"It's snowing..."
Zhou Fugui, the pavilion chief of Great Yan Gate and commander of the White Tiger Battalion, smiled, holding a few snowflakes in his hand.
The snow fell like goose feathers, blanketing everything in white.
"I'm talking to you, why are you talking about the heavy snow?" Murong Huiying said angrily. After pinching Zhou Fugui's waist, she added,
"Hey, hey, Yingying, a gentleman uses his mouth, not his hands." Zhou Fugui grimaced from the pinch and quickly said, "Go on, I'm listening."
"Hmph, I'm not saying it anymore." Murong Huiying turned away in anger.
"Alright, little Yingying, hurry up and tell me. Once we leave, who knows when we'll meet again," Zhou Fugui said, quickly turning Murong Huiying around by her shoulders.
Murong Huiying was to accompany her father, Murong Bole, to the west, while Zhou Fugui was also eager to return home to reunite with his mother, elder brother, sister-in-law, and younger sister.
The reason Zhou Fugui was still in Youzhou and hadn't gone home was that the Yan court had not yet bestowed their rewards upon Zhou Fugui and the Han army.
In fact, Zhou Fugui didn't care about the court's rewards at all. But if the court was still deliberating on how to reward Zhou Fugui and the Han army, and Zhou Fugui suddenly left, what would happen? He would surely be punished by the court. Therefore, Zhou Fugui could only patiently stay in Youzhou for a few more days.
What puzzled Zhou Fugui was that for some days now, he hadn't received any letters or news from home.
Zhou Fugui had occasionally received letters from home in the south assuring his safety over the past two years, so why had he stopped receiving them recently?
"Bah, who is your little Yingying?" Murong Yan said, blushing and spitting, and after brushing some snow off Zhou Fugui, she asked, "Fugui, what are your plans for the future?"
"Plans? To reunite with my family, of course. What else?" Zhou Fugui replied. "It's been two years, I miss them."
Having inherited this body, he also inherited some of its soul, so his family was also Zhou Fugui's family. This was not a matter of wanting to or not.
"Hmph! Zhou Fugui, are you doing this on purpose?" Murong Huiying, furious again, her eyebrows raised, patted Zhou Fugui heavily and asked.
"Heh, my Princess Ziyue, what is your command? Just say it, and I will obey," Zhou Fugui said, continuing to tease and joke, as he was indeed doing it on purpose to prank Murong Huiying.
At this moment, Zhou Fugui knew Murong Huiying's feelings for him. He was pretending to be foolish for two reasons: first, he found Murong Huiying even cuter when she was angry; second, he was deliberately avoiding this matter, the reason for which was self-evident.
"Fine, I'll tell you again today." Murong Huiying, a daughter of the grasslands with a straightforward personality, could no longer stand Zhou Fugui's evasiveness. She put her hands on her hips and declared loudly, "When I return, I want you to come to my mansion to propose. Do you hear me clearly? Do I need to say it again?"
During their time in the south, so many things had happened between Murong Huiying and Zhou Fugui. Murong Huiying had already fallen in love with him. After returning to Youzhou, Zhou Fugui's impressive performance in the Yan palace's training grounds, his intelligence and bravery, had earned him the title of "Yang Youji of Great Yan." The Xianbei people admired heroes, both men and women. Thus, Murong Huiying was determined to marry only Zhou Fugui... and no longer hid her feelings.
Missing such a young and valiant man might mean never finding another. Zhou Fugui's martial arts performance had captivated more than just Murong Huiying.
"Oh, my great princess, can you please lower your voice?" Murong Huiying's behavior attracted the attention of passersby on the street, and some barbarians were pointing at them and rolling up their sleeves, preparing to intervene. Zhou Fugui, flustered, grabbed Murong Huiying and said.
The barbarians thought a Han man was harassing a Xianbei woman in broad daylight and in public, which was outrageous! They were about to apprehend Zhou Fugui on the spot.
"What's it to you?" Murong Huiying slapped Zhou Fugui's hand away and said, "Tell me, yes or no?"
"Yes!" Murong Huiying's sincerity touched Zhou Fugui greatly. He replied solemnly, "Yingying, if you have feelings for me, how can I be unfeeling? When you return, Zhou Fugui will send someone... no... I will go myself. Unless your mansion throws me out, no... even if you try to drive me away, I won't leave... I'll be shamelessly persistent until your family agrees to this marriage."
"Pfft!" Zhou Fugui's sworn declaration instantly turned Murong Huiying's anger into joy. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Zhou Fugui and said, "Fugui... I... I... will do the same... If they don't agree, I'll die."
"Yingying, if you die, I won't live alone," Zhou Fugui said, deeply moved.
"Fugui..." Murong Huiying tilted her head back, her beautiful eyes like autumn water, half-closed, looking at Zhou Fugui. She then wrapped her arms around his neck, her delicate cherry lips trembling slightly, and whispered, "Fugui, hold me."
Murong Huiying was actually overcome with emotion on the street.
"Oh, my dear grandmother, can we go home first?"
"No, you're not holding me? Beside the clear spring, you..."
"..."
Hearing this, Zhou Fugui's face turned ashen. He quickly lifted Murong Huiying onto the horse's saddle and galloped away amidst the strange glances of the onlookers.
Murong Huiying turned and hugged Zhou Fugui tightly, burying her head deep in his strong and broad chest. Listening to his powerful heartbeat, she felt that this moment was the happiest of her life.
"Yingying..."
"Mmm..."
"After you marry me, Xiaoqing..."
"Who is Xiaoqing? Who is Xiaoqing?"
"A wife's command is paramount, how dare you...? Take this!"
"Heh heh, Zhou Lang, spare me! Heh heh, let Xiaoqing be a dowry maid..."
"That's more like it, Yingying..."
"Mmm?"
"There's a saying about a 'maid who sleeps in the same room,' why don't we today...?"
"Do what? Bang!"
"Ouch!"
In ancient times, there was Zhou Lang of the Three Kingdoms, who at the Battle of Red Cliffs, casually turned ships to ash. Today, there is Zhou Fugui of Great Yan, who, with a smile, captured the cold and beautiful Xianbei princess.
...
Near Youzhou, there is a mountain called "Wulong Mountain." On Wulong Mountain, there are interconnected pools and waterfalls, with babbling streams and beautiful scenery. On Wulong Mountain, there is a nunnery called "Peach Blossom Nunnery." Although small, due to its symbolic meaning, it often attracts young men and women who come to pray for blessings, though the real purpose is usually to express their affections.
"Swish... swish..."
In front of Peach Blossom Nunnery, an old nun was sweeping away the accumulated snow with a long-handled broom.
As the old nun slowly swept the snow, she suddenly noticed a young man and a young woman slowly ascending the mountain path in front of Peach Blossom Nunnery.
The two were walking hand in hand, which filled the old nun with surprise.
The man was tall and imposing, while the woman was gracefully slender. Although the man wore barbarian attire, his long hair was tied up on his head with an exquisite hairpin, clearly indicating he was Han. The woman was clearly a barbarian, and what astonished the old nun even more was that this barbarian woman was leaning against the Han man, seemingly obedient.
It was not unusual for barbarian men to bring Han women to Peach Blossom Nunnery. However, it was unheard of for a Han man to bring a barbarian woman, and it was even possible that they would engage in unspeakable acts in the nunnery's rooms, which would truly astound people.
As the two approached, the man's face was handsome, with an air of heroism within his handsomeness. The woman's face was beautiful, captivating enough to overthrow kingdoms. The old nun couldn't help but sigh, "A talented man and a beautiful woman! They are truly a divine couple!"
Like the flowers of Luoyang, and the willows of Wuchang. They cherish the spring breeze from two lands, when will they hold hands?
With a "bang," the old nun's broom fell to the ground.
"Reverend Mother, do you have any superior rooms where my brother and I can rest?" The woman's appearance surprised the old nun. She handed a gold ingot to the nun and asked.
After speaking, the woman gave the man a sweet glance.
"Yes, yes, please come in, benefactors!" As the saying goes, money makes the mare go. The woman was generous, so the old nun didn't care who they were, what their status was, or why they had come. The old nun took the gold ingot and replied with a smiling face.
During the Yan and Xia dynasties, Buddhism was prevalent, and temples and nunneries were found everywhere. Most of them had clean and elegant rooms for travelers to stay and pray. Male guests could stay in Buddhist temples, and female guests could stay in nunneries. Over time, temples and nunneries along major roads took on the nature of inns.
Monks and nuns are also human beings and need to make a living. Since they need to make a living, they naturally prefer wealthy guests who spend lavishly.
Would they prefer beggars covered in sores or impoverished scholars who talk endlessly?
...
"You're really generous! That's a large piece of gold!"
In a quiet and clean room, Zhou Fugui licked his lips and said with extreme regret.
"Heh heh..." With only Zhou Fugui and Murong Huiying in the room, Murong Huiying became even bolder. She simply sat in Zhou Fugui's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and laughed, "This isn't my gold, it's yours."
"Why?" With the beauty in his arms, Zhou Fugui was not a monk. He hugged Murong Huiying tightly and asked with a grimace, "gritting his teeth."
"I bet a thousand gold on the Great Yan Yang Youji and won three thousand gold... Oh, Zhou Lang, what are you doing...? Heh heh, it tickles!" At this critical moment, Murong Huiying panicked and struggled desperately.
"What am I doing?" Zhou Fugui, whose blood was already pumping, showed a mischievous smile and said cheerfully, "Since I've earned money, shouldn't I get a little prize? And you are my prize."
The pair of candles in the room flickered brighter in the wind, creating an incredibly romantic atmosphere.