The Slender Waist-Chapter 155 - 115 Joyful Enemies

Feng Yun’s heart skipped a beat.

She had long known that the battlefield held no regard for life, where death and injury were matters of chance, and could befall anyone at any time. She also considered herself to have lived once before and had since then attained a state of emotional tranquility, unaffected by sentiment.

Yet, upon hearing Cao Kai’s words, the vibrant image of Ao Qi still rose before her eyes...

With a smile, the young man radiated like the scorching sun, his eyes sparkling with vigor, sweat glistening on his temples. When catching fish in the pond, he’d turn his back to her, revealing the muscles across his broad shoulders...

Feng Yun’s mind wandered far off.

Her hand gently rested on Ayou’s small shoulders.

"Don’t cry anymore, your brother Ao won’t come to any harm..."

She composed herself, well-recognized in the village as the best at comforting children.

The two little ones, seeing the faint smile on her face, quickly calmed down, though Ayou still kept sniffling and sobbing.

Feng Yun instructed Xiaoman to take them down to wash their faces and to arrange a meal for Cao Kai before asking him,

"Does the Great General plan to launch a surprise attack on Bingzhou?"

Cao Kai was taken aback for a moment, scratching his head.

"Such matters are beyond my knowledge."

Feng Yun did not press him further. She went back to her room to write a letter, and after Cao Kai had finished eating, she handed him the sealed letter along with a small pine cone wind chime adorned with a bell.

"Give this to the General."

Last time, Xiaoman mentioned that the General lingered over the sight of a wind chime.

It made Feng Yun think that perhaps fate worked in mysterious ways; even separated by time and space, that child in the heavens still couldn’t bear to part from his father, right?

So, she took off one of the wind chime’s flowers to give to Pei Jue.

"Tell the General that the entire city of Andu wishes for his safety."

Cao Kai nodded, mounted his horse, and gave a respectful fist salute to Feng Yun before riding off into the distance.

-

After Cao Kai departed with the letter, Feng Yun summoned Ge Guang.

"You must go to Central Capital yourself and find Luo Yue. Give this to her."

Ge Guang bowed to receive the letter, sneaking a glance at the lady.

Today’s lady had bloodshot eyes, a clear indication she did not sleep well the previous night. Ge Guang felt a vague sense of worry but thought it inappropriate to inquire further, so he simply responded,

"Lady, rest assured, I shall fulfill the task without fail."

Feng Yun nodded, "I’ll ask Ye Chuang to lend you a horse. You’ll ride to Central Capital."

In times of war, horses were a scarce commodity, beyond the reach of ordinary people. Even those available were often emaciated or old, with spry steeds seen only among affluent families and on battlefields.

Fortunately, Ye Chuang had horses, and she shamelessly borrowed one, claiming that she wanted Ge Guang to purchase some medicinal herbs for her in Central Capital since it was inconvenient to treat illnesses at Doctor Yao’s without a full supply.

Ye Chuang knew she wasn’t telling the whole truth, but he still lent her the horse.

And he took care to remind her to take good care of it.

Feng Yun gladly agreed and prepared some food and drink for Ye Chuang’s group as a token of gratitude.

Ye Chuang noticed that Feng Yun was someone who never liked to owe them anything, always settling scores very clearly.

He couldn’t decide whether that was good or bad; he just worried for the Great General on his behalf.

And for Ao Qi, his inexplicably close brother.

-

In the past two days, Azuo and Ayou had been extraordinarily well-behaved.

They seemed to realize something and turned exceptionally quiet since Cao Kai left with the letter. They no longer pestered Feng Yun and they stopped making noise in the little rocking chair below her window. The siblings were so well-mannered it was heart-wrenching.

Feng Yun arose at noon, her face regained its calmness.

She went about her day as usual, seemingly unaffected by the war.

The farm tools from Huaxi Agricultural Tool Workshop were very popular with the farmers, with people from all over the area coming to buy them. The demand was so high they could hardly keep up. The busy atmosphere at the workshop helped to dilute any lingering emotions.

The Wooden Ox Waterwheel from Tu Family Fort, made entirely of iron components like gearwheels, took some time to create, but since the work was prioritized, it was finally completed.

Feng Yun had promised the Tu Fort Master that she would personally oversee the installation, so on the day when all parts were ready, she had Xing Bing prepare the carriage, and set out with a few craftsmen from Tu Family Fort.

The components of the Wooden Ox Waterwheel were massive. Tu Family Fort dispatched three ox carts for support, and Feng Yun followed in her little donkey cart.

Halfway through the journey, they stopped to eat some dry food and were about to resume travel when the sound of hooves clattering approached from behind.

The sound made by horse hooves differed from that of oxen.

Feng Yun lifted the curtain to look outside and saw the luxurious carriage of Crown Prince Chunyu coming from not too far away, accompanied by about a dozen horse-riding guards and attendants, making quite a show of themselves...

In such turbulent times, to travel so ostentatiously without fear of bandit attacks could only be Crown Prince Chunyu.

Feng Yun extended her hand to close the curtain, uninterested in giving him another glance.

Yet, Crown Prince Chunyu smiled at her, the goodwill in his expression making Feng Yun think she was trapped in some strange nightmare...

Crown Prince Chunyu asked, "Heading to Tu Family Fort?"

Feng Yun gave him a cold look, "What does that have to do with Your Highness?"

Crown Prince Chunyu, "Our paths align; we can travel together."

Feng Yun restrained the corners of her mouth, growing impatient.

If his previous night intrusion on Changmen Village could be excused as a setup, then following her intentionally this time couldn’t have been triggered by a message from someone else, could it?

What exactly was Crown Prince Chunyu after?

"If Your Highness is seeking Lian Ji, you should go to the village," she said.

Crown Prince Chunyu appeared oblivious to her expression and the sarcasm in her voice, maintaining a polite smile, "Aren’t we here to discuss the graphite business? Please, come aboard; we can talk on the way."

Feng Yun glanced sideways, unmoving.

Crown Prince Chunyu tapped on the door frame of his carriage, "There are still dozens of miles ahead. Your cart cannot compare to the comfort of mine..."

"There’s no need," Feng Yun said gently, yet distinctly cool.

"Business is all about willingness. The Princely Heir can do it if he likes, or not do it if he doesn’t. As for the carriage... a golden nest, a silver nest, none is as comfortable as my own dog’s nest. I feel very comfortable sitting here," she said, not waiting for Chunyu Yan’s response before letting the curtain fall.

Chunyu Yan noticed that she was clearly in a worse mood today.

It seemed he thought of something, his lips curled up in a profound and fathomless smile, then he deliberately tapped on the carriage window, making some noise to attract her attention.

"Feng Twelve, interested in hearing about the military situation in Xinzhou?"

Feng Yun’s ears perked up.

She didn’t hear the follow-up but wasn’t in a hurry to ask.

Chunyu Yan chuckled.

"How did I hear that General Pei was too hasty for merit this time, taking his troops to Bingzhou and took a big fall?"

Feng Yun, already in a bad mood, felt even more uncomfortable hearing Chunyu Yan speak of the war in such a mocking tone.

She snorted coldly, pulled aside the curtain to look at him.

"Crown Prince Chunyu must have made a good profit from this war, feeling quite pleased with yourself, aren’t you?" she said, eyeing his carriage adorned with jewels, and coldly added, "Pity for some people, without these gaudy material possessions, there’s nothing left for them."

Chunyu Yan’s expression immediately cooled.

"Feng Twelve, what did you say?"

Feng Yun remained silent.

The official road to the Tu Family Fort wasn’t very wide, where ox carts, horse carts, and donkey carts simply couldn’t pass each other, so they had to travel together like this.

Feng Yun thought Chunyu Yan was just heading in that direction.

Unexpectedly, when they reached Tu Mountain, he kept following her.

Feng Yun grew increasingly impatient, she opened the curtain to confront him.

"What exactly does the Princely Heir intend to do?"

Chunyu Yan: "I’m going to Tu Family Fort."

Feng Yun: "The Princely Heir really must have a lot of free time. In these times, every day there are people who can’t eat their fill or die on the battlefield. I just find it strange, why is it that good fortune falls on someone like you? Why isn’t it the likes of you who die?"

Chunyu Yan: ???

Looking at that cold face.

He was sure that Feng Shi Er Niang had been provoked.

And not just a little.

Just then, the hearty laughter of Tu Fort Master came from up ahead.

"My honored guests, it seems they have all arrived."

"Lady Feng." He greeted Feng Yun from afar with a bow, then turned to Chunyu Yan and laughed loudly, "Crown Prince Chunyu, we meet again."

The words Feng Yun had kept in her throat, not yet scolded out, were forcibly swallowed down.

She glanced at Chunyu Yan’s provocative and frivolous eyes, tugged the corner of her mouth as if nothing was wrong, and composed her emotions before getting down from the donkey cart and bowed to Tu Boshan.

"Tu Fort Master, are you well?"

Tu Boshan laughed loudly, "I am very well. Today the magpies are chirping, and with distinguished guests at the door, my joy is doubled... Crown Prince Chunyu, Lady Feng, please come inside."

Feng Yun didn’t know what the relationship between Tu Fort Master and Chunyu Yan was, she walked into the fort silently, maintaining her usual smile.

It was not until she was seated in the hall that she learned the charcoal used by Tu Family Fort for smelting iron and heating came from Yunchuan, and that Tu Fort Master had a long-standing cooperative relationship with Chunyu Yan.

She was narrow-minded to think that Chunyu Yan had come for her.

Feng Yun glanced subtly at Chunyu Yan.

Just so, Chunyu Yan was looking at her too.

Their gazes met, and then both turned away displeased.

It was apparent that Tu Boshan had a very good impression of Chunyu Yan. Feng Yun wasn’t sure through which eye he saw that the Crown Prince Chunyu was "gentle in demeanor, honest and trustworthy," because he spoke about serious matters without avoiding him.

When Feng Yun took the craftsmen to install the Wooden Ox Waterwheel, Tu Boshan even enthusiastically invited Chunyu Yan to join.

Calling it a Wooden Ox Waterwheel was a bit of a misnomer, it was also known as an Iron Ox Water Wheel since all the gear components were made of iron.

Tu Boshan said, "Yunchuan has many hilly fields; building water wheels would be convenient."

The Tu Fort Master really was a man with grand schemes, he hadn’t used it himself yet but eagerly recommended the good gadget to his buddies.

Chunyu Yan had been quite silent since Feng Yun scolded him.

On hearing this, he merely smiled faintly.

"I just don’t know if Lady Feng would be willing to also make a water wheel for me, and optionally lower yourself to go to Yunchuan to supervise its installation personally?"

The mockery in these words was clear to everyone.

Only then did Tu Boshan realize something was off between the two.

"Princely Heir, Lady Feng... Is there any bad blood between you two?"

Feng Yun: "No."

Chunyu Yan: "None at all."

Both of them spoke simultaneously and then simultaneously looked at each other, their gazes clashing like knives in what seemed to Tu Boshan as a major grievance.

"It’s all right, it’s all right," Tu Boshan prepared to be the peacemaker.

Stroking his beard, he said, "Both of you are spirited people. Whatever the issue, it’s best to talk it out. Today, my wife heard you were both coming, and she specially prepared some home-cooked snacks. I hope you two will honor us by partaking. Let’s turn strife into peace over a drink and dissolve all grudges, how about that?"

Feng Yun smiled, "I’ll follow Fort Master’s lead." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Chunyu Yan let out a cold huff.

If Tu Fort Master knew what Feng Twelve had done to him, what sort of grievance there truly was between them, he probably wouldn’t be able to talk about dissolving grudges over a drink.

Reconciliation with Feng Twelve?

In his dreams!

That would never happen in this lifetime.