"Hmm... Shh~, shh shh." Mo Mo grabbed a leaf and threw it at Pei Yuan's chest, swinging her legs back and forth.
"I wonder what your mother looks like now." Pei Yuan looked ahead and patted Mo Mo's back reassuringly. "Is she darker and thinner? Or is she doing alright?"
"Daddy~~" Mo Mo cried out, biting her finger and frowning. Pei Yuan, however, was distracted, thinking about how Qiu Su and He Zhuo had been together for so long, and felt a pang of jealousy.
Seeing that her doting father was ignoring her, Mo Mo wrinkled her nose and nibbled at his chest. Just then, the horse beneath her stumbled, and Mo Mo shivered and relieved herself on Pei Yuan. Pei Yuan felt a warmth in a certain place that resembled his son's, and his face darkened the next moment.
When he looked down, Momo was staring at him with wide eyes, clutching his clothes. When she saw him look down, she quickly made two fake crying noises and hid under his arm.
Pei Yuan raised an eyebrow, stopped his horse, untied the reins, picked up Mo Mo, and took off his thin trousers. He looked down at the large patch of urine that was soaking his own bottom, sighed, wiped Mo Mo's wet bottom with the hem of his robe, and lightly slapped him, scolding, "You little rascal."
"Father." Mo Mo pouted, looking very aggrieved.
"Learn to call her 'Mother.' If you can't, she'll be angry with your father."
"Daddy." Mo Mo yawned and snuggled into Pei Yuan's arms from the saddle. Pei Yuan casually draped his wet underpants over the horse's back, supporting his bottom as he leaned against his shoulder, and slowed down to ride forward. After a short while, the little guy's even breathing could be heard.
Being able to eat and sleep is a blessing. Pei Yuan jumped off the horse with Mo Mo in his arms, handed the horse to Huang Tao who was waiting behind the carriage curtain, and without changing his clothes, he mounted the horse again. After riding for a while, he frowned and thought to himself, "She's so old, no matter how I coax her, she won't call me 'Mother.' If Su Su finds out, she'll really be angry."
Author's Note:
49
49. Explore the terrain...
He Zhuo kept his word and actually brought the horse, intending to accompany Qiu Su to Black Gorge Pass. Qiu Su looked at General Qin, who had come with him, and couldn't bring herself to complain. General Qin smiled reassuringly and patted the horse's head, saying, "Si Qiong is clever, so I'll lend it to you for now. General Ji, don't worry, there's He Sima's thousand elite soldiers."
Qiu Su smiled and nodded, but her smile faded when she looked at the smiling He Zhuo. She mounted her horse, gave General Qin a respectful bow with a touch of swagger, and spurred her horse to gallop away with He Zhuo.
Once the camp behind him disappeared from sight, He Zhuo slowed down. As Qiu Su's horse approached, he suddenly leaped behind her in the stirrups, intending to tie the reins to the saddle on Si Qiong's back, but Qiu Su glared at him and blocked his way.
"Get down."
Instead of getting off, He Zhuo squeezed his foot into the stirrup, snatched the reins from Qiu Su's hand, wrapped the other one around his wrist, and continued walking forward without a word.
"He Zhuo!" Qiu Suqu shoved her arm behind her back, and He Zhuo grunted, then casually rested his chin on her shoulder, though his expression looked like he'd just eaten honey.
Qiu Su's face tightened as she leaned forward, trying to dismount, but He Zhuo quickened his pace. The wind wasn't strong, but the speed was considerable, still causing Qiu Su to squint. After galloping for a while, He Zhuo tightened the reins and laughed, "How about it? Isn't it safer to ride with two people?"
Qiu Su rolled her eyes and lifted her leg to dismount, but He Zhuo restrained her and pulled her into his arms. Qiu Su blushed slightly and said angrily, "Don't be silly, we're going to scout the enemy's situation."
At this point, Su Su was a little confused. "Does the young general need to personally go out to scout the enemy's situation? Aren't there special scouts?" Qiu Su frowned, turned around, and said angrily, "You're not using your official position for personal gain, are you? You're just here to have fun."
He Zhuo neither confirmed nor denied it, but stared at Qiu Su with a gentle expression and asked, "Would you like to take a good bath?"
Qiu Su glared at her again, then pursed her lips and turned away without saying a word.
She felt a bit stifled, a pang of sadness at He Zhuo's feelings, and a mixture of hatred and pain for the person in the capital. But most importantly, the prospect of the Wuna cavalry appearing in a few days truly terrified her. Qiu Su felt she had already died once, yet she still couldn't let go at this crucial moment. It seemed she, Qiu Su, was destined not to be a true hero. Wasn't General Ji incredibly capable? Wasn't Zang Ran so carefree? If she truly was their child, how could she be so cowardly and afraid of death?
He Zhuo put his arm around Qiu Su, who was sulking and staring blankly, and walked over a high slope. He nudged Qiu Su, who was still staring blankly with her head down, and said, "Alright, what are you angry about? Look ahead."
Qiu Su pursed her lips and looked up, her eyes widening in astonishment when she saw the azure lake. While summers in southern Xinjiang weren't exactly arid, occasional sandstorms were still common, and there was no shortage of saline-alkali land. Bathing in the tents was possible, as water wasn't scarce, but how could one bathe as freely as one pleased? Suddenly seeing a lake bluer than the sky, it was no wonder she was surprised. Moreover, no grass grew within two steps of the lake; the soil surface was covered with a thin layer of white, shimmering in the sunlight like a white sandy beach.
He Zhuo dismounted first, helped Qiu Su down, tied the two horses to a bare poplar tree trunk, went straight to the lakeside, squatted down to wash his face, and waved to Qiu Su, saying, "Come over and feel it, it's neither too hot nor too cold."
Qiu Su paused for a moment, pursed her lips, and moved over step by step with a tense face. She then sat down on the sand, coughed, and said, "Why is there a lake here too? I've never heard you mention it."
"Hehe." He Zhuo dipped his finger in the lake water and touched Qiu Su's lips. Qiu Su turned her head to dodge, but she was still a step too slow.
"Try it, it's salty."
Qiu Su pouted, "You just washed your face, so of course it's salty."
He Zhuo laughed loudly, then flicked water at her face. Seeing her smirk and try to dodge, he boldly scooped up water and splashed it back at her. Qiu Su jumped up and ran a few steps away, scolding, "Are you crazy? You've gotten your clothes wet."
"So what if it gets wet? You're going to take a shower later anyway."
Qiu Su stood with her hands behind her back, facing the lake. She stared at the lake for a long time, then nodded and said, "I'd better go back and wash. This lake is so big, what if some monster carries me away? My life will be in danger."
He Zhuo frowned as he watched Qiu Su's profile move closer. Qiu Su shifted to the other side, and He Zhuo moved closer again. This time, Qiu Su didn't move, but just frowned and turned her head, asking, "What's wrong?"
He Zhuo shook his head. "It's said that there really is a monster in this lake."
Qiu Su's eyes widened in surprise. He Zhuo smiled and was about to press his lips against hers. Qiu Su deftly blocked him with her hand, then sat back down by the lake and asked, "Are there any fish here?"
"Where there is water, there should be fish, but I haven't seen any here."
"Do you come here often?"
He Zhuo shook his head, "This place is adjacent to the Black Gorge Pass and outside our territory, so we naturally don't dare to come here often. But don't worry, Su Su, the terrain here is high and it's on the border between the two countries, so there's not a single person around on weekdays."
He Zhuo gently touched Qiu Su's hair and said with a smile, "I'll go check if there are any herbs or anything like that in the distance. You can take a bath in peace. Just don't go too deep. Just wash up on the side. I've tried it. The slope is quite gentle, and I haven't found anything harmful. There won't be any leeches in this saltwater."
He Zhuo chuckled, "You've finally decided to show some of your timidity." He Zhuo looked at the top of Qiu Su's head, pursed his lips, and turned to walk away into the distance.
Qiu Su sat with her chin resting on her hand, gazing at the lake in front of her, her thoughts drifting to the horizon. He Zhuo was right; she had never considered him a man she could entrust her life to. No matter how intimate he was with her, she could defuse the situation without batting an eye. But if it were Pei Yuan, that man, just thinking about him would cause her heart to ache.
She no longer hated or resented him, but the pain persisted. Occasionally, Qiu Su would wake in the middle of the night, wondering if that woman was still alive. Had they gotten married? Qiu Su recalled the day he sat on the bed holding her; even knowing she was seriously ill then, she still felt jealous. Was it jealousy? She couldn't quite describe her emotions. Qiu Su thought, if Pei Yuan were truly somewhere far away, holding her and laughing, she wouldn't be so generous as to wish them a long and happy life together.
The lake water was a flawless blue, like a child's eyes, a pure gem.
Oh, my child… Qiu Su took a deep breath and looked back, but Pei Yuan was nowhere to be seen. Qiu Su stood up and searched for a while, but the person in the distance seemed to have a telepathic connection with her. He lay in the grass, straightened his arm and waved it, then gestured for her to do as she pleased.
Qiu Su felt a warmth in her heart. Looking around, she couldn't resist the allure of the lake. She took off her outer clothes and trousers, leaving only her undershirt and panties, and carefully stepped into the lake.
Just as He Zhuo had said, the underwater slope was gentle. Even so, Qiu Su didn't dare go any further in, only squatting in the shallow water, letting the lake water reach her neck. After soaking for a while, she carefully washed herself, then walked out a bit, loosened her hair, rinsed it, and looked back to see that she still couldn't see anyone. She mustered her courage, untied her undergarment, wrung it out, stood up, and put it back on. Her gaze shifted, and she saw a long, thin, patterned creature in the water, approaching with the ripples. Qiu Su instinctively wanted to scream, but thinking about her attire, she turned and ran towards the shore first.
Fortunately, it was only a few steps away. Qiu Su hurriedly put on her clothes and saw that the flower snake had reached the shore, revealing its pointed triangular head, seemingly trying to crawl out. She was so frightened that she shouted, "He Zhuo, there's a snake!"
He Zhuo had been listening to the commotion. Hearing the shouts, he jumped up and rushed over, pulling Qiu Su into his arms protectively. Seeing the snake staring at the two of them, he gasped and said urgently, "It bit you?"
"No, no, I don't know." Qiu Su looked down at her bare legs and curled her toes.