CH 5

Su Moxiu took Zhang Erque out of the door. They take their weapon but not the horse.

There are not many animals that are still active outside in winter. Those active are very alert. The sound from the horse walking in the forest is too loud and will startle them.

In addition, the mountain forest terrain is complex. Riding a horse into the mountain in the snow, if a horse accidentally steps into a small hole or a stone crevice, it could possibly break its legs.

The Zhenbei Army is short of horses. Horses are very very important to them. They would rather starve themselves than starve a horse, so the horse naturally wouldn’t be put at risk.

They go back on horseback before because they were following the trade routes created by those merchants, who did business with the Rong people in the past.

Su Moxiu proceeds carefully on the deep and shallow snow, watching carefully for marks on the snow.

His nose is a little red from the cold, his lips were pressed together, his eyes focused, and his expression solemn.

Zhang Erque, who was following behind him, was infected by such an atmosphere and didn’t say a word.

Su Moxiu suddenly stopped.

At the same time, an animal came out from under a dead tree in front!

It’s a snow rabbit!

Su Moxiu draws his bow and arrow. He shot an arrow, then took out the second arrow while running.

His first arrow failed, it started the snow rabbit making it change its escape route in a panic. He followed closely behind, the second arrow landed in front of the snow rabbit!

The snow rabbit, who was in a hurry, was hopping everywhere. Su Moxiu rushed up all the way and pressed the snow rabbit under him.

“Second young master! You’re awesome!” Zhang Erque looked at Su Moxiu with admiration.

If he and Su Moxiu fought with real swords and spears on the battlefield, he could definitely beat Su Moxiu to the ground, but hunting things like this, he couldn’t compare to Su Moxiu —— He learned to kill.

Su Moxiu tied up the snow rabbit, who was knocked unconscious by him, and put it in a sheepskin bag. He suddenly relaxed and smiled shyly: “Luckily.”

“Rabbit meat is really delicious…” Zhang Erque swallowed his saliva, “Second young master, shall we go back?”

“Continue looking,” Su Moxiu continued, “there are many of us, one rabbit is not enough.”

Just a rabbit is not enough. Zhang Erque followed behind Su Moxiu as he kept going.

Su Moxiu took a few breaths, the mist spread before him. He thought for a long time, then finally asked Zhang Erque: “Erque, about Yan Jingze…What do you think?”

“Yan Jingze?” Zhang Erque was a little confused, then he suddenly remembered, “Second young master, are you talking about that little white face?”

“En.” Su Moxiu responded in a low voice.

Zhang Erque said: “I think he’s pathetic. It is estimated that he were used miserably on the Rong side. Sigh. Something like that happens to a big man…it’s miserable!”

Zhang Erque was very sympathetic toward Yan Jingze. Yan Jingze has fine skin and tender meat. His face was well maintained but his body has wounds all over. When he was on the Rong side, he must have been used as a woman.

“Rong people…do they really like men?” Su Moxiu asked.

“Don’t talk about the Rong, even our Zhenbei Amry have people who like men too! Second young master, you should have seen it, right?” Said Zhang Erque.

“See, yes, see…” Su Moxiu hesitated.

“Second young master, you think it’s weird too, don’t you? People like men! I don’t understand what they are thinking! Even if I can’t find anyone, I won’t be interested in men either!” Zhang Erque said.

Su Moxiu glanced at the stinking Zhang Erque, then closed his mouth. He won’t tell Zhang Erque that there was a pit in front of him.

“Ouch!” Zhang Erque accidentally tripped. He got up and patted his clothes, complaining: “It’s really hard to walk in this snow!”

Su Moxiu continued to move forward, pretending to ask casually: “You say……He took the initiative to be robbed by me, what does this mean?”

Zhang Erque is still patting away the snow on his body. While patting, he answered: “he just wants us to take him to give him something to eat and drink! It is estimated that he used to use his body in exchange for things so he just can’t change it.”

Su Moxiu became thoughtful.

Zhang Erque added: “He can’t be like this. He is a big man, how can he always think about relying on others all day long! Wait for me to go back, I must teach him and show him what men are like! Speaking of, although he only knows how to cry, which is useless, his body is so tall! If he practiced diligently, he would surely become a good soldier in the future.”

Su Moxiu said: “Stop. There seems to be prey ahead!”

Zhang Erque stopped talking.

Su Moxiu didn’t actually see a prey, he just wanted to think about something.

He was born at the border and also oversaw many cases. He has seen all kinds of messy things over the years.

He had seen cases of someone beating their son to death. A man who agrees to compromise after taking a bag of grain.

He has seen cases of someone selling themselves for a meal. A woman who was accidentally killed by a group of people.

He has also seen many others. In order not to drag down his children, an old man wants to take his own life.

There are also many such things like man with man.

The border is bitter and cold, many people can’t get enough to eat. To them, their life is nothing. Dignity? What is that?

Yan Jingze, this person…Doesn’t matter what he was like in DaQi before, since he can speak the Rong language so fluently, he must have been in the Rong’s territory for many years.

The Rong have never been kind to the Han slaves they robbed. They were frequently beaten. One is lucky if they don’t get killed.

Yan Jingze must have been abused by the Rong people for several years. That wounded body may have been used to exchange it for things, that’s why when he was robbed again, he tried to seduce him.

Su Moxiu felt a little distressed. He decided to help Yan Jingze, to let Yan Jingze live a normal life.

But even as a soldier, the sword has no eyes, that’s just too dangerous.

Su Moxiu walked for a while, his eyes suddenly fell on a tree.

He took out the dagger and dug on the tree trunk.

After digging the tree trunk, a hole appeared. This hole…was filled with shelled hazelnuts.

“It’s hazelnut!” Zhang Erque was beaming. He quickly took a leather bag to pack it, then asked doubtfully: “Why are there hazelnuts in the tree hole? Someone hid it here?”

“It should be hidden by the squirrel.” Su Moxiu said. Zhang Erque’s family was originally farmers, but he later joined the army so he has always been a soldier. Su Moxiu doesn’t know what’s going on in the mountain and forest but he likes to chat with all kinds of people, he also likes to run around so he knows many things.

Squirrels hide food in tree trunks and rats hide food in their holes. There was a famine 10 years ago, and the farmer that he had befriended had survived by digging a mouse hole.

They can find hazelnuts which are already considered very good.

It’s getting dark but Su Moxiu didn’t find any other prey. He sat down against a tree: “We’ll go back in a while.”

It’s tiring to walk in the snow. Zhang Erque nodded weakly, and also found a place to sit down.

After sitting down, Su Moxiu took out a tree root from his arms and put it in his mouth to chew.

The bitter taste spreads in his mouth. The whole world is quiet with only the sound of the winds remaining.

At this moment, a bird suddenly appeared in the bushes next to them.

When Su Moxiu took Zhang Erque back, they had about five catties of shell hazelnuts with a snow rabbit and an unknown bird.

Su Moxiu came to find Zhou Jingshan this time, except for Zhang Erque and Cai An, there are ten others in addition to Yan Jingze, there are fourteen big men in total.

This amount of food is definitely not enough for 14 people, but if it was boiled into broth and everyone drinks a bowl, it should be much better tonight.

As for later…

They are big men, they used to eat and drink enough in the Zhenbei Army so they are in good health, going hungry for a few days is nothing.

It’s just, Yan Jingze…

Yan Jingze has been wear down by the Rong people over the years and he were starved for a few days, he should eat a good meal.

Wait until tomorrow, he will go out to look again, see if he can find anything to eat.

Su Moxiu returned to their temporary residence. He saw Yan Jingze sitting at the door at a glance.

Yan Jingze still wrapped himself up tightly.

He wore a top hat. This hat was made of sheepskin rolled into a cone and sewn halfway up. After putting it on one head, the sutures are at the front. The face will be exposed from the place where the seam is not sewed while the ear is covered.

This kind of hat is often worn by the Rong to keep warm. Su Moxiu always felt that it was ugly before but Yan Jingze looks really good and handsome when he wears it.

Wait a minute, has he lost his mind?

Yan Jingze covered his whole face with a cloth, his face couldn’t be seen at all, why does he think this man is handsome?

Su Moxiu was thinking when he met Yan Jingze’s gaze.

Yan Jingze’s eyes bend. He pulled off the cloth and smiled at him: “You’re back.”

Just like when they first met, Su Moxiu felt that something exploded in his mind. For a moment, his mind went blank.

“Second young master caught a rabbit! Really. There’s hardly any live animals in the forest in this awful weather. We’ve been looking for so long but only caught a rabbit and a bird.” Zhang Erque’s loud voice sounded.

The people in the room rushed out at once — rabbit! There’s a rabbit!

The group of people crowded between Yan Jingze and Su Moxiu.

Yan Jingze: “…”

Su Moxiu suddenly came back to his senses and coughed lightly: “Clean up the rabbit and boil it.”

The fire in the house had been lit, tea was brewing in it.

Black tea mixed with Yan Jingze’s face-wiping sheep oil gives off a strong fragrance.

Alright, the oil tea doesn’t taste good, it’s just that they’re hungry so it smells good.

The rabbit and bird were quickly cleaned up, chopped into small pieces and thrown into the pot. Jiu Jiu also grabbed a handful of beans for the horses and threw it in: “Our horse feed originally could last for six or seven days but Xiao Hua’s appetite is too big…I’m afraid it will be only four days before we’re out of horse feed.”

Making the horse run in the snow will tire out the horse so they must eat well. When they came out a month ago, they brought a lot of horse feed specially. In addition to the horse hay that could be found on the street, they also feed the horses some nutritious horse feed.

But now, the horse feed is almost finished.

“We’ll go back in three days.” Said Su Moxiu. The place where general Zhou disappeared is nearby. He will look around for some evidence again these days, then go back.

As for general Zhou himself…Thinking how they followed the trace all the way to the grassland and seeing the tattered clothes and gnawed bones left by Zhou Jingshan’s guards, he didn’t think Zhou Jingshan was still alive.

Uncle Zhou died, he’s afraid his father will be very sad.

About ten years ago, Su Moxiu met Zhou Jingshan once. He remembered Zhou Jingshan as an outspoken and straightforward generous person. His subordinate is also not bad. He didn’t expect such a person to be betrayed by his subordinates and die in a foreign land, still with no bones left.

Su Moxiu’s mood was a little down. He silently drinks the sheep oil tea in his hand.

At this time, Zhang Erque suddenly said: “Today’s prey are all caught by second young master. Second young master also didn’t drink the porridge before, so let’s give this rabbit heart to second young master!”

“Yes, it should be given to second young master.” Everyone else also agrees. The person in charge of cutting the meat no longer cuts the rabbit liver and heart but throws it whole into the pot.

If it was before, Su Moxiu would definitely refuse, but at the moment he was distracted so he didn’t get to refuse at the end.

Although they know that the rabbit meat is more fragrant if stewed for longer, everyone is hungry so they couldn’t help but open the pot early to divide the meat.

This time, it was divided equally into 14 bowls. The egg-sized rabbit’s liver and heart with the bird’s liver have been given separately for Su Moxiu.

Su Moxiu put the things aside and drank the soul slowly.

Yan Jingze is also drinking soup.

When these people cook the soup, they are reluctant to waste the soup so the soup, which has no color and scent, somehow fills their stomach.

They drank the soup, nibbled on the meat with the bones, in the end, even the bones were chewed up. They eat what they can, if they can’t swallow then they will just sucks up the bone marrow then spit it out.

Yan Jingze saw that Su Moxiu was drinking this kind of soup with relish, he couldn’t help but feel distressed, so he leaned over and said: “Second young master, when I feel better, I’ll make something delicious for you. I’m good at cooking.”

“Okay.” Su Moxiu’s heart was moved —— wouldn’t it be good to take Yan Jingze back to cook for him?

Yan Jingze added: “Second young master, I’m a little afraid of the dark, can I sleep next to you at night?”

When Yan Jingze said this, those who were far away did not hear, but Zhang Erque and Cai An, who were close, heard it all.

Cai An frowned, strongly disagree. Zhang Erque said with contempt: “You are so old, you’re still afraid of the dark?”

However, Su Moxiu spoke almost at the same time as Zhang Erque: “You can.”

Zhang Erque originally wanted to say that Yan Jingze is not manly but when he heard Su Moxiu agree, he could only swallow those words strangely.

Cai An was actually a little worried that Yan Jingze would cause trouble to Su Moxiu but Su Moxiu agreed…His family’s second young master wouldn’t really want to observe Yan Jingze in person, right?

Cai An changed the subject: “It’s really thanks to second young master, otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll be too hungry to sleep tonight!”

Everyone is tired, after arranging for three people to stand guard, the other just finds a place to sleep by the fire in twos or threes while the horse stands around them.

Yan Jingze lay beside Su Moxiu.

He had been holding back his strength before. Now that he was in a safe place, eating and drinking, and also found Su Moxiu, his energy was exhausted and tiredness came.

But he refrained from falling asleep.

Night is very suitable for small movements. When Su Moxiu fell asleep…

Before Yan Jingze could move, Su Moxiu moved to his side. Su Moxiu, who was beside him, suddenly stretched out a hand and touched his mouth.

Yan Jingze subconsciously opened his mouth, then something was stuffed into his mouth.

It’s a rabbit heart.

Yan Jingze opened his eyes and looked at Su Moxiu, who was next to him.

Su Moxiu took out another piece, the rabbit liver, and put it into Yan Jingze’s mouth.

What a great night. Su Moxiu fed him the food he saved…

Yan Jingze’s brows and eyes bent, he continued to suck Su Moxiu’s fingers.

The fire in the room was not extinguished, instead, to keep warm, it was burning brighter.

The two of them slept in the corner covered with sheepskin. The guard can’t see their little movements but they could clearly see each other’s expressions.

Su Moxiu’s eyes widened, looking at Yan Jingze, who looked very attractive under the flickering light, in shock. He didn’t have the strength to withdraw his hand.