Chapter 1 ends on an interesting note. Well, what does one expect when a level-headed Gu Yun finally encounters the hot-tempered Su Yu. Naturally, sparks fly! Have some bundles of laughs from reading this part!
Chapter One: The soul travelled to a different era, Part 4 of 4
After half a month. Behind the mountain, the training ground of the General Manor. At high noon, the sun in summer is already intensely hot, the central area of the training ground does not have any place to shelter in the shade, a thousand soldiers after a six-hour drill, could finally take a break. Because there are still battle drills in the afternoon, the soldiers did not return to the mountain camp to rest, in small groups of threes and fours they were hiding in the shade, enjoying the cool air, sounds of laughter were heard from time to time.
“Really?”
Everyone had this look of disbelief on the face, a veteran soldier waved his hand, his face serious, said: “Why would I lie, kitchen Xiao Zhao is my fellow villager, he himself told me! She must eat three catties[1] of beef, ten eggs, a catty of rice, and five cuc.u.mbers.”
“I don’t believe it!” A young and robust soldier pounded his strong chest proudly replied: “I’m so strong, I can eat that much, but how can a woman possibly eat all that much!”
The veteran soldier patted the young soldier’s thick shoulder, threw a sidelong glance at his strong build, clicked his tongue and laughed: “This you do not understand, perhaps the woman is a 200-catty big, fat person! Also, about her meals I’m not talking nonsense. You go to the kitchen to find out. Ask there, everyone knows about that!”
The young soldier finally believed him, murmured back: “Ah, so this is why! No wonder the general threw her out to live in the rear court.”
The young soldier’s voice trailed off, immediately a group of soldiers laughed out loud. The veteran soldier continued to quip: “I think the emperor most likely, seeing that the general always refuses to take a wife, simply bestowed him a big, fat wife to encourage the general.” He laughed after having said that, but noticed that the few people around did not laugh and were looking behind him, staring panic-stricken, and afterwards they all hastily bowed their heads.
The veteran soldier’s heart felt cold, darn, standing behind him would not be …
“Everybody stand up.” A growling roar resounded, the dozen of people enjoying the cool air under the shade quickly got up, stood ramrod straight, no one dared to move.
Man in horse stance (mabu); photo by ocean silver taken from ymaa.com
Su Yu’s cold eyes swept on one by one over the nervous faces of the soldiers, and finally stopped in front of the veteran soldier’s face, slowly, coldly barked: “Everybody under the sun, on horse stance, for one hour!”“Yes.” The whole group went on to do the horse stance under the scorching sun, wailing unceasingly in their hearts, but n.o.body dared to show any expression on his face. The rest of the soldiers who were unaware of what happened were baffled to see several soldiers struggling to maintain the horse stance under the sun, and the lieutenant general’s livid face as he walked towards the direction of the rear court.
Wretched woman, she wanted to get their attention using this method?! Very well, he’d like to see how much she can eat, and if she could not eat anymore, then he’ll tell her how stupid she is!
In the farthest corner of the rear court, st.u.r.dy branches were cut down, two white strips of cloth tied high above the tree trunk, a pair of upright, slender hands are firmly grasping branches, with blue veins showing on the back of the hands, following ragged breaths rhythmically relaxing. A wisp of pet.i.te figure is suspended mid-air, relying on the strength of the arm it is moving up and down.
“Seventeen, 18, 19 … twenty!” Gu Yun was gasping for air, sweat from her forehead streamed down her cheeks and hair, her white unlined garment was practically soaking wet.
Twenty! She finally can do twenty, who would have thought that she would be deliriously happy to be able to do twenty pull-ups, even less than half of the number she could do previously. While mocking herself, Gu Yun suddenly heard outside of the door the sound of extremely light footsteps.
Gu Yun released her hand immediately, jumped down, on the same moment her feet landed on the ground a tall figure filled with fury appeared in the courtyard.
Su Yu in spitting anger entered the courtyard, originally he wanted to lecture properly this woman called Qing Mo, forbidding her from playing such tricks in this manner, however upon entering the courtyard, he immediately froze. In the small courtyard, the low shrubs and wild, overgrown weeds were cleared out thoroughly, leaving only a green meadow. On the edge of the meadow, there were large and small sacks, filled with stuff inside he could not even guess. On a high bough, a strip of cloth is hanging in mid-air, swaying with the wind, if this woman wanted to hang a swing she need not hang it so high.
Just underneath the “swing” was a small, white figure partly kneeling her hands bracing on the ground, the woman got up slowly, with a gentle and beautiful face, and a delicate body, she’s no different from any ordinary rich family’s young daughter, except for her pair of cold and indifferent eyes staring intensely at him at this moment. Su Yu momentarily got distracted, he nearly forgot why he came there in the first place.
The androgynous Gu Yun
Until the woman has completely straightened up, he saw her flimsy garment, Su Yu suddenly recovered, screamed: “What the h.e.l.l are you doing dressed that way? Put some clothes on!”What does the woman clearly want to do, standing in the courtyard in broad daylight wearing only such clothes, who is she trying to seduce?
Furthermore her hair is not strung together, using a strip of white cloth tying it at the back of her head, appearing neither female nor male, an androgynous look.
Gu Yun gently raised her eyebrows, sneered: “Obviously your manor is not providing enough clothes.” They only gave her two sets of clothes, she kept the long trousers, but she tore her cheong sam and out of the cloth made sacks which she filled with sandy soil.
After two weeks of physical exercise, she already can nimbly move about this body. Next in the plan is the weight-bearing exercises to increase her strength, she needs more sandbags, this man in front of her just about came in time.
In her plain white dress almost completely wet with sweat, under the blazing afternoon sunlight, her graceful figure is partly visible. Su Yu lowered his head, growled, “d.a.m.n it!” He rushed out hurriedly.
Gu Yun was briefly startled, what was he up to? Leaving after coming here and bellowing angry words? She laughed in spite of herself, shook her head, gently leaped high, caught the branch overhead, took a deep breath, intending to do a round of twenty pull-ups. Who knew after doing ten, she would again hear bustling sound carried by the wind of footsteps nearing, Gu Yun a bit impatiently frowned, what does this man actually want?
Gu Yun lightly jumped down, the scene that she saw almost made her laugh out. It is still that young, tall and strong man just a while ago, except that this time his arms are holding a pile of a.s.sorted clothings, the colorful clothes against the backdrop of his swarthy skin and livid face, it really is very funny to watch.
Su Yu went straight to Gu Yun, in front of her he threw under her feet the female clothes he was holding in his arms, coldly he scoffed: “So is this enough?!”
So he actually went looking for some clothes for her, this man is interesting. Gu Yun looked again at the man’s face, young, handsome, transparent face, around twenty years old, a faint trace of overbearing aura. His profile and that of the cold man she saw the last time are somewhat similar, but unfortunately the man is too young, all his expressions are revealed in his face. Discerning facial expressions was particularly one of her investigation skills.
These clothes are enough for her to make a lot of fitness tools, Gu Yun feeling pretty good deliberately quipped: “I personally prefer them plain, remember it for the next time.”
“Where do you think this is? How does the General Manor let you be impudent?!”
Gu Yun’s arrogance has provoked the fiery temper of Su Yu, he vigorously stepped forward reaching out his big hands to her right shoulder, Gu Yun’s cold eyes flashed, immediately she turned around quickly, crouching her body, grabbed a dark purple tunic, purposely said: “Ah, this is a nice piece.”
Su Yu was stunned, unexpectedly he just let her dodge away. Watching her small back while selecting for herself suitable clothes for a woman, Su Yu twitched his mouth, withdrew the hand he extended, he lets it pa.s.s, what kind of a hero is one anyway who fights with a fragile woman. What he did not know is that at this time this so-called weak woman is twisting in her hands the clothes into a long rope, if he will put out his hand again, she would hit him back.
Sensing that the man behind her took a step back, Gu Yun slowly loosened her grip on the long rope, she turned around, smiled and nonchalantly asked: “Who are you?”
“Su Yu.” After saying this, Su Yu proudly stood there, as if everyone should know who the lieutenant general Su Yu is.
Gu Yun tilted her head to the side and replied: “Fine I know the name. Continue.”
She did not know him?! Su Yu was both embarra.s.sed and somewhat annoyed, he replied: “I am the master of the General Manor!” Batting her eyebrows, Gu Yun smiled and said: “You are the General Manor’s master, then who was that ice block man the last time?” He must be the ice block man’s younger brother.
Ice block man? Su Yu gawked for a moment, then he unexpectedly laughed, this name is really apt for his brother, but n.o.body dares to say that to his face. His mood a bit cheerful now, Su Yu laughed: “He is my eldest brother.”
As expected, this man in front of her is even more angry, his fury written across his face, but compared to his elder brother, he was far worse. She straightened up, looked up at the sky, it is almost high noon, she’s not in the mood to continue chatting with him, so Gu Yun directly asked: “Why did you come to my courtyard? What exactly do you want?”
Su Yu finally remembered that he was here to mete out punishment. It is at this exact moment a more than 50-year-old kitchen servant carrying a big tray of meals appears in the gate of the courtyard, having seen Su Yu, he promptly and respectfully called out: “Third General…”
Su Yu glanced down at the pallet holding three large bowls, one bowl is overflowing with rice, another bowl is full of eggs, and the third bowl full of beef, in the side are also five fresh cuc.u.mbers. This amount of food, two young soldiers can finish all he estimated, while she only reaches up to his chest, so thin that the wind can blow her over, but actually only a bowl of eggs can choke her to death!
Convinced that Gu Yun was just using this means to attract attention, Su Yu, who finds repugnant the tricks of a scheming woman, replied, his tone increasingly getting cold: “I’ve heard you want to eat a lot of things in a meal. I’ve come to specially see this. The General Manor can keep feeding people, but never tolerates waste of the rations. If you could not finish eating all these, starting today, you’ll go without food and water for three days!” She would go hungry for three days and three nights, see if she still dares to play her tricks.
So, actually it turns out that he came to do this, he treats a woman with disdain to make her somewhat fl.u.s.tered, Gu Yun coldly replied: “And if I can eat it all?”
“Impossible!” Up to now she wants to quibble!
Her bright and shiny eyes gleamed, Gu Yun slightly lifted her head, provocatively said: “Do you want to make a bet?”
Su Yu coldly replied: “What bet?”
“If I lose, you make me do something I’ll do it, you say one I dare not say two, absolute obedience.” Gu Yun said this very casually, because it is absolutely impossible, she does not even know “obedience”, what is that, but she cannot lose anyway. Looking towards Su Yu, her smile is sly, “if you lose, I want to move freely inside the General Manor.”
“Don’t even think about it.” Su Yu did not want also to immediately rebuff! But, a woman freely moving in the General Manor, it is absolutely impossible!
d.a.m.n it! Did he not fall for it?! Looking at his eyes full of arrogance, Gu Yun rolled her eyes, deliberately knitted her brows, and gasped: “You do not dare? Ah right, you as master cannot do this one, I better not embarra.s.s you.”
Sure enough, after hearing these words Su Yu promptly shouted: “I cannot do it as master?! Who are you kidding?!”
The old servant inwardly groaned, oh no, the crabby temperament of third general has shown up again, he cannot be duped ah. “Carrying things to give her regularly in the past!” Unfortunately, Su Yu did not hear the voice of the old servant, pointing to Gu Yun’s arrogant smiling face, Su Yu angrily said: “It’s a bet! You eat right now!”
The fish has swallowed the bait, Gu Yun in a very good mood took the tray, picked up a cuc.u.mber, took a nip, happily ate it slowly. After finishing one, Gu Yun in no hurry in eating her dinner, took another, slowly and leisurely chewing it, the more she was taking time, the more vicious and sinister Su Yu’s face became, just as she was picking up the third cuc.u.mber, Su Yu could not bear it anymore, groaned: “eat faster.”
Gu Yun remained unmoved, she laughed while gnawing the cuc.u.mber: “You haven’t set a time limit.”
Su Yu replied impatiently: “An hour[2], you don’t finish eating in an hour you lose.” If she continues the way she’s doing now, she might be eating till midnight!
He thought she would argue with him, but who knew Gu Yun would put down the cuc.u.mber, raised her face plastered with a glittering smile, her voice cold which can make a person wince, “You’d better concede defeat.” After having said that, she picked up the large bowl filled with eggs, took all the eggs out, one by one she calmly broke each egg into the large bowl.
Su Yu frowned, to his surprise the eggs were actually raw!
She picked up the bowl filled with beef, stirred the beef into the bowl with rice, Su Yu realized that the pile of beef when mixed with the rice, beef and rice together is easier to swallow, but even if so, she still has two large bowls of rice and beef mixture to eat, Su Yu with both hands clasped in his chest, calmly waited to look at her embarra.s.sed look of surrender. Unfortunately, the minutes ticked by, Gu Yun calmly enjoyed the food, Su Yu’s face was getting more and more dark, she, she, she, when all is said and done, is she or is she not a woman!
After a stick of incense, Gu Yun contentedly set down the bowl, drank up the remaining egg fluid, picked up the half-eaten cuc.u.mber, while playfully gnawing, laughed: “I think it’s almost time our bet should take effect.” He did not know if he was too angry at Gu Yun or too shocked of her big appet.i.te, Su Yu’s hands loosened, tightened, tightened and loosened again, finally he angrily replied: “I concede defeat, you can walk around the General Manor, but you cannot take one step out of it!”
After saying that Su Yu left in a huff, Gu Yun waved her hand at his departing angry figure, brazenly laughed: “if you have time come and take a sit.”
At present she simply wants to inspect the terrain of the General Manor to prepare her escape in the future. Once her body is a bit stronger, she must leave, could it be that by then she still has to ask his permission? What a joke!
[1] 1 catty = 0.5 kg
[2] bange shichen (半个时辰), lit. means half a time; Su Yu allowed Gu Yun within half of shichen to finish eating. Shichen is equivalent to two hours. (Source: Wikipedia)