Chapter 53

Lin Yao said he was leaving, and Lin Zhao, oblivious as ever, successfully defused the crisis.

She breathed a sigh of relief, about to say something, but Lin Yao came back and pulled her away, saying, “The kitchen is short-staffed. Go help Aunt Wang.”

Lin Zhao almost thought her brother had amnesia. Pointing at herself, she said uncertainly, “No, we’ve relied on each other for over ten years. You know how good I am at cooking. It used to be you who did all the cooking…”

As Lin Zhao was about to continue, Lin Yao covered her mouth and gave her a stern look, gesturing to the side.

Lin Zhao finally realized what was going on.

She quickly glanced at Qin Zheng, pushed away Lin Yao’s hand, and changed her tune, “I never expected you to find out about my recent practice in cooking. Let’s go, I’ll show off my skills in the kitchen!”

Lin Yao silently raised a hand to cover his face. “…”

There was no need to exaggerate the acting so much.@@novelbin@@

With the Lin siblings gone, the others in the village also dispersed, leaving only a few men guarding the village gate.

Qin Zheng felt the awkwardness of the situation and adjusted her bamboo hat, about to follow them, “The chief said the kitchen is short-staffed. I should go help too.”

Before she could take a step, a large hand grabbed hers.

“Is the cableway to the back mountain built?” he asked seriously and naturally.

Qin Zheng, wearing a bamboo hat, had to tilt her head slightly to meet his gaze.

Upon hearing his question, she nodded obediently.

Chu Chengji said, “There’s a new path up the mountain. The defense there needs to be strengthened. Come with me to take a look.”

Qin Zheng was pulled along for a few steps before she realized.

She didn’t understand military deployments, so why was he bringing her along to arrange the guards for the back mountain?

Thinking of the kiss yesterday, Qin Zheng felt her face heat up. Would he really do something inappropriate outdoors?

Lost in her thoughts, Qin Zheng followed him, her mind in turmoil.

Chu Chengji behaved properly, holding her hand without any improper gestures.

The path to the back mountain was rugged, with dense tree cover blocking the moonlight.

Qin Zheng, not as adept as Chu Chengji, followed him carefully, inadvertently stepping into a sunken pit and stumbling forward.

The edge of her bamboo hat hit Chu Chengji’s back, and the bamboo strips on the hat scraped her forehead, causing a sharp pain.

Chu Chengji stopped, removed her hat, and with a hint of teasing in his tone, said, “Why are you still wearing this?”

Qin Zheng’s fair skin had been scraped red by the bamboo strips, and she rubbed her forehead, sucking in a breath, looking like an injured kitten, pitiful yet inviting teasing.

His teasing tone annoyed Qin Zheng a bit, and she glared at Chu Chengji, “I’m afraid that if you bring me here late at night, people will see us.”

It sounded like they were having an affair.

Qin Zheng had only worn the hat to avoid unnecessary trouble because while the people in Qiyun Village respected her, those from other mountains might not.

Chu Chengji had suddenly taken her to the back mountain, so she hadn’t had time to take it off.

But Chu Chengji misunderstood.

He raised his hand and rubbed Qin Zheng’s forehead where it was red, implying, “The girl from the Wang family today wasn’t looking for me. I only found out about it after Zhao Kui saved her.”

He was about to say that besides the troublemakers he disciplined, he had nothing to do with the rest.

Qin Zheng remembered her previous misunderstanding about the clothes being sewn by that girl from the Wang family.

She knew he was explaining this to avoid making her jealous.

She couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed and said deliberately, “Chief Lin is dignified, heroic, and full of vigor. It’s only natural for the girl from the Wang family to be attracted to him.”

Chu Chengji’s hand paused as he rubbed her forehead, his eyes softening as he drew closer to her.

But Chu Chengji just moved his hand from her forehead to her smooth and delicate cheek, pinching it with a gentle but firm grip, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“Dignified? Heroic? Full of vigor?”

He smiled gently.

Because he was a bit close, his warm breath sprayed all over Qin Zheng’s face as he spoke. “You’re so good at praising other men. When will you praise your husband a few words?”

Qin Zheng pushed away his hand from her cheek, feeling her face heat up again. Luckily, it was nighttime, so he shouldn’t be able to see.

She strained her voice, “Sorry, I haven’t thought of anything good to praise you for yet.”

Chu Chengji wasn’t annoyed; instead, he raised an eyebrow slightly. “Why do you always call me ‘husband’ and not ‘lord’?”

Nowadays, even young girls and young wives could be called “madam.” The title “lord” covered a lot of ground.

It was normal for wives to call their husbands this way, but it was still not very intimate.

Qin Zheng looked at him inexplicably, “Lord?”

She rubbed her arms. “Don’t you think it’s cheesy?”

In Qin Zheng’s view, the ancient version of “husband and wife” was a bit like the modern “husband and wife.”

It was correct to call each other that when introducing themselves to outsiders, but it was strange and cheesy to call each other that way in private.

Chu Chengji paused for a second.

Considering that he rarely directly called Qin Zheng “Madam,” he gave up on the idea of making her call him “lord.”

However, hearing her call him “husband” repeatedly, he felt a bit uncomfortable, even though he couldn’t explain why.

After staring at Qin Zheng for a while, he suddenly asked, “Have I ever told you my courtesy name?”

In the original book, the Crown Prince was just a cannon fodder villain who angered people all day long.

There was no mention of his courtesy name.

But he naturally asked, apparently not remembering if he had told the Crown Princess before.

Qin Zheng shook her head. “No.”

Chu Chengji smiled, “Then from now on, call me Huaizhou. It was given to me by an elder, but it was never used later. Now, only you know this courtesy name.”

The wind blew through the woods, causing the moonlight to fall on his face, adding a hint of indescribable loneliness to his smile.

Qin Zheng was slightly startled.

Feeling that he was caught in some emotion, her tender fingers took the initiative to hold his big hand, raising her eyebrows and deliberately elongating her tone as she called him, “Huaizhou… brother?”

Chu Chengji raised an eyelid to look at her, and Qin Zheng immediately restrained her expression.

She clearly read a hint of “you’ll have plenty of chances to call me that in the future” in his eyes.

She coughed twice, “Don’t we need to look at the defense arrangements on the back mountain? If we don’t hurry, we won’t make it back to the village in time for supper.”

Chu Chengji looked around and saw many faint green lights floating in the dark woods in the distance.

He said, “Wait for me here for a moment. Don’t wander off.”

In this dimly lit place, and on the narrow forest path, with the night wind rustling the trees around them and the occasional strange bird call, Chu Chengji didn’t worry at all about Qin Zheng.

But for her to stay here alone, she wouldn’t dare.

Qin Zheng grabbed a piece of Chu Chengji’s sleeve, trying to make her voice sound less timid, “Where are you going?”

Chu Chengji felt that if she had a tortoiseshell, she would have already shrunk into it completely, with only one claw still pulling at his clothes.

Suppressing a smile, he said, “I didn’t bring a torch with me, and the road ahead is not easy to walk. I’ll go find a lantern for you.”

Qin Zheng looked around and felt a chilling wind.

Her eyebrows were almost knitted together. “You’re lying. Where would a lantern come from in this wilderness?”

Suddenly, Qin Zheng seemed to realize something, and she looked at Chu Chengji in disbelief, “Are you trying to trick me into coming to this back mountain late at night to tease me?”

She immediately tightened her grip on his sleeve.

Chu Chengji’s eyes twitched.

He really couldn’t understand the strange way his young wife’s mind worked.

He explained, “There are fireflies in the bushes over there. I’ll go catch some to use as lanterns for you.”

Qin Zheng looked in the direction he pointed and indeed saw faint green lights floating around. She let go of his hand, feeling relieved, and awkwardly reminded him, “Don’t go too far, okay?”

Chu Chengji looked at her thoughtfully. “Are you afraid of the dark?” he asked, though he hadn’t seen her show any signs of it before.

“No,” Qin Zheng’s voice sounded muffled, not wanting to say too much.

She just urged him, “Hurry back.”

She wasn’t afraid of the dark, but she was afraid of being alone in the woods at night.

When Qin Zheng was young, she got lost while picking mushrooms on the mountain with her family.

She was trapped in the mountains, and her family and the entire village searched for her for a day and night before finding her.

Although she was fortunate not to encounter any wild animals, spending a night alone in the mountains left a shadow in Qin Zheng’s heart.

When Chu Chengji heard her urging him, he didn’t leave. Instead, he squatted down in front of her and said, “Climb up.”

Qin Zheng felt like she was being a burden and politely refused, “You go catch fireflies, I’ll wait here.”

The back mountain was so far away. Could he carry her part of the way and then carry her all the way?

Although she wasn’t too heavy, she wasn’t as light as a feather either.

Chu Chengji’s voice sounded somewhat cold in the night wind. “If you don’t come up, I’ll really leave.”

Qin Zheng sensed a hint of him meaning to leave her alone here in his words, fear overwhelming her.

She no longer cared about anything else and quickly climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

When Chu Chengji lifted her, he jokingly said, “Are you trying to murder your husband?”

Qin Zheng wished she could bite him to vent her frustration. “How did I not realize how bad you are at teasing?”

She knew he was just trying to scare her.

Chu Chengji didn’t respond, but he carried her on his back steadily along the rugged mountain path.

He actually wanted to be a little worse to her.

From time to time, Chu Chengji would tell Qin Zheng to lower her head and avoid the branches overhead.

Qin Zheng only realized that he wasn’t continuing along the mountain path but heading towards the bushes where the fireflies danced.

After Chu Chengji put Qin Zheng down, he tore off a corner of his white inner garment, reached out, and caught several fireflies in his palm.

He caught dozens of them, bundled them in the corner of his garment, tied it up, and handed it to Qin Zheng, saying, “Hold this and play with it on the way.”

Qin Zheng: “…”

What a childish tone.

However, the fireflies he caught, bundled in the garment, although they formed a palm-sized ball of light, the light was extremely weak, and it was impossible to see clearly even at a finger’s length away, let alone use them as lanterns.

The allegory of the fireflies lighting up the snow, I’m afraid, is only when the firefly lantern is placed right next to the book to see the words clearly.

Qin Zheng suddenly realized that when Chu Chengji said he was going to catch fireflies earlier, he wasn’t planning to use them as lanterns for her at all; he just wanted to catch some for her amusement.

When Chu Chengji carried her again, Qin Zheng held the bag of fireflies in one hand and wrapped the other around his shoulder and neck.

The smile on her lips couldn’t be suppressed.

She asked him softly, “Are you planning to carry me all the way to the back mountain like this?”

Chu Chengji’s voice was calm. “If we want to make it in time for supper, it’s faster for me to carry you.”

The smile on Qin Zheng’s lips disappeared instantly.

She gnashed her teeth and vindictively bit his ear.

Chu Chengji was bitten and made a light noise, not because it hurt.

She reached for his neck to bite him.

The softness in front of his chest was pressed tightly against his back, just separated by two thin layers of spring clothes, which was really irritating.

She bit his earlobe with some force.

Chu Chengji’s entire back stiffened, his breathing noticeably unsteady.

He scolded, “Biting people with your teeth… Are you a rat?”

Qin Zheng, hearing his heavy breathing, thought she was too heavy, so she loosened her grip and said angrily, “You’re the rat, I’m the tiger! Let me down, I’ll walk by myself!”

Chu Chengji ignored her and continued to walk with her on his back.

Afraid of tiring him out, Qin Zheng shook her leg and said, “I can walk.”

Chu Chengji had originally dragged her legs with his arms, his palms almost behind him, hardly touching her.

Now that she was swinging her legs around, Chu Chengji directly pinched her leg as a punishment before letting go, “Don’t move.”

The palm seemed to have caught fire, burning towards the depths of his heart.

Chu Chengji suddenly felt like he was seeking punishment.

Qin Zheng didn’t notice his torment at all, only feeling that his back was a little hot.

She thought he was sweating from exhaustion and said in a muffled voice, “I’m too heavy, I’ll walk by myself.”

Chu Chengji: “Although you’re not light, I can still carry you.”

Qin Zheng was infuriated. Her body was clearly thin.

Who was he accusing of being heavy? Her saying she was heavy was just being modest!

Although Chu Chengji didn’t turn around, he seemed to have guessed the expression of Qin Zheng wanting to bite him again.

He chuckled softly.

Qin Zheng was too lazy to bother with him anymore.

In Qin Zheng’s impression, except for tonight, she had never seen Chu Chengji smile like this before.

She used to feel like there was something between them, but tonight, Qin Zheng suddenly felt that Chu Chengji had become more real.

Although this description is a bit strange, the former him always seemed elusive, but now he would tease her and show his true emotions in front of her, no longer making her feel unpredictable.

On the way to the back mountain, Chu Chengji carefully told her about the mechanisms there, who was in charge of which area, and even had the guards at the hidden posts come out for her to see.

The guards who watched over the mechanisms and traps in the village were somewhat surprised, but they obeyed Chu Chengji’s orders without showing any dissent.

Although Chu Chengji didn’t seem to care, Qin Zheng’s heart was not calm.

The positions of the mechanisms and traps were probably only known to the core members of the village, and the hiding places of the scouts were even more top secret.

It was estimated that only he and Lin Yaoyao knew.

After leaving the last hidden post, the awkwardness from before had long dissipated.

Qin Zheng couldn’t help but ask, “You went through all this trouble late at night just to bring me to see these people?”

Chu Chengji raised his eyebrows lightly and did not deny it. “My chief strategist should know about these things. If there is a sudden situation in the future and there is no time to cut off the rope bridge, calling people to attack from the back mountain, with no one in the village, you know the defense layout of the back mountain and can delay some time.”

He was obviously afraid of a repeat of the last time the water bandits attacked the village.

Qin Zheng didn’t expect him to remember all this after so long.

She felt a little bitter in her heart.

For the first time in her life, she felt cherished and cared for by someone who had no blood relationship with her.

Chu Chengji saw her eyes turning red and thought he had said something wrong.

He furrowed his brows and lightly wiped the corners of her eyes with his fingers, which had become rough from days of training. “Don’t be afraid. The situation from that day won’t happen again. I told you all this just in case…”

His voice trailed off because Qin Zheng suddenly rushed into his arms and hugged him.

Her force was not great, but Chu Chengji felt like a moonlight falling on his heart.

He raised his hand and gently stroked her black hair, not to comfort, but to soothe.

The moonlight was bright, the fireflies were faint, and under the swaying tree shadows, the two embraced each other as if they were in a Chinese ink painting.

After a while, Qin Zheng asked in a muffled voice, “Why are you so good to me?”

Chu Chengji: “If you praise other men a little less, I will naturally treat you better.”

Qin Zheng: “…”

The atmosphere was completely ruined.

She silently ended the embrace that had just overwhelmed her with emotion and said, “Let’s go back. The main kitchen should be serving dinner.”

They got a pine resin torch from the last hidden post, so they finally had something to light their way back.

Chu Chengji watched Qin Zheng walk quickly with the torch and suddenly felt that he shouldn’t have taken the pine resin torch just now.