Chapter 250
Unaware of the somber mood of Governor Wu and Madam Wu, Zhan Feiyu sat leisurely in the carriage, watching the chatter outside the window with Yin Wuyan.
"Big Brother, I suspect Teacher is lying about me visiting an old friend on his behalf; it's just to make me suffer through the arduous journey," Zhan Feiyu wrinkled her nose. Generally, scholars traveled to the culturally rich Jiangnan region, not to the northwest.
"After General Yang was exiled to the border, it was the Lone Fishing Elder who brought General Yang's family back to Weizhou," Yin Wuyan explained briefly.
General Yang was a few years older than Scholar Gu. It was heard that when Scholar Gu was traveling with the Emperor in his youth, they encountered bandits and were rescued by General Yang. However, one was a prince of noble status, the future Son of Heaven, and the other was the son of the Gu clan of Nanling, the future Grand Scholar. General Yang, on the other hand, was a military officer, and the two had little interaction. Eight years ago, the Yang family was accused of colluding with the enemy and treason. Even though the evidence was conclusive, the Emperor, remembering the life-saving grace from that time, showed leniency to the Yang family. Otherwise, according to the evidence of their crimes, even with a light sentence, General Yang would have been executed immediately, rather than simply being exiled to the border.
The Lone Fishing Elder was a renowned Confucian scholar in the northwest, but he was proud and aloof, preferring to travel. In the barbarian lands, he was also rescued by General Yang. It was heard that he...
Chongguang, whipping his horse, glanced back at the carriage with a teasing expression. "This is the first time I've known the chubby girl to be so talkative."
He Sheng, who was driving the carriage, nodded silently. Perhaps it was because Seventh Master was present.
Normally, Miss was sensible and well-behaved, focusing entirely on her studies. Even when it was inconvenient to read in the carriage, she would recite essays and poems. Now, she looked more like a child who hadn't grown up.
"Master, judging by the weather, it looks like it's going to rain," Chongguang raised his voice and called out. Traveling from the Jiangnan region all the way towards the northwest, it rarely rained for ten days to half a month. But now, the sky was already overcast.
Lifting the curtain, Zhan Feiyu smiled at Chongguang on horseback. "Noble guests often encounter rain; golden threads weave through silver strands. If we are fortunate enough to meet a downpour, we shall feast and listen to music at the Peach Banquet."
"Chubby girl, when it rains, I'll see if you can still be so smug," Chongguang laughed heartily. Even on horseback now, he could feel a chill, and it would be colder when the rain started.
Weizhou was located in Longyou Circuit, and most people referred to the Northwest Seven Guards. The temperature difference between morning and evening was significant. In October, chrysanthemums were still blooming in Jiangnan, but in the Northwest Seven Guards, winter had already set in, and it would be even colder if it snowed.
Zhan Feiyu had half her body sticking out of the carriage, pointing at the carriages behind them and boasting with flailing arms. "A'nuan packed a large box of clothes for me. Uncle Chongguang, you should worry about yourself!"
Yin Wuyan and Chongguang traveled light, accustomed to roughing it and eating on the go. Sometimes, when military intelligence was urgent, they would stay awake for three days and three nights. It was unlike Zhan Feiyu, who had another carriage filled with her belongings, even bringing cooking utensils.
"Sit properly." Inside the carriage, Yin Wuyan wrapped his long arm around Zhan Feiyu's waist and pulled her back.
Unexpectedly, as the carriage wheel rolled over a stone, with a jolt, Zhan Feiyu landed squarely on Yin Wuyan's lap. Hearing a faint muffled groan, Zhan Feiyu froze for a moment.
Was this? Her face turned red with embarrassment. Zhan Feiyu quickly got up, but today the carriage seemed to be against her. With another violent jolt, her just-raised backside sat back down.
In an instant, Zhan Feiyu's face flushed all the way to her neck, even her earlobes turned red. She was just a nine-year-old child...
Yin Wuyan's clear and handsome face also stiffened for a moment. His hands rested on Zhan Feiyu's waist, and with a slight exertion, he directly moved her to the side.
"Master, many stones were buried on the road," He Sheng, unaware of what had happened in the carriage, reported and slightly reined in the horses, slowing down the carriage.
Although it was a dirt road, many pits had been dug with hoes, stones were buried, and then earth was scattered and tamped down. This made a perfectly good road bumpy.
Chongguang, riding his horse, didn't feel much, but Zhan Feiyu in the carriage felt like her backside was about to split into four pieces from the jolting.
Zhan Feiyu forgot her embarrassment. "Big Brother, is someone trying to ambush us?"
"No," Yin Wuyan said, looking at Zhan Feiyu, who was uncomfortable from the jolting, and said in a deep voice, "He Sheng, stop the carriage."
A moment later, Yin Wuyan held Zhan Feiyu and sat on his horse. After wrapping her tightly in his black cloak, he gripped the reins with his legs and the horse neighed as it galloped into the distance.
Only her eyes were visible outside the cloak. Zhan Feiyu looked at the flat, open surroundings. Well, there really wouldn't be any bandits. Even horse thieves wouldn't come out in this weather. It wouldn't matter if people got wet, but if the horses fell ill, the loss would be substantial.
A strong wind howled, and dark clouds churned. In a blink of an eye, Zhan Feiyu could feel the cold seeping into her body through her clothes, and the wind was as sharp as a knife.
"Hold on tight," Yin Wuyan said, one arm around the little girl in front of him, the other holding the reins, urging his horse to gallop again, finally finding a dilapidated temple just before the heavy rain began to fall.
With a cold gaze at the dilapidated temple with a burning torch, Yin Wuyan dismounted, holding Zhan Feiyu in his left arm.
"Is someone here?" Zhan Feiyu curiously glanced inside, but obediently stayed by Yin Wuyan's side. After he tied the horse to a pillar, she looked at the four villagers emerging from the dilapidated temple.
"Young master and young lady, we are villagers from the nearby Loujia Village. We just returned from the market, and it's raining now. We bought quite a lot of things. Do you want to buy anything?" the tall aunt asked with a smile, her practiced demeanor suggesting this wasn't the first time she had done this.
Zhan Feiyu looked at the rows of bamboo baskets behind the four people. One basket contained cabbage, scallions, garlic, and a small piece of pork.
Another basket contained a quilt. The quilt cover was coarse cloth, but the cotton inside was likely not very good. However, with the rain falling and the weather getting cold, lighting a bonfire and wrapping oneself in a quilt would prevent freezing.
"I have two more jackets here, made of wolf fur," another dark and thin aunt quickly said. Seeing Zhan Feiyu's rosy cheeks and fair complexion, she likely was a pampered young lady from a wealthy family and certainly not lacking in money.
"Leave the vegetables, but you don't need the quilt or jackets," Zhan Feiyu now understood. The stones buried on the road were likely to inconvenience passing travelers, slowing down their carriages so they couldn't reach the nearest town, Xiangwu County, and had to stay overnight in a dilapidated temple. The villagers would then take the opportunity to sell their goods.
Perhaps Yin Wuyan's aura was too cold, so the aunt selling vegetables dared not quote a high price. "If you want all of this, young lady, it will be five hundred wen."
It was expensive, but in the wilderness, it was good to have some vegetables and eggs. Zhan Feiyu did not haggle and paid with a piece of silver from her purse.
"If you go left from the temple, you'll see a pond. Since it's raining, I'll clean up a spot for you, young lady." As the aunt selling vegetables spoke, the three aunts beside her also started to help.
"The firewood here was brought by my son a few days ago. Young lady, please feel free to use it."
"Young lady, the roof here is intact and doesn't leak."
"I have a straw mat here. If you don't mind, young lady, you can spread it out." An aunt took out a straw mat from behind the statue of Buddha. Seeing that the ground had been cleaned, she spread the straw mat on it.
Zhan Feiyu couldn't help but smile. With such complete preparations, her guess was correct. The stones on the road were indeed buried by the villagers.
"Why don't you leave the quilt too?" Zhan Feiyu gave another five hundred wen, even though Uncle Chongguang was not afraid of the cold at all.
After the aunts happily left with the remaining items, Chongguang and He Sheng also arrived.
"Chubby girl, what's this?" Chongguang took off his outer robe and looked in surprise at Zhan Feiyu, who was sitting on the straw mat. In front of her, a bonfire was burning. Compared to the messy dilapidated temple, Zhan Feiyu's area was clearly tidied up. Could it be that Seventh Master did it?
Chongguang glanced at Yin Wuyan, who was adding firewood to the bonfire. When their Seventh Master went on missions, he also endured hardships, but in his spare time, he was an elegant and noble gentleman. Chongguang found it difficult to imagine Yin Wuyan tidying up; the sense of incongruity was too strong.
He Nuan and He Sheng entered the dilapidated temple with their belongings. A fur cushion was placed on the straw mat, followed by a bedsheet, and a copper kettle filled with water was placed on the bonfire.
"A'nuan, grill the flatbread on the iron plate, then slice the meat thinly. We'll have roasted meat and cook some vegetable soup," Zhan Feiyu squatted by the bonfire. There were many vegetables in the basket, and He Nuan had also brought some, but camping outdoors was inconvenient.
He Nuan readily agreed. "Okay, I'll go wash the vegetables."
Two quarters of an hour later, thinly sliced pork sizzled on the iron plate. As soon as the seasonings were sprinkled on, the aroma wafted through the air.
"A'nuan, I'll fry the eggs," Zhan Feiyu said excitedly, rolling up her sleeves and getting busy.
The iron plate was something Zhan Feiyu had asked He Sheng to get when she decided to travel. It was about two feet long and was more convenient to use over a bonfire than the iron pot in the kitchen.
Fried eggs were placed on the flatbread with slices of meat, and a simple dinner was ready. Finally, a bowl of vegetable soup was consumed, which was even better than the usual fare of ordinary farmers.
"Uncle Chongguang, if you dare to mess around, you'll have to eat these salty eggs that are inedible!" Zhan Feiyu threatened fiercely. Seeing Chongguang's hand retreat silently, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow triumphantly. One inch of skill is countered by a foot of cunning!
"Chubby girl, fry two more pieces of meat!" Chongguang placed raw meat slices on the iron plate, treating Zhan Feiyu like a cook.
"I..." Before she could finish speaking, water droplets on the meat slices hit the hot oil and exploded.
Before Zhan Feiyu could react, a slender hand blocked her.
Meeting his own Seventh Master's cold phoenix eyes, Chongguang guiltily recoiled. Well, it was good enough to have something to eat tonight; don't expect to eat meat.
Zhan Feiyu glared angrily at the culprit, Chongguang, handed the chopsticks to He Nuan, and quickly took Yin Wuyan's hand to examine it.
Unlike Zhan Feiyu's soft and plump hands, Yin Wuyan's hands were slender with well-defined knuckles. There was no excess fat on the back of his hands. Two spots where oil droplets had splashed showed small, bean-sized red marks.
"It's nothing." This couldn't even be considered an injury, so Yin Wuyan naturally didn't care. But seeing the little girl's face as white as tofu, Yin Wuyan's cold gaze couldn't help but shift towards Chongguang, who was shrinking to the side.
Chongguang felt a chill run down his spine and wished he could dig a hole and bury himself.
Serves you right! Zhan Feiyu glared at the timid Chongguang, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the oil stains from Yin Wuyan's hand. "It's almost ready to eat. Big Brother, I'll get some for you first..."
Hoofbeats sounded again outside the dilapidated temple. After a burst of noise, the door of the dilapidated temple was pushed open again. Cold wind and rain poured in. Zhan Feiyu looked up and saw two rough-looking maids leading the way, followed by a maidservant about twenty years old.
"How can we rest in this place?" the maidservant frowned in disgust, retreating towards a cleaner corner of the wall. The more she looked, the more disgusted she became, and finally her gaze fell upon Zhan Feiyu and her group.
The dilapidated temple was not small. Compared to the messy and dirty left side, the right side had a bonfire burning, a cushion laid on the ground, and a low table with bowls and chopsticks beside it. An iron plate was placed over the bonfire, and the aroma of meat wafted over, making one feel hungry.
"Miss Lian, we'll clean it up and it will be clean," the tall maid said with a fawning smile. The ground was just dead branches, fallen leaves, and dirt, along with some debris from the dilapidated temple. It could be cleaned up. It was raining outside, and it was good enough to have a dilapidated temple for shelter.
The maidservant called Miss Lian raised her eyebrows and scolded in a cold voice, "The roof here is leaking, and the window over there is also broken. How do you plan to clean it? Madam is already frail. If she catches a cold, can you bear the responsibility?"
The tall maid lowered her head sheepishly but dared not speak again.
"Miss Lian, please calm your anger," the shorter maid quickly smoothed things over and whispered, "It's windy and rainy outside. We can't let Madam sit in the carriage all the time."
Miss Lian kept her face stern and did not reply. She glanced disdainfully at the dirty ground, but then tiptoed towards Zhan Feiyu.
...
Chongguang felt a chill run down his spine and wished he could dig a hole and bury himself.
Serves you right! Zhan Feiyu glared at the timid Chongguang, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the oil stains from Yin Wuyan's hand. "It's almost ready to eat. Big Brother, I'll get some for you first..."
Hoofbeats sounded again outside the dilapidated temple. After a burst of noise, the door of the dilapidated temple was pushed open again. Cold wind and rain poured in. Zhan Feiyu looked up and saw two rough-looking maids leading the way, followed by a maidservant about twenty years old.
"How can we rest in this place?" the maidservant frowned in disgust, retreating towards a cleaner corner of the wall. The more she looked, the more disgusted she became, and finally her gaze fell upon Zhan Feiyu and her group.
The dilapidated temple was not small. Compared to the messy and dirty left side, the right side had a bonfire burning, a cushion laid on the ground, and a low table with bowls and chopsticks beside it. An iron plate was placed over the bonfire, and the aroma of meat wafted over, making one feel hungry.
"Miss Lian, we'll clean it up and it will be clean," the tall maid said with a fawning smile. The ground was just dead branches, fallen leaves, and dirt, along with some debris from the dilapidated temple. It could be cleaned up. It was raining outside, and it was good enough to have a dilapidated temple for shelter.