Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

At night, a campfire was lit.

The newly arrived grain and fodder were piled up in the camp, and the aroma of meat mixed with the smell of wine wafted through the air.

The Northern Barbarians' three attacks on the city were all repelled by the Burning Wind Army, which dampened their morale and brought a rare moment of relief to the army.

Pei Yaojun sat alone by the fire, tearing at the dry, hard jerky, when two young soldiers approached him.

These were the two men he had saved during the day, one named Zhao Da and the other Qian Wu.

"Third Brother Pei!"

Zhao Da handed over a bowl of wine, his eyes reddening.

"If it weren't for you during the day, I would be dead!"

Qian Wu also raised his bowl, "I toast you!"

Pei Yaojun frowned, intending to refuse, but upon meeting their eager gazes, he finally accepted the bowl.

The strong liquor felt like a red-hot knife cutting into his throat; he choked and coughed several times, his face turning red.

In the capital, he only drinks the finest wines, mellow and rich, unlike this inferior wine that he would never even glance at.

Zhao grinned and said, "Third Brother is too young to drink this strong liquor, is he?"

Qian Wuye laughed along, heartily.

Provoked, Pei Yaojun snatched the wine jar away. "Who said I can't drink?"

He tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful, the spiciness making his eyes sting, but he forced himself to swallow it.

The crackling campfire illuminated his blood-stained face.

Zhao Da and Qian Wu clapped their hands and cheered. The three of them took turns drinking from bowl to bowl, and started competing with each other.

As the alcohol took effect, the bloodshed and fear on the battlefield seemed to fade, leaving only the burning pleasure in my throat.

By the end of the drinking session, there were three or four empty wine jars next to them.

As the alcohol took effect, he became more talkative.

Zhao Da, his face flushed from drinking, pulled out a faded blue cloth from his pocket and rubbed it repeatedly.

Pei Yaojun shook his groggy head and asked, "What...is that?"

Qian Wu explained with a thick tongue, "It's his baby's swaddling clothes! Brother Zhao joined the army when the baby was just born. He barely had a chance to see him before coming to Tiema Pass. He thought he could go back after two years of military service, but who would have thought there would be a war..."

Zhao Da pressed the cloth to his chest, his voice choked with emotion.

"I just hope the war ends soon so I can go back and see my kids and my wife."

Qian Wu's eyes also reddened. "My wife has only been married for three months, and she's not even pregnant yet."

Both of them had something on their minds, so they turned to ask Pei Yaojun.

"Third Brother, what about you? Is someone waiting for you at home?"

Pei Yaojun hesitated and remained silent.

Zhao Da patted him on the shoulder, "If it's there, it's there; if it's not, it's not!"

"Yes! Of course!"

Pei Yaojun blurted it out, then realized he had spoken out of turn, and silently gulped down a mouthful of wine.

The two men's eyes lit up, and they leaned closer to ask.

How old is the child?

"Not a child."

"That's my wife!"

"I'm not married yet."

The two exclaimed "Whoa!" Qian Wu leaned closer and asked, "So, who is Third Brother worried about? His parents at home?"

Pei Yaojun stared at the leaping flames, his gaze distant.

"Not just family members, but also a woman, I can't say for sure."

"In short, I miss her so much when I can't see her. I want to hear her speak and see her smile."

Zhao Dayi slapped his thigh, "That's your sweetheart! Are you two engaged yet?"

Pei Yaojun shook his head.

Qian Wu's eyes widened. "So, they've secretly pledged their lives to each other?"

He still shook his head.

The two men exchanged glances, and Zhao Da lowered his voice, saying, "Third Brother, could it be... that their family is too high-ranking for you?"

Pei Yaojun remained silent. He did wish her family background were higher, or that his own were lower; that wouldn't be unacceptable either.

"I hadn't told her any of this before I left."

Qian Wu sighed, "Third Brother, you joined the army without even saying goodbye. Does the girl know what you're thinking?"

Zhao Da chimed in, "Yeah, what if by the time you get back, they'll already have two kids..."

"Won't!"

Those words were like a knife, piercing Pei Yaojun's heart.

Pei Yaojun suddenly stood up, overturning his wine bowl and spilling wine all over the floor.

Zhao Da and Qian Wu were startled and quickly pulled him back, saying, "Third Brother is drunk! Sit down!"

He was forced back to sit slumped over, looking up at the dark blue night sky.

The crescent moon is like her smiling eyes.

It wasn't until he had been in the army for half a year that he understood.

The person you think about day and night, the person you long to see even if you're thousands of miles apart, is called your sweetheart.

But before he left, he hadn't told her that he loved her.

In this desolate northern border, Pei Yaojun felt a warmth in his heart when he thought of her.

A thought took root and sprouted in his mind: he wanted to go back alive and tell her that he loved her.

I fell in love with her the moment I saw her from behind the artificial hill.

……

After learning that war had broken out in the North, Liu Wenying hadn't been able to eat or sleep well.

At night, I always dream of the border where beacon fires blaze and battles shake the heavens.

When I woke up, my pillowcase was wet; I couldn't tell if it was cold sweat or tears.

But Pei Yaojun left so suddenly that even the Duke of Yu did not know his exact whereabouts. She wanted to write a letter to inquire about his safety, but there was nowhere to send it.

Life had to go on, and Liu Wenying continued to go to the silkworm house and weaving room every day to urge the people on the estate to weave cloth.

She kept all her worries to herself, not letting anyone see them.

On this day, someone came to the mansion again.

Liu Wenying was in the weaving room, urging the weavers to finish making brocade, when she heard from Granny Wang that someone from the mansion had come. She thought it was the Second Master.

He would come every month during his days off, sometimes bringing some trendy snacks from the capital, and sometimes just quietly watching her busy herself.

The secret joy that came from him diluted some of the sorrow in my heart.

Liu Wenying quickly walked through the corridor and ran towards the main hall.

The weavers laughed behind her, saying she ran faster than a rabbit.

She didn't care about maintaining the airs of a village head to reprimand him; she just wanted to see him as soon as possible.

Upon reaching the door, Liu Wenying said as she walked, "You always came to my room before, why did you come here again today, Second Master..."

The words came to an abrupt halt.

The man in the hall turned around, dressed in a black brocade robe, with calm and composed features; it was none other than Pei Dingxuan.

Liu Wenying hurriedly curtsied, "Please forgive me, sir. I didn't know it was you. I have failed to greet you properly."

Pei Dingxuan looked at her quietly.

I hadn't seen her for several months. Her appearance was unchanged, but her temperament was quite different.

In the past, she was always submissive and obedient in the household, but now her back is straight, her eyes are clear, and her gaze reveals a composure that comes from being in charge.

Yes, managing such a large estate requires a certain level of dignity.

He meant to ask, "It's been so long, how have you been?" but the words that came out were:

"My second brother... he came too?"

It wasn't a secret that needed to be hidden, Liu Wenying said honestly:

"Yes, Second Master comes to the estate to check on things every month during his time off."

Pei Dingxuan felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.

No wonder Pei Zeyu is never at home. I thought he was busy at the government office, but I didn't expect him to be in the suburbs.

What do they do when he's not around?

Side by side, watching the mulberry fields turn into green hills? Sitting across from each other, sipping tea? Or...?

He dared not think any further and said calmly, "Take me for a walk."

Liu Wenying led the old man to the mulberry field, introducing the spring silkworm replanting, summer silk harvest, and autumn brocade weaving along the way.

She spoke clearly and logically, demonstrating the competence of a village head.

Pei Dingxuan's mind was not on these industries.

After looking at the compacted soil on the ridges of the fields, he wondered if Pei Zeyu had walked these paths with her.

Will she treat Pei Zeyu with the same polite and distant attitude?