Chapter 14: Carrying Water

Chapter 14: Carrying Water

The clan leader and others were worried that Qiu Huanian might be upset about being plotted against by the Qiu family, but Qiu Huanian felt that even if the original owner were here, he wouldn't be saddened by this matter.

In the original owner's heart, apart from his late mother, the rest of the Qiu family had no connection to him anymore.

Given this, Qiu Huanian naturally wouldn't care.

Under Du Yunse's concerned gaze, Qiu Huanian smiled, "I understand. What the Qiu family does has nothing to do with me. If they dare to do such things, they must face the consequences."

The clan leader asked Du Yunse, "Yunse, what did Magistrate Wang say?"

"The magistrate has already taken the traffickers' confessions and sent people to Shangliang Village to arrest Qiu Fu and Qiu Gui. Once all the suspects are gathered, the trial will begin."

After recognizing Du Yunse, Magistrate Wang initially planned to keep Du Yunse in the county town for a chat, but Du Yunse was eager to return home, so the magistrate had to let him go first.

These traffickers were involved in dozens of cases across several nearby counties, and the trial wouldn't be completed quickly. Magistrate Wang asked Wu Shen and Du Yunse to leave their testimonies and addresses, promising to inform them of the results once the trial was over.

They talked until it grew dark, and Wu Shen stood up to leave. Knowing that imperial duties were urgent, the clan leader didn't detain him further and instead had his eldest son, Bao Ren, fetch two taels of silver to give to Wu Shen.

"Old Master, I really can't accept this money!" Wu Shen's face turned red as he refused.

Wu Shen could see that although the Du clan leader's family lived better than others in the village, they were still farmers, and earning money wasn't easy. He felt ashamed to take their money.

But the clan leader insisted, saying loudly, "If it were anyone else who came today, I wouldn't give silver. But Commander Wu, your father's achievements on the northeastern border are remembered by everyone living on this land. How could anyone with a conscience not offer help when his son is in trouble here?"

"If you were doing well, I wouldn't do anything extra. But now that General Wu has been dismissed and exiled, and you, a young man, are heading to the border alone, if you don't let me do this, I would feel ashamed!"

Wu Shen was deeply moved. He knew his father had once achieved great military feats in the northeast, but since then, the emperor had never sent his father back to command troops there. So, Wu Shen had no concrete idea of his father's reputation in the northeast.

"My father often told me that as a general or commander, one must be loyal to the emperor and love the people. Only with the people's support can one be invincible in battle. I used to only understand the surface, not the deeper meaning. Today, I begin to grasp it. If my father were here, he would be overjoyed to hear your words."

Knowing that further refusal would only hurt the clan leader's feelings, Wu Shen accepted the silver, stepped back, and bowed deeply, "On behalf of my father, I thank you for your generosity, Old Master. If the opportunity arises in the future, I, Wu Shen, will repay your kindness many times."

The Du clan leader laughed heartily, stroking his beard, and escorted them to the village entrance. Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng were getting sleepy, so Qiu Huanian took them back to rest, while Du Yunse accompanied Wu Shen a bit further.

Walking along the moonlit village path, Wu Shen's emotions hadn't fully settled. "I used to think I was highly skilled in martial arts and had mastered military tactics, but my father said I didn't truly understand warfare. At the time, I was unconvinced, but now I realize that only by venturing out alone can one truly gain experience."

He looked at Du Yunse, "Yunse, did something come to mind?"

After hearing the clan leader's words, Du Yunse had already begun to piece together some fragments in his mind.

For example, why the emperor hadn't sent Wu Dingshan back to command troops on the northeastern border for so many years; or why, after dismissing and exiling Wu Dingshan to the southern frontier, the emperor specifically sent his only son to the northeastern border as a mere commander.

Du Yunse lowered his eyes. The more he speculated, the more he realized how inscrutable the current emperor's intentions were.

Remembering his teacher's final instructions before being taken away, Du Yunse didn't voice his speculations but instead offered a subtle hint, "Once you join the army, you mustn't wallow in self-pity or complain. Seize every opportunity to achieve merit. When necessary, you can leverage your father's reputation in the northeast."

"How could I wallow in self-pity? Even as a commander, I'll have fifty men under me and can openly fight on the front lines!" Wu Shen smirked, "This time in the northeast, I'll make a name for myself that matches my father's!"

After a moment of enthusiasm, he sighed again, "My mother's health isn't good. I wonder if she can adapt to the southern climate. Why did this happen so suddenly..."

"Yunse, the Crown Prince studied under Master Wen Huiyang for a few years. You were classmates, right? Based on your understanding of the Crown Prince, do you really think he was behind those factional schemes and corruption?"

Du Yunse glanced at him, "Speaking ill of the Crown Prince—didn't General Wu teach you that careless talk leads to trouble?"

"But it's just the two of us here."

Du Yunse still didn't want to delve deeper into the topic, "By blood, you're the Crown Prince's cousin. Do you know what's really happening?"

Wu Shen was left speechless for a long while, finally hanging his head in dejection. "The Emperor has confined the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace. Though he hasn't deposed him, he has stripped him of all his allies. I really don't know what will happen in the future..."

"Yun Se, we part ways here today. I hope the next time we meet, you will have passed the imperial exams, and I will have earned merits and been promoted!"

"On the battlefield, swords and arrows are blind; take good care of yourself."

"Take care!"

Wu Shen pulled the reins, mounted his horse, and galloped towards the border. Under the bright moonlight, his youthful and carefree figure quickly disappeared into the vast fields.

Du Yunse watched him go, sighing softly in the familiar yet strange surroundings of Du Village.

Although he had left the capital, the treacherous winds and schemes still followed him like shadows. Du Yunse knew he had not escaped the chess game personally set by the Emperor; he was still an insignificant pawn in it.

He turned around, looking at the peaceful and serene Du Village under the night sky, his heart softening bit by bit. At least, he still had family, a sister and a brother, and a fiancé who was perfect in every way.

Thinking of Qiu Huanian, whom he had just met today, Du Yunse's heart beat a little faster as he walked back to the village along the path he had come.

At his doorstep, he saw the magistrate's horse had already been taken inside, the courtyard gate left slightly ajar, waiting for the wanderer to return home.

Du Yunse pushed the door open and entered. The courtyard was quiet, the horse tied to a post in the southwest corner of the yard, with a large basket of wild vegetables placed in front of it.

Qiu Huanian emerged from the side room, arms full of bedding, pillows, and quilts. Seeing Du Yunse, he made a gesture for him to be quiet.

Du Yunse stepped forward to take the items from Qiu Huanian's hands. He was nearly a head taller than Qiu Huanian, and standing close, Qiu Huanian had to look up at him.

"Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng are already asleep. Let's go to the main room," Qiu Huanian whispered.

These days, Qiu Huanian had already cleaned the main room once, and the window paper had been replaced, but the kang hadn't been heated for a long time and was a bit cold.

Du Yunse deftly spread out the single-width bedding and laid the quilt on top. Qiu Huanian felt the cold kang with only a straw mat and wanted to go out to heat it, but Du Yunse stopped him.

"It's already spring, not so cold. You've been tired all day, go to sleep."

The young man's cold voice carried a hint of tenderness. Moonlight filtered through the door, draping them in a soft glow. Qiu Huanian suddenly realized how awkward it was for the supposed fiancés to be alone together so late, and after hastily saying a few words, he fled in a panic.

Fortunately, Du Yunse didn't make him sleep together; otherwise, Qiu Huanian really wouldn't know how to end the day!

Watching Qiu Huanian's slightly panicked back disappear into the left side room, Du Yunse was silent for a moment, then closed the door.

He remembered what Wu Shen had said when he escorted him out of the village.

"Yun Se, I never expected that someone like you, who is least interested in beauty, would end up with such a perfect partner. But don't get too complacent; I think Huanian is a man with big ideas. Although he is your fiancé, you've never met before, and his heart may not necessarily be with you."

During his travels, Du Yunse had seen many people who became hateful or troubled because of love. At banquets hosted by scholars in the capital, romantic affairs were often a topic of conversation, but Du Yunse was never interested in such things.

He didn't think he needed love, something as transient as dew. Having a fiancé chosen by his mother was enough.

But now, after less than half a day together, Du Yunse felt somewhat unsatisfied with just this. He wished Qiu Huanian's lively and beautiful eyes would linger on him longer, long enough to only see Du Yunse.

"A pearl chooses its owner, naturally. I will prove I am his perfect match," Du Yunse had replied to Wu Shen under the moonlight.

...

Qiu Huanian had many bizarre dreams that night, but upon waking, he couldn't remember any of them. He looked out the window to find it was already bright outside, and he had woken up much later than the past few days.

Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng had been trained by him over the past ten days to wake up naturally, and they were still asleep. Thinking of the new person in the house, Qiu Huanian struggled a bit before getting up from the kang.

In the courtyard, he noticed the main room door ajar, bedding and quilts neatly folded in the corner, and fresh feed in the chicken coop and the horse's basket.

Du Yunse took a carrying pole and two buckets, planning to fetch water from the small river behind the village. Qiu Huanian saw this and went over to take one of the buckets, saying, "Let's go together then."

The two closed the door and set off. In the early morning, Du Village was already lively with people moving about. Seeing them, everyone greeted them with teasing smiles.

Qiu Huanian had already gotten to know almost everyone in the village over the past few days. As he responded to the greetings, he introduced them to Du Yunse, who nodded and greeted each person in turn.

They arrived at the small river and walked upstream to fetch water. The deepest part of the river only reached an adult's knees, and the water was so clear that you could see to the bottom, where small fish about the size of a thumb swam.

The people of Du Village usually fetched water directly from the river and stored it in jars to drink. However, Qiu Huanian, to be safe, always boiled the water and let it cool in a large teapot he had specially bought.

Du Yunse bent down to fill the bucket with water, lifted it, and placed it on the shore, without letting Qiu Huanian lift a finger. Watching how effortlessly Du Yunse handled the task, Qiu Huanian felt a pang of sadness, remembering how difficult it was for him to carry even one bucket of water now.

In his past life, he had been quite strong, but after transmigrating into this body, his strength had been halved. Even a little extra work left him sore and exhausted.

This was quite frustrating for a blogger once known as the "King of Grinding."

Although if you asked Meng Yuanling, Hu Qiuyan, Meng Fuyue, or anyone else who knew what Qiu Huanian had been doing these days, they would all agree that Brother Hua was already the most hardworking and capable young man they had ever seen.

"What are you thinking about?" Du Yunse noticed Qiu Huanian staring at him.

Qiu Huanian smiled, "You're quite skilled at this."

Although Du Yunse was from the countryside, he had been away for nearly a decade. Qiu Huanian hadn't expected him to adapt so quickly to rural chores.

"My teacher was as free-spirited as a wandering cloud, and during our travels, we often stayed in remote villages and rough lodgings. I handled all the everyday chores," Du Yunse glanced at his young man's slender wrists, "From now on, leave the heavy work to me. Don't tire yourself out."

Qiu Huanian tsked. He had thought Du Yunse's "study tour" was just about working and studying, but it seemed to have also included survival and wilderness challenges. Considering Du Yunse had left home at just ten years old, Qiu Huanian felt a twinge of heartache.

"Why did you go on this study tour?" Qiu Huanian blurted out.

Du Yunse put down the bucket and stood tall like a bamboo in the morning light. He spoke earnestly and confidently, "To cultivate myself, to manage my family, and then—"

"—to govern the country and bring peace to the world," Qiu Huanian finished the sentence for him.

He gazed at the handsome young man before him, whose aura was like the rising sun, and suddenly felt a warmth in his heart, kindling a sense of excitement and anticipation.

He was eager to see if Du Yunse, still in humble attire, could truly fulfill his lofty ambitions.