Chapter 138

Chapter 138

The alcohol breath that Xiao Zhen exhaled and his wandering hands made Tong Sui feel his fervent enthusiasm.

Was it because of the drink, or because the family had successfully joined General Han's forces?

Tong Sui was willing to indulge him either way, as she was also elated. She rejoiced in the army's victory over Fan Zhao, the ten taels of gold in her hand, and the fact that the family was finally on a path that, though perilous, offered a clear view ahead. They no longer had to cross one mountain only to find more hidden in the mist, struggling for survival without knowing where the end lay.

"I'll go mix some water, let's wash up first."

It took some effort to break free from Xiao Zhen's embrace. Tong Sui temporarily hid the two gold ingots in the wardrobe before going to the main room to fetch the heated copper pot to mix water for him.

In just this short while, when Tong Sui lifted the curtain to call him, she found Xiao Zhen lying on his back on the kang, breathing steadily, seemingly asleep.

Tong Sui was taken aback for a moment, then carried a basin of warm water inside.

When she knelt beside Xiao Zhen with a wrung-out towel, he still showed no sign of movement, his handsome face flushed from the alcohol.

Xiao Yan and the others were so thoroughly drunk; as their elder brother and the most respected figure in the Xiao family next to the old man, how could Fan Zhao and the others have let him off easily?

A group of warriors, when it came to drinking, were no different from the men in the village—those who could drink the most were considered the toughest.

Tong Sui helped Xiao Zhen wash his hands, face, and neck, then undid his collar and belt and removed his shoes. She couldn't move such a tall and robust husband, nor did she want to wake him, so she placed a pillow under his head and spread the quilt to cover him.

After finishing, guessing he would get up several times during the night, Tong Sui left the lamp on the cabinet burning and crawled into the bed at the head of the kang.

When he got up the first time, Tong Sui wanted to help, but Xiao Zhen declined, so she didn't interfere again and simply slept through the subsequent times, not even waking up.

As dawn approached, Xiao Zhen suddenly squeezed into her bed.

Tong Sui caught a faint scent of soap, and when he kissed her, his hair was damp and cool, clearly having washed himself.

"Still not sleepy?" Tong Sui asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Xiao Zhen: "I won't be able to sleep much longer, might as well make up for what I owe you."

Tong Sui glanced at the faint light outside the window and whispered, "Then hurry up, don't delay."

Xiao Zhen's breathing suddenly became heavy as he pulled her hand and turned her over.

Last night, she had helped Xiao Zhen wash his face, and this morning, he brought in the basin of water to serve Tong Sui, who was leaning against the kang.

Tong Sui wiped herself, while Xiao Zhen sat beside her, massaging her legs, especially her knees.

At nineteen, after a thorough and invigorating experience, her face was like a peach blossom, making it hard to hide the beauty usually diminished by her coarse clothing.

Her clear eyes glared at him, and Xiao Zhen smiled, saying meaningfully, "Yesterday, when you shot the arrow, all those officers were staring at you."

Tong Sui: "When General Fan shot, everyone stared at him too, they were looking at his archery skills, not his face."

Xiao Zhen: "How do you know they were looking at your archery?"

Tong Sui: "No nonsense."

Xiao Zhen continued to massage her legs.

Tong Sui: "Let's talk about the ten taels of gold, where should we hide it?"

This was the first time she had received so much gold, enough to make even their small joint savings seem insufficiently secure, and taking it to the camp was even less reassuring.

Xiao Zhen said, "We're all out, let Mother keep it for us. If everything goes well, Mother will definitely give it back to us. If something happens, consider it our filial piety to the elders."

Tong Sui lowered her eyes, and two tears rolled down her cheeks, which she quickly wiped away with a towel.

Xiao Zhen poked her face, "You definitely want Mother to keep it, afraid I'd mind, so you asked me. I said that to prove I don't mind, but now I've made you cry. Are you worried about home, or scared?"

Tong Sui slapped his hand away, "What am I afraid of? It's you who will be charging into battle."

Xiao Zhen: "That's right, I should be afraid. So many men out there covet you. If anything happens to me, you definitely won't stay a widow for me."

Tong Sui: "..."

Before she could get angry, Xiao Zhen pulled her into his arms, kissed her, and said, "For that reason alone, I must live well. Don't worry."

Tong Sui still pinched his waist.

When the couple arrived at the main courtyard, Xiao Yan, Xiao Ye, and the Qiao brothers were already there. Like Xiao Zhen, they all had dark circles under their eyes, but their strong constitutions kept them spirited.

Aunt Xiao was teasing them about their drunken antics from last night.

Xiao She grunted, "If you had taken me along, I could have helped you share at least two jars of wine."

Xiao Yan glanced at him, "If we had taken you, you would have spilled every mole on your body. Do you really think accompanying someone to drink is a good job?"

It felt good at first, but after drinking too much, his stomach burned. He barely made it home last night, and Aunt Xiao had the servants carry him to Fourth Younger Brother's room. In the middle of the night, thinking it was his wife, he hugged and touched, only to be startled awake. Fortunately, Fourth Younger Brother was sound asleep and unaware, otherwise, he would have surely used this as a laughing matter.

Xiao Ye was leaning back in his chair, rubbing his forehead. Meeting Third Brother's unfriendly gaze, he wondered, "Why are you glaring at me? It wasn't my idea."

Xiao Yan: "I was just looking, who said I was glaring at you?"

Qiao Changan interjected, "Ever since Third Brother returned from the battlefield, he looks at everyone like he's glaring."

Aunt Xiao: "Indeed, he was only eighteen when he enlisted, though rough inside, he looked quite handsome. Now he's come back like a living Yama."

Xiao Yuchan: "Pity Third Sister-in-law never saw Third Brother's handsome side."

With so many people around, the topic changed quickly. They had just been talking about Xiao Yan, but soon they were teasing Xiao Ye and Xiao She.

After breakfast, the old man led Tong Sui and the young men out, with Zhang Wengong already waiting at the door.

Xiao Yan teased him, "Did someone take care of you last night?"

Zhang Wengong's ears turned slightly red as he replied solemnly, "I stayed at Zhou’s place and troubled him to look after me for the night."

Xiao Zhen glanced back and glared at Xiao Yan, who then behaved himself.

In the southern camp, generals like Fan Zhao came to seek an audience with Han Zongping one after another upon waking up.

Recalling how these men had stumbled in last night, Han Zongping said, "The situation was special yesterday. In the future, anyone who gets drunk outside of a victory celebration will receive twenty lashes."

Fan Zhao hurriedly responded, "We always remember that. It was only because you told us to drink without worry last evening that we dared to have a few more cups."

Han Zongping: "How about Xiao Zhen and the others?"

Fan Zhao: "They have good capacity for alcohol and speak openly. We’ll test their skills today. If they are all like Old Xiao, they truly are a family of heroes."

Han Zongping looked around.

General Lu Gong on the left said, "Xiao Er speaks gracefully and is full of hidden depths, much like Old Xiao. Xiao San is quick-tempered, while Xiao Si and Sun Dian are rough but meticulous. The Qiao brothers are smiling tigers, and Sun Wei and Zhang Wengong, though young, are mature and steady, worthy sons of the Village Headman."

General Feng Ji in the middle added, "They all seem to be promising talents."

Both Lu Gong and Feng Ji were in their forties, while the younger General Luo Xiao, aged twenty-five, said, "Xiao Ye wants to spar with me; I’ve already agreed."

Fan Zhao: "Then be careful. Don’t follow my example and lose ten taels of gold due to underestimating him! Now that I think about it, Xiao Er is truly cunning, using the golden bow to lure me into it. They brought out the golden bow, and I only had those two gold ingots to match it."

Song Lan, who had been smiling silently, said, "What Xiao Er was after wasn’t the general’s gold, but a reason to invite all of you for drinks."

Fan Zhao: "Mr. Song, you still have the nerve to say that. Since you know them, why didn’t you warn me?"

Song Lan: "To my shame, during those years when I was teaching in Taohuagou, I never saw Second Madam shoot arrows, nor did the Tong family mention it. I thought her archery was just average, enough to hunt some game. If I had known she was a gem in the rough, I would have fulfilled my son’s infatuation and proposed to her before Old Xiao, making her my daughter-in-law."

Wei Qi raised an eyebrow, "So, Cousin Zhishi and Second Madam had a romantic connection?"

Song Lan sighed, "Our families lived next to each other. With Second Madam’s beauty, which young man in the village wouldn’t be smitten? But I considered myself refined and wanted to find a scholarly girl for Zhishi. Besides, Second Madam was innocent and pure, treating Zhishi like a neighbor’s big brother. So, I never took the initiative until she married into the Xiao family, and Zhishi had to give up his hopes."

Wei Qi: "Does the Xiao family know about this?"

Song Lan stroked his beard, "Others may not know, but when Xiao Er accompanied Second Madam back home, my son spoke out of turn several times. Given Xiao Er’s intelligence, he probably guessed something."

Wei Qi secretly glanced at the Grand General in the main seat.

Han Zongping smiled, "Admiration in youth is a common human emotion and doesn’t count as a grudge."

Song Lan bowed to the generals, "Because General Fan blamed me for not warning him, I had to tell the truth. My son’s one-sided feelings should not be spread, lest it damage Second Madam’s reputation or harm the relationship between her and her husband. The Tong family has shown us kindness for years, and I cannot repay their kindness with ingratitude."

Han Zongping: "Anyone who spreads this will face military law."

All the generals accepted the order. Being accomplished generals, they were content to hear the story and didn’t enjoy spreading idle gossip.

---

That evening, Song Lan brought Song Zhishi to visit the couple, Tong Youyu and Zhou Qing, in the eastern courtyard.

Even though Zhou Qing had harbored resentment over her daughter’s marriage, they had been neighbors for years, and a reunion after a long separation was still a cause for joy.

Song Lan said, "The camp affairs were busy yesterday, so I couldn’t come earlier. Please forgive me, esteemed couple."

Tong Youyu: "Mr. Song, don’t be so formal. Come in and sit down. Stay for dinner tonight."

Song Lan smiled and agreed.

When Xiao Zhen and Tong Sui returned, Tong Youyu called his daughter and son-in-law to join them.

This was when Tong Sui saw Song Zhishi again. Yesterday morning, she had been with the old master entertaining Han Zongping and other generals, and Song Lan hadn’t wanted his less useful son to occupy a seat beside Han Zongping, so Song Zhishi had followed the army separately.

Tong Sui respected Song Lan’s scholarship and their years of teacher-student bond, so she felt happy to see him again. However, her affection for Song Zhishi had been completely eroded by the turmoil of the past year, and she even felt a bit of disgust due to his various impolite actions.

Therefore, apart from the initial greeting, she didn’t look at Song Zhishi at all.

Song Zhishi, however, couldn’t control his eyes, finding Tong Sui even more beautiful than in his memory, her eyes sparkling.

Xiao Zhen toasted him, "A year hasn’t changed you much, Young Master Song."

Though it sounded like he was talking about Song Zhishi’s appearance, Song Zhishi immediately understood the sarcasm.

He stared at Xiao Zhen for a moment before politely replied, "I just read books in my room, so naturally, there hasn’t been much change in a short year. Unlike you, who trained with Old Xiao to fight bandits and kill enemies, looking even darker than last year after the spring plowing, becoming even more dashing."

Tong Sui and Zhou Qing: "..."

If you’re going to praise someone’s bravery, why start by saying they’re dark?

Unaware that Xiao Zhen had long noticed Song Zhishi’s feelings, Tong Sui only heard the sarcasm in Song Zhishi’s words.

She didn’t like it and gave him a glare.

Her clear eyes revealed her displeasure like an invisible blade.

Song Zhishi’s hand holding the wine bowl trembled, and he drank a mouthful with a heart full of pain, sitting quietly beside her without speaking.

Xiao Zhen then looked at Song Lan, "Congratulations, Mr. Song, on finding a wise master. Seeing how the general values you, your future must be bright."

Song Lan smiled, "I am just a humble scholar. Your family, with its tiger generals, is what the general truly desires. When you rise to prominence, don’t forget to help my son and me."