When Mingyu arrived home, Sima Hong was sitting in the yard waiting for her. Hearing the sound of the carriage's wheels, he rushed out of the yard and saw Mingyu coming out of the carriage. In the sun, his wife's fair and tender face was particularly radiant. Sima Hong smiled happily and ran over to carefully help Mingyu get off the carriage.
Madam Li leaned out of the carriage and joked loudly, "Look at how sweet these two are. Our general is reluctant to let them go after just a short while!"
Mingyu's face was burning. She smiled and thanked Madam Li, and followed Sima Hong into the yard. There were ropes tied to two trees in the yard, and quilts were drying on them. Sima Hong turned around and closed the door, hugged Mingyu and asked, "Did you miss me?"
What is there to miss? It's only been an hour since we last met. Mingyu smiled and tiptoed to kiss Sima Hong's lips, saying, "I miss you."
Sima Hong smiled triumphantly, held Mingyu's face, not letting her leave, and kissed Mingyu's lips gently. Unlike the ferocity of last night when he almost exposed Mingyu, he kissed Mingyu's lips little by little, attentively and gently. After a long time, he pried open her teeth and licked her tongue.
The sunshine in the afternoon of March was warm and seductive. Mingyu hugged Sima Hong's neck and kissed him back. Her breath brushed across his cheeks and neck, bringing waves of numbness, and her heart was peaceful and harmonious. At this moment, she was thinking, even if it was just plain food, she would still feel sweet.
The third day after the wedding should have been the day for the bride and husband to return home. However, Mingyu's family was far away in the capital, so it was impossible for her to return. Xu Mingye had been staying in the post station just to wait for his sister to return home today.
Sima Hong had already instructed the post station to prepare a banquet. Knowing that Xu Mingye did not like noise, he did not invite any of his friends.
Seeing his sister's rosy face and happy smile, Xu Mingye was relieved. When Sima Hong was out, he asked, "Is he good to you?"
Mingyu nodded, blushing and smiling, "It's fine. He's been cooking these past few days and doesn't let me do anything."
Xu Mingye sighed and reached out to touch his sister's head. He caught a glimpse of the woman's bun on Mingyu's head and suddenly remembered that his sister was already someone else's daughter-in-law. He withdrew his hand with a sense of loss and said, "It would be great if we could be together forever."
"Don't worry, brother." Mingyu whispered, "I will live a good life and won't let you worry about me."
Lixiang looked at Mingyu from the side, tears of joy falling down her face. She held Mingyu's hand, not knowing what to say, yet it seemed as if she had a thousand words to say. Mingyu took out a handkerchief and wiped her face, wanting to say something light-hearted, but she couldn't control her tears. From the time she traveled through time to now, Lixiang had always been with her, and they depended on each other on the road of escape. This kind of feeling cannot be explained in a few words.
Lixiang was worried about her, and she was even more worried about the timid and obedient Lixiang. Fortunately, Lixiang married Dongyuan, who was an honest and reliable man.
"Brother, I leave Lixiang to you." Mingyu said with a smile, "If Dongyuan dares to do anything to let Lixiang down, I will take Lixiang over. There are many good men in the army." There are many bachelors in the army, and they are crazy about finding wives. They don't mind if she is remarried.
"Of course." Xu Mingye nodded seriously. If Lixiang and Dongyuan had not been engaged long ago, he would have wanted to keep Lixiang with Mingyu so that his family would feel at ease with someone looking after her.
After lunch, Xu Mingye led his men to set off. Mingyu and Sima Hong stood at the gate of Xi'an Prefecture and watched the carriage team move forward until they disappeared in the distance of the official road and could no longer be seen. Sima Hong then said to Mingyu, "Go back."
Mingyu nodded and looked back at the unfamiliar streets of Xi'an Prefecture. She suddenly felt that, apart from Sima Hong, she was really alone here. Her nose felt sore and tears welled up in her eyes.
Sima Hong helped Mingyu get on the carriage and held her in his arms. "Silly wife, why are you crying? All good things must come to an end. Can you still live with your parents and brothers for the rest of your life?"
Mingyu hugged Sima Hong's warm and strong waist tightly, and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with Sima Hong's front, and said in a muffled voice: "I will miss my parents and brother."
Sima Hong laughed, hugged Mingyu to his lap, and whispered in Mingyu's ear: "Then you have to hurry up and miss them. When we have children, one after another, they will make a lot of noise at home. You will be so annoyed that you will not have the energy to miss your parents and brothers."
Mingyu listened to the laughter coming from Sima Hong's chest and curled her lips and raised her eyebrows. Giving birth one after another? Did Sima Hong treat her like a sow
After three days of "wedding leave", Sima Hong went to the barracks on the fourth day. Mingyu grumbled in her heart for a long time, but she still helped Sima Hong put on his armor, kissed him and sent him out, then she closed the door and sat at home.
In just three days, she had gotten used to Sima Hong being by her side, his embrace and kisses. Suddenly, she felt uncomfortable everywhere, and the yard, which she had originally thought was not big, now seemed empty.
Mingyu took this opportunity to sort out their things, washing what needed to be washed and putting away what needed to be put away. After being busy for most of the day, when she looked at the sun again, it was already slightly westward.
At this time, someone knocked on the door of the courtyard, and Bai Hao's voice came over, "Madam, it's me."
Mingyu hurried over to open the door. Before Sima Hong left, he repeatedly warned her not to open the door for anyone unless someone knocked. Mingyu smiled secretly and agreed. In fact, Sima Hong was completely overly cautious. The entire Xi'an Prefecture was a large military camp, as tight as an iron barrel. Not even a fly could fly out. Who would be so stupid as to dare to harass her
Besides Baihao, there was also a woman about thirty-four or thirty-five standing outside the courtyard gate. She had her head wrapped with a scarf, was carrying a small cloth bundle, and had a reserved smile on her face.
"This is..." Mingyu asked in surprise.
Baihao smiled and said, "This is Sister Liu. She used to work at the home of Zhao Zhubo in Lintong. Zhao Zhubo was transferred to Taiyuan two days ago, so she was left behind. I just brought her to meet the master. From now on, she will stay at home to serve the mistress."
Mingyu invited the two in. Seeing that although Sister Liu's clothes were old, they were neat and clean, and her hands and face were also clean, she felt relieved and said with a smile, "Sister Liu, why don't you follow Lord Zhao to Taiyuan? It's much safer there than Lintong."
Sister Liu first bowed to Mingyu and whispered, "Madam, my family is originally from Tianshui. When I escaped, I got separated from my husband and son, and I don't know where they are now. If I followed Lord Zhao to Taiyuan, I'm afraid they won't be able to find me..." As she spoke, Sister Liu's eyes turned red.
Mingyu understood and said with a smile: "Don't worry, sister-in-law. When Tianshui is recovered, your husband and son will definitely come home, and then we can be reunited as a family."
Since Sima Hong had already looked at it and nodded, there must be no problem. Mingyu was just asking casually.
Mingyu's room was in the second courtyard. No one lived in the three tiled houses in the front yard, so Mingyu arranged for Sister Liu to live in the front yard. Sister Liu was also a hardworking person. As soon as she put down her bag, she rolled up her sleeves and trouser legs and started to clean and work everywhere.
"It's hard to find a suitable maid nowadays..." Baihao whispered to Mingyu, "She has already signed the contract to sell herself, and the wife of Zhao Zhubo also said that this woman is honest and capable. Madam, please bear with her for now, and everything will be fine after the Tianshui war. If you are not satisfied with her, just tell me, and I will look for another one."
Mingyu glanced at Mrs. Liu, who was very skillful, and said with a smile, "What's there to be dissatisfied about? Just try her first. As long as she's honest and hardworking, it'll be fine." Madam Li and Madam Zhang are both wives of officials. They don't even have maids to use. What else can she be picky about
Baihao chuckled. He knew Mingyu was easy to serve. His master would rather marry his wife than anyone else. If he had married a rich girl like his grandmother, he would have turned the table over if he had to accompany her husband to live this kind of life. "My master is actually afraid that you will be bored. He has to lead the troops out frequently. Once the war starts, he doesn't know when he will come back. If there is someone beside you to cook for you and talk to you, you won't feel that life is difficult. Before you came to Xi'an Prefecture, my master kept saying that you must have a servant by your side. You can't do everything by yourself. My master has high requirements. He wants someone who is clean and diligent, between 30 and 40. He definitely doesn't want young and beautiful girls. He doesn't want any of those big girls or young girls. But I have suffered a lot. Look, I have been looking for a long time before I found someone he is satisfied with."
Mingyu glanced at Baihao with a smile and teased, "You've seen so many girls, is there any one you like? I'll find you a wife." Baihao, this loyal "lackey", never forgot to say good things about his master and flatter Sima Hong.
Seeing that Mingyu was not taking the bait at all, Baihao chuckled. He had been with Sima Hong for a long time, so he had developed a thick skin. He didn't feel embarrassed at all. He winked and said, "Madam, I'm leaving first. I will be back in two days. Don't wait for me!"
Mingyu glanced at Mrs. Liu who was still sweeping the floor with her head down, and urged Baihao to hurry up. The handsome young boy with rosy lips and white teeth back then has now grown into a smooth-talking soldier. Time really is unforgiving!
However, Mingyu didn't expect that Sima Hong would be gone for a month. Every few days, a young man named Dali would slip a letter through the crack of the door. Sometimes the letter filled a whole page, sometimes it was just a few sentences. They were all handwritten letters from Sima Hong, telling her that he was safe and assured her. However, every day when she woke up and saw the empty bedside, she couldn't help but feel uneasy and fearful.
That spring, Mingyu waited until all the flowers had faded before she waited for Sima Hong to come back.