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墨書 Inktalez
San Chun felt a chill in her heart, a feeling that was hard to describe. Had her long-awaited family really forgotten her?
She struggled, saying, "Chun, I am Chun."
The Old Woman smiled and said, "Official shares the same name as my son; what a coincidence."
In an instant, she was overwhelmed, her mind racing with thoughts: "She is not Chun, she is not Chun..."
She couldn't believe it. Trembling, she pushed open the courtyard door and walked inside. She thought that perhaps the Old Woman had become senile and no longer recognized her own son. She needed to ask someone else...
Inside the house sat a young woman working on needlework on a clay bed. Upon seeing a man enter, she was startled and exclaimed, "Who are you? How dare you enter someone's home without permission?"
San Chun pointed to herself and asked, "Do you not recognize me?"
The woman shook her head, confusion written all over her face.
"Then do you know Chun? He serves in the Wei Kingdom's Flying Tiger Army."
"Is that the woman's husband? Did the Official come to deliver a letter from my husband?" She jumped off the bed in surprise, offering him a seat and tea. The look of joy on her face was genuine.
In that moment, San Chun felt her heart sink completely. All those notions of taking her father's place in the army and being a heroine were merely her own fantasies. She was not Chun; she was not Chun at all. He was a man, a married man—what did that make her? Perhaps she should have realized this when she first heard about the age of the legitimate son; he was twenty-three years old, while she looked nothing like someone that age.
The soldiers in the barracks had once asked her how she maintained such youthful skin. She had even shared the Shang Family's beauty secrets—the chicken blood peach blossom cream—yet at that time, she had never considered that she was fundamentally different from that Chun.
Afterward, she didn't hear what the woman said or even know what she herself said; she only vaguely remembered leaving behind some pastries and a bit of money before stepping outside, feeling utterly lost.
She is not Chun, so who exactly is she? Who should she be?
Stumbling back to the barracks, she collapsed onto her bed, not wanting to eat a single bite for two whole days.
Even though she was mentally devastated, life still had to go on. She was not Chun, yet she still had to live as Chun.
The Flying Tiger Army of those days was long gone, and after two years, there were hardly any who recognized her. Perhaps because of this, she managed to keep her cover and live steadily as "Chun."
She wanted to leave the barracks, but she couldn't; she had to wait for Qing, waiting for him to take her away. He was all she had now; otherwise, being all alone in the world, she truly didn't know where to go.
Every time Qing went out before, he would wait until a certain flower on the mountain had withered before returning. Although he often deceived her back then, she always believed him.
She clearly remembered that January was for welcoming spring, February for apricot blossoms, March for peach blossoms, April for roses, and May for pomegranates... Now it was July, but she had searched every street and alley in the entire city of Daliang without finding a trace of lotus flowers. The only place she had ever seen lotus flowers was in the Chengyang Lord's estate.
It was impossible for her to return to Chengyang Junfu; all she could do was squat down in frustration and think: I wonder if it's too late to plant them now.
...
It seems that when one is down on their luck, they can never get what they want, yet those they wish to avoid seem to appear everywhere. Unfortunately, she did not wait for Qing but instead encountered Chengyang Jun.
Chengyang Jun had always been diligent and paid close attention to military affairs. He used to inspect the barracks every few days. Now that Wei Wang was newly married and major affairs in court were on hold, he seemed to have more time to spend in the barracks.
Life in the barracks was tough; daily drills were mandatory. But that wasn't necessarily true for San Chun.
As a member of the Flying Tiger Army, which comprised the elite of the elite, there was no need for her to train like ordinary soldiers. They had their own training grounds and specific accommodations, with living conditions far better than those of regular soldiers.
"Spring" used to be a Centurion, but now all the official positions are filled, so there is no way to free up a position for her. Moreover, Chengyang Jun only remains in the Flying Tiger Army and has not been reinstated to any official post, so she basically has nothing to do. Additionally, on that day, all the officers in the camp were subjected to the Military Rod, and no common soldiers were willing to take her in, nor did anyone assign her any tasks. Every day of training was something she could choose to attend or skip, and no one cared if she slacked off.
However, there is a saying that one should be cautious even when being lazy; if caught by the superior, it could be fatal.
The Wei Army has strict military discipline, and instances of cheating or slacking off are rare. Coincidentally, on the day Chengyang Jun arrived, San Chun was sitting outside the tent, leaning against a post soaking up the sun. Her squinting enjoyment stood in stark contrast to the several soldiers on guard who were sweating profusely. It was infuriating.
Chengyang Jun was furious and immediately ordered that this audacious person be brought before him.
For some reason, every time he saw her pale face, he felt an impulse to wipe it away. The more he looked at her, the more irritating she became. He coldly said, "In a military setting, how dare you slack off? Bring her down and give her thirty strikes."
San Chun was startled and hurriedly knelt down. "Reporting to Lord Jun, I absolutely did not slack off; I am wholeheartedly serving the Wei Army."
Zhong Xue raised an eyebrow. "So sitting there dozing off counts as service?"
San Chun braced herself and replied, "Yes."
This response amused Zhong Xue. "Oh really? How exactly were you serving just now?"
"I was observing the signs; recently there has been rain which is unsuitable for training, so we should prepare early."
"Observing with your eyes closed?"
"Well... after observing, I naturally need to calculate it in my mind."
"Do you know how to read?"
"Sure."
She smiled, but felt a bit uneasy in her heart. She didn't really understand much about the weather; she had just been observing for a few days and thought it was about time for some rain. Coincidentally, there were a few dark clouds in the western sky, so she just casually mentioned it.
The sincerity of her smile was so genuine that it was hard for anyone to doubt her. Zhong Xue hummed in his nose, "If that's the case, you go outside and keep watch. If it rains, fine; if it doesn't, you'll be punished for deceiving the emperor."
San Chun grinned. She was used to joking around with Qing and never thought about the implications of deceiving the emperor.
If it were to rain, that would be fine, but if it didn't, would he really demand her head?
After leaving the official's office, she furrowed her brows, squinted her eyes, and wrinkled her nose, twisting every part of her face that could be twisted, yet she couldn't think of what to do if it didn't rain.
Chengyang Jun made her kneel and pray for rain. She found a spot to kneel down sincerely and looked up at the sky. The clear sky was devoid of clouds; it seemed that even the suspicious dark clouds from earlier had been blown away by the wind. There was no sign of rain at all.
After kneeling for a while, feeling bored, she asked the soldier guarding her for some fresh fruit or pastries. Even if she were to lose her head in the end, she might as well enjoy a good meal first.
The soldier, feeling helpless under her persistence, could only report to Lord Jun.
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