Rebirth of a Star General 86
Do you like me?
The lunar white dew fell as the clouds on the mountains cleared. The bonfire mixed with the fragrance of wine created an elegant and sparse ambience. Some of the recruits were eating and drinking with their heads bowed, while some raised their heads to talk and admire the moon. These all together became the unique scenery of Liangzhou Wei.
Sparks were brought along by the autumn wind, making people wonder whether it would burn their clothes. But in a few moments it became a fire, accompanied by a low whimper.
Mak sobbed, “I have forgotten what my parents look like…”
“I’m even worse,” Wang Ba said blankly, “I haven’t seen my parents since I was born.”
He Yan, “…” She raised her hand and poured herself a sip of wine, trying to calm herself down.
It was all to comfort her that everyone started comparing their unsatisfactory life events. In the end, it turned out into a competition in comparing who was worse off than the other. The recruits next to them were all laughing. It was only on their side, where there were gloomy clouds floating with the miserable wind .
Looking at Mak and Wang Ba who were crying, and then at the young master Jiang Jiao who was drinking alone with his eyes red, He Yan was speechless. Well, she didn’t know who was comforting who.
Huang Xiong glanced at her and said, “Brother He, you drink pretty well.”
He Yan was taken aback, looked down at herself. Unknowingly, she was already drinking her third bowl. She didn’t know how much the original Miss He could drink, and it occurred to her that the frail Miss He might not be able to drink such strong and pungent wine from such a broken bowl too. But to the former General Feihong, it was all a familiar situation.
When it is cold, when you feel afraid, when you feel uncomfortable, or even when you are hungry, if you have alcohol on hand, you can temporarily ward off all the tough times. Wine can drive away the cold, it can strengthen courage and can satisfy hunger, or even drench sorrows.
When she was in Shuojing, she didn’t drink any alcohol, for fear of being exposed. When she arrived in the Fuyue Army in Moxian, she gradually became accustomed to drinking. She has practised her drinking skills, and none of the young recruits in the camp could drink more than her. Sometimes, while celebrating a great victory, she would be the only one sober at the end of the banquet.
This may be the legendary solitude.
What surprised her was Shi. She thought that Shi grew up in the mountains, and he even looked sturdy. So she assumed him to be a good drinker, what she didn’t expect was that it took him only half a bowl of wine to fall sound asleep — drunk this fast?
His remaining half bowl of wine was taken away by his younger brother Mak. With Wang Ba, Mak drained the bowl and said, “I didn’t expect everyone to be the same and had fallen to the bottom of the world, so let’s just be a family in the future.” After saying all that, he sipped the wine and became drunk. The burning wine stabbed his nose red, and then, within the time of a stick of incense, he has also followed his eldest brother, lying down on his back drunk.
He Yan, “…they really are biological brothers.”
With Wang Ba suddenly losing his drinking partner, he went to hold Jiang Jiao’s shoulder while handing him a skewer of roasted rabbit meat and saying, “Don’t just drink wine, come and eat some meat. Don’t worry even if your fiance didn’t choose you. It was only because there was no destiny between you two.” This is the first time he spoke like a human being, “Living in this world, gatherings and scatterings are bound by fate. There’s nothing that can be forced.”
Jiang Jiao took his rabbit meat, still drinking without uttering a word. Huang Xiong smiled when he saw this. He looked at the moon in the sky and said to himself, “I miss my family.”
He Yan took out a dumpling from the snack basket that Cheng Lisu gave her. The moon dumplings were small and shaped like diamond flowers, with the red “Happy flower and moon gazing” written on it. She took a bite and tasted the sweetness of sesame and peach kernels.
“If they were alive, I wouldn’t be here, I’d be in my hometown,” Huang Xiong said, “My mother’s cooking is delicious… I want to eat her cooking.”
He Yan lowered her head and ate the cake silently. Huang Xiong asked, “What about you?” He turned his head and looked at He Yan, “How did you used to spend this time of the year in the past?”
The usual Mid-Autumn Festival? He Yan was in a bit of a trance.
Before she joined the army, she had spent the Mid-Autumn Festival at the He family with others. Her status was special and there were people watching her wherever she went so she usually didn’t have any free time. In fact, she actually liked the hustle bustle of the moon festival, but it was inconvenient for her because she used to wear a mask. She was an embarrassing existence in the He family. Though in terms of identity, she was a legitimate daughter of the bloodline, she neither belonged to the first nor the second house.
After she started serving the military in Moxian County for three years, at the beginning, she was in fear every day for not knowing when she would end up dying on the battlefield. Mid-Autumn Festival? Who would even have the time to think about it?.
Later, she returned to the capital and was married to the Xu family. At this time last year, she was already blind.
Even the hope of spending the moon festival with that person was not fulfilled, and she was plunged into darkness. At that time, she thought she couldn’t get out, and that washow she would be spending all her life. So on the 15th of August, she asked Xu Zhiheng to take her up to the mountain to worship the Buddha, hoping that the Bodhisattva would bless her and allow her to see the light again. Xu Zhiheng also agreed.
In fact, on that day, she didn’t really want to ask the Bodhisattva for blessing.
She felt pain on the tip of her tongue. She had accidentally bit her own tongue, and the sweet taste was covered with the tingling pain for a short time. He Yan recovered, avoiding Huang Xiong’s gaze, and said casually, “Just like this, it’s almost the same as now. “
“Seeing you is akin to seeing myself from the past.” Huang Xiong took a sip of wine and said, “You are just like me from back then.”
He Yan smiled and said, “Brother, my family is living well.” Even better than most people.
“But you are not reconciled.” She heard Huang Xiong’s voice and looked sideways. The face of the bald man showed the wisdom and vicissitudes of a middle-aged man who had gone through the good and bad. He touched the Buddha beads and said, “You have a great sense of hatred and have yet repaid your revenge. Your heart is not willing, so whenever you feel distressed, you always end up trapping yourself in your thoughts.”
He Yan’s heart moved, but she didn’t speak.
“I don’t know what your hatred is,” he looked at the moon, “you sometimes look the same as me.”
He Yan was a little at a loss, does she really show that much? She always thought she was covering up well.
“It will be fine one day.” The big man lowered his head and patted her shoulder, “You have to believe this.”
He Yan didn’t speak, and silently picked up the wine bowl to drink. Huang Xiong stopped talking, started eating meat and drinking on his own. Wang Ba was also a little drunk. He sat on the spot with his head and smirked, while Jiang Jiao buried his head in his knees, not knowing whether he was crying or has fallen asleep.
…
The instructors also gathered together to eat meat and drink over the bonfire, as the hard training over the past few days has finally reaped results in this group of recruits. They were quite at ease, and even Cheng Lisu was there. The young master from Beijing, who has never experienced this kind of novelty, felt that even the roasted rabbit leg sprinkled with coarse salt was delicious. Originally, he wanted to have some free time to talk to He Yan, but with just a single sip of wine, he felt that his legs were weak and he couldn’t walk, so he just sat back down again.
The instructors laughed kindly, and someone said, “Master Cheng has to work on his drinking capacity. With this amount of alcohol, you can’t be my Liangzhou Wei’s sons!”
“I didn’t belong to your Liangzhou Guards,” Cheng Lisu muttered, “I just came to have fun.”
This child can always justify his “no” so righteously. If he were the son of the instructors’ own family, he would have been picked up and beaten up a long time ago. But this person was Xiao Jue’s nephew, so everyone said, “Master Cheng is so open-minded!” “It’s not good to drink, and even my lady doesn’t allow me to drink! Let’s all learn from Master Cheng!”
“But Master Cheng,” Liang Ping asked him, “Is the General really not coming out to have fun with us?”
“Uncle doesn’t like places that are too noisy,” Cheng Lisu replied, “He definitely won’t come.”
Everyone felt a little regretful, and some people even thought that Xiao Jue was too unreasonable. After all, this was the Mid-Autumn Festival. A general who does not have fun with his subordinates during the Mid-Autumn festival would be too arrogant to even have a deep relationship with his subordinates.
But some people didn’t mind, Ma Damei smiled, “Should I send some wine and food to the General. It’s not good to be alone during the festival.”
“It’s not necessary,” Cheng Lisu said, “My uncle can’t drink this inferior rice wine.”
Everyone, “…”
Well, after all, that was the second son from Shuojing’s Xiao family, and no one could force him to drink.
Du Mao curiously asked, “Master Cheng, do you know how good the General’s drinking capacity is? I heard that General Feihong does not become drunk even after a thousand cups. I wonder if the General is better or worse than General Feihong?”
When the instructors heard the words, Cheng Lisu’s eyes suddenly looked bright. Any discussions about General Feihong or General Feng Yun being more powerful are always interesting. From swordsmanship to drinking capacity, from height to temperament, people have to compare them one by one. It was a pity that apart from being former classmates, these two have never appeared together, nor have they competed personally. Moreover, General Feihong has always been wearing a mask. It was still a mystery who was better.
“Of course it’s my uncle.” Cheng Lisu replied without thinking, “I have never seen my uncle drunk from the time when I grew up.”
In fact, Cheng Lisu has never seen Xiao Jue drink. However, it was impossible for him to say this in front of the instructors. No matter how good General Feihong was, he certainly couldn’t be better than his uncle.
“Let’s just stop, don’t talk about people behind their back.” Shen Han waved his hand, “Drink up, drink up, why are you all chattering like a woman! Master Cheng, come, I will toast you a glass… Master Cheng?”
Master Cheng had red cheeks and was already drunk.
…
It was night, the blue curtain covered the bright moon, and the figure fell into a sparse shadow. The sound of autumn was quiet, and someone was playing the zither.
Mulan on the moon seems to have bones, and Ling Bing embraces people like jade[1]. The long sword hung on the wall like frost like snow, and the young man dressed in outer clothes was handsome and calm, stoking the strings of zither, making emotionally moving and intoxicating sounds.
He played “Streaming Light”.
The sound of the zither was long and distant, like a bead or jade, this was the Mid-Autumn Festival night, the time of reunion. Even though Liangzhou Wei’s instructors and recruits were thousands of miles away from their family, they were still gathered together, singing and drinking, not as quiet as him. He didn’t seem to notice it either, he just plucked the strings seriously, and the bundled blue silk hung over his shoulders, and the moonlight gave him a layer of deserted color.
From spring to autumn, from summer to winter, it seems to be just a blink of an eye.
The moonlight lined with the sound of zither was a little colder and quieter, and the night sky was as clear as water, as the sound of the zither seemed to float endlessly in the sky, making people want to shed tears.
Suddenly, something hit the yard, making a crisp sound, interrupting the quiet sound of the zither. Xiao Jue moved for a while and raised his head. Through the window, he could see that something was thrown in again from outside the courtyard wall.
He paused for a moment, stood up, and pushed the door out. At this moment, the third thing came in and fell right next to him. He bent over to pick it up and found that it was a stone.
Fei Nu showed as a shadow from behind, and whispered, “Master, outside…”
Xiao Jue opened the courtyard door.
A young man in red stood outside with a small jar of wine in his hand. The wine cork had been pulled out, and the aroma was rich, it was eighteen immortals.
He was generous, even if it was just a small jar of wine, ordinary people would hide it for a long time before they are willing to even take a sip. Seeing his appearance, he has already drunk a lot.
This person was He Yan.
Xiao Jue looked at her indifferently, He Yan’s eyes widened, as if he could see his appearance clearly, and said, “Xiao Jue?”
Fei Nu behind him couldn’t help but glance at He Yan. He actually called the young master’s name directly, really bold.
“What are you doing here?” Xiao Jue asked him.
“I thought and thought.” The boy didn’t know how much he had drunk was covered with the smell of alcohol, but his expression was as usual. Not showing the slightest hint of being drunk, and no one could tell whether he was drunk or not. He said, “You chose Lei Hou for the forward camp. I was very unconvinced, so Xiao Jue” the boy continued, and the corner of his mouth curled, “Let’s have a fight!”
Before he even finished his words, he went straight to Xiao Jue!
Seeing this, the Fei Nu behind him was about to step forward and heard Xiao Jue’s command, “Don’t move.” He didn’t dare to move immediately.
The young man flew forward and raised his fist at Xiao Jue, Xiao Jue turned sideways to avoid him, curling his eyebrows to look at him.
He Yan had no weapons and came with bare hands. It would be too stupid to say that he was an assassin. But his words were clear, his eyes were clear, and he didn’t look like a drunk maniac. Xiao Jue simply looked at him in his spare time to see what he wanted to do. He Yan who couldn’t land a hit turned around again.
The young man was agile and sincerely wanted to fight, but the method used was awkward and rough. At first glance, it looked like a schoolboy fighting in the school. They only knew how to greet people with their fists, but they didn’t care how accurate the hit was.
Xiao Jue turned sideways to avoid again, and He Yan failed two consecutive sneak attacks and said to herself in confusion, “When did my skills get so bad?”
Fei Nu who was standing on the side, “…”
Does this young man think he can beat the Second Young Master Xiao? I heard that Liangzhou Wei’s He Yan had no eyes and was arrogant, and seeing this right now, it is really true. The young master is really good-tempered, and he didn’t put the kid who was uttering such wild words directly out of the door.
She has been defeated repeatedly and fought repeatedly, but she didn’t feel discouraged. She immediately came forward again. This time she was still avoided by Xiao Jue. Xiao Jue was about to speak when he suddenly saw a black object behind him rushing towards him. He frowned and without thinking about anything he drew out the Yin Qiu Sword and slashed it horizontally.
With a sound of “clatter,” the thing shattered. He stepped back and was not touched. He Yan, who came with that thing, couldn’t avoid it, and was poured from head to toe.
The moon was full; the wind was dewy; the laurel was in full bloom, and the wine was full of fragrance. Fragments of eighteen immortals were scattered on the ground, and each piece was clear and full of aroma. The young man’s clothes also became fragrant, and he frowned.
She seemed to be awakened by the fragments of the wine jar all over the floor. She looked at Xiao Jue and took a step forward, like a little lady who had trampled on a pearl hairpin in the flower market, and said, “You broke it, so you should pay for it!”
Fei Nu looked at it and felt that this young man was really drunk, otherwise he would not speak so confidently and subversively. He whispered to Xiao Jue, “Master, do you want your subordinates to take him away?”
Xiao Jue raised his hand to stop and shook his head gently.
The master and servant had been together for so many years, and with one look they can know what was in each other’s mind. Fei Nu immediately understood that the reason Xiao Jue didn’t throw He Yan out in the first place was not because of his good temper, but rather he just wanted to give He Yan a try. This young man was now suspicious, and there were doubts all over his body. If he could ask something out of his drunkenness, he could save so much effort. If he was pretending to be drunk tonight and was actually here for something else, then their hearts would be condemned and it would be even more unforgivable.
Fei Nu hid in the tree and stopped speaking.
Xiao Jue turned around and walked into the house, and said as he walked, “Why should I pay?”
After hearing the words, the young man rushed into Xiao Jue’s house. She ran extremely fast, while staggering, and rushed ahead of Xiao Jue, blocking Xiao Jue’s path, and said, “Do you know who I am?”
Xiao Jue laughed, his eyes cold, “Who are you?”
He Yan slapped her thigh, “A great man who doesn’t have his name changed? I, He Yan! Liangzhou Wei is number one!”
“Number one in Liangzhou wei?” Xiao Jue looked at her with a faint smile, “Who told you?”
“Do you still need someone to tell?” I don’t know whether the boy was drunk or not, his tone is amazing like it was a matter of fact, “I know it in my heart.”
Xiao Jue walked around him sideways, put down his sword, picked up the teapot on the table to pour tea for himself, and then took a step. The young man followed like a tail again, stood in front of him, and asked him, “You say, am I short?”
Is this person drunk and likes to compare tall and short with others? Xiao Jue glanced at the top of his hair that had just reached his chest, and nodded, “Short.”
He Yan, “I am not short!”
Xiao Jue, “…”
He Yan asked him again, “Am I stupid?”
Xiao Jue stopped pouring tea in his hand, stared at him, and said slowly, “Stupid.”
He Yan, “I’m not stupid!”
Xiao Jue suddenly regretted that he didn’t throw He Yan out of the yard initially and instead invited him here for trouble. Except for listening to his nonsense here, it seemed that he wouldn’t get any useful news. Either He Yan was too stupid, or he was too shrewd to leak anything.
“What else do you want to boast about yourself, together.” He lowered his eyes and spoke indifferently.
He Yan, “I am tall and mighty, fierce and invincible, handsome and refined, and I am so righteous. Such a man of lofty ideals. Why, why does no one like me? Do you know how hard I have been working?”
Xiao Jue, “…”
“Because of you, I am very upset tonight at the Mid-Autumn Festival. Let me ask you.” She took a step forward, approached Xiao Jue at the extreme distance, looked up at him, and asked earnestly, “Do you like me?”
Xiao Jue took a step back, distanced herself from her, and dusted the sleeves deformed by her, as if seeing the plague god, calmly replied, “I am not a broken sleeve.”
“Neither am I.” He Yan murmured, raising her head suddenly, with a look of grief and anger, and asked loudly, “Then why do you prefer Lei Hou to me! Apart from being a little taller than me, how can he be as good as me? In terms of appearance, skill, or in terms of our past affection, Xiao Jue, you are too much, too insensitive! I am very disappointed!”
At this time, Shen Han was walking outside the house, intending to give Xiao Jue some roasted rabbit meat, covered his mouth with a surprised expression. Just now, he seemed to have heard some incredible secret.
Inside the room, the young man wearing only the moon white shirt looked at the people in front of him speechlessly. The young man looked up at himself, his eyes were bright, his tone was not afraid or hesitant, and he calmly made people wonder what was going on in her head.
What past affection? He has only given him mandarin duck pot for injury medicine before, and now it became a love point of their past affection. This person is too self-conscious.
“But it’s nothing,” the young man suddenly raised his mouth, smiled slyly, and whispered, “If you pick Lei Hou to enter the forward camp, I will go to Lei Hou every day for sparring, ten times with ten defeats, so that everyone in Liangzhou Wei can see that you, Xiao Jue, are a blind man, and that it’s a shame. Let’s see, what would you do then?”
Xiao Jue, “…”
After finishing these words, He Yan burped. Her body tilted and fell on Xiao Jue’s soft couch. When she fell, half of her body slumped on the zither, pressing the strings, making a piercing “clang”, as it fell to the ground.
Standing in the middle of the room, Xiao Jue’s eyebrows were faintly throbbing, only to feel that today’s idea of arguing while drinking was terrible and couldn’t be worse.
At first glance, he saw a figure hesitating by the door, and he said coldly, “What are you doing out there if you don’t want to come in?”
Shen Han was startled and came over tremblingly. He heard the secret at the door just now, and when he entered the yard, he was seen by the Fei Nu, so he could neither enter nor retreat. At this moment, the General was also in a bad mood.
“I took some freshly roasted rabbit meat from outside, thinking that the General might have it for dinner, so I came to send it specially.” Shen Han put the barbecued meat wrapped in oil paper on the table, “General, you may enjoy it slowly, and I will retreat first.”
“Hold on.” Xiao Jue said displeased, “Can’t you see such a big living person?”
He motioned Shen Han to look at He Yan. Shen Han looked at He Yan, and his heart moved. He only heard He Yan’s words of having a close relationship with Xiao Jue. At this moment, this young man was sleeping so generously on Xiao Jue’s couch. That’s the couch of Second young master Xiao! In the entire Liangzhou Wei, I am afraid that no one has the guts to do this, and there might only be this one person.
The relationship between the two of them is really extraordinary!
Xiao Jue walked to the front of the couch, holding He Yan’s neck collar with his hands, lifting her up, and throwing her in front of Shen Han, “Your man, take it away.”
“Don’t dare, don’t dare.” Shen Han said.
Xiao Jue, “What?”
Shen Han hurriedly saidm “I meant that Liangzhou Wei’s recruits are under the supervision of the capital. How can it be said that they are subordinates? They are the people of the capital superintendent.”
Xiao Jue smiled angrily, “Shen Han, you are talking a lot today.”
“I understand,” Shen Han lingered, “Subordinate will take him away!” Only when he turned and walked halfway, Shen Han asked, ” General, where should I send this young man to?”
Xiao Jue looked at him calmly, “Would you like to deliver him to your home?”
“No, no need!” Shen Han said with a numb scalp, “He Yan…let’s send him back to his room!”
After Shen Han left, Fei Nu walked into the house.
Xiao Jue had picked up the zither on the ground. Thanks to He Yan’s pressure, one of the strings broke. Looking at the broken string, the youth couldn’t help but squeeze his forehead.
“Master,” Fei Nu looked in Shen Han’s direction, “Master Shen is being a bit weird today.”
“He’s often weird.” Xiao Jue replied.
“Master, what do you think, was He Yan drunk?”
Xiao Jue put the zither in place, and the tea he planned to drink while talking with He Yan was already cooled down. He threw out the cold tea, poured another cup, and said with a sip, “Not sure.”
Not sure if He Yan was drunk or not, because a normal sober person probably wouldn’t talk to him like this. But looking at her pace, words and expression, there was no trace of chaos. Most importantly, he did nothing tonight except crushing a zither, smashing a jug of wine, and saying a lot of crazy things here, including revealing which side he was on.
This is confusing.
“He seems to be quite critical about Lei Hou being able to enter the forward camp.” Fei Nu said, “Does he want to enter the forward camp.”
Xiao Jue ridiculed, “It’s not just the forward camp, he was sure to win the entry to Nine Banners battalion against me.”
“Then…” Fei Nu asked, “Can’t you just send him to the forward battalion?
“No,” Xiao Jue said, “I have other arrangements.”
Fei Nu stopped talking, and Xiao Jue thought of what He Yan had just said, that he would find Lei Hou every day to spar with him, just to prove his poor decision. This kind of rogue behavior is really handy for this person.
Looking at the mess in the house again. There was debris everywhere in the yard. I have to find some free time to go to Liangzhou City to ask the master to mend up the zither. He Yan still had the cheeks to say, “Because of you, I am feeling very upset at this Mid-Autumn festival.” It really doesn’t make sense.
The young man stood in the room, as beautiful as jade, like a green pine, tall and straight, for a long while, and sneered, “What a mad man.”
…
Shen Han, who carried He Yan outside, was also very upset.
When the bystanders saw it, they looked at Shen Han in surprise, and said, “He Yan is drunk, why is the Chief Instructor still carrying him?”
Shen Han didn’t utter a word with a sullen face. If the relationship between He Yan and Xiao Jue was known to everyone, Shen Han would find someone else to take He Yan back. But now that he knew they had a close relationship, how could Shen Han dare to neglect.
He Yan just said that he had “past feelings” with Xiao Jue! It seemed that they had known each other a long time ago, so why did the general pretend not to know He Yan and was even secretly investigating He Yan’s identity. Could it be that the two of them were good in the first place, but after a lot of changes occurred in the middle of the process, they became what they are now?
It was no wonder that the people of Wei knew that Governor Xiao was not close to women. He looked like this, and was one of the best outstanding heroes. So many women rushed forward, with countless stunning looks, yet he was unmoved. It turned out he didn’t like them at all!
At the door of Xiao Jue, He Yan said, “Why do you like Lei Hou and not me” in a stern tone, and those who heard it might weep tears. It is a pity that the General’s heart was as hard as iron, and he was completely unmoved. Shen Han thought wildly, the more nervous he was, the more strange stories he remembered.
For example, He Yan and Xiao Jue did know each other before, and they had a good relationship for a while. Only later when Xiao Jue found out that He Yan’s identity was different that he cut off the love thread and drew a clear line with the other party. He Yan, young and unwilling, knew that Xiao Jue was coming to Liangzhou, so he joined the army and went to the camp, asking Xiao Jue for an explanation. Even working harder and wanting to enter the forward camp to impress Xiao Jue.
He Yan did a good job, but to avoid suspicions, Xiao Jue even named Lei Hou. He Yan was sad and anguished. He couldn’t help but drink his sorrows. After drinking, he confided in his true feelings and found Xiao Jue to ask for an explanation.
The stone-hearted General Xiao categorically refused, but it was only a trace of old feelings that made him let He Yan sleep on his own soft couch.
Very well, Shen Han applauded for himself in his heart. It was very reasonable. That should be the case.
[1] That’s a line of a classical poetry “spring night.” I guess I am not very familiar with the poem so translation might not be correct.
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