Zhou Yuan rode with him to the escort agency. After exchanging greetings with the agency’s deputy, Zhou Yuan learned that a team was set to depart for the capital today. Zhou Yuan and Cheng Qing could travel with them.
After all, given what had happened before the New Year, they trusted Zhou Yuan very much. Zhou Yuan consulted with Chen Qing and decided to travel with them through the most dangerous mountain area. Then, they would race to Xiaxi.
This was Chen Qing’s first time working with a guard team. He was a bit overwhelmed and simply followed Zhou Yuan.
When it was time to set off, Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan boarded the escort carriage. He sat next to Zhou Yuan and stared at the tower that slowly shrank. He felt uneasy, and they set off again.
Zhou Yuan held his hand and placed it on his chest. “Don’t be afraid. I’m with you.”
They passed the place where they had last encountered the bandits. Chen Qing could clearly feel that everyone in the escort team was nervous, Zhou Yuan included. He was still wary of his last injury, not to mention that Chen Qing was still by his side.
Fortunately, the journey was peaceful. After passing through the mountains, Zhou Yuan said goodbye to the escort team. They had wasted time and needed to hurry to catch up.
“Do you want to go to the capital?” They didn’t take the official road, but rather the mountain path. After all, the mountain path was much closer.
At night, the two found a cave and made a fire outside it. Zhou Yuan roasted a pheasant over the fire while Chen Qing leaned on his shoulder.
The pheasant didn’t taste good after roasting, but they had brought universal seasoning. Chen Qing looked at it with hope.
Hearing this, Chen Qing turned to look at Zhou Yuan. “Why do you want to go to the capital?”
“I want to take you to see it.” Zhou Yuan had always wanted to take Chen Qing to try Tianji. Since he had to pass through the capital anyway, he might as well go sightseeing. However, the timing wasn’t right. He should be in a good mood when he returns, so he can go then.
“Then, shall we go?” Chen Qing said. “I’ll follow you.”
Before leaving, Chen Qing roasted dry biscuits, as he had before, but they were eaten while they were following the escort team. Now, they had to rely on the weather for food on the road.
If they found a small town, they would buy long-lasting food there, but they couldn’t store it for long. If they didn’t find a town for several days, they could only hunt in the mountains or pick wild fruit.
Fortunately, it was warm now, and many small animals were still appearing, so they wouldn’t go hungry. As for the horses, there was plenty of moss in the mountains for them to eat.
Zhou Yuan tore the chicken leg for Chen Qing and ate the chicken neck himself.
As night fell, they hid in a cave. Zhou Yuan hugged Chen Qing and leaned against a rock with his eyes closed.
Chen Qing reached out and touched Zhou Yuan’s back. “Aren’t you uncomfortable?”
Zhou Yuan shook his head. “No.
“Will it be cold?” Chen Qing asked again.
“No.”
Chen Qing couldn’t sleep at all. The atmosphere around him was too quiet. There wasn’t even the sound of insects or birds.
Zhou Yuan adjusted his embrace of Chen Qing, allowing him to kiss Zhou Yuan. They embraced face to face.
“I brought you out here to sleep in a cave at night.” Zhou Yuan kissed Chen Qing’s cheek.
Chen Qing lay on his shoulder. “This is already very good. When we were on the road before, we didn’t even look for a cave. We just sat on the ground. If it rained, we would find two leaves to cover our heads.”
Chen Qing seemed calm as he talked about it.
As Chen Qing spoke, he sensed that something was amiss below him. His breath caught in his throat, and he shifted slightly. Zhou Yuan held his waist.
“Zhou Yuan…”
Zhou Yuan lifted his head and kissed him. The meaning was clear.
Chen Qing immediately shook his head. “No, no.”
He was easily embarrassed and conservative. In his view, things like that could only happen in a room at night. He was embarrassed last time in broad daylight. Now, it was even more impossible in the wilderness.
Zhou Yuan knew he was embarrassed, so he gently pulled his hair and kissed him. Chen Qing was so confused by the kiss that he was a little dazed. By the time he realized it, Zhou Yuan had already started touching him.
Chen Qing bit his lip. The atmosphere was so quiet that he couldn’t hear any insects.
At that moment, their panting, breathing, and the slight sound of water were amplified in the darkness. He wanted to stop, but Zhou Yuan held his waist tightly.
“Woo woo.” Chen Qing cried out.
He buried his head in Zhou Yuan’s shoulder and bit his clothing, not wanting to make any more noise. However, Zhou Yuan was so mischievous that Chen Qing couldn’t resist.
It wasn’t actually intense, but because of the environment, Chen Qing was more exhausted than before and fell asleep on Zhou Yuan.
When the first rays of morning sunlight fell, Chen Qing heard birds that he hadn’t heard the night before. He opened his eyes and felt a slight pain in his waist.
Zhou Yuan woke up as soon as Chen Qing moved. He rubbed Chen Qing’s waist and legs and said, “No matter how late it gets, you must find an inn to stay.”
Chen Qing bit him and refused to talk to him.
Zhou Yuan kept his promise. In the following days, they no longer stayed in the wilderness. They stayed at inns or post stations instead. At night, when they went to bed, they missed that night in the cave.
As they traveled north, the mountain paths gradually disappeared. The entire way was one wide, official road. There were no mountain paths or forests, and there weren’t many green plants by the roadside. After running, the horses kicked up smoke and dust.
“It will take two more days to reach the capital and about a month to reach Xiaxi.” They stopped at a teahouse and spent money on straw to feed the horses. Zhou Yuan and Chen Qing drank tea by the roadside.
There was no food at the teahouse, only two pieces of sweet bread, which tasted better to Chen Qing, who had been eating dry food for several days.
Hearing that it was only half a month from Zhou Yuan’s hometown brought back many childhood memories for Chen Qing.
His father was the third child in the family, with two older brothers and two twin sisters. Middle children were not valued by the family, so his father had a hard life at home from a young age.
His grandfather was strict, and his grandmother was mean. After they arranged his uncle’s marriage, they ignored his father. Then, when he was 23, someone came to arrange a match for him.
However, because his grandparents didn’t want to give him a gift, no one came to arrange a match for him.
Later, my father went out to work and brought a refugee little father home. My grandparents were so happy that they gave him almost nothing.
Fortunately, his father was hardworking, and he had skills, too. Initially, they only had a broken warehouse to live in. After a few years, they used yellow mud to rebuild their house. Then, Chen Qing was born.
After Chen Qing was born, his father and little father were overjoyed. However, Chen Qing’s grandmother never came to see him and didn’t give him any gifts. It’s just that his grandparents didn’t like his father.
Although Chen Qing had a poor childhood, he was happy, except when he had to go to his grandmother’s house for dinner during holidays.
His eldest and second uncles all had sons who were pampered by their grandparents. They liked to bully Chen Qing the most.
Chen Qing resembled his father, both in appearance and personality. He was bullied by his siblings when he was young, which is why he is the way he is today.
Zhou Yuan always wanted to change his personality. Although he had achieved some results, he was still cautious because of his childhood experiences.
“Where is Father buried?” Zhou Yuan poured a cup of warm tea for Chen Qing. “Wasn’t this matter settled later?”
“The man who paid the money, that’s all.” Chen Qing sipped the tea and felt its warmth spread through his lungs.
He raised his eyes and looked at Zhou Yuan. “I think I am just like my father. I’m also very cowardly. Even with your support, I never considered asking that person to pay for my father’s life.”
Zhou Yuan held his hand. “But everything must have a solution, and he must receive the proper punishment.”
Chen Qing shook his head. “Their family is very powerful, and the government and officials know them, too.”
“Let’s take it step by step. Maybe that person is already dead.” Chen Qing said firmly. “Don’t do anything. Don’t get hurt. Do nothing.”
“All right, I promise.”
Although Zhou Yuan agreed, he was still thinking about how to avenge his father, whom he had never met. Chen Qing didn’t want Zhou Yuan to get his hands dirty, so he killed someone with a borrowed knife.
They didn’t go to the capital but ran straight to Xiaxi Prefecture near the capital.
Xiaxi Prefecture is north of Luohe Village, but it is hotter there. The blazing sun shone on the barren ground. Chen Qing felt like he couldn’t breathe well.
Even the wind from riding the horse felt hot. Initially letting his hair down, Chen Qing tied it with a headband. He looked at Zhou Yuan, who was also sweating profusely. Chen Qing took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat.
“Are we almost there?” Zhou Yuan asked. They had entered Xiaxi Prefecture.
However, Chen Qing didn’t remember the way home. He had left a long time ago. He left before he turned fourteen, wandered for three years, and ended up in Luohe Village. He stayed there for six years. This year, Chen Qing was twenty-three.
Zhou Yuan raised his hand and touched his hair. “Then, let’s rest in the prefecture today. Sleep well for two days, and then we’ll go home.”
Chen Qing nodded. The recent journey had been exhausting. He didn’t complain about fatigue easily, but now he felt like his hands and feet weren’t his own.
They arrived at the Xiaxi Prefecture, found an inn, and asked for a room on the upper floor. They also asked the servant to boil hot water. They also needed to bathe properly.
The hot water in the two tubs eased their fatigue. Zhou Yuan carefully examined Chen Qing’s body and noticed that his legs were slightly red. He told Chen Qing to go to sleep and went to a servant to ask for medicine for the wound. After applying the medicine, Zhou Yuan hugged Chen Qing and they rested.
It was only because the weather was too hot. After they both fell asleep, Chen Qing rolled out of Zhou Yuan’s embrace. This time, Zhou Yuan didn’t follow him. They both slept soundly and peacefully.
They slept until the next morning. Chen Qing woke up hungry. When he opened his eyes, he found that he was far from Zhou Yuan. He sat up, and Zhou Yuan also woke up. He was still a little confused. Seeing that his arm was empty, he hugged Chen Qing again.
Chen Qing touched his head and said, “I’m so hungry.”
Zhou Yuan shrugged and slowly got up. After they bathed, they skipped breakfast at the inn. Zhou Yuan asked Chen Qing to take him to a restaurant that served Xiaxi’s specialty food.
When he stepped outside, Zhou Yuan saw people passing by wearing hoods of all kinds and colors. He was a little curious.
This made Chen Qing feel uneasy. He had never visited the city as a child, so he didn’t know what delicious food was available there.
He remembered that, in the past, his family’s breakfast was a bowl of porridge with mixed noodles that they only drank. He had never eaten anything tasty.
The fields in Xiaxi were only suitable for planting cold- and drought-resistant wheat. In spring, the weather was nice, and the wind blew, causing the wheat to wave, which was beautiful. However, the wheat had now been harvested and new wheat had been planted. Everything was now bare, and the wind blew strongly everywhere. Yellow sand was everywhere.
Therefore, people in Xiaxi wore hoods all year round. Seeing that Zhou Yuan was still looking at others’ hoods, Chen Qing immediately stopped him. “Don’t stare at others; it’s impolite.”
Zhou Yuan then diverted his gaze. They hadn’t walked far when they saw another breakfast stall. There was a large pot on the rack. It contained noodle soup. The noodles resembled small white fish, and there were vegetables inside, though they couldn’t identify them.
Zhou Yuan asked the price: three cents per bowl, served with powder sprinkled from the pot; the smell was pungent.
Chen Qing remembered that it was called fish noodle soup: a bowl of soup with vegetables and noodles. It was delicious and not too hard to make.
Zhou Yuan drank a bowl and thought it tasted decent. Chen Qing shed tears while eating it.
He remembered that when he was young, his uncle’s youngest son said he had eaten fish noodle soup. So, Chen Qing went home and asked his father about it. His father promised to take him out to eat in the future.
This wait lasted for years.
