95 Shule River
◎“I miss you.”◎
Shen Suqin first wrote a letter to Xiao Pingchuan, saying that she wanted to stay in Shule River for two days before setting off.
Upon receiving the letter, Xiao Pingchuan was radiant. He summoned Xu Youcai, Chai Shun, and others to discuss how to tidy up the camp so that Shen Suqin could live more comfortably.
"If you ask me, that wolf-skin mat in the general's tent should be removed. Firstly, it's been used for seven or eight years and is old and dirty; secondly, the wolf's head looks rather frightening, and it wouldn't be good if it scared the lady," Xu Youcai said.
“Yes, that’s what I think too. Besides, you can’t let Madam come here and sleep on the floor with you, can you? What if some scorpion crawls around randomly and Madam gets angry and leaves? What will you do then?” Chai Shun said.
Kui Lang raised his hand with a snap: "I'll go to Yiyang County right now and buy the general a large wooden bed, solid wood, double size, how about that?"
"Can we put this down? It's such a tiny tent, barely the size of a palm." Xu Youcai complained as he spoke of it. "It's hard for the lady to even turn around when she comes in, how can she sleep? We'll have to set up the tent again, two of them together."
"Even if you put the two together, it'll be tough, and this tent is thin and lets in light, which is no good."
"What should we do? It's too late to start making mud and building a house right now."
After a moment of contemplation, the group suggested, "How about we build another layer on the outside?"
"That's fine, let's do it that way."
The banks of the Shule River are mostly yellow sand, and the area is prone to sandstorms, so they have to eat and use very rough materials.
Xiao Pingchuan and the others were used to being rough around the edges and didn't think much of it, but now that Shen Suqin said she was coming, they felt like everything about them was going to fall apart.
"That's good enough. You've all met her; she's not the picky type." Xiao Pingchuan said this with a face full of pride. "She's the easiest to get along with; no need for too much trouble."
"General, don't worry about it, we'll take care of it ourselves."
Xiao Pingchuan nodded.
Without enemy invasion, life on the Shule River would be quite monotonous, consisting of daily patrols and training.
It was a rare occasion that the general's wife said she wanted to stay for a while, and the entire garrison was filled with a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere for several days in a row.
That day, Xiao Pingchuan got excited and challenged Xu Youcai to a martial arts contest.
Xu Youcai's axe was quite formidable; an ordinary person would definitely not be able to withstand a single blow. Xiao Pingchuan, without a heavy sword in hand, met the axe with his bare fists, knocking it aside with a single palm strike, and then stepped on it.
Xu Youcai couldn't pull it out no matter how hard he tried. Xiao Pingchuan, who had been watching the commotion from above, kicked up a cloud of sand with his other foot and smashed it down on Xu Youcai's head. Then he released the foot, expecting Xu Youcai to roll away. But instead, Xu Youcai twisted his body, grabbed Xiao Pingchuan's thigh, and slammed him heavily onto the sand.
Those watching from the sidelines seized the opportunity and swarmed forward one after another, pressing Xiao Pingchuan to the very bottom.
Xiao Pingchuan laughed so hard he almost choked. He slapped the ground with his right hand, used the momentum to flip himself up, and sent the four or five people on top of him flying.
This battle was exhilarating.
Xu Youcai wanted to come again, but Xiao Pingchuan waved his hand, pulled his clothes up to reveal his honey-colored, muscular body, and said, "I'm going to take a shower in the river. You guys have fun."
It was dusk again, and the Shule River shimmered with golden light.
Xiao Pingchuan stood shirtless in the river, the surface shimmering. He plunged in, smashing the surface of the river, the shimmering light shattering and sparkling.
He held the plain white handkerchief between his fingers. The handkerchief was soft and supple, like a small fish sliding between his rough fingertips.
The handkerchief had been rubbed and kneaded many times, and the cool fragrance on it had long since dissipated. Xiao Pingchuan spread it out and covered his face, tilting his head back to inhale the scent.
He misses Shen Suqin so much.
Weary from her journey, Shen Suqin stood on a sand dune by the riverbank. The setting sun cast a soft glow on her, her skirt was covered in sand, and one foot was half-buried in the yellow sand.
As the last rays of sunlight dipped below the horizon, Xiao Pingchuan removed his handkerchief, tossed his wet, disheveled hair, and gazed across the sand dunes. Shen Suqin thus entered his field of vision.
The deep blue sky stretched out behind her, and yellow sand lay beneath her feet. The Shule River meandered towards the horizon, its curves undulating as her clothes fluttered, making her appear as graceful as a white egret with its neck raised amidst the green hills and clear waters of Jiangnan.
Xiao Pingchuan suddenly remembered that the wind from their first meeting had finally crossed thousands of mountains and rivers and reached the border.
He stared intently at Shen Suqin, watching her walk down the sand dune step by step, rush to the riverbank, and leap onto him.
Xiao Pingchuan was startled and quickly opened his arms to catch him, gently catching him in his embrace.
"Why did you come early?" He looked up and laughed, lifting her up to his eye level, and looked at her intently, saying, "I'm so happy. I've been happy ever since I received your letter."
Shen Suqin smiled and cupped his face in her hands, her breathing slightly rapid as she replied, "I thought the carriage was too slow, so I rode it for a while."
Xiao Pingchuan couldn't resist kissing her, his lips meeting hers, but Shen Suqin smiled and dodged, saying, "There are people here."
"There's no one here." Xiao Pingchuan glanced around.
“They were all hidden; they brought me here.”
"Tsk," he reluctantly let go of her, lifted her up and placed her in the crook of his arm, then waded through the river to bring her to the shore.
Perhaps because the two hadn't seen each other for a long time, Shen Suqin felt that Xiao Pingchuan seemed to have become even more handsome, so she lowered her head to examine him closely.
Xiao Pingchuan laughed: "Don't you recognize me?"
Shen Suqin: "I don't recognize you."
"Then I can't hug you."
Shen Suqin teased him, "Put me down, and I'll leave right away."
Xiao Pingchuan held on without moving, tilting his head slightly: "Go ahead."
Shen Suqin looked down to meet his gaze. His eyes were filled with a shimmering light, like those of an eighteen or nineteen-year-old boy, gazing at her with fervent infatuation. She was moved. She lifted her wide, plain white gauze sleeves to cover their heads, leaned down, and passionately kissed his lips.
The gauze sleeves covering her were filled with the cool fragrance of Shen Suqin, the scent of the handkerchief in Xiao Pingchuan's hand. He had longed for it for a long time, and finally, he was overwhelmed by this scent. In this small space, Xiao Pingchuan revealed his greedy nature, his lips and tongue conquering and attacking fiercely, making Shen Suqin's head spin.
She leaned weakly on Xiao Pingchuan's shoulders, her waist limp, as if she had turned into a pool of water.
The people crouching behind the sand dunes looked away shyly, but couldn't help wanting to watch.
The younger children blushed and scratched their heads in frustration.
The rustling sounds annoyed Xiao Pingchuan, who had to stop and pull Shen Suqin into his arms. He said irritably, "If you're so free, go run laps. Fifty laps. You're not allowed to eat dinner until you finish."
As soon as he finished speaking, heads began to pop up one after another from behind the sand dune, numbering no less than twenty.
Xiao Pingchuan: "..."
Shen Suqin buried her face in his chest and chuckled softly.
As night fell, Xiao Pingchuan led the people back. A bright red bonfire had already been lit in the open space of the camp, and a whole roasted lamb was placed on the fire. The golden-yellow skin and meat were covered with glistening fat, and the aroma of the meat was rich.
Those in the camp who had never seen Shen Suqin before saw her walk in calmly and quietly. Her white gauze dress was light and simple, but her eyebrows and eyes were breathtakingly beautiful. Although there was no sharp edge to her, looking at her for a long time made people feel a chill down their spine and dare not look directly at her sharpness.
Everyone wanted to look but dared not, afraid that looking too much would offend them. They could only lower their eyes and keep muttering to themselves, "Beautiful, damn beautiful."
"Madam must be tired from walking such a long way," Xu Youcai said to her. "Come sit down and try the roast lamb, a specialty of the Shule River."
Shen Suqin sat down next to Xiao Pingchuan and replied, "It's alright, not tiring. The mutton smells delicious; I could smell it a long time ago."
Xu Youcai chuckled, "Someone, bring me a knife and a plate, I'll cut the meat for Madam."
The plate was bought on the spot; it's a plain white plate, and it comes with a matching plain white porcelain bowl, spoon, and chopsticks.
They didn't have anything so precious in their camp; they ate meat by simply holding it in their hands and gnawing on it, or by shaving it with a knife and putting it in their mouths.
Soon, Xu Youcai handed her a large plate full of meat, piled high, as if afraid she would go hungry.
Shen Suqin glanced at Xiao Pingchuan, worried that she wouldn't be able to finish the food.
Xiao Pingchuan: "Eat first, and give me what you can't finish."
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