Ch. 225 Green Jade Thumb Ring
Xiao Hongyu immediately ducked behind Zhang Mai after hearing such a sinister sound from He Changdi.
The wooden chair by the side table was taken up by Captain Guo. The tent was furnished very simply and there weren't any extra chairs around, so He Changdi could only stand to one side once he joined the group.
Captain Guo smiled and gave a meaningful look at the fleece blanket embroidered with flowers, which clearly didn't belong to a man, laid out on He Changdi's bed. He then patted the neatly folded bedding on the side table and shook his head. "Previously, I was worried about Zixiang's health, having to sleep on such a cold bed all the time, so I requested for a new set of bedding from the great general. It looks like it's not needed anymore."
After saying so, he tossed the bedding to Xiao Hongyu. "How lucky for you, brat!"
Xiao Hongyu chuckled but he didn't accept the bedding. He turned and pushed it into Zhang Mai's arms. "Brother Zhang has some old injuries, we can't let him suffer the cold. I'm still young, so the fleece blanket that Brother He gave me will be enough for me to pass this winter."
The sun didn't shine much out here in the north, and temperatures were extremely low. Although Captain Guo and Zhang Mai were only in their thirties and they looked healthy and strong in their armour, the many years of army life had already left unseen marks on their bodies.
When it was cloudy, rainy, or cold, especially in this winter season, their old injuries would flare up.
The court hadn't been able to send supplies to them, so they were severely lacking in not only food, but warm cotton-padded blankets and clothes to survive the winter. Great General Qian had not only personally met Chu Lian out of respect for the Empress Dowager, but also because the supplies that Chu Lian had brought over were just what they needed.
Even now, many of the foot soldiers didn't have cotton-padded blankets or clothes. Most of them were using dried grass to make do. This was also why Captain Guo had to go to Great General Qian personally just to request for a set of bedding.
If this were any other camp, they might still be able to ask the citizens nearby to donate some supplies. However, there weren't many people in the north they could ask for supplies from. Liangzhou was practically a shell of a city, with only their troops left to defend it. Thus, the situation was looking quite bad.
In the end, the bedding that Captain Guo had brought over ended up with Zhang Mai.
Captain Guo shot a glance at the package that He Changdi was carrying and smiled. "Seeing how lovey-dovey you and your wife are is making me miss my own. I wonder how she and the kids are doing in the capital."
All the land and water routes had been blocked by the snow. Letters hadn't been able to pass through for quite some time. Even officers like Captain Guo and the rest hadn't been able to receive anything from home since a month or two ago.
Captain Guo's words made the originally lively atmosphere in the tent dim down to a dead silence.
He Sanlang's thoughts were also drawn out. He thought of his grandmother back in the capital, as well as his sickly bedridden mother.
In the end, Captain Guo realised that the air didn't seem right and tried to lighten the atmosphere again. "Alright, alright. What are you all thinking about? Our fifty thousand brothers-in-arms here in the north all share the same fate now. If all our brothers start becoming as gloomy as you guys, then how are we going to fight off the Tuhuns?"
Xiao Hongyu rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "And who was the one who mentioned that topic in the first place..."
"Xiao Hongyu! I see that you're just bent on looking for trouble! Hmph, don't make me unleash my temper on you!" Captain Guo stood up and acted as if he was going to give Xiao Hongyu two black eyes.
After playing around for a bit, the sad atmosphere from before completely dissipated.
He Changdi suddenly spoke up. "Brother Guo, the Tuhun army hasn't been attacking in full force for the past few days."
This seemed like a good thing on the surface, almost like the Tuhuns had been scared off by them. While he had been battling on the frontlines during the past few days, He Changdi could clearly feel that the Tuhuns were no longer fighting as furiously. They only sent out small waves of soldiers to mount surprise attacks or harass them, as if they were trying to play for time.
Captain Guo and the rest frowned.
Captain Guo rapped the surface of the side table with his knuckles as he mused, "Zixiang, what do you think they're trying to do?"
Although He Changdi's features were handsome, his current expression was somber and grave. "They're trying to drag out the war. I'm afraid they already know about our lack of supplies."
Captain Guo gave a huge start.
Their supply routes were completely blocked, and none of the essential supplies they needed could be sent in. Once the enemies realised the border troops' situation, they would become sitting ducks here, with only death awaiting them.
By then, the Tuhuns wouldn't need to use a single soldier or arrow to capture all fifty thousand border troops without resistance.
After all, not everyone would be able to keep thinking of serving the country when faced with extreme hunger.
Captain Guo abruptly stood up. He paced the tent with his hands behind his back in an impulsive mood.
In a flash, he looked up and swept his gaze across the entire tent. "Continue chatting. I'm going to look for the great general. Remember to watch what you say!"
Actually, Captain Guo wasn't worried about any loose lips within this group. They were sworn brothers, after all. However, he had to give reminders when he could.
Captain Guo took his cloak and rushed over to the entrance of the tent. He suddenly turned back and told He Changdi, "Zixiang, General Sima sent over two soldiers for you to punish at night. Take a look at the tent next to this."
After saying so, he lifted the tent flap and left in a flurry of wind.
Since the atmosphere had turned so grave suddenly, the brothers no longer had any desire to chat. Zhang Mai bid them goodnight and took the bedding back to his own tent.
He Changdi called one of the soldiers on duty outside and questioned him about what had happened for a moment. Following that, he ordered someone to send the two female soldiers back. He didn't want to think about what was going on with Sima Hui at this point, nor did he want to have any association with her at all.
When he returned to camp, Xiao Hongyu came over with a face expecting some gossip. "Brother He, how was it? How did you deal with those two female soldiers? I peeked a bit earlier and one of them is quite pretty."
He Sanlang sent a cool glance towards him. "I sent them back."
"What! Brother He, you let such a tasty morsel slip through your fingers!"
"Did you have something in mind?"
Xiao Hongyu rubbed the back of his round head sheepishly. "Brother He, you have a wife, but I haven't married one yet!"
He Changdi snorted. "If you want them, go ask General Sima for them yourself."
Xiao Hongyu stiffened up. "What, you want me to beg that tomboy for them? Forget it, it's better for me to be single!"
"Good that you realise that!"
Xiao Hongyu was instantly beaten into the dust by those words. He collapsed in his bed lifelessly.
It was only now that He Changdi finally had the time to open up the package that Wenqing had given him.
Xiao Hongyu secretly watched as He Sanlang opened up the package, prepared to snatch away anything tasty within.
Unfortunately, he was left with disappointment. It was just some ordinary clothes within and an exquisite-looking wooden box.
Xiao Hongyu rarely saw such fine-looking fragrant rosewood boxes, so driven by his curiosity, he came over to see. "Brother He, open it! I want to see what's inside!"
He Changdi lifted up the wooden box and examined it. The fragrant rosewood box was decorated with fine details. Its surface had been painted over in black and some auspicious patterns to draw luck for a prosperous career were carved onto it. If the box already looked this exquisite, then what about its contents?
He Sanlang was a little fazed. His deep gaze was fixed on the wooden box as if he were trying to see through it.
He had seen this in his past life before. It was something that he was very familiar with.
He already knew what was inside without opening it.
A green Hetian jade thumb ring. The one that Xiao Bojian had carried on his thumb, a perfect match with the one that Chu Lian had frequently worn.
But now, it had landed in his hands!
Ch. 226 Perfect Match
Although He Sanlang wasn't surprised, he still felt ambivalent.
Xiao Hongyu, on the other hand, didn't have heavy thoughts brewing in his head like He Changdi. Instead, his curiosity was like a million cat claws scratching at the walls of his heart. He couldn't sit still any longer and tried to urge He Changdi on. "Brother He, what are you in a daze for? Quick, open it and see what's inside."
With such a nice box, surely it wouldn't turn out to be jewellery? He really couldn't think of an accessory that a man would wear.
For He Changdi, it was impossible to think with such a noisy guy right next to him. Thus, he abandoned his train of thought and turned his focus to the box. It couldn't be opened straightforwardly. He Changdi located the hidden mechanism and pressed down, releasing the lock. The exquisitely fragrant rosewood box popped open with a clack.
Nestled within the dark red silk-lined box was a dark green piece of jade in the shape of a thumb ring. Its vibrant colour and glossy surface were a testament to its quality; it even seemed to glow in the light.
Although Xiao Hongyu didn't understand the finer points of jade quality, he could tell with one glance that something of this colour and texture was definitely high-quality. Furthermore, as a military man, Xiao Hongyu could immediately tell what the item was.
"A thumb ring!"
The lowest ranked foot soldiers of the Great Wu Dynasty were given bows and arrows. Thus, thumb rings were something that almost every soldier would use.
Some of the standard thumb rings would have grooves to help with holding the bow string. The most common type of thumb rings were made of elk horn and were rather cheap in the Great Wu Dynasty.
Xiao Hongyu was a little jealous upon seeing He Changdi's gift. The thumb ring he was wearing now was only made of elk horn; he certainly didn't own any made out of jade. How nice it was to have a wife!
"Brother He, quick, put it on and see if it fits!"
He Changdi stared at the green jade thumb ring for a moment, but instead of putting it on, he closed the lid and didn't say a word.
Xiao Hongyu immediately grew anxious. "Brother He, aren't you going to try it on?" When that didn't work, Xiao Hongyu smiled and then began to cajol, "Brother He, if you're not going to use it, then why don't you lend it to me? The one I'm using is just made of elk horn. It's not really good and it usually rubs against my skin. See, I'm getting a blister on my thumb from it!"
He Changdi gripped the wooden box in his hands and cast a cool look at the shameless Xiao Hongyu. "Who said I'm not going to wear it?"
After saying so, he took out the green Hetian jade thumb ring and put it onto his right thumb.
Although He Sanlang regularly practised martial arts, resulting in some calluses on his hands, his fingers were long and slender. His hand was so slim that his finger bones could be counted from the back of his hand. When he pushed the dark green Hetian jade ring onto his thumb, it made his whole hand seem even more elegant and good-looking. It looked even better than when Xiao Bojian had worn it.
When Xiao Hongyu saw that the thumb ring was now on He Changdi's hand, he shook his head in pity and lamented, "Sister-in-Law really has a good eye for things."
He had no choice but to admit that this Hetian jade ring was perfect for He Changdi, as if it had been tailor made for him.
Even He Changdi himself lost track of his surroundings and stared at the ring for two entire seconds.
After Xiao Hongyu turned and crawled back into his own bed, He Changdi threw another wooden box at him. "You can use this from now on."
Xiao Hongyu's expression turned to joy after he opened the box. Inside it was the white jade thumb ring that He Changdi had been using. He hugged the wooden box and broke out into a wide, foolish smile. "Brother He, at least you have some conscience left in you!"
The Hetian jade ring was warm to the touch, a constant reminder of that wicked woman's existence.
A little uncomfortable, He Changdi rubbed at the thumb ring.
Finally, he set his gaze on the other items in the package. Xiao Hongyu was playing with the white jade ring that He Changdi had given him, so he was being very quiet.
There wasn't much else in the package. Just some sets of clothes that he usually wore. It was just enough to replace the two sets that he had ordered to be thrown away today. They were all inner clothing meant to be under armour.
One of them was grey and the other was indigo.
He Sanlang stroked the cloth with his slender fingers. He suddenly paused and looked closely at the indigo set of clothes.
Despite the dimness of the tent, he was still able to see the patterns embroidered on the cloth.
Male clothing usually had less embroidery than female clothing. However, on inner clothing like this, the sleeves and collar would still have some simple patterns sewn on. The most common were cloud lattices and geometric patterns.
He Sanlang had once inadvertently heard Xiyan mentioning that Chu Lian's embroidery wasn't very good, so she hadn't been able to make any clothes for him. Xiyan had requested that he forgive Chu Lian for the lapse in her wifely duties.
As he stroked the crooked square patterns on the collar of the indigo shirt, his cold face slowly shifted to a warm and gentle expression.
He Changdi didn't say anything. He touched the clumsy embroidery again before taking it out and placing it carefully by his pillow, intending to wear it the next day. As for the grey clothing with more uniform embroidery, he rolled it up and wrapped it in the package before tossing it into his trunk of clothes.
The army's supplies were also running low on lantern oil, so He Changdi put away the rest of the package's contents before blowing out the lamp and heading to bed.
Some distance away in Liangzhou City, Chu Lian was still awake.
After dinner, Manager Qin had come to report everything he had been able to find about Liangzhou City. He had also found a few middle-aged ladies to act as servants for her after thoroughly vetting them.
Once Chu Lian had settled all of that, it was already late.
Wenlan escorted Chu Lian back to her room while Wenqing brought over a basin of hot water for her to soak her feet in.
Chu Lian suddenly recalled that Wenqing had brought a huge package out to He Sanlang, so she casually asked, "Wenqing, what did you secretly give away to your Third Young Master?"
Wenqing knew that Third Young Madam would ask her about the package sooner or later, so she didn't try to hide anything from Chu Lian. She replied honestly, "I gave Third Young Master two sets of clothing and the jade thumb ring that Third Young Madam bought from Jinshi Pavilion."
Chu Lian was stunned for a moment. She hadn't expected Wenqing to give away the green jade ring on her behalf. She had mentioned it in front of her personal maidservants before, saying that she was intending to give one of the rings to her husband, He Changdi. However, she hadn't found the right time yet when the barbarian ambush came, and then there she had been busy with settling down in Liangzhou City's He Estate... so she had completely forgotten about the thumb ring.
Chu Lian wasn't bothered by Wenqing taking initiative. That thumb ring was meant for He Changdi anyway; it didn't matter how it was given to him.
Chu Lian stopped thinking about the ring and asked, "Which two sets of clothes did you give him?"
She had prepared plenty of things for this trip to the north. Matriarch He was also biased towards He Changdi, so she had prepared lots of food for him. Adding up Matriarch He's and her own contributions, Chu Lian had brought three whole trunks filled with things for He Sanlang alone.
When Wenqing saw that Third Young Madam didn't blame her for her actions, she brightened up and pointed at a red painted trunk in the corner of the room. "This servant took out two sets of inner clothes from that trunk there, one indigo and one grey."
Chu Lian had been soaking her lily white feet in the hot water. She was supposed to be relaxing, but upon hearing Wenqing's reply, she abruptly stiffened up.
Chu Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Wenqing, why didn't you check the clothes when you took them out?"
Wenqing didn't understand what Third Young Madam meant. "Aren't the clothes in that trunk the ones that the matriarch prepared for Third Young Master? This servant was in a rush, so this servant placed the clothes in the package without checking..."
Chu Lian couldn't hold back the urge to laugh any longer. "There's a set of clothing in there that Ah Yue embroidered. Don't you remember?"
Chu Lian had a good memory, so she clearly remembered that the clothes Li Yue had embroidered were indigo in colour.