He Sanlang’s senses were quite sharp. Although Chu Lian had spoken in a low mutter, he still managed to catch it with his hearing. His thick brows drew together to express his clear displeasure at Chu Lian’s words.
“Chu Lian, what did you say?”
Chu Lian covered her mouth and gave off an awkward titter. She leaned her body away from He Sanlang’s and quickly replied, “Nothing.”
She didn’t dare to provoke him any longer. He Sanlang was just too dangerous right now. Chu Lian was smart enough not to bait the tiger in its den.
When He Changdi saw that he had somehow managed to survive this whole turn of events, he breathed a sigh of relief in his mind. He stood up, walked over to the small table and pretended to bump into the table ‘accidentally’, causing the little blue book to drop into the brazier placed conveniently next to the table. The book was instantly consumed by the flames within.
Chu Lian rolled her eyes. Anyone with eyes could tell that He Sanlang had done that on purpose.
He Changdi turned his body towards hers and stated in a calm tone, “I bumped it accidentally. Never mind, it’s no loss if it burns.”
It really was no loss to He Sanlang. He couldn’t wait to see it disappear from the face of the earth. Xiao Hongyu was likely the only one who would cry over the loss.
His very last book of obscene drawings had been burned into ashes. He must be destiny’s favourite plaything!
While standing outside the tent, Wenqing and Wenlan secretly exchanged glances. After confirming that there weren’t abnormal sounds coming from within the tent, they announced their return.
“Third Young Master, Third Young Madam, we servants have brought back your meals.”
Chu Lian fixed her disarrayed hair before calling Wenqing and Wenlan in.
Wenqing moved the small table over to where the couple was seated. Wenlan then took out the dishes from within the box they had brought over and placed them on the table. While Wenqing busied herself with setting out chopsticks and bowls for the couple, she explained, “Captain Guo sent a message saying that something came up and that he won’t be able to accompany Third Young Madam for the meal. This servant is to inform you that Lieutenant Xiao has also gone over to Captain Guo’s side.”
Chu Lian nodded with a slight upward tilt of her lips. It seemed like the officers of the Right Wing Army were really good at reading the situation. They seemed to be letting her and He Changdi have some private time to themselves!
She stopped her wandering thoughts and turned her gaze to the table in front of her instead. When she looked at the simple- almost crude- dishes displayed on the table’s surface, she exclaimed in surprise, “Is this what you eat normally?”
Although He Sanlang’s position in the army wasn’t very high, he was still an elite captain who commanded a few hundred men. Surely his meals shouldn’t be this poor.
He Changdi shot a glance at her and nodded.
What he left unsaid was that these dishes were likely what Captain Guo had specially ordered the cookhouse to send them, considering that Chu Lian was a special guest.
Chu Lian eyed the wheat pancakes before her, which looked as hard as bricks, and some unknown food that was so charred that she couldn’t tell what it had originally been. The nicest-looking dish was probably the plate of broiled preserved meat in the center.
Although there was steam rising from the dishes, Chu Lian lost all appetite from the whiff that she got.
When He Changdi saw that her brows had creased together, he wasn’t too eager to start the meal either. He asked, “No appetite?”
After thinking for a bit, he understood what had happened. To the soldiers here in the north, the taste of Chu Lian’s normal fare would be heavenly or almost inconceivable. How would she be able to swallow these military rations?
Wenqing and Wenlan felt anxious for their young mistress. Even they couldn’t muster up any appetite looking at these dishes, let alone their Third Young Madam!
After a slight pause, He Sanlang turned to Wenqing and Wenlan. “Go and cook something else for your Third Young Madam.”
He turned to Chu Lian, who was sitting opposite him, and gave her a suggestion: “If you’re feeling hungry, why don’t you have some honey water first?” He knew that Chu Lian had the habit of drinking honey water.
Chu Lian didn’t really want to eat the food served here in the northern border camp. However, when she looked at the food on the table, she could tell that they had been given enough for two. The northern border troops were already lacking in supplies, so it wouldn’t be good to waste any of it.
She reached out and pointed at the plates.
“Then what about these?”