Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (8)

A few days later, when he was thrown into the barracks to receive intense training with a group of new recruits, he was in a situation where he had nowhere to turn for help. It turned out that going to the Xishan Barracks wasn’t an affirmation, but instead a punishment from his brother-in-law ah! He seriously regretted his past deeds, but he could only grit his teeth and carry on…

The cheers outside grew louder and louder. Fang Haolin’s attention was attracted by the sounds downstairs, so he temporarily let go of the youth next door. Little Baozi looked at the majestic general, who was dressed in shiny armor and riding on a black and white horse, and excitedly shouted along with the others, “Great General! Great General!!”

Unfortunately, he was too small. His young voice was drowned in the noisy shouting of the crowd. People worshiped heroes, especially heroes who defend the borders and protect the nation for the peace and comfort of the common people.

As the triumphant troops got closer, the cheers on both sides of the road came wave after wave, like tides. All the windows of the shops on both sides of the road were open, and each window was crowded with people.

The young, handsome, and burly general in the front attracted the most attention. It was said that this young and promising general had not gotten married yet. His marriage would be settled during his return this time. The noble young misses on the second floor couldn’t help but blush as they secretly looked at him behind their fans.

It was unknown who started it, but a purple embroidered pouch was thrown down at the young general. Then other pouches, pendants, flowers, and fruits…like rain, pounded down towards the young general.

Zhao Han dodged one ‘hidden weapon’ after another, looking skillful and calm. His deputy general, who was next to him, reached out his hand and caught an apple. He took a bite and teased him, “In ancient times, when Pan An[1] went out, he was thrown a cart full of fruits. Our Young General Zhao isn’t inferior at all ah! Tsk tsk, are young maidens so bold now?”

Zhao Han turned a blind eye to the purses, flowers, and fruits that flew past him and landed on the ground. His eagle-like eyes swept across the windows on both sides, attracting a group of young girls to cheer excitedly. He, on the other hand, was wondering if she, who loved to join in the fun, would watch him at a certain window.

With this thought in mind, Zhao Han straightened his back, brimmed with energy, and had sparkling eyes. He appeared as if he had been injected with chicken blood——looking extremely excited. His deputy general looked at him curiously and asked, “What’s the matter? Who did you see? Which maiden caused you to suddenly become a whole different person? Is it my future sister-in-law?”

Zhao Han ignored him and continued to move forward on his horse, looking straight ahead. He wanted to show her the best of him——he would always be the trustworthy and reliable Older Brother Han!

“Lady Mother, the great general is coming! Quickly look!!” Little Baozi, who was sitting on the windowsill, danced with excitement, and turned around to gesture at Yu Xiaocao.

Yu Xiaocao stood up with a smile. When she walked over, she had accidentally stepped on something. She slipped and fell towards the table. Her subconscious reaction was to protect her belly, lest she knocked on the table and hurt the child inside.

Zhu Junyang, who had been paying attention to Yu Xiaocao, was the first to rush towards her. He managed to support her before she fell on the table. Little Shitou and Fang Haolin, with lingering fear, also came over to check if their older sister had fallen or strained her waist.

“I’m fine. Just a little startled!” Yu Xiaocao held her belly as her husband supported her to sit on the chair. Perhaps it was due to her usual consumption of mystic-stone water, but although she had slightly sprained her ankle, the child in her belly was very stable and wasn’t affected at all.

At this time, the handsome and mighty General Zhao just happened to pass by their window. Little Baozi was so excited that he leaned forward and shouted, “Great General! Look over here!”

The little fellow’s childish voice sounded quite special among the cheering crowd. Zhao Han, who passed by under the window, couldn’t help but raise his head and look towards the voice.

Little Baozi’s big bright eyes met with General Zhao’s. The little guy danced excitedly while yelling, “The great general is looking at me! The great general saw me!”

Everyone around him was currently focused on his lady mother. Little Baozi was so happy that he had lost track of himself. He tilted forward and fell head first downstairs. When Fang Haolin heard the alarmed cries of the crowd, he rushed over and reached for his nephew. But he only caught one of his shoes.

Yu Xiaocao was fine when she slipped earlier. But, when she saw this scene, she was so scared that her stomach started to hurt. She ignored her stomach, endured the pain, and rushed towards the window…

Zhao Han lifted his head when he heard the young voice calling him. Upon raising his head, he saw a fair, chubby child falling from the window on the second floor. In the midst of everyone’s cries, he immediately jumped from the horse’s back and caught the heavy little meatball.

When they landed back on the horse’s back, the little fellow in his arms actually didn’t cry——he must have been frightened. Zhao Han lowered his head to comfort the little guy, but he met a pair of big, excited eyes instead…

“Wow! The great general is carrying me! Let me get some of your good energy so that I can also be a great general in the future!” The chubby child didn’t seem scared at all. Instead, he reached out his little hand to touch his silver armor and picked on the sword hanging on his waist. He even wanted to take out his helmet!

“Little Baozi——”

Just when Zhao Han was hurriedly trying to stop the little guy’s restless little hands, a voice that often appeared in his memory sounded, with a sense of fear and panic, from above his head. He abruptly lifted his head and saw a delicate face that he was very familiar with.

“Lady Mother! The great general caught me. He’s so amazing!” Hearing his lady mother’s voice, Little Baozi looked up happily and waved his hand at her.

“Younger Sister Xiaocao…” Zhao Han couldn’t help calling out to her like when they were children.

Little Baozi looked up at him, “How did you know my lady mother’s name? Why are you calling my lady mother ‘younger sister’? Are you also my maternal uncle? Wow! The great general is my maternal uncle! I have a great general as my uncle?”

Zhao Han stared fixedly at the face that appeared at the window as he explained to the excited Little Baozi, “Our families have been friends for generations. We have addressed each other as brothers and sisters since childhood…”

Seeing that her son was fine, Yu Xiaocao finally felt the discomfort in her stomach. She gently covered her lower abdomen with her hand that the divine stone was tied on. A sense of pain could be seen on her pale face. She couldn’t even force out a smile for Zhao Han.

Zhao Han looked over worriedly——what’s wrong with her? Was she not feeling well? Unfortunately, it wasn’t proper for the troops to stop right now. He couldn’t go check on her and ask about her situation…

Even if he slowed down, the horse still slowly walked past her window. Zhao Han looked back, but the face that always appeared in his dream was no longer at the window.

Zhu Junyang seriously wanted to grab his son and spank his butt. If there was anything wrong with his wife and the child in her stomach, he would definitely teach that stinky brat a lesson!

[1] Pan An (real name: Pan Yue) – A prominent poet in the Western Jin dynasty who was well known as one the most handsome man in ancient China.