After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth] Chapter 7

The person who came in was Aunt Xu. Knowing that Li Chanxiu was moving away, she was very worried and somewhat reluctant.

“Although things are difficult here in the camp, at least it’s in the northwest corner of the military camp, far from those rough soldiers and rough men. And everyone here is part of the women’s camp, living together, if anything happens, you can look after one another. Now that you’re moving alone to the pharmacy, soldiers come and go there. If there are any with bad character… I think it’s really not safe.”

Li Chanxiu coughed lightly. This was indeed correct, but the problem was that he was not part of the women’s camp.

So he vaguely mentioned some benefits of moving there, such as having a charcoal basin and not being cold at night.

Seeing that he had already decided, Aunt Xu could only sigh, help him pack his things, and then help carry them to the pharmacy.

By the time everything was finished, it was already close to mid-morning.

After finishing his meal, Li Chanxiu took his medicine box and headed toward the wounded soldiers’ camp.

Inside the tent, people were quietly discussing the person who had awakened yesterday. As he passed by, he caught part of the conversation and only then learned that Physician Hu had not mentioned many details last night.

It was said that yesterday General Chen had summoned the newly awakened man to the main tent and questioned him for a full two hours, yet not a single useful sentence was obtained.

It was not that the man was stubborn, he truly remembered nothing. However, he did remember that his surname was Pei.

General Chen ordered someone to check the military registry and discovered that among the thousand soldiers escorting grain supplies, there was indeed a man named Pei Er whose age matched.

Among those thousand soldiers escorting grain supplies, nearly a hundred had been newly recruited three months earlier, and Pei Er was one of them.

Because he had just entered the camp and was soon assigned to transport grain, the people in the camp were unfamiliar with those hundred recruits, and no one recognized Pei Er.

Presumably, those who knew him were among the thousand who had already died.

As for family…

“That’s even more tragic. He’s a refugee who returned from the north; his family all died at the hands of the Hu people in the north.”

“Refugees returning from the north” referred to former citizens of Great Zhou who had fled south from territories occupied by the Hu people and returned to Great Zhou.

When the current emperor seized power and ascended the throne, in order to secure his position he ceded vast northern lands to the Hu people, leaving the citizens of those regions to suffer humiliation and oppression. Many people could not endure Hu rule and fled south.

Moreover, many who had seen their relatives killed in the north would voluntarily enlist after returning to Great Zhou to resist the Hu people.

Presumably, this Pei Er was in such a situation. When he arrived, he was alone, with no family or friends. After entering the camp, aside from the hundred who enlisted with him, no one else knew him. Not long afterward, he fell during the escort of grain supplies, which made people sigh.

Among the thousand at that time, many bodies were buried beneath the yellow sands and were never recovered, including Pei Er.

Now it seemed that he had not died at all, but was the only one carried back alive.

“So it’s already confirmed that he’s that Pei Er?”

“How could that be wrong? General Chen personally ordered the military registry checked. And when he was carried back, he was wearing the armor of our ordinary soldiers, covered in marks from Hu blades. He was also struck by a Hu poisoned arrow and was found near where the grain supplies were robbed. If he’s not Pei Er, then who else could he be?”

Although the speaking wounded soldier deliberately lowered his voice, the tent was only so large, and his position was not far from that corner. Li Chanxiu could be certain that the person in the corner could definitely hear.

Yet that person seemed as if his mind had been drawn outside the world, completely unaware of the surrounding discussion, as though he were not the one being talked about. One hand cushioned beneath his head, the other still gripping the blade, he lay on the bed staring quietly at the tent roof.

Perhaps sensing Li Chanxiu’s gaze, he suddenly turned his head to look this way. His eyes were dark and heavy like ink, revealing no emotion.

Because he was awake at this moment, that face seemed to become much colder, and even more handsome.

The wounded soldiers beside him were guessing that when he had been in the northern lands, he might have been the young master of some wealthy family, and only after his home was plundered by the Hu people had he fallen to such a state.

Nearby, Hu Yuan’er was also mentioned among the discussions earlier, though no one paid special attention now.

“All of them are blown by the frontier winds and cut by blades, yet you see he doesn’t look as dark as the rest of us.”

Li Chanxiu and the person in the corner both seemed as if they hadn’t heard, quietly meeting each other’s gaze for a brief moment.

Suddenly, he sat up from the bed, the aloof chill around him seeming to dissipate when he saw Li Chanxiu.

Li Chanxiu realized he had been caught looking at the other, yet he did not avoid the gaze. Carrying the medicine box, he walked straight over.

The other person remained silent as gold. As Li Chanxiu approached, his gaze lifted little by little, then quickly dropped again, landing directly on the medicine box.

Li Chanxiu set the box down, took out the bowl containing the medicinal ointment, and spoke gently, “I’m here to change your dressing.”

The other was silent for a moment, then suddenly stretched out his hand.

That hand had distinct knuckles, long and clean fingers. The finger pads and palm were covered with thick calluses, he likely often gripped some kind of weapon, though not with this hand.

Li Chanxiu froze for a moment before realizing that he was asking him to apply the medicine himself.

Since he didn’t need to do it personally, he was naturally willing, and hurriedly handed over the bowl. But when the bowl was taken, his fingers brushed the other’s finger pads; the touch was somewhat rough.

Both raised their heads at the same time, their gazes colliding.

Li Chanxiu quickly released his hand. For some reason, he instinctively turned his eyes away.

A moment later, when he looked back again, he found that the other had somehow already turned his back and was removing his clothes to apply the medicine.

He must be taking into account that he was a “woman.”

Li Chanxiu: “……”

He coughed lightly in embarrassment and turned his body aside again.

Unexpectedly, even after losing his memory, this person still remembered the boundaries between men and women.

Although he had dressed as a girl since childhood, the only person who had lived with him growing up was his father. His father would naturally not truly raise him as a daughter, so when interacting with men, he often didn’t consciously think about such boundaries. But now that they had all been exiled to the military camp, even if one wanted to observe them, there weren’t really the conditions…

While he was thinking this, the other had already finished applying the medicine and returned the bowl, slightly lifting his gaze to look at him.

Li Chanxiu withdrew his thoughts, took it, put it back into the medicine box, then took out silver needles and said to him, “Sit a bit closer.”

The person who had been adjusting his clothes stiffened. His pitch-black eyes suddenly looked over, making one’s heart jolt.

“I’ll give you a few needles, to see if your memory can recover,” Li Chanxiu explained.

The other immediately behaved obediently, quickly sitting at the edge of the bed. After lifting his dark eyes to glance at him once, he leaned slightly forward to make it easier for the needles to be inserted.

Like a wolf that had been tamed, its claws and fangs restrained.

This thought suddenly flashed through Li Chanxiu’s mind.

Neither spoke, and the air fell into silence. Li Chanxiu focused on inserting the needles, lightly twisting them with his fingertips.

“Does it hurt?” His other hand pressed lightly against the other’s forehead to keep him from moving, his tone consistently gentle.

It had only been a casual question, and he hadn’t expected an answer.

But after a few breaths of silence, a hoarse voice suddenly sounded: “No.”

Li Chanxiu was surprised. Lowering his head, he realized it really was the other’s voice, and couldn’t help but feel speechless, so he wasn’t mute after all.

Pei Er had his eyes closed at this moment. His forehead rested against the slightly cool fingertips of the young lady, and his nose was filled with the faint medicinal fragrance from her body. Such close distance made him somewhat unaccustomed, but…

Suddenly, that faint trace of scent moved away.

He abruptly opened his eyes, a flicker of loss passing through his dark pupils.

At some point, Li Chanxiu had already removed all the silver needles and stepped back to a normal distance. While tidying the medicine box, he said, “Alright. Did you remember anything?”

Pei Er was silent and shook his head.

Li Chanxiu had only asked casually and hadn’t expected it to actually cure him. After all, he had never treated amnesia before; the needles just now had only been placed at several acupoints that could refresh the mind and prevent headaches.

But seeing that the other had again fallen silent, only shaking his head, he found it a bit strange and asked, “Why aren’t you speaking?”

The other looked up at him, pointed at his throat, and said in a rough voice, “Sounds bad.”

Li Chanxiu immediately understood, his throat hurt, and his voice was hoarse. No wonder that earlier “No” had sounded so dry and rasping. It must have been caused by inflammation from his knife and arrow wounds when he had previously been covered in blood, along with the persistent high fever.

But if his throat was uncomfortable, why hadn’t he told him or Physician Hu? Was this person made of wood, not knowing pain?

Li Chanxiu shook his head. Coincidentally, because his own cold hadn’t fully recovered, his throat often felt uncomfortable too, so he usually carried a few licorice slices with him.

He took out two slices and placed them in the other’s broad, rough palm, smiling as he said, “These are licorice slices. When your throat feels uncomfortable, you can hold one in your mouth. Next time I come, I’ll bring you a few more.”

After speaking, he picked up the medicine box and left.

Pei Er watched his departing figure. After a long while, he lowered his head to look at the two licorice slices in his palm, his gaze flickering slightly.

After waking up, his mind had been completely blank. Only when that general had questioned him did he vaguely recall the character “Pei”; everything else he knew nothing about.

He didn’t know where this place was, nor who he was. He only knew that the first person he saw upon opening his eyes was that young lady from just now.

He had heard from those wounded soldiers that it was she who had saved his life.

When he had been lying unattended in the corner, able only to quietly wait for death, it was she who came every day to change his medicine…

He suddenly lifted his head, his gaze chasing after that figure again.

Li Chanxiu had already reached the entrance of the tent and was checking on Zhang He’s condition.

Zhang He was awake this time. Seeing him, he was clearly very emotional, thanking him repeatedly, nearly moved to tears.

Li Chanxiu was helpless, wearing his usual smile, gently telling him not to get too excited.

“Who would’ve thought, Zhang He actually made it through.”

“All thanks to Miss Shen. Who could have imagined? Even with his intestines severed, he could still be saved.”

“Right, and that one over there too, wasn’t he also saved by Miss Shen?”

Several wounded soldiers sighed in admiration, then lowered their voices, signaling with their eyes toward Pei Er not far away.

Pei Er seemed not to hear what they were saying. His gaze slowly withdrew from the tent entrance and fell again onto the licorice slices in his palm.

That Miss Shen was very capable, highly skilled in medicine. She spoke gently, and her beautiful eyes were always filled with a smiling warmth.

Miss Shen was also very kind. Every wounded soldier in the camp praised her. However… she seemed to be kind to everyone, speaking gently to everyone, carrying the same smile for all.

No one was special.

Pei Er clenched the licorice slices in his hand. After a moment, he carefully put them away.

He lay back on the bed, once again resting one hand beneath his head, quietly staring at the top of the tent, yet it seemed he could no longer return to the calm he had before.

***

When Li Chanxiu left the wounded soldiers’ camp, he was carrying a bowl of food that Zhang Hu had forcibly stuffed into his hands, it was the meal specially provided in the camp for the wounded.

Food in the army was generally poor. The best was for the wounded, next came the ordinary soldiers, and the worst was for people like them, the families of criminals.

For example, the wounded’s meals occasionally included fine-flour steamed buns; ordinary soldiers had coarse-flour flatbread; and for the criminal families, there was only coarse bread so rough it scratched the throat.

However, good food was naturally rationed. Only the wounded staying in the wounded camp could receive it, and each person was limited to one portion per day; at other times, it was still coarse flatbread.

The portion Zhang Hu had given Li Chanxiu was clearly the one he had collected for Zhang He. Because Zhang He could only drink thin porridge, this good meal was usually divided among Zhang Hu and several of his brothers, while Zhang He could only watch eagerly from the side.

But today he happened to meet Li Chanxiu. Zhang Hu wanted to thank him, yet his pockets were empty and he had nothing decent to offer, so he eagerly forced this portion of food into his hands first, saying he would give something else next time.

Li Chanxiu shook his head with a smile. Unable to refuse, he could only accept it.

However, since being exiled, apart from the last time at Physician Hu’s place, he truly hadn’t eaten a proper meal in a long time, especially since this portion even had two slices of meat.

There was also Aunt Xu; she had helped him a great deal. Her daughter had fallen ill on the road during their exile, and now the little girl was thin and small, and also needed to eat something better.

Thinking of this, Li Chanxiu’s steps suddenly became lighter, and his mood carried a rare ease he had only felt when he had still been by his father’s side.

He walked all the way to the medicine hut. Seeing the small figure leaning beside Aunt Xu, he couldn’t help smiling and called, “Little Ah Yun!”

Little Ah Yun suddenly turned her head. When she saw him, surprise instantly appeared in her pupils, and she quickly stood and ran over, calling, “Sister Shen.”

Li Chanxiu rubbed her head and led her back to Aunt Xu’s side.

When Aunt Xu saw that he had specially brought good food for her and her daughter, she was startled and repeatedly refused: “This won’t do. Miss, you’re so thin, and you’ve only just recovered from a serious illness. Every day you still have to treat those wounded soldiers, working so hard, you should eat it yourself.”

Seeing that she truly would not accept it, Li Chanxiu had no choice but to say, “Then let’s eat it together.”

“Huh?” Aunt Xu froze.

In the end, the three of them ate together. Li Chanxiu fed one slice of meat to Little Ah Yun. Watching the little girl swallow eagerly, her eyes and brows curving with joy as though this were the happiest thing in her life, he couldn’t help smiling along with her, his expression briefly showing the youth he should have at his age.

While they were eating, the officer responsible for managing the exiled criminal families suddenly arrived, shouting roughly, “All of you, get up and line up. Go to the kitchen and call the criminal families over there as well.”

The relaxed atmosphere vanished instantly. Li Chanxiu and Aunt Xu exchanged a glance and slowly stood.

Aunt Xu wiped her hands on her clothes, stepped forward with a smiling expression, and asked, “Officer, is there some important matter?”

“Go, go! What’s the rush? You’ll know in a moment, ” The man waved his hand impatiently to drive her off, but when he noticed Li Chanxiu beside her, he paused. Finally lowering his hand, he softened his tone slightly and said, “You’ll know soon enough.”

Where the criminal families were assigned to work all passed through this man’s hands, so he clearly knew about Physician Hu transferring Li Chanxiu away.

Even so, he did not become much more polite.

Li Chanxiu faintly sensed something bad. Sure enough, when everyone had gathered, the man took out an official document and loudly announced, “This is an order just issued by the newly appointed prefect. The previous prefect’s allowance to delay the marriage order for another half month is no longer valid. Starting today, all criminal families of marriageable age must complete their marriages within the deadline set by the court…”

Before Li Chanxiu could finish listening, a layer of gloom had already settled over his heart, and the surrounding female relatives erupted into commotion.

Previously, he had not rushed to resolve the marriage order immediately for two reasons: first, the matter was extremely difficult to handle; second, this year the prefect of Yongzhou had allowed a half-month delay.

He had intended to use that delay, perhaps his father’s former subordinates would arrive. And in the dream, the northwestern defense line would be breached soon, meaning that before long the Hu people might march south; at that time, no one would have the spare effort to worry about marriage orders.

But Yongzhou had suddenly changed prefects. Had that happened in the dream? Li Chanxiu did not know. Not everything in the dream had been clear, nor could everything be remembered after waking.

Moreover, in the dream he had already escaped the military camp by this time. Not only did he have to avoid the officers and soldiers, but he had also forced himself to flee while his cold had not yet recovered, becoming seriously ill, so he had no way of learning about the change of prefect.

Now, according to the new prefect’s document, the deadline that had originally been extended to twenty-five days later had suddenly reverted to ten days from now.

Ten days. In such a short time, waiting for his father’s former subordinates would definitely be too late. What other way could solve this? Could it really be like what Aunt Xu had said…

He subconsciously lifted his head and saw that Aunt Xu and Little Ah Yun were also looking at him with worry.

Aunt Xu was already past the age requirement, and Little Ah Yun was too young; neither of them fell within the range and had no need to worry, yet they were concerned for Li Chanxiu.

The other women of marriageable age present all showed anxious and uncertain expressions. Those with family nearby had already begun discussing how to quickly arrange meetings.

“Otherwise, just like I said last time, first find a powerful military officer…” Aunt Xu hesitated, but seeing Li Chanxiu’s solemn expression, her voice gradually faded.

Li Chanxiu forced a smile at her and said, “I’ll think about it again.”

“Ah.” Aunt Xu guessed that his mind must be in turmoil now and did not disturb him further.

In fact, Li Chanxiu was not unsettled for long.

He quickly adjusted his mindset, calmly weighed the options, and finally gritted his teeth and decided to choose the method Aunt Xu had suggested.

With so little time now, indeed the safest approach was to first find someone and complete the marriage, and it had to be fast.

Otherwise, if Centurion Jiang interfered halfway and he was forced to marry that person, then no matter how it was resolved afterward, there would be a great risk of his identity being exposed.

It would be better for him to find a reliable person himself and first deal with the marriage order. Just one or two months, he would first get through the immediate difficulty.

Only, the choice of who to marry still required careful consideration.

Li Chanxiu left the medicine hut with heavy thoughts, frowning and pondering all the way.

When he returned to the pharmacy, Physician Hu already knew about the matter and, like Aunt Xu, was worried for him.

If it were something else, he might have been able to help a little. But this marriage order was a command from the court, an official document issued by the newly appointed prefect, what could a small military physician like him possibly change?

Alas, such a good young lady, yet burdened with the identity of a criminal family member.

Physician Hu sighed regretfully, then carefully suggested, “How about this, if you’re willing to meet someone, I can introduce a few candidates. Don’t worry, they’re all upright young men whose backgrounds are well known. Some are even squad leaders, section leaders, or even centurions.”

One of them, in particular, was his own nephew.

Physician Hu’s old face reddened, and he coughed to cover it.

Li Chanxiu froze, not expecting him to start matchmaking as well, and couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly.

Although grateful for the kindness, he still declined tactfully.

Physician Hu seemed somewhat regretful and said, “If you change your mind, tell me again.”

After a pause, he added, “If there’s any difficulty, you can also tell me. Maybe I can help.”

Li Chanxiu nodded in thanks.

***

Late at night, the raging north wind howled, whipping the large banners standing in the camp into loud flapping sounds, like beasts crying out.

Li Chanxiu lay on the newly set wooden plank bed in the inner room of the pharmacy. A brazier sat before the bed, warming the room, yet he was still thinking about the events of the day.

It was not that he did not appreciate the kindness, but the person he married absolutely could not be someone who truly wanted to marry him.

Not to mention that he was actually a man, just the issue of how to conceal his identity after marriage would already be difficult. And he would have to hide it not only from the other party, but also from that person’s family.

Furthermore, someone who genuinely intended to marry would inevitably share a bed after the wedding. Unless the other party were foolish and easily deceived, there would be no way to hide it.

But he only wanted to resolve the marriage order and get through this one or two months, not solve one problem only to create another. Sharing a bed, especially with a man…

Li Chanxiu lay flat on the bed, his delicate eyes staring into the dark emptiness. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

Actually, it would be best if the other party were not very clever, then it would be harder to notice his flaws and secrets. If it really came to sharing a bed, it would also be easier to fool him.

It would also be best if the person had a simple family background, without many relatives…

Only, such a person was truly hard to find. Who would treat their lifelong marriage as a joke? Even if he had saved the other party’s life, still…

Hm? Saved his life?