333 Yours
He only stood far away, not daring to approach Yue Jiaojiao.
Madam Qin squinted her eyes and looked at him carefully for a while. She didn’t dare to assume and whispered, “My lady, his voice sounds…”
Yue Jiaojiao looked at a certain someone who didn’t care about his image at all. “He sounds like Zhao Zhan, but he doesn’t look like him, right?”
Madam Qin heard her say this.
She was even more indecisive. “This seems…”
Zhao Zhan was a hunter who could use a bow and shoot arrows.
He had a stoic back and a strong body.
He had a handsome face and a determined personality.
Jiaojiao paid attention to these kinds of things more than anyone else.
The dark-faced Zhao Zhan was standing not far away, but his eyes were still unusually bright.
There was a layer of moisture in his eyes, and he ran out again without a word.
Madam Qin clapped her hands. “My lady! Did Zhao Zhan get injured on the way back? Why does he look like he’s in pain?!”
Yue Jiaojiao shook her head slightly and got up with the help of Madam Qin.
“Let’s go and welcome him home.”
Before she could take another step, Zhao Zhan had already returned with a large pile of things.
He looked at Yue Jiaojiao and hurriedly said, “It’s hot outside the pavilion. Jiaojiao, you can just sit in the pavilion like this.”
Madam Qin was excited.
“It really is him! Bei City must be good at tormenting people. Look at what he’s done to your husband!”
“Madam Qin.” Yue Jiaojiao’s eyes were curved into crescents, and even her words were filled with a smile. “Bring me the green bean porridge. It’ll help him relieve the summer heat.”
Zhao Zhan couldn’t help but giggle at these words, revealing his white teeth.
It was a heartwarming reunion after a long separation.
Yue Jiaojiao’s originally excited mood softened because of his smile.
She had seen Zhao Zhan’s usual meticulous appearance, and now, no matter how she looked at it, she felt both heartache and amusement.
It must be because he was rushing with all his might that he ended up in this state.
“Jiaojiao, I’ve brought something back for you.”
There was a large pile of boxes on the ground.
A piece of paper was placed on top of each box, recording the place where they were bought.
“I bought this in Jiaocheng. The people there call it a messy accumulation. I tried a bowl by the roadside and found it very novel, so I bought some dry ones from the owner. I’ll make it for you later.”
His lover smiled at the thought. As long as she could live a comfortable life, he would be happy.
Yue Jiaojiao stood up and stood at the edge of the pavilion, looking at the contents of the big box.
“Are these rice noodles?”
She had not seen them in Huai County or Hekou County, so she did not expect Zhao Zhan to have bought them from Jiaocheng.
“The shop owner did tell me that this thing is made of rice.”
Zhao Zhan put down the rice noodles for the time being and then opened the other boxes. “There are travel notes, diaries, and popular storybooks in the North, and this… There are some delicate little gadgets in here. You can play with them when you’re bored next time.
“Also, I heard from Wagler that there’s a mirror in the western regions that can reflect a person’s every detail, so I asked him to buy one for me.
“Other than these, I went to their clothing stores and bought their best clothes wherever I went.”
Pieces of ready-made clothes were piled up in different boxes.
Yue Jiaojiao took a quick glance and saw that most of the colors were what she liked.
“Some of the clothes have local characteristics. If you don’t like them, you can keep them at home as a memento.”
Zhao Zhan opened the lids one by one.
“This is Hushui town’s salt and pepper pastry. They said that these could be brought back, so I did. There are some other pastries that I couldn’t bring back so I learned the recipe from the Zhang family and will make them for you later.”
He didn’t have much silver left on him. Most of them were used in Bei City.
He had been eating steamed buns for almost a month on his way back to the village to buy these things.
If he hadn’t lost so much weight, Madam Qin wouldn’t have failed to recognize him.
Yue Jiaojiao’s eyes reddened as she laughed.
She walked towards him, and Zhao Zhan waved his hand hurriedly. “Wait a minute, I’ve been traveling a lot and not very clean.”
He had changed into a new set of clothes when he was in Wangshan, but he still felt that it was not up to her standards of cleanliness.
“Zhao Zhan.”
Yue Jiaojiao stretched out her hand. “You can hold my hand for a while, then.”
Zhao Zhan extended his hand.
His knuckles were rough.
Yue Jiaojiao lowered her eyes and saw that the back of his hand was covered in dry and cracked lines.
“Why didn’t you remember to use the things I packed for you before we left?”
Zhao Zhan did not dare to answer.
Doctor Sun had specially concocted an anti-cracking ointment, but because they had been in a hurry, the carriage’s wheel had directly flown off, causing him and Fang Tianliu to fall out.
He was only focused on getting away at that time, and only realized that they were missing after he had walked far away.
Yue Jiaojiao’s fingers caressed the back of his hand for a while. “Why were you working so hard?”
There was a bouquet in front of her.
Yue Jiaojiao looked up in surprise.
If Zhao Zhan’s skin had not been so dark, the redness on his face would have been exposed. “I picked it on the mountain on my way back from the mountain gaze.”
White petals, pink pistils. One by one, the flowers were squeezed together, bringing with them a refreshing fragrance, as if they were fighting to be taken by Yue Jiaojiao.
She was in high spirits.
Zhao Zhan’s eyes were filled with anticipation as he placed the flowers in front of her. Yue Jiaojiao threw herself into Zhao Zhan’s arms.
Zhao Zhan’s arms went stiff.
His heart, which had been empty for such a long time, was filled up at this moment.
Absence does make the heart grow stronger.
Yue Jiaojiao said in a muffled voice, “Zhao Zhan, I’ve missed you.”
His heart skipped a beat. Zhao Zhan’s heart ached, and his voice became hoarse. “I want to take you with me wherever I go in the future.”
He would never have such a rushed schedule again.
In the future, if he were to go out again, he would definitely prepare everything in advance and then bring Yue Jiaojiao along. It would be like he was going out to play and do business at the same time.
Madam Qin walked out of the kitchen with a bowl of cold green bean porridge. “I brought the porridge. There’s also bathwater water. I’ve already boiled both the big and small kitchens.”
Zhao Zhan wanted to hug Yue Jiaojiao to his heart’s content. He said gently, “Jiaojiao, I’ll go and wash up first, okay?”
Yue Jiaojiao, who was buried in his arms, nodded and slowly let go.
“Hurry.”
His lover’s fingers hooked weakly around his belt. She looked at Zhao Zhan and smiled harmlessly. Her voice was so soft that only the two of them could hear, “Do you want to… Do you want me to go with you?”
Zhao Zhan’s throat moved quickly.
A bunch of charming images instantly appeared in his mind.
The quaking waves of water scattered in all directions.
The wavering wick.
Yue Jiaojiao giggled, and her fingertips lightly brushed against lips. “Zhao Zhan?”
Zhao Zhan’s feet froze. His gaze fell on his lover’s bright red lips as the hunger in him rose.