Chu Lian felt rather strange being stared at him like that, but she still answered as if nothing was wrong. “Yes, that doctor’s surname is Miao. What he needs is the Snow Mountain Mists flower from Mount Ah-Ming. There’s only two months left before the Snow Mountain Mists flower blooms.”
He Changdi didn’t ask further. He sunk into thought instead.
On their wedding night, he had made sure to test Chu Lian to see if she had reincarnated along with him. Though his tests had proven that she hadn’t, now he was a little unsure.
Prince Jin had written to him about all the things that Chu Lian had done in the capital.
Turning the tables at the Dingyuan Estate, saving Royal Princess Duanjia, winning the competition in the palace, and even having Old Duke Zheng owe her one. Right now, it seemed very possible that she had been the one to find Great Doctor Miao, not Prince Jin…
All these things added together were just too much of a coincidence. He refused to believe that someone could have such luck.
He Changdi’s eyes swept over Chu Lian’s face in a seemingly casual glance, but behind the front, he was trying to probe the truth out of her.
Her eyes were wide and moist. When her eyes met his, there was a trace of confusion. He Changdi choked as the thoughts in his mind raced about.
He remembered vividly how the past Chu Lian had looked at him- mocking, full of disdain, contempt… These were clearly the same pair of eyes, but he couldn’t see any shadow of the past Chu Lian in them.
He Sanlang was completely confused and disconcerted. He shut his eyes and recovered his calm. No matter what, in this life, Chu Lian had risked her life to come to the northern border. Her mission to find the missing ingredient for his mother’s cure was real. This matter… if she really succeeded, he was going to owe Chu Lian a huge favour.
“Right now, the war at the border is more pressing. However, you don’t have to worry about it. I’ll wait for a suitable time. Even if I don’t go there myself, I’ll arrange for someone to find that missing ingredient for Mother at Mount Ah-Ming.”
Chu Lian nodded in agreement before starting a discussion about when she should visit his camp to hand over the supplies she had brought.
Once the two of them had decided on a time, they both sunk into silence.
Chu Lian felt a little awkward sitting at the table like that, but He Changdi’s butt seemed to have taken root on the chair. He didn’t mention leaving at all. He even leaned against his chair with his eyes gently shut. However, they opened up to glance at her from time to time.
Chu Lian was so uncomfortable getting looked at like that, that she scrambled for a topic to make small talk with. “Is it okay for you to leave camp like that?”
The meaning behind her words was that, they had already finished discussing business, why wasn’t he leaving yet?
“Don’t worry, I left under orders for another task. It’s still early right now, so I’ll leave after lunch.”
Chu Lian hadn’t thought He Sanlang would be staying that long. And he was intending to eat here as well? She was slightly taken aback and blurted , “You’re staying for lunch?”
He Changdi had originally been leaning back in his chair, eyes shut as he rested. Upon hearing Chu Lian’s question, his eyes immediately snapped open and locked onto her. “What? Can’t I stay?”
Chu Lian didn’t dare to say no, of course. He was her husband after all, and if not in feeling then at least in name. She had no right to object even if he wanted to stay the night with her, let alone have a simple midday meal.
With that conclusion in mind, Chu Lian had no more qualms left to mention. She shook her head and said, “Since you’re staying, what would you like to eat for lunch? I’ll get Wenqing to prepare whatever you want to eat.”
Actually, ever since they had escaped from the mountain forest together, the relations between them had improved significantly. Chu Lian wasn’t a calculative person by nature, either. With her straightforward and honest manner, this young pair was starting to look like a sweet couple in love.
He Changdi hadn’t expected Chu Lian to ask him what he wanted to eat. A trace of warmth suffused through his heart. However, he was too accustomed to being stubborn at this point and refused to soften his words. In the same cold attitude as he usually had, he said, “Vegetables.”
Almost immediately after saying that, He Sanlang regretted it. Actually, he was fine with eating anything. There was a severe lack of resources in the north. The best meal he could get in his camp was just some wheat pancakes dipped in an ordinary sauce- where would vegetables come from? There wasn’t even any out in the wild to scavenge, never mind a market to buy them from. This bitterly cold winter ensured no one saw even a lick of green. Vegetables had been off the table ever since the middle of autumn.
