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Ch11 - Return
The speed of their travel party picked up once they got back on the road. The injured had been given first aid and crammed into an emptied storage cart. They had to get back to Liang Estate as fast as possible; they no longer had the ability to withstand another ambush.
Yiyan walked silently beside the ox-drawn carriage, boasting two new additions on his belt: a long club and a dagger. The club had been issued by ah-Liang; it was a functional weapon. The ridiculously ornate dagger, on the other hand, had been gifted to him by Liang Feng. Yiyan now knew that he was a fifth-order marquess surnamed Liang, though he didn’t know his given name. Of course, it wasn’t like he could use it even if he knew. He sat on a pedestal far beyond the reach of a lowly Jie like him.
Still, Yiyan didn’t mind. The permission to call him “my lord” had already settled his heart’s restlessness. His steps had lightened considerably as he vigilantly guarded the carriage. The curtain was down but it couldn’t block the scent of medicine emanating from inside. LĂŒzhu occasionally hopped off to boil medicine and fetch water. Yiyan wanted very much to go in and check if his new lord was still well, but LĂŒzhu was very opposed to the idea of letting a newly purchased Jie slave near her master. She glared at him frostily and made sure to block his line of sight every time they crossed paths.
Yiyan glanced at the carriage again before steadily marching onwards.
After around four hours, the caravan stopped again to rest and recuperate. Yiyan didn’t go far this time. He sat cross-legged next to the carriage and was about to dig into a flatbread when someone surreptitiously shimmied up to him. It was Xunji. He’d gotten special treatment too, because of his leg injury. He’d gotten a bit better after being allowed to rest in a carriage.
Somewhat anxiously, Xunji whispered, “Yiyan, are you really gonna join his personal army?”
Wasn’t much else to do while walking aside from talking, so news traveled fast. Xunji could hardly sit still upon hearing that he’d been recruited into their master’s private army. Soldiers didn’t live off the land like farmers, they had to get on the battlefield and kill! They might have more money and live more comfortably during peace, but when the time came, they had to put their lives on the line. They’d only ever known how to farm, how could they become soldiers? What if they got cut down in some faraway land?
Yiyan wasn’t so concerned. His voice was resolute, “I’m his ‘personal bodyguard.’”
He’d never heard that term before, but it wasn’t hard to figure out that it was probably something similar to an attendant or footman who had the added duty of protecting their master. The battle had awakened something within him. He was never meant to be a farmer. It was the exhilaration of life-threatening combat that livened his blood and spurred his heart to the beat of war drums.
More importantly, he could stay by that person’s side.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Even though they hadn’t known each other for long, Xunji understood Yiyan’s personality. It was nearly impossible to convince him to go back on a decision. All he could do was huff and sink his teeth into his bread, “I guess that’s the way of things. It’s hard making a living in times like these, there’s no point worrying so much!”
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Yiyan stoically ate away at his rations.
Though the people outside were plagued by worry and uncertainty, inside the carriage, Liang Feng’s spirits had risen considerably. The hard-fought battle earlier seemed to have reignited his will to live. His fever had finally started receding, and his temperature was now only mildly too warm. Even if he could never return to his old world, even if he was trapped in such a useless shell, at least he had the status of a noble and the memories of his former life. They were priceless treasures in such uncertain times.
“Master, why don’t you take another two doses of medicine. Your fever’s only just gone down, it can’t hurt to be careful
.” LĂŒzhu urged, holding up a bowl of medicine, this close to pouring it down his throat herself.
This girl who probably wasn’t even thirteen yet should’ve been in her first year of middle school, in her parents’ care, never having to lift anything heavier than her backpack. And yet, she had shadows under her eyes from caring day and night for a useless invalid.
Liang Feng sighed and downed the medicine in one go. The bitterness of the medicine washed away the last of his torpor. No matter what, he had to live. He had to keep living.
※
The carriage train finally reached Liang Estate as the sun was sinking below the mountaintops. It was located near the border of Shangdang Commandery, east of Gaodu. There were houses scattered about the hills and valleys, visible from afar. The layout of the estate was vastly different from those of later dynasties. Similar to a western castle, a low wall encircled its fields, orchards, as well as a large part of the mountain ridge. The main residence towered in the back like a small fortress. It even had a watchtower, probably as part of some kind of early warning system.
The carriage rolled smoothly along paved roads once they passed the gates. Someone must’ve gone ahead to report their return because when they arrived at the entrance to the manor, it was already buzzing with activity; dozens of servants kneeled by the side of the road, ready to welcome their master home. Liang Feng disembarked from the carriage and spotted an adorable doll-like child behind the crowd of prostrated servants, standing on his tippy toes, and peering in his direction. He was only four or five, but he was scrunching his cute little face into a serious expression like a mini adult. Even so, his eyes were watery and filled with childish delight.
So, that was his buy-one-get-one-free son then? Liang Feng chuckled bitterly to himself, he had no clue how to raise a child. At least the kid had inherited his father’s good looks; he was endearing enough to make stones smile. Liang Feng paused, then walked towards him.
Liang Rong trembled and widened his eyes in disbelief at being noticed by his father. The kneeling nursemaid beside him frantically reminded, “Young master, quick, pay respects to the master!”
Liang Rong snapped back to his senses, quickly kneeled in salute, and greeted, “Hail, father.”
His face was pale from waiting outside in the middle of the night for who knew how long. Liang Feng walked up to him, helped him off the ground, and held his soft, squishy little hand, “How long have you been waiting? Come, let’s go inside.”
People in this era, because they didn’t tend to live long, highly valued their descendants; many parents spoiled their children rotten. But the Liang family was an exception. Shortly after Liang Rong’s mother had died of childbirth, his paternal grandmother had also passed from illness. Thus, “Liang Feng” had disdained his son ever since he was born. Not cursing his existence as an omen of misfortune was already a sign of self-restraint.
Liang Feng’s sudden cordiality shocked both his son and the nursemaid. But Liang Rong instantly gripped his father’s hand tightly and buried his small face in Liang Feng’s wide sleeve as he toddled after him. Soon after, Liang Feng felt a hint of dampness on his arm. The kid hadn’t been able to hold back his tears. The original “Liang Feng” had been terribly neglectful if merely holding hands could move his child to tears. Welp, it probably wouldn’t be too strange if he had a new outlook on life after miraculously surviving a severe bout of sickness.
He said nothing more as he held hands with the child and walked towards the inner courtyard.
The two brocade-clad figures ambled slowly as the candlelight warmly enveloped them and cast their nestled shadows long. Yiyan suddenly got a stuffy feeling in his chest, feeling on the verge of losing something. He tried to follow them, but a nearby servant blocked his way.
The inner courtyard wasn’t a place that any random person could waltz into, much less a visibly foreign barbarian. Just before Liang Feng had nearly walked out of sight, Yiyan called, “My lord!”
His shout was impolitely loud; it rang through the long corridor and echoed in the night. The servants paled and were about to subdue him when Liang Feng stopped; remembering the Jie’s existence, he ordered, “Take them somewhere they can tidy up. Make sure they’re free of lice and ticks and throw away their old garments. When that’s done, bring them to see me tomorrow.”
Parasites were one of the most common vectors of infectious disease. Liang Feng had no intention of letting those fellows who’d been roughing it out there for who knew how long cause an outbreak. Everything else could wait until they were disinfected and debugged.
Have them bathe and change clothes? That was an unusual requirement to have of servants. Did he think the Jie were too dirty? Ah-Liang bowed after a confused pause, “I’ll get them cleaned up at once.”
The light in Yiyan’s shining blue-grey eyes flickered out at ah-Liang’s reply. Was being his “personal bodyguard” only a joke he’d taken too seriously? Of course. How could a fifth-order marquess ever acknowledge a barbarian like him?
Helpless, Yiyan clenched his teeth and silently followed ah-Liang.
The Jie, being servants, didn’t have the privilege of washing with hot water. Ah-Liang brought them to a stream and told them to strip, jump in, and wash their filth. It was only the third month, that time of year when the temperature was warm one day and freezing the next. The river was still cold enough to make teeth chatter and bones rattle. Even so, the Jie didn’t dare disobey the master’s orders. They removed their clothes and hopped in.
After they’d vigorously scrubbed themselves over and got back on the shore, ah-Liang ordered them to undo their hair and clean out all the lice on their heads with a fine-toothed comb. Were there really households out there that were that particular about these things? They all started combing with trepidation. The ground quickly became carpeted with lice. Ah-Liang looked at them disgustedly and humphed, “Once you’re done, get in the water and rinse off again. These are master’s orders, so anyone who doesn’t get clean enough can forget about staying in the estate.”
Yiyan didn’t pay mind to ah-Liang’s nattering as he redid the braids by his ear. They were called “tresses,” and were a symbol of the Jie people’s belief in Zoroastrianism. The tradition had lived on, even several generations after they’d migrated to the Central Plains. When he was done, he clambered back on the shore and was about to dress when something slipped out of his clothes and thunked on the ground. It was the dagger his lord had granted to him.
Yiyan stared at it, took a deep breath, picked it up, and carefully tucked it back into his robes. No matter what happened tomorrow, he didn’t plan to leave the Liang Estate. He’d already acknowledged the other as his lord, he wouldn’t lightly renounce his oath!
The author has something to say:
In regards to children, people in the Jin Dynasty married at fifteen or sixteen. The original “Liang Feng” was twenty-three, so he already counts as a late bloomer =w=