Sunrise on the 96th
"Just keep walking forward, I'll be right behind you."
The lamb was very fragrant, with a golden and crispy skin that wasn't gamey at all.
Shen Suqin knew this was specially prepared for her, and without being pretentious, she generously praised it while eating.
Xiao Pingchuan sat next to her, occasionally offering her a sip of tea.
"How long will you be staying this time?" he asked.
Last time he came and went in a hurry, killed someone and left, without having a chance to talk to her properly.
"It's hard to say. I'll go back if they urge me, but I should be able to stay for a few days."
"Then I'll show you around."
"good."
"Is the meat tough? Should I cut some from the middle for you...?"
The two women leaned their heads together and chatted. Shen Suqin would occasionally chuckle softly, looking rather charming.
Some people vaguely recalled that the last time the lady came, she seemed to have severed the neck of a Shatuo barbarian, who was much larger than the lady.
Thinking of this, he rubbed his eyes and stared blankly at the campfire with his mouth agape.
Nowadays, the Black Flag Army has no shortage of food. They have enough millet rice every day, as well as dried meat and vegetables.
Especially in the freezing winter, when there is no green to be seen elsewhere, they can still eat tender green vegetable leaves.
I remember the first time he saw green vegetables in winter, he immediately tore off a lettuce leaf and put it in his mouth to chew. It was sweet, even sweeter than drinking sugar water.
He heard them say that it was the lady who sent it, saying that the soldiers who couldn't see well should eat more of it. Although he didn't understand the reasoning behind it, he knew that this dish was sold for almost the price of gold outside, and he never expected that the lady would be willing to give it to them.
There was no alcohol in the Black Flag Army camp, and eating mutton was getting a bit boring. Someone started a fuss about dancing, and everyone agreed.
Then the drums began to beat, and some people stood up and ran to the campfire, jumping to the rhythm. Gradually, more and more people joined in, and the drumming grew more and more intense.
In the end, everyone's enthusiasm was ignited. They circled the campfire, laughing, spinning, and jumping around on the yellow sand. Shen Suqin joined in, making it even more lively.
The people of Jinzhou were skilled at dancing, but years of war nearly wiped it out completely.
Shen Suqin brought it back, using simple drumbeats and everyone's enthusiasm. The campfire burned, the light flickered, the night breeze was intoxicating, and everyone was having a great time.
As night deepened, Xiao Pingchuan led Shen Suqin back to her tent to rest.
This is a separate tent prepared for her, with a small wooden single bed covered with fluffy white sheepskin. Inside the tent, there is a low table and stools, on which sits a bronze mirror and a palm-sized vase filled with reeds picked from the banks of the Shule River.
Shen Suqin leaned on the table and watched quietly. Moonlight shone through the tent and fell at her feet. The thin light spread out coldly and hard, but was softened by Xisha.
There were footsteps outside the military tent. It was Xiao Pingchuan, who was going to fetch hot water for her to wash up. He was talking to the soldiers on night watch, and Shen Suqin could tell from his voice.
He stopped at the doorway and said softly, "It's me."
"Come in," Shen Suqin replied.
The curtain was lifted, bringing with it a gentle breeze that brushed against Shen Suqin's fingertips.
"Jin'an." Shen Suqin called out without turning around, her eyes lowered.
Xiao Pingchuan rarely heard her call him by his courtesy name; most of the time she would call him General Xiao. When she called him Xiao Pingchuan, it meant she was angry.
But what does it mean when someone calls out "Jin'an"?
He didn't know.
So he stopped and asked her, "What's wrong?"
Shen Suqin turned around and looked at him quietly through the moonlight. After a long while, she asked him in an almost murmured voice, "Have I not told you yet how much I love you?"
A shiver ran through Xiao Pingchuan’s body at those words, a tremor that seemed to tear his heart and lungs apart. He hesitated as he approached Shen Suqin, reaching out to touch her, but then withdrew his hand halfway.
As soon as he entered, he saw Shen Suqin standing in the moonlight with her head slightly lowered. She had shed the glaring light of the day and become gentle and calm, like a cloud on the horizon before dawn, making one want to pick it, yet feeling ashamed of one's own insignificance.
So Xiao Pingchuan withdrew his hand, asking himself: Is it really okay?
Shen Suqin took his hand and hooked her fingers around his.
With this one move, Xiao Pingchuan suffered a complete defeat.
He strode over and pulled Shen Suqin into his arms, knocking the table aside. His voice trembled as he pleaded softly, "Say it again."
"I love you."
Xiao Pingchuan hugged her with all his might, but he was afraid of hurting her, so he could only clench his hands tightly, secretly competing with himself.
Shen Suqin covered his hand, gently pried it open, pulled him to her waist, and asked, "Aren't you going to kiss me?"
Xiao Pingchuan shook his head almost imperceptibly. He pulled away slightly, tilted his head, and held the red jade bead near Shen Suqin's ear. The bead was smooth and full, and Xiao Pingchuan used it to calm the raging beast within him. Then he grabbed Shen Suqin's slender waist, pressed her against him, and lowered his head to kiss her deeply, as if they were exchanging souls.
Shen Suqin held her head high and endured it. She felt that the void in her life had been filled. She was no longer walking alone. She had a reason to stop here.
Outside the tent, the firelight flickered, and the night watchmen walked back and forth, their shadows overlapping as they passed by; inside the tent, Xiao Pingchuan extinguished the candle with his bare hands, embraced her, and hid in a secluded spot, indulging in unrestrained pleasure, so fierce yet so tender.
The nights are long on the Shule River.
At 3:45 AM, Xiao Pingchuan led Shen Suqin by the hand as they walked on the soft sand dunes.
The sand dunes along the Shule River are not high, but they have been sculpted by the northern winds into a continuous, undulating shape that stretches all the way to the horizon.
Xiao Pingchuan took off his outer robe and spread it on the sand, then pulled Shen Suqin to sit down.
Before sunrise, the Shule River was as still as if it had been paused. The thick clouds on the horizon gradually faded, and the light tentatively climbed over the horizon. Suddenly, golden light burst through the clouds, and the dazzling light, with the momentum of a thousand horses galloping, poured down on the earth. The flowing clouds were trampled into dust and thrown into the sky. The vast expanse of yellow sand was instantly stained with gold, like fireworks burning across the earth.
The Shule River awakens, its waters flowing clearly. A hawk circles overhead, whistling as it soars into the sky.
"Xiao Pingchuan," Shen Suqin called out to him.
"Um."
Xiao Pingchuan didn't turn to look at her; he was gently stroking her hair, which was fluttering in the wind.
Shen Suqin grasped his hand, revealing the bright red scratches on the back of his hand.
The sunlight was so bright that Shen Suqin had the illusion that she couldn't see the road ahead.
But Xiao Pingchuan held her hand firmly and said, "Just keep walking forward, I'll be right behind you."
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