Everyone quickly mounted their horses. It was getting late; if they didn’t move quickly, it would be dark by the time they left the forest. There were too many unknowns in the dark, and there had already been one ambush. They couldn’t give the Tuhuns another chance to attack them.
Furthermore, He Changdi held a post in the army. This time, he had come out against the wishes of Captain Guo. It had already been two days, so they couldn’t delay their return any longer. Even so, when He Sanlang returned to the camp, he would likely have to suffer some punishment.
The men rode their horses hard and none of them had the mood to talk at this time. Chu Lian gripped the saddle of the galloping horse under her tightly as the cold winter winds brushed against her cheeks like knives. Her shaking body had been stabilised at some point by a strong arm wrapped around her waist. As furious as she was with her husband, it would be silly of her to struggle at this time and place.
Thanks to that strong arm holding her steady, Chu Lian’s back was pressed against He Sanlang’s chest. Even through that cold and hard armour, she could still hear the fast, powerful beat of his heart.
She pressed her lips together as a warm flush overtook her face.
She covered her face with her hands and told herself that the only reason her face was so hot was because of the chaffing cold winds.
When dusk fell, the party finally reached a small town close to Liangzhou City.
The maidservants and retainers who had accompanied Chu Lian here, along with the two guards that Princess Wei had sent, were resting in a residence here and recovering from their injuries.
Zhao Liang dismounted first and went off to report their arrival. The entrance of their courtyard was immediately flung open from the inside as Wenqing and Wenlan came out to welcome her.
He Changdi carried Chu Lian off the horse, but didn’t let her down. He carried her straight into the courtyard under the watch of Wenqing and Wenlan. The two maidservants followed after with pale and panicked faces. Manager Qin’s face was also full of worry. He looked towards the men who had escorted He Changdi and Chu Lian back. Since he had clearly seen how Mo Chenggui had treated his Third Young Madam, his gaze skipped over the old soldier and landed on Zhao Liang and Xiao Hongyu instead.
He quickly walked over to ask, “Excuse me, sirs. What happened to our Third Young Madam? Has she been injured anywhere?”
Xiao Hongyu saw that he was truly worried, so he reported what he had been told. “I heard Brother He say that she injured her foot. Don’t worry, Sister-in-Law’s injury isn’t too bad. She should be fine after a few days of rest.”
When he heard Xiao Hongyu’s reply, Manager Qin heaved a sigh of relief. He thought carefully about their current situation. Half of Third Young Madam’s party was injured, so they probably wouldn’t be able to continue their journey immediately. They would likely have to stay in this small town for a few days.
“Sirs, please come in and rest. I’ve already ordered the servants to cook a meal for our guests.”
Xiao Hongyu and Zhao Liang were indeed hungry. However, when they thought of the military order hanging over their heads, they waved their hands in rejection. “Kind sir, there’s no need for that. Once Brother He comes out, we have to hurry back to camp.”
Manager Qin almost gaped in shock. “You… You’re still rushing back to camp?” He looked up at the darkening sky. “But it’s almost night.” It was already dangerous enough to rush on the roads in winter. This area was close to the northern border, so the risk was even higher.
Zhao Liang smiled bitterly. “Thanks for your kind offer, sir, but we have to follow our orders.”
Seeing how resolute they were, Manager Qin couldn’t hold them back. However, he couldn’t let their guests continue standing outside either. These men were clearly Third Young Master’s comrades and subordinates. He had to treat them well.
Thus, he invited the men into the courtyard to sit for a while and ordered the servants to bring in hot water. He also prepared some food and wrapped it up for the soldiers to bring along.
Manager Qin was very smooth and capable. He did all of the above under Chu Lian’s name, so that He Sanlang’s comrades would have a good impression of their brave sister-in-law who had come all the way to the northern border.
In the main room of the small courtyard, He Sanlang set Chu Lian down on the bed and turned to leave with a cold expression. Wenqing and Wenlan came over anxiously to ask about Chu Lian’s condition.
Chu Lian didn’t have the mood to answer the two girls. Instead, she turned towards He Changdi’s departing back and quickly called, “Where are you going?”
He Changdi hadn’t expected Chu Lian to call out for him. He froze and stopped walking.
Wenqing and Wenlan could see that their masters had something to say to each other. Wenqing shot a look at Wenlan and the two girls quietly stood up, bobbed towards Chu Lian, and retreated. They even closed the room’s door for the couple.
He Changdi shifted sideways so he could look back and see Chu Lian’s small figure sitting on the bed.
He suddenly felt that his throat was as dry as a desert; he couldn’t say anything at all and could only cough and use the sound to cover up his guilt and awkwardness.
Chu Lian clenched the hem of her clothes in her hands and seemed to be having trouble speaking as well. However, it hadn’t been easy for them to meet again, and they were married after all. If they left this misunderstanding as it was, it wouldn’t be good for them. She could also feel that He Sanlang’s attitude towards her had improved significantly since their wedding day.
With that thought, she gathered up her courage and blurted out in one go, “He Sanlang, I… I’m in the wrong for not recognising you. I’m apologising to you first.”
He Changdi’s eyes that had always been unreadable since his reincarnation began to ripple with emotion. Those beautiful ripples expanded and grew until they reached his heart.
TL Note: Announcing a change of names!
Xiao Yuhong -> Xiao Hongyu
All previous chapters have been updated and this character will be referred to with Xiao Hongyu from now! The author pulled a switch on me and swapped the two Chinese characters of this guy’s name at Chapter 301 and I didn’t realise until 3 chapters later >w<;;
(It’s 玉红 -> 红玉 for those who are curious)
