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As Gu Jiao spoke, her chest slightly heaved despite her efforts to control her breathing. She was still short of breath, indicating how much she had struggled and pushed herself along the way.
She even lacked the strength to stand up, hence the collision with the gate, resulting in that loud thud.
Reluctant to let Xiao Heng see her sorry state, she casually sat on the hard doorstep, leaning against the cold wall, unaware that her exhaustion was evident on her face.
Despite this, when she looked at him, her eyes still sparkled.
The wind and snow raged outside, the cold wind howling fiercely.
However, Xiao Heng"s heart felt engulfed by a wave of intense heat, his blood rushing, and yet he held his breath.
He looked at her in disbelief, her distressed figure clearly reflected in his deep eyes.
Ji City was blanketed by heavy snow, and the mountain pa.s.ses were closed off. A hundred thousand troops were stalled in their advance. Yet, she, alone and determined, traversed mountains and hills, braving the biting wind and freezing snow, arriving just in time to appear before him on his birthday.
Xiao Heng, who was supposed to be well-versed in literature and knowledge, couldn"t find the right words to describe his feelings at that moment.
He suddenly felt a pang in his heart, a twinge he couldn"t quite explain.
He said nothing, yet his gaze conveyed everything.
It was just a birthday he himself didn"t care about.
Why rush back?
Why not wait patiently for the snowstorm to pa.s.s?
Why not stay with the imperial army?
Why...
Why else could it be?
Merely something he didn"t care about, yet someone cared on his behalf.
Xiao Heng was touched, though his face showed no emotional shift. Swiftly, he removed his outer robe, crouched down, and wrapped Gu Jiao with it, still warm from his body heat.
Gu Jiao was surrounded by a tremendous warmth, accompanied by the distinct masculine scent that belonged to him.
She sniffed, her voice carrying a slight frozen nasal tone, "You smell really nice."
Xiao Heng looked at her reddened nose and quipped, "Even when you"re freezing like this, you can still tell if I smell good or not?"
"Mm, it"s nice!" Gu Jiao affirmed.
Xiao Heng was originally thinking about the risks and hardships she had endured along the way as he watched her distressed state. He felt a mix of complexity and heaviness in his heart. But when she diverted the conversation like this, Xiao Heng was really caught between laughter and tears.
Xiao Heng brought in the red-ta.s.seled spear, and also removed her back basket. Then with one arm around her back and the other supporting her knees, he gently lifted her.
"I can walk." Gu Jiao said.
She hadn’t forgotten that his leg was still lame. Even when at home, she wouldn"t let him carry Little Jing Kong.
"I can also walk." Xiao Heng replied.
Gu Jiao blinked at him.
Xiao Heng stood up while carrying her. She could feel the strength in his arms, stronger than when she left the capital, exuding the vigor of a grown man.
Gu Jiao glanced at his legs, surprised to see him walking so well.
Gu Jiao exclaimed, "Your foot isn"t lame anymore?"
"It still is."
In a split second, someone turned back into a limping figure.
In reality, he had recovered long ago. The day after clearing up the misunderstanding with Princess Xinyang and resolving his internal struggles, he was able to walk freely. He had planned to surprise her on her birthday but the young lady had left and ran away.
Very well.
She had to pay the price.
It was autumn when Gu Jiao left the capital, and she wasn"t heavily dressed then. Now it was the depth of winter, and despite wearing thick cotton garments, she didn"t seem to weigh much.
Xiao Heng tightened his hold around her arms.
Their little one at home was three months old and didn"t need night nursing anymore. Thus, the wet nurse no longer needed to stay, so Yao shi took the baby back to their original room, leaving the east room for Gu Jiao.
Yuya’er came to clean it everyday, changing the bedding to new ones.
Xiao Heng carried her into the room and placed her on a cushioned chair, saying, "Rest here, I"ll prepare a charcoal basin for you."
With that, he went to the kitchen, ignited the straw and dry wood in the stove, and added the silver charcoal.
These silver charcoals were sent from the palace. They were top-grade and smokeless, easy to light and long-lasting.
While waiting for the charcoal to burn, he poured water into a pot, cooked a bowl of vegetable and egg noodles, and sliced some cured sausages and meats.
By the time the charcoal was ready, the noodles were cooked.
He carried the noodles to the east room.
Gu Jiao’s head lay on the table, feeling drowsy.
It wasn"t just simple tiredness but complete exhaustion.
Xiao Heng gently touched her forehead, finding it cool. A bit relieved, he said, "Have something to eat before you sleep."
"Mm..." Gu Jiao mumbled.
She hadn"t eaten anything for a day and a night. She was indeed famished.
She yawned and picked up a chopstick to eat some vegetables.
Then, with a sudden start, she was fully awake!
After bringing the charcoal basin inside, Xiao Heng remembered the horse outside and went to fetch it, tying it in the stable near Old Chief’s side without waking anyone.
When he returned to the east room, he found Gu Jiao wide awake.
It couldn’t be helped. Her husband"s dark cuisine was just too invigorating, almost as effective as smelling salts.
Looking at her husband"s handsome face, Gu Jiao adhered to the principle that beauty was appetizing and finished the bowl of indescribable-tasting noodles, not leaving a single drop of soup behind.
Xiao Heng poured her a gla.s.s of refreshing warm water, "Was the journey difficult?"
"Not at all. I didn’t go there to fight in war; I went there as a physician!"
As she finished speaking, there was a clatter, and a dagger slipped out from her sleeve.
The dagger belonged to the State of Chen’s Rong Family, one of Yuegu City’s spoils.
Gu Jiao blinked.
I"m not embarra.s.sed, it’s others who are embarra.s.sed.
Without changing her expression, she calmly picked up the dagger.
Another clatter sounded, and a sleeve arrow dropped out.
——The hidden weapon of the Tang Family archer, one of Tang Yueshan"s prized possessions.
Without blushing or showing any emotion, she picked up the arrow.
As she placed the arrow and dagger on the table, she accidentally knocked over her back basket, and as soon as it fell onto the table, a bunch of items spilled out.
Throwing knives, battle axes, meteor hammers, nine-section whips...
Xiao Heng"s eyes took on a dangerous glint.
Gu Jiao"s eyes swiftly darted around, "Would you believe me if I said I just picked these up?"
Xiao Heng replied dryly, "Oh."
"I have something for you!" Gu Jiao changed the subject in a split second, retrieving something tightly wrapped in cloth from her back basket and handing it to him. "Open it and have a look."
Xiao Heng still wanted to question her about her battlefield experiences but refrained.Raz P."s Thoughts
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