Before he could finish the bow, Chu Zhao interrupted with an exclamation. A’Le also shouted excitedly: “A’Jiu!”
Following A’Le’s shout, Chu Zhao lifted her feet and ran toward him. After running a few steps she stopped and looked back at Mu Mianhong.
“Auntie Mu,” she said, “Captain Xie has arrived. I’m going to ask about the details of the border regions.”
Mu Mianhong nodded with a smile: “Go quickly.”
Chu Zhao said no more, turned, and strode swiftly toward Xie Yanlai. Standing before Xie Yanlai, she asked urgently: “Why did you come? When did you arrive?”
Xie Yanlai, halfway through his bow, didn’t complete it either. He raised an eyebrow: “Seeing me, did you breathe a huge sigh of relief?”
Chu Zhao looked at him, smiled, and pressed her hand to her heart while exhaling a long breath.
“Yes, seeing you, A’Jiu,” she said, “my heart has settled.”
Why did that sound strange? Xie Yanlai frowned: “Don’t say weird things.”
Chu Zhao raised an eyebrow at him: “You said it first, didn’t you? You first said how much I trust you in my heart, that seeing you, I don’t worry about anything anymore.”
“Nonsense,” Xie Yanlai said. “What I clearly meant was that you standing with Mu, with the Stronghold Chief, were so awkward you wanted to burrow into the ground. When I appeared, you no longer had to stammer with people—you breathed a huge sigh of relief.”
Chu Zhao laughed heartily: “You’re the one talking nonsense. You clearly only said one sentence. Where did all those words come from?”
Xie Yanlai scoffed, too lazy to expose her.
Chu Zhao glanced again in the direction where Mu Mianhong stood. Mu Mianhong had already turned and walked away. She exhaled softly again, her eyes slightly downcast.
“I don’t actually resent her,” she said in a low voice. “I’ve been without a mother since I was small. I’m already accustomed to not having a mother. I don’t know how, nor do I know how to interact with a mother.”
Xie Yanlai looked into the distance: “You’re asking the wrong person about this. Although I had a mother longer than you did, I’ve forgotten how to interact with a mother. We men always have our ambitions set on distant horizons—we never pay attention to such trivial maternal matters—”
Chu Zhao was amused again. She lifted her head to look at Xie Yanlai. Yes, in this world there were plenty of people without mothers, people who didn’t know how to interact with mothers.
“Why did you come?” she asked again. “When did you arrive?”
Really maternal and trivial enough. Xie Yanlai looked up at the sky: “Her Majesty the Empress achieved a great victory, and the border regions also benefited immensely—the pressure decreased considerably. Vice General Zhong was worried about you, nagging and urging me three times a day to come check on you. I just arrived not long ago. I didn’t have anyone announce it, and waited for you outside the tent. Then I saw you had matters to discuss with Stronghold Chief Mu, so I dared even less to disturb.”
His last two sentences were drawn out.
Chu Zhao said solemnly: “Captain Xie, you are an important minister of the court. In the future, don’t be polite—you must disturb me at any time and any place.”
Xie Yanlai couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh heartily.
The laughter came from behind. Mu Mianhong looked back and saw the young man standing upright like a sturdy bamboo, and the girl standing at his side. She smiled slightly as well.
Although her daughter was extremely uncomfortable facing her, the fact that there was someone in this world the girl was willing to amuse proved her daughter was not lonely.
Even without father or mother, as long as her heart held love and she dared to love, she could live happily and freely.