He frowned as he pulled the broken chopsticks from Qin Chu's hand, then replaced them with a new pair before finally sitting down with peace of mind.
At this moment, he didn't seem like himself anymore.
Qin Chu quickly suppressed those feelings in his heart.
He still remembered what Qin Rui had just said, and looked up to ask, "Who taught you to say those things? Don't say them again."
Mentioning this, Qin Rui couldn't help but purse his lips. He looked up at Qin Chu and said, "Does this even need to be taught? Yesterday, Master Zhang brought his daughter over, and the day before yesterday, a county magistrate came to deliver a young master. They couldn't get in, so they had to shout at the top of their lungs outside the door, as if you would take them in if you heard their voices."
During these five years, the elderly general died of a heart ailment, and Qin Chu became the de facto supreme commander of the border region.
He fought his way back against the Xiongnu, who refused to submit, so he continued his campaign, reclaiming the cities that had been taken from him one by one, and even moving the original boundary markers into the Xiongnu territory.
The people in these cities had become accustomed to the rule of the Xiongnu. With this sudden change in the situation, everyone was panicked, fearing that Qin and Chu might kill them all if they were in a bad mood.
Isn't that just a roundabout way of trying to win Qin Chu's favor?
On another occasion, the Xiongnu couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to send a princess from the royal family so that Qin and Chu would stop for the sake of the princess.
Unfortunately, Qin Chu didn't understand the Xiongnu's intentions at all. He just felt that the troops looked strange and thought that the Xiongnu were up to some kind of conspiracy, so he simply sent them back.
"Why do you care about these things?" Qin Chu had never let those people in.
"It just doesn't look right." Qin Rui ground his canines on his chopsticks.
Qin Chu would never let them go, but Qin Rui would always run to the courtyard wall, climb up, and watch them slink away before he felt at ease.
Qin Chu looked up at Qin Rui and noticed that the child was clearly unhappy about the topic.
He was a little confused, but after thinking about it for a while, he understood.
It's true that children from single-parent families often worry about their parents' marriage prospects. Although Qin Chu is the older brother, he feels that being the father is no different from being the older brother himself.
"Next time, I'll give you a heads-up, and the camp won't let these people in again."
The reason Qin and Chu hadn't issued such an order before was because there were many men of marriageable age in the army. Since the troops were stationed on the border year-round, it wouldn't be a bad thing if they could marry local girls.
Qin Chu himself didn't understand these things; it was Lao Wu and a few others who gave him advice.
Thinking of this, Qin Chu looked at the young man in front of him.
At the age of fifteen, many people in this world are already married.
Qin Rui often leaned over the courtyard wall to look outside. At first, Qin Chu thought the kid was tired of practicing calligraphy and wanted to go out and have a look around, but now he thought there was probably a similar reason.
So Qin Chu added, "If you take a fancy to any of them..."
"I don't."
Before Qin Chu could speak, Qin Rui interrupted him with practiced ease.
At his age, Qin Chu wasn't sensitive enough to these issues and wouldn't care at all. But there were too many gossipy people around him who insisted on reminding Qin Chu.
Qin Rui looked at Qin Chu and said matter-of-factly, "Brother, aren't you unmarried yet? How old am I?"
Qin Rui scoffed inwardly. Why would he like an outsider, choose to live with an outsider, and leave his brother? Can't the two brothers live together forever?
He had heard that some brothers never separated from their families.
Qin Rui only caught snippets of what others were saying.
He certainly didn't know that when others talked about not separating their families, they meant that their respective spouses were not separating their families.
"Fine, you decide for yourself."
Qin Chu didn't elaborate. Coming from his own era, he also felt that Qin Rui was still young.
As the two chatted, Qin Chu had long forgotten the sense of familiarity he had felt from Qin Rui earlier.
Noah seemed to be angered by Qin Chu, and didn't speak to Qin Chu's mind for several days in a row. He also stubbornly refused to mention the relationship between Qin Rui and Ti Rong.
Qin Chu and Qin Rui had spent so much time together that they practically lived and ate together.
Qin Rui has been incredibly clingy since childhood, so now Qin Chu finds it difficult to be wary of him, let alone suspect him.
However, this person's ability to court death, his dramatic personality, and his seemingly insane actions and words left an extremely deep impression on Qin Chu during his travels through several worlds.
It can almost be said that it was deeply etched on the crisis radar of Qin and Chu.
Even though Qin Chu trusted Qin Rui completely, there were times when Qin Chu couldn't help but act unconsciously in response to the occasional expressions Qin Rui revealed...
As the weather gradually warms up, taking a bath is no longer a hassle.
Qin Chu was used to living in the military camp, and his habits had completely changed with the local environment. But when he had the chance to wash properly, he naturally wanted to wash as many times as possible.
Especially her long hair, which drove Qin Chu to the brink of collapse several times.
If Noah hadn't stopped him, he would have shaved his head long ago. Whenever he had the chance, Qin Chu's favorite thing to do was wash his hair thoroughly and let it hang to dry.
Although he wasn't a germaphobe, over time he felt his hair was full of bloodstains.
After taking a shower using the remaining hot water, Qin Rui returned to the inner room and saw this scene.
Qin Chu was wearing a snow-white inner garment, with only a hastily draped outer robe over his shoulders. He was standing by the wall, marking on a map with a pen, his chin slightly raised, his raven-black hair falling smoothly down, making his fair skin appear even more striking, and even giving him a slightly fragile look.
Qin Rui stood by the door, watching, unconsciously lowering his breathing.
He stood there stunned for a while before realizing he had forgotten to close the door, and quickly turned around to close it.
This wasn't the first time he'd seen Qin Chu with his hair down, but this Qin Chu was very different from his usual self. Every time he saw Qin Chu, he felt an invisible shock.
He couldn't help but grab his hair.
Qin Rui's hair was a little different from most people's; it was dry and somewhat curly, and could easily stand on end if she wasn't careful when tying it up. But Qin Chu's hair was different. Every time Qin Rui touched it, she couldn't help but wonder how such a cold and sharp person could have such soft and smooth hair.
Qin Chu was used to Qin Rui's presence and didn't pay any attention to what was happening by the door, nor did he notice the boy approaching him step by step.
Qin Rui showed no interest in the map in front of Qin Chu, only staring at the ends of Qin Chu's hair that were hanging loosely over his coat.
"Brother, you don't tie your hair up."
The voice rang in Qin Chu's ears, carrying a youthful huskiness.
"I don't want to get involved." Qin Chu's eyes were still fixed on the map.
Upon hearing this, Qin Rui couldn't help but chuckle.
His brother seemed cold and capable, as if nothing could trouble him. But Qin Rui knew that hair was definitely one of them.
Qin Rui liked Qin Chu's hair down, as it softened Qin Chu's sharpness and gave her a strange kind of beauty.
But looking at the sky, he suppressed his reluctance and advised, "Brother, let me tie your hair up. Otherwise, you'll get angry if I press down on your hair."
Qin Chu did not refuse; it was only in this world that he experienced the various inconveniences of having long hair.
Not only is it heavy when it hangs down behind the head, but if it's loose, it can also press on the head when lying down. Once, Qin Chu slept with her hair down. It was fine when she was lying down, but when she got up, her waist pressed on her hair, and she couldn't lift her head at all.
This eerie feeling made Qin Chu instantly irritable, and he reached for the knife, but Qin Rui stopped him with kind words.
Later, even the task of tying up Qin Chu's hair was taken over by Qin Rui, because Qin Chu practically fought with his hair when he combed it. His hair, which was normally incredibly smooth, was made to resist violently. At the slightest provocation, Qin Chu would grab a knife and run wildly down the road towards the bald man.
Qin Rui was surprisingly patient with this matter and did a good job, so Qin Chu entrusted it to him with peace of mind.
Now that Qin Rui was going to tie his hair up, Qin Chu simply stretched out his foot to hook the stool next to him, sat down with his back to Qin Rui, and let Qin Rui do as he pleased.
This gesture revealed absolute trust, but if there were a mirror in front of him, he would surely see the undisguised joy and intense possessiveness in the boy's eyes.
Qin Rui really enjoyed the activity. He reached out and gently touched Qin Chu's hair, but hesitated before touching it, looking down at his palm.
He'd been so engrossed in wielding knives and spears that he'd completely forgotten to cut the calluses on his hands lately, making his palms incredibly rough. It wouldn't be good if he accidentally pulled Qin Chu's hair.
"Brother, wait a moment."
Qin Rui said something to Qin Chu, then stepped aside and used a dagger to scrape off the calluses on his hands. After doing this, he still felt it wasn't enough, so he thought for a moment and then went to the shelf next to him and took out a small porcelain jar.
This stuff is a face cream that girls in the neighborhood use to wipe their faces. Qin Rui thought it was interesting when he was shopping, so he took a jar. Now it's coming in handy.
He carefully applied the ointment to his hands and then walked back to Qin Chu.
But this time, before he could even reach out with his paw, Qin Chu keenly turned his head to look at him.
Although the balm had a faint fragrance, it still had some scent. Qin Chu frowned and said with disdain, "What did you put on? Don't touch me."
Qin Rui was both amused and exasperated; he hadn't expected his brother to be so picky.
But at this time, he always obeyed Qin Chu, so he specially fetched water to wash his hands, carefully wiped them clean with a cloth, and presented them to Qin Chu for inspection.
Is this okay?
Qin Chu reluctantly nodded.
He lifted his long hair with his fingers, the cool strands brushing against his fingers.
While indulging in the sensation, Qin Rui recalled Qin Chu's earlier disdainful expression and couldn't help but chuckle.
This was a rare sight for Qin Chu, and it was completely different from his usual cold-faced general image. Qin Rui couldn't help but chuckle twice, though his voice was muffled.
He stood behind Qin Chu and bent down again; his laughter seemed to echo right in Qin Chu's ears.
Qin Chu subconsciously turned her head and glanced at him.
Looking at this...
Qin Chu's radar beeped incessantly, and out of reflex, he slapped it across the face.
Author's Note:
Qin Chu: My child could absolutely not... could not... not?
Someone guessed one of the boss's identities yesterday, haha.
Chapter 77, Fourth Story (23)
Fortunately, Qin Chu suddenly remembered that the person in front of him with that smug grin wasn't some bastard, but the child he had raised himself.
So General Qin used all his willpower to suppress his instincts, and just before he was about to punch Qin Rui in the face, he changed his finger position and pinched Qin Rui's mouth shut.
Qin Rui's mouth was suddenly pinched, and he stared wide-eyed at Qin Chu, clearly bewildered.
Qin Chu's expression also became somewhat indescribable. Meeting Qin Chu's questioning gaze, he slightly averted his eyes before saying, "Don't laugh like that..."
After a long pause, Qin Chu hesitated for a moment before deciding to cut to the chase: "No more laughing from now on."
Qin Rui: "???"