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Yan Xixi took out a piece of plain paper from the base of her ancient famous qin and handed it to Gao Feng. "The person who wrote the lyrics has passed. If the general inquires, just give him this letter."
Gao Feng exhaled. At this moment, he was no longer anxious. He slowly wiped his hands on his robe before taking the letter. At a glance, he recognized the familiar handwriting, but instead of reading it immediately, he gazed out the window.
It was already late at night, and the stars twinkled outside. Although it was still the same night sky, he felt it was different. Now he held a letter from his beloved, whom he thought he would never see again. Even the dark night seemed warmer than a sunny day.
He had been in this unfamiliar era for six years. In the first year, he had crazily searched for that woman he longed for, believing she had come to this place with him.
But ultimately, despair set in. After a whole year of searching, there was no news.
Yet Gao Feng never blamed anyone. Even after losing her, as long as he was alive, he could only move forward. Moreover, with such a vast Song Dynasty, finding one woman was as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.
He thought that if he became well-known one day, Qin Yaru would surely hear about him and there would be no need for him to search aimlessly.
Now, wasn't his goal easily achieved?
The feeling of being sought after by Qin Yaru wasn't so bad after all. Gao Feng took a deep breath and slowly opened the letter—after a long separation, missing you, longing for you, hoping for this meeting, written by the master of Nangyun Study.
Carefully putting away the letter, Gao Feng suddenly slammed his hand on the table. The hall fell silent; a group of men looked up at him. There stood their wise and composed general, who often pretended to be calm and collected, jumping onto the table and shouting, "Who knows where Nangyun Study is?"
Everyone exchanged glances; the room fell into silence.
Gao Feng couldn't help but frown, wiping the sweat from his forehead and angrily said, "I'm asking you something! Can't you hear me? This place sounds familiar; why can't I remember it?"
Watching their leader frown in thought as his gaze swept over the soldiers in the room made everyone uneasy. Zhao Laosan rubbed his arms and said with a wry smile, "General, if you were asking which courtesan in the brothel sings best or which courtesan has great skills in bed, I could tell you something. But what is this Nangyun Study? How would we know? I may recognize some characters from books, but I don't know anyone there!"
His words made everyone nod in agreement. The men present were all part of Gao Feng's team from Dingzhou. In the Song Dynasty, military officers held low status; soldiers had it even worse. There was always a saying that good men didn't become soldiers. Those who truly knew how to read and write wouldn't be fighting alongside them.
Moreover, with constant conflicts over the past five years and being busy every day, even if Gao Feng wanted these rough men to read more books, they only recognized a few characters at best; they had no time for serious study.
Gao Feng was furious: "You still have the nerve! The Four Books and Five Classics are one thing, but you should at least understand military texts! Otherwise, even if I help you up, you're just like mud that can't be molded—sooner or later you'll be in trouble... Forget it! I have urgent matters now and don't want to deal with you roughnecks. Just remember this: if you can't recognize more than ten thousand characters, go home and farm! Don't embarrass me!"
"Um... Nangyun Study is at the far east end of Yujie."
Yan Xixi smiled as she spoke.
These rough men probably couldn't compare to the courtesans in terms of knowledge; after all, most courtesans were trained by officials and didn't need much teaching—they were not lacking in cultural knowledge.
Yan Xixi's voice had barely faded when a group of rough men watched their boss, furious, adjust his clothes, take a big gulp from the teapot to wash away the taste of alcohol, and then dash off.
This scene was utterly out of place!
Gao Feng rode smoothly on his white horse, finally spotting the two red lanterns in front of Nangyun Study, as well as the beauty beneath them.
He had finally seen her. He should have been excited, but at this moment, his heart was surprisingly calm. The emptiness that could never be filled in his chest was now overflowing.
Qin Yaru stood under the lanterns, her beauty illuminated by the light. With her hair styled high like a celestial maiden and wearing a flowing robe, Gao Feng paused, a smile curling at the corners of his lips, his eyes sparkling: "I always thought you were suited for classical attire, and seeing you now confirms it. But without the makeup you usually use to perfect your look, I imagine you must feel a bit uncomfortable, being such a woman who demands perfection in her appearance."
"Not really. The rouge and powder I use now are all natural and work better than those high-end products you bought for me back then."
Qin Yaru smiled brightly, slightly raising her head to examine Gao Feng, assessing his features. His eyes still resembled those from before, but he seemed to have lost some of his ruggedness. This body was inherently frail; despite five years of military service and diligent training, he still lacked the robust physique he once had at six feet one inch tall.
Especially now that he wore purple robes with a white silk undergarment and a wide jade belt adorned with various jade ornaments. Others might see him as well-proportioned and handsome in his official attire, but Qin Yaru couldn't help but stifle a laugh.
"Your outfit may not seem odd to others, but I find it quite mismatched and awkward."
It was strange for a soldier accustomed to casual military uniforms during leisure time, formal military attire on official occasions, training gear during drills, and camouflage uniforms to wear Song Dynasty court clothing; familiar faces would surely feel uncomfortable seeing him like this.
Gao Feng sighed softly, softening his expression. He leaped off his horse, wrapped an arm around Qin Yaru's waist, lifted her high into the air while spinning around. Qin Yaru, as usual, frowned and pinched his arm fiercely, leaving marks of purple and blue.
Gao Feng sighed again, thoroughly satisfied.
"Stop acting crazy; others might say you're behaving indecently." After all, this wasn't the open Twenty-First Century. Qin Yaru sighed and looked around; fortunately, it was late at night and the watchman was absent; otherwise, who knew what gossip would spread?
When she looked up again, she saw her son Da Lang peering down from the second-floor railing with wide eyes. As soon as he spotted his mother looking at him, he quickly slipped back inside.
Qin Yaru felt embarrassed; the excitement from their earlier meeting vanished in an instant. Frustrated, she tapped a pressure point on Gao Feng's shoulder to force him to release her so she could break free.
Gao Feng didn't mind; he simply gazed at her with lazy warmth until Qin Yaru's heart softened completely.
How could she not be happy? She had thought they would never meet again in this lifetime.
As Gao Feng released his hold on Qin Yaru, he took her hand instead. The two walked slowly through the grand entrance of Nangyun Study. It was closed for business at night; Nangyun Study was empty. Although Da Lang was only three years old, he had wisely hidden himself back inside.
Qin Yaru glanced up at the second floor but saw no sign of her son. She was somewhat surprised; this child was usually very wary of men around her. Even when Bai Yunsheng visited occasionally, he would follow closely behind her. She hadn't expected that with Gao Feng, he would be so perceptive.
The layout of the Nangyun Study resembled the library in their team, even the paintings hanging on the wall were identical, all of which were painted by Qin Yaru herself.
Returning to such a familiar environment, Gao Feng finally relaxed the tension he had held for five years. Qin Yaru also let go of the feelings she had been unwilling to admit but had always kept at the back of her throat. She personally warmed a pot of good wine and prepared several side dishes.
The two sat side by side as they used to, gazing at the bright moon outside the window, sharing their lives since that night of fireworks.
Gao Feng took a sip of wine and chuckled softly, "When I first arrived here six years ago, even though I had the memories of my predecessor, I still found it incredibly difficult. I was afraid of making a mistake and raising suspicions. Moreover, this body was too weak; while it wasn't incapable of lifting or carrying, it was pampered and couldn't hold its own. I didn't dare to change too much for fear that my family would notice something amiss, so I could only practice standing post in my own courtyard."
"That's nothing. After all, as a member of the Gao Family, there were masters teaching archery and horsemanship. I learned many techniques that I didn't know before; it was a blessing in disguise. However, this body is academically poor. I graduated from the National Defense University as an outstanding student and obtained my doctorate at twenty-four. Who wouldn't consider me talented? I'm a Top Scholar! But here, I've suddenly become an uneducated wastrel."
"Fortunately, back in the team, you complained about my poor handwriting and made me practice calligraphy with you for several years. Otherwise, relying solely on the memories of my predecessor, I probably wouldn't even be able to recognize all the characters."
Gao Feng shook his head and sighed, feeling sentimental. "Luckily, he was a illegitimate son and wasn't taken seriously in the Gao Family, so I still had some freedom. I searched for you for an entire year without success and then thought of a way to have my cheap father send me out of Beijing to Dingzhou. Just then, the Liao People invaded, and Dingzhou's defenses were inadequate. I gathered a team and fought bravely. Although these rough recruits couldn't compare to our well-educated brothers who underwent rigorous training, they were straightforward and knew how to listen. Many even had martial skills; in terms of personal qualities, they weren't too far off."
"In the past when we undertook missions together in the team, we came and went through gunfire. But that was mostly large-scale warfare at long distances. Here it's different; it's truly life-and-death combat with real blades and guns. In one major battle, even with great victories, many brothers never returned. Truly, one general's success comes at the cost of countless bones; ancient wisdom does not deceive me. We used to shout every year for zero casualties; but now? Who dares to mention 'zero casualties'?"
The entire night, Gao Feng wished he could share all his experiences from the past six years with Qin Yaru. He drank five jars of wine straight and finished all the light wine that Nangyun Study had prepared.
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