Looking forward to the spring breeze

Chapter 41

She didn't wake up until the next morning. There was someone warm in her arms. When she opened her eyes, she saw familiar features. His face was warm, his hair was black and soft to the touch, and his warm breath was blowing on her neck. It felt so good. You Tong didn't want to move. She just stared at him with her eyes open, greedily and intently, as if only in this way could she etch his image into her heart and into her bones.

She watched for who knows how long, until Xu Wei turned over in her arms and woke up, squinted at her and smiled, then suddenly leaned in and kissed her, then pulled her into his arms tightly, their faces rubbing against each other, their chests pressed together, every inch fitting perfectly.

"Um--"

"What?"

I said, "In a couple of days, I'll have someone send you back."

After a long while, You Tong slowly raised her head, staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes filled with anger and pain. Xu Wei suddenly felt as if a thorn was piercing his heart, a sharp pain shooting through him. He opened his mouth to speak again, but You Tong forcefully pushed him away.

Xu Wei dared not look at her, and forced himself to say, "Don't worry, I'll be back in six months, no, three months. Women can't stay in the military camp, that rule can't be broken."

You Tong bit her lip and glared at him, a bright glint in her eyes that made Xu Wei's heart ache, but he ultimately held back and didn't say anything.

You Tong got out of bed barefoot, silently found some clothes to put on, and tidied her hair. By the time Xu Wei noticed something was wrong and rushed over to pull her away, she had already turned and left the tent. Xu Wei was frantic and hastily threw on a cloak before chasing after her, but all he saw outside were patrolling soldiers; You Tong was nowhere to be seen.

Fortunately, he caught up quickly, and You Tong hadn't gone far. Xu Wei, wearing slippers and with his hair down, ran all the way and finally caught up with her at the camp gate. Ignoring what others thought, he grabbed her hand and pulled her inside.

"Let go!" In front of the soldiers, You Tong couldn't go too far. It wasn't until she entered the tent that she angrily shook off his hand. Her face was pale with anger. She wiped it and realized that it was completely wet.

This was the first time Xu Wei had ever seen her so angry since they met. He knew he had hurt her by being too hasty, but some things couldn't be changed just because he said so.

"I'll leave tomorrow—no, this afternoon." You Tong's lips were slightly pale from being bitten, and she suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly. Without looking at him, she lay down on the bed, pulled the blanket over her head, and remained silent.

Xu Wei was afraid she would cry, so he wanted to say some sweet words to coax her, but he was bad with words and didn't know what to say. So he could only lie down next to her, put his arm around her waist, and lean close to her.

“We caught that spy last night,” Xu Wei said, propping himself up with one hand and gently patting her shoulder with the other, rambling on and on. “Guess who it was? Nobody expected it. It was General Cheng’s nephew, who only joined the camp last year. We never imagined he would do something like this. Everyone was outraged and clamoring to execute him on the spot to avenge our brothers who died unjustly…”

You Tong ignored him until the afternoon when someone came to report that two children outside the camp were asking to see her. Only then did she remember Mingrui and Jingxian and quickly came out to greet them.

Both children were clean and tidy, clearly having tidied themselves up before coming to see him. Perhaps intimidated by the loud, burly men around them, they looked somewhat uneasy. Only when they saw Xu Wei and You Tong enter did they breathe a sigh of relief, quickly stand up, and respectfully bow deeply to Xu Wei and You Tong.

You Tong was very happy to see that the two of them were safe and sound. She went up and took Jing Xian's hand, asking her if her journey was smooth. Jing Xian answered her questions with her head down, glancing at Ming Rui from time to time. Then she asked in a low voice, "Madam, can I join the army with my brother?"

Before Youtong could speak, Mingrui interrupted, saying, "You're being ridiculous. This military camp is full of men. What are you doing here, a girl? Just stay in town from now on, and I'll earn money to support you."

Jingxian looked at Youtong expectantly. Youtong just sighed, stroked her hair and said softly, "There are rules in the military camp that girls can't stay. I'm setting off back to the capital tomorrow. Do you want to come back with me? Otherwise, when your brother joins the army, he'll have to abide by the camp rules and can't leave the camp unless it's a holiday."

Jingxian remained silent, turning to look at Mingrui, clearly unsure of what to do. Mingrui, being more sensible, quickly knelt and kowtowed to Youtong, solemnly thanking her, "My younger sister is ignorant; please guide her in the future, Madam." When they entered the camp earlier, he had vaguely guessed Xu Wei's identity. Entrusting Jingxian to the General's wife was far better than having her stay by his side, both in terms of upbringing and future marriage.

Seeing her brother kneel down, Jingxian followed suit. Youtong quickly helped them both up and gently comforted them for a while. Xu Wei, however, remained stern-faced. Only after they had finished speaking did he call in a soldier to lead Mingrui away, officially incorporating him into his ranks.

That night, You Tong still wouldn't speak to Xu Wei, ignoring his attempts to coax her. The next morning, she packed her things and returned to the capital with Jing Xian. Xu Wei was also heartbroken, staying close to her and trying his best to make her smile. But the closer it got to her departure, the less he could even manage a smile himself.

They escorted her all the way to Wuliting outside the camp. Youtong still had a stern face. Holding Jingxian's hand, she got into the carriage without looking back.

Xu Wei stood at the crossroads, his heart aching as he watched the carriage disappear into the distance, muttering, "Look back at me, just one more look at me—"

As if by miracle, the carriage suddenly stopped after traveling a short distance. Xu Wei's heart leaped into his throat as he saw You Tong, lifting her skirt, jump down from the carriage and run towards him. Xu Wei hesitated for a moment, then quickly rushed forward…

"Three months, I'll wait for you for three months." You Tong bit his shoulder hard. "If you don't come back in three months, I'll never speak to you again."

—————

Nine months later

The Northwest Army achieved a great victory and returned to the capital in triumph.

The entire Xu family stood at the gate to welcome the procession. When they saw the procession approaching from afar, Madam Xu quickly instructed her servants to light firecrackers, creating a lively and exciting scene.

Xu Wei dismounted his horse ten steps away from the gate of the mansion. Upon seeing Master Xu and Madam Xu, his eyes immediately welled up with tears. Madam Xu could not hold back any longer, and tears streamed down her face. She stepped forward with heartache, touched his face, and looked him over carefully. After looking at him, she cried again, "Look at you, you've gotten so thin. What misfortune has befallen you?"

Xu Wei hurriedly said, "It's alright, I'll make up for it with a few good meals later." As he spoke, his eyes kept darting around, but he didn't see the person he was thinking about.

"Look who this is!" Madam Xu called to Yazhu to pick up Abao and coaxed her gently, "Abao, do you remember what Grandma taught you? Quickly call him Dad."

Abao stared at Xu Wei with his big eyes and laughed, babbling inaccurately, sometimes calling him "Grandma" and sometimes "Mother," but refusing to call him "Father."

Xu Wei was overjoyed to finally see his daughter and had no reason to be upset about such a small thing. He reached out to hug her, but Xiao Bao giggled at him and then suddenly turned around and hugged Ya Zhu tightly, refusing to let Xu Wei hold her.

Xu Wei's hand remained outstretched in mid-air for a long time without moving. Seeing this, Madam Xu felt sorry for him and quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Abao is shy with strangers. It's not surprising that she doesn't want you to hold her since it's the first time she's seen you. Spend more time with her in the future, and she'll naturally get used to it."

Xu Wei chuckled dryly twice. It would be a lie to say he wasn't upset. He simply reached out and rubbed Xiao Abao's tender face, as if casually asking, "Mother, where is Youtong?"

A strange look appeared on Madam Xu's face. After hesitating for a moment, she whispered, "Your wife is not feeling well and is lying in bed."

"Is she feeling unwell?" Xu Wei's heart tightened, and his expression immediately became tense. "She's sick? Why didn't she mention it in her letter?" If he had known she was ill, he wouldn't have come back with the army; he would have rushed back to the capital long ago.

Madam Xu coughed twice and said awkwardly, "Well... you already know."

Xu Wei finally noticed that something was wrong with her expression, and he became even more anxious, thinking that she must be seriously ill, otherwise why would Madam Xu look so strange? Without asking any more questions, he quickly quickened his pace and ran towards the inner courtyard.

"Youtong—" Xu Wei suddenly pushed open the door and rushed to her window. Just as he was about to speak, he caught sight of her prominently protruding belly and froze.

"You bastard!" You Tong opened her eyes and saw it was him. She was furious and grabbed the book next to her and threw it at him. "Why are you only coming back now? You missed giving birth to the first one. Are you going to leave me all alone for the second one too?"

“No, Youtong, how come this is—” Xu Wei suddenly clapped his hands, realizing, “This…this is when we were there.”

It was indeed left behind during those passionate nights at the Chanyu's residence. Poor Youtong returned to the capital and soon became pregnant. While those in the household knew what had happened, others in the capital were unaware. If the news got out, and Xu Wei wasn't in the capital, how could the matter be explained? Youtong was confined to the residence for a full month, never even leaving the house. No wonder she looked so resentful.

"This—this is wonderful news!" Xu Wei was so happy he could hardly speak, laughing heartily for a few moments before exclaiming, "After going out to fight a battle, I actually had two more babies! Haha... Ah, Youtong, what happened to you! Mother! Mother!"

...