The reconstruction of the wall was not initially completed until midnight when the stars were fading.
Everyone was so hungry that they slumped against the newly - built wall like lumps of mud, lying in disarray.
Caiyu felt as if her legs were filled with lead and her arms were too weak to lift. After walking a couple of steps, she staggered like a drunkard. So she leaned against the wall with the others, gasping for breath.
She had never suffered like this since childhood.
When the Lan family was still prosperous, she was the pampered third young lady.
After the Lan family's downfall, although she had fallen from grace, what she learned was the art of seduction like a Yangzhou courtesan - in - training.
She had never done any physical labor before.
She lifted her wrist with difficulty and saw that her dirty hands were covered with tiny scratches.
She didn't notice the pain while working, but now that she had stopped, these wounds felt like small knives cutting into her skin, throbbing painfully.
A shadow loomed over her head, heavy like the reflection of a mountain, blocking the hanging oil lamp in front and covering her completely in darkness.
Caiyu was leaning against the most secluded part. She quickly looked up and saw Song Yinghuai's handsome face half - hidden in the darkness.
The starlight dotted his eyes with tiny glimmers, making his face flicker in and out of light.
Caiyu quickly patted the dirt off her knees, stood up while holding on to the wall, and lowered her head, saying, "Your... Your Highness."
Song Yinghuai's gaze fell on her dirty little face and the bleeding wounds. The emotions in his eyes were too complex to discern.
"Are you tired?" he asked. His voice was deep and emotionless, which made Caiyu's heart skip a beat.
She quickly straightened her body and replied stubbornly, "Tired, but I can endure it."
A faint laugh escaped from the man's throat.
Caiyu couldn't tell if it was an expression of approval or mockery.
Then, she heard Song Yinghuai say, "You refused the luxurious food and clothing in the mansion, and you also turned down the chance to go shopping for things you like. Instead, you came here to suffer... Lan Caiyu, this is just the first day. If you can't bear it, go down the mountain quickly!"
Caiyu looked up at him in surprise, her heart tightening.
So, Song Yinghuai had recognized her long ago!
He had asked her to repair the wall just to force her to give up!
A surge of anger welled up in her heart.
Did he look down on her so much?
Did he think she was good - for - nothing and only capable of causing trouble?
Did he think she was only fit to live in his palm like a dodder flower, at his mercy?
Because this was how he saw her, he never told her anything.
He always solved things secretly without telling her.
Just like this time when he came to Qixia Mountain. Everyone in the world knew that he had come to control the epidemic, but only she...
didn't know.
She only found out where he had gone from Qingqing.
Caiyu widened her eyes and stared at him fixedly, replying word by word, extremely stubbornly, "This maid can endure it."
"Your Highness didn't tell this maid about coming to Qixia Mountain. Then, please don't stop this maid from coming here. Just assign any tasks to this maid.
This maid won't be lazy, and she won't ask Your Highness for special treatment or pity. Your Highness just needs to treat this maid like an ordinary soldier!"
A flicker of approval flashed across Song Yinghuai's eyes, but it was quickly swallowed by the darkness.
His voice was cold. "Since you insist on staying here, if I force you to leave, it will seem that I'm being unreasonable. So I'll let you stay... But there's one condition. Don't cause any trouble or hold anyone back. This is an epidemic area, not the Prince Yan's Mansion. I won't make an exception just because it's you."
Caiyu pursed her lips. "This maid doesn't need it!"
She was extremely stubborn!
Song Yinghuai gave her a deep look and then turned away.
Caiyu watched his tall figure disappear into the darkness. Gradually, a feeling of grievance and sadness welled up in her heart.
She had taken the risk to come up the mountain. Although it was related to the matter of the Lan family, it was also because she missed Song Yinghuai.
Would he be infected when he brought people to the epidemic area? Would he encounter any danger...
Caiyu was always worried. She thought that just seeing him from afar and knowing that he was safe would be enough.
But this guy?
He didn't look the least bit happy. Instead, he gave her a warning as soon as he came.
He couldn't wait to drive her away!
She remembered that he had coaxed her to sleep before they parted...
Although he didn't seem as clingy as before, she could understand that he was in a hurry to leave.
But she didn't expect that just the next day, he seemed like a completely different person, showing no affection for her at all.
Caiyu blinked her eyes and stared blankly at the dark night sky.
Was it because of Lü Baiwei?
Was it because Lü Baiwei was on the mountain?
She didn't even know when it had started, but it seemed that she and Song Yinghuai were gradually drifting apart.
"Time to eat!"
Suobude led a few people carrying large buckets, and Sheng Jiangli also walked slowly behind them, bringing Caiyu's chaotic thoughts back.
Filling one's stomach was the most important thing.
As the aroma of the food spread, Caiyu temporarily put all her thoughts aside.
Everyone propped themselves up and gathered around.
The food was not fancy.
Each person got two white steamed buns, a bowl of plain porridge, and a large bowl of pickled vegetables for everyone to share.
But the hungry soldiers sat on the ground, gulping down the porridge and munching on the buns with the pickled vegetables.
Even Caiyu ate greedily, with grains of porridge hanging on the corner of her mouth.
A finger reached out and wiped the grains of porridge off her lips.
Caiyu turned her head and saw Sheng Jiangli's smiling eyes.
Sheng Jiangli rubbed his fingertip and said with a low laugh, "Are you tired?"
Caiyu held the bun and was stunned for a moment. Her eyes gradually turned red.
Why did everyone ask if she was tired?
Could she say that she was exhausted?
Seeing her eyes turn red as if she was about to cry, Sheng Jiangli gasped. A feeling of uneasiness immediately welled up in him.
He frowned in distress and whispered angrily, "That bastard Song Yinghuai... How about you stay with me tomorrow and help me deal with documents?"
Caiyu forced the tears back into her eyes and immediately shook her head. "No, I'm not tired. Just treat me like an ordinary soldier."
If she stayed with Sheng Jiangli, Song Yinghuai would definitely look down on her and think that she was only fit to be kept in the cage he had prepared for her.
She didn't want that!
She had indulged in love for too long since she came to the capital. She had to speed up the handling of the matter of the Lan family.
She wanted to be Lan Jinshu again in a proper way and stand in front of Song Yinghuai confidently, telling him:
I don't need you to hide everything from me. I don't need your protection. What I want is to walk side by side with you!
Looking at her stubborn appearance, Sheng Jiangli suddenly remembered that when the third young lady Lan had fallen off the horse while hunting a deer when they were children, she had skinned her knee.
When he was applying medicine to her, he had asked, "Does it hurt? Will you still go hunting with me next time?"
The third young lady Lan had bitten her pink lips and replied stubbornly, "It doesn't hurt. I'll still go hunting!"
...
Sheng Jiangli coughed lightly and stood up. "Come with me."
Caiyu held the large bun and followed Sheng Jiangli for dozens of meters into the woods.
The aroma of roasted meat wafted over, making Caiyu's mouth water.
Qingqing and Suobude were each roasting a wild rabbit on a stick over the fire.
If the woods weren't so dense, the aroma of the roasted meat would have spread far and wide.
Before Caiyu even got close, her stomach growled embarrassingly, which made Sheng Jiangli laugh in a low voice.
"Don't laugh!" Caiyu covered her stomach in embarrassment and glared back at Sheng Jiangli.
Sheng Jiangli quickly suppressed the smile on his lips and said while holding back his laughter, "I'm not laughing. I just heard my stomach growl because of the aroma of the roasted meat."
Caiyu felt even more embarrassed upon hearing this.
Fortunately, Qingqing had already called out, "Sister Caiyu, come and eat quickly! Big Brother Sheng went deep into the mountains to hunt just to give you a special meal."
The plague had spread in Qixia Temple. The local people in the mountains had eaten all the animals and plants in the nearby woods. Even if there were still a few left, Sheng Jiangli didn't dare to hunt them for fear of the plague.
So, during the wall - building break, he had gone deep into the mountains alone and hunted a few wild rabbits.
Sheng Jiangli sat down on his own, took a roasted rabbit, tore off a rabbit leg, and brought it to Caiyu's mouth. "Ah..."
At this moment, the expressions of the other three people, except Sheng Jiangli, were all different...