bayedsolid Chapter 479 [Follow-10] Family Relocation, Guarding the Border
Chapter 479 [Follow-10] Family Relocation, Guarding the Border
"You, me, Shang Jiu, and Gong Yu." Yuan Wen paused and added, "And this."
She suddenly pulled Su Rou's hand and pressed it on her lower abdomen.
The robe was so wide that no one had noticed it before - now, under the palm of the hand, the round curve was like a full moon that had grown secretly, carrying body temperature, heartbeat, and the unmistakable arrogance of life.
Su Rou's breathing paused for a moment. The wind blew in from the end of the corridor, making her eyes sore, but it couldn't blow away the burning sensation on her fingertips.
She heard her voice dry: "How long?"
"Six and a half months." Yuan Wen answered lightly, as if he was talking about something insignificant. "It was found in the desert. Shang Jiu said it was that night."
She raised her eyes and looked at Shangjiu. Shangjiu stood in the shadow of the lamp, and the firelight gave his outline a rough edge, like an old painting blurred by water.
He didn't hear, or pretended not to hear, and just lowered his head to fiddle with the jade pendant on his waist - Su Rou recognized it, it belonged to Gong Yu. Three years ago, Gong Yu personally hung it around Yuan Wen's neck and said, "Guard her for me."
Now the jade pendant has changed its position and is hanging on Shang Jiu's waist. The knot is new, but the color is old, as if it has been repeatedly caressed by someone.
Gong Yu suddenly spoke, his voice low and steady: "Come in first."
There was no light in the room, only a line of moonlight leaked in through the window frame, as if someone had sewn a hole in the night with silver thread.
Yuan Wen let go of Su Rou and went to the table to touch the flint. The moment the flints collided, Su Rou saw her profile - pale, but with a strange, almost transparent red, like the glow seeping through the snow.
The flames licked the candle wick, lighting up the room. Two Ru kiln tea cups were placed on the table. At the bottom of the cups were unmelted amber-colored sugar cubes, which slowly spun in the hot water, like some kind of secret poison.
Shang Jiu closed the door and stayed outside.
Gong Yu didn't go in either. He leaned against the pillar, folded his arms and looked at the sky, as if there was some star map worth studying there.
There were only two girls left in the room, sitting cross-legged facing each other across a low table.
Yuan Wen pushed the candy cup over and said, "Try it. Shang Jiu made it with mint and rose syrup. It's stronger than the ones you hid before."
Su Rou didn't move.
She stared at Yuan Wen's belly, the curve of which swayed slightly in the candlelight, like the moon floating in the water.
After a long while, she asked, "Does Gong Yu know?"
"I know." Yuan Wen smiled, dipping her fingertips into the tea and drawing a curved line on the table. "He was the first to know, even before Shang Jiu." She paused, her voice lowered. "He said, 'That's great. When the baby is born, I'll teach him how to ride.'"
Su Rou suddenly reached out and grabbed Yuan Wen's wrist: "Yuan Wen, are you afraid?"
Yuan Wen raised her eyes, the candlelight dancing in her pupils like two imprisoned stars.
She didn't answer, but pulled something from her sleeve—a palm-sized object wrapped in oil-paper, the corners folded neatly into a square, like a small brick. She unwrapped it, revealing a row of seven candies, each in a different color, gleaming moistly in the candlelight.
She picked the reddest one and put it into Su Rou's mouth. Her fingertips touched Su Rou's lips, which were as cold as snow.
The sugar melts on the tip of your tongue, first sweet, then spicy, and finally bitter, as if the sand of an entire desert has been crushed and poured into your mouth.
Su Rou coughed and tears welled up in her eyes, but she heard Yuan Wen whisper, "Scared? Of course I'm afraid. What's the point of being afraid? Su Rou, I only now understand that the word 'fear' also has its time. There are some things you have to do even if you're afraid; there are some people you have to marry even if you're afraid."
She suddenly leaned forward, resting her forehead against Su Rou's, and whispered in a voice so low it was almost a whisper: "I dreamed of him."
"Who?"
"Child." Yuan Wen's breath brushed Su Rou's face, carrying the bittersweet taste of sugar. "I dreamed of him riding a pony, holding a wooden sword with a lantern on the tip. The lantern was painted with twin lotus flowers... Exactly the same lantern you took away that year."
Outside the house, the wind suddenly grew stronger, and the window frames were slapping loudly, as if someone was knocking on the door anxiously.
Su Rou's sweetness hadn't completely melted yet, and the tip of her tongue was numb, but she heard Shang Jiu's voice coming from the corridor, in a very low voice: "Gong Yu, there's someone."
Gong Yu's voice was even softer, as cold as a sword before it was unsheathed: "How many?"
"Three, southeast corner, good at Qinggong."
In the room, Yuan Wen's hand suddenly tightened, and his nails dug into Su Rou's palm.
Su Rou held her backhand and mouthed, "Don't be afraid."
She stood up, moving as lightly as a cat, and stepped to the window, using her fingertips to pry open a crack.
The moonlight leaked in and shone on the ground, like a layer of broken silver.
Outside the courtyard wall, the branches of the old plum tree suddenly moved without wind, and snow fell down - it was not snow, but hidden weapons, as thin as cow hair, flashing with faint blue phosphorescence in the moonlight.
Su Rou's pupils shrank into needle points.
She recognized that light - the "Bone Erosion" light bought at the Ghost Market in the Western Regions. If it touched the skin, it would rot and there was no cure.
She turned around and saw that Yuan Wen had stood up, protecting his abdomen with one hand and taking out a short sword from under the table with the other hand - the sword was no more than a foot long, but the blade was wide, like a flattened moon.
The candlelight danced on her face, illuminating a cold, almost sharp calmness in her eyes.
"Go through the secret passage." Su Rou whispered, pressing her finger somewhere on the wall. The antique display cabinet slid open silently, revealing a dark opening. "Shang Jiu knows the way. Go east after you get out. There's a boat at the ferry."
Yuan Wen didn't move. She looked at Su Rou and suddenly smiled: "What about you?"
"I'll cover your retreat." Su Rou answered straightforwardly, as if she was discussing what to eat tonight.
She reached out and tucked the strand of hair behind Yuan Wen's ear. Her fingertips touched her earlobe, which was as cool as jade. "Don't worry, I promised Shangjiu that I would return you to him intact."
Yuan Wen's throat moved, as if he had swallowed a piece of hot charcoal.
She suddenly reached out and hugged Su Rou - not a handshake, but a hug. Her arms were around Su Rou's shoulders, and her belly was pressed against Su Rou's abdomen. The round curve was like a full moon, filling all the gaps between them.
Su Rou smelled the faint sandalwood scent in her hair, mixed with the bitter sweetness of sugar, like some kind of farewell fragrance.
After a long time, Yuan Wen let go of her, took a step back, held the dagger across his chest with the tip pointing to the ground, as if performing a strange salute.
"Su Rou," she whispered, "If I don't survive tonight, remember to tell the child that his father is not a coward."
Su Rou's breathing stagnated.
She wanted to say "bullshit", but she heard a slight sound of tiles on the roof, as if someone had stepped on a thin piece of ice.
The next moment, Gong Yu's voice broke through the window, carrying the smell of rust: "Su Rou, take the knife!"
A ray of silver light split the night sky. Su Rou reached out and clasped the hilt of the knife with her five fingers - it was her knife. It had not seen blood for three years, but the blade was as bright as if it had just been sharpened.
She turned around and saw that Gong Yu had already climbed into the house, followed closely by Shang Jiu. The two of them stood back to back, like two unsheathed swords, blocking the door tightly.
Gong Yu didn't look at her, just staring out the window, his voice low and steady: "Three becomes five, there are two more in the southeast corner, use crossbows."
Shang Jiu interjected: "The crossbows were coated with kerosene. They wanted to burn the house."
Yuan Wen suddenly laughed out loud, his voice clear and crisp, like broken jade: "Then let them burn it."
She turned around, twirled the dagger in her palm, lifted the candlestick with the tip of the sword, and the flames licked the curtains, and instantly jumped up to half a person's height.
Su Rou's pupils suddenly contracted: "Are you crazy?"
"The exit of the secret passage is at the bottom of the well. It can only be opened when a fire breaks out."
Yuan Wen answered quickly, and while speaking, she stuffed the bag of candy on the table into Su Rou's arms, "Take it with you, it will sweeten your mouth and your knife." She suddenly reached out and pushed Su Rou with amazing force, "Let's go!"
Su Rou was pushed and staggered a step. Looking back, she saw that the flames had climbed up the corners of Yuan Wen's robe, and the plain white fabric was reflected in red, like a wedding dress.
Shang Jiu suddenly reached out, picked up Yuan Wen horizontally, like holding a feather, turned around and rushed into the secret passage.
Gong Yu was the last one standing, his sword flashed like snow, splitting the incoming crossbow arrow into two pieces.
He turned around and gave Su Rou one last look. That look was so brief, yet it seemed to bring in all the wind and sand of the desert. "I'll be waiting for you at the Governor's Mansion tomorrow at dawn."
Su Rou's sugar melted on the tip of her tongue, leaving it bitter and astringent.
She nodded, turned, and flashed out of the window like a flash of black lightning.
Behind him, tongues of fire exploded, swallowing the entire house like a beast awakening.
The governor's mansion is in the east of the city, and it takes one stick of incense to ride a horse.
When Su Rou arrived, the sky had already turned crab-shell blue, and the stone lions at the gate of the mansion were wet with morning mist, like two beasts that had just taken a bath.
She dismounted, casually tossed the reins to the doorman, and slowed down her pace—the mansion was so quiet, abnormally so, that even the usually noisy parrot didn't call.
She reached out and touched the hilt of the knife at her waist, and her fingertips trembled with the coldness.
Passing through the second gate and around the screen wall, she saw her father Su Wan standing in front of the hall. He was wearing a casual indigo robe, without a crown, and with his hair loose, as if he had not slept all night.
A-niang Ji sat beside him, clutching a string of Buddhist beads, her knuckles white. Third Madam Ji stood behind them, clutching a handkerchief, the corners of which were soaked, as if freshly pulled from the water.
Su Rou's footsteps startled them.
Su Wan raised his head and his eyes fell on her face, like two lights flickering in the wind.
He spoke in a hoarse voice: "Arou, you're back.
Su Rou didn't respond.
She walked over and knelt in front of her father, resting her forehead on his knees, as if she had made a mistake as a child.
Su Wan's hand fell on the top of her head, rough, warm, and with a faint scent of ink - that was left by his years of reviewing official documents, like some kind of brand.
After a long while, he whispered, "Yuan Wen, that kid..."
"Alive." Su Rou answered straightforwardly, but her voice was hoarse and didn't sound like her own. "Shang Jiu took her away, through a secret passage." She raised her head and looked at her mother. "Mother, I want to go back to the border."
Ji's Buddhist beads broke, and the sandalwood beads rolled all over the floor, like someone shedding a handful of black tears.
She didn't pick it up, but reached out and held Su Rou's face, her fingertips trembling: "Life at the border is hard, A'rou, your father's legs were frozen there..."
"But we are together as a family." Su Rou held A Niang's hand. Her palm was covered with calluses, wrinkles, and the marks of time. "That's more important than anything else."
The Third Madam, Madam Ji, suddenly spoke in a sharp, thin voice, "What about Su Chi? He's now a General of the Cavalry. Would the Emperor agree to let you take him away?"
Su Rou turned to look at her, her eyes as calm as an ancient well: "Su Chi will agree."
She paused and added, "The Emperor will too."
She reached out, took out the bag of candy from her bosom, opened it, picked the reddest one, and stuffed it into the Third Madam's hand, "Try it, it's made by Yuan Wen, it's sweet."
The sugar melted in the Third Lady's palm like a drop of blood.
She suddenly burst into tears, and her tears fell on the candy wrapper, making a slight "tapping" sound.
Su Wan leaned over, picked up a Buddhist bead, and held it in his palm, as if holding some kind of decision.
He looked at Su Rou, his gaze passed through her and looked at the sky that was still not bright in the distance: "Let's go. Tomorrow at 11:00 AM, at the city gate."
Su Rou kowtowed, resting her forehead on the ground, as if performing an ancient ritual.
When she stood up, she heard her mother ask softly, "Gong Yu, that child..."
"He promised to teach my nephew how to ride a horse." Su Rou answered quickly, with a smile in her voice, but no one laughed.
The morning mist was thicker, as if someone had covered the house with a whole piece of white silk, wrapping everyone in it, forming a huge cocoon that had not yet broken out.
Su Rou turned around and walked out of the mansion. The black horse was waiting for her at the bottom of the steps, with her knife hanging on the side of the saddle.
She climbed onto her horse, turned back, and took one last look at the gate—the lacquer peeling, the copper ring rusting, like an aging face. Suddenly, she reached out, took out the candy in her arms, the reddest one, and put it in her mouth.
The sugar had long since melted, leaving only a thin layer of skin, which was bitter and astringent, but strangely reminded her of Yuan Wen's hands, Gong Yu's eyes, and the moon in the desert that would never melt under the sun.
She turned her horse and headed towards the city gate.
The fog shattered under her horse's hooves, like someone had scattered a handful of silver.
In the distance, the sky was a crab-shell blue, like a blunt knife, slowly cutting through the night. She suddenly remembered Yuan Wen's words -
"I'm afraid, of course I'm not. What's the point of being afraid?"
She smiled, and the tip of her tongue tasted the fishy smell of rust, yet it was strangely sweet.
The black horse spread out its hooves, carrying her towards the sky that had not yet brightened, as if rushing towards an ending that had already been written but not yet revealed.
At this moment, at the end of the secret passage, Shang Jiu emerged from the water holding Yuan Wen.
The sky above the wellhead was tiny, like a copper coin worn thin by time, yet strangely bright. Yuan Wen stirred in his arms, the dagger still in his hand, the tip of the sword dripping with water like an unshed tear.
Shang Jiu lowered his head and saw a tiny, unmelted piece of sugar on her eyelashes, sparkling with colorful light in the morning light, as if someone had hidden all the stars in the desert into her eyes.
He suddenly leaned over and kissed the candy, his kiss was very light, like kissing a dream that had not yet woken up.
Yuan Wen didn't open his eyes, but stretched out his hands, put his arms around his neck, and whispered in a voice so low that it was almost a whisper: "Shangjiu, let's go home."
Shang Jiu said "hmm" and hugged her tightly, as if he was hugging the entire kingdom.
The light from the wellhead grew brighter, shining on them as if they had been coated with a layer of gold.
In the distance, the outline of Jingzhou City gradually became clear in the morning mist, like a beast that had just woken up, with its mouth open, waiting to devour and also waiting to be devoured.
But at this moment, they are not afraid.
The sugar melts on the tip of your tongue, the bitterness disappears and the sweetness returns.