Luo Village*
乡(xiāng) - countryside, village, rural area; township (a rural administrative unit under the county)
By the time Yang San and the others returned, the hill over there was already burning fiercely, and the orange light illuminated a corner of the sky.
The big men were in high spirits, chatting and laughing.
I stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Zhuangshi!"
"Furen, there's no need for so much courtesy. No need to thank us!" Yang San waved his hand and laughed, then patted Gongyang Gui's shoulder, saying, "Xiongdi, we did a great job tonight! If there is some wine, we should drink a few barrels!"
However, Gongyang Gui didn't seem as excited as them. He looked at the sky and said, "There's still an hour until dawn. You all should rest quickly. Once it's light, should we leave this place?"
Upon hearing these words, everyone was startled.
"Why?" Deng Wu asked, puzzled.
Gongyang Gui pointed to the flames and said, "This fire will surely alarm Wancheng. Before long, the Wu army will come to investigate. If they search the area, none of us will be able to escape."
"We've only just found this place after much effort, and now we have to leave?"
"If we have to, then we'll go." Yang San thought for a moment and waved his hand boldly, "We brothers have been bored with this godforsaken place without wealth or food for too long. It's a good opportunity to find a new location. As Gongyang Xiongdi said, everyone go rest! We'll leave at dawn!"
Upon hearing this, the group of big men dispersed with a commotion, each finding a place to sleep.
Ah Yuan looked at me and asked, "Furen, should we also follow along?"
I nodded, "Yes." After speaking, I began to work on tidying up the bedding of grass.
I hadn't rested for a day and a night, and the sleep during that one hour was quite restless. Various dreams mixed together, and Wei Tan's figure kept lingering, refusing to fade away.
When Ah Yuan woke me up, my eyelids felt heavy, and I couldn't open them at all.
"Let me sleep a little longer..." I said weakly, curling up my body and attempting to close my eyes again.
"Furen, you can't sleep anymore!" Ah Yuan quickly shook me, "Gongyang Gongzi said we can't delay any longer. If we encounter pursuers, it will be troublesome!"
Pursuers? I jolted awake, suddenly becoming alert.
I hastily tidied my clothes and walked out of the door. I saw that everyone was already up. A fire was set up in the courtyard, roasting a wild boar. Gongyang Gui held a broken bowl with water in one hand and chewed on a piece of meat with the other.
"Furen! Come have some food!" Uncle Huang cleared a space on a stack of hay for me and handed over a large piece of meat. "Have some breakfast. It's a mountain chicken hunted by Gongyang Gongzi!"
I took it and sat down on the hay stacks.
I looked at Gongyang Gui who was eating silently, his lower eyelids casting deep shadows in the firelight.
"Didn't sleep all night?" I asked.
Gongyang Gui glanced at me. "En."
I didn't say anything either. Uncle Huang handed over more meat, and I passed it to Gongyang Gui.
"You eat," Gongyang Gui patted my hand, stood up, and his slightly hoarse voice remained unhurried, "Brothers, hurry up. We'll be on our way in another moment."
There were quite a number of people in the group heading out, including Yang San and his companions, totaling over a dozen. Most of them were adult men, with only a few women and children. There were no elderly individuals, and such a composition made the group quite unusual on the road.
Both Gongyang Gui and I felt uneasy about this. After discussing with Yang San, he said, "We brothers want to return to Runan. We heard that Liang Wen has withdrawn the troops there, so it's a good opportunity to go back and take a look."
Gongyang Gui added, "When you reach Runan, about ten more miles ahead in Luo Village, we will have to part ways."
Someone asked, "Is Gongyang Xiongdi going with us?"
Gongyang Gui shook his head, "I'm traveling the same path as Furen, heading southeast back to Yongdu."
Yang San looked at him for a moment and then nodded in understanding.
He sighed and said, "Gongyang Xiongdi have done your best for Da Ge's sake, but we can't get through to Yangzhou. Sigh... It's better for you to go back first. We'll gather our fellow villagers in Runan and find a solution. Don't worry, even if we have to risk our lives, we will save Da Ge."
Gongyang Gui patted his shoulder without saying a word.
I listened from the side, feeling somewhat surprised. Earlier, I had been concerned about Wei Tan's situation, and I had only briefly inquired about Gongyang Gui's situation. I thought he would go to find Pei Qian to rescue someone(the 'Da Ge'), but it seems he didn't?
Before getting on the carriage, I glanced around and asked Gongyang Gui in a low voice, "Are you really going back to Yongdu?"
"En," he replied.
I looked at him and nodded, "That's good then. Ruochan is still waiting for you."
Gongyang Gui glanced at me, his lips curved slightly, as if he were smiling.
The news of the war in Qiling has already spread, and there are quite a few people on the road hurrying to move elsewhere.
We and Yang San's group have already split into two teams. Gongyang Gui and a few of us are walking ahead, while they are walking behind, mingling with other travelers, pretending not to know each other.
With the crowd around, my heart felt more at ease, but I still couldn't bring myself to sleep. I looked out of the carriage window, my hand unconsciously resting on my belly.
"Furen, rest assured, Xiao Gongzi will be fine," Ah Yuan reassured me.
I turned to look at her and smiled, "How do you know it's a Xiao Gongzi?"
Ah Yuan tilted her head, "If not Xiao Gongzi, then Xiao Nǚjun is good too."
Speaking of children, my heart feels warm, but then I think of Wei Tan, and my mood becomes somber.
"Don't mention my pregnancy to anyone else," I told Ah Yuan.
Ah Yuan understood and asked, "And Gongyang Gongzi?"
I remained silent for a moment and then replied, "Let's not mention that for now either."
Ah Yuan nodded in understanding.
*****
Wu Kun acted swiftly, perhaps due to the secret being revealed by last night's fire. He no longer remains idle. While on the road, we encountered several groups of soldiers heading to Qiling. Checkpoints were set up along various routes, and people were being questioned.
We had already planned our explanation carefully. We would say that we were fleeing from the war in Qinxiang to the south and seeking refuge with relatives in Zhuxian to the southeast. Gongyang Gui was the head of the family, I was his wife, Wei An was his younger brother, Ah Yuan was his sister, Wei Jiao was his cousin, and only Uncle Huang remained unchanged, still the old servant of the household.
We passed two checkpoints on the road without any issues and safely arrived in Luoxian.
"Is this your wife?" one of the questioning soldiers looked at me and asked Gongyang Gui.
"Yes, she is," Gongyang Gui replied with a natural expression.
The soldier glanced at me again. I pretended to be shy, lowering my head and hiding behind Gongyang Gui.
The soldier smiled and then looked at Wei Jiao.
"Is this your cousin?"
"Yes, he is," Wei Jiao replied.
"Why don't they look alike?" Another soldier nearby leaned in, looking at Gongyang Gui and then at Wei Jiao. He said in confusion, "One is tall, rich, and handsome, while the other is short, poor, and plain. Even the eyebrows are strange..."
"Who's short, poor, and plain? Who's short, poor, and plain?" Wei Jiao immediately jumped at the words, his face turning red as he glared at the soldier. He pointed at his eyebrows, "These eyebrows were given to me by my parents! What's wrong with them being a bit arched and thick?!"
"His appearance takes after my Jiufu." Gongyang Gui held onto Wei Jiao, his expression unchanged. He gave him a glance and said to the soldier, "My Jiufu is short, with a round face, small eyes, and thick eyebrows."
"Who's short with a round face and small eyes..." Wei Jiao glared at Gongyang Gui discontentedly. Uncle Huang quickly restrained him and chuckled as he clasped his hands in a polite gesture to the soldiers, "Dear jiangguans, our Biao Gongzi here is a bit impatient. If it's possible, could you consider letting us pass? We would greatly appreciate your understanding!"
"Why did it take so long up ahead?"
"Yeah! We still have a long way to go!"
A commotion rose from behind us, and when I turned to look, it was Yang San and his group.
"What's all this noise about!" The soldier glared at them and then turned to Gongyang Gui, saying, "You all can go ahead."
Wei Jiao still had a sulky expression, while Uncle Huang thanked the soldiers on his behalf. The group led their horses and vehicles through the checkpoint.
Just then, the sound of wheels came rolling in. A group of riders led a carriage rushing toward us from the main road. Their banners fluttered, displaying the character "Wu."
"Make way, move aside!" The person leading the way shouted, and the soldiers quickly cleared the path.
We moved to the side of the road. Throughout the journey, we had encountered quite a few soldiers from Wu, so we were already accustomed to handling such situations.
However, in this group of riders, there was a carriage, and I couldn't tell who might be inside.
As I was speculating, the riders passed by in front of us. Suddenly, a man dressed like a scholar, riding a horse, looked at me.
A jolt ran through my heart.
The face of that scholar seemed familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen him. In that moment, a sense of foreboding spread throughout my body.
He had just passed by when I heard the neighing of a horse. The scholar pulled his horse to a halt and turned it around.
"Furen?" Ah Yuan noticed my turned face and my gaze directed towards the crowd behind us, her face full of surprise.
"That woman, lift your head!" a voice came from behind.
I stopped, paused for a moment, turned my head, and locked eyes with that person.
He looked at me and suddenly burst into laughter. "Gather around, everyone! We've encountered distinguished guests!" he called out.
The expressions of our group changed dramatically. Ah Yuan grabbed my hand, her face filled with fear. In an instant, I remembered where I had seen this person before. It was outside Wei Jue's tent not long ago — he was the envoy sent by Wu Kun.
Just as I felt frozen in shock, a woman's voice came from within the carriage, "Liu Junshou, what's the matter?"
"Nǚjun." The man turned around and bowed towards the carriage, "Fu Shi, the wife of Wei Tan, is right here."