Chapter 37 - 1#
Dagger Zhizhi wields a knife to stab the mad dog!#
—This Chu Yu, what is he doing?
—Yan Zhi is his person! Yan Zhi saw His Majesty coming and ran out specifically to welcome him!
—Why is this Chu Yu always so presumptuous? One moment saying Yan Zhi is his wife, and the next standing in front of Yan Zhi?
—Is there something wrong with him? What on earth is he doing?!
The moonlight was bright, illuminating the world.
Xiao Cuan, draped in a black cloak, stood under the shadow of the trees, his face gloomy and his gaze sinister, almost merging with the night.
He clenched his fists tightly, unable to hold back any longer. He took a step forward, preparing to go out.
Did this Chu Yu want to die?
He was going to kick this Chu Yu over, kick him far away.
He would grab this Chu Yu’s collar with both hands and throw him out, throw him far away.
Get lost!
At this moment, Xiao Cuan took a step, one foot moving out of the tree shadow and into the moonlight.
The next moment, Yan Zhi’s light and lively laughter rang out.
Yan Zhi said with a smile, “I was worried about you, so I came here specifically to wait for you.”
Xiao Cuan’s footsteps faltered, and for a moment, he felt a sense of hesitation, not daring to walk further out.
—Was the person Yan Zhi waiting for… him?
He heard Yan Zhi continue, “The mountain paths are hard to travel, not to mention you’re driving a donkey cart. It would be bad if you took a spill.”
—Was Yan Zhi talking to Chu Yu?
Soon, Yan Zhi seemed to think of something and became righteous again: “I knew it, you stingy, miserly fellow, you definitely wouldn’t find an inn in the city to stay the night, so I came out to wait for you! See, I guessed right!”
—So Yan Zhi… wasn’t waiting for him, wasn’t talking to him, and certainly wasn’t welcoming him.
Xiao Cuan was frozen in place like a stone statue.
He moved his stiff neck, slowly looking up, staring at the scene before him in disbelief.
Yan Zhi stood with his hands on his hips, head held high, standing before Chu Yu with a face full of confidence.
Chu Yu was also standing before him.
The little donkey stopped nearby, pawing the ground and letting out a couple of “he-haws.”
And Xiao Cuan’s son—the wolf cub he had picked up—had grown quite large and sturdy in just a few months.
The wolf cub wagged its tail, circling Yan Zhi’s feet, occasionally brushing Chu Yu’s pant leg with its tail.
What was Yan Zhi doing?
And what was his son doing?
What were they all doing? They were his Empress and his son!
How could they smile so brightly and be so obedient to someone else?
Just then, Chu Yu folded his arms and intentionally chilled his tone, asking, “Is that so? In your eyes, I’m just a stingy person?”
“You’ve always been one,” Yan Zhi argued back just as reasonably. “I’ve asked around; the inns in the city aren’t expensive. Staying for a night wouldn’t have hurt. You just had to rush back in the dark without even lighting a lantern, making Tang Gao and me worry so much at home.”
It was late at night, and there was no one else at the town entrance. The two of them didn’t lower their voices as they spoke.
Therefore, every word between them was heard clearly by Xiao Cuan from under the distant tree.
Because the moonlight was so bright, he could even see their small gestures clearly.
He heard Yan Zhi say again, “If you hadn’t come back soon, Tang Gao and I would have thought you fell off the mountain and were discussing going to look for you.”
“He’s just a dog, how could he discuss anything with you?” Chu Yu said helplessly. “I do love money, but not that much, right?”
He turned around and took down the lotus lantern from the donkey cart.
Tonight was cloudless, and just like Xiao Cuan, Chu Yu, sitting on the donkey cart, had seen a familiar figure.
So, before Yan Zhi saw him, he had blown out the lotus lantern.
Yan Zhi was too busy checking if he and the donkey were okay to notice such a thing hanging on the cart.
Chu Yu held the lotus lantern in one hand and took out a fire starter from his robe with the other, lighting the candle in the center of the lantern.
“Then take a look at this, what is it?”
“This is…”
As the lantern lit up, Yan Zhi’s eyes lit up as well.
“It’s a lantern!”
Behind the lantern was Chu Yu’s face, which he had intentionally made stern.
He purposely didn’t speak, hiding behind the lantern and looking at him with a resentful gaze.
Yan Zhi wasn’t stupid and immediately understood: “A-Yu, did you buy this specifically for me?”
“You didn’t do it to save money; you rushed back in the dark specifically to give me this lantern, right?”
“I’m so sorry, I misunderstood you. You’re not stingy; you’re the biggest, most generous person in the world!”
—As expected!
Chu Yu in the light and Xiao Cuan in the dark both had this thought at the same time.
Chu Yu thought happily: As expected, Yan Zhi really would praise me as a great person. He always uses these few phrases when praising someone, without any other words.
But it was enough; it felt great!
The money was well spent; it really felt like raising a younger brother.
Xiao Cuan, however, ground his teeth and clenched his fists, almost wanting to punch down the tree trunk next to him.
Great… person?
This phrase was so familiar!
Didn’t Yan Zhi used to say that to him?
“His Majesty is the best person in the world”—what was the next sentence?
The next sentence was “Yan Zhi likes His Majesty, likes him very much, likes him a lot, likes him best in the world”!
So what was Yan Zhi going to say to this Chu Yu next? That he liked Chu Yu best?
No!
Yan Zhi couldn’t say that!
He had to rush out and shut his mouth before Yan Zhi could say those words!
Xiao Cuan took two quick steps, preparing to step forward again.
At the town entrance, Yan Zhi obediently said “thank you” and took the lantern with both hands.
“Wow! It’s so delicate, and it’s even shaped like a lotus. It’s a hundred times better than the ones sold in town.”
“Of course.”
“Let’s go, let’s go home! I want to hang it by my bed!”
“Just don’t burn your quilt.”
“I won’t. When it’s time to sleep, I’ll blow out the candle inside.”
The two of them talked as they hopped onto the donkey cart, sitting on either side.
Yan Zhi kept his head down, focused on the lotus lantern in his hands, counting how many petals it had, how the petals were wound with copper wire, and touching the light pink paint to see if it was dry. He was very earnest.
Chu Yu gave him an amused look, retracted his gaze, raised the willow branch, and lightly tapped the donkey’s rump: “Giddyap! Home we go!”
Going home!
Xiao Cuan followed behind, taking two large steps, but suddenly didn’t dare to chase after them.
No, he told himself. The surrounding soldiers hadn’t finished their deployment yet. If he chased them now, Yan Zhi would surely run.
There were mountains on all sides and forests everywhere. Yan Zhi was a little swallow; with a flap of his wings, he’d be gone again.
Better to follow and see where Yan Zhi lived, then corner him in his house.
Yes, that was it.
He had his own plans, his own strategy.
It definitely wasn’t because…
It definitely wasn’t because that Chu Yu was present that he didn’t dare go after Yan Zhi.
Xiao Cuan restrained his aura, tightened his cloak, and continued walking in the shadows of the trees.
At that moment, Yan Zhi, on the donkey cart, seemed to sense something. He turned his head and looked behind him.
“What is it?” Chu Yu asked.
Yan Zhi held the lotus lantern, hesitating: “I feel a chill down my spine.”
“Who told you to stay up late and come out here in the wind?” Chu Yu said helplessly. “You probably caught a bit of a cold. Hurry back, and I’ll boil you a bowl of ginger soup.”
“Mm…” Yan Zhi withdrew his gaze doubtfully, raising his hand to cover his heart.
The small heart in his chest was still pounding hard.
He felt that he hadn’t caught a cold, but rather…
Fear.
He didn’t know why he was afraid, nor did he know what he was afraid of.
He just suddenly felt a bit…
Yan Zhi looked up at the full moon in the sky and let out a long breath.
The wheels rolled through the streets, heading all the way to Tianshui Alley.
A moment ago, Yan Zhi’s hem had brushed over the bluestone street.
A moment later, Xiao Cuan followed the scent and walked over the same spot.
The town was not large, and they soon reached the entrance of the alley.
Yan Zhi and Chu Yu jumped off the cart, drove it into the narrow alleyway, and then, as usual, moved the steamer baskets inside, unloaded the cart, and finally led the little donkey back to its shed, adding a full measure of fodder.
As the donkey ate, Yan Zhi patted its head.
“Hua Sheng Gao, you worked hard today. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll push the cart to the market to sell cakes, so you won’t have to pull it.”
Chu Yu parked the cart: “Wake up; it’s a donkey, and you’re a person.”
“Even a donkey needs rest!” Yan Zhi said righteously. “Regardless, I’ll push the cart myself tomorrow.”
“Fine, suit yourself.”
The two of them busied themselves, exchanging a few words now and then.
Yan Zhi asked, “Were the fireworks in the city beautiful? I saw them from home too.”
“Beautiful. Those fireworks were huge. With a ‘sizzle,’ it’s like they explode right over your head, big and bright.” Chu Yu straightened up and rubbed his neck. “You just have to keep looking up; my neck is a bit sore. At one point, I thought the firework debris fell on my head and almost set my hair on fire.”
“Then you could have gone onto the city tower to watch.”
“The city tower isn’t somewhere you can just go onto as you please; there are guards there.”
“Oh.” Yan Zhi nodded.
“Business was good today too. As soon as I set up, two pieces were sold in the blink of an eye.”
Yan Zhi counted on his fingers: “Blink twice and four pieces are sold, blink three times and six pieces are sold…”
“I know you can count.” Chu Yu lifted his money pouch and shook it randomly. “Listen—”
The copper coins and silver inside clinked together.
Yan Zhi’s eyes widened in surprise: “So many!”
“Yeah.” Chu Yu gave him a look. “Hurry up and finish; we’ll count the money in a bit.”
“Okay!”
About to count money, both of them were unable to contain their excitement and worked even harder.
Before long, they had tidied everything up, and Chu Yu boiled a pot of thick ginger soup.
Yan Zhi carried the ginger soup, while Chu Yu clutched the money pouch as they went into the house and lit a candle.
Clink, clink— Patter, patter—
Chu Yu held the pouch and carefully poured out all the money inside.
Yan Zhi leaned over the table, arms wrapped around it, fearing the copper coins might bounce away from them.
“Wow—”
The two of them could no longer be bothered with the ginger soup.
Chu Yu pushed the mountain of silver and coins to one side, took out a twig, and began to count.
Yan Zhi took out a hemp rope for stringing copper coins from under the mattress on the small couch, ready to string the money, and then took out an account book to record the earnings.
Both looked quite professional, as if they were used to this kind of money, though the joy in their eyes couldn’t be hidden.
“One, two, three…”
“Today is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival.”
Holding the twig, Chu Yu pushed aside a coin each time he counted.
He counted ten, and Yan Zhi would string ten together, tying them into a string.
Ten, twenty, thirty…
Yan Zhi’s eyes crinkled into crescents: “So much money!”
Chu Yu tried his best to stay calm: “If I’d known, I would’ve made more.”
Inside the house, the candlelight was dim and warm.
Outside, however, was a different scene.
In the dead of night, a cold wind swept through.
Xiao Cuan, wrapped in his cloak, stepped out from the corner of the alley.
Yan Zhi and that Chu Yu had entered this alley and hadn’t come out again.
It seemed the two of them lived here.
Has Yan Zhi been living in a place like this?
He had just investigated Shiyan Town during the day and flipped through the household registers of this town. He clearly hadn’t seen Yan Zhi’s name on that stack of property deeds.
So…
Yan Zhi hadn’t bought a house? He was actually living with that Chu Yu?