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46. Southern Xinjiang...
Summer in southern Xinjiang truly feels like midsummer. Walking under the sun at midday is like sitting by a fire in summer. Southern Xinjiang, of course, isn't as cool as Qingyuan Mountain. I've been here for a year, experiencing two summers in between, but I still haven't adapted to the unpredictable weather.
When Qiu Su first arrived, she waited until sunset to rest, her eyelids drooping as the blazing sun slowly disappeared below the horizon. Ivan was the one who, back in the capital, disguised himself as a member of the Ji family's family and wandered around the palace, only to be chased by the guards. He had accidentally run into Qiu Su and managed to escape under her table. He told her that the sun didn't set until after 7 PM here, so going to bed early wasn't impossible, but she would miss the pleasant coolness of the evening. Sigh, could that even be called evening? If it were… well, it would be the middle of the night!
Qiu Su met him on her way to Southern Xinjiang. He was incredibly outgoing, sticking to her like a monkey, insisting on repaying the life-saving debt. It was then that Qiu Su learned he was only sixteen, but looked like a grown man, with slightly dark skin. Ivan said his home was in Southern Xinjiang and he had even come to the military camp with Qiu Su. Thinking about it, Qiu Su understood his prematurely aged appearance. Even though he had only been there for a year, she felt her skin had thickened considerably, and two strange red patches had appeared on her cheeks, making her look ten years older.
However, as the sun was about to set, walking across the endless grassland was a rare and expansive experience. She had recently developed a new habit: going horseback riding with He Zhuo in the evenings. The evening breeze was warm with a hint of coolness. Leaning on their horses, they galloped to Sayram Lake, its waters as blue as the clear sky. Sitting by the lake for a while, enjoying the breeze and chatting, was indescribably pleasant.
That night, a rare gentle breeze blew. He Zhuo had already run to Qiu Su's tent and conjured up a blood-dripping lamb leg like a precious treasure. This startled Qiu Su so much that she spit water out of her nose and her eyelids twitched in pain.
He Zhuo casually tossed the lamb leg onto a wooden shelf beside him, sat down next to Qiu Su in a fawning manner, shrugged, and chuckled twice, saying, "Su Su, how about stewed lamb for dinner?"
Qiu Su rubbed her nose, coughed, and said, "You did this on purpose. I've been feeling hot lately."
It's true, Qiu Su, who never showed her temper, now had a purplish-black scab between her nose and lips. It wasn't from a fall; it was definitely from internal heat. Every time Qiu Su looked in the mirror, she wanted to pick it off, and as she did, the scab, quite cooperatively, grew larger and larger. By the time she finally realized she had to let it heal and fall off naturally, what was originally a small, bean-sized bump had grown into a plump peanut, nestled like a silkworm cocoon under her nose.
Alas, her appearance is ruined. The scar on her forehead was already something she couldn't forget, and now there's also a strange, tiny plaster on her skin.
He Zhuo raised his hand to press the scab under her nose, frowning as he asked, "Why are you getting more and more irritable?"
Qiu Su glanced sideways. Who was it that brought back mutton every few days? And yet, they didn't get scolded by General Qin. How strange.
Strangely enough, Qiu Su entered the camp disguised as a man. General Qin, seeing her military insignia, used the excuse of recuperating from her injuries to assign her to work with an old doctor in the army, without letting her participate in the daily morning weightlifting exercises. Qiu Su sometimes wondered, as a doctor's assistant, not only did she eat and live well, but she had also become increasingly lazy and gluttonous over the past year. She wondered if, in the event of war, she would be beheaded before even drawing her sword.
But then I thought, it would be foolish not to enjoy it if I could. Besides, in the military camp, how would I get through those few days each month if I didn't have my own tent? How would I change clothes? How would I take a bath?
General Qin's strict discipline seemed to hint at the extraordinary nature of Qiu Su. In any case, the people in the camp didn't make things difficult for her. However, He Zhuo would always run to the old doctor's pharmacy after training and liked to stay in Qiu Su's tent at night. Ironically, He Zhuo's skin hadn't changed much, whether from some precious concoction or some kind of magical elixir; among the rough-skinned men, he was practically a handsome young man. Qiu Su, on the other hand, had transformed from a fair-skinned beauty into a dark, muddy mess. Thus, some people, many people, said that the noblewoman General Qin had invited was a homosexual, and that the valiant and skilled military commander was willing to lie beneath another.
He Zhuo was quite amused by the rumor, and he started running to Qiu Su's tent even more frequently, sometimes even sleeping there late at night. Qiu Su chased him away many times, hitting and scolding him, even dragging him out by the ear, but the more she did it, the happier he seemed. Eventually, Qiu Su just pretended not to see and let him sleep in the tent. He Zhuo was very considerate and never overstepped his bounds, always sleeping quietly at the tent entrance at night. It wasn't so much that he was taking advantage of her, but rather that he was guarding the entrance with Xiao Qiu, the wolf with the tuft of gray fur around its neck.
Oh, the Mountain Lord is a snow wolf, but he's never seen another of his kind since he was a child, so he learned to bark from dogs. Xiao Qiu, having run wild on the grasslands, has acquired a bit of wildness. She's as beautiful as the Mountain Lord, but when angered, she's even more ferocious. She doesn't bark loudly, usually remaining silent, but when unhappy, she'll whimper softly, and if she's really upset, she'll howl fiercely, practically becoming the leader of the Yibei Camp.
Speaking of Xiao Qiu, it's necessary to mention the Mountain Lord and Huang Tao, whom he didn't receive from Xiao Shunzi. Xiao Shunzi couldn't quite explain how the people and dogs disappeared, but he was fairly certain that Pei Yuan had quietly taken them away first. Later, alas, Xiao Shunzi returned to the palace with bruises in his eyes.
Seeing Qiu Su staring at him intently, He Zhuo felt a surge of inexplicable emotions. He blushed slightly and covered her eyes, saying, "What's wrong with you now? I have something painted on my face!"
Qiu Su brushed his hand away, squinted her eyes and said, "You're stealing food!"
"Tch." He Zhuo raised an eyebrow dismissively. "Is that necessary?"
"How come you're still so fair-skinned?" Qiu Su poked He Zhuo's cheek with her finger, then touched her own face, which had become much rougher, and sighed with a bitter expression.
This time, He Zhuo was genuinely annoyed, and he snorted heavily, saying, "You know what it means to be born that way!"
Qiu Su nodded, "Natural beauty is hard to hide, no wonder you were so arrogant on Qingyuan Mountain."
He Zhuo felt a lump in his throat, reached out and pulled up Qiu Su's sleeve to look at her arm, which was a completely different color but much darker than before, and said, "Aren't you fair-skinned too? It's just that you haven't been in the sun this much, so you've gotten darker for a while."
Qiu Su pouted, pulled up her sleeves, and rested her chin on her hand, looking somewhat troubled. Having grown accustomed to the old doctor's leisurely lifestyle, she could only worry about these trivial matters. As for the things that were about to happen and were bound to happen, she'd worry about them when they came.
He Zhuo touched his nose and said, "Don't want to eat meat anymore? I asked the herdsmen, and they said that stewing it with old ginger can reduce internal heat."
"Was it from eating mutton?" Qiu Su frowned as she looked at the top of the tent. "Why did it suddenly turn this color?"
He Zhuo's lips twitched. He thought that the old doctor was really patient, always taking Qiu Su's pulse from time to time and then making her drink all sorts of tonics. Those medicines must be good for her, but her skin was getting darker day by day. Well, that's fine too. She doesn't have to pretend to be a man anymore and she looks more like one, which makes her a bit safer in this army camp full of thousands of men.
He Zhuo glared at Xiao Qiu, who was sniffing the lamb leg and preparing to take a bite. Xiao Qiu snorted and ran to Qiu Su's side, snuggling into her arms.
It's quite shrewd, seeing things clearly. Ever since Qiu Su came to the military camp, its master hasn't been as attentive to it. Before, it took it everywhere, even cuddling it at night, but now it receives far less treatment. Fortunately, the woman who's been resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought, still seems to care for it, often scratching its neck and talking to herself.
He Zhuo glanced at Qiu Su, who had shifted her attention to Xiao Qiu and started scratching its neck again, and stood up with a smile, saying, "I'll go stew it. Let's eat it like this tonight. I'll go ask for some more mung beans in a couple of days."
Qiu Su's ten fingers moved quickly, and Xiao Qiu squinted her eyes and hummed comfortably.
"Don't run anymore. It's so far, it takes two hours to go back and forth. You still have to train the troops during the day."
"It's settled then. I'll have Tara help me find some, and I'll go get it in a couple of days." He Zhuo glanced at Qiu Su, whose eyelids were drooping and whose lips were curled up, bit his lip, and then picked up the lamb leg and left the tent.
He Zhuo knew that the child's death had been a devastating blow to her. He had rushed back to Southern Xinjiang with great difficulty, but hadn't seen her until almost half a year later when he finally saw her entering the camp with Ivan. That encounter was unforgettable for He Zhuo. She smiled at him, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, and he still remembered her first words.
She said, "He Zhuo, you've grown taller."
That night, after settling her down to sleep, He Zhuo wandered around outside the camp for a long time. Finally, he lay down in the grass and burst into tears, like a child. He Zhuo told himself that he would never let her leave again, and he would never let her suffer any more grievances. Fortunately, everything was alright, and she gradually recovered. Now, apart from occasionally being a little more withdrawn than before, everything is fine.
That's good. They're all still alive, able to breathe air and see the sun. They can talk, laugh, and eat—that's good. Nothing could be better. He Zhuo thought that after doing what he needed to do, he would take her back to Qingyuan Mountain, and everything would be back to square one.
Author's Note: Hehe, moving on to the next part, but it's all about the manuscript! My fingers are wrung out!
47
47. Excellent tactics...
Qiu Su wasn't always bored out of her mind; occasionally, she would still feel a lot of pressure accompanying General Qin on inspections of the military camp.
Perhaps seeing that she had transformed from a frail, delicate woman into a dark-skinned, robust mountain woman, General Qin began to intentionally or unintentionally take her to walk around the actual military camp. It was only when she stood in front of the dense crowd that Qiu Su began to have a slight sense that she had entered the military camp.
"Major General Ji." In front of all the soldiers, General Qin bowed to Qiu Su with his hands clasped and his head bowed. Qiu Su subconsciously wanted to jump away, but thinking of her identity and her identity as someone who was about to incite a rebellion, she forced herself to accept his bow.
The soldiers below were also somewhat stunned, clearly not understanding why the general was being so respectful to someone with a boil on his mouth. Ivan, standing to the side, chuckled and gestured to the soldiers below, saying, "Sister, look at He Zhuo, he still looks quite respectable even in armor."
Qiu Su was speechless. What does "looking presentable" even mean? He was already looking presentable. Actually, Ivan's mouth was quite sharp. Ever since He Zhuo forbade him from sticking to Qiu Su, they'd been disliking each other. But Qiu Su didn't care. At Ivan's age, if you told him to go east, he'd go west. If He Zhuo hadn't scolded him, he probably would have already found something interesting to distract himself. Besides, he seemed to genuinely treat her like his own sister. Whether it was psychological or not, Qiu Su found him increasingly endearing. She'd told He Zhuo this, and He Zhuo rolled his eyes, scoffed, and even went to fight with Ivan.
Qiu Su looked at a small detachment of troops on her right, then at He Zhuo standing at the front, met his smiling eyes, pursed her lips, and turned away.
General Qin turned around and said loudly, "Soldiers, do you still remember General Ji?"