In fact, even Zhong Yuehong didn’t know the true origins of this woman.

About fourteen years ago, Yu Dali suddenly brought her to settle at the border, claiming that she was his cousin named Mu Mu. 

He and Zhong Yuehong were old acquaintances, and she had never heard of a cousin who was such a beautiful woman. Under her repeated questioning, Yu Dali whispered: “My lord entrusted me to tell you just to take care of her and don’t inquire about other things.”

Only then did Zhong Yuehong realize that this was Zhao Yelan’s arrangement. She didn’t ask any more questions, and only regarded her as Yu Dali’s cousin and took good care of her.

When she first arrived, this cousin seemed as if she had lost her soul. She didn’t eat or sleep, and just stared at the sky all day long like the walking dead. Occasionally, she would silently stare at the knife in the kitchen. Fortunately, Yu Dali followed her at all times, and she was not allowed to touch sharp objects, let alone run around.

Later, the situation gradually improved. This person became more cognizant, but her brain didn’t work well, and it was often said that she had forgotten a lot of things. 

Zhong Yuehong persuaded her that since she couldn’t remember things, then not to think about them, and just live a good life.

“Cousin.” Standing by the desk, Gu Niaoniao called Yu Dali first, then looked at Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting. “There are guests?”

“Yes, ah.” Yu Dali smiled, and then whispered to Zhao Yelan, “She may not remember you.”

Zhao Yelan nodded. His expression darkened for a moment, but then he thought that it would be good to forget. Those past events would have disappeared due to the side effects of the fake death medicine.

“I’ll go and pour tea for them.” Gu Niaoniao put down her brush, and Zhao Yelan said: “No need to take the trouble, you can continue to write. Aren’t you in a hurry to sell it?”

Gu Niaoniao hesitated, and looked at them with some embarrassment.

Yu Dali saw that his lord had spoken, and said: “Yes, you are busy with your work. I will entertain them.”

“All right. I hope everyone will forgive me for my lack of hospitality.” Gu Niaoniao nodded, picked up the brush again, and buried her head in serious writing.

The group retreated to the main room, and Yu Dali said in a low voice: “Her situation has improved in the past few years, and she makes a living by selling calligraphy paintings. There are also fruits and vegetables that she grows in the backyard. The children in the neighborhood like to come to her to study, so I plan to open a private school for her and let her be a teacher.”

“Very well, I will pay for the cost of running the private school,” Zhao Yelan said.

Yu Dali: “My Lord need not be bothered with this. The two of us have saved some money over the years. We’ll start with a simple one, so that the children can read and study, and she can have something to do.”

“This cannot be done. It is a matter of enlightenment and wisdom, and you cannot act carelessly.” 

Zhao Yelan glanced at Yan Mingting, who took out a money bag and tossed it on the table. The sound made it clear that it was not a small amount. “This is it. I hope you can teach an Imperial Examination champion in this small town here.”

Yu Dali couldn’t refuse, so he could only promise that he would handle this matter well.

After a while, Zhao Yelan entered the study alone. He came to the desk and looked down at Gu Niaoniao’s writing, discussing it with her from time to time.

Turning his head, he glanced at Gu Niaoniao’s serious profile. The scar on her face was no longer ferocious. Just like her handwriting, it was a swipe of a brush on clean rice paper.

He sometimes thought that when Gu Niaoniao woke up and found that she was still alive, perhaps she would blame him for using the fake death medicine on her without authorization.

But now, seeing that the other party was living a simple life, he was very relieved. Perhaps she resented him, but Zhao Yelan didn’t regret it. Even if it happened again, he would still choose to save her.

He asked casually: “Are there many people who buy your calligraphy paintings?”

“En.” Gu Niaoniao nodded and turned to look at him. Her smile was not as teasing as before, but a sincere, childlike smile. “In the beginning, no one came to buy them, but a young master took a fancy to them, and kept coming to buy more. Since then, I have to write and write.”

“Is that young master good-looking? Does he like you?”

Gu Niaoniao shook her head: “He said he bought them for someone else. He has a friend who likes my handwriting very much, and will buy as much as I write. But when I asked him who his friend was, he never told me.”

The corners of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched, and he asked again: “How is the weather here?”

“There is often blowing sand, and water is commonly scarce. The sun is so hot that people get tanned.”

“Have you considered moving away with your cousin? How about living in the South?”

“I won’t go. I’m familiar with this place. The neighbors are very kind to us, and my friends from my cousin’s military camp often come to help with the work. Although it is a bit difficult, such days are good.”

“That’s great.”

“It’s time for me to pick vegetables. Do you want to go together?” Gu Niaoniao asked.

“Yes, ah.”

When the two came to the backyard, Gu Niaoniao crouched on the ground with a basket to pick some tomatoes. She handed him the reddest, largest one and asked him if he wanted to eat one to quench his thirst.

Zhao Yelan had just stretched out his hand, but the other party suddenly withdrew her hand and turned around to walk to the side: “This one is too dirty. I’ll wash it for you first.”

Zhao Yelan’s eyes dimmed slightly. Looking at her cheerful back, he suddenly called out: “Gu Niaoniao.”

Gu Niaoniao stopped and turned her head: “Are you calling for me? Have you mistaken me for someone?”

Zhao Yelan asked: “We’ve been getting along for a while, why haven’t you asked my name?”

“Look at me, I was so busy that I forgot to ask. What is your name?”

“Zhao Mengting. My name is Zhao Menting.”

“It is an honor to meet you, Zhao Mengting.” Gu Niaoniao smiled. “My name is Mu Mu.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Zhao Yelan smiled slightly.

Dinner was eaten with Yu Dali’s family. Yu Dali was busy alone in the kitchen, and Zhong Yuehong went to help.

Gu Niaoniao washed the tomatoes and handed them to Zhao Yelan, asking Yan Mingting: “Hello, what should I call you?”

Yan Mingting said: “You can just call me Chivalrous Hero Yan.”

“Cough, cough.” Zhao Yelan was biting into a tomato, and suddenly coughed twice. Juice flowed out from the corner of his mouth. Yan Mingting wiped it with his fingertips and asked: “What, do you have an opinion?”

Zhao Yelan rolled his eyes and walked aside to eat the tomato.

“Okay, Chivalrous Hero Yan.” Gu Niaoniao smiled lightly. “I heard from my cousin that the two of you have been married for more than ten years?”

“Yes, ah.”

“Is it going well?”

“Very well. He listens to me a lot and takes care of me all the time. Not long ago, he even brought me water to wash my feet,” Yan Mingting said proudly.

Zhao Yelan glanced back at him and took a vicious bite of tomato: “What are you daydreaming about, why don’t you hurry and help out in the kitchen?”

Yan Mingting: “Aren’t the two of them cooking?”

“I want to eat steamed buns.”

“It has to be my buns. See? He relies on me every day.” After Yan Mingting finished bragging to Gu Niaoniao, he walked into the kitchen with pride.

Gu Niaoniao laughed: “He’s really interesting. You must be very happy every day when you’re with him.”

Zhao Yelan gave a hum and laughed as well.

After dinner, Zhong Yuehong’s husband and children also came over, and everyone sat in the courtyard, gazing at the stars and chatting about daily trivialities.

The next day, Yan Mingting took Zhao Yelan to the military camp.

The moment the soldiers saw Yan Mingting, they immediately rushed up. Some of them knew Zhao Yelan, but there were many others who had heard him mentioned but never seen him.

“Is this Zhao-daren?” After greeting Yan Mingting, everyone looked at the person next to him eagerly. They couldn’t tell his age at all. Wearing reddish-purple robes, he had his hair half tied up, and there was a jade pendant at his slender waist. His appearance was impeccable, his skin very white, which really made their group of tanned people a little ashamed. It was hard to imagine that such a gentle and good-looking person had been the regent for ten years.

“We’ve heard Lieutenant General Zhong say that Zhao-daren was good-looking. I thought it was a joke, but didn’t expect him to really look that good!”

“Of course.” Yan Mingting felt honored by extension, and put his arm around Zhao Yelan’s shoulders, introducing him ceremonially to everyone. “Come, recognize him. This is the general’s wife, so be polite when you see him, do you hear me?”

“We hear you!!”

Zhao Yelan suddenly smiled, which gave rise to the amazement of others. In less than a stick of incense time, the entire military camp heard that the General was coming with his wife, who was good-looking.

Others rushed over one after another, and the big tent was crowded with people.

Yan Mingting knew that he didn’t like noise, so he finished visiting the big tent, he squeezed through the crowd and led him out, jumped on a horse, and took him away first.

Although the border conditions were a bit difficult, there was also good scenery. Yan Mingting took him to the desert, and Zhao Yelan was shocked by the sight before him.

Looking around, it seemed as if the whole world had turned brownish-yellow. The entire ground was full of yellow sand, with layers of ups and downs. A troop of camels was being led by people to walk slowly, and the setting sun sank between the vast desert and the lonely sky.

The two walked aimlessly in the desert for a while, and Zhao Yelan became a little tired. When he discovered that he couldn’t find his way, he inexplicably felt a trace of despair. If he were to go out from here alone, he would probably become lost.

“Did you come here often before?” He asked.

“En.” Yan Mingting held up a pinch of yellow sand, which was blown away by the wind. He led Zhao Yelan back and spoke of the past. “When I first came here, I walked here with soldiers for several days and nights before going out.”

Zhao Yelan listened to him talk about these things, silent and focused, until after he finished speaking. He murmured after a while: “Fortunately, the world is peaceful now.”

If Yan Mingting were to go to war again, he couldn’t guarantee that he would let him go.

Thinking of this, at the last moment when the sun was setting, he raised his head and kissed Yan Mingting. The silhouettes of the two were covered with warm yellow light, and it was as if they were the only ones left in the world.

Yan Mingting took him to walk all the nearby places, talking about customs and memories of the past, and they unknowingly stayed at the border for more than a month.

The two had to prepare to leave and go on to the next place.

Before they left, Zhong Yuehong’s family, along with Yu Dali and Gu Niaoniao, all came to see them off. Yan Mingting talked to Zhong Yuehong about the military camp, and Zhao Yelan called Yu Dali to the side to ask: “You’ve worked hard these years, and you are almost forty years old. Have you ever considered getting married? I can arrange someone else to take care of her.”

“I won’t marry or like anyone.” Yu Dali turned to look at Gu Niaoniao and smiled a bit simply and honestly. “I still want to continue to take care of her and be her cousin for the rest of my life. I’m entirely willing.”

Zhao Yelan was silent for a moment, then patted his shoulder with a sigh: “Since that is the case, you can take care of her.”

“Don’t worry, My Lord. I definitely will.”

After the two got into the carriage, everyone stuffed the prepared ointments and dried food into it. Gu Niaoniao walked to the side of the carriage and handed Zhao Yelan a small bundle, saying: “Thank you for talking with me these days. It was nice to meet you.”

“It is the same for me. Go back, ba, we will come again in the future.” Zhao Yelan took the bundle and waved goodbye to them. From afar, he saw this group of people standing in place to watch them off.

When they finally disappeared from sight, Yan Mingting started to sort out the things they had received. Then he saw that Zhao Yelan was holding a small bundle without moving, and asked: “Aren’t you going to see what she gave you?”

“I’m wondering what’s in it.”

“I think it’s probably a calligraphy painting, or maybe the tomatoes she grew herself?” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan smiled meaningfully: “I don’t think so.”

“Then what could it be?”

“Fragrances.”

Yan Mingting was taken aback: “Fragrances?”

Zhao Yelan slowly opened the bag, and there were indeed several sachets inside. He picked them up and smelled them. One of them was the special smell that the Orchid dancer wore, which he had never smelled before, but liked, so it was given to him.

“Why would she give you these?” Yan Mingting was slightly surprised, and a sudden idea popped up in his mind.

Zhao Yelan smiled and said nothing. After checking several sachets one after another, he found that there was a sound like beans colliding in one of them, and it was not filled with fragrant herbs.

He opened it curiously and poured out a bunch of dried fruits.

“Red dates, peanuts, longans, and melon seeds. Why did she give you these? Yan Mingting peeled a few peanuts, and suddenly realized, “Don’t these mean to have a precious son early?”

“She gave me these when I got married.” Zhao Yelan smiled. “Still so lawless.”

Yan Mingting laughed and put away all the things in front of them, then pulled the man onto his lap. He raised his head and kissed him, and his hands also started to be dishonest. 

“Since she wishes for us to have a baby early, we must work hard,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan poked him on the forehead: “You haven’t woken up yet. I’m a man.”

“So what if you’re a man, what if a miracle happens and your stomach tries to make a good showing?” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

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