The journey back to the capital no longer required caution. They stayed at inns openly, ate and drank their fill, traveled at dawn, rested at night, following a regular routine.
The only drawback was the intense longing for home.
After traveling for two days, Jiang Xingyan decided to leave the main force behind and rode alone back to the capital overnight.
By the time she arrived at the small house she had bought on the outskirts of the city, it was already late at night on the Yiyou day.
Wang Qi, who was keeping watch, spotted a formidable figure in the distance. He rubbed his eyes several times before confirming it was the General returning.
He wanted to call out loudly but feared disturbing the neighbors who were long asleep. He could only rush forward, eyes brimming with excited tears.
Jiang Xingyan rode up to him and dismounted briskly.
“Has everything been alright at home these days?”
Wang Qi immediately took the reins and replied respectfully, “Everything is fine at the house. There are just some minor, troublesome matters at the General’s residence, but we can discuss them after you’ve rested for a few days.”
Jiang Xingyan looked at Wang Qi with pleasant surprise. “Well now, you’re looking more and more like a proper steward.”
Wang Qi chuckled, embarrassed by the praise. “General, please go inside. I reckon Xiao Ya isn’t asleep yet.”
“While you were away, Xiao Ya waited up until midnight every single day, just in case you suddenly returned, so she wouldn’t miss seeing you first thing.”
A warmth prickled behind Jiang Xingyan’s eyes.
She strode through the main gate into the central courtyard.
A fragrant scent rushed towards her, and someone crashed right into her arms.
It was the faint, cold fragrance of plum blossoms she liked, mixed with the scent of medicinal herbs.
“Ah Yan!”
Jiang Xingyan: ?
Huo Ci had been praying for Jiang Xingyan’s safety in the courtyard every day.
Tonight, he felt especially unsettled. He never expected to turn around and actually see her.
He had rushed over instinctively, and it wasn’t an illusion.
Jiang Xingyan initially wanted to push him away, but glancing down, she could see the thick bandage on her own shoulder, visible even through the layers of clothing.
If she pushed him away forcefully, the wound would likely reopen.
That was her own body, after all.
She endured it!
What Jiang Xingyan didn’t realize was that after the events in Qingzhou, the resentment and bitterness she held towards Huo Ci in her heart had significantly diminished.
It wasn’t that she could forgive his actions or reconcile with him.
It was that she had seen the vast world beyond the inner chambers, let go of her fixation, and understood that love and romance were always just an insignificant part of Huo Ci’s life.
His heart was filled with the people of the entire Western Zhou, the mission of protecting the nation and defending its borders.
The trivial matters of the inner quarters were never enough to weigh on his mind.
And she, at that time, had seen him as her sole salvation.
When the weight carried by each is unequal, it naturally breeds resentment, hatred, and obsession.
In this second chance at life, she also wanted to discard the desire to make Huo Ci regret his choices for the rest of his life. She would focus on herself and live well, taking good care of Xiao Ya.
“A-Niang?”
Jiang Xingyan looked up sharply to see Yun Ge’er holding Xiao Ya, both of them staring at her dumbfounded.
Her heart sank.
This is bad.
She tried to loosen Huo Ci’s tightly wrapped arms, but this only made him hold on tighter.
When Xiao Ya and Yun Chunfeng saw the scene in the courtyard, they both felt awful.
Xiao Ya pouted: I waited for A-Niang for so long, and the first person A-Niang hugs when she comes home isn’t me?
Yun Chunfeng pouted: I waited for the Young Mistress for so long, and the first person she hugs when she comes home isn’t me?
Wait, no. Our bodies haven’t been swapped back yet, so maybe it’s better if she doesn’t hug me for now.
But the first person she hugged wasn’t Xiao Ya?
“Waaah!”
“Hmph!”
The two of them turned away in unison.
One crying, the other sulking.
They didn’t storm off; they just stood there, waiting for Jiang Xingyan to come and coax them.
The identical scent of vinegar emanating from them was unmistakable.
It was the sharp, acidic aroma of the oldest, most pungent vinegar from Taiyuan Prefecture.
Jiang Xingyan, sweating profusely in her panic, tried to pry Huo Ci’s arms away, using force but not too much force.
“Let go of me!”
“No!”
During the ten days Jiang Xingyan was in Qingzhou, Huo Ci had specifically asked Sun Yaxiang to prepare several tonics to enrich the blood and boost energy. He took good care of the body, consuming medicinal meals three times a day without restraint.
Coupled with running around managing the shop businesses daily, his energy was abundant.
He had genuinely managed to plump up her body a bit and increase its strength.
Jiang Xingyan found herself momentarily unable to break free and had to half-drag him as she shuffled towards Yun Ge’er and Xiao Ya.
“Let me explain, it’s not what you think!”
“Waaah!”
“Hmph!”
Beads of sweat formed on Jiang Xingyan’s brow from anxiety. She finally shuffled her way in front of Yun Chunfeng.
She reached out, wanting to pull them both close, but Yun Chunfeng swiftly handed Xiao Ya into her arms and took a step back himself.
Jiang Xingyan immediately understood the reason, feeling a wave of helpless awkwardness.
Although Yun Chunfeng knew it wasn’t appropriate for the Young Mistress to be too intimate with him in her current situation, seeing the three of them—the little family—hugging together still left him feeling deeply unsettled.
He gritted his teeth: Heavens, just you try delaying the Young Mistress’s body swap any longer!
“A-Niang! Xiao Ya missed A-Niang so much!”
Xiao Ya could no longer hold back. She threw her arms around Jiang Xingyan’s neck and burst into tears.
“Xiao Ya doesn’t want to be apart from A-Niang anymore.”
Though young, she wasn’t foolish.
Seeing the bad father figure bleeding and Uncle Yun’s face change color, she knew A-Niang must have been very, very badly hurt.
She was so afraid she would never see A-Niang again!
Hearing that soft, pleading voice, hot tears welled in the corners of Jiang Xingyan’s eyes.
Her good treasure, her only blood connection in this world.
The darling she could never, under any circumstances, bear to part with.
Xiao Ya’s cries gradually subsided into sniffles as she fell asleep.
Her chubby little hands still clung tightly to her mother’s neck, completely unwilling to let go.
Yun Chunfeng tried to take Xiao Ya, but she would immediately wake up crying at the slightest touch.
“I want A-Niang! I want A-Niang!”
Yun Chunfeng gave a wry smile.
This clinginess truly took after the Young Mistress.
Huo Ci, having cried his fill, awkwardly released Jiang Xingyan and stood to the side with his head lowered.
He didn’t know what to say, but he didn’t want to leave either.
Finally freeing up a hand, Jiang Xingyan adjusted Xiao Ya to a more comfortable position.
“Hmm? She feels heavier, has Xiao Ya gained some weight?”
Yun Chunfeng smiled and nodded. “Of course! When Yun Ge’er raises a child, Young Mistress can rest assured!”
“Not like some people, who let our Xiao Ya, who should be all round and plump, get so terribly thin!”
Huo Ci gritted his teeth: Fine, fine, as soon as Ah Yan gets home, you start intensifying the pressure, is that it?
But Jiang Xingyan remembered when she was young; just over a month after Yun Ge’er arrived at the estate, her old padded jackets didn’t fit anymore.
Her grandfather would stroke his beard and smile contentedly, saying, “Indeed, little children should be chubby to be healthy!”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Yun Ge’er really does know how to raise a child well.”
Huo Ci, standing to the side, was so sour he could have dried into an apricot.
Hah! He can raise a child? Well, I can raise a wife!
If only Xiao Ya would let him get close, he could fatten her up fair and plump too!
As for why Xiao Ya still wouldn’t let him touch her… well, one reaps what they sow.
The words of rebuttal stuck in his throat. Huo Ci hung his head, not daring to say more.
“Alright, it’s late. We can talk more tomorrow.”
“Everyone should get some rest.”
“I’ll escort the Young Mistress,” Yun Chunfeng said.
Huo Ci wanted to say something but ultimately squeezed out, “The journey was arduous. Rest well.”
Jiang Xingyan responded with an awkward sound of acknowledgment and followed Yun Chunfeng away.
She left Huo Ci standing alone in a daze, unable to collect himself for a long time.
Ah Yan just—acknowledged me?