of Mu Nanzhao riding a horse.
The man was wearing a frost-colored robe, with a wasp waist and a monkey back, and he stood straight. He had a veil on his head with a black veil hanging down.
When the gauze curtain fluttered in the wind, its angular profile was revealed, just like a handsome knight in a martial arts drama of later generations.
Gu Xixi was fascinated by what she saw.
I have seen many scenes that I used to think were boring, but because of someone's presence, they became a painting.
Lv Jing, who was standing by, was a little restless.
She looked at the luxurious furnishings in the car. The cushions on the seats were woven from some kind of rattan. They were soft, cool, smooth to the touch, and did not stick to the skin.
In addition, there are pillows filled with silk and nephrite, ebony carved tea tables, table tea sets, lamps, and four treasures of the study, all of which are exquisite.
There were many things that Lu Jing couldn't name, and she didn't dare to touch them. She just watched with curiosity.
Gu Xixi felt a little hot, so she lowered the car window and picked up the ivory fan on the table to fan herself gently.
Noticing Lu Jing's nervousness, Gu Xixi smiled quietly and said, "Now that we are here, let's make the best of it."
"Relax a little. Don't be more tired from riding in a car than from walking."
Lu Jing also whispered, "This is the Regent's carriage, it's only natural for you to sit in it."
"Although I may have benefited from your help, I am still letting the Regent bask in the sun outside like this."
"It also affects your time alone together."
"I'm afraid he will hate me."
Gu Xixi was angry and amused, "Why are you getting more and more frivolous?"
Lu Jing said seriously, "I said what I really think. I'm not kidding."
Gu Xixi shook her head and sighed, saying helplessly, "I promise that he will never bear a grudge against you. Is that okay?"
Lu Jing smiled and nodded, "Okay, I'll feel more at ease with you as a guarantor."
After resting for a night on the way, the carriage passed by the dependents' village at noon the next day.
Gu Xixi lifted the curtain and said, "You have something important to do, so you don't have to send us into the village."
The Northwest Army first defeated Beili, and then went out to defend the king, making great contributions to the cause of the king.
Huo Jiang returned to the army and freed up his hands, and took the opportunity to eliminate the spies, bandits and other forces hiding in the border areas one by one.
Today, this area is the most peaceful since the founding of the Daye Dynasty.
Mu Nanzhao thought about it and did not insist on sending Gu Xixi into the village. "Okay, if I have nothing to do at night, I will not stay in the barracks and will come back."
Gu Xixi smiled and nodded.
The two people's eyes met, and there was a kind of affection between them.
Mu Nanzhao left behind a coachman and two guards, asking them to escort the two girls to the village safely.
He grabbed the reins, looked at Gu Xixi deeply, and then continued to move forward.
As the carriage turned towards the military village, Gu Xixi felt a little homesick.
After Mu Nanzhao left, Lu Jing relaxed a lot. She leaned out of the car window and looked around curiously.
“Is this the dependents’ village?”
"We're going to live in the village?"
Gu Xixi nodded, "There is a fixed small courtyard. Jinglan and I stayed there every time we came here before."
After a while, Lu Jing asked again in confusion, "Miss He said that the people here are all military families and children."
"We have been in the village for so long, why haven't we seen anyone?"
Gu Xixi was startled and lifted the curtain to look.
The carriage was driving on the straight road in the middle of the village, but there was no one in sight.
She thought about it for a moment and figured out the reason. "The harvest at the border is a few days later than in our village."
"At this hour, those who can work should still be harvesting in the fields."
"Those who are not physically fit either stay inside to cook or help take care of the children. They don't have time to go out and walk around."
Lu Jing nodded, "If it were just women and children, it would indeed be difficult."
“It’s inevitable that everyone helps each other and works together.”
As they were talking, the carriage stopped outside a small courtyard.
The ground from the feet of the car all the way to the gate of the courtyard was very clean.
I raised my hand to touch the door panel, and there was not much dust.
Lü Jing smiled and said, "Even though you were away for so long, someone still came to clean up from time to time."
Gu Xixi smiled, picked up the key that she had prepared earlier, unlocked the door and pushed it open.
The courtyard was as clean as outside.
The coachman and guards who were accompanying them took the bags and other luggage from the carriage into the yard without any instructions from Gu Xixi.
Gu Xixi excused herself and said, "Put the things in the main hall, and you can go and have some rest."
These people were well-trained and obeyed Gu Xixi's words.
He just put down his things and left the yard without saying a word.
Gu Xixi first went to the bedroom where she usually lived, and everything was still there.
She skillfully opened the box, took out the clean mattress and sheets, and began to make the bed.
Lu Jing ran in and said, "I checked the kitchen, and there's nothing to eat."
"There is a full tank of water, very clean."
Gu Xixi said, "It's inconvenient to buy things here. In the past, the food for our courtyard was provided by the army's kitchen battalion."
"Since they didn't write to us in advance this time, they naturally didn't prepare any food."
She smoothed the bed sheet with both hands, turned her head and said, "Are you hungry?"
"Once we have cleaned up your place, we will go find something to eat."
The bedroom adjacent to this one was previously occupied by He Jinglan.
All necessary things are available.
Gu Xixi helped Lu Jing make the bed. When the two went out, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the ground was white from the sun.
Lu Jing originally thought that Gu Xixi was going to take her to find a family to have a free meal.
But as we walked, we found ourselves out of the village, but taking a different road from the one that led into the village.
Lu Jing wiped the sweat off her face with a handkerchief and asked, "Where are we going?"
"We are almost at the end of the wilderness."
Gu Xixi said, "I just want to take you to see the wasteland that once was."
Lu Jing suddenly became very interested and even forgot about his hunger.
"I know that! You reclaimed a lot of wasteland in the northwest, planting oats, alfalfa, and vegetables. There was so much land you couldn't see the end of it!"
"I've long wanted to see it with my own eyes!"
Gu Xixi smiled and said, "We can't get there yet."
"Let's go to the nearby area first."
Outside the dependents' village, there are endless fields of oats, the color of which is slightly different from that of wheat.
As I got closer, I could hear lively chatting, all women's voices.
Gu Xixi said to Lu Jing, "Everyone is taking a break for lunch now, so we're just in time."
First, a military dependent saw the two of them. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief, then shouted in surprise:
"Boss Gu is back!"
“Auntie Lin! Madam Zhou! Sister Zaohua! Quick! Quick!!”
Lu Jing pursed her lips and smiled, "She said you're back, which shows that she treats you as a family member."
In a blink of an eye, many women emerged from the wheat field and surrounded Gu Xixi and Lu Jing.
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