Zhao Liangcai stopped and looked at Suozi. "Suozi, I need to go back."
"Hammer, Old Xi and Old Lu have been personally leading people to snatch trees these past two days. If you're not here, I, a mere deputy officer, can't handle two generals."
Suozi was referring to the generals of the second and third departments. They were currently snatching from other departments. If Zhao Liangcai hadn't been there, their eighth department would have been plundered long ago.
"When I get back, I'll lead you to snatch it all back." Zhao Liangcai, true to his word, picked up his clothes from the chair and was about to leave the stone house.
Suozi, quick as lightning, grabbed him. "Hammer, are you serious? You're not going to stop them from finding a bride, are you?"
Zhao Liangcai put on his clothes and chuckled, "More than that. I'm going back for a good night's sleep."
Suozi was utterly confused.
Zhao Liangcai's plan was destined to be only half right. Qin Junyao was still in her space, digging up ginseng and watching the thatched hut transform into a brick house. She couldn't possibly get up to play the zither on the mountaintop.
However, he did run into Grandma Qin, who was strolling in the village. They reached a preliminary consensus, and he welcomed Grandma Qin's idea of staying for a while.
Grandma Qin happily returned home to announce the good news.
This made Qin's father quite perplexed. How could he let an old woman like his mother stay at his home?
Since Zhao Liangcai was back, he naturally had to go see his brother.
Fu Zi was overjoyed. Ever since his brother returned to the military camp, his mother had been restricting him, preventing him from going down the mountain to find Sister Qin, and even from playing with village children. He was suffocating.
Qian Shi was also delighted by Zhao Liangcai's return. The money in her hands had been significantly spent on buying servants and entertaining villagers. She needed Zhao Liangcai to give her money.
The strangest person here was Qian Duo. She seemed to have anticipated Zhao Liangcai's return long ago.
That evening, Fu Zi had just climbed onto his brother's heated kang with his small pillow when he heard a knock on the door.
"I'll get it!" Fu Zi quickly retreated, slid off the kang, and ran to open the door. Zhao Liangcai, who was washing his feet, couldn't stop him.
"Cousin? You can't sleep either and want to sleep with my brother?"
"Fu Zi!" Zhao Liangcai's voice came from behind Fu Zi.
His trouser legs were rolled up to his knees, still damp with water droplets. It looked like he had put on his shoes without drying his feet.
Zhao Liangcai was wearing a white inner garment, its front slightly unbuttoned, which made Qian Duo's face blush.
"Why are you here so late?" Zhao Liangcai pushed Fu Zi back into the room, pressing down on his head. Fu Zi twisted and wriggled behind Zhao Liangcai, wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Cousin, this is the medicine Doctor Mo prescribed for you. Drink it, and you'll sleep soundly. Your eyes are so red from lack of sleep." As Qian Duo spoke, she reached out to touch Zhao Liangcai's eyes.
Zhao Liangcai took two steps back, evading Qian Duo's hand, but he stepped on Fu Zi's foot.
Fu Zi let out a yelp, clutching his foot and hopping in place.
Qian Duo's imagined scene of a beautiful maiden under the moonlight in the dead of night was completely ruined by Fu Zi's cries.
She was about to speak again when Fu Zi cried out, "It's purple! My toenail is purple! Am I going to die? Woooow~"
Zhao Liangcai had directly stepped on Fu Zi's big toe, causing a bruise. He didn't have time to deal with Qian Duo and squatted down to check if Fu Zi's toe was broken. Fortunately, the bone was intact.
"Grandma Ma is here. Are you going back with her?" Zhao Liangcai pointed at Grandma Ma, who had come over upon hearing the commotion, and asked Fu Zi.
"No, I want to sleep with Brother," Fu Zi said, tears streaming down his face, but still insisting on sleeping with his brother.
"Young Master, let me take the young master to apply medicine. Here..." Grandma Ma, concerned about Fu Zi's injury, glanced at Qian Duo by the door.
Zhao Liangcai picked up Fu Zi and handed him to Grandma Ma. "It's fine." Then he turned to Qian Duo and said, "Wait a moment," before closing the door and re-entering the house.
The door opened again. Zhao Liangcai, now fully dressed, walked out of the house holding an outer garment. Grandma Ma, carrying Fu Zi, had already left. Qian Duo, holding the food box, was smiling and waiting for him. Su Dan Xiaoshuo Wang.
"Go there," Zhao Liangcai pointed to the round stone table by the door.
"Okay."
They sat on opposite sides of the round table. One sat casually to the side, while the other faced the table, placed the food box down, and pushed the medicine bowl towards Zhao Liangcai.
"Cousin, drink it first. It will be bitter if it gets cold."
Ever since Qian Duo saw Zhao Liangcai and Suozi that time, she had considered her future. Later, she realized that the only reliable wealthy person she could cling to was Zhao Liangcai.
However, if Zhao Liangcai were gay, then she would be the only woman in the inner court. With wealth and power, she could have anything she desired.
Zhao Liangcai looked at the dark, viscous liquid on the table. After a moment's thought, he picked it up and gulped it down. He did indeed need to sleep.
"Is there anything else?" Zhao Liangcai knew Qian Duo must have something else to say; delivering medicine was just an excuse.
Qian Duo slowly put away the food box, looked up at the moon, and rubbed her arm. "It's getting windy, and it's a bit cold."
"Mm," Zhao Liangcai agreed with Qian Duo's words and put on the outer garment he was holding.
If a flock of crows had cawed and flown by at this moment, it would have been even more fitting for the scene.
"Cousin, have you encountered any troubles lately?" Qian Duo broke the silence first. She was genuinely feeling cold.
Zhao Liangcai turned to look at Qian Duo, who was somewhat blurry in the night. "The Northwest City has been taken over by the Northwest Grand Camp. Goods cannot be transported out."
"Northwest Grand Camp?" Qian Duo murmured the familiar words, suddenly recalling something. She smiled and asked Zhao Liangcai, "Is General Shao of the Northwest Grand Camp very formidable?"
Zhao Liangcai fiddled with the hem of his clothes, his tone betraying no anomaly. He replied to Qian Duo, "General Shao is indeed very formidable."
More than formidable; only half a year ago, he was a deputy general, and now he held complete control of the Northwest Grand Camp, all while protecting his privacy exceptionally well. The common folk didn't even know that the Northwest Grand Camp had a new commanding officer.
"Cousin, I heard that General Shao has a peculiar fondness."
"What do you want?"
"Cousin is joking. I don't want anything. I just hope you'll visit Brother Youcai often. He misses you."
"Alright."
Zhao Liangcai stood on the steps, watching Qian Duo's retreating figure, his eyes narrowed.
Shao Yong liked mute girls?
So many people had sent him women, gifts, and money, yet none had been able to get close to Shao Yong. If what Qian Duo said was true...
Before dawn the next day, Zhao Liangcai rode Xiao Fei back to the military camp. That bowl of medicine had allowed him to sleep for two hours. After waking up, his head felt a bit groggy, not the refreshing feeling he got after listening to Qin Junyao play the zither.
Qin Junyao had been in a coma for a full seven days before waking up. She had dug up seven ginseng roots in her space.
Upon waking, she thought she had transmigrated again. She felt completely devoid of strength, her body trembling with every slight movement.
Was she... starving?
She looked around the room. No one was there. Feeling terrible, she thought, why not go back to the space for a while?
Entering.
Qin Junyao did not feel any better in the space. She had exited from where the cart was, and now she was lying next to the cart.
She propped herself up by the cartwheel, feeling a more distinct sensation in her hands than before, which struck her as strange.
What was going on?
Before Qin Junyao could ponder further, she suddenly heard Qin Xiaoyu's cry, "My sister is gone!"