The chickens in the mountains are really something else, juicy and oily, with a leg almost as big as Yu Huishui’s face. But this was too… wild. Tearing apart a chicken with bare hands to eat, he had never done such a thing before.
Yu Huishui pulled out a piece of oil paper from the pastry plate, wrapped the chicken leg, and took it. He glanced at Zang Liujiang, who was smiling so honestly, that Yu Huishui couldn’t help but look up at him.
“Eat more, you must have been exhausted yesterday.” Zang Liujiang saw him take the chicken leg and casually grabbed a tablecloth to wipe the oil off his hands, looking so rough that Yu Huishui’s eyebrows twitched.
Forget it, it’s not like they’re really going to live together, why bother with such things.
Yu Huishui shook his head, took a bite of the meat, and chewed it, savoring the taste. His eyes lit up immediately. Unlike the chickens and ducks he had eaten at the Fu family, this chicken was not only plump but also exceptionally tender and delicious. Even someone like him, who was picky and didn’t like meat, couldn’t help but take a few more bites.
“This is a wild chicken from the mountains. If you like it, I’ll go hunt more for you.”
Zang Liujiang noticed he liked it, his eyes softened, coaxing him to eat more.
Yu Huishui, having found something he liked, visibly looked much better, like a rabbit with its fur smoothed out, obedient and well-behaved.
Zang Liujiang really liked it, wanting to sneakily nudge his knee closer for some intimacy. But as soon as their knees touched, Yu Huishui, under the table, gave Zang Liujiang a rabbit kick.
“Ouch.” Zang Liujiang, unprepared, jumped on the stool, the wooden chair creaking loudly, almost falling apart.
Yu Huishui looked frail, but he had quite some strength.
“If you kick any harder, the chair will break. Your footwork is impressive, wife.” Zang Liujiang said, tearing off a chicken claw and stuffing it into his mouth, not daring to disturb Yu Huishui’s meal anymore, sheepishly saying, “I need to eat well.”
Zang Liujiang was good at pretending to be obedient, and Yu Huishui couldn’t help but smile secretly. The atmosphere was just right, and it was time to talk about this misunderstanding.
“This is my fault.” Zang Liujiang admitted, patting his chest with regret, “I should have known, why would a girl change clothes in the deep mountains and forests.”
Indeed. Yu Huishui agreed.
“I thought we hit it off at first sight, willing to return to the stronghold with me and grow old together. Who would have thought it would turn out like this.”
There was a reason for it. Yu Huishui crossed his arms, nodding lightly.
“Since we’ve already had the ceremony, and the villagers and brothers have witnessed it, why not go along with it? I’m one of the best men around here, you won’t suffer any loss with me, right?”
There is some truth… Yu Huishui paused, looked up, and gave Zang Liujiang a cool glance.
Zang Liujiang, seeing that his persuasion didn’t work, spread his hands, looking innocent as if he hadn’t just said those words.
What nonsense, almost got caught up by this rascal.
“…I also have a request for you, how about this.” Thinking of his books, Yu Huishui lowered his eyelashes, pondering for a moment.
“Next spring, I need to go to the capital for the imperial examination. Since you don’t want to lose face, I’ll stay in your stronghold for these few months.”
“When the novelty wears off for the villagers and neighbors next year, you can say you divorced me and marry someone else.”
This was indeed the best way to resolve the misunderstanding.
Zang Liujiang stroked his chin, sizing up Yu Huishui across the table.
Zang Liujiang was initially attracted by Yu Huishui’s appearance and later grew fond of his personality, but Yu Huishui only saw him as a bandit who robs and plunders.
Now, he was the only one feeling the heat, so it was better to agree and keep him around. If feelings developed over time, that would be great. If not, when the time came, they could part ways without delay.
“Alright, let’s do it your way!” Zang Liujiang didn’t push his luck, slapping the table in agreement, “Later, I’ll take you to the mountains to look for those books. If we can’t find them, I’ll take you down the mountain to buy more.”
With the agreement reached, they continued to eat.
Under Zang Liujiang’s watchful eye, Yu Huishui managed to finish half a chicken leg, drink two bowls of hot soup, and was even coaxed into eating two pieces of pastry, leaving him so full he kept burping.
Zang Liujiang noticed this and secretly thought to himself, no wonder he’s so skinny, with such a small appetite and picky taste. He’d have to find ways to coax him into eating more, to fatten him up nicely.
After the meal, the sun was already high in the sky, but the weather wasn’t great, with thick clouds rolling in, looking like it was going to snow.
Zang Liujiang fetched a thick cloak for Yu Huishui to wear. He was tall and sturdy, clearly two years younger than Yu Huishui, yet the cloak was so large it needed to be tightly wrapped with a belt to keep the wind out.
“Xiao Yaba, bring a horse!”
Zang Liujiang led Yu Huishui out of the house. The firewood in the yard had already been tidied up by the bandits. Zang Liujiang wasn’t in a hurry to go down the mountain, leading Yu Huishui around the stronghold.
He claimed it was to familiarize him with the place, but in reality, it was to show off his new bride.
Yu Huishui couldn’t guess his little scheme, following him leisurely, but as he wandered around, he was surprised by the size of the stronghold.
It was more like a village or town, with fields and houses, not the chaotic scene of bandits fighting, gambling, and drinking as he had imagined.
Instead, it was harmonious everywhere, with old and young women gathered in the yards, busy with their work while chatting, with firewood braziers for warmth. Occasionally, a child would get too close and burn their coat, earning a few scoldings from the women nearby.
Such tranquility was rare even in ordinary villages.
Yu Huishui looked around and didn’t see any men, which was quite strange for a bandit stronghold.
“The men have gone down to the village to work.”
Zang Liujiang, seeing his wife staring blankly at the yard, took the initiative to explain.
“Village? Aren’t you bandits?” Yu Huishui pulled his cloak tighter. The northern winter was harsher than the Central Plains, and even with such thick clothing, he was still shivering from the cold wind.
“Look at what you’re saying.” Zang Liujiang, as if insulted, stretched his neck and gave Yu Huishui a reproachful look, “That’s old news. We may have bandit origins, but since my father’s generation, we haven’t done those immoral things.”
“Doesn’t sound like it.” Yu Huishui, who had been taken back, gave Zang Liujiang a sidelong glance, clearly not believing his words.
“Robbing merchant caravans on the official road, if caught by the authorities, even ten heads wouldn’t be enough.”
That’s true, robbing on the official road is a serious crime.
“The county officials don’t care about that.” Zang Liujiang’s face changed momentarily at the thought of something unpleasant, but he quickly returned to his carefree demeanor, “I saw your body and wanted to take responsibility.”
His face showed the unique awkwardness of a young man, with thick eyebrows and bright eyes, not at all like a bandit.
Yu Huishui was secretly admiring Zang Liujiang’s good looks when he heard him continue, “Who would have thought such a fair body belonged to a man?”
After receiving a kick from Yu Huishui, Zang Liujiang wasn’t angry, laughing as he defended himself, “Besides, that day, we heard from the villagers that there were wild wolves on the mountain, already injuring people. We took the villagers’ things to patrol the mountain, and with the heavy snow blocking the mountain road, we had to take the official road.”
“Ah, Ah Da!” As they turned a corner, they saw a child approaching, leading a black horse. It was Xiao Yaba, whom Zang Liujiang had sent to fetch the horse.
The horse was almost twice the child’s height but was exceptionally gentle, even lowering its head to make it easier for him to lead.
Xiao Yaba came over and handed the reins to Zang Liujiang, then turned to shyly look at Yu Huishui. He hummed twice, suddenly bowed deeply to Yu Huishui, and then turned and ran off, leaving Yu Huishui stunned.
“He’s greeting you.” Zang Liujiang patted the horse’s neck, clearly used to it. He smoothed the mane, smiling at the bewildered Yu Huishui, “Next time, tell him he doesn’t need to, and he won’t.”
With that, he mounted the horse, reaching out to Yu Huishui, “Come on, wife, let’s go down the mountain!”
It was clear they were going to ride together. Yu Huishui crossed his arms, glancing around, feeling a bit uneasy.
They had only known each other for two days, already had a wedding, and didn’t even know each other’s names. Now they were going to ride together, body to body, it was really…
Yu Huishui suddenly slapped his forehead.
Right! He didn’t even know his name!
Yu Huishui, oh Yu Huishui, how long have you been with this rough man, and you’re already getting slow!
This was an unexpected move. Zang Liujiang watched as his wife gave himself a hard slap on the forehead, startled, he retracted his hand, “Wife, what are you doing?”
Yu Huishui rubbed the red spot on his forehead. Over the years, he had developed a habit of hitting his forehead hard whenever he remembered something.
Feeling inexplicably guilty, Yu Huishui straightened his back and asked, “I still don’t know, what should I call you?”
Zang Liujiang almost blurted out “husband,” but this time he was prepared, successfully dodging Yu Huishui’s rabbit kick.
Zang Liujiang couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Taking advantage of Yu Huishui’s unguarded moment of anger, he reached out, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him onto the horse with ease.
Supporting Yu Huishui’s knee to adjust his position, Zang Liujiang, who had openly taken advantage, whipped the horse. The big black horse neighed and shot out like an arrow.
The speed was so fast that Yu Huishui didn’t have time to curse before he was jolted back, crashing into Zang Liujiang’s chest.
“Bandit!” Yu Huishui cursed, causing Zang Liujiang to laugh in the wind. He leaned down to Yu Huishui’s ear, shouting loudly over the wind:
“Liujiang! Call me Zang Liujiang!”
The wind carried the name into Yu Huishui’s ears, making him remember it firmly.
The road down the mountain was clear of snow, neatly piled on either side of the dirt road by the bandits.
A few children in gray cotton jackets were climbing up and down the snow piles, their red cheeks snotty and smiling foolishly. Their frozen red hands were rolling snowballs, screaming and laughing as they chased each other, making a lively scene.
Yu Huishui lay on the horse’s neck, clutching the mane.
He hadn’t ridden a horse many times. When Fu Cong and Fu Ming took him to the stables, he mostly stayed in the shed reading his books, uninterested in the activity the Fu brothers enjoyed so much.
Zang Liujiang pulled Yu Huishui up to sit straight, the cold wind howling, turning Yu Huishui’s ears red and making it hard for him to breathe.
“Look up! Look to the right!”
Zang Liujiang shouted in Yu Huishui’s ear, covering his mouth and nose with his hand, and added, fearing he wouldn’t have the courage:
“Don’t be afraid! I’ve got you!”
Yu Huishui turned his head as instructed, his gaze passing over a few pine trees, down to the steep slope.
The view suddenly opened up, with vast stretches of pine trees lying in the sunken valley below, the frost creating a vast expanse of silver and white. The condensed cold mist was slowly drifting in the wind, looking like a fairyland, not of this world.
Yu Huishui was immediately captivated by such a magnificent sight.
The Fu family had taken him to see snow scenes before, listening to tunes in a teahouse, watching snowflakes fall through square windows, with small trees and bamboo in the courtyard, a neat and exquisite beauty.
He had never seen such heavy snow, or maybe he had, but he had never paid attention.
Zang Liujiang heard his wife say something, but the wind and hoofbeats were too loud for him to hear clearly.
“What did you say! I can’t hear you!”
Yu Huishui turned his head, grabbing Zang Liujiang’s collar, and shouted loudly.
“My surname is Yu! My name is Huishui!”