Dündup’s chest rose and fell heavily as he stared intently at Dündup and Zhandui.
“Dad! What are you talking about? Big Brother already has someone he likes. How can he marry A-Luo?”
Ciren’s voice was distorted with agitation as he rushed several steps toward Zhandui, completely ignoring the suddenly hardened expression on Dündup’s face.
Zhandui was stunned by Ciren’s sudden appearance. He immediately frowned, his voice carrying the authority of the head of the family.
“Ciren! How can you eavesdrop on your father?”
“I wasn’t eavesdropping. I just happened to be passing by,” Ciren muttered.
Then he turned toward Dündup, his eyes filled with pleading.
“Big Brother, didn’t you tell me yesterday that you already have a girl you like? You’ll definitely refuse Dad, right?”
He was genuinely worried that his respected elder brother would become the biggest obstacle standing between him and his own happiness.
Dündup’s thin lips pressed tightly together, his jaw as hard as a cold stone.
He realized he had fallen into a difficult situation of his own making.
How was he supposed to explain to Ciren that the “girl he liked” was Sang Luo?
And how could he explain it without making his impulsive younger brother, who could charge ahead like a reckless young calf, do something rash?
“Ciren.” Zhandui’s voice was deep, carrying a warning tone. “Dad knows you like A-Luo. Wouldn’t it be perfect for you if Dündup married her?”
“No!”
Ciren stubbornly lifted his chin.
“A-Luo isn’t an object. You can’t just decide who she’s going to marry. And she’s a Han Chinese girl. There’s no way she’ll accept our traditional marriage customs. Dad, stop trying to play matchmaker.”
Inside the tent, Sang Luo heard the argument outside and worriedly pushed open the door.
Ciren immediately spotted her and hurried over.
“A-Luo, Dad wants you to marry Big Brother. What do you think?”
There was obvious caution in his voice when he asked the last question.
Sang Luo had heard the conversation from inside.
She looked at Zhandui and spoke respectfully, but her tone was firm.
“Dad Zhandui, thank you for thinking so much about me, but…”
She paused briefly before continuing clearly,
“But I want to decide my own marriage. And I really cannot accept the traditional marriage customs here.”
Ciren’s eyes instantly lit up at her refusal.
He stood beside Sang Luo without saying anything, but his support for her was unmistakable.
Zhandui froze for a moment.
Looking at Sang Luo’s calm yet determined face, he suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
He had always been accustomed to arranging everything for his children, believing he could lead them toward what he considered the “happiest way of life.”
But he had forgotten that this girl who had returned from outside had something that many grassland women did not possess—a strong sense of independence.
And because she had grown up in the Han regions, she neither recognized nor accepted their traditional customs.
He thought he was doing what was best for her.
But now, he realized he had been too overbearing.
“Ah…”
Zhandui let out a heavy sigh.
“You young people can decide your own affairs.”
He waved his hand and turned back into the house.
Ciren waited until Zhandui had gone inside before pulling Sang Luo over to Dündup.
His expression and voice immediately became much lighter.
“A-Luo, don’t worry. I was deliberately making a fuss just now. Big Brother already has a Han Chinese girl he likes. After I made such a scene, Dad definitely won’t bring up having Big Brother marry you again. Once Big Brother marries the girl he likes, Dad will be even less likely to insist. Then…”
At this point, Ciren seemed to think of something.
His face immediately flushed red. He looked at Sang Luo affectionately, then began chuckling foolishly.
“Hehehe…”
Sang Luo wasn’t stupid.
She knew about Ciren’s feelings for her.
But she didn’t want to make such an important decision so hastily. She could only give Ciren a slight glare, silently telling him to calm down.
Dündup watched the “exchange of glances” between Sang Luo and Ciren.
His Adam’s apple moved heavily.
Seeing Ciren blush and smile foolishly because of nothing more than one gentle glare from Sang Luo felt like a needle piercing his heart.
The pure trust in Ciren’s eyes turned all the confessions that had nearly burst from Dündup’s throat into heavy chains.
“Big Brother?”
Ciren finally noticed Dündup’s unusually silent stare and came back to his senses.
“What’s wrong? Is your wound hurting again?”
Dündup lowered his eyelashes and deliberately loosened his tense shoulders, pretending to ease his discomfort.
“Mm.”
His voice was deep as he followed Ciren’s explanation.
“Maybe the cold wind got to me.”
Ciren’s attention immediately shifted.
“See? I told you your injury hasn’t fully healed yet! Come on, go back and lie down.”
Ciren grabbed Sang Luo with one hand and pushed Dündup with the other, leading them back inside.
Dündup allowed Ciren to half-push, half-guide him back to the room.
Before entering her own room, Sang Luo stood at the doorway and reminded Ciren several times to carefully check Dündup’s wound after they went inside.
She also told him to make sure Dündup didn’t develop a fever during the night.
Ciren obediently nodded.
Once inside, he immediately pushed Dündup onto the bed and covered him with two thick blankets.
All the while, he kept chattering away.
One moment he was saying he would hunt a wild rabbit tomorrow to help Dündup regain his strength.
The next, he was talking about how he planned to pursue Sang Luo, imagining what their life would be like after they started a family.
His words were filled with anticipation for the future.
Dündup closed his eyes as though he were resting.
In reality, every single word was like a whip lashing against his nerves.
Under the blanket, his hand slowly tightened in the shadows.
His fingernails dug deeply into his palm, the sharp pain helping to dull the ache in his heart that had nowhere to go.
He had to leave.
The thought surfaced in Dündup’s mind.
If he stayed here any longer, he didn’t know how much longer he could keep hiding his feelings.
He was afraid that one day he might lose control and destroy the peaceful life they had built around him.
Before dawn the next morning, Dündup opened his eyes.
He glanced at Ciren, who was still fast asleep, then quietly got up and began packing his belongings.
He carefully smoothed every wrinkle in the military uniform that Sang Luo’s slender fingers had touched and bandaged.
Then he solemnly placed it at the bottom of his luggage.
It was as though it were not merely a uniform, but a secret that could never be spoken and could only be buried deep within his heart.
Dündup silently shouldered his pack.
After taking one last look at Sang Luo’s room, he turned around and left without hesitation.
His tall figure soon disappeared into the deepest darkness before dawn.
Just as he had arrived abruptly, he left with the same decisiveness.
He needed time to figure out what he was going to do with his life.
Perhaps, once he figured it out, he would come back.