Chapter 128: Misunderstanding
Leaving Fragrant Melody Pavillion, Bai Shao returned to the inn and mounted his horse, heading straight for Liuxi Village.
Outside the blacksmith’s shop, Bai Shao dismounted and tied the reins at the doorway before striding inside.
Upon seeing him, Qiu Henian’s face showed surprise.
He spoke, “It’s you.”
Inside the shop, the fire in the stove had gone out, Xiao Zhuang had been sent away, leaving only two people now.
Qiu Henian found a bowl, cleaned it for use as a teacup, and brewed tea for Bai Shao.
“The conditions here are a bit simple, please don’t mind,” Qiu Henian said as he sat down.
Bai Shao took the tea bowl, drank a sip, and put it down, surveying his surroundings.
“This shop is about the same size as our barracks back then. We lived roughly, and only when you went out would we buy tea to drink together. A large tea cake might not last until your next time off. You never complained.”
Qiu Henian smiled, “Back then, all the money we had went to our parents. I didn’t have much money myself, and the tea I bought wasn’t anything special. It was tough for you all to bear with me for so many years.”
Bai Shao looked at the smile on his face and said, “You’re different from before.”
Qiu Henian replied, “People change over so many years.”
Pausing for a moment, he asked, “How have you been these past two years?”
Bai Shao sighed, “After you had that incident, most of us brothers withdrew from Fengyu Pass and returned to our original station. We occasionally exchanged letters in the first two years, but those letters gradually decreased. I stayed in the southern station for a few years, without achieving much. After years of waiting, I was promoted a few levels. They say there’s going to be a war on the border again, and because I’m familiar with Fengyu Pass, I was transferred back. They promoted me to seventh rank before I left.”
Qiu Henian chuckled, “Then I should address you as Bai Shao!”
Bai Shao smiled bitterly, “This is probably the end of the road for me. It’ll be difficult to advance any further now.”
He sighed, “If that incident hadn’t happened back then, you’d surely be faring better than Lao Huang by now. You might have even become a general. It’s such a pity!”
Qiu Henian shook his head, “Perhaps, but it’s not certain it would have happened. There’s nothing to regret.”
Bai Shao’s expression turned bitter, “That Qiu Qiniang, I felt he wasn’t up to the mark the first time I saw him. It was only because he’s your elder brother that I didn’t warn you to be more cautious around him. Looking back now, I regret it. That bastard died too easily… too cheaply.”
Seeing Qiu Henian’s smile fade and his expression tense, Bai Shao stopped himself and changed the subject, “With Fengyu Pass on high alert for a long time now, it’s a time of shortage. I’ll be leaving for a while soon. Do you want to come back to the border with me?”
Seeing that the other party did not respond immediately, he continued persuading, “If you want to go back, the military rank won’t be an issue. Now that the court needs people, it’s a great time for us brothers to make a name for ourselves. Even if it takes a few years, with your abilities, catching up to Lao Huang would just be a matter of time.”
Bai Shao’s eyes shone brighter as he spoke, leaning forward with hands gesturing as if he might jump up at any moment.
Qiu Henian’s expression remained calm. He lifted the cup to take a sip of tea, placing it back on the table before saying, “My aspirations lie elsewhere. There’s no point in going back now.”
Bai Shao’s eyes dimmed. He scooted back on his seat, looking somewhat unwilling.
“At your age, it’s a good time to achieve something. Are you really content with the comfort of a wife, children, and a warm bed? Is there no trace of a man’s spirit left in you?”
Qiu Henian lowered his eyes, remaining silent.
Bai Shao drank the tea in the bowl in one gulp, placed the bowl down, stood up, and bowed to his former superior.
“I’ll be staying in Muling County for a while. I’ll come back in a few days.”
With that, he was about to leave, but stopped at the door.
Turning back, Bai Shao looked at Qiu Henian and said, “You may be single-minded and sincere, but others may not always be on the same page with you.”
Qiu Henian furrowed his brow slightly, “I don’t know what you’ve heard from others, but everything is fine with me. There’s no need to worry.”
Bai Shao’s expression showed frustration at not being able to make steel out of iron, hesitated for a moment, seemed like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he held back.
He bowed again and said, “I’ll take my leave first,” then quickly walked away.
Once outside the shop, Bai Shao looked heavy-hearted and somewhat regretful.
He had originally planned to find Qiu Henian upon arriving in Muling County and persuade him to return to the army together. However, when he settled down in Liulin Town, he heard that Qiu Henian’s wife operated the Fragrant Melody Pavillion. His attention was piqued.
One time, he overheard someone coming out of the shop gossiping. They said that the shopkeeper tightly controlled the goods from the capital, suspecting some background.
They speculated on the relationship between the shopkeeper and a merchant surnamed Feng, mentioning another merchant surnamed Zheng in the county who had a good relationship with the shopkeeper, saying he was the biggest merchant in Muling County, and so on. Although not explicitly stated, the implications were clear.
Bai Shao initially thought it was just rumors not worth believing, but thinking of Qiu Qiniang back then, he decided to inquire about this person named Yu Qingyan.
So he asked around and eventually learned from someone in the Yu family about Yu Qingyan’s elder brother’s affair, including his reluctance when talking about marriage, and so on.
In Yu Qingxi’s description, his brother was a proud man who would never live well with a blacksmith and would probably reach for a higher branch. When the time comes, if Qiu Henian didn’t let him go, Yu Qingyan would probably do anything, which might bring great disaster to the other party.
Bai Shao had inquired for so long, naturally aware of the strained relationship between Yu Qingyan and his family. But Yu Qingxi didn’t ask for his money, which made his words more believable.
Moreover, they were blood-related brothers after all. Even his own younger brother spoke ill of him. Bai Shao felt that this person must have some issues.
When Bai Shao went to Fragrant Melody Pavillion earlier to find Qingyan, he had intended to directly ask him what he was up to. In his impression, Qingyan was just a rustic villager from a small town. Judging from Qingxi’s appearance, Qingyan might also be a handsome but not very knowledgeable guy.
However, when he realized he had mistaken the person, and the real Qingyan walked out from behind the counter, he found himself utterly wrong.
This Yu Qingyan was unexpectedly delicate and beautiful, with a demeanor that was calm and tolerant. To encounter such a beauty in this remote place caught Bai Shao off guard. He felt somewhat inferior in presence, unable to utter a word of what was on his mind, and hurriedly left.
But Bai Shao became even more worried in his heart. This guy was so beautiful, he didn’t seem like someone easy to hold onto.
Bai Shao hoped that Qiu Henian could return to the military to make up for past regrets.
Yu Qingyan was the biggest obstacle to that, and even if Qiu Henian no longer wanted to return, Bai Shao thought he should let Qiu Henian see the true face of his husband, to avoid repeating mistakes.
…
Later that evening, Qiu Henian rushed to Fragrant Melody Pavillion to pick someone up.
Back home, Qingyan laid Jindou who was asleep in his arms on the bed, washed his hands, changed into a robe, and went to the outer room to prepare dinner.
Qiu Henian unloaded the carriage, fed Xiaozao, washed up, and came to help.
They had boiled noodles with stewed sauce for dinner, using pork neck sent by Liu Fa’s wife, shredded green peppers stir-fried, and added some mushrooms and wood ears. The taste was quite good.
After dinner, Jindou woke up just in time, kicking and playing on the bed.
Qiu Henian heated goat’s milk for him. Jindou frowned and turned his face away.
Qingyan smiled and pinched his nose, saying, “Greedy little one!”
Saying that, he took a yellow marshmallow and fed Jindou spoonful by spoonful while Qiu Henian held him in his arms. They chatted as they fed the child.
Qiu Henian said, “Today, an old friend from the army came to the shop to find me.”
Qingyan’s hand feeding paused, his expression unchanged as he asked, “What did he come to do?”
Qiu Henian said, “His name is Bai Shao. He came along with the supply team to handle some matters and will return to Fengyu Pass after a while.”
Qingyan said, “These days, why not invite him to our home for dinner?”
Qiu Henian agreed.
It wasn’t long after it got dark outside that Jindou finished his milk and was about to sleep. He could crawl very swiftly now. Qiu Henian reached out to him, and he crawled over on all fours, wrapped around his father’s neck, and could even stand for a while.
Qiu Henian tickled him, and he also knew to giggle and tickle his father, making Qiu Henian laugh uncontrollably.
After the child fell asleep, the couple read for a while before lying down.
Tonight, Qingyan didn’t fall asleep as quickly as usual. He turned over several times and lay still for a while without feeling sleepy.
As he turned over again, a warm large hand embraced his waist and abdomen, a hard chest pressed against his back.
Qiu Henian raised his head and kissed his earlobe, whispering, “Can’t sleep?”
Qingyan hesitated for a moment, then asked, “When you were forced to leave the army back then, didn’t you feel regretful?”
Qiu Henian was silent for a while before answering in the darkness, “There’s nothing to regret. Everything is fine now.”
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
Bai Shao stared at him blankly, moved by his expression and words, but still unwillingly blurted out what he had been holding back in his heart, “He is outstanding in appearance and, as you said, a good person. Aren’t you afraid that he might climb up with someone else and abandon you and the child?”
