Before Sima Hong returned, the news of the capture of Gaoping Town had already reached Mingyu's ears. Mrs. Liu, who went out to buy vegetables in the morning, heard the discussions on the street and ran back to report the good news without even buying any vegetables.
"Everyone praises it as the master's achievement! The Marquis is so capable, the Madam will have endless good days in the future!" Mrs. Liu said happily, feeling happy for Mingyu.
Thinking of her husband whom she hadn't seen for a month, Mingyu smiled and said, "I don't want him to be too capable, I just want him to be safe and sound."
Mrs. Liu smiled and said, "Madam has always been calm and composed, and she can see things clearly when encountering things."
When Mingyu went to bed at night, she had just turned off the light and lay down on the bed when she heard someone knocking on the door to the yard. A familiar voice rang out, "Mingyu! Mingyu! It's me, open the door!"
Mingyu was stunned for a moment, then she sat up from the bed, threw back the quilt and got out of bed. She didn't even bother to put on her shoes and ran out. Before she knew it, tears were falling.
When she hurriedly opened the latch of the bedroom door, she heard Sister Liu go out and open the courtyard door, saying in a respectful tone, "Master, you are back."
Sima Hong glanced at her, said "hmm" indifferently, dropped the things in his hand, and walked to the backyard. As soon as he arrived at the backyard, he saw Mingyu running towards him. One of her shoes fell off, and her white and tender feet stepped on the cold ground. Sima Hong took a few steps forward, picked up Mingyu, and held her tightly in his arms. Mingyu hugged Sima Hong's neck and couldn't help sobbing.
"Yu'er, don't cry, I'm back!" Sima Hong said in a trembling voice.
Mingyu touched his warm face. He hadn't shaved for more than a month. In the moonlight, his face was untidy and dirty. However, the arms he held around her were so strong. Through his broad and warm chest, Mingyu could feel his rapid and strong heartbeat with her palms.
It really was her husband who came back.
"You really are such a fool... You've been gone for such a long time..." Mingyu pinched Sima Hong's collar, complaining aggrievedly, with tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.
During the more than one month since Sima Hong left, Mingyu woke up before dawn every day, worried about Sima Hong on the battlefield. She stared at the bright red tent with her eyes open, thinking that she had just gotten married. If something happened to him, Mingyu would feel cold all over and her heart would be in a knot. She would have to face the world alone in the future, and the thing she could not accept the most was that this world was without him.
Every day she had to wait until the sun came out and the room was filled with light before she felt like she was back in the world again.
Sima Hong carried Mingyu into the house, laid his wife on the bed, kissed her hard for a while, then hugged Mingyu and said, "It's my fault. This expedition was decided at the last minute. I left in a hurry and didn't have a chance to tell you. The spies we sent out reported that the winter grain stored by the Tartars has been almost consumed. It's a time of shortage. If we miss this opportunity, not only will we not be able to recover Gaoping, but when the wheat is harvested, the Tartars will definitely try their best to snatch the food."
Mingyu only complained verbally, knowing that he was determined to recover Tianshui and establish his own achievements. She hugged Sima Hong back and said with a smile: "I know you are busy, but I am worried and scared every morning when I wake up and don't see you."
Sima Hong kissed Mingyu's hand, smiled happily, and said, "Wife, are you worried about me? What are you afraid of? Your man is the bravest and most fortunate one!"
Mingyu saw that his eyes were bloodshot and he was forcing a smile on his tired face. She felt distressed, thinking that he had not eaten or slept well in the past month as he was busy fighting on the front line. So she dragged her shoes and went out to the kitchen to make a bowl of egg noodles for Sima Hong.
However, as soon as Mingyu arrived at the kitchen door, she saw Sister Liu, who was holding a bundle of firewood and smiled at Mingyu, "Madam, can you make something for the master?"
Mingyu smiled and nodded, lit the oil lamp and went into the kitchen. Thinking it was a bit late to knead the dough and roll the noodles, she asked Mrs. Liu to boil a pot of water and cook two poached eggs in sugar water for Sima Hong, and brought them over. She also took the wooden basin used for washing feet in the bedroom, scooped the remaining boiling water into the basin, and brought it to the bedroom.
Probably because he was very hungry, Sima Hong took the sugar-fried egg and smiled. He pretended to bow to Mingyu and said, "Thank you, my lady." He blew on the rim of the bowl and started to eat it voraciously.
Mingyu couldn't help feeling sad when she saw how hungry he was. A few years ago, he was still a rich and wealthy young man. At that time, no one would have thought that he would go through so many hardships and become the Marquis of Anxi today.
Only after swallowing a big bowl of steaming hot poached eggs in sugar water did Sima Hong feel warm all over. Looking at Mingyu's distressed expression, he chuckled. Of course, he would not tell Mingyu that he had not eaten all day, so as to avoid making this little woman feel sad again.
The water in the wooden basin was steaming. Mingyu carried the basin to Sima Hong's feet and reached out to take off his shoes. Sima Hong quickly retracted his feet and smiled awkwardly, "I can do it myself. I can do it myself."
Mingyu refused and wanted to wash his feet. Sima Hong had no choice but to say with a smile: "It is common to not wash your feet for a month when you are fighting outside... I am afraid that you will be choked..." As he said this, his face turned red for the rare time.
Seeing that he insisted, Mingyu did not force him, put down her handkerchief and went out. Mingyu saw that there was no light in the room where Liu Saozi slept in the front yard, and thought that Liu Saozi had already lain down to avoid suspicion. There was still firewood in the kitchen, Mingyu scooped a large pot of water and boiled it again. When the water began to steam, Sima Hong came over barefoot in a pair of clean cloth shoes.
"What are you doing?" Sima Hong asked with a smile, "Boil so much water in the middle of the night."
Mingyu smiled and rolled her eyes at him, saying rudely, "You haven't taken a shower for a month. Why are you asking me to boil water?" She would not let him get into bed unless he took a proper shower.
Sima Hong chuckled twice, hugged Mingyu from behind, and whispered in Mingyu's ear: "What do you want to do by letting me wash you so clean? It's been more than a month, do you miss me? I miss you so much..."
The blazing flames in the stove licked the bottom of the pot, and Mingyu's little face was also reddened by the flames. "You just talk nonsense!" Mingyu scolded in a low voice. Thinking of the three days since her wedding, Mingyu's face turned red. She reached out to touch it, and her face was hot. She didn't know if it was burned by the flames or because of shame.
As the saying goes, a short absence is better than a new marriage. Sima Hong teased Mingyu a lot. He had been "idle" for more than a month. When he returned home and saw his fair and beautiful wife, he was already distracted. He wanted to take Mingyu to the ** right away. However, seeing that his wife insisted, he could only carry the big wooden barrel to the kitchen and wash her thoroughly.
After Sima Hong finished washing and drying himself, he put on a clean robe and went into the bedroom. Mingyu stayed behind to clean the bathtub in the kitchen. Sima Hong was still reluctant to leave, so he rubbed Mingyu hard with his penis and repeatedly told Mingyu to come over quickly and not to make him wait too long. Mingyu blushed and pushed this shameless guy out with gritted teeth.
However, when Mingyu finished packing and entered the bedroom, she found the room quiet. Sima Hong was lying on the bed, already asleep, with only his long breathing echoing in the room. Under the dim oil lamp, Sima Hong's sleeping face was quiet and peaceful, as if he had worked hard for a long time and finally got the opportunity to sleep peacefully.
Mingyu smiled silently, walked to the bed quietly, picked up the towel and wiped Sima Hong's wet hair, tracing Sima Hong's eyebrows with her fingers. When Sima Hong's hair was almost dry, she blew out the oil lamp, climbed to the inside of the bed, leaned against Sima Hong's arm, and lay down to sleep contentedly.
When Mingyu opened her eyes again, it was already daybreak. She heard the sound of Mrs. Liu sweeping the yard outside the window. Turning her head, Mingyu saw Sima Hong lying on his side on the bed, his head supported by his hand, looking at her with a smile.
Mingyu remembered that she had read a book before, which was very sentimental. It said that the happiest thing in life is to wake up beautifully and find your lover looking at you. Mingyu used to sneer at this, but now she can understand the feeling.
"It's bad." Mingyu whispered, "I'm still not up so late. Sister Liu must be laughing at me."
Sima Hong held down Mingyu who was about to get up, raised his eyebrows and said, "What are you afraid of? Get up later." As he said that, he pressed on her, bent his head to kiss Mingyu, and squeezed in with a bit of a domineering posture.
Mingyu was afraid that the noise would be too loud and would be heard by Sister Liu. Fortunately, Sister Liu cleaned the yard for a while, then took the firewood to the kitchen to cook. She really missed Sima Hong, so she hugged him tightly and let him do whatever he wanted. When she was deeply in love, she suddenly felt that the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of peach blossoms.
When Mingyu got up again, Sister Liu had already cooked the meal and brought it to the stone table in the yard. The sun was shining brightly, and the two of them were eating in the yard. Mingyu's sharp eyes spotted two white furry things behind the gate.
"What is this?" Mingyu asked in surprise.
Sima Hong smiled triumphantly, walked over, picked up the two little things by their ears, and placed them at Mingyu's feet. The two little rabbits stared with bloodshot eyes, sniffed Mingyu's embroidered shoes with their noses twitching.
"On the way back, someone dug up a nest of rabbits. We told them to roast the big ones and eat them. These two small ones were left. I brought them back for you to play with. It was too late last night, so I didn't tell you. There is grass in the yard, so they can eat the grass. Wild rabbits are easy to keep, so you don't need to bother taking care of them." Sima Hong said.
Mingyu looked at the two rabbits and recalled the time when she followed the Sima family to the ancestral temple to burn incense. Sima Hong caught two rabbits for her and caused her to be scolded by Miao. Thinking about it now, it seemed like a century had passed, but his sincere and innocent heart seemed to have never changed. RS