Chapter 37

Huo Xu turned and closed the window, and the room immediately became warmer.
“You’re not afraid of catching a cold with the window wide open.”
Tao Yu took off the soft hat from his head. He touched the fluffy seam, raised his face, and said, “Little Rabbit, where did you get this?”
“I saw it in town this afternoon and bought one on the way.”
Tao Yu happily hugged the hat to his chest upon hearing this.
Huo Xu’s gaze softened considerably when he saw him liking it. “You left me a note asking me to come. Was there something you wanted to say?” Tao Yu saw the fine water droplets on Huo Xu’s hair and clothes. He took out a cloth and moved the charcoal basin closer to him, then poured a cup of hot water.
Huo Xu looked at the figure busy inside the room but not answering, and said, “Is there anything you lack?”
“Wipe it.”
Tao Yu handed him the cloth.
“It’s just a little rain, it doesn’t matter.”
“You’re young and strong now, so you can damage your body as you please. You’ll regret it later.”
Huo Xu took the cloth and said, “Since you care about my health, why did you ask me to come in the rain at this hour?”
Tao Yu pursed his lips when he heard this and said unhappily, “If you don’t want to come, then don’t come.”
Seeing the pouting person, Huo Xu couldn’t help but reach out and poke his fair face. The moment his fingertip touched it, it was as soft as he had imagined.
Tao Yu pushed Huo Xu’s hand away.
“I don’t dislike it, I was just teasing you.”
“You know I haven’t seen you for days, yet you say such annoying things.”
Tao Yu pouted. It seemed he was the only one who cared.
Huo Xu saw the person who had turned his face away and moved closer. “Don’t be angry, didn’t I buy you a hat?”
Tao Yu glanced at the little rabbit in his arms and couldn’t help but stroke the soft short rabbit fur again.
“Then~ then you take me to town tomorrow.”
Huo Xu’s brow twitched. “What are you going to town for?”
“They say there’s banditry outside, and I haven’t been to town for a long time. Besides, Mother said she wouldn’t have time to sew the wedding dress herself, so I need to go to the cloth shop in town. If I go directly, I can measure myself and choose the fabric.”
Tao Yu looked at Huo Xu. “Is yours ready?”
“No.”
Huo Xu looked at the younger brother who was acting spoiled and said, “Then let’s go to the Ten Mile Cloth Shop, and we can also inform Wu Lianhe about our marriage.”
Tao Yu was delighted when Huo Xu agreed.
“What time tomorrow, where shall we meet?”
Huo Xu looked at the sound of rain hitting the windowpane, wondering if it would rain tomorrow.
“I’ll come pick you up tomorrow morning.”
Tao Yu’s eyes narrowed when he heard this.
Before dawn the next day, Tao Yu took out a warm hot water bottle. When the bed became cold, he gritted his teeth and got out of bed.
After washing his face and hands, he rummaged through the chests and drawers, looking through all his winter clothes. He picked out an outfit that he was somewhat satisfied with and then fiddled with his hair at the dressing table.
Finally, he tied on his cloak and realized his clothes were chosen in vain.
Seeing this, Tao Yu turned in front of the bronze mirror and took off his cloak.
By the time he was ready and walked out of the room, the sky had already brightened.
It hadn’t rained that morning, but the sky was still shrouded in a layer of gray mist, not very clear.
Huang Manjing, holding breakfast, saw the younger brother in a light-colored coat the color of clouds and water, his hair neatly tied up, and he was even wearing a jade hairpin.
She stared blankly for a moment. “Why are you so dressed up at home today?”
Tao Yu rushed over, took a plate of breakfast from Huang Manjing’s hand, and walked into the main hall. “Eat, eat.”
Huang Manjing shook her head and called Ji Yangzong to eat breakfast with them.
Early in the morning, Da Niu, carrying two steamed buns, was called by Ji Yangzong to the neighboring village to order chickens and ducks for the banquet.
The family of three sat at the table, each with their own thoughts.
Huang Manjing was thinking about what else was missing from Tao Yu’s dowry and how to prepare it.
Ji Yangzong was planning how many dishes there would be at the banquet and where to purchase the livestock.
Just as they were lost in their thoughts, there was a sudden knock on the door.
“Who is it, so early in the morning?”
Ji Yangzong put down the steamed bun in his hand, got up to check, and saw a tail following him.
He was about to tell him to eat properly when he saw Huo Xu in the courtyard.
Ji Yangzong said kindly, “Why have you come? Is there something you need?”
“I’m here to take Tao Yu to town to get wedding clothes.”
Before Ji Yangzong could say whether it was okay or not, Tao Yu turned and ran back into the room. “I’ll be right there, I’ll get my cloak and come.”
Ji Yangzong coughed dryly and said to Huo Xu, “Come in and have some breakfast.”
“I’ve already eaten.”
In a moment, Tao Yu ran back with his cloak, darted from behind his father to Huo Xu. “I’ll be back after I measure myself at the cloth shop.”
Huang Manjing followed out and saw that the two seemed to have not spent much time together, yet they were intimate.
Ji Yangzong waved his hand when he saw this. “Go early and come back early.”
After watching the two leave, Huang Manjing said, “You actually expected Little Tao to go out with him, aren’t you afraid people in the village will gossip?”
“What’s there to gossip about? I’m afraid they won’t gossip. Not to mention they are already engaged, and the banquet is on the eighth, which is less than a month away. I don’t believe Huo Xu will go back on his word like the You family.”
Huang Manjing thought about it and didn’t say anything more. The two turned back into the house together.
“I said you were dressed up this morning, and it turns out you were going to town with Huo Xu.”
“But then again, how did he know Huo Xu was coming to pick him up?”
“This child…”
After leaving the Ji family’s door, Huo Xu looked at the younger brother in front of him, dressed in a light-colored coat, and reached out to take his hand.
Tao Yu suddenly turned around. “What’s wrong?”
Huo Xu took the cloak from his hand and bent down slightly to tie it for him. “It’s a bit cold outside, put it on.”
Tao Yu didn’t move around anymore upon hearing this, letting Huo Xu drape the cloak over him. His rough hands tied an unskillful knot at his neck.
Huo Xu gently patted the cloak, which was darker than his coat, and put the hat on Tao Yu.
“It’s been raining for a few days, and the road is muddy. Let’s ride horses.”
Tao Yu’s heart suddenly fluttered when he heard this. “But, but I don’t know how to ride yet.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
After Huo Xu finished speaking, he pulled the big black colt by the door and checked the saddle.
Tao Yu was a little unhappy seeing that he had to ride the horse, but he had no choice. He still had to slowly approach the big black colt.
Just as he was about to lift his foot to climb up, his waist tightened. He turned his head to look at Huo Xu, and he had already been placed on the horse.
Tao Yu was on a strong, living creature, and he immediately tensed up again. He fumbled, not knowing whether to grab the reins first or the handle on the saddle.
His small face turned pale. A gust of wind brushed past his cheek, and then a heavy mountain wall pressed against him from behind, stabilizing him.
Tao Yu looked back and met Huo Xu’s slightly stubbled chin. He blinked, his heart pounding.
Huo Xu reached out and held the reins. His arm was only slightly raised, hanging loosely to one side, and Tao Yu was completely enveloped in his body. From front to back, one could not see that there was someone in front.
Only when facing him could one see the younger brother who was a little more than a head shorter than Huo Xu.
Huo Xu drove the horse forward, lowering his gaze to look at the younger brother with tightly pursed lips and innocent, wide eyes looking directly at him. “Are you still scared?”
Tao Yu felt that even if he let go of the hand holding the saddle, he would be as stable as lying in his own bed.
However: “This way is not good, is it?”
“It’s not bad. Next month you’ll be sleeping in the same bed. What’s the big deal about riding a horse together now?”
Tao Yu’s face suddenly turned red. “Who, who wants to sleep in the same bed with you.”
Huo Xu looked ahead. “If you’re not sleeping with me, why do you want to marry me?”
Tao Yu’s eyes widened at this retort.
It sounded as if he was taking advantage of her, as if he was the one getting the better deal.
He silently moved forward a bit to express his dissatisfaction.
As soon as his butt moved forward a little, a hand encircled his waist and pulled him back.
Tao Yu moved his eyes. “Father said you prepared a lot of betrothal gifts. Where did you get so much money?”
“You’re already thinking about managing my money before we’re even married.”
Tao Yu glared back at Huo Xu. “Who wants to manage your money? After we get married, we’ll each spend our own money!”
Huo Xu withdrew his gaze and looked at the younger brother. “Are you sure?”
Tao Yu immediately thought about his expenses. If he didn’t have cravings, then… maybe he wouldn’t spend much money.
Even if it wasn’t enough, since he had already said it, he could only straighten his back and nod through gritted teeth.
“Then don’t go back and complain that I treat you badly and don’t give you money.”
“It’s a matter between two people, I, I won’t complain.”
Huo Xu’s eyes held a smile. As they entered the official road and passed through the forest, the wind grew stronger. He held the person in his arms even tighter, bent his body slightly, and rested his chin on Tao Yu’s shoulder.
Tao Yu sensed Huo Xu’s closeness, sat up straight, and looked at the misty front, not daring to move at all, his face flushing deeply.
He felt that although Huo Xu always had a stern and fierce cold face, his body was very warm. He didn’t feel cold riding the horse huddled here.
Although his body was warm, his heart was a little cold. It was one thing that Huo Xu didn’t let him manage his money, but he actually agreed to spend their own money after marriage. What a heartless man.
After marriage, he wouldn’t be able to ask his parents for money anymore, so he could only make more medicinal creams himself and sell them in town to earn some pocket money.
Thinking that his life after marriage would be even more miserable than before marriage, he felt too pitiful.
Tao Yu was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “Then I won’t cook for you either.”
“We’ll each cook our own.”
Huo Xu said, “Then do you want to sleep separately too?”
Tao Yu was stunned. If it were like this, it would be like not getting married at all.
But since he was going to be so clear with him, could he blame him?
He straightened his back again. “But…”
Before he could finish speaking, Huo Xu suddenly took off his money purse. “Take the money, what I said earlier doesn’t count.”
Tao Yu’s eyes lifted. Oh? He was going back on his word again?
He took the purse, smiled, and pursed his lips. However, this purse wasn’t big either, and it didn’t feel heavy when he weighed it.
Tao Yu was curious about Huo Xu’s net worth. Leaning on the person behind him, he quickly opened the purse. But at a glance, he immediately closed it and looked at Huo Xu incredulously.
“You, how do you have so much money!”
Although the purse was not heavy, it contained not copper coins or silver, but gold nuggets!
One tael of silver could be exchanged for a thousand copper coins, but one tael of gold could be exchanged for ten taels of silver.
There were at least five or six taels of gold here!
Tao Yu narrowed his eyes. This person could really hide things. He always appeared unkempt and always said he had no money, but he was very good at disguising himself.
“This should be enough for you to spend for a while. There’s no need for us to cook separately.”
Tao Yu transferred the purse and hung it on his waist, his eyes full of cunning.
He still didn’t seem very willing. “Since you say so, then fine.”
Huo Xu watched the younger brother’s actions, a smile flashing in his eyes.
They didn’t encounter many people along the way. Even if they did, Tao Yu was wrapped entirely in his cloak, only revealing a pair of eyes.
Others could not recognize who it was, and with Huo Xu standing behind with a face colder than the winter wind, no one dared to crane their necks to look.
As they reached the city gate, they saw a crowd gathered outside.
Huo Xu dismounted and helped Tao Yu down.
They walked forward together and found that a notice had been posted at the city gate.
The banditry in Tongzhou City had finally been brought to justice after more than a month of pursuit by the authorities.
However, not all of them were apprehended; some had already fled Tongzhou City. Patrols and defenses at the border had been increased, and for the time being, they were no longer a threat.
Along with the captured fugitives, a considerable amount of property had been recovered, allowing citizens who had lost belongings to claim them from the authorities.
Everyone discussed the news, saying that they could have a peaceful New Year.
“I wonder if the grain from Fan Village has been recovered.”
Tao Yu said, shrinking his neck. A bystander who was watching the excitement chimed in, “Those bandits ate three meals a day, so they had to eat grain. I heard that the government only recovered half of the grain, and the rest was made up by the people of Fan Village.”
Tao Yu frowned upon hearing this. Half of the two hundred piculs of grain was not a small amount. Fan Village was truly unlucky.
The notice was posted at the city gate. With the large flow of people coming and going, the news quickly spread to the nearby villages.
For a time, the silent villages seemed to have regained some vitality, and the city seemed a little more lively than usual.
The two headed straight to the Ten Mile Cloth Shop after looking at the notice. Tao Yu, who hadn’t been to town for a long time, felt a little unaccustomed to seeing the throng of people.
He leaned closer to Huo Xu’s side and tentatively reached out to touch the back of his hand.
Huo Xu felt the warmth of the back of his hand, lowered his gaze to glance at the younger brother whose ear tips were a little red, and then casually took Tao Yu’s hand, clasping it in his palm.
Tao Yu looked up at Huo Xu, unable to suppress the smile at the corners of his eyes and mouth. He also grabbed his arm with his other hand, feeling overjoyed in his heart.
Perhaps the news in the city was faster, and they knew that the banditry had already subsided. The cloth shop was also more crowded.
The two asked a shop assistant to deliver a message to Wu Lianhe and waited for her in the warm pavilion.
“Married?!”
Wu Lianhe was both surprised and delighted to receive the news. It was unexpected, but she felt it was within reason.
Tao Yu said a little shyly, “We came today to measure for wedding clothes and to inform Sister Wu San.”
“This is great news!”
Wu Lianhe said excitedly, “When is the banquet? I don’t know if I can make it. If I can’t help with anything else, how about I make your wedding clothes? It’ll be a token of my affection.”
“Okay!”
Tao Yu quickly agreed and then looked at Huo Xu. “Is it okay?”
Huo Xu also nodded.
Wu Lianhe saw that Huo Xu was stern and cold, but he was obedient to Tao Yu.
“Then let’s go choose the fabric. The previous banditry caused a lot of commotion, and even the business in the cloth shops wasn’t very good. Now that the authorities have posted a notice, the shopkeeper has taken out the best fabrics from the back. You came early, so you have more styles to choose from.”
Tao Yu was very excited. The two were about to go choose the fabric when Tao Yu suddenly turned back and found Huo Xu still standing by the side. “Let’s go.”
Huo Xu really didn’t know much about these things. Besides the color and thickness, he couldn’t tell much difference, so he said, “You go ahead.”
Tao Yu pouted. He really was a boor who couldn’t appreciate the finer things.
He stepped forward and patted his purse, whispering to Huo Xu, “If you don’t watch me, I’ll spend your money recklessly.”
Huo Xu raised his eyebrows. “Spend it recklessly, and you’ll eat coarse grains and vegetables later.”
Tao Yu narrowed his eyes.
“You guys go ahead. I’ll go out and pick a bow and arrow for Zhao Pan. I originally said I’d make one for him myself, but I didn’t have time to get the materials when I got back.”
Tao Yu heard this and replied, “Then I’ll wait for you at the cloth shop.”
Wu Lianhe didn’t know what they were whispering about at the door. When Tao Yu came alone:
“Let’s go choose. He can’t choose.”
Wu Lianhe chuckled. “Men are generally like this.”
Huo Xu went out of the cloth shop to find a bow and arrow shop. There weren’t many shops in Tongzhou City that specialized in selling bows and arrows. Most of them were sold along with knives and saddles. Unlike the northern regions where one could find a bow and arrow shop every three to five steps.
The largest bow shop in the city was called Ju’anfang. It had a complete range of styles and was luxuriously decorated. The young scions of officials and nobles in the city loved to browse there.
Hunters often came and went outside.
As soon as Huo Xu entered, a shop assistant came to greet him. He waved his hand to the assistant, telling him to mind his own business. He didn’t need an introduction; he knew the quality of bows and arrows.
For beginners like Zhao Pan, who were just starting to learn archery, they didn’t need very good bows and arrows, as long as they were handy.
He quickly selected a few bows and tested their string tension. Huo Xu felt a pair of eyes watching him from behind.
He said nothing, put down the bow, and went upstairs, sure that the gaze had followed him.
Huo Xu picked up a bamboo branch without an arrowhead, placed it on the bowstring, and suddenly turned around and shot it towards the gaze.
With a swish, the bamboo branch flew past his face and stuck into the target.
“Captain Huo! It’s really you!”
The person who was almost hit looked at the bamboo branch stuck in the target next to him. He was not angry but his eyes shone with excitement. “Your archery is still as good as ever!”
Huo Xu looked at the young man with delicate eyebrows but a dark complexion from the sun, estimating him to be in his early twenties.
Judging by his address, he was someone he knew, but he had no impression of this person.
“Who are you?”
The man happily ran forward and quickly introduced himself, saying:
“My name is Ge Liang. I am from Hongli Village, below Tongzhou City. Six years ago, I enlisted and went to the northern border.”
Huo Xu heard this and, as expected, he was indeed a soldier from the northern region.
He lowered his guard and asked, “Which camp?”
“I am from the Fourth Battalion under Deputy General Ma.”
“How do you recognize me?”
There were tens of thousands of soldiers in the army. After reaching the front line, there were not many familiar faces left.
Huo Xu was also under Deputy General Ma at the time, but he was in the Third Battalion. Although they were close to the Fourth Battalion, each battalion had over a thousand people, and their daily training and living arrangements were separate.
Therefore, even if two battalions were adjacent, they might not know each other.
Ge Liang scratched his head, a little embarrassed to say, “Captain Huo may not remember me anymore, but we have met before.”
A few years ago, Ge Liang was recruited into the army. New recruits were always bullied, and because he was thin and weak, he was even more suppressed.
After a few months in the army, he had barely eaten a full meal, and his training was also poor. But he was unlucky enough to encounter fighting on the front line.
A new recruit like him, with no background and no support, was directly pushed to the front line to die.
Coincidentally, when the Third Battalion suffered heavy casualties, Huo Xu, who was already a veteran soldier, came down from the front line to recruit people from the Fourth Battalion. Seeing him looking frail and weak, he directly asked to test his archery and horsemanship. Seeing that both his horsemanship and archery were poor, he scolded the person who was about to send him to death and directly replaced him.
Later, he was transferred to the logistics and cooking department, saving his life.
The former Ge Liang was also surprised. Huo Xu was just a veteran soldier in the Third Battalion. He was only in charge of a dozen or so people. How could he go to the Fourth Battalion to recruit people and scold the other veteran soldiers? The veteran soldiers there were also as timid as quails and dared not talk back, but they listened to him.
The veteran soldier then told him that Huo Xu had not only been in the camp for many years but was also born in the northern region and was brave and skilled in combat. Although he was just a veteran soldier, his horsemanship and archery were first-class, no less than that of the generals above him.
He had a bad temper and a cold personality, and he didn’t like to curry favor, so he couldn’t get promoted.
The people above liked those who were flattering and obsequious, but the battlefield ultimately needed someone like Huo Xu who was good at fighting. Although they didn’t give him power, they had to win him over.
The subordinates naturally dared not provoke him. If it reached the higher-ups, the higher-ups would definitely favor those who could fight for them.
Ge Liang said, “After this incident, they all thought that Captain Huo and I were old acquaintances, and they never dared to make trouble again. I spent a few years in the cooking department, not only rarely going to the front line but also being flattered by other soldiers. I was able to survive the war and return home entirely thanks to Captain Huo’s protection.”
“I’ve always wanted to thank him in person, but unfortunately, my abilities were limited. It was not allowed to move around casually in the army, so I never had the chance to see Captain Huo again. I could only hear snippets that you had been promoted to captain. I never expected to meet you in Tongzhou after the war.”
Huo Xu nodded slightly upon hearing Ge Liang’s words.
“Your horsemanship and archery were indeed too poor back then. If I chose people who were too bad to go to the front line, I wouldn’t get much help. It was fine for new recruits to die, and I wouldn’t get much benefit either. You don’t need to worry about it at all.”
Ge Liang heard this and laughed instead of being annoyed. He really did speak as unpleasantly as he remembered.
“But whether it was a misunderstanding or not, the reason I could return to Tongzhou was also because of Captain Huo.”
Huo Xu nodded slightly. “It’s good that you’re alive.”
Ge Liang asked, “Why didn’t Captain Huo return to the capital with the army to receive rewards? Why are you in Tongzhou?”
Since they were old acquaintances and had some camaraderie, Huo Xu briefly told Ge Liang the reason for his coming to Tongzhou.
Ge Liang was also saddened to learn of Zhao Changsui’s death. It turned out they were fellow villagers, but they didn’t recognize each other in the army.
He was already fortunate among the unfortunate.
Now that he had left the northern region, Huo Xu didn’t want to dwell on the past. He now had someone he wanted to protect with his life, and he had expectations for the future.
“I’m in Mingxun Village now. I’m getting married on the eighth of next month. You can come for a wedding toast if you have time.”
Ge Liang’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. “Captain Huo is settling down in Tongzhou, that’s great! Mingxun Village couldn’t be closer to our village!”
“May I be so bold as to ask, which family has the good fortune?”
“The village chief Ji’s family.”
Ge Liang’s eyes widened even further. “It’s the Ji family’s younger brother!”