Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 182 Victory and Defeat (Part Two)

I can't bear to think about it anymore.

This was arguably the darkest moment in Yang Huai's life.

He was soundly beaten, and his left leg was kicked hard. When he got back on horseback for the race, his left leg was weak, and his horse naturally slowed down. How could he possibly outrun Pei Yan?

Pei Qinghe stepped forward, smiling as she inquired, "Is General Yang alright? Shall I have Doctor Bao take a look at you?"

Yang Huai, being very concerned about his reputation, immediately said, "No need. They are just minor superficial injuries, and I have my own excellent medicine."

Pei Qinghe didn't press the matter and politely asked, "Would you like to have another match another day?"

Yang Huai subconsciously looked at Pei Yan.

Under the scorching sun, Pei Yan, a girl with messy, jet-black hair, grinned smugly, her fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Yang Huai felt a surge of emotion, whether it was anger or something else, he didn't know. After a moment of silence, he said, "There's no need to compete anymore. I lost, and I accept it wholeheartedly."

"Please write a letter, Sixth Miss, and I will take it back with me."

A marriage alliance is no small matter; it needs to be formally discussed with General Yang.

Pei Qinghe nodded: "Alright, I'll write the letter tonight. You can set off back to Guangning Army tomorrow."

Yang Huai bowed and agreed.

Pei Qinghe winked at Pei Yan. Pei Yan came over casually. Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "General Yang is returning to Guangning Army tomorrow, you can see him off."

Pei Yan: "Oh!"

Pei Qinghe then said, "Go get a bottle of medicine for injuries and give it to General Yang."

Pei Yan: "Oh!"

Pei Yan, fierce as a tigress, was unusually docile in front of Pei Qinghe. Yang Huai couldn't help but let his imagination run wild; if Pei Yan acted this way in front of him, becoming her son-in-law wouldn't be so bad…

"What are you standing there for? Get out of here."

Yang Huai woke up from his daydream, cupped his hands in greeting to Pei Qinghe, and left only after Pei Qinghe smiled and nodded.

He limped back to his house.

Some of the guards wanted to go in to help with the application of medicine, but the others stopped them: "Miss Pei Yan has gone to get the medicine. We'll wait outside, so please don't come in."

A moment later, Pei Yan brought over the medicine for Lu's injuries.

Yang Huai had just taken off his shirt, grimacing at the bruises on his body. As soon as Pei Yan entered, he quickly put his shirt back on: "Hey! Why didn't you knock before coming in! Don't you know there's a difference between men and women!"

Pei Yan said impatiently, "If it weren't for my cousin Qinghe's special instructions, I wouldn't have bothered to apply the medicine for you."

"Besides, I've seen countless wounded soldiers in my military campaigns. If you're a man, stop dawdling."

Yang Huai was furious, so he simply took off his shirt.

Pei Yan showed no embarrassment or shyness whatsoever, and vigorously applied the wound medicine.

Yang Huai felt extremely distressed: "Use less. This Lu family's wound medicine is very expensive; one bottle costs ten taels of silver. That's enough to buy two shi of grain."

Pei Yan rolled her eyes: "Shut up. When you marry into the family, learn from Brother-in-law Zhao Hai. Listen to Sister-in-law Shu Lan in everything and never nag or say anything nonsense."

Yang Huai was so angry that he shut his mouth.

The ointment was slippery, and Pei Yan's palms were somewhat rough, probably because she had used too much force. Yang Huai's body quickly turned red, and his dark face also turned a dark red.

The carefree Pei Yan didn't notice at all. After applying the ointment, she made Yang Huai take off his pants. Yang Huai was so angry that he laughed and snatched the ointment back: "I'll do the rest myself."

Pei Yan generously decided not to hold it against him: "I'll be going if there's nothing else."

Lift your feet and walk.

Yang Huai's lips twitched, and he called out to Pei Yan, "Wait a minute. We still have something to talk about."

Pei Yan stopped, turned around, and looked puzzled: "I won the horse race, and you'll become my son-in-law. From now on, the Pei family army and the Guangning army will be allied and support each other. It's all obvious, what's unclear about that?" Yang Huai was taken aback: "Is that all you've thought about? Nothing else?"

Pei Yan was puzzled: "What else is there to think about?"

Yang Huai took a deep breath and silently told himself not to argue with a blockhead. After repeating it seven or eight times, he finally calmed down a bit: "After we get married, we will be husband and wife. We must share honor and disgrace, and be one in life and death."

“That’s not the rule in our Pei family,” Pei Yan interrupted Yang Huai. “If you’re not happy, you can get a divorce. Just dissolve the marriage and kick the man out of Pei Family Village.”

Yang Huai: "..."

Yang Huai got angry again.

Pei Yan pouted: "Your temper is far worse than Zhao Hai's. And it's nowhere near as good as Shi Yan's."

Yang Huai snorted: "If you're so dissatisfied with me, why did you beat me so badly during the competition, insisting on winning?"

Pei Yan snorted, "Of course it's because we can't lose a thousand shi of grain! We can't lose face for Pei Yan!"

Yang Huai's anger surged, and he glared at her: "Pei Yan! This is too childish of you!"

"Why are you, a man, so slow?" Pei Yan's patience ran out, and she warned him by clenching her fist: "Cousin Qinghe is not a reckless person. The reason she suddenly proposed the bet must be because General Yang has expressed his intention to arrange a marriage. You are General Yang's nephew, and I am Pei Liu's cousin. If we get married, the Pei family and the Yang family will be united by marriage, which is the most reliable alliance."

"This is a win-win situation. How is it childish?"

"Even if our marriage is strained, we can always get a divorce. I won't hold you back. What are you afraid of?"

Yang Huai was speechless.

Pei Yan is not stupid at all.

He's the fool.

He actually fantasized that Pei Yan liked him even a little bit...

"Actually, you're quite handsome, and tall and strong," Pei Yan said. "You're barely good enough for me."

Yang Huai was amused again: "You've got some nerve."

Pei Yan grinned: "That's right."

After a string of words that left Yang Huai's handsome face flushed red with anger, Pei Yan finally left, satisfied.

The guards rushed in, chattering all at once: "Is the young master really going to be Miss Pei Yan's son-in-law from now on?"

"When will you get married?"

When will you come to Peijia Village?

"We're all the young master's personal guards, so we have to come along! Whose side are we supposed to be? If a young lady takes a liking to me, can I marry into her family?"

Yang Huai, who had been holding back his anger for half a day, finally burst out with a cold snort: "Since you're so impatient, you might as well stay here and don't need to come back with me."

The guards chuckled awkwardly: "Young master, please don't be angry. We're just rough men, and we don't know how to hold our tongues."

"If we talk too much, I'll slap myself."

He waved the fan left and right with a half-hearted, half-forceful gesture.

Frustrated, Yang Huai simply told them to get out: "Get out! All of you, get out!"

Inside the room, Pei Qinghe whispered to Pei Yan, "General Yang has always intended to form a marriage alliance with our Pei family. He has written to me many times before, but I have politely declined each time. Shi Yan has abandoned his family and career to follow me wholeheartedly, and I cannot let him down."

"This time, General Yang sent Yang Huai over, saying in his letter that he wanted Yang Huai to be your son-in-law. I was actually a little hesitant."

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to force you."

"I will give you the decision regarding this horse race during the day. If you wish, you will do everything in your power to win the bet. If you do not wish, a thousand shi of grain will serve as an apology to General Yang."

　Let's give this bickering couple some monthly votes to celebrate! (*╯3╰)
　　(End of this chapter)