TIGR Chapter 84

The Imperial Guard’s Revenge

Chapter 84 New Year

Under the vast night sky, thousands of houses were ablaze with lights. All living beings were in a bustle of moods, and different pictures of families were being played out through every window. However, seven hundred miles away from the capital in Datong Mansion, there was an entirely different New Year’s Eve scene.

Datong was an important border town. Even during New Year, the air was still filled with chills and tension. Especially since a new commander was installed two days ago, military orders were very strict, and soldiers weren’t taking any chances. They endured the cold and stood in front of their sentry post, staring intently at the endless dark wilderness.

While the soldiers were overcome with boredom standing guard, their commander had quietly left Datong and appeared in a small village outside the city. The village was not rich in fertile land, nor mountainous, and had no strategic significance. It was just a common military village in the Datong Prefecture.

No one knew why the commander came to this place alone on New Year’s Eve.

Fu Tingzhou himself didn’t know why. He was almost too busy to sleep after arriving at the Datong Mansion. He had to familiarize himself with the terrain, get to know the manpower, check the border defense… He had many things to do. It seemed like New Year’s Eve arrived in the blink of an eye.

This was Fu Tingzhou’s first time spending New Year’s Eve alone. Usually, when he was in the Marquis Mansion, he never had to worry about being left out or things being boring. The people at camp were afraid that Fu Tingzhou would not be used to it, so they prepared a New Year’s Eve banquet just for him. Although drinking was not allowed during war preparations, the soldiers accrued exhaustion over a year, and it was emotionally and rationally unrealistic for them to not drink or eat meat during the New Year.

Fu Tingzhou told the people on patrol to turn a blind eye to the banquet. He politely declined the request to join the banquet and walked around camp alone. The wind in Datong was stronger than in the capital, and the blows on a person’s body felt almost like a knife. The night wind was dry and cold, without a single cloud overhead, making the starry sky seem extra grand and bright.

The night was very dark, so dark that it made one feel clean and pure. The stars were scattered throughout the night sky as far as the eye could see. The stars, whether illuminated or dimmed, in great numbers or sparse, seemed like a blanket that hid the sky and covered the earth. One strip of the Milky Way, opening and closing, rolling in vast waves. When a person stood on the ground, they could only feel that they were so small.

Such a huge galaxy could not be seen from the capital. Fu Tingzhou raised his head and looked at the prosperous and mysterious starry sky that was so awe-inspiring that he suddenly wanted to see her.

However, that love was separated by mountains and seas which could not be leveled. Fu Tingzhou deliberately kept himself too busy to think, but at this moment, he couldn’t control himself and wanted to see Wang Yanqing. Even if he couldn’t see her, he could still visit places related to her.

So, Fu Tingzhou came to Wang Yanqing’s hometown, the village where she lived before she was seven years old. Today was New Year’s Eve, all the villagers were eating at home and celebrating, and no one noticed an unfamiliar face walking on the road. Fu Tingzhou walked aimlessly on the dirt road, and before he knew it, he stopped in front of a courtyard.

The courtyard wall was mottled and the wear from its age was visible. The current owner didn’t carefully cherish it and there were cracks in some places. Fu Tingzhou slowly walked around the courtyard wall without disturbing the people inside.

This used to be the place where Wang Yanqing and her grandmother lived, but now it had changed. Although the residents inside also had the surname Wang, they had nothing to do with Wang Yanqing. After Wang Yanqing was brought to the capital, the Wang family’s ancestral land and houses were all encroached upon by the clan members. If Fu Yue hadn’t suddenly thought of sending someone to visit his subordinate’s widow, Wang Yanqing might have grown up living under someone else’s roof.

Fu Tingzhou then thought about it and laughed at himself. She had grown up under someone else’s roof in the Fu family. Only the circumstances in the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion were better and their influence was greater, but correspondingly, the malice she suffered doubled.

It was almost midnight and the sound of children shouting from the courtyard roused Fu Tingzhou from his contemplation. He silently left the Wang family’s ancestral residence and walked outside.

A subordinate holding the horses waited under a dead tree on the roadside. When he saw Fu Tingzhou come out, he breathed a sigh of relief. The subordinate stepped forward and clasped his fists, exhaling a white breath in the cold, and asked: “Marquis, it is almost midnight. Do you wish to go back to camp?”

Fu Tingzhou came here today simply to end his obsession. The Wang family inside had nothing to do with Wang Yanqing, so there was no point in him staying any longer. He nodded and said: “Let’s go back.”

The subordinate started right away, untied the reins from the tree, and respectfully brought Fu Tingzhou his horse. Fu Tingzhou took over the reins. At this time, the New Year arrived, and the sound of firecrackers rang out in the village behind him. The horse was frightened by the loud noise and moved its hooves uneasily. Fu Tingzhou used all his strength to restrain the horse, raised his head, and looked at the stars in the sky.

Tonight, thousands of families were reunited, and all the nine states were celebrating together. She had no blood relatives though, what was she doing at this moment?

At this moment, Wang Yanqing was laying against Lu Heng’s chest, rubbing her eyes, as she complained: “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Lu Heng cupped Wang Yanqing’s ears and said: “There are no elders in the family, so there is no need to worry about staying up late. You slept well, why bother?”

Wang Yanqing felt sleepy after cooking and accidentally fell asleep. If it weren’t for the sudden sound of fireworks outside, Wang Yanqing would have slept until dawn. She had just woken up, her whole body was soft, and she was unable to resist being held in Lu Heng’s arms. Wang Yanqing was supple and boneless, leaning softly on Lu Heng’s arm. Like the begonias that slept in spring, she was a beauty even when she was sleepy. Even her voice was unconsciously hoarse and tender: “But the New Year’s Eve dinner hasn’t been eaten yet…”

When she said this, she thought of something and looked up at Lu Heng suspiciously: “The New Year’s Eve dinner?”

She had just woken up, so her eyes were glazed with liquid, and there was a faint red at the ends of her eyes. This kind of drowsy displeasure could make one love another to the core. Lu Heng was aroused by this look and felt a sense of dryness all over his body. He could hardly suppress the evil thoughts in his heart. Lu Heng’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, and his eyes fell on her lips involuntarily: “Still there.”

“Really?” Wang Yanqing’s mind was not completely clear, so her logic was simple, she looked at Lu Heng with great suspicion, “Did you eat it yourself?”

Her questioning voice was hoarse and delicate. Lu Heng thought that he couldn’t be blamed for this, so he leaned over, took a bite of her lips, and said vaguely: “I didn’t.”

Now he wanted to have another kind of New Year’s Eve dinner.

Lu Heng’s kisses became harder and harder, and his hands touched her waist, spanning along her waistline. Wang Yanqing was kissed with such force that she felt lightheaded and had difficulty breathing. While she was dazed, a series of fireworks suddenly went up outside, and the sound of explosions continued endlessly. Wang Yanqing was brought back by the sound of firecrackers. She took advantage of taking a breath and quickly turned her face away, pressed against his chest, and said breathlessly: “It’s New Year today and people are still waiting outside.”

If Lu Heng was allowed to continue, he may not be able to stop. Now was indeed not the right time. Lu Heng stopped forcefully, his eyes turning red. He grabbed her hand, bit her fingertips as if to relieve his dislike, and said hoarsely: “Okay.”

The strength of Lu Heng’s hand was very strong, and it took a while before he finally let her go with difficulty. As if he would regret staying a moment longer, he strode outside, his steps heavy and fast.

After Wang Yanqing was released by Lu Heng, she lay on the couch, exhausted. She took deep breaths, finally regaining her strength. Only as she was struggling to sit up on the couch did she realize that her clothes were all messed up.

Her clothes were messy, her hair was loose, and even the ribbon on the waist of her skirt had been torn apart at some point. Someone could tell exactly what happened with a glance. Her face suddenly turned red to the tips of her ears, and she quickly stood up and put her clothes in order.

Wang Yanqing waited for a long time for the heat on her face to dissipate before finally walking outside. Lu Heng seemed to have returned to normal and was sitting on the rose flower chair outside drinking tea. He turned around when he heard footsteps, and for some reason, his eyes fell right on Wang Yanqing’s lips.

Her lips were extremely red, and her lip bead was swollen, making her look particularly delicious. Lu Heng felt that the fire in his body was starting to stir up again, it was he who suffered from this kind of thing in the end. Lu Heng could only force himself to divert his attention and gather his composure: “The palace is releasing fireworks. Do you want to go see them?”

Wang Yanqing didn’t have much mind to appreciate the fireworks, so she looked away in embarrassment and shook her head silently. Lu Heng also showed little interest and said: “Then let’s eat. You worked on it for so long, we can’t let it go to waste.”

Wang Yanqing originally felt that she didn’t have an appetite to eat so late at night, but Lu Heng reminded her that she needed something to eat after not doing so for most of the day. He pulled her over and forced her to sit down at the square table. After the dishes were served one by one, Wang Yanqing smelled the delicious fish soup and became really hungry.

Lu Heng picked up a porcelain spoon, scooped out a bowl of milky-white crucian carp soup for her, and said: “You haven’t had anything in a long time. Don’t eat meat, drink a bowl of soup first to whet your appetite.”

The crucian carp soup contained tofu and vegetables, which was perfect for late-night nourishment. Wang Yanqing lowered her head and took a sip. Maybe it was because she cooked it, but she felt it was pretty good.

Lu Heng also had the same mentality. Looking at the fish he had cut with his own hands, he couldn’t bear to bring down his chopsticks on it: “It looks so good and skillfully cooked that I can’t even bear to eat it.”

Wang Yanqing chuckled, picked up the serving chopsticks, and deftly picked off a piece of fish. She put it in Lu Heng’s bowl: “I haven’t cooked for a long time, so my skills may be rusty. Brother, please forgive me if I’m not as good as the chef.”

Lu Heng said: “Not possible, whatever food you make must be the most delicious in the world.”

“You just say that to make me happy.” Wang Yanqing said, “This dish is simple and everyone can make it the same. How can it be so mysterious?”

“But you made it.” Lu Heng said, “There are so many people in the world, what does it matter to me whether theirs is good or bad? Only what passes through your hands is unique and unmatched.”

Wang Yanqing lowered her eyelashes and drank the soup, ignoring Lu Heng’s sappy words, but there was still a smile at the end of her eyes. The bowl of soup was finished quickly and just as she put down the bowl, Lu Heng held out a dumpling: “You made it yourself, come and try the first one.”

Lu Heng’s chopsticks stopped in front of her with no intention of moving away. Wang Yanqing glanced at Lu Heng and realized that he planned to feed her. Wang Yanqing couldn’t refuse and took a small bite.

The chewy and warm dumpling skin wrapped fresh shrimp. The flavorful taste exploded on her tongue after one bite, it was smooth and tender. Wang Yanqing only bit a small corner, and after swallowing, the tip of her pink tongue quickly licked the beads of her lower lip.

The more Lu Heng watched, the hungrier he became in every aspect. He raised his eyebrows and refused to let Wang Yanqing off the hook, saying: “You call this eating? Cats eat more than you do.”

Wang Yanqing was speechless. She also wanted to eat well, but Lu Heng insisted on feeding her and she didn’t have the nerve to open her mouth wide. Lu Heng, however, seemed to be enjoying this with no intention of dropping his hand. Wang Yanqing could only take small bites of the dumpling and swallow with difficulty.

When she finished one dumpling, Wang Yanqing was afraid that Lu Heng would feed her more, so she quickly went to pick one up herself: “Brother, I made several kinds of fillings, you can try the others.”

She refused to let him feed her, which made Lu Heng quite regretful. The way she ate in small bites was like a rabbit being forced to eat meat. She was frustrated but didn’t dare speak out. It was pitiful and cute, which made one want to push her even more.

Lu Heng thought his idea was backward.

The meal was cooked by the two of them together, and because he was in a happy mood, Lu Heng ate a lot. Under his various threats and inducements, Wang Yanqing also ate several dumplings. Wang Yanqing’s stomach was bulging. She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and complained in a low voice: “Other families say farewell to the old year and welcome the new year. They are expressing New Year wishes, while we on the other hand are eating.”

Wang Yanqing’s voice was full of resentment. Lu Heng couldn’t help laughing and flicked her forehead with a smile: “Food always comes first. All those fanciful wishes are empty, eating a meal is the most real thing.”

Wang Yanqing pressed her belly through her clothes and said angrily: “It’s all flab, I will surely be fat.”

“No.” Lu Heng said seriously, “But if you feel unsure, I’ll touch it.”

Wang Yanqing would rather trust in ghosts than Lu Heng. She quickly blocked Lu Heng’s hand and stood up from the chair: “Brother, Happy New Year. It’s already very late, I should go back.”

Wang Yanqing looked at him warily. Lu Heng’s attempt failed, and he regretfully asked someone to bring her a cloak and he tied her fur collar with his own hands: “Okay. It’s late, be careful on the slippery road.”

Wang Yanqing nodded and went out with a hand warmer and cloak. The wind outside was filled with the smell of paper scraps and burning firecrackers, but she didn’t feel cold at all. Wang Yanqing took two steps down the corridor when she was suddenly stopped by someone behind her.

Wang Yanqing turned around and looked at Lu Heng in surprise, thinking he had something else to say. Lu Heng looked at her deeply, then suddenly stepped forward. He leaned over and kissed her forehead gently: “Qing Qing. Happy New Year.”

|| Author’s Note:

Fu Tingzhou: I miss her, I wonder what she is doing?

Lu Heng: Thanks for the inquiry. She is asleep and not able to reply. Is there anything you need me to tell her? Of course, you don’t have to say it, because I won’t tell her.

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