Chapter 77

Chapter 77

It was August.

Early autumn, a season of renewal.

Mountains and rivers gradually took on a faint, early yellow hue.

A jet-black horse galloped by, making the branches tremble slightly and startling flocks of birds.

...

Fu Fan carried herbs to the market to sell, but unfortunately, the season had passed, and the herbs didn’t fetch a good price.

She went to several shops, arguing until her throat was dry, before she finally sold a basket of herbs.

The timing was perfect, neither early nor late, just as the sun was setting.

Fu Fan waited at the foot of the mountain with an empty basket, meeting A Niu who had gone up the mountain to chop wood.

Winter comes early in the north, so firewood must be prepared in advance, or else all the good wood would be taken by others.

They used to live in the mountains, never lacking firewood, but now they had moved and settled near the town. Most of the nearby land was privately owned, so they had to go far to gather firewood.

Fortunately, A Niu was young and strong, with a fast pace. He would set out during the day and never keep Fu Fan waiting long, returning by evening. Fu Fan spent her days tending vegetables and raising chickens and ducks. Occasionally, when the weather was good, she would go to the mountains with A Niu to gather herbs, dry them, and sell them for a bit of money.

The rest of the time, Fu Fan busied herself with cooking, making the time fly by.

Everything was going well, and Fu Fan began to look forward to having children with A Niu. In the countryside, it was best to have boys who could help with the hard work.

A Niu was handsome, so their children would surely be the most beautiful in the area.

Ah... but A Niu was so reserved, only interested in chopping wood and hunting. Fu Fan hadn't been able to conceive after several tries. She thought she needed to have a heart-to-heart with A Niu. If this kept up, people would surely think there was something wrong with them!

...

Fu Fan hadn't been at the foot of the mountain for long when she saw the figure stretched long by the setting sun's glow.

She hurried over to help A Niu with the firewood, but A Niu smiled and said, "This is light for me, I can carry it!"

Fu Fan said "Oh" and left it at that.

She couldn't help but think that A Niu's speech was becoming more refined, even occasionally using idioms, which surprised her.

It often made her feel like she was just a country bumpkin, not suited for any grand occasion.

Fu Fan bit her lip, thinking to herself that she also had her own strengths. She was hardworking, smart, and beautiful. She was kind-hearted! She could save people and even treat illnesses.

A woman like her was hard to find in this world! In the past, many men from the surrounding areas wanted to marry her, but she wasn’t interested in any of them! When she found A Niu, he was still a simpleton! She was willing to marry him, and everyone thought she was foolish at the time!

Thinking this, Fu Fan couldn't help but smile.

On the way back, she couldn't stop talking, mentioning her brother: "It's been almost a month, and he hasn't returned yet."

A Niu said, "With the current turmoil, why don't we go and fetch him?"

Fu Fan glanced at him, annoyed, "How can we just leave? Didn't we agree to wait until after the harvest to accompany you to find your family? Besides, we've planted over ten acres of crops. If we miss the harvest, where will we get the rice to feed you next year, given how much you eat?"

A Niu knew she was angry and didn't continue speaking, just silently walked ahead with a pile of firewood taller than himself.

When they reached the only inn at the entrance of the town, A Niu noticed more than a dozen horses tied to the hitching post in front. He couldn't help but stop in his tracks.

The northern lands were bitterly cold, and plagued by constant warfare. The more affluent families had already relocated to the southern regions. Those who remained were mostly commoners tied to their farmland, traveling mostly by mule-drawn carts and ox carts, with horses being a rare sight.

And here were more than a dozen horses.

Though these horses were not particularly tall—in fact, they were quite emaciated, with their bones protruding—they were still horses.

Fu Fan, who had caught up, also stopped to take a good look.

"Goodness! These are horses? Whose horses are these?" Fu Fan exclaimed in admiration, but couldn't help muttering under her breath: "They're so skinny, skinnier than our mule! They probably aren't worth much, not even as much as our mule! I doubt they could pull anything!"

The inn at the entrance of the town was the only one in the area. Since they rarely had distinguished guests, the inn was poorly maintained. The tables had missing corners, the stools had legs that had been repeatedly patched, and the windows on the second floor creaked with the wind.

The inn was run by a couple who handled all the work.

The wife was upstairs boiling water and making tea for the guests, while the husband came out with a bucket to feed the horses.

When Fu Fan saw the feed he brought out, she was even more astonished.

The buckets were filled with cooked beans, mixed with chopped apples, melons, and large chunks of brown sugar.

Goodness! Not to mention such expensive fruits, but also whole chunks of brown sugar? Each piece was larger than her palm!

The horses snorted hot breath, baring their teeth and growling at everyone equally. It was as if they understood Fu Fan's disdain for them. The lead horse, with saliva and half-chewed beans, sprayed it all over her face.

Fu Fan was disgusted and quickly hid behind A Niu, wiping her face repeatedly. She complained to the innkeeper: "They're so skinny, yet they eat better than people?"

The innkeeper was also puzzled, muttering to himself, but he didn't dare speak ill of the distinguished guests. He said, puzzled: "The guests upstairs gave a lot of silver and specifically instructed me to feed them this way, so I had no choice."

The townsfolk were honest and wouldn't dare take the money and then cheat the guests.

After saying this, the innkeeper couldn't help but add to Fu Fan: "Where would I get so much brown sugar? I had to run all over the street borrowing from other families! Goodness, thirteen horses, all so skinny, yet they eat a whole bucket of brown sugar in one meal! Who could afford to raise them?"

A Niu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up with a startling statement: "These aren't ordinary horses. These are warhorses."

"Warhorses? Impossible! They're so skinny, they look like old horses on their last legs! How could they be warhorses?" Fu Fan didn't believe it.

A Niu stroked one of the horses, which was munching on an apple. Its coat was a fiery red, without a single stray hair.

A Niu's eyes were filled with seriousness, and his face showed a rare youthful vigor: "They're a crossbreed of Hequ horses and Baise horses. Not only are they incredibly fast, but they also have excellent endurance. They may look skinny, but that's just their breed—they can't be fattened. It's precisely because they're so lean that they can run so fast. They're the only horse breed in Great Qian that can travel a hundred miles in a day! General Li Zhao's left-wing light cavalry from the previous dynasty was able to defeat the Xiongnu because they had these horses, which broke the Xiongnu's centuries-long dominance in speed and strength with their blood-sweating horses!"

The innkeeper, who had always known A Niu as a simple, hardworking man who only knew about chopping wood and hunting, was stunned to hear such a grand and heroic speech. He even forgot to feed the horses, his mouth hanging open in shock.

His hesitation made the horses impatient, and they started sticking their heads into the buckets, munching away, occasionally letting out low growls, as if they knew how valuable they were.

Seeing this, Fu Fan quickly said to the innkeeper: "Don't mind him! He's always like this, always talking nonsense!"

As she spoke, she pulled A Niu towards their home.

"Let's go! I'll cook something delicious for you when we get back. You've never had pig offal, right? You said it smelled bad last time, but if it's prepared well, it's guaranteed to be fragrant. You'll definitely eat three bowls of rice!"

They had just moved into a new home, having saved up enough money over the year to buy a new house near the town.

Compared to their previous life in the wilderness, their new location was much better. They had a mule cart for long trips, it was convenient to buy groceries, and the house had three rooms.

Fu Fan was immersed in the hope that their life was getting better and better, but A Niu, carrying the firewood, kept looking back at the horses.

This made Fu Fan angry, and she stomped her foot, urging him: "You, A Niu! Every time you see horses, your heart just runs wild, doesn't it? Are you saying that driving our mule at home is beneath you?"

Fu Fan had a naturally loud voice, and she didn’t mince her words.

As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed several men in wide-brimmed hats on the inn’s second floor, sipping tea and staring straight at her.

It was as if she’d said something shocking!

Fu Fan’s lashes fluttered slightly as she noticed one of the men. He wore a black veil hat, distinct from the others, embellished with jade beads.

The brim of his hat was long, nearly obscuring half his face.

Only a sharp jawline peeked through.

His jawline was sharp, his chin slender, and his lips thin. It seemed as if a thin layer of skin clung to his sharp features.

In the dim, shifting light, the man’s lips curled into a faint, casual smile.

Liang Yun’s gaze shifted past Fu Fan to A Niu, who was hauling a bundle of firewood behind her.

The boy, once lanky and youthful, had grown into a sturdy, robust man.

His skin no longer bore the softness of a pampered child.

It was dark as charcoal, but it radiated health. He seemed far more composed than before, exuding responsibility.

Liang Yun watched A Niu’s retreating figure, his face blank, betraying no emotion.

Even as A Niu disappeared into the distance, Liang Yun made no move to approach or acknowledge his brother.

In the days that followed, at the same time and place, he continued to watch in silence.

He watched the woman who often stayed by his brother’s side, bringing him meals, pouring him tea, and wiping his sweat.

They looked like the most ordinary farming couple, seemingly deeply in love.

In love? Really?

Liang Yun couldn’t help but smirk mockingly.

He wondered, could someone truly lose their memory so completely, forgetting the girl they once loved so deeply?

Seeing this, Liang Yun realized he felt none of the relief he’d expected upon hearing of his brother’s amnesia and marriage.

He felt a bitter irony and an unnameable resentment.

Liang Yun had seen it all, witnessing Liang Ji’s confusion.

Confusion, indeed…

Confusion… well…

"Ever since Third Master was pulled from the water, he’s lost all memory. Not long after, he married the woman surnamed Fu. Shortly after the marriage, they moved from Hengzhou to Yan County, and only recently did they settle in this town…"

Liang Yun listened quietly to his subordinate’s report, hearing the same story from various investigations, all consistent with the doctor’s account.

At this point, it was simply fate’s cruel twist.

No one could be blamed.

Everyone is innocent.

But the most innocent are not those people...

Some of the guards who came with Liang Yun couldn't help but voice their indignation, "Sir, should we invite Third Master over for a talk? Third Master is living a hard life... wearing patched clothes and chopping wood in the mountains every day! The money he earns is tightly controlled by that woman, who won’t even buy him a decent piece of meat!"

Third Master used to be such a noble gentleman, and now look how pitiful he’s become.

Memory loss isn’t permanent; seeing familiar faces and hearing old stories might help him remember. Bringing Third Master back to the manor for proper care might help him remember...

Liang Yun’s slender fingers traced the cold teacup, the icy surface calming his troubled heart.

The room fell into a long silence.

Everyone felt the tension, bowing their heads under the heavy atmosphere.

"Let’s wait one more day," Liang Yun said after a long pause.

No one dared question the Duke’s meaning; they were Liang Yun’s loyalists, and his word was law.

So the group stayed nearby for another day, keeping watch.

For four days straight, they sent people to test Liang Ji, confirming he remembered nothing.

Nothing at all, not a single memory.

The once dashing young man now seemed used to these simple days, with no complaints or bitterness.

...

The wind rustled outside the window.

Liang Yun stood by the window, silently gazing at the peaceful town.

Beautiful scenery, far from the capital.

The court was in disarray, chaos rampant.

Shun Gong was too impulsive for the court. Staying here, away from the chaos, might be a blessing for him.

After a long while, Liang Yun seemed to make a decision, slowly closing his eyes.