Rebirth of a Star General 104
Living together
Because of the need to take care of Song Taotao, the carriage moved slowly, and the journey was longer than when they came. It was already evening by the time they arrived at Liangzhou Wei.
Shen Han and his party were already waiting on the horse track outside the garrison. Shen Han saw Xiao Jue get off after the carriage stopped. he was relieved.
They never received any letter about what and how Xiao Jue was doing in Liangzhou City. After a few days, their hearts were still hanging, fearing a change in the situation. Now after seeing them, it seemed to be resolved smoothly at the moment. Shen Han was about to speak when he heard Liang Ping speak, “Why… why is there a girl?”
A girl? As they looked at the front of the carriage, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl in a pink dress jumped down from the carriage in front of everyone, she was exquisite and lovely, with a beautiful face.
Looking at He Yan on the other side, he was down with a sense of sorrow. Shen Han was shocked in his heart, so the General went to Liangzhou and brought back a girl. Did he decide to clear his relationship with He Yan?
But to do this in front of He Yan was too ruthless.
As he was thinking, he heard the happy voice of a teenager coming from behind, “Uncle, elder brother, you are finally back!”
It was Cheng Lisu who was bouncing over like a rabbit. He was followed by Shen Muxue, who was dressed in white, looking extremely beautiful. Cheng Lisu came over, and spoke firstly to Shen Han discontentedly, “Teacher Shen, why didn’t you tell me that Uncle is back? If I didn’t hear about it, I wouldn’t have been unable to welcome Uncle.”
“Elder brother, I see you came back safely. This trip should have been very smooth. Did the guy named Yuan Baozhen leave? I knew you could do it… Gah?” His originally cheerful expression broke when he saw Song Taotao, it became relentless and his tone became harsh in an instant as he jumped up and pointed at Song Taotao to ask, “Second Miss Song, why is she here?”
“What’s that look on your face?” Song Taotao frowned.
“We met Miss Song in the city of Liangzhou,” He Yan smiled, “It’s also a coincidence that Miss Song will be staying at the guardhouse for a while.” She didn’t elaborate on what happened to Song Taotao, covering up the incident for her.
“Elder brother,” Cheng Lisu looked at him incredulously, “I asked you to help me hide from Yuan Baozhen, so as not to be captured by him to get married. Yet you brought her directly to me? Are you trying to make me suffer?!”
“Cheng Lisu,” Song Taotao couldn’t listen any further. She stood up with her arms crossed on her chest, and yelled back at him aggressively, “You think I want to see you? To be honest, I came to Liangzhou City because I escaped the marriage. If I hadn’t met Second young master Xiao, I wouldn’t have come here. You only don’t want to marry me but I don’t even want to see you! A worthless son, you’re being delusional enough to think you’re even worthy of me. I think you are wishing of marrying a beauty- Dream on!”
In terms of eloquence, Cheng Lisu was really not Song Taotao’s opponent. At this moment, he regretted not reading more books, as he didn’t even have any good sentences to curse.
“…You shrew!” He could only say in a very imposing way.
“That’s still better than you trash.” Song Taotao rolled her eyes back.
The two nemeses quarreled here, so Liang Ping stood up to be a peacemaker, “Master Cheng, General, and the others have traveled for almost a day. They must be tired at this moment. Let them go back and rest for a while, okay?”
Of course, Cheng Lisu would want to take a step back when someone gives him the chance to, so he said, “I don’t care about you. I just care for my Uncle and elder brother!”
Finally, for the time being, the current situation was eased.
Shen Muxue, who had been silent for a long time, walked to Xiao Jue and said, “Second Young Master, in the secret letter sent back earlier, it was written that someone was injured, who was…”
These few people all looked as usual.
Xiao Jue glanced at He Yan, and He Yan said, “It’s me!”
Shen Muxue, “…Do you have any discomfort?”
“It’s just some superficial injuries,” He Yan said with a smile, “I request Miss Shen to find some ointments for me to treat external injuries. Those from last time would do too.”
Song Taotao heard this and looked at her in surprise, “Mr. He, are you injured?” When she didn’t see He Yan’s injury, she thought nothing bad had happened.
Cheng Lisu dragged He Yan away, staring at Song Taotao like a thief, “Vixen, stay away from my eldest brother!”
The two quarreled again.
He Yan, “…”
The energy of young people is really enviable.
When they returned to the guardhouse, they all rested for a while. After they had eaten, it was already dark.
Shen Han said to Xiao Jue, “I cleaned General’s room daily and have also changed the bedding, so the General can rest with ease.”
Xiao Jue’s love of cleanliness has almost reached the point of paranoia, so Shen Han has made thorough preparations long ago.
Xiao Jue nodded and was about to walk in, He Yan grabbed his sleeve, “Hold on!”
Is this going to be some kind of private talk? Shen Han thought in his heart, this kind of situation was really not suitable for him as an outsider to participate, so he said, “General, if there is nothing left for this subordinate, I will leave first.” After saying those, he left without waiting for Xiao Jue to answer.
He Yan pushed Xiao Jue into the room.
Xiao Jue said coldly, “What’s the matter?”
“Did the General forget what he promised me? You are General Feng Yun, so you should keep your words.”
“What did I say?” Xiao Jue looked at her calmly.
This person wanted to fall back on his promise, so He Yan was anxious, “Before returning, didn’t you and I came to an agreement to arrange a separate room for me. I can’t be staying in the bunk, otherwise, it will be inconvenient to bathe and change the dressing [t/n: dressing as in the dressing on wounds, not the clothes].”
Xiao Jue hadn’t answered yet, another voice sounded, “Isn’t it just changing rooms? I can help you too!”
The two looked back and saw Cheng Lisu running over. The rooms of Cheng Lisu and Xiao Jue were next to each other, and there was a separating door in the middle, separating the big room into two. Usually, Cheng Lisu was forced to copy books under Xiao Jue’s supervision while as he reads. So the middle door would be left open. At this moment, Cheng Lisu jumped over from his room, almost overwhelmed.
“Brother, what do you think about my room?”
He Yan, “Huh?”
“If you think my room is not bad, I’ll change rooms with you.” Young Master Cheng couldn’t wait to say, “I will move tonight. I will go pack my luggage now! What do you think, my big brother?”
He Yan was a little dazed. Xiao Jue frowned his eyebrows and looked at his nephew, who was not used to being in the same way as ordinary people, and asked, “What the hell are you doing?”
“Uncle,” Cheng Lisu said with a weeping face, “Who told you to bring that shrew back. I just asked Head Teacher Liang. He said that Song Taotao will be staying with Doctor Shen for the time being. Now she’s just more than a dozen steps away from us. If I stay here, don’t I have to see her every day? I feel dizzy at the sight of her, so I don’t want to see her. Since the elder brother also wants to change the room, I can change with the elder brother. When Song Taotao leaves, We can switch back.”
He Yan, “Okay!”
Xiao Jue, “No.”
Cheng Lisu’s dislike for Song Taotao outweighed his awe of his uncle. So he just pretended he didn’t hear Xiao Jue’s words and went back to pack things up with joy. Xiao Jue said angrily, “You, come back to me!” and reached out his hand to pull him back, but was blocked by He Yan.
Cheng Lisu took the opportunity to run away, and with a “dang”, he slammed the middle door shut.
Xiao Jue, “Cheng Lisu!”
“Be careful not to scare the child by being so aggressive,” He Yan looked at him with a smile, “General, Young Master Cheng and I, as the General’s beloved, have come to an agreement. Why are you interfering in our matter?”
When this was said, it was like Xiao Jue was an unreasonable troublemaker beating the pair of mandarin birds [lovebird] for no reason.
Xiao Jue sneered, “On what basis?”
“On the basis that I… am the only a red mole away from being the woman that General’s love so much.” He Yan looked at him with a smile on her face.
Suddenly there was a bit of silence in the room.
Xiao Jue shifted his gaze in disgust, “Miss He, do you really want to stay in Liangzhou Wei?”
“I have never lied about this matter.” He Yan smiled a little, and said solemnly, “Not only that, but I also really want to enter the Nine Banner’s Camp.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“I never got ahead of myself,” He Yan said, “General, I only need a chance to prove myself, to prove that I am not a traitor, and to prove that I am worthy of being accepted as your confidant.”
Xiao Jue grinned, “Big talk.”
“Aren’t you being arbitrary if you don’t even give me a chance?”
“You?” Xiao Jue glanced at her up and down, and said lightly, “How long can you last in Liangzhou Wei?”
“Longer than you can imagine.”
“You are a woman.”
“I will not be discovered.”
“I will not cover up for you.”
He Yan smiled upon hearing the words, “That’s all you want to say?”
The second son Xiao was noble, cold, and unkind, and it was impossible for him to conceal the truth for her, only on the basis of her speech. But He Yan’s skill was indeed outstanding, and Xiao Jue was also a little hesitant to give them up. After all, in Xiao Jue’s view, it was not that important whether a person was a man or a woman. The important thing was whether they were capable, good enough, and worth staying.
“Leave if you can’t do it.” His answer was as ruthless as ever.
“It’s a deal,” He Yan said, “I will stay here with my ability. Whether I enter the Nine Banner camp or perform meritorious services, I don’t want the General to worry about it.”
Xiao Jue looked at her fixedly. After a long while, he raised his eyebrows and asked, “Do you really want to enter the Nine Banners Camp?”
“Of course!”
“Okay,” Xiao Jue said, “I will give you a month to recuperate. After that, your daily martial arts training will be the same as the Nine Banner camp’s martial arts training.” Seemingly afraid that He Yan didn’t understand, he added another sentence, “The amount of Nine Banner camp’s martial arts training is three times what you were doing before.”
He Yan, “…”
Xiao Jue, what a cruel man.
“If you can bear it, stay. If you can’t bear it, just get out of Liangzhou Wei.” He stared at He Yan with a smile, his eyes were clear and shallow, with a touch of mockery, “Miss He, now how long would you be able to hold on?”
He Yan returned him with a gritted smile.
“…General, the future has yet to come, just wait and see.”
…
Finally, the room was settled, and He Yan had to go back to her previously shared room to pack her things and meet the other brothers. When she got outside of the room, before she could even walk in, she was spotted by Mak at the door, as he shouted, “Brother Ahe, you are back!”
His voice brought out the people inside. Everyone poked their heads out of the room at once, and those who were more courageous squeezed to He Yan first and asked her, “He Yan, you came back with General Xiao? How about it, will you be rewarded this time? Was Liangzhou City fun? What did you all do?”
“Go, go, don’t squeeze here,” Hong Shan drove them away and let He Yan come in, “You just came back. Everyone here was just talking about why you weren’t here yet, Ahe I see you’ve lost some weight on this trip. You didn’t suffer any losses, right?”
“No.” He Yan said, stepping into the room and found that it was quite lively, Wang Ba, Jiang Jiao, and Huang Xiong were all there. Jiang Jiao said, “We heard that General Xiao has come back, so we guessed you’ll be coming soon, so we thought of waiting for you here first.”
He Yan sat down on the bed and sighed, “It feels better to be back.”
The Sun’s bed was soft and comfortable, but when she thought about the many girls buried in the yard of that place, she felt extremely gloomy and eerie. Although the bedboard was hard and the quilt was thin in this place, her heart was more relaxed, and was able to fall asleep firmly.
“How about your relationship with General Xiao? Did it improve this time?” Huang Xiong asked.
He Yan was very angry with Xiao Jue because the forward camp took in Huang Xiong. This time she went to Liangzhou City with Xiao Jue. Hongshan and the others were afraid that He Yan could not help but fight Xiao Jue in the middle.
“It’s okay,” He Yan said vaguely.
Wang Ba snorted and said with a gloat, “It doesn’t look like it’s very good. If it was good, why would he have come back empty-handed? Why didn’t the general reward him?”
As he was talking, Cheng Lisu, who was dragging three large suitcases of luggage outside, had arrived. He stood at the door and asked He Yan, “Brother Ahe, can I come in?”
“Come in.”
As soon as Cheng Lisu came in, he was startled by the crowds in the room, and said, “It’s so lively? It won’t be noisy to sleep at night, right?”
Mak’s eyes widened, “What does this mean?”
He Yan smiled and said slowly, “I have made great contributions to Liangzhou. The General really appreciates it. I decided to exchange rooms with Mr. Cheng. Mr. Cheng will be living here. And I will be staying next to the General, in order to show the commendation.”
Everyone was stunned.
“What the kid said is true?” Wang Ba asked Cheng Lisu.
“Of course.” Cheng Lisu gave the others a decent gesture, “I will ask you to take care of me in the future.”
The room was as lively as boiling water, and everyone rushed to question He Yan.
“What did you do? What great things did you do when you were out?”
“Just changing the room and you didn’t get any other reward? He didn’t let you enter the forward camp?”
“He Yan, are you going to be promoted? Can you bring your brothers with you when you are promoted?”
He Yan was surrounded as if she was a general who have won a battle. On the other side, Shen Han had just learned about Xiao Jue’s journey to Liangzhou City.
“Sun Xiangfu has been in Liangzhou for eight years, and the people didn’t have an ounce of peace,” Shen Han sighed, “People only get what they sow, and he deserves it.”
He had been in Liangzhou for a few years, and he had also heard about Sun Xiangfu and his son’s bad deeds. As he was not an Imperial supervisor, nor did he have Xiao Jue’s power, he could only swallow his anger. Now that Xiao Jue uprooted Sun Xiangfu and his son and made Yuan Baozhen fall on his face, he was thrilled.
“When General went to Liangzhou, did you find out about He Yan’s details?” Shen Han hesitated for a moment but still asked. He couldn’t understand what kind of relationship He Yan and Xiao Jue had now. If he said it was good, Xiao Jue was still on guard against He Yan. If he says it wasn’t good, he just got Cheng Lisu’s instructions, saying that He Yan will live in Cheng Lisu’s room from now on.
Wasn’t that just living next to Xiao Jue? How could they get to this point if they were not close?
Could it be that their old feelings have rekindled? But looking at Xiao Jue, it was not like that. Shen Han has been a bachelor himself for many years and really didn’t know anything about love. But he had heard the saying that it was hard to let lose love, so maybe this was the current situation?
“Sort of.” Xiao Jue said. Speaking of it, the family situation written by He Yan in the military register was not false. It was true that she had a city gate lieutenant as a father, a brother of the same age, but the teenager was not the family’s son but the daughter. It was unbelievable to say.
“Is he… counted as one of our own?” Shen Han asked cautiously.
“For the time being, it’s okay to count him as our person,” Xiao Jue looked down. “However, there is no need to tell everything.”
Shen Han probably knew it, and said, “Subordinate understands.”
“I have something for you to do.” He said.
…
He Yan easily answered the brothers’ questions, and when she returned to her room, it was already night.
Xiao Jue didn’t like noise, and the place he lived in was quite clean. When He Yan entered, she was still a little uncomfortable. Suddenly, she had changed from a shared room with a dozen people to a personal room, making people think that it’s like a dream. Cheng Lisu, the sophisticated young master, didn’t forget to help her light the incense in the room before leaving.
A light fragrance lingered on the tip of her nose, which was very relaxing. He Yan lay down on the bed, trying to check it out. As if lying on a ball of cotton, she immediately felt drowsy. She thought it was really arrogant and extravagant, sleeping on this kind of bed. It would not be surprising that one might sleep till late if it’s this kind of bed.
She caught a glimpse of the middle door again.
The door was covered by a beaded curtain. Behind the curtain was the door and behind the door was Xiao Jue’s room. Xiao Jue probably used to supervise Cheng Lisu’s daily homework, but right now this door was closed. He Yan tried to push it slightly, but it stayed still, so she tried to push hard, but the door still didn’t move.
Xiao Jue actually locked the door from the other end.
He Yan said in her heart, the security is really tight, and those who don’t know would think that Xiao Jue is the woman and that she’s a flower-picking thief visiting people at night. Second Young Master Xiao really can’t tolerate a little bit of sand in his eyes. Is this really necessary? [t/n: This represents one’s personality that cannot tolerate a little flaw in life. When they find a flaw, they will do their best to perfect the deficiencies in life. i.e, pursue perfection in exploration.]
The mind of the second son of Xiao was really unpredictable.
There was a big wooden bucket in the middle of the room with hot water in it. He Yan walked over, put her finger in it to check the temperature. The water temperature was just right. This was probably prepared by Shen Han. They rushed all over out in the dust and dirt today, so they should bathe well. After all, she couldn’t possibly go to the river to soak in cold water. He Yan was very satisfied. She was about to take off her clothes when she suddenly thought of something and looked at the middle door.
She almost forgot that there was a door here.
There were locks on both sides of the middle door. No matter which side is locked, the other end cannot be open it unless both sides were opened together. Xiao Jue locked his side, and He Yan also had to lock her own side, otherwise, if Xiao Jue walked over in the middle of her bath, wouldn’t he see her all the way through?
Even though with such an ending, the Second Young Master Xiao would feel that his noble eyes are defiled and leave.
He Yan locked the middle door before taking the bath and changing clothes. After her clothes were changed, she dragged the water out of the wooden bucket and poured it out. After that, she finally returned to the room and sat down on the bed.
Shen Muxue had already sent all the wound dressing medicine and had placed them on the small table beside the bed. Because of the saying “one has to remain clean and pure for his fiancee”, this time she didn’t bother to help with the medicine. He Yan looked at the mirror, removed her clothes to put on the ointment. When she was about to replace it with a new cloth strip when she saw a jade-colored round box next to the strips.
This round box was small, not as big as a human palm, and was almost ignored by her. He Yan picked it up and looked at it. He Yan was taken aback, shook her head, and smiled after a moment.
Girls were more attentive, but this was too thoughtful. Shen Muxue was really kind, even to a small soldier, she was being this considerate. He Yan was just an ordinary man who was injured, who would care if a commoner has scars. He was not some noble son, so no one would care about him.
He Yan thought so too.
But just when she was about to put the box back, she suddenly remembered the night when the red candle was flickering, the atmosphere was rising, and the warm hand brushing her back suddenly stiffened when it touched the scar on her back, she was still wondering how to make up a lie to deceive to her husband, but the man in front of him blew out the candle casually, avoiding the conversation.
He was still gentle, but she instantly felt unsettled. This felt more hurtful than any words or glances.
The cold ointment was rubbed on the wound, which was a little painful and itchy. She asked herself in her heart, did she really not care?
No, she did.
She cared so terribly, even if she had to do it all over again, she couldn’t let it go.
He Yan rewound the cloth strips, put the jade-colored box under the pillow, turned off the light, and lay down on the bed.
The room was quiet and warm. There was no thunderous snoring from her brothers, and no legs stretched out across her body in the middle of the night, so she should have fallen asleep by now, but for some reason, she was conflicted, making it hard for her to fall asleep.
Perhaps she shouldn’t have thought of the past.
…
The next morning, He Yan got up at dawn as usual. She now lived in the courtyard where Xiao Jue was. She was far away from the rest of the soldiers, and also far from the martial arts field. She had to go early. When she first went to take the steamed buns to the martial arts field, she met Shen Han, Liang Ping, and the other instructors.
He Yan greeted them.
Liang Ping looked at her high-spirited appearance and felt sour. He was the coach, and he hadn’t been promoted as fast as a small soldier. It hasn’t been long, but this one person could now live next to the General. It was just a trip out, so why did the General start looking differently at him. Shen Han had told them about Sun Xiangfu and his son, but what role He Yan played in it and what merit earned was unknown.
Liang Ping sighed up to the sky in his heart. He really wanted to do meritorious service and wanted to be looked at in a different light by the General, so he could also live next to him!
“He Yan, you’re just in time, I have something to tell you.” Shen Han beckoned to her.
He Yan ran over, and Shen Han looked at her, “The General told me yesterday that you were injured and that some intense training is inconvenient for you for the time being. So you can take a break from some training, such as equestrian bows and crossbows. You can find some training that suits you instead.” After a pause, he said again, “But don’t be lazy. You have to come to the martial arts field every day, and you can’t skip the morning run!”
“Understood!” He Yan said but thought in her heart, Xiao Jue was kind of good. Although her injury was just on the skin, it was on her back and if she kept training like before, it would be difficult to heal properly.
This was the case in her previous life. Before the old wounds were healed, she had to lead her soldiers to run around. The wounds were delayed, and the stubborn old illnesses fell all over her body. Even after she recovered, her body was not as strong as before. Whenever it the rainy season or cold winter came, the wound will be faintly painful and difficult to relieve.
Exercising restrain was not something that can be endured, but it was better to not push oneself too hard.
She thanked Shen Han and then went to the other side of the martial arts field. Today, the soldiers were practicing the sword techniques, which was barely feasible. He Yan had previously discussed with Huang Xiong on the martial arts stage. Everyone knew that her sword technique was outstanding. She has a good temperament, but whenever someone asked, she always answered patiently with a smile, which was much more cordial than a black-faced instructor. Therefore, whenever the soldiers are confused, they’d always ask her.
He Yan was being pulled by a small soldier to give her some pointers on swordsmanship, and suddenly, a crisp voice called her, “Brother He!”
Turning around, it was Song Taotao.
In Liangzhou Wei, there was only one young girl, Shen Muxue, who was regarded as a fairy by the Liangzhou Wei people, and she did not dare to blaspheme. Now they didn’t know when the other one came from. She looked a little younger than Shen Muxue. Although she was not as beautiful and refined as Shen Muxue, she was better in the aspects of delicateness and loveliness, like the small flowers that bloom in spring, and the branches or vines all with a fine fragrance.
She wore a double bun and ran to He Yan with her skirt, ignoring the fiery gazes of the surrounding soldiers. Just looking at He Yan, she asked, “I heard Miss Shen yesterday saying that your injury was not light. Are you feeling better? “
He Yan, “…”
When they arrived at Liangzhou Wei, Song Taotao had to live with Shen Muxue, and everyone did not deliberately pay attention to her. Chi Wu and Feinu couldn’t keep a little girl guarded all day long because of their own work. Therefore, they didn’t notice when the girl came to the martial arts field and actually found He Yan at a glance.
He Yan smiled and said, “Thank you, Ms. Song, for your concern, It’s just a slight injury.”
“How can this be considered a minor injury?” Song Taotao pulled her sleeves: “I’ll take you to let Miss Shen take a look again.”
Needless to say, He Yan could also feel the people around him looking at her with a narrow-minded look, and Liang Ping’s face turned blue on one side. What did it look like to be hand in hand openly! He, Liang Ping, has been a bachelor for almost 30 years! Who is He Yan to behave like a ruffian openly? It’s just that he couldn’t provoke Miss Song, so he just glared at He Yan and motioned to He Yan to quickly dismiss Song Taotao.
He Yan was about to speak when she heard another angry shout, “Miss Song, what are you doing here!”
He Yan got a headache when he heard this sound. Cheng Lisu followed Song Taotao like a cat smelling a fishy scent. Seeing Song Taotao clutching He Yan’s sleeve, Cheng Lisu immediately separated the two of them angrily and said, “Don’t you dare approach my Brother He! My Brother He already has a fiancee!”
Song Taotao first looked at He Yan in surprise, and then saw Cheng Lisu who was smiling at her. After a moment of contemplation, she sneered, “What if he has a fiancee? One can get rid of their fiancee. I’m still your fiancee, what is it that you want to convey?”
Cheng Lisu was struck by lightning and backed away a few steps.
The people around were also dumbfounded.
He Yan and Cheng Lisu were sworn brothers, Song Taotao was Cheng Lisu’s fiancee, and He Yan also had a marriage agreement, but Song Taotao only treated He Yan differently. How exciting was the ups and downs, such a thrilling story!
If there was a hole at this moment, He Yan would want to bury herself in the hole without looking back.
She weakly pleaded, “I am not… I don’t…”
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