An immense joy washed over Cheng Yao like a warm current. She looked up at him, her eyes misty with tears.
“Your legs have regained sensation. It won’t be long before you can stand again.”
Zhan Haoting’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and tears glimmered in his eyes as well.
Three years!
He had been crippled for three whole years!
For three years, he had been unable to stand. He had lost his dignity as a man and endured countless cold looks and scornful remarks.
To show his benevolence, the emperor had allowed him not to kneel, yet that had only invited accusations and denunciations from the officials. They called him arrogant and presumptuous, claiming that he did not even hold his imperial father in his eyes.
In truth, he was more loyal to the emperor than anyone.
He had borne so many insults, humiliations, and misunderstandings. He had thought himself numb to them, but only now did he understand that he had never truly stopped caring. They had long since turned into red-hot brands, searing his heart.
He had merely suppressed himself too harshly. Now that the restraints had been lifted, all that pain came crashing over him like a tidal wave.
And yet, at the same time, a joy born of desperate hope welled up inside him.
At last, he had the chance to wash away his humiliation. He could stand again!
The two emotions intertwined, stirring his heart and awakening a deep, inexplicable flutter within him.
He reached out and gently caressed her cheek. His fingertips were slightly cool, setting her skin tingling.
Their eyes met. Their gazes entwined and burned, while the air filled with a silent yet intense emotion.
Neither of them knew who had taken the initiative first. Their lips met in a gentle kiss.
At first, it was no more than a cautious taste, filled with tentative tenderness.
But emotions suppressed for so long were like floodwaters bursting through a dam. Once released, they could no longer be controlled.
The kiss gradually deepened, becoming hot and lingering.
Their breaths mingled, their hearts pounding like drums.
The space around them was quiet, save for their hurried breathing and the faint rustle of fabric.
Cheng Yao’s mind warned her, Stop, you beast!
His injuries weren’t fully healed yet. She couldn’t take advantage of him while he was vulnerable!
But her hands refused to obey. They moved to touch his body.
She had completely lost herself in the moment!
That scorching warmth and those powerful arms made it impossible for her to pull away!
As she cursed herself for being such a beast, she offered him her lips again.
Her initiative became the spark that set them both ablaze.
Their injuries, their restraint, their self-control—all of it was cast aside.
Zhan Haoting’s kisses fell like raindrops, traveling from her lips to her neck, carrying an almost reverent longing.
At that moment, they were each other’s most intimate lovers. In the most primal way, they affirmed each other’s existence and drew warmth and strength from one another. All the hardship and fear they had endured since being exiled found release and comfort.
They spent the night wrapped in passion, tender and utterly devoted.
It was not until the latter half of the night that they quietly returned to the outside world. Embracing one another in a chilly corner, they soon fell into a deep sleep, faintly satisfied smiles lingering on their lips.
…
The sky was just beginning to brighten when everyone gradually woke.
Zhan Qingrou sidled up to Cheng Yao. Looking at her face, which was far more radiant than usual, and the alluring charm that unintentionally shone from her eyes, she blinked her large eyes and teased in a lowered voice, “Third Sister-in-law, did you and Big Brother sneak off to some warm corner last night to fool around?”
Cheng Yao’s face turned crimson.
Were children these days really so precocious?
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Cheng Yao glared at her bashfully and pretended to swat her.
“Sister-in-law, I got up during the night to relieve myself, but I didn’t see you and Big Brother.” Zhan Qingrou giggled as she hid behind Madam Zhan. “Sister-in-law, are you embarrassed?”
“You’re still talking!”
Cheng Yao chased after her, and the two sisters-in-law began circling around Madam Zhan.
Madam Zhan felt dizzy just watching them. “Yao’er, I’ve made some thin porridge. Go and eat.”
After shooing Cheng Yao away, Madam Zhan turned around and tapped her daughter reproachfully on the forehead. “You little rascal. Your sister-in-law is shy. If you tease her again, just wait until I get my hands on you.”
“Shy?” Zhan Qingrou found that hilarious. “Mother, are you sure you’re talking about Sister-in-law?”
“Didn’t you see how red her face was?”
Zhan Qingrou burst out laughing. “When Sister-in-law married in place of her sister, she committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, but she wasn’t afraid in the slightest. She even coaxed Big Brother into a good mood on their wedding night. Do you really think someone like that is shy?”
“You little brat, enough! You’re a young lady—don’t you have any shame?” Madam Zhan smacked her again.
Zhan Qingrou rubbed her forehead and stuck out her tongue, making a face. “Mother, just keep protecting Sister-in-law.”
Madam Zhan raised her hand, and the girl darted away like a streak of smoke.
Lowering her hand, Madam Zhan turned to look at her son and daughter-in-law, her face beaming with the fond smile of a proud mother.
The more loving the young couple became, the more gratified she felt.
…
After wolfing down a little food, Cheng Yao led everyone up the mountain once again.
This time, apart from the elderly and children under five, everyone else went along, whether injured or ill.
They spent the morning picking wild grapes. At noon, they dug up some wild Chinese yams and roasted them to stave off hunger.
While they rested, several nimble young people used crude traps to catch two pheasants and a wild rabbit!
Zhan Haochen, Zhan Yunpeng, and Zhan Jianping—young men who knew martial arts and were ambitious to boot—simply went hunting. In the end, they returned with an impressive haul: more than a dozen pheasants, three wild rabbits, and a sika deer!
So they built a campfire on the leeward slope and roasted the wild yams, several pheasants, and the rabbits, enjoying a wonderful outdoor feast.
The long-awaited scent of meat and the feeling of a full stomach allowed everyone to temporarily forget their troubles.
After eating and drinking their fill, they carried the baskets down the mountain, hauled the sika deer, and returned with a full load. Laughter and cheerful voices echoed through the forest.
Once the game had been roasted, the elderly people and children who had stayed behind were able to enjoy a hearty meal as well, along with fragrant roasted yams and sweet-and-sour grapes.
Everyone was immensely grateful to Cheng Yao. Even Constable Wang marveled at her abilities. As long as they followed her, they would never have to worry about going hungry!
The sun began to set.
They finished work a little earlier that day, leaving enough time to process the fruit.
Cheng Yao taught everyone how to soak the wild persimmons in warm water to remove their astringency. The goji berries were spread out on clean cloth to dry in the sun, while the hawthorns were temporarily gathered for another purpose.
Everyone followed her instructions without question.
By the time they finished, night had fallen.
The sika deer had already been butchered and divided among them by a group effort.
Those who had done the hunting received the larger portions. Those who had not participated received some bones to make soup. In the end, everyone got a share.
After going without meat for so long, every person managed to taste some. The road ahead no longer seemed quite so frightening or uncertain.
The next day, Constable Wang assigned everyone their tasks.
Some people continued up the mountain to gather wild grapes, while others loaded the freshest and plumpest grapes and followed Cheng Yao to the market ten li away.
Cheng Yao was both amused and exasperated by his arrangement.
“Why am I the one leading the team to sell the grapes?”
Constable Wang replied, “Because you’ve got the sharpest mind.”
Cheng Yao fell silent.
Fine. She would take that as a compliment.
And so she set out with more than a dozen clever men and women, carrying baskets full of wild grapes on their backs as they followed the morning dew down the road.
The path was difficult to travel. Cheng Yao walked at the front, occasionally turning around to remind everyone to watch their step. Wherever there was a ditch or a slippery patch, she pointed it out so they could avoid it, making everyone feel cared for.
What Cheng Yao hadn’t expected was that this small market would be so lively. The western market, in particular, was a vegetable market and even more bustling, filled with the voices of countless people.
They had just chosen a corner and set down their baskets when the fat man at the neighboring fruit stall let out a mocking laugh:
“Where did this beggar come from? These tiny grapes are no bigger than grains of rice—clearly picked off some mountain. And they’ve got the nerve to bring them here to sell? They’re sour enough to set your teeth on edge!”
