knife

Chapter 22 So Embarrassing
Afterglow of the setting sun

The last ray of light sank below the horizon. Zhang Qingyun stared at the pot of porridge in front of her, her face flushed. Or rather, she didn't know what it was anymore; it was so dark that she couldn't tell what had been inside.

The former daughter of an official family is determined to become a self-reliant and hardworking person, so she volunteered to cook porridge and make pancakes, while Li Dachui decided to hunt some wild game to make dinner more substantial.

When Li Dachui returned, his face twitched as he looked at the charred remains in the pot.

The porridge being burnt is nothing to worry about; the real problem is that the special cooking utensils he made specifically for himself are now completely ruined. Based on Li Dachui's experience, he's afraid there's no way to clear his name now.

The young lady looked up at him, her face full of grievance. Before Li Dachui could even speak, tears were already streaming down her face. Yet she bit her lip tightly, stubbornly refusing to cry. Under Li Dachui's gaze, she silently took the dark, grimy pot to the stream to wash it.

Li Dachui sighed, swallowing back the sarcastic remarks he had prepared.

I felt that in this situation, it would be too unkind of me to kick someone when they're down.

It's a pity that my set of tableware is going to be ruined. Without this one piece, it's not very fun to use it.

Carrying a rabbit and a pheasant, he walked to the left of Zhang Qingyun and squatted down.

The two worked silently, one washing the pot and the other killing the chicken, plucking its feathers, and cleaning it.

While Li Dachui had roasted a rabbit and a pheasant until they smelled delicious, Zhang Qing was still there, frantically polishing the stew pot with a smooth stone.

"Never mind, it's not anything precious. Come and eat!" Li Dachui shouted.

Regardless, this stubbornness and unwillingness to admit defeat is a good thing.

It is extremely rare for a daughter of an official to have such a temperament.

"I've ruined it!" Zhang Qingyun, who had walked back with her head down, put the stew pot on the ground. Li Dachui glanced at it and, sure enough, the black marks hadn't been wiped clean. Instead, the once smooth surface was now covered with streaks.

It's all flashy and gaudy, and it's getting uglier and uglier than before, when it was all dark and dull.

"No, let's eat!" Li Dachui tore off a rabbit leg and handed it to the other person. He then casually pulled off the rabbit head and started gnawing on it. After a few bites, he took a sip of wine.

Zhang Qingyun stared at him intently.

"What's wrong?" Li Dachui asked.

Zhang Qingyun shook her head.

Looking at the other person's appearance, Li Dachui suddenly burst into laughter without any warning.

"What are you laughing at? What's so funny? I'll make it up to you. I know this is a set of tableware. If one piece is broken, the rest won't work either. I'll definitely make it up to you later. I won't let you lose money," Zhang Qingyun said angrily.

"No, no! I just suddenly thought of a joke!"

"What joke is so funny?" Zhang Qingyun said resentfully.

"I thought you were going to say... hahaha." Li Dachui laughed so hard he almost fell over. "I thought you were going to say how could you eat a bunny when bunnies are so cute."

Li Dachui laughed so hard he couldn't stand up straight, but Zhang Qingyun looked at him like he was an idiot.

Finally, Li Dachui sensed that something was amiss and slowly suppressed his laughter, making quacking sounds like a duck quacking.

"Isn't a rabbit just a carnivore? What's so cute about it! This joke isn't funny at all!" Zhang Qingyun took a big bite of the rabbit leg meat in her hand. "If you want to make me happy, you can tell me a different joke."

Li Dachui took a sip of wine and a bite of rabbit head.

Yeah, this woman isn't cute at all.

The two finished their meal in silence, and then it became completely dark.

That's just how the weather is at this time of year; the sun has barely set when the heavens have already drawn a heavy curtain of darkness over everything.

Zhang Qingyun got up and walked towards the tent.

"Miss Qingyun, aren't you going to show some courtesy?"

"What's there to be modest about?" Zhang Qingyun turned and asked.

"Let me sleep in the tent while you keep watch outside?" Li Dachui shouted.

“If I freeze to death, wouldn’t that increase your sunk costs even more? If I freeze to death, you’ll lose everything.” Zhang Qingyun said seriously, “Besides, if my father gains a foothold outside the Great Wall and becomes a prominent figure, then you’ll lose more than just your initial investment!”

Li Dachui laughed heartily and gave a thumbs up: "Not bad, not bad, you learn very quickly. So, it really is just me continuing to keep watch outside at night!"

“That’s inevitable!” Zhang Qingyun turned around, smiled wryly, and lifted the tent flap to prepare to go inside.

Behind him, Li Dachui muttered to himself, "Sometimes, being a bad guy is a good experience. Hmm, I've never been a gentleman. Taking advantage of others in their time of need isn't a first time. So what if I do it again? Nobody saw us in this desolate place. It won't damage my reputation, hehehe!"

His smile was extremely lewd, even obscene.

Zhang Qingyun's body suddenly stiffened, and it took a while for her to relax amidst Li Dachui's loud laughter. She then plunged into the tent, though she still looked somewhat unsteady.

"That's all there is to it! Miss Qingyun, have a good night's sleep, I'll keep watch over you!"

The last sentence was drawn out extremely long.

Inside the tent, Zhang Qingyun pounded the ground hard. She knew the other person was just joking, but she was afraid she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight either.

This bandit is truly vengeful.

Half-reclining on the leather rug, Zhang Qingyun kept reminding herself not to fall asleep.

What if that guy sneaks in?

That's a horse bandit.

Even if he has good character, he's still a bandit!

The bandit's song drifted up again from outside, but this time the tune was far from heroic; instead, it sounded extremely mournful. The song seemed to tell of two lovers who, despite countless lifetimes, could never be together, bringing tears to Zhang Qingyun's eyes. Unconsciously, she found herself drawn into the story, imagining the love tale unfold in her mind.

Then she fell asleep.

When she opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was the sunlight streaming in through the gap in the tent curtains, so bright that she could barely open her eyes.

Didn't they call me?

There was no breakfast today either.

It seems I really offended him yesterday.

Zhang Qingyun coughed lightly, indicating that she was awake outside.

Given that other person's level of competence, he would probably know if I made the slightest move. The fact that he hasn't paid any attention to me for so long means he's probably angry.

After coughing several times without any response, Zhang Qingyun grew annoyed.

How can a grown man be so petty?
He flung open the curtain and strode out.

Then, she was dumbfounded.

Li Dachui is not outside.

However, standing there was a middle-aged, fat man dressed in blue.

Even though the fat man tried very hard to hide his big belly, the results were not good.

Zhang Qingyun guessed that he couldn't possibly see his toes with his head down.

Behind the fat man stood two rows of young men, also dressed in blue robes.

Zhang Qingyun was immediately stunned.

Did Li Dachui sell me out while I was asleep?

This was her first thought.

Before she could have another thought, the fat man had already bent down deeply: "Miss Qingyun, you're awake? My name is Li Kaixin."

Zhang Qingyun looked up.

Several carriages were parked not far from the tent. Outside one of the carriages, two women were busily preparing something, which appeared to be a meal. Zhang Qingyun could hardly believe her eyes when she saw the dozen or so bowls, plates, and dishes laid out on the table next to them.

These must all be illusions; I haven't actually woken up yet, I'm still dreaming.

She reached out and pinched herself.

pain,
Excruciating pain.

"Help the young lady wash up!" Li Kaixin's words rang in her ears.

Then, one man in blue brought over a copper basin, and another man in blue brought over a mouthwash cup and some salt.

"Li Dachui!" Zhang Qingyun screamed.

With a snap, the window of a carriage was suddenly pushed open.

"Who, who called me?"

Looking at that sleepy-eyed head and somewhat confused face, Zhang Qingyun breathed a long sigh of relief, even though she knew the other person was faking it.

Staring angrily.

Li Dachui chuckled awkwardly, then slid out of the car window as if he had no bones.

"Ah, Miss Qingyun, they came last night. They heard you were sleeping soundly, so they didn't wake you! I had them stand guard outside your tent, and then I went to sleep in the carriage. You know, I haven't been sleeping well these past few days either!"

Li Dachui spoke with a straight face.

Zhang Qingyun almost ground her teeth to powder.

Did I snore again yesterday?
Did these people hear it?

“Miss Qingyun slept soundly last night and didn’t snore!” Li Kaixin smiled broadly, his chubby face looking like a Maitreya Buddha. “Our young master likes to joke.”

Zhang Qingyun immediately developed a strong liking for Li Kaixin.

Who said that if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too?

This Li Kaixin is much more serious than Li Dachui.

"Miss Qingyun, please wash up! Then you can have breakfast. If you walk quickly, you should be able to reach Tai'an City today. This time, the young master has been away from home for half a year, and his family misses him terribly!" Li Kaixin's voice was very pleasant, soft and gentle, yet not effeminate. Instead, it had a strange magnetism, and it was definitely better than Li Dachui's raspy voice.

Li Dachui's singing, apart from its profound artistic conception, is utterly worthless.

Zhang Qingyun walked to the copper basin, preparing to wash her face.

Then, she saw herself looking disheveled and with excrement in the corners of her eyes.

I suddenly felt terrible.

She looked up at the seven or eight people in front of her.

Apart from Li Kaixin's smiling face, the other eight young people were all very serious.

Zhang Qingyun swallowed hard and began to wash up.

This is something I'm quite familiar with. Back when I was still in Chang'an, when my father was still in office, wasn't this how the servants always served me?
(End of this chapter)