Chapter 101, Extra 3: Previous Life (Part 2)
Qi Ying had never slept so well since she could remember. She woke up in the middle of the night and felt as if everything was a dream.
The burning incense in the stove enveloped her like a thin veil at night. The tassels hanging in front of the bed were entangled with a ray of bright moon outside the window. She touched the quilt and satin under her body and turned over gently.
The next day Qi Ying woke up very early.
When she turned over and sat up, Si Xia and Ying Ge were already waiting beside her. She felt a little embarrassed and whispered, "I can do it myself."
The two maids didn't force her, and only stepped forward to help her when she needed help. Si Xia brought new winter clothes over, saying that they were all sent by Zhang Bo last night, and there were various colors and styles for her to choose from.
Qi Ying only picked some light colors, which would look dull on others, but she had a pretty face, so she looked particularly elegant in light colors.
Yingge asked her, "Miss, do you want to go to the East Pavilion to have dinner with the general?"
She thought about it and nodded slightly.
The two of them accompanied her there. It was so early, but Ji Rang was not in the room. The cold wind blew through the withered banana trees in the yard. The snow that had been falling all night finally stopped.
Perhaps because the general was in good physical condition, Ji Rang did not use the heater. The room was freezing cold. She rubbed her hands, asked the maid to go back first, and waited in the room herself.
She didn't look around or touch anything. She sat obediently on the chair at first. After sitting for a long time, she felt a little cold, so she stood up and walked to the floor-standing porcelain vase in front of the window, lowered her head to smell the fragrance of white plum blossoms.
The remaining subtle fragrance mixed with the smell of withered flowers and leaves was pleasant to her taste, so she sniffed it a few more times.
Ji Rang's smiling voice came from behind: "Do you like that flower?"
She was startled and turned around quickly. Ji Rang was standing behind her, dressed in black, with his hair tied up high. She didn't know when he came back. As he looked at her with a smile, she asked in a low voice, "General, where have you been?"
Ji Rang loosened the black wrist guard on his wrist and said, "Let's go practice." He stretched out two fingers and stroked her face with the back of his fingers. "Are you cold? You're frozen."
She blushed again, lowered her eyes and shook her head.
Ji Rang turned and walked to the desk, poured himself a glass of water and said, "Don't come here in the mornings."
Qi Ying paused, the blush quickly faded away, leaving only an embarrassed paleness.
Ji Rang finished drinking the water before continuing, "I will go to the west courtyard after I finish my practice. There is no heater here, and you will freeze."
When he turned around, he caught the lingering anxiety in the little girl's eyes. He was stunned for a moment, not knowing where he had done wrong again. He sighed helplessly in his heart, thinking that he still had to learn how to get along with little girls.
He put down the cup, thought for a moment, walked over and held out his hand to her: "Let's go back and have breakfast."
Qi Ying lowered her head and put her hand in his palm.
His palms were so warm, probably because he had been holding guns for many years, so his fingertips were covered with thick calluses. He held her hand very gently, as if he was afraid of hurting her. The warmth continuously flowed through his palm to her fingertips, finally warming up her cold body a little.
The sky was a touch of desolate white, shrouded in half an inch of morning light. The snow had not melted, and there was a slight sound when stepped on.
She lowered her eyes and followed him, and suddenly heard him ask: "Do you like snow?"
She didn't like it at first.
It was too cold when it snowed, and on those days without shelter, snow meant freezing.
But she probably also understood that people from high-class families always like elegant things, and Feixue was one of them.
So he said "hmm" softly.
Ji Rang didn't know if he saw through her little thoughts, he laughed, and after a while he said: "I didn't like it before either."
Qi Ying couldn't help but asked curiously, "Why do you like it now?"
Ji Rang smiled, held her little hand tighter, and said nothing.
In the west courtyard, Si Xia and Ying Ge had already prepared breakfast. As soon as they entered the room, Qi Ying's hair and eyelashes were covered with moisture. Ji Rang leaned over to brush them away for her. When his fingertips touched her skin, it felt cold. After thinking for a moment, he stretched out his hands to hold her little face and gently covered it.
Her face turned red immediately.
Ji Rang thought, the little girl is so cute when she is shy.
After breakfast, he asked the maid to get a cloak and wrap Qi Ying up before leading her out. He took her to visit the general's mansion. Although the mansion was not as good as that of a high-ranking official in Beijing, it was still granted by the emperor in the past. It was large and spacious, with more than a dozen courtyards located in sequence. However, due to the small number of people, it seemed extremely deserted.
There were not many servants in the mansion, so Ji Rang took her to all the places. Perhaps because of Zhang Bo's instructions, he no longer called her Madam, but only "Miss Ying". Ji Rang wanted her to get familiar with the roads in the mansion. He thought that familiarity would make people feel at ease. Anyway, there was nothing to do, so he took the trouble to lead her to walk again and again.
He had probably been with the soldiers who ate raw meat and drank blood for too long, and he had completely forgotten that the girl's physical strength was not as good as that of men. What's more, she had suffered some torture in the bandit camp some time ago and her body was still weak.
But she didn't say anything and followed him silently until she realized something was wrong and asked tentatively, "Yingying, are you tired?"
Qi Ying: “… a little bit.”
Ji Rang wanted to beat himself to death.
He had wanted to take her to see the lotus pond in the far north. In winter, the surface of the pond was covered with thin ice, and red carps could be seen swimming under the ice. It was a beautiful sight. But now he didn't want to go.
He let go of her hand and squatted down in front of her: "Come, I'll carry you back."
Qi Ying's clear pupils widened and he stood there without moving.
He turned around and smiled at her: "Don't be afraid, come."
She walked over hesitantly and slowly lay on his broad back.
His arms were very strong, only reaching her knees, and he was steady and heavy when he carried her up, not making her feel uncomfortable at all. She gently put her small hands around his neck, rested her chin on his shoulder, and smelled his unique scent.
Ji Rang carried her on his back and walked towards the west courtyard, whispering, "Yingying."
She tilted her head, looked at his profile, and responded obediently: "Yeah."
He sighed: "If you feel tired, uncomfortable, or upset in the future, tell me, don't endure it."
She pursed her lips: "Okay."
Ji Rang paused for a moment and said gently, "I said, since you are staying here, you should treat this place as your home."
The word home is too far away for her.
If you suddenly have something, you will eventually feel uncomfortable.
Ji Rang didn't say anything else. He sent her back to the west courtyard and asked the maid to serve her while she took a nap. He left quietly after she fell asleep, went back to his room to change his clothes, and then went into the palace.
The attendant checked the badge as usual and asked casually, "You don't have to go to court today. It's so cold. What are you doing in the palace?"
Ji Rang touched the tip of his nose and said, "There are some details about the bandit suppression in Fulong Mountain that need to be reported to His Majesty."
Having said that, after entering the palace, he went straight to the white plum forest, carefully selected for a long time in the forest, picked a few branches of lush white plums, and prepared to leave the palace.
As he walked outside the garden, he saw the eunuch beside the king, who came up to him and said, "Your Majesty heard that the general had entered the palace, so he sent me to look for him."
Ji Rang restrained his expression and went to the inner hall in a dignified manner.
As soon as he entered, he heard the king say with a smile: "My dear minister, you are in a good mood. You braved the winter wind to come to the palace just to pick these white plums."
Ji Rang was calm and said, "The plum blossoms in the palace are blessed by your majesty's mighty power and are in full bloom. I live at the border and rarely see them. I like them very much."
The king smiled and waved his hand: "Since you like it, I will have someone plant a few trees in your house someday." He changed the subject, "I heard that you brought a woman back from the bandit fight today?"
Ji Rang's fingers trembled slightly, but he concealed it calmly: "This is an orphan girl I rescued from the bandits. She was alone and had nowhere to go, so I brought her back to the mansion."
The king smiled slowly and said, "My dear minister, you are kind-hearted. But how can this orphan girl from the mountains be worthy of my general who protects the country?"
Ji Rang raised his head and looked towards the high seat, his expression serious: "As long as the world is not unified, I will not marry. Your Majesty is not worried about a mere unknown woman."
The king slowly picked up the incense burner on the edge of the wall, and after a while, he smiled nonchalantly: "You are young and full of vigor, and you should have a female companion. Some time ago, foreign countries paid tribute to many dancers. You can come with me and pick a few to bring back to the palace."
Ji Rang immediately knelt down and saluted, saying helplessly: "The woman made the mistake, I am not a lustful person, Your Majesty, please don't embarrass me anymore."
The king laughed a few times and said, "Never mind. I know who you are. It's cold at night. Go home early."
Ji Rang picked up the white plum beside him and left.
When he returned to the mansion, Qi Ying had already gotten up. Ji Rang saw her sitting in front of the window in a daze at the door. He stepped out, walked around the window, leaned against the wall, and waved Bai Mei towards the window.
Then he heard the little girl let out a soft "ah" and leaned half of her body out. When she saw him, her eyes sparkled and she called softly, "General, you're back."
He walked over with a smile and handed her the white plum blossoms through a window. "Freshly picked. Do you like it?"
Qi Ying lowered her head to smell it: "What a nice smell."
He couldn't help but touch her little head: "I'll ask Uncle Zhang to plant some in the west yard. When winter comes next year, they will bloom."
She nodded obediently, then thought of something and said, "General, the New Year is coming soon. Si Xia said he wanted to make some lanterns to replace them. What style do you like?"
Ji Rang asked, "Do you do it too?"
She was a little embarrassed: "I'm not very good at it, but I will help her."
Ji Rang smiled and said, "As long as you do it, I like it."
The little girl blushed again.
As the year draws to a close, the capital becomes more and more lively. It is the first time that Qi Ying is celebrating the New Year in a proper manner and she is looking forward to it very much. However, she did not expect that on the day before New Year's Eve, Ji Rang received an urgent report from the border. The Western Xia army that had previously harassed the border had joined forces with a small country nearby and had recently frequently looted border towns, with the possibility of a joint attack on the city.
Ji Rang received the urgent news and resigned that night. The emperor approved his request, and Ji Rang led his personal guards to leave Beijing overnight.
Qi Ying only followed him to the gate of the mansion, and he would not let her see him off.
Outside the palace, the imperial guards were standing in a dense mass. He waved his hand to let the deputy general go first, and when he turned around, he saw the little girl's wet eyes, and for the first time he felt reluctant to leave.
He bent down and tied her cloak again.
I heard her whisper, "General, when will you come back?"
The voice was cautious, as if afraid to anger him, but she really couldn't help but ask.
His fingers tightened, and he failed to tie the ribbon properly several times. He whispered, "I'll come back when the border is stable. When I'm not around, you have to listen to Uncle Zhang. Don't leave the house unless you have something to do. The capital is complicated and not safe. Tell them if you need anything. Don't bear it."
She nodded.
Ji Rang finally tied the ribbon, a smile appeared on the corner of his lips, and he stroked her cheek with his fingers: "Be good and wait for me to come back."
She said softly, "Okay."
The deputy general's voice came from outside the palace: "General, we are ready."
It's time to go.
The moonlight fell on his armor, cold and icy, reflecting her eyes, which seemed to be glowing.
He let go of her hand and turned to leave.
He took two steps and then stopped. Finally, he couldn't help it. He turned around and pulled her into his arms. He wiped her chin with his thumb, forced her to look up, and then kissed her soft lips.
The little girl was a little dazed, her eyes were not closed, she stared at him with wide eyes without blinking.
He didn't dare to be greedy and left quickly.
He held the back of her head with his hand, bent down and kissed her forehead, and said in a hoarse voice, "Wait for me to come back."
She said "hmm" obediently.
There was the sound of armor, he turned around and strode out.
That figure is tall and firm, and it is this figure that supports the entire world.
…
When Ji Rang returned to Beijing, it was already winter of the second year.
Qi Ying spent a whole year in the mansion. She kept his words in mind and basically never left the mansion. The servants in the mansion treated her very well, especially Zhang Bo, who would send her things every few days even if she didn't ask.
Fortunately, Si Xia and Ying Ge were there to accompany her, and Zhang Bo hired a nanny to teach her embroidery and needlework, so her life was not boring. However, every time she had free time, she missed the general and was worried.
The only two times he left the house were to go to the temple on the mountain to pray for him.
The day Ji Rang returned to Beijing, the first snow of the year fell.
She had heard the news of his return to Beijing a few days ago and was looking forward to it nervously every day, but when she opened the door and saw the man standing in the yard, all the previous intense emotions disappeared, leaving only the warm feeling of relief.
She smiled obediently, and he smiled back at her, opened his arms, and whispered, "Come."
The little girl, wrapped in sweet fragrance, threw herself into his arms.
He hugged her, smelled her scent, and almost rubbed her into his flesh.
He was not good at expressing love, and he was so busy with military affairs that he didn't even write her a letter this year. But God knew how much he missed her.
The little girl got down from his arms, looked at the sapling behind him, and asked curiously, "What is that?"
Ji Rang said, "A gift for you." He pulled her over and said, "How about planting it in your yard? It will be very beautiful when it grows taller and blooms."
She smiled with her eyes curved: "Okay."
It was not until the two of them had planted the sapling that Qi Ying remembered to ask, "General, what kind of tree is this?"
Ji Rang looked down at her, his eyes deep: "Albizia Julibrissin." He took two steps closer, put his arm around her waist, pressed her into his arms, and asked in a hoarse voice: "Yingying, do you know what Albizia Julibrissin means?"
She blinked and shook her head.
He laughed softly, buried his head in her ear, and whispered, "Yingying, you have grown up."
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