Chapter 33

"A flue was built here that could be used for heating in winter. The whole room became warm, similar to a heated brick bed or hypocaust." Uncle Ye Si pointed at the dugout and said.Ye Lang looked into the distance from horseback, finding it a bit hard to believe: "We had just started digging before leaving for Fangcheng..."

Yet now it was already on such a large scale.

Uncle Ye Si chuckled: "With manpower, it naturally progresses quickly. Those who arrived earlier built shelters for those who came later. As more people kept coming, construction sped up. By the time later arrivals got here, it was already finished. Even now, not all the living quarters are occupied."

Father and son dismounted, walking among the barracks.

The smell of cooked rice wafted from the quarters everywhere.

The young robust men had just finished military drills. Some wore sleeveless shorts while others exercised bare-chested. Finding a spot near the dugouts, they squatted and ate with gusto, the food aroma lingering!

Their dark backs showed traces of dried sweat.

"Look at them, so skinny when they first arrived! Faces pale as vegetables." Uncle Ye Si lamented, "Now take another look."

Many were visibly more muscular.

Eating their fill and intense training will naturally strengthen the body.

Ye Lang walked through the barracks and saw some who had finished eating were fetching water.

Deng Prefecture had four rivers, an ample water supply. It was easy to build waterways and dig wells. Uncle Ye Si had people dig wells first to locate water sources before deciding the final locations of the barracks.

The men carried buckets of water and poured them over themselves, washing away sweat and grime. After a day of training, having eaten their fill, they even had energy left to joke and fool around.

The smell of food mixed with male sweat diffused in the air.

The water vapor from their washing floated around.

Walking among them, Ye Lang could feel the power.

The power of Fort Ye.

"Father," he stopped and said to Uncle Ye Si, "Sixth sister is more capable than anyone else at managing the household. We should listen to her."

Uncle Ye Si put his arm across Ye Lang's shoulders and huffed: "As you say."

Ye Lang smiled in the evening glow.

Duan Jin finished dinner and drew a basin of water from the vat to wash up in the yard.

The once skinny youth had also grown sturdier day by day.

Seeing this, his dorm mate who just returned from dinner was surprised: "Brother Jin, you're back so early today?"

Lately Duan Jin had been coming back very late every day. It was odd to see him back so soon.

Duan Jin grunted in acknowledgement: "Not much to do today."

Noticing his subdued mood, the other asked: "What's wrong? Did someone upset you?"

Duan Jin said: "No one."

Another chimed in: "We all know you got promoted to Captain. Why the long face when you should be happy?"

Duan Jin scoffed: "You're the long face! You're the donkey face!"

His companions guffawed loudly.

After drying himself, Duan Jin got dressed.

His friends surrounded him, trying to get on his good side: "We heard they'll be selecting personal guards soon. They get different treatment in food, clothing, and supplies. With our relationship, don't forget to put in a good word for us to get in."

Duan Jin scolded him: "Then you better practice hard. No skills means no good."

The other stuck out his neck: "If my skills are no good, no one in this dorm dares say they have better skills!"

More laughter ensued, with some friendly shoving and banter.

After enough fooling around, someone still envied: "Brother Jin, you'll be different from us from now on."

They were still department attendants and servants, though some also served as junior stewards. Duan Jin on the other hand, was already an accompanying Captain.

He had an official position!

Duan Jin said: "So what if I'm a Captain? Even if I become a General, I'm still the master's servant!"

The group guffawed: "Whoa! Already thinking of becoming a General!"

Duan Jin went back to his room, took out some money and said: "Go on, take this to buy wine. I'm treating. Stop bothering me."

They left laughing.

After shutting his door, Duan Jin leaned back against it.

It was different indeed.

He could sense it clearly.

His dorm mates who he had lived with for so long still only thought of becoming personal guards, getting better treatment, becoming stewards.

Yet now his mind was filled with - military drills, logistics, taxes, Deng Prefecture's defense plans, provisions, metals, soldiers, armors.

Ye Suijin kept him by her side all the time.

She taught him when alone, and let him observe and listen when with others.

She taught him everything, academics and martial arts.

She even taught him the last two forms of the Ye family spear. No one else had learned them except him.

But if you asked him, he actually just wanted to be the attendant always by her side, listening for her call, the groom holding her horse, the guard protecting her safety. Yes, that would be enough.

He just wanted to be her person for life.

But she didn't seem to allow him to be satisfied as just a messenger boy or horse-holding killer. She appeared to have high hopes for him. What exactly did she want him to become?

Duan Jin didn't understand.

He rubbed his hair in frustration.

It wasn't exactly frustration for no reason. He knew in his heart - Zhao Jingwen's return was what frustrated him.

He knew this was wrong.

He was just Ye Suijin's servant. Zhao Jingwen was Ye Suijin's husband. What right did he have to be jealous of Zhao Jingwen?

Yet he was jealous.

Previously he could bury this jealousy deep, even deceiving himself it didn't exist.

But as the days passed, the clearer he felt the subtle intimacy between him and Ye Suijin that couldn't be put into words, the more he resented Zhao Jingwen.

Just now, his friends had laughed at him for wanting to be a General.

What ambition was there in wanting to be a General? His master was already the ruler of Deng Prefecture. If things kept going like this, he would surely become a General one day.

It was just a natural progression.

If you wanted to talk about ambition...

The intense physical longing for her that exploded within him day and night, now that was true ambition.

Ye Suijin finished washing up and saw many items on the table, all brought back by Uncle Ye Si, imperial gifts from the emperor.

They were all fine things. As Uncle Ye Si said, not only did they not lose out, they even gained.

The maids smiled as they surrounded her: "Mistress, come see."

The maids around her weren't fools. They still sung praises. After all these were from the capital, bestowed by the emperor. None were ordinary.

"Mistress, look at this." A maid blew on the sable fur, creating a swirl. "So nice."

This quality of sable fur was rare in the central plains. Ye Suijin knew with a touch: "This is from the northern barbarians.

The feel was really good. This emperor she had never met before seemed to be a generous man.

After all, he could even cede the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

Ye Suijin said: "Perfect. Make a sable fur cloak for Ah Jin."

As soon as she spoke, the previously lively room suddenly quieted.

Ye Suijin looked up in surprise to see the maids giving her strange looks.

She suddenly realized her slip of the tongue. In the past, any nice item, her first thought was always to give the best to Duan Jin.

She had momentarily forgotten that was in her past life. Duan Jin's current status was right before them. No wonder the maids were taken aback.

"Nevermind, he's still young." Ye Suijin took back the sable fur with a smile and said, "Go, give this to Fourth Uncle instead."

The maid accepted it with a smile: "I'll go."

She was around the same age as Duan Jin and they grew up together. Very familiar with each other.

By now, the maids who had been with her were all married off. Ye Suijin couldn't remember who she had married, just that it seemed to be a decent match.

She was probably married this year.

Duan Jin at the same age never married, remaining single his whole life.

The head maid went to Duan Jin's residence holding the knife.

The youths in the residence were extremely attentive when they saw her. The head maid nodded and smiled as she went straight to knock on Duan Jin's door: "Why are you sleeping so early after shutting your door? Get up, the mistress has a reward for you."

As soon as the word “master” left her mouth, Duan Jin opened the door, “Who’s sleeping? Are you reading?”

The maid tutted as she stepped into the room.

Duan Jin quickly pushed open the window and left the door ajar before saying, “Let me see it quickly.”

The maid handed him the knife, “Here. This was brought from the capital by the Fourth Master, a gift from the Emperor.”

Who cares about the Emperor, the key was that Ye Suijin took the Emperor's gift and gave it to him.

Duan Jin’s face lit up as he accepted it.

Seeing that he hadn’t made his bed yet, and there were indeed books on the table, the maid sat on the kang and flipped through them, “You really are reading?”

Duan Jin drew the knife, “They’re military books, don’t mess with them.”

Military books were precious items in the Ye family, only the Ye family members could get their hands on them. The maid knew better than to touch them, and quickly retracted her hand.

She glanced at Duan Jin, and was stunned.

She knew Duan Jin had attended the Ye family private school since childhood to serve the young masters, and went to school with them. She didn’t know the master would even lend him military books to bring back and read.

No wonder he wanted to close the door.

Duan Jin brandished the knife, happily proclaiming, “What a good knife!”

The maid said, “It was gifted by the Emperor, how could it not be good?”

Duan Jin put away the knife and enthusiastically took out some dried fruits and snacks from the cabinet to treat the maid, “Eat, sister.”

Calling by name meant no business, calling sister meant he wanted something.

This fawning meant he certainly had a request.

The maid scoffed, “Humph.”

Sure enough, Duan Jin asked, “What did everyone else get?”

The maid said, “The Emperor gifted fine sable fur, master had it sent to the Fourth Master.”

Duan Jin praised, “The Fourth Master is an elder, it's appropriate.”

Zhao Jingwen often spoke ill of the Fourth Master behind his back, but it didn't get past Duan Jin.

Whoever Zhao Jingwen didn't like, Duan Jin liked.

Moreover, he could see that regardless of the past, Ye Suijin now had truly let go of resentment and was sincerely getting along with the Fourth Master.

In fact, whether others noticed or not, Duan Jin felt she clearly favored the Fourth Master over Zhao Jingwen.

The maid said, “I don’t know about anything else, I brought you the knife right after I got it, I don't know how master distributed the other things.”

So first she rewarded the Fourth Master, then immediately rewarded him.

Duan Jin asked, “What about Master Zhao?”

“I don’t know, Master Zhao went out and hasn’t returned yet,” the maid said, “Humph, Master Zhao is her husband, what does he lack?”

As she spoke, she suddenly recalled earlier when Ye Suijin picked up the sable fur, instead of thinking to make something for her husband, she actually wanted to make a cloak for Duan Jin.

She paused and asked, “I heard Manager Li asked Manager Qin to propose a marriage for you?”

Duan Jin admired, “Your news is quite well-informed.”

He hurriedly added, “I refused, and didn’t spread it around. They don’t know who was proposed.”

“I know,” the maid said. “It was the Li family daughter herself who cried and secretly told others, then it spread from one person to another until it reached my ears.”

The maid said, “You look down even on the Li family, who are you looking for?”

Duan Jin tossed a dried fruit and caught it in his mouth, “Don’t you worry about me. Us men aren’t late marrying even at thirty. But you’re over half a year older than me, how come you haven’t settled your engagement? Hurry up, if you find a good match seize it, don’t let all the good ones get taken by others. We’re all familiar, it would be awkward for me to snatch back a groom already taken by an acquaintance.”

Speaking of herself, a girl couldn’t bear it. Blushing furiously, she spat at him and fumed off, “I’m leaving!” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ n0vᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Duan Jin smiled as he saw her out.

In the narrow outer corridor, Duan Jin said, “Really, hurry and pick, don’t regret it later.”

His face was unexpectedly somber.

They had known each other since childhood, he hoped she could marry well.

The maid raised her hand, “Looking to be beaten?”

Duan Jin laughed as he fled back inside.

The maid cursed and lowered her hand, also laughing.

Reaching an empty part of the corridor, she stopped.

The master even gave him military books.

The master’s favoritism towards him was obvious to anyone with eyes.

In the first round of appointments, he was on the list and already had official status.

What kind of woman would he marry in the future? Definitely not a lowly maid like her.

The girl lowered her head and wiped her eyes.

After a long while, having collected herself, she continued on, once again the capable head maid at the master’s side.

Many sought her hand in marriage!