ITOTIABSAM | Young General | 105
Of course, eloping was impossible. Xie Ye withdrew his hand and gently pushed Gu Cong back.
After a day of martial arts competition followed by traveling through the night, even a robust body couldn't withstand such exhaustion.
As expected, General Gu, who could easily lift him horizontally on other occasions, this time, with just a gentle pressure, lay back down. He stretched out his arms and hugged Xie Ye around the waist, exuding a strong sense of possessiveness.
In the July night, with the bonfire burning again, many people had drunk and danced until they were tired, collapsing directly onto the soft grass, using the sky as their blanket and the earth as their bed.
While Gu Cong's appearance wasn't surprising, it did deter the men and women who wanted to strike up a conversation later. It wasn't until the next day when Anari came to bid farewell with gifts that they discovered Gu Cong's tent had already been neatly packed up and he had left.
The maid couldn't help but ask, "Princess?"
"Discovered," Anari replied indifferently. Gender aside, she simply favored beautiful faces. Glancing at the two pillows deliberately placed close together in the tent, she raised an eyebrow. "He's such a stingy man."
Unfortunately, the riding outfit she had given wasn't used by Xie Ye. Otherwise, if he had worn red, he would have been more dazzling than the Dari Lake—the most precious pearl of the grasslands.
If Gu Cong could hear her words, he would surely be even more pleased, because he had already seen Xie Ye wearing red at their wedding, on the day they first met.
As for the prize from the Nadam Festival this time, it was no longer a living thing but three types of "weapons" corresponding to the competitions: a whip, a bow and arrow, and a dagger.
All of them were exquisitely crafted, far from ordinary.
Ta Xue and Wuyun were extremely agile. The whip could only serve as a memento of Xie Ye's victory in the horse race. Gu Cong also couldn't get used to the dagger, which was as hard as iron but embedded with various gemstones. So, he simply gave it to Xie Ye for self-defense as a gesture of appreciation.
Xie Ye: "Very nice. But it's too flashy. I feel like I'll be robbed more easily with it."
Surprisingly, its host didn't object.
It wasn't until they returned to Sanggan City that Xie Ye realized, apart from "not flaunting one's wealth," there was also a concept called "returning home in glory." The dagger, with its distinct style, hanging conspicuously from Xie Ye's waist, was another proof of the Yan Dynasty's superiority over the grasslands.
Especially after hearing that Xie Ye had entered the horse race and won just like Gu Cong had two years ago, the enthusiasm of the people of Sanggan City for the "General's wife," which had never been low, reached a new peak:
He was beautiful and capable of fighting. Who wouldn't like such a good person?
The extra handful of green onions from buying groceries, the firewood delivered just as it was needed, the few extra dumplings compared to ordinary customers... They weren't valuable items, but they were precious gestures of goodwill that Xie Ye, as a villain, rarely experienced.
Thud.
Thud thud.
As summer turned to autumn, the previously sparsely furnished courtyard, which only contained necessities, unexpectedly gained an unnamed flower rack. Gu Cong sat underneath it, with an inverted grass basket beside him, inside of which a rabbit was hopping around.
"Be still, I'm just plucking a few hairs from you. I'm not planning to eat you." Lu Jin, who had found himself a small stool to sit on, carefully controlled the airflow as he spoke, using his free hand to block the flow, yawning cautiously, afraid of blowing away the two tufts of "fluff" he had carefully picked out.
Or rather, call it purple hair.
A few months ago, the owner of the paper and pen shop in Yanjing City had told some nonsense. Surprisingly, his general hadn't forgotten. He personally went to the nearby mountain to catch many rabbits, selecting them carefully until only this one was left. It had the strongest physique and the longest fur, especially near its spine. Upon closer inspection, you could indeed see a faint purple color.
It was said that only such hair, when bundled into a brush, would make the pen strokes clear and transparent.
Lu Jin was a rough man and didn't quite understand the intricacies behind it all. But since it was done by the general, regardless of the final result, Young Master Xie would definitely like it.
"What's so fun about catching rabbits?" Carefully handing over the selected purple hair to the general, Lu Jin finally relaxed his tense back. He even had the leisure to play with the little things in the grass basket. "I heard there's also wolf hair. Why don't we call the other brothers one day and hunt a few for Master... for the lady?"
Gu Cong looked up. "It's not a wolf, it's a weasel." It wasn't the ferocious beast Lu Jin had in mind.
"Close enough, close enough. With a whole body of fur, we can always find a few usable strands," Lu Jin couldn't help but admire the delicate finesse of his general, which he had never seen before. "Ah, it's different when you're married."
"What about Young Master Xie? Did he go to the clinic again?"
Gu Cong: "Hmm."
After the journey on the grasslands, his feelings couldn't be contained, and it was no surprise that Qin Lao noticed. He received a private reprimand, but fortunately, after several months of recuperation, Xie Ye's body had greatly improved. He had almost stopped taking medicine and relied solely on normal diet to nourish his body and build his foundation.
Having been sick for a long time, Xie Ye had become somewhat knowledgeable in medicine. Combined with his natural intelligence, on days when the weather was favorable, the young man would go out, occasionally assisting Qian Lao, or simply collecting and organizing herbs.
Gu Cong was actually pleased to see this development. On days when he wasn't on duty, he would often spend time in the military camp. Having someone to accompany Xie Ye during the day, engaging in conversation to alleviate his boredom, naturally made him happy.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to call Lu Jin over to help prepare surprises at home.
However, life is unpredictable, and things don't always go as planned. Today, Xie Ye unexpectedly returned home early. Although he hadn't practiced martial arts, his footsteps, though light, were unmistakably familiar to Gu Cong—so familiar that it was obvious.
Whoosh.
Receiving the silent command from his general, Lu Jin's honed instinct from the battlefield kicked in. He immediately dashed and scaled the wall in perfect synchronization.
But unexpectedly, although Lu Jin, as a subordinate, didn't miss a beat, Gu Cong's reaction was a bit slower.
He was busy tidying up the purple hair mixed with short sheep's wool and was caught off guard by the rabbit, which seized the opportunity to take advantage. With a kick of its short legs, it somehow found the strength to overturn the grass basket that was pinned down by stones and darted out with a sudden leap...
Then, Xie Ye, who happened to walk in at that moment, seized the rabbit by the scruff of its neck, as if fate had conspired for this precise moment.
The rabbit stood out among its peers and was chosen by General Gu Cong, indicating its exceptional appearance. Its eyes were pure black, resembling two shiny grapes, with sleek and smooth fur. Its flat three-petal mouth and alert ears stood upright.
Unfortunately, it had a large bald spot on its back, which was both amusing and pitiful.
Raising an eyebrow, Xie Ye looked at the man in the courtyard who was desperately trying to hide something behind his back. "Extra meal tonight?"
As if understanding the young man's words, the rabbit, which had been kicking its legs frantically, suddenly stopped, its ears drooping, and it became quiet for a moment.
Though the gap between words was still apparent, his voice was no longer hoarse. Despite wanting to resist again, all the raw materials were in someone else's hands, so Gu Cong had to sit back down in his chair. "Coincidentally, I caught a rabbit today. Its fur is decent, and since it's our rest day, I thought of making a pen for you."
—Mutual understanding is mutual understanding, but he didn't like to flaunt his kindness to the young man.
Unexpectedly, there was a voice in Xie Ye's mind, interrupting the moment. "Coincidence?"
【He's almost wiped out all the rabbits in the vicinity.】
No one was hurt, and he hadn't exterminated them all, but each one was still quite frightened.
After all, no matter who lay comfortably in their own nest, suddenly being picked up by a large hand and scrutinized for fur color wouldn't leave anyone feeling particularly pleasant, even if they managed to save their own life.
Xie Ye curled his lips slightly.
Tools for making brushes weren't something you could easily find in any household. Without needing a reminder from the system, he could guess that this wasn't Gu Cong's spontaneous idea.
His gaze fell on the small stool placed diagonally across from him, a stool that wasn't there before, and Xie Ye understood immediately. "Lu Jin?"
...
"Haha."
An awkward chuckle echoed as a head slowly emerged from over the wall, topped with an overly youthful face. "Master Xie."
"I suddenly remembered I had something to do. You two talk, you two talk." Never did he expect to be caught red-handed like this. Acting decisively, he let go and disappeared behind the wall, throwing in a parting shot about their rabbit situation: "There are still plenty of rabbits."
"If Master Xie likes, you can go to the camp to pick one."
Gu Cong: Very well.
It seemed he needed to seriously consider how to deduct the next month's allowance for his trusted aide.
Fortunately, the young man who usually loved to tease and joke with him didn't press further this time. Instead, he approached with interest, holding the feigned-dead rabbit, and sat down to inspect the half-finished brush.
"This is my first attempt, so it might look a bit rough," Gu Cong explained, leaning in habitually to kiss the young man's lips.
Despite the limited resources in Sangang City, he wanted to give Xie Ye the best of everything within his means. While he didn't know if what the shopkeeper in Yanjing said was true or false, he wanted to give it a try since he had the opportunity.
Growing up in places like Mingyu Tower, he had actually seen many treasures worth a fortune, not to mention Xie Ye.
But all of those combined couldn't compare to the bamboo tube lying in Gu Cong's palm at this moment, along with the two handfuls of rabbit fur just groomed by a horn comb.
"It's very beautiful, I like it," Xie Ye's tone unconsciously softened, rewarding the man with a kiss on the cheek. He then put the rabbit back into the overturned grass basket and said seriously, "And we can clean it up, keep it, and try a few more times."
Gu Cong couldn't help but laugh. "Then we'll have to make sure it stays warm."
With Xie Ye, who was meticulous and skilled, joining the effort in the small courtyard, progress was suddenly much faster. The faint scent of wildflowers crept up along the vines, blooming one by one, creating a comfortable shade. After they finished their work and tidied up, Xie Ye suddenly said, "When I was a child, I used tree branches the most."
This, of course, was not the memories of his alter self, but of his original self.
In the scripts and dialogues of theatrical plays, the antagonist always needed a sufficiently tragic background setting. In many worlds, let alone practicing calligraphy, the young Xie Ye struggled even to fill his stomach.
"So, I really, truly like it." He liked being seen by Gu Cong, cherished by him, as if he wasn't some villain mired in mud, but rather deserving of all the beauty and goodness in the world.
A dense and sour swell surged suddenly in his chest, radiating outward from the birthmark at its center. Gu Cong couldn't help himself. He leaned in and lightly brushed his lips against the young man's eyes, as dark as an abyss:
"It's good that you like it."
"There will be many more things in the future that will make you happy and bring you joy."
He promised.
With his whole heart.
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