Chapter 7: The Grand General

Perhaps because she had lost the war of words to Wen Wan, A-Chai did not say a single word to her for the rest of the journey.

Jin Mu spent a small fortune to buy a carriage from the post station owner. Wen Wan sat inside, while Jin Mu drove for her.

Several times, Wen Wan lifted the carriage curtain to look outside, only to see the back of A-Chai, who was riding his horse at the very front.

Under the sunlight, the man’s tall and upright figure looked nearly perfect from every angle. It was a pity, though, that his terrible personality was a fatal flaw.

Feeling bored, Wen Wan struck up a casual conversation with Jin Mu. "Brother Jin Mu, your Captain has such a poisonous tongue. In all the time he’s spent with his colleagues, has no one ever beaten him up?"

"Beat him up?"

The corner of Jin Mu’s mouth twitched. "Who would dare beat him up? He’s the one who beats everyone else up."

Wen Wan pretended to ponder for a moment, then shook her head and sighed, "That’s true. These days, the timid fear the aggressive, and the aggressive fear those who have nothing to lose. With your Captain’s temper, normal people probably wouldn't want to cross him directly."

Jin Mu caught the implication behind her words—she was clearly saying that A-Chai had something wrong with his head and wasn't a normal person.

Jin Mu shrank his neck in dismay and lowered his voice to warn her

"Miss Wan, my Lord has sharp ears. He can hear you when you say things like that!"

Wen Wan looked calm. "Let him hear. What’s he going to do, kill me?"

Jin Mu was just about to say something to scare her, but she spoke her mind directly.

"Brother Jin Mu, you don't need to try to scare me. I’m not stupid. Your Captain is keeping me around—does he really think I’m a spy?"

Wen Wan curled her lip. "Isn't it just because I have some utility that he’s keeping me? I understand that. So, as long as I’m still useful, your Captain won't lay a hand on me, right?"

Having been seen through so easily, Jin Mu was both shocked and impressed.

To be honest, in all his years, this was the first time he had met such a clever girl. Especially when she spoke, that streak of cunning was seven parts similar to their military strategist.

A-Chai, riding at the very front, had indeed heard their conversation.

He did not look back, but the depth in his eyes grew much heavier.

*

The sunset at the border carried the vast, unique scenery of the edge of the desert.

The towering city walls stood at the foot of a continuous mountain range. Passersby hurried along, all squeezing into the city just before the gates closed.

Unlike the others who were only allowed in after being searched, A-Chai’s group entered the city without any inspection.

The others headed straight for the barracks, while A-Chai took Jin Mu and a few other soldiers to "escort" Wen Wan’s carriage to a secluded courtyard.

The two-courtyard residence wasn't large, but it was fully equipped.

The person in charge was an old woman with graying hair. A-Chai called her Mother Ya; as her name suggested, she was mute and could not speak.

A-Chai did not dismount. He simply held his horse whip, pointed in Wen Wan’s direction, and gave his orders

"I’ll have a few men guard the perimeter of the courtyard. She is not to leave this place for the time being. Aside from not being allowed to leave, you are to grant her any other requests she may have."

Mother Ya nodded and gestured with a few signs.

It was unclear what she said, but A-Chai froze for a moment, and then his face turned an unnatural shade of red.

He looked at Wen Wan with a meaningful gaze. Not knowing what kind of idea he had come up with, a flash of playfulness crossed his eyes.

Immediately, he replied to Mother Ya with a series of hand signs.

Mother Ya was both surprised and delighted, clapping her hands repeatedly as if she were happy for him.

Wen Wan didn't understand sign language, so she could only watch helplessly as the two exchanged information she couldn't comprehend.

However, she had a hunch that, given A-Chai’s nature, he was definitely up to no good!

Jin Mu left with A-Chai, leaving the four soldiers to retreat outside the courtyard to stand guard.

Only Mother Ya remained in the courtyard, and she gave Wen Wan a friendly smile.

One doesn't hit a person who is smiling, let alone an elderly, disabled woman.

Even though Wen Wan was dissatisfied with A-Chai, she couldn't bring herself to vent her frustration on such a kind-looking old lady.

Mother Ya led Wen Wan to a side room and took out a brand-new quilt and pillow from the cabinet.

The quilt was made of soft, high-quality silk, but it was a festive red color, and embroidered on it were pairs of happy mandarin ducks.

"Mother Ya, why does this look like a wedding quilt?"

"I’ve only just arrived at this residence; isn't it inappropriate to use a quilt with this pattern?"

"Mother Ya, do you have any plainer quilts?"

She didn't know if Mother Ya could understand her, so she could only talk to herself, praying that Mother Ya was only unable to speak and could still hear.

As it turned out, reality always developed in the most cruel direction.

Mother Ya pointed to her ears, signaling that her hearing was also poor—sometimes good, sometimes bad.

Wen Wan made a bitter face and tried pointing at the mandarin duck pattern on the quilt. "This, no good, not suitable..."

Mother Ya smiled, nodded repeatedly at her, and gave her a thumbs-up.

Fine, it was like talking to a brick wall; communication was completely impossible.

Zhou Cai, you are ruthless!

Wen Wan gave up struggling and could only console herself: it was just a quilt. Once she pulled it over herself, it was just a tool to keep warm; it had no real meaning!

Aside from not being able to leave, Wen Wan found that she adapted quite well after settling into the small courtyard.

Mother Ya was a capable person, especially skilled in cooking; the meals she made were a hundred times better than those of the old cook at the General’s mansion.

Mother Ya was kind and enthusiastic, seemingly putting all her effort into taking care of Wen Wan’s every need.

Every morning, Wen Wan would sleep until she woke up naturally, and Mother Ya would bring her a fragrant breakfast.

After breakfast, Mother Ya would lead her to the back garden to help her digest.

It turned out that besides Mother Ya, there were seven or eight children between the ages of five and twelve living in the courtyard.

The children were at an age where they loved to play, and they weren't shy.

Furthermore, whatever Mother Ya had told them, these children showed no resistance to Wen Wan, who had suddenly moved in; in fact, they were very enthusiastic.

Whenever Wen Wan appeared, the children would surround her to play. When she was tired from playing with them, there were thousands of storybooks in the study to pass the time.

After a few days, Wen Wan felt as if she had returned to the leisurely days at the General’s mansion.

Except for the fact that she couldn't leave the courtyard, Wen Wan couldn't find a single fault with these days.

*

The Border Camp.

After spending the day directing the soldiers in formation drills on the parade ground, the man wearing python-patterned armor finally sheathed his sword and strode toward his tent.

He took off his helmet, revealing a resolute and handsome face.

If Wen Wan were here, she would definitely recognize that this man wearing the Great General’s armor was none other than the "little captain" A-Chai, who she claimed had a fatal flaw in his personality.

Zhou Cai was just a name he had picked at random. His real name was Shen Yu, the second son of Shen Lian, the only prince with a different surname in the Duan Dynasty.

Jin Mu held out a water canteen. Shen Yu took it, pulled out the stopper, and drank half of it in one go. As if remembering something, he paused.

He stopped in his tracks and asked, "How has that girl been reacting these past few days?"

Jin Mu looked hesitant, as if weighing his words. "Great General, do you want the truth?"

"Heh," Shen Yu’s gaze darkened. "If you want to go back to the parade ground and drill for another two hours, you can tell me a lie."