As the carriage headed north, the weather became increasingly colder.
Lu Yunchu was worried about Wen Zhan's health, so he insisted on putting on layer upon layer of thick clothes. He was already good-looking, and he looked even better in layers of clothes. Others looked muscular when they wore clothes, but he looked layered, especially when he wore a coat with white fur trimmings, which made his skin look even whiter and his features look even more beautiful.
The scenery on the road was not as pleasing to the eyes as the one in front of him, and Lu Yunchu stared at Wen Zhan out of boredom.
After being trained by Lu Yunchu, Wen Zhan had become immune to her staring. Every time she stared at him, he would turn his head to look at her, raise his eyebrows slightly, and use his eyes to signal, "Is there something wrong?"
Lu Yunchu shook his head, and he lowered his head again and continued reading. The books were all from Yu Niang, and they were all romantic novels. Yu Niang said that if he didn't understand romance, she should let him read more to experience it.
Unexpectedly, Wen Zhan looked very serious.
He reads very quickly and can finish a book in half an hour, but he has not finished the book in his hand for an hour.
Lu Yunchu was curious and secretly took the storybook while he was sleeping.
The title on the cover sounds serious, but upon reading it, it's actually about the erotic stories between the male favorites and the princess. Although there aren't many descriptions about that, there are quite a few descriptions about competing for favors, scheming, and seeking mercy.
Wow, it turns out Wen Zhan likes this
The carriage was shaking, and Wen Zhan was about to wake up. Lu Yunchu quickly closed the book and put it back in its place.
He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers to wake himself up, picked up the book, leaned against the window, and began to read carefully.
Lu Yunchu was also impressed by Yu Niang. Where did she get this storybook from? Why did he feel like Wen Zhan was poisoning him
She started the conversation by saying, "You seem to like reading this book very much recently?"
Wen Zhan had a good habit. If someone talked to him, he would put down the book in his hand and listen carefully. When he heard Lu Yunchu talking, he immediately put down the book and turned to look at her.
His polite appearance made Lu Yunchu feel even more guilty, especially when Wen Zhan looked at her with his pair of black and white eyes, she felt that she was so dirty that she could be wrung out of black water.
Wen Zhan didn't shake his head or nod. The question she asked just now was not easy to answer simply.
He wrote on the paper: I don’t really like it, but it’s worth a look.
What's worth reading? Anything to see? Looking at Wen Zhan, who had become more obedient after being carefully dressed up by him, Lu Yunchu felt a little guilty and advised, "These are just some books that Yu Niang found out from the corner. They may not be good books. Maybe her husband can pick up some of them when he buys books." Because of revolutionary friendship, Lu Yunchu put the blame on Yu Niang's husband.
Wen Zhan seemed to be thinking about something and wrote a line on the paper: No wonder they are so inseparable.
Lu Yunchu:!
No, this feeling is not very exciting.
"Wen Zhan, you..." She always felt that she should ask him something.
Wen Zhan looked calm and gentle as he looked at her. Lu Yunchu was unable to say anything else.
After Yu Niang's hands-on guidance, Lu Yunchu has begun to understand things vaguely, and Wen Zhan's thoughts are not so difficult to grasp anymore.
Lu Yunchu didn't say anything, so Wen Zhan continued to read with his head down.
She stared at his profile carefully, and a question popped up in her mind: Does he like her or not
According to what Yu Niang said, if you are not sure, you should force him to express his true feelings.
His face turned dark, Wen Zhan closed the book, turned around, and asked Lu Yunchu with his eyes if he had anything to say.
Lu Yunchu shook his head, pursed his lips and smiled, confident in his decision.
The farther away from the state capital, the fewer inns there were nearby. Because there were too many uncertain factors, Lu Yunchu did not dare to delay and walked hurriedly, fearing that Wen Jue would find out that she had kidnapped Wen Zhan and chase her to settle the score, and she would be entangled in the plot.
The winter nights were cold, and one could not rest on the spot like in spring and summer, so Lu Yunchu decided to travel overnight.
Wen Zhan lifted the car curtain and looked at the night scene in front of him, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
The light was dim, making it difficult to write. Wen Zhan wrote on Lu Yunchu's palm: It seems that things are not going well here.
In his previous two lives, Lu Yunchu had been on the run and was accustomed to bandits.
She nodded and told the guards to cheer up.
Wen Zhan's guess was correct. They made quite a lot of noise while walking. When they passed the narrow mountain path in front, a group of bandits with knives suddenly jumped out. They all had beards and were burly. They looked cold and only wore thin shirts, and they were very imposing.
It was freezing cold, and this place was in the wilderness, and there had been no passers-by for several days. However, Lu Yunchu and his group came by carriage after carriage, and it was obvious that they were a fat sheep, so the bandits would not let them go.
The guards had served in the military camp with Wen Jue and were well-trained. They did not take the vagrants seriously, but as soon as the bandits drew their swords, the nonchalant look on their faces disappeared immediately.
These people are not bandits.
Coming from a military background, they can distinguish orthodox kung fu from martial arts styles at a glance; these people are of the same kind.
Their judgment was correct; the situation was not good for this group of people, so they quickly retreated, set up a battle formation, and even took out bows and arrows.
This was a fierce battle, but fortunately they were experienced in combat and did not panic and scatter.
Arrows were flying like falling meteors, attacking them in batches.
Lu Yunchu knew his own weight and would never show up to cause trouble for them and become a burden.
Wen Zhan was different. He pushed her onto the car board, blocked the door in front of her with a low table, lifted the curtain and got out.
Lu Yunchu hid behind the table and huddled into a ball. She was a little scared by the muffled sound of the arrow hitting the carriage, but her attention was soon diverted by Wen Zhan's actions.
Only now did she suddenly realize that Wen Zhan did have some kung fu skills, otherwise he would not have been able to save her from the frightened horse on a snowy night.
Does that mean he had learned martial arts before? ... His past does not seem to be as blank as in the novel. In time and space outside the plot, he also has his own story.
This thought made her feel a little uncomfortable. Maybe she should ask him about his past, get to know him better, and talk about her love for him.
The sound of swords clashing outside gradually faded away. When everything calmed down, Lu Yunchu lifted the curtain and looked out.
A smell of blood wafted into her nose, but she had never experienced such a thing before and did not feel scared.
Her eyes first fell on Wen Zhan who was standing not far away. He was holding an arrow in his hand and walking towards the leader of the guards. There was also a dangling arrow stuck in his arm.
Lu Yunchu was so frightened that his heart skipped a beat. He jumped off the carriage and rushed to Wen Zhan's side like a flash.
"Wen Zhan!" She shouted in panic. The guards who were discussing in low voices around her quieted down and looked over here.
When Wen Zhan saw her coming, he first gave her a soothing smile, then picked up the arrow and wanted to say something to her.
Lu Yunchu didn't care about these things. She stamped her feet anxiously: "How did you get hurt?"
Wen Zhan was stunned for a moment.
"Hold your hand!" She didn't dare to touch Wen Zhan. She stretched out her hand and then retracted it, crying in anxiety.
Wen Zhan looked down and saw the arrow on his arm. He showed a strange expression and tried to comfort Lu Yunchu and told her not to worry. In return, she yelled angrily, "Is this what you call reckless? You're walking around with an arrow stuck in your arm!"
Wen Zhan was a little embarrassed. He raised his hand to touch the arrow on his arm, but Lu Yunchu grabbed his hand and said, "Guard brother, come over and help pull out the arrow."
The maid handed over a pair of scissors at the right time, and the guards surrounded Wen Zhan, preparing to help him pull out the arrow.
Wen Zhan was speechless. He waved his hands and backed away, but was held tightly by Lu Yunchu.
She cried as she spoke: "Why are you always injured? The wounds on your body haven't healed yet."
Lu Yunchu grabbed him and was about to cut open his sleeve to see the severity of his injury.
This was the first time Wen Zhan was so anxious that he wanted to speak but couldn't. He tried to break free from Lu Yunchu while accusing her with his eyes.
"Crack." The first layer of outer clothes was cut open, revealing the inner layer.
"Crack." The second layer was cut open, and there was still a middle layer.
"Crack." On the third floor, no bloodstains were seen yet.
The fourth floor, the fifth floor...
Lu Yunchu, who was about to cry, was dumbfounded. The guards, who were serious-looking, were also dumbfounded. The maid couldn't help but asked in surprise, "Miss, how many layers of clothes do you think he is wearing?"
Wen Zhan gave up struggling, and like a lamb to be slaughtered, he obediently waited for their sudden actions.
He can't speak anyway, so there's no point in being anxious.
Finally, they found the arrow that indicated the dressing process in the sixth layer of clothes.
Everyone was silent.
Lu Yunchu finally understood why Wen Zhan struggled so hard just now. He couldn't hold on and was determined to kill him.
I don't know who couldn't help laughing, and everyone followed suit.
Lu Yunchu chose to travel day and night, letting the guards have a hard battle in this cold winter night. They were more or less injured and originally had some resentment, but after this incident, that anger dissipated instantly.
They hadn't been so happy in a long time, and seeing that Lu Yunchu didn't put on airs and look sullen, and they just blushed and lowered their heads in embarrassment, they laughed even more happily.
The one who had the guts to do that even tried to tease Wen Zhan, bumping into him and saying, "Your clothes are more useful than armor."
"Oh, hahahahaha, this is the first time I've seen something like this."
"Then I have to praise the madam for her divine foresight."
Wen Zhan is Wen Jue's younger brother, born like the snow in the mountains, untainted by dust. They have never dared to speak to him, but today they fought together to narrow the distance between them. Now, this joke has completely broken the barriers and they have instantly become familiar brothers.
Lu Yunchu's face turned red so much that blood was about to drip out. She felt extremely guilty. It was bad enough that she had made a fool of herself and embarrassed herself, but now she was dragging Wen Zhan into shame with her. This was really wrong. Would Wen Zhan be angry
She raised her head and secretly glanced at Wen Zhan. Unexpectedly, Wen Zhan did not have a dark or stiff face. He was smiling happily with those people, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.
Someone patted him jokingly, and when he was patted he realized that this was an offense to his master, but he saw that Zhan didn't mind at all, so he shook his head helplessly, as if to say "stop making fun of me".
The guards were stunned, and suddenly felt that this person who looked so high and mighty seemed no different from them.
Lu Yunchu looked at the group of people with blood on their bodies, laughing as they did so. Their faces looked so vivid that they didn't seem like the nameless passers-by in the stories. He felt a bit complicated.
Wen Zhan seemed to... really enjoy this freshness.
Lu Yunchu couldn't help but wonder what his past was like, and whether he also had such a vivid time.
She interrupted and said, "Don't be silly, clean up the bodies and see if there is any of their nests nearby. Let's rest here for a night."
The guards clasped their fists and responded, "Okay, ma'am." After that, they couldn't help laughing and dispersed.
Lu Yunchu couldn't help but mutter, "Is it that funny?"
When I turned around, I found that Wen Zhan was also smiling, his eyes were curved, and even the darkness could not hide the brilliance in his eyes.
She is different. She has had rich experiences in every life. She is not like Wen Zhan, who has been trapped in loneliness for an unknown period of time.
It turns out that he also likes lively places.
She hooked Wen Zhan's hand and said, "And you, don't just stand there like an idiot, let's go."
Wen Zhan nodded, and halfway through his walk, he pointed at the guards, wanting to ask them to help him clean up the place.
Lu Yunchu nodded reluctantly and agreed.
She walked back to the carriage alone. A maid was there removing arrows. When she saw her, she called out "Miss" in a naive way.
"Are you not scared?" Lu Yunchu asked.
The maid grinned, "Of course not, a bunch of shrimp soldiers and crab generals." She chuckled, "I'm actually happy, Miss, why do you want him to wear so many clothes? Aren't you afraid that he will be stuffy?"
Lu Yunchu was speechless. The maid's character remained honest, straightforward and reckless from beginning to end without any change.
She held onto the side of the carriage and jumped onto it, but heard the maid's laughter suddenly stop. She looked at the flames of the burning corpse in the distance and murmured, "A lot has changed."
Lu Yunchu turned around and asked: "What has changed so much?"
However, she acted as if she didn't hear what Lu Yunchu said, and continued: "You were a dead person before, but now... you are alive."
Lu Yunchu was stunned and followed her gaze towards the blazing flames.
Wen Zhan stood in front of the flames, and could hardly find the shadow of the man who had been so gloomy and silent that he had first met that night.
After collecting the bodies, a group of people found a temporary thatched hut built by the bandits nearby. Although it was simple, it could block the wind and keep warm, so Lu Yunchu decided to stay there for one night.
The place is small, so we lit a few fires and the tent quickly became warm. The family members were crowded together, and you looked at each other, but after all, there was a difference between master and servant, so it was a little awkward.
Lu Yunchu suddenly asked: "Are you hungry?"
No one responded.
She looked at Wen Zhan.
Wen Zhan touched his stomach and nodded hesitantly.
"Okay, let's eat something." Lu Yunchu called the maid, and the two went to the carriage to find food. The guards hurriedly helped to move things and set up the pot.
On a silent and cold night, your mouth will easily feel lonely, and at this time you will miss the taste of soaking in hot water.
In order to avoid having no place to rest and no food on the road, Lu Yunchu fried a lot of pancakes, which came in handy at this time.
There is not a piece of beef, no boiled vegetables, not even an egg, only a piece of rice cake. Pour the water in the water bag into the pot and boil it, put in the golden rice cake, scoop a spoonful of sauce into it, and the simple version of rice cake is just like this.
Lu Yunchu searched for a while, took out the dried meat, threw it into the pot, and managed to taste the freshness of the meat.
The sauce gradually melted in the gurgling hot water, and the aroma slowly came out, filling the entire straw hut. The pancakes gradually spread out in the boiling heat, and the steam curled up. At this time, the steamed buns were particularly tempting.
After a fierce battle, exhaustion from the journey suddenly hit me. I was originally cold and sleepy, but as the rich fragrance penetrated into my nostrils, the irritability and fatigue instantly dissipated, turning into warmth and relaxation, and of course, hunger.
Is there anything more tempting than a late night soak
Everyone in the family was craving for food, and as soon as the food was ready, they all took their bowls and started eating.
Of course, the soup is not as good as the carefully cooked bone soup, but it has a simple and heart-touching fragrance. It doesn't have so many layers, just fresh and salty, but it can soothe the taste buds, as if this simple taste should be eaten late at night.
The fried pancakes have a light smell of oil, which is washed away by the hot soup. It is not greasy at all, but makes the soup less bland.
The noodles are different from the ordinary kneaded noodles. While retaining the smooth and chewy taste, they are more fluffy and soft. After being boiled in the soup, the noodles are fluffy and swollen, absorbing enough soup, and are very tasty. Once you put them in your mouth, they are full of hot soup.
After eating, look up and drink up the hot soup in one breath to make it worthy of this late-night delicacy.
It's so strange that a simple bowl of rice can make people feel warm and soft from the stomach to the heart. Helplessness, boredom, lingering fear, and a lack of a future... All emotions find an outlet in food and blow away with the cold night wind.
There was also that outspoken fool, staring at the empty bowl, and suddenly said, "I miss home."
The others were stunned: "Home? Where is home?"
He was stunned for a moment, and replied after a while: "I don't know... When I was a kid, I went over mountains and ridges to sell mountain products in the county. At dawn, I ate the cheapest bowl of rice at a stall. It probably tasted like this."
The others laughed: "Nonsense, it's not as delicious as this bowl!"
He also laughed: "Oh, no way."
Listening to their jokes, Lu Yunchu was a little stunned. She suddenly asked, "What happened next? Why did you come here?"
When the man was named, he quickly put away his smile and replied respectfully, "Later, when we were recruiting soldiers, I had a kid and I came here." His voice suddenly got stuck and his mind went blank. He couldn't find the memory he should have, "Then, then... I can't remember."
Others laughed and pushed him, calling him a fool.
He scratched his head, not wanting to dwell on it, and waved his hands to indicate that he couldn't remember.
Lu Yunchu couldn't laugh with them. She knew why this person forgot, because he was an insignificant NPC, so some memories were not so important and did not need to be remembered. Fortunately, he still remembered those precious and warm times.
She lowered her head, covering her forehead and looking unnatural.
The head of the guards came over at this time and handed her the arrowhead: "Madam, this is the arrow that the group of people just used. Ordinary people cannot make this kind of arrow. They must have a relationship with the army."
Lu Yunchu took it, turned over the arrowhead, and saw the word "Qing" engraved on the inside.
"Qing..." As she read the word, some words suddenly flashed through her mind.
In the book, the hero fights against all enemies. He is not a powerful character at the beginning, but gradually brings all enemies into his pocket and defeats villains one by one.
As a reader, Lu Yunchu didn't feel any sense of reality when he read the book. He just thought the hero was powerful and fought monsters one after another.
"Qing" was the code name of the prince who lived next to this land. His full name was "Jing". Lu Yunchu could not remember who he was. He only remembered that this man was ruthless and good at scheming in secret, and had thrown the city of Dazhou where Wen Jue was located into chaos.
When the war broke out in the previous dynasty, the country was still recuperating. Young and strong men were conscripted to the military camps, leaving the old and young women and children in the villages. Prince Jing had been coveting the city of Dazhou where Wen Jue was for a long time, and sent many people to massacre the women and children who stayed in the village under the name of bandits.
By the time the truth was revealed, there were almost no survivors in the remote villages.
The army was in chaos for a while, and Wen Jue spent a lot of effort to calm the people's hearts. After several exchanges with this man, he was finally defeated.
When watching this part, Lu Yunchu was so angry that his teeth itched, but as for these cruel and bloody background stories, he just watched them and didn't have much feeling. After all, they were just characters in the story.
At this moment, she was holding the cold arrow, looking at the group of people from her hometown around her, and her thoughts were no longer the same as before.
They can carry on life not just in black and white, they are also people of flesh and blood.
She turned around and looked at Wen Zhan.
Isn't he also an insignificant character in the story
Wen Zhan saw that she was in a bad mood, so he lowered his head, looked at her with concern, and asked with his eyes.
You see, the people in the story also have pain and laughter, and have their own lives.
"Wen Zhan, are you afraid?" She suddenly looked up and asked.
Wen Zhan was puzzled.
A horrible thought came to her mind. Her heartbeat quickened and her voice trembled a little: "Afraid of repeating the same mistakes, afraid of going back to the way things were before?"
Wen Zhan smiled and held her hand, then wrote carefully on her palm: Don't be afraid, because you are here.
Lu Yunchu felt a pang in his heart and said with a smile: "Okay, then I'm not afraid."
She looked up and the guards said, "Let's change our route tomorrow and go to a nearby village."
In her previous two lives, she had frantically escaped from the plot. In this life, since she was involved in the plot, she would participate to the end.