Chapter 77. Flame

Flame

Wei Tan became busier. He personally supervised the construction of the camp, and even paid attention to my meals. Sometimes when he couldn't come back due to his busyness, he had Wang Hui keep an eye on things.
Fortunately, I don't often feel like vomiting. With Wei Jiao around, for several consecutive days, aside from the restriction on movement, there wasn't much change. Wei Tan's sleeping habits at night became extremely disciplined. He didn't dare to disturb me. Sometimes, out of habit, he would reach his hand over, but then he would suddenly seem to remember something, pausing and pulling it back.
So, I had the upper hand. I leaned in with a mischievous smile, pinched his face, and playfully touched his nose. Wei Tan was displeased, and I innocently looked at him, patting my belly as a reminder.
Wei Tan had no choice but to give in. I admired his deflated appearance, and I laughed happily at his defeated expression.
Wei Jiao was very interested in the medicinal herbs I brought, and his eyes lit up when I took them out. "Since the chaos of war, Mou hasn't seen such good medicinal herbs in quite a while," he said as he examined and smelled them, praising them with a clicking sound.
I chuckled and said, "One heard these are medicinal herbs from the south. Wei Bian Que has been with the army in the south for over a month, haven't you seen them before?"
Wei Jiao shook his head and replied, "Marching and fighting, there's a high demand for medicinal herbs. Wherever we go, there's hardly any stock left along the way."
Thinking about Yannian Hall lacking a skilled medical practitioner, I had been planning to try and win Wei Jiao over ever since I met him. Seeing him looking eager, I took advantage of the situation, saying, "If these medicinal herbs can be of any use to Wei Bian Que, feel free to take them."
As expected, Wei Jiao was pleased, and he bowed to me with a smile, saying, "In that case, thank you, Furen."
With no rain, the process of fortifying the camp proceeded smoothly. I moved around the camp and could see the number of tall watchtowers increasing day by day.
Wei An went to the front lines every day to see the large ships. Despite getting much darker from the sun, he was excited and enthusiastically shared details with Wei Tan about things like ship sides and ship rudders, which I couldn't quite understand.
Listening to him, Wei Tan occasionally asked him a question or two, such as how the newly built iron chains by Wei Jue were doing.
Wei An thought for a moment and said earnestly, "The iron chains used to secure the ships are well-forged and indeed sturdy. However, they're quite heavy. It takes at least ten soldiers half an incense stick's time to remove the chains from a ship."
After hearing this, Wei Tan took a sip of water from his cup, furrowed his brows, and remained silent.
After several days of continuous sunshine, the clouds in the sky gradually thickened, and it began to feel muggy. Everyone thought it was going to rain, but it didn't.
In the evening of that day, fog began to form.
"Jiangnan's weather is really strange," Ah Yuan returned, carrying a pile of clothes that had been dried in the sun during the day. "Even on such a hot day, fog can suddenly appear."
Wei Tan had been away the entire day. I only heard the familiar sound of horseshoes outside the tent in the evening.
I stepped out of the tent to take a look. The fog was thick, and the light from the torches seemed to be veiled by silk.
"Double the sentries and patrols tonight," Wei Tan said to Cheng Mao as he dismounted.
"Understood," Cheng Mao acknowledged and turned to leave.
I asked Ah Yuan to bring a basin of water for Wei Tan to freshen up. Then, I followed him into the main tent.
"You sit down," he blocked my hand trying to pour water and poured himself a glass, drinking it down in one go. I obediently sat beside him. These past few days, he had been like this, not letting me do anything.
When Ah Yuan brought the water, Wei Tan asked her to leave and proceeded to wipe his upper body and change out of his wet clothes by himself.
"Did Fujun go to the water camp?" I asked curiously, as he hadn't been around all day.
"En," Wei Tan fastened his belt and walked over, sitting down beside me.
"How did it go?" I asked. "Si Shu said that they added dozens more large ships to the water camp."
Wei Tan smiled noncommittally and let out a soft sigh. "How else could it be? Quite a spectacle." After saying that, he turned toward me, his gaze gentle. "How has Furen been feeling today?"
He has been asking me this question two or three times every day lately. I smiled in a noncommittal manner and replied, imitating his tone, "How else could it be? There are no changes."
Wei Tan chuckled, pinched my cheek though there was a smile in his eyes, he extended his arm and pulled me onto his lap.
The day was quite hot, and I could smell the combination of sweat and moisture on him. I rather enjoyed it, his muscles felt strong, and being held or nestled against him was very comfortable.
Wei Tan lowered his gaze and glanced at my abdomen, placing his hand on top of it.
"Tell me, does he know that I'm touching him?" After a moment, he whispered.
His expression when he's curious is quite amusing—slightly furrowed brows and bright eyes.
"He's too young, perhaps he thinks Fujun is hitting him," I joked.
"Is that so?" Wei Tan lifted his gaze to look at me, his black eyes sly. He nodded with an almost comically serious expression. "If he has such awareness, that's good. This child seems to want to be just like Furen. After being born, he will frequently need to be disciplined."
I playfully pinched his back, "Qie has always been obedient since young, never causing my parents any anger."
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow with a smile. "Then, is he just like Weifu? Well then, that means I won't have to do the disciplining. I'll find a woman to handle him in the future."
Upon hearing his words, I asked somewhat playfully, "How does Fujun know it's a son? What if it's a daughter?"
"A daughter, huh..." Wei Tan hugged me and nuzzled his head against my neck, giving a gentle bite. "Then I'll find her a husband just like me."
I chuckled, considering a retort but finding nothing suitable. Instead, I just wrapped my arms around his neck and closed my eyes in contentment.
"Fujun," after a while, I looked at the cluster of dim candlelight on the table and spoke softly, "when will we go back?"
Wei Tan's movements paused for a moment. After a brief pause, he lifted his head, and the playful expression on his face had faded away.
"I've inquired about this matter from Wei Jiao," he said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "With well-padded carriages and a carefully planned journey, you can safely return to Yongdu."
There was a moment of silence all around.
I looked at Wei Tan and asked, "What about you?"
"Ah Jin," a hint of helplessness flickered in Wei Tan's expression, "I command the rear army, can't leave my post without permission."
The light in the tent flickered, as if a breeze had blown. I lay on the bed, and didn't fall asleep for a long time.
Wei Tan went out; he said he needed to patrol the camp.
I let him go without embracing his waist and lingering for a while as usual.
Wei Tan naturally noticed my unease, but he didn't elaborate much. He reassured me by saying that he would send two hundred skilled soldiers to accompany me back, all of whom were adept in combat.
You never really had much certainty that you could persuade him anyway. A voice in my heart reassured me. But still, I couldn't let go. I touched my abdomen, even for the sake of the child, he wouldn't leave this place…
With a heart full of conflict, I tossed and turned, drifting in and out of a restless sleep.
When I woke up again in the middle of the night, I was disturbed by the commotion outside. The lights in the tent had gone out, making the sounds from outside very clear. I could hear the hurried footsteps of soldiers, the urgent shouts of sergeants, and the clopping of horse hooves as if someone was rushing somewhere.
I instantly became wide awake.
I got out of bed and lifted the tent flap, only to see the flames roaring. In front of the tents and on the watchtowers, sergeants were still loudly instructing soldiers to light more torches to disperse the fog.
"What's happening?" As I saw Ah Yuan rushing over, while fixing her hair, I quickly asked.
"Furen!" Her face was unsettled as she spoke. "I heard from the soldiers that the water camp was set on fire by the enemy across the river. The Southern army has landed!"
I was greatly surprised and was about to ask about Wei Tan's whereabouts when suddenly, the sound of rapid horse hooves reached my ears. I looked in that direction and saw Wei Tan approaching.
"Prepare the carriage immediately! Ah Yuan, pack only the essentials and leave behind anything unnecessary! Wang Hui, spread the bedding from the tent onto the carriage, the thicker the better!" He dismounted while speaking in a deep voice.
Ah Yuan and Wang Hui each responded and hurried off to make preparations.
"The water camp is in trouble?" I felt a sense of panic and looked at him.
Wei Tan didn't answer directly but walked over and said, "You'll set out tonight. I'll have Song Ke accompany you." After saying that, he called out behind him, "Song Ke!"
A heavily armored military officer stepped forward in response and saluted me, "Shao Furen."
"What about you?" I stared at Wei Tan, my heart pounding in my chest.
"I'll follow shortly," Wei Tan whispered, and without another word, he firmly grasped my hand and headed towards the back of the tent.
Wang Hui had already prepared the carriage, and Ah Yuan, along with several soldiers, had spread the bedding on it. A group of soldiers stood by, ready and waiting.
"Where's Wei Jiao? Wasn't he supposed to go too?" Wei Tan turned to his attendants and shouted.
"I'm here, I'm here!" At that moment, Wei Jiao hurriedly ran over, parting through a group of soldiers, his clothes disheveled.
"Have you gathered any information? Are there spies around?" Wei Tan asked his attendants.
The attendant replied, "We've gathered information. The campsite is about thirty miles to the north, and there's no sign of anything unusual."
Wei Tan turned to me, his face half illuminated and half in shadow by the firelight, his gaze unwavering.
I looked at him, understanding that at this moment, it wasn't up to me to decide. Tears, however, betrayed me and welled up, obscuring my vision of his face.
"You come with me..." I pleaded softly, my throat tight with discomfort.
Wei Tan placed a hand on my shoulder, wanting to say something. He pursed his lips and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
I held onto his hand, unwilling to let go.
Wei Tan, however, held onto my arm and led me to the front of the carriage. "We can't delay any longer, get in the carriage!"
Ah Yuan was already inside the carriage and quickly helped me get in.
I leaned against the carriage wall, looking at Wei Tan.
"Take care all the way," he lowered his head, gazing at me, and gently wiped away the tears on my face with his rough, calloused hand.
"Fujun..." I called out, but Wei Tan gently pried my hand away from his clothes.
"Start the journey!" he ordered the driver.
With a crack of the whip, the carriage sped off. I steadied myself and looked back at him. The firelight mingled with the fog, forming a haze around him, turning his figure into a silhouette.
"Fujun!" My nose tingled, as I shouted loudly. Wei Tan stood there, unmoving.
All of this felt so familiar. Just like that night I left home, the people I loved stood in the snow, watching me depart from afar.