After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth] Chapter 11

“I heard.” Pei Er was clearly chagrined, though he forced himself to appear calm.

He shouldn’t have been so unsteady. He had just agreed to marry, yet he had spoken such frivolous words. Would Miss Shen regret choosing him?

Pei Er grew more dejected and somewhat uneasy. His expression unconsciously tightened further as he tried to make himself appear composed.

But in Li Chanxiu’s eyes, he had suddenly turned wooden-faced, looking cold and icy.

He didn’t know why this person, who had been fine just now, had suddenly become unhappy.

Thinking carefully, perhaps it was because he had just said Centurion Jiang was formidable and that he would think of a way to help him win, making it seem… as though he didn’t trust him, as though he thought he wasn’t capable.

Li Chanxiu coughed lightly and said gently, “I know you’re skilled, certainly even more formidable. It’s just that your injury hasn’t fully healed, and there’s still residual arrow poison in your body. It will take some time to clear completely. I’m afraid you might suffer a disadvantage, so I wanted to plan for you. It’s not that I don’t trust you.”

By the end, his voice had grown softer.

The back of Pei Er’s ears reddened again without his noticing, yet his eyes brightened slightly. Looking at Li Chanxiu, he said hoarsely, “I know.”

So easy to coax, Li Chanxiu thought.

Suddenly, he remembered something and quickly took out a small paper packet from his sleeve.

“I’ve heard your voice has been hoarse the whole time. Was the last batch of licorice slices too little to be effective?” He held the small paper packet out to Pei Er, smiling in his eyes. “This time I took more. Take it back and use it first. If it’s not enough, tell me.”

Pei Er stared blankly and reached out to take it.

The paper packet had been kept against Li Chanxiu’s arm inside his sleeve. It still retained a trace of warmth, Miss Shen’s body temperature.

Pei Er’s ears suddenly turned completely red. He abruptly clenched the packet, his five fingers enclosing it entirely, as if that would allow the warmth to linger a little longer.

Li Chanxiu still needed to return to the pharmacy and, while he was at it, report the matter of their impending marriage to the military official in charge of the exiled families.

After thinking it over carefully and finding nothing left undone, he proposed they part.

Pei Er snapped out of his immersion, feeling an unconscious sense of loss, only thinking their time together had been especially short. But glancing at the sun’s position overhead, a considerable amount of time had indeed passed.

The two walked back one after the other. When they reached the tent entrance and were about to separate, Pei Er suddenly turned his head to look at Li Chanxiu, who should be heading toward the pharmacy.

Li Chanxiu happened to turn to look at him as well. Their gazes met, and he paused briefly before smiling and waving at him.

Standing before the tent, Pei Er’s usually stern face seemed like ice and snow melting. The corners of his lips, always set in a straight line, slowly curved upward.

It was the first time Li Chanxiu had seen him smile. He froze again, thinking… it looked very good. In his dark eyes, it was as if there were starlight.

He secretly shook his head, lifted his medicine box, and turned to leave.

Pei Er watched his figure disappear, then lowered his head to look at the paper packet in his hand for a while. Only then did he press his lips together and continue walking back into the tent.

Zhang He, lying near the tent entrance, had just been about to greet him. The next moment, however, he froze, suddenly turning to the man beside him in surprise. “Pei Er is in a very good mood today. He’s actually smiling.”

Zhang Hu: “……?” He doesn’t usually smile?

“You don’t come often, so you don’t know. He’s usually like a wooden post,” Zhang He tried hard to recall. “To use that kid Chen Qing’s words, he’s like some young master, normally acts like he can’t even see other people.”

“Don’t make things up about others.” Zhang Hu directly smacked him on the forehead.

At the very back of the tent, Chen Qing looked up and saw Pei Er return. He quickly sat up in one motion, curious and probing. “You finally came back. You were out so long, what did Miss Shen say to you?”

Pei Er glanced at him, returned the crutch, said nothing, and went straight to sit by his own bed.

“Don’t be like that, don’t go silent again. I thought at least we counted as friends by now.” Chen Qing propped up his upper body and leaned over to continue asking. “So what did she say?”

Pei Er ignored him, opening the paper packet on his own and carefully counting the licorice slices inside.

Chen Qing craned his neck to look. Seeing it was again the kind of little herbal slices he used to rub between his fingers, and clearly newly obtained, with more than just two, obviously just given by Miss Shen, he couldn’t help feeling puzzled. Could it really have been just to give a few little herb slices?

That wouldn’t warrant calling someone out specially.

Seeing Pei Er carefully counting those slices, looking focused, completely without time to pay him any attention, he couldn’t help clicking his tongue. “Boring.”

After saying that, he laid back down and turned over. Not long after, he couldn’t help turning back again to take another look.

Pei Er had already finished counting and was now picking up one licorice tablet, carefully placing it into his mouth, that expression as though he were tasting some rare delicacy from mountain and sea.

Chen Qing: “……”

“No saving him,” he secretly shook his head and sighed, thinking: This fool is probably still dreaming a sweet dream.

Miss Shen gives him a few little herb slices and he treasures them like this. Looks like he didn’t listen to a word of what I advised yesterday. But Miss Shen can’t possibly marry him. When she truly marries someone else, who knows how heartbroken this kid will be. Sigh, pitiful.

***

When Li Chanxiu returned to the pharmacy, he stopped by the military official in charge of the exiled families to report the matter of the impending marriage.

The official’s surname was Cao, it was the same one who had previously read out the document. When he heard Li Chanxiu say he would marry Pei Er, the hand holding the brush clearly paused.

He was obviously one of Centurion Jiang’s people. He repeatedly confirmed, asking, “With whom?”

“Pei Er.” Li Chanxiu’s expression was calm as he repeated it word by word.

Official Cao’s expression was strange. He looked at him a few more times, and only because others were present nearby did he reluctantly put brush to paper and record the two names.

Only after watching him finish writing did Li Chanxiu turn and leave.

Besides reporting it, marriage also required preparing certain things. No matter how simple the wedding, it didn’t mean there would be no ceremony at all.

So the news would inevitably leak; it couldn’t be kept from Centurion Jiang.

However, regarding what needed to be prepared for a marriage, Li Chanxiu had no experience and would have to ask Aunt Xu.

When Aunt Xu learned he was going to marry Pei Er, she thought carefully for a long while before recalling it was that blood-soaked man who had been lying in the corner of the wounded soldiers’ tent before.

She couldn’t help worrying for Li Chanxiu again. Though the man was quite handsome and well-matched in appearance with the young lady, he was far too poor.

It was said he had only recently woken up and didn’t have a single family member… to be precise, he didn’t even have a home, only a military household registration. He probably couldn’t even afford the cost of a wedding. What exactly was the young lady marrying him for?

Moreover, he had been injured like that before and had been unconscious for many days, nearly dying. Wouldn’t his body be weak? If Centurion Jiang came looking for trouble, could he withstand a beating?

Furthermore, if his body were weak, what if on the wedding night he also failed to perform…

Aunt Xu was experienced. She knew women feared most marrying the wrong man, and some things weren’t suitable to say outside. She quickly pulled Li Chanxiu back to the women’s tent, found a quiet corner, and lowered her voice to express her concerns.

Li Chanxiu listened in embarrassment. He didn’t intend to consummate the marriage with Pei Er. Whether the other party was capable or not had little to do with him.

However, in his view, Pei Er’s physique shouldn’t be bad. When the other had been unconscious before and he had changed his medicine, he had seen his upper body and even poked those firm lines. Today, when he had accidentally grabbed his arm, he could also feel its compact strength.

According to the traveling physician in his dream, such a build must belong to a martial expert. For example, that arm, when held, it felt like iron. Who knew what he used daily to train it? He could probably lift a lean man like Li Chanxiu with one arm without issue.

No wonder that day he had merely struck horizontally with the blade sheath and managed to force Centurion Jiang’s two subordinates to retreat repeatedly, nearly stumbling.

Li Chanxiu was somewhat envious. Though under his father’s instruction he had, from childhood, avoided the guards’ eyes and practiced horse stance indoors, his body had ultimately been ruined by cold poison. He had never achieved much in martial arts, nor even possessed a healthy physique.

In the dream, it was only later, after learning a breathing technique from the traveling physician and gradually improving his health, that he picked up some skill. But since the cold poison had never been eradicated, he could only use clever techniques.

In this lifetime, he had started practicing the breathing method early. He didn’t know whether it would turn out better than in the dream. He didn’t expect to become like Pei Er, but at least he needed to be able to mount a horse and fight normally.

Speaking of Pei Er, Aunt Xu did have one valid concern, the other’s injuries hadn’t fully healed. To participate in the military competition, he would have to nurse them somewhat.

He didn’t expect full recovery in such a short time, but at least seven or eight-tenths healed.

While calculating in his heart, after asking what needed to be prepared for marriage, Li Chanxiu bade Aunt Xu farewell. He first went back to prepare some tonics and even borrowed half a root of ginseng from Physician Hu.

When Physician Hu learned Li Chanxiu was going to marry Pei Er, he was stunned for a moment. Though he also thought Pei Er poor, he quickly praised him lavishly, saying Pei Er was honest and knew how to repay kindness.

After all, in such circumstances, there were truly very few who dared to marry Li Chanxiu.

***

The next day, Li Chanxiu carried a somewhat heavy medicine box to the wounded soldiers’ camp.

Pei Er had clearly been waiting for him. The moment his figure appeared, he almost immediately stood up, his slightly brightened eyes following him the whole time.

Li Chanxiu smiled faintly and told him not to move. After setting down the medicine box, he pulled open a drawer.

Thinking it was time for acupuncture again, Pei Er quickly sat properly, placing both hands neatly on his knees, his gaze still following Li Chanxiu the entire time.

Li Chanxiu gave a light cough, brought out a bowl of pitch-black medicinal soup, and handed it over. “Drink it.”

Pei Er was stunned for a moment. Meeting his slightly smiling eyes, he harbored no suspicion, took it, and drank.

Seeing him drain nearly half of such a bitter decoction in the blink of an eye without even furrowing his brows, Li Chanxiu was surprised and asked, “Is it good?”

Pei Er had just set down the bowl. Hearing this, he answered reflexively, “It’s good.”

Li Chanxiu: “……”

He suddenly laughed aloud and shook his head. “How could it be good? I remember it being very bitter.”

Pei Er’s face instantly grew a little hot, the back of his ears faintly red. Just now he truly hadn’t thought much, he had only heard Miss Shen ask and answered instinctively.

Fortunately, the tent was dim, and his abnormal expression couldn’t be seen.

Li Chanxiu suddenly handed over a candied date and said with a smile, “Eat this. It’ll take away the bitterness.”

Clean fingertips held a dark red fruit, delicate and pleasing to the eye.

After taking it, Pei Er was reluctant to eat it at once. Only under Li Chanxiu’s urging gaze did he slowly put it into his mouth.

“Sweet, right?” Li Chanxiu couldn’t help asking.

When he was young and sick, he disliked the bitterness of medicine, and his father would coax him like this. Although they had been confined then, the one above, afraid of gaining a bad reputation, had not treated their father and son too harshly in terms of food.

Pei Er bit into the fruit. Sweetness and bitterness mixed together; it wasn’t as though it tasted particularly good. But after hearing Li Chanxiu’s question, the sweetness on his tongue seemed to flow into his heart.

He quickly nodded.

Li Chanxiu’s eyes curved in a smile, like when he fed that stray cat that had suddenly run into the courtyard where he and his father lived, satisfied and accomplished.

“This is for you too.” He suddenly stuffed a warm, round object into Pei Er’s hand. “Remember to eat it later.”

Pei Er lowered his head and saw it was actually a red-dyed egg.

He hurriedly pushed it back, shaking his head in refusal, even feeling a wave of shame.

He was a grown man; he ought to take the initiative to shoulder the responsibility of supporting the family. How could he let his not-yet-married wife save good food for him?

Li Chanxiu said, “Physician Hu gave it to me. I’ve already eaten one.”

Physician Hu’s daughter had given birth yesterday. He had gone back to drink at the celebration and brought back some red eggs to distribute among colleagues.

Li Chanxiu had received three in total, one for Aunt Xu’s daughter, one for himself, and this last one he brought for Pei Er.

“Don’t you want to recover quickly?” Seeing Pei Er firmly refuse, he frowned. “If you don’t nurse your body well, what if you lose the competition?”

Pei Er stiffened and finally stopped pushing it away.

Only then was Li Chanxiu satisfied. After helping him change his dressing, he rose to leave.

As for the acupuncture, it had only been for show in the first place. He would refrain these few days. And besides, what if he truly pricked him into recovering his memory…

Li Chanxiu gave a light cough. Before leaving, he instructed again, “You must take good care of your body these few days. I’ll come again this afternoon to bring you medicine. Also, the tent isn’t often ventilated; the air is foul. If you have nothing to do, walk outside more. It’ll help your recovery.”

Pei Er nodded, gripping the egg in his palm, his chest burning in waves.

“Hey, Pei Er, why is Miss Shen treating you so well today?”

As soon as Li Chanxiu left, Chen Qing couldn’t help coming over to ask.

Pei Er came back to himself, glanced at him, ignored him, picked up the breakfast he hadn’t eaten earlier, and walked outside.

Miss Shen told him to go out more; he would listen to Miss Shen.

At the tent entrance, Zhang He saw him and shook his head with a sigh. “By rights, my injuries aren’t lighter than yours. How come Miss Shen specially brewed medicinal soup for you and I don’t have any?”

Pei Er glanced at him and likewise paid no heed. Sitting at the tent entrance, he carefully peeled the eggshell.

Not just medicinal soup, he even had an egg.

After peeling it, some of the red dye from the shell stained the smooth egg white.

Pei Er placed the egg into his bowl and began eating.

He couldn’t bear to touch the egg. After each mouthful of rice, he would look at it once, as if that counted as eating it together with a dish.

Seeing the trace of crimson on the egg white and recalling Li Chanxiu’s smiling expression when he had stuffed the egg into his hand just now, the corners of his lips unconsciously curved, 

He even couldn’t help beginning to think that when he and Miss Shen’s child was born in the future, they too would treat everyone to red eggs. Especially Chen Qing and Zhang He, let them eat a few more each to stuff their mouthes.

However, eggs weren’t cheap. He had to find a way to earn money. And in a few days there would be the wedding; he had no money to hold any decent ceremony. That was truly unfair to Miss Shen.

Thinking this, he took several big mouthfuls of rice. He had to recover quickly. When he won first place in the competition, General Chen would surely reward him. Once he got the money, the first thing he would do was make a beautiful wedding dress for Miss Shen.

With these thoughts, a gentle light unconsciously surfaced in Pei Er’s eyes.

“Which one is Pei Er?”

Suddenly, a rough voice sounded.

Centurion Jiang, a long blade at his waist and a fierce look on his face, strode over in large steps, followed by his two subordinates, Xu Hong and Niu Feng.

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