Chapter 76

After taking Changning to the tent Gongsun Yin had assigned to the two sisters, Fan Changyu first fetched some water and helped her wash up.

As she tied Changning’s little hair buns, she asked,

“Do you remember how you were captured, Ningniang?”

Changning carefully thought back while counting on her fingers.

“Sister hid us in the cellar. Later, Aunt Zhao took Ningniang and ran away. On the road we met government soldiers. We traveled a very long way, and they brought us to an inn. Aunt Zhao said it was Jizhou City and that we were safe.”

Fan Changyu immediately realized that the inn Changning mentioned was the government relay station where the Jizhou authorities had temporarily housed them.

“What happened after that?”

Changning still looked frightened when she remembered what happened at the relay station. Her eyes reddened again.

“Then the inn suddenly caught fire. A bad man stabbed Aunt Zhao. They tied Ningniang up, stuffed something in my mouth, locked me in a box, and carried me away…”

At that point, she couldn’t hold back her tears anymore.

“Sister, Aunt Zhao lost so much blood. Did Aunt Zhao die too?”

Fan Changyu gently patted her back.

“Aunt Zhao is fine. She’s still in Jizhou right now. You’ll be able to see her when we go back.”

Only then did Changning stop crying.

Fan Changyu continued,

“When those villains stuffed you into the box, did they take you out of the city in a carriage?”

Changning nodded.

“When they finally let Ningniang out, there were mountains everywhere. They threw away the box and the carriage, then took Ningniang away on horseback. We arrived at a very large mansion. They locked Ningniang in a dark room.”

She thought for a moment before continuing.

“Several days later, a very fierce old nanny took Ningniang out. She made Ningniang play with Bao’er.”

Fan Changyu frowned.

“Wasn’t Bao’er imprisoned too?”

Changning thought about it.

“He was imprisoned, but all the fierce nannies and maids kept trying to play with Bao’er and make him happy. They called him Young Master Bao’er, but Bao’er ignored them.”

She continued,

“Bao’er said a bad person had locked up his mother. He said he had to behave obediently if he wanted to see her again.”

The more Fan Changyu listened, the more confused she became.

This didn’t sound like ordinary imprisonment.

It sounded more like house arrest.

And the servants were calling Bao’er “Young Master.”

Could it be that Yu Qianqian’s husband belonged to that household?

Even someone as straightforward as Fan Changyu understood that once rebels were involved, things were unlikely to be simple.

Meanwhile, Changning looked up hopefully.

“Sister, after Brother-in-law recovers, can we go rescue Bao’er and Aunt Yu together?”

Fan Changyu replied,

“Once we get off the mountain, Sister will go to Chongzhou and gather information first.”

Only then did Changning smile again.

Fan Changyu noticed something hanging around Changning’s neck on a red cord.

“What’s this?”

Changning pulled it out.

It was an exquisitely carved jade pig pendant.

“Bao’er gave it to me before I left. The one he gave me before is still at home.”

She lowered her head and fiddled with the pendant.

“He said he still carries the grasshopper I made for him. So he gave me this little pig pendant and told me to keep wearing it too.”

The previous pendant had been much larger and shaped like a jade lock.

It looked fine hanging from Bao’er’s clothes, but on Changning it seemed rather awkward.

Afraid it would attract unwanted attention—or that she might accidentally damage it while playing with the neighborhood children—Fan Changyu had told Changning to leave it at home.

Taking the pendant in hand, Fan Changyu examined it carefully.

Even though she knew little about jade, she could immediately tell this pendant was made from finer material than the previous jade lock.

The jade was smooth and lustrous.

It was obviously valuable.

At the bottom was the character “Bao,” as though it had been specially commissioned.

Fan Changyu guessed that it had once been a gift Yu Qianqian intended for Bao’er.

As for why it was carved into a pig…

Since Bao’er was about the same age as Changning, perhaps he had been born in the Year of the Pig.

She couldn’t help thinking that this pendant probably meant even more to Bao’er than the jade lock had.

The two children had met far from home and likely regarded each other as their only true companion.

Fan Changyu tucked the pendant back inside Changning’s collar.

“Then take good care of it and don’t lose it.”

She gently tapped the little girl’s forehead.

“When we rescue Bao’er and his mother, you’ll return the pendant to him. It’s too valuable. Bao’er is still young, and we can’t accept something this precious. Understand?”

Changning nodded obediently.

“Like last time? If Aunt Yu agrees to give it to me, then Ningniang can keep it?”

Fan Changyu smiled and rubbed her head.

“That’s right.”

Changning hadn’t slept well for many days.

Being back with her sister made her feel completely at ease.

Before long, she was yawning nonstop.

After coaxing Changning to sleep, Fan Changyu remembered that when she had seen Yan Zheng earlier that day, dried blood still stained parts of his body.

So she filled a basin with water and headed toward his tent.

He had always been a clean person.

If he weren’t injured so badly, he definitely wouldn’t tolerate the smell of medicinal residue and blood clinging to him.

Sure enough, when she arrived, the tent was still lit.

Unsure whether any new wounded soldiers had been moved into the tent, she called from outside,

“Yan Zheng, are you asleep?”

“Not yet.”

His deep voice came from within.

Fan Changyu carried the basin inside.

The moment she lifted the tent flap, she froze.

Xie Zheng was bare-chested, wrapping fresh bandages around his waist.

Two empty bottles of wound medicine sat on the nearby table.

Cold sweat hung from his forehead.

The pain seemed to have put him in a poor mood.

When he first glanced toward the entrance, his expression was somewhat cold.

Only after realizing it was Fan Changyu did his gaze soften.

“What brings you here?”

Fan Changyu replied,

“I brought water so you can wipe yourself down.”

Her eyes fell on the discarded bandages.

They were soaked with blood once more.

Remembering the embrace from earlier, guilt surfaced on her face.

“Did I press against your wound before?”

Xie Zheng had already tied off the fresh bandages and was pulling on his robe.

“No.”

Although he denied it, Fan Changyu still felt guilty.

Knowing he had been injured while saving Changning only made her feel worse.

Seeing him about to tie his robe closed, she quickly said,

“Wait, don’t put it on yet. Let me help clean you up.”

His brows immediately drew together.

“You’ll help me?”

Fan Changyu didn’t think it was a big deal.

Back when she’d first rescued him, she’d practically pinned him down while applying medicine.

There wasn’t much left to be embarrassed about.

So she nodded openly.

“Your wound can’t get wet, and you can’t reach your back by yourself.”

She added,

“If you’re embarrassed, I can go find one of the younger soldiers to help you.”

Xie Zheng immediately untied the robe again.

“You can do it.”

The dark robe fell open beneath the candlelight.

Its shadow stretched across the floor.

His physique was strong and well-proportioned, his skin warm and smooth like polished jade.

The bandages running diagonally from his shoulder to his ribs contrasted sharply with his cool features, making him appear both vulnerable and unyieldingly strong.

Fan Changyu wrung out the cloth and began by wiping his face.

Xie Zheng, seated at the edge of the bed, seemed slightly surprised.

He clearly hadn’t expected her to start there.

Her movements were extremely gentle.

Patiently, she wiped away every trace of blood and dirt from his face.

Smiling, she said,

“When I first found you, you were much dirtier than this. Your face was covered in so much blood that I couldn’t even tell what you looked like.”

Xie Zheng said nothing.

He simply watched her.

Under the candlelight, her already beautiful features seemed softened by a warm glow.

Merely looking at her was enough to calm all the restlessness in his heart.

After cleaning his face, Fan Changyu rinsed the cloth again and began wiping his upper body.

When she reached the bandaged area, she stopped.

Gently, she touched the scar beneath the bandages that stretched across his chest.

Her voice was low.

“It must have hurt a lot, didn’t it?”

His answer remained the same.

“It doesn’t hurt.”

Fan Changyu fell silent.

When she finally looked up again, there was a faint redness around her eyes.

Xie Zheng lifted a hand and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

He looked at her for a long moment.

Then he suddenly lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her eyelid.

The touch was so light it felt like a feather brushing against her skin.

Fan Changyu blinked instinctively.

Staring at him blankly, she was clearly unaccustomed to such intimacy.

Yet she wasn’t repulsed by it either.

Whenever she was lost in thought, her eyes always looked exceptionally clear and innocent, carrying an almost defenseless honesty.

In the quiet tent, Xie Zheng’s voice was low.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

Fan Changyu was silent for a moment before blurting out something astonishing.

“You kissed me?”

The tent flap wasn’t fully closed.

Mountain wind drifted inside, making the candlelight flicker.

Their shadows swayed chaotically across the canvas walls.

Xie Zheng looked at her.

“Mm.”

His eyes were so deep that they seemed almost dangerous.

Silence followed once more.

Then, quite suddenly, Fan Changyu straightened up.

Leaning forward, she quickly pecked him on the forehead.

“There. Now we’re even.”

The next moment she grabbed the water basin and fled the tent.

Xie Zheng stared after her retreating figure.

For a very long time, he couldn’t recover his senses.

He had kissed her in far more outrageous ways before.

Yet the lingering softness on his forehead somehow brought him more happiness than anything else.

The corners of his lips lifted unconsciously.

—

Fan Changyu slept poorly that night.

Ever since she had met Yan Zheng, she had always regarded him as family and a friend.

That was why she had been so angry when he had suddenly kissed her before.

It wasn’t merely because he had been inappropriate.

It was because she had trusted him completely, and she felt he had betrayed that trust.

But after everything they had gone through, that anger had long since faded away.

Now she simply wanted everyone she cared about to be safe.

When she learned he was somewhere on the mountain, his life hanging in the balance, her first instinct had been to find him.

As for what came afterward…

She had imagined life continuing much as before.

One more mouth to feed at home wasn’t something she couldn’t handle.

But what happened tonight had completely confused her.

He had kissed her again.

And she wasn’t angry.

Instead, she had stubbornly kissed his forehead in return!

Fan Changyu rolled over irritably in bed.

Only then did she realize she had stolen most of Changning’s blanket.

She hurriedly rolled back and tucked the blanket properly around her sister.

It wasn’t until the fourth watch of the night that she finally drifted into a shallow sleep.

The next morning, Fan Changyu climbed out of bed with dark circles under her eyes.

After helping Changning wash up and get dressed, she went to the kitchen camp to collect food for the wounded.

There she overheard complaints that very little game had been caught lately.

The cooks wouldn’t be able to prepare extra nourishing meals for the injured much longer.

Remembering the military physician’s instructions that Xie Zheng needed proper nourishment, Fan Changyu frowned.

How could he recover without meat?

After breakfast, she decided to accompany the hunting parties deeper into the forest and see if she could bring back something worthwhile.

Because of what had happened the previous night, she felt embarrassed about facing Xie Zheng.

So she entrusted another soldier with delivering both his medicine and breakfast.

Early that morning, Gongsun Yin went to report military matters to Xie Zheng.

He immediately noticed that Xie Zheng was in an unusually foul mood.

After some careful probing, he learned that Fan Changyu hadn’t visited him all morning.

Perplexed, he went looking for her.

By then, Fan Changyu had already prepared her gear and was ready to enter the mountains.

She was planning to leave Changning with Xie Zheng while she went hunting.

When Gongsun Yin appeared, however, she immediately entrusted Changning to him instead.

Upon learning that Fan Changyu intended to go hunting, Gongsun Yin was surprised.

Concerned that something might happen to her, he secretly assigned two personal guards to follow and protect her.

As he led Changning toward Xie Zheng’s tent, he noticed the two little hair buns on top of her head.

They sat crookedly in completely different directions.

The sight was so dreadful that it hurt his eyes.

Unable to help himself, he asked,

“Little girl, didn’t your sister comb your hair this morning?”

Changning touched the buns proudly.

“She did! She even retied them!”

Gongsun Yin: “…”

How was it possible for someone’s hair to look worse after being combed?

He endured it for as long as he could.

Eventually, however, he gave up.

Stopping in the middle of the road, he untied Changning’s hair and redid it himself.

The other personal guards looked on in confusion.

One guard who had served Xie Zheng the longest quietly explained,

“Sometimes Master Gongsun simply can’t tolerate things being uneven.”

He lowered his voice even further.

“Something like those hair buns being one high and one low could bother him for an entire day.”