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墨書 Inktalez
In recent days, Cheng Mo Su has been having nightmares. She dreamed that Shangguan Shaoyi was surrounded by Lin Hongyao. She dreamed of his cold, fierce gaze shrouded in blood, and she dreamed of him smiling as he said goodbye to her. She dreamed that he was about to leave her side. Then she woke up, looking at the darkness filling the room and the dim light at the street corner, her heart sinking deeper. She had no choice but to turn on the light to adjust her breathing. At that moment, she recalled the ancient texts describing how women worried at home while their men went off to war; back then, she didn’t understand, but now it seemed etched in her heart, impossible to erase.
"Miss, you’re awake again?" General Guo had arranged for her a personal maid named Wuyang, who was said to bring safety and peace to everyone. This girl was very clever; upon seeing Cheng Mo wake up, she hurriedly said, "Shall I have the kitchen make a calming soup for you, Miss?"
"No need," she murmured, her frail hand clutching the blanket. Knowing it was useless, she still asked, "Is there any news from the military?"
"How could there be? Everything is tightly sealed off these days." Wuyang adjusted Cheng Mo's pillow and reassured her, "Don’t worry, the Young Marshal is blessed and will be fine." Although she knew that Shaoyi had a significant advantage this time, she feared that complications might arise since Lin Hongyao was cunning and difficult to deal with.
Since she couldn’t sleep anyway, she sent Wuyang to rest and slowly walked outside by herself. Just as she reached the door, she saw a figure standing in the dim light—tall and imposing. That familiar silhouette captivated her, leaving her frozen in place.
It felt like centuries of time or perhaps several centuries within that long time.
He stood under the yellow light with a slight smile at the corners of his mouth, his expression a mix of subtle joy and weariness. He walked toward her step by step, reminiscent of that night outside the city gate; each step felt like a long and profound shot. He stood before her, his cold eyes revealing an undeniable tenderness as he softly said, "Mo Su, I’m back."
The scene she had imagined for many days suddenly came alive before her eyes. It turned out those nightmares were all false; she became even more convinced of her ancestors' saying. The corners of her lips lifted in a smile, "You... are back."
In the living room of the villa were several dishes freshly prepared by the kitchen—porridge, vegetables, soups—and some sweets that Cheng Mo loved, specially ordered by Shangguan Shaoyi. He took a bowl of red bean dumplings, blew on it gently, and then brought it to her lips. Cheng Mo's face flushed as she reached for the porcelain bowl and whispered, "Thank you." He smiled slowly as he looked at her; he felt that returning after a night’s journey was worth it.
"Mo Su, we won."
Her hand holding the spoon paused slightly; the corners of her lips were full of smiles as she replied softly, "Mm."
Shangguan Shaoyi's gaze lingered on her lips as he observed the pale skin on her profile. Her eyes remained clear as ever but were shadowed by a hint of fatigue beneath them. His heart tightened; perhaps it was due to her worries over these past few nights without proper rest. He reached out and covered her eyes with his hand; she was momentarily startled. His hands were calloused from years of leading troops into battle—rough yet tender.
He reluctantly glanced at her and finally released the hand that had been resting over her eyes. "Mo Su, eat on time, sleep on time, and take good care of yourself." He paused, his serious expression accentuated by his sharp brows. "This is an order."
Mo Su obediently nodded, and he revealed a hint of a smile. "I have to go now. Winning this battle was tough, and I need to reward the soldiers at dawn." It turned out he had rushed back just to see her once and put her mind at ease. Warmth surged in Mo Su's heart, and her eyes shimmered as she grasped his arm. "I'll go with you."
"What nonsense are you talking about? You need to rest well." His tone was scolding but gentle, afraid of startling her.
"I said I'm going with you, and the one who really needs to rest is you." She mimicked his earlier gesture, her delicate hand brushing over his eyes. Since that day on the train, she hadn't seen him rest at all. The fact that he had held on until now was likely due to sheer willpower. She knew he was exceptional among the ordinary, but she also wanted to do her part to share some of his burden. "If you don't take me with you this time, I'll be angry and ignore you."
Shangguan Shaoyi looked deeply at her; her smile resembled a blooming lotus. Rewarding the soldiers was not a dangerous task, and although he hated to see her suffer, seeing her stubborn expression left him with little choice but to take her hand and smile. "Let's go."
This was the first time they watched the sunrise together. The vehicle traveled along the desolate snowy road as the sun rose before them. In that moment, sunlight broke through the sky like a crack that widened until it filled the earth with light. Shangguan Shaoyi glanced at Cheng Mo Su, who had fallen asleep in the passenger seat, listening to her soft breathing; it felt like the only tranquility in a chaotic world.
As soon as the vehicle stopped, she woke up and looked at his smiling eyes, feeling embarrassed. "Did I fall asleep? You didn't wake me up? Luckily I woke up on my own; otherwise, you would have let me sleep in the car while you went to reward the soldiers."
"Mo Su." He looked at her seriously. "Last night I already rewarded all the senior officers; today we are going to reward some injured soldiers. The conditions there and their health are not good; you..."
"You've really gone through a lot explaining," Cheng Mo Su teased him. "Let's go; since I'm here, I've prepared myself." Seeing her determination, he stopped arguing and instructed Shen Mingliang to follow her closely for protection as they entered the camp for injured soldiers together.
Even though she was prepared, she still couldn't brace herself for the overwhelming stench of decay that hit her face. Looking around, she saw injured soldiers complaining, choking back tears, some groaning in pain, others crying loudly—scenes she had never witnessed before in her life or even in books. She felt nauseous but saw Shangguan Shaoyi personally taking over Shen Mingliang's cart and serving bowls of congee to these wounded soldiers with a look of concern.
So this is war; this is the state of the world now. She struggled to suppress the turmoil in her stomach as she watched Shangguan Shaoyi's rigid back; she couldn't add any trouble for him. She stepped forward, trying to muster a smile as injured soldiers looked at her with strange expressions. Suddenly she realized that she represented not only herself but also him.
She imitated Shangguan Shaoyi's actions, scooping a bowl of congee and bringing it to an injured soldier who couldn't lift it due to an injury on his hand. She hesitated for a moment but then pushed aside her discomfort and focused solely on compassion; this soldier appeared to be around her age yet bore such immense pain. She picked up a spoon and fed him mouthful by mouthful. Nearby another soldier had injured his leg; blood soaked through his bandages. With a slight hesitation, she bent down to help re-bandage him again.
Shangguan Shaoyi turned around and quietly looked at her. She wore a moon-white Qipao, remaining composed and elegant amidst the smoke and dust. She leaned against the wall, smiling softly and whispering, her eyes filled with concern and a hint of sadness. Every smile, every gesture, touched his heart deeply. How she raised her gaze, the way her smile appeared, and the voice she concealed among the crowd all fluttered like butterflies at his fingertips, like water lilies blooming in the softest space of his heart.
She looked up and saw the tenderness in his eyes, her snow-white cheeks tinged with a rosy hue. She felt that his gaze resembled the twinkling stars in the sky, like the hazy light breaking through the clouds during the day.
If only time would remain unchanged and the years would stay the same, how wonderful that would be.
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