Chapter 111: The Market
The words entered his ears, and Yu Yeqing quieted down, as if he were truly savoring them, preparing to give a fair judgment, then tasting them to pick out her favorite one.
Song Hemei's ears burned at his reaction. How could something like this bear such careful thought?
Hastily, she reached up to cup his cheeks. "Alright, alright, no more thinking about it."
Her voice came out muffled, eager to brush him off. "I like them all, I like them all, alright? As long as it's with you, I like it all."
It was easy to imagine how joyful Yu Yeqing must have felt upon hearing this. He wrapped his arms around her, laughing lowly, and she could feel the dull tremors transmitted from his chest.
She was somewhat flustered and indignant, raising a hand to cover his eyes and muttering under her breath, "No more laughing. Go to sleep."
They slept straight through until the afternoon.
Song Hemei was still a bit dazed when she opened her eyes. She stared at the bed curtains wavering slightly in the breeze, then turned to look at the sky outside. The sunlight was still strong but not stifling, carrying a rare peace.
But before she could look for long, Yu Yeqing beside her pulled her into an embrace, his lips brushing her earlobe. "Why do you look outward as soon as you wake?"
Warmth radiated from behind her. Song Hemei let him hold her like this, her tone a little helpless. "I was sleeping facing outward. Of course I look outward when I open my eyes. Otherwise, where should I look? At you?"
Yu Yeqing was silent for a moment, as if unable to catch her teasing tone, and asked seriously, "Is that allowed?"
Song Hemei hissed. "Then from now on, no matter which side I turn to, you can sleep on that side. That way, the first thing I see when I open my eyes will be you."
Yu Yeqing found this deeply reasonable, and then, using a little force, he turned her over directly.
When Song Hemei met his clear eyes face-to-face, she truly felt an unspeakable speechlessness.
But the one who'd done this didn't think it was unnecessary to be so stubborn about such trivial matters. In fact, he was quite satisfied as he carefully examined her features from top to bottom. "You look a bit unwell."
"Having been tired for so long, how could I look well?" Song Hemei gently pushed him. "Stop fooling around. Get something to eat."
Faced with such an important matter, Yu Yeqing set aside his slightly childish stubbornness and obediently got up to prepare the food. By the time they finished eating and put down their chopsticks, the sky outside was just about to darken.
Song Hemei felt her waist and legs were still sore, but there was no need to stay lying in bed the whole time. Besides, sleeping so long during the day for the past two days and reversing day and night wasn't good for the body.
As it happened, the village had a market every six days, and tonight was one. Since they had nothing else to do, they could go for a stroll.
Riding a horse was inconvenient. As she was about to leave, Song Hemei said seriously to him, "Let me set this straight in advance. I'm really exhausted right now. If I can't walk anymore, you have to carry me back."
Yu Yeqing grasped her hand, his brow relaxed and gentle. "I can carry you now too."
Song Hemei was still a bit shy about being affectionate outside. She only tugged his hand, interlacing their fingers, and pulled it down. "You wish."
The village paths were actually not easy to walk on. Fortunately, it hadn't rained recently, or else their shoes might have gotten stuck in the mud on the way back.
Song Hemei had indeed never been to a village market before. The places she'd visited were more prosperous and lively than this. She didn't find it novel, nor was she disappointed, but she did feel a bit sorry for some people.
Gathered from miles around, there were stalls selling odds and ends of food, handkerchiefs embroidered by their own families, and items picked or gathered from the mountains. None were expensive, yet the cheaper they were, the more they made her heart ache.
She looked at a little girl selling wild fruit off to the side and instinctively raised her eyes to Yu Yeqing. "Were you like this when you were little?"
Yu Yeqing met her gaze, a casual smile curling at the corner of his lips. "I could read, so I was a bit better off. Occasionally writing letters for people earned me a few extra coppers, but that was stealing the livelihood of the village's old scholar. He knew I had a little sister to raise and never blamed me. Later, when I went to the Song residence, I never wrote letters for people again. I didn't want to take his path away."
Inevitably, melancholy settled in Song Hemei's heart. As they walked along, she simply bought more things, helping out every household they passed.
Yu Yeqing carried everything they bought, and the coppers came out of his purse. As they walked and looked, when she turned back, she noticed his expression was off.
She deliberately teased him with a smile. "Is Young Master Yu going to learn those miserly ways? Why, just spending a little of your silver brings such a sorrowful look to your face?"
Yu Yeqing looked down at her at her words, the worry in his eyes not fading. His voice was low. "I keep feeling something's not right. Today's market is a bit too noisy."
Song Hemei looked around but noticed nothing unusual, yet instinctively moved closer to him.
"Those words of yours are kind of creepy."
They took a few more steps forward, then suddenly seemed to hear horns and shouting, though what was said was unclear. Song Hemei's arm was abruptly pulled. She spun around in surprise to meet Yu Yeqing's somber eyes. "Wrong. There are people from Northern Wei here. Run."
Song Hemei stumbled as he pulled her, her mind not yet reacting, but her feet had already started moving.
As if to verify his words, the sound of hoofbeats and Xianbei language came from afar. Song Hemei felt every hair on her body stand on end, a chill running down her spine. "How can there be people from Northern Wei here? There's still Pingzhou between them! Has it fallen? Are they fighting?"
Panic erupted all around. People scattered in every direction, desperate to avoid becoming victims. Yu Yeqing pulled her, weaving through the crowd to head outward, his voice low. "It shouldn't be. From the hoofbeats, there can't be many. Maybe they just came to loot."
Dragged hurriedly, they returned home. The horse tied at the gate stamped its hooves nervously. Yu Yeqing looked around the courtyard, then finally picked up a sickle by the wall and thrust it into her hands. "Take this to defend yourself."
His breath was rough and deep, his eyes heavy. The grip on Song Hemei's hand was so tight it hurt a little.
"It'll be fine."
He spoke, as much to reassure her as himself. "If they came out at this hour of the market, they probably won't go on a killing spree. But this house is no place to hide. Northerners aren't good with mountain paths. Run up the mountain, head north all the way, and wait for me to find you."
Song Hemei's head buzzed. "What are you saying? What do you mean, find me? Are you telling me to run alone and leave you here?"
"No. Changzhou should have about one hundred and fifty garrison soldiers. I need to go to the government office to request reinforcements."
Song Hemei clutched the sickle, her whole body trembling. "Will… will that work?"
Yu Yeqing went to untie the horse's reins. His tone was cold but carried a reassuring steadiness. "It will be fine."
Song Hemei watched him swing onto the horse and couldn't help asking, "Only the sickle?"
She'd heard the Northerners carried long, curved blades. If by ill luck she ran into one, what difference was this sickle from offering herself up as a side dish?
Yu Yeqing reined his horse around. Looking at her, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Whatever's handy will do. Just try not to hurt yourself before the other side even strikes, if all you're doing is struggling to defend yourself. Otherwise, even if I gave you a pair of meridian mandarin duck axes, would you know how to use them?"
Song Hemei gritted her teeth. Of all times, he had to laugh at her!
But before she could say anything, Yu Yeqing sternly ordered her to run, then immediately dug in his heels and galloped away.
Song Hemei didn't dare linger. She hurried up the mountain.
The sky grew darker, and the mountain paths were rough. Only a crescent moon gave her light.
Her heart pounded violently. She ran in disarray, her eyes filling with tears she couldn't control. Every time her vision blurred, she immediately wiped them away with her sleeve.
Liar. Nothing like what he said. 'It'll be fine.' When other people run into danger, they scatter in all directions. He's the only one riding off conspicuously to get help. How could it be fine? If it were fine, why would he send me running up the mountain alone? He would have taken me with him into the city.
She understood his unspoken meaning, but at times like this, she couldn't afford to argue. If she insisted on going with him and they both took the risk of entering the city, things would only go wrong more easily.
Song Hemei didn't know how long she ran. She found a concealed spot and sat down, gasping for air, her ears ringing, but still straining to listen for anyone approaching.
Her body ached and burned. When it rains, it pours, she thought. The exhaustion from last night hadn't eased yet, and now she was feeling real fatigue.
She had no idea what time it was, only that the wait was unbearably long and agonizing. The night deepened, but still, Yu Yeqing hadn't returned. Her anxiety and fear, fueled by helplessness, turned into anger. Why did I have to be so unlucky, running into this kind of trouble for no reason?
And as for Yu Yeqing—once he came back safe, she was definitely going to settle accounts with him properly.
Dawn would come eventually. When thin daylight spilled through the forest, Song Hemei's tightly wound nerves seemed to waver for a moment. She thought she heard a sound.
She quickly gripped the sickle, hiding behind a tree and listening carefully, her heart in her throat.
Until she heard a frantic male voice calling her name, hoarse with desperation: "Song Hemei!"
The heart that had been clutched all night finally dropped. Stumbling out, she called back, "I'm here!"
She lifted her skirt and ran toward the source of the voice, until she saw the tall, moon-white figure. Only then did she feel truly alive, the air entering her lungs, the blood circulating again. She threw herself at him. As Yu Yeqing turned at the sound, she crashed into his arms.
"Why did you take so long! Do you know how scared I was that something happened to you!"
Yu Yeqing exhaled heavily. Following her momentum, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, though she still made him stagger slightly.
Song Hemei felt her nose sting and tears well up. "I'm going to settle accounts with you sooner or later. Don't think I didn't know you went alone to find the garrison soldiers. You were lucky this time. What about next time?"
Yu Yeqing was also slowly emerging from his own fear. His voice, meant to soothe her, trembled slightly. "It's my fault. Don't cry."
Song Hemei wiped her tears. "You just stay safe, and I won't cry."
She pulled away from his embrace. "My legs are so sore. I don't know how far I ran. It's all your fault. If I hadn't been that tired the night before, I wouldn't be this miserable now."
Yu Yeqing steadied her, both amused and exasperated by her words. "All my fault. I'll carry you back, alright?"
Song Hemei felt a lump in her chest and put on a stern face. "That's the least you can do!"
Yu Yeqing turned around and crouched down. She didn't stand on ceremony, wrapping her arms around his neck and putting all her weight on him.
He lifted her steadily onto his back and walked slowly down the mountain.
Song Hemei pressed close to his neck and asked softly, "What happened over there? Are the Northerners gone?"
"About thirty of them came. All have been captured. They're locked in the government jail now. When we get back, I need to send a letter to the capital and hand them over to the Supreme Court for trial."
"Was anyone hurt?"
"Yes. The government office will provide silver for their care, but luckily, no one lost their life."
Song Hemei let out a slow breath. That was truly the best outcome in the worst of situations.
After talking for a bit, her heart went out to Yu Yeqing. Thinking of how he'd spent the night in danger, rushing about, and now the government staff had probably gone to rest, yet he still had to come up the mountain looking for her—she couldn't bear it.
She patted his shoulder. "Put me down. I can stop being mad at you—for now."
Yu Yeqing was slightly taken aback. "Were you mad just now?"
Song Hemei was momentarily speechless. "…If you keep talking like that, I will get mad even if I wasn't."
Yu Yeqing smiled. She could feel the slight movement of his Adam's apple against the back of her hand.
"Then I thank Second Miss for her great magnanimity in overlooking a little man's fault."
Song Hemei didn't want to bicker with him. She shifted and struggled to get down.
"Don't move." Yu Yeqing tightened his grip on her legs. "The mountain paths are rough. I don't want you to twist your ankle."
"Do you think I'm that clumsy? I ran up here myself. I didn't twist or fall on the way, just got a couple of scratches on my hem."
"I know." Yu Yeqing coughed lightly. "It's because I was too anxious coming up and twisted my ankle. So I was worried about you—"
"Put me down!"
Hearing that, Song Hemei sucked in a breath of cold air. Now she didn't expect to reason with him nicely. She struggled fiercely. Unable to hold her back, Yu Yeqing quickly half-crouched as she slipped from his grasp, so she could land steadily.
Hurriedly, she grabbed the hem of his robe. "Where did you twist it? Where are you hurt?"
Looking, she spotted bloodstains on his right calf, soaking through to his trouser leg, as if scraped by something.
A fresh surge of anger rose in her chest. "Are you stupid? You're hurt, and you still insisted on carrying me? Why didn't you just say so?"
Yu Yeqing was at a loss under her outburst and quickly explained, "Precisely because I was hurt, I was even more worried you might get hurt too."
Song Hemei felt her eyes grow moist again. Looking at his bowed head, his earnest and careful expression, and his clothes dirtied, he was truly pitiful and endearing. She couldn't bear to scold him anymore. She simply pulled his arm, half embracing, half supporting him.
"Enough nonsense. Walk slowly down."
Yu Yeqing looked down at her, hesitating. "Actually, we should hurry. I borrowed some men from the government office to search for you. Let's go down quickly so they can report back and get some rest."
Song Hemei shot him a glare. "You're too kind. Even injured, you still have the mind to think about that."
Unable to refuse, she gritted her teeth, wrapped her arm around him, and hurried down the mountain.
On the way, they met up with the officials who had come with him, and they descended together. Although supporting each other by the arm in front of others was a bit too intimate, she didn't know if Yu Yeqing was doing it on purpose. Every time she tried to let go, he would wobble, so she had no choice but to keep holding him.
At the foot of the mountain, Yu Yeqing said a few words to the officials about the Northerners, then pulled her back home.
"Let's still find a doctor."
Yu Yeqing shook his head. "It's a minor wound. I already asked someone to bring medicine back ahead of time. I'm ashamed to say, I originally prepared it for you."
With that, he leaned on her again, his tone soft and aggrieved. "Then I'll have to trouble Second Miss."
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