The Second Young Master’s Obedient Husband : Chapter 79

From then on, the unease in Su Qingyu’s heart completely dispersed. Back and forth, he gradually became quite familiar with the people in the group too.

In the morning everyone got up and cooked together. Su Qingyu taking charge of the ladle did not cause any major problems. At night they set up camp and busied themselves with another meal, and the day’s work was done. If anyone had a headache or fever, they would come ask Su Qingyu, who would decoct a bowl of medicine or boil a bowl of ginger soup.

Although Su Qingyu was not a proper doctor, he was cautious with medicine. Even if you were not sick, drinking it would not cause any problems. Even if drinking the medicine he decocted did not necessarily cure the illness, it still set people’s minds at ease. If a minor illness did not get better, they would hurry along for a few days and find a doctor in town when they reached it. If it was truly something more serious, Liang Yu was reliable enough. He would grab the reins, mount his horse, and within one or two hours at most he would bring the doctor back.

Although Liang Yu had listed many ways Su Qingyu could help before leaving, he had not actually thought of dumping all these troublesome matters onto Su Qingyu. If Su Qingyu wanted to help, Liang Yu would not stop him. If he messed up, it did not matter. Liang Yu had his back. No matter what, the consequences would not be too bad.

At first some people in the caravan looked down on Su Qingyu. Later they saw the young husband was indeed tough, the food he made was tasty, and he knew medicine too. Those people gradually changed their view, and every one of them respectfully called him “Master Su.” Su Qingyu’s ears turned red from being called that, but he could not suppress his smile no matter what.

Liang Yu would not put pressure on the young husband, nor would he let him do heavy labor. A husband was meant to be doted on. How could you use him like a strong ox?

Moving and unloading goods was men’s work. Su Qingyu only needed to nestle in his small compartment, doing embroidery, looking at the scenery and storybooks. If he wanted to help with some things, that was fine too, but he could not truly tire himself out. The compartment was small, but it was laid out soft and cushy, the cotton quilt thick too, so the jolting was not too uncomfortable.

The food was taken care of as best as possible too. Although most of the time he had to eat from the big pot with the main group, whenever conditions allowed, he would give Su Qingyu special treatment. In the forest he would hunt a rabbit or pheasant, or find a bird’s egg. When they reached a town he would go to a restaurant and order one or two good dishes, plus buy some sweet pastries and candied fruit. He had finally raised his husband to have some meat on his bones. If he got thin from the journey, Liang Yu would feel heartbroken to death.

Someone with a nose for trouble saw this and said sourly, teasing, “Liang Er, did you bring your husband out to trade or to play? You won’t let him suffer even a bit…”

Liang Yu glanced at him. “Is it any of your business? If my husband suffers, that’s because I have no skill. I didn’t marry him to make him suffer. If you had such a husband, would you be willing to let him suffer?”

That man glanced at Su Qingyu, actually thought about it seriously for a moment, and muttered, “If I had such a pretty and capable husband, I really wouldn’t be willing…”

Liang Yu slapped him on the head and cursed, “What are you looking at? That’s my husband. Go tend the fire!”

Qin Cheng could not hold back his loud laughter, and the other men laughed along too, scaring the birds in the trees into flapping away in a flock.

Su Qingyu held a bowl of porridge, buried his face in it as he drank, his heart both shy and sweet beyond measure.

…

The caravan traveled south for another seven or eight days, thoroughly entering the continuous mountain passes. The forest on both sides was so dense light could not penetrate through. The road was narrow, only wide enough for one large cart to pass.

Liang Yu had a string taut in his heart. He had hunted for so many years and rolled around on the battlefield too. He could tell at a glance what terrain was good for hiding people. Although a group of more than twenty men was rarely attacked by mountain bandits, being vigilant was always good.

At night Su Qingyu was asleep in the compartment. Hearing some noisy sounds, he frowned. After a while he seemed to realize something, suddenly opened his eyes, and grabbed the window to look outside.

The light of torches flickered in the darkness. Footsteps were chaotic, shouts continuous.

The compartment was pitch black. Su Qingyu reached out to feel beside him. Sure enough, it was empty. Liang Yu was not there.

Suddenly a scream came from outside. Su Qingyu’s heart clenched tight, then relaxed. That was not Liang Yu’s voice.

Su Qingyu sneakily lifted a corner of the carriage curtain to look outside. Two groups faced off against each other, the atmosphere thick with gunpowder.

The dozen or so men were all people who had seen blood. They held their weapons and spread out from each other. The younger men behind them, although they had never chopped at a person, had gone through training before, so none of them panicked and lost their nerve.

The mountain bandits who came tonight were only a dozen or so scouts. The caravan’s more than twenty men looked out for each other front and back, so they did not fall behind.

Liang Yu stood at the very front, casually holding a large cleaver in his hand. Blood dripped down the blade, drop by drop. He seemed to have something round under his foot too, his posture relaxed, his bearing overwhelming.

The sky was too dark, and Su Qingyu could not see very clearly. But the firelight illuminated Liang Yu’s face, and his expression was something Su Qingyu could not quite recognize as the husband he knew.

A fierce looking man holding a cleaver charged forward. Liang Yu sidestepped, grabbed that man’s wrist, twisted it backward, then cleanly and neatly dislocated that man’s arm.

Before that man’s scream could come out, Liang Yu’s foot was on his back, and the sharp blade came down toward his neck. There was no expression on his face, his movements as casual and cruel as killing a chicken.

The remaining few men exchanged glances, grabbed their things, turned, and scattered into the forest.

The torchlight wavered a few times and quickly disappeared into the night again. The night was silent. On the mountain road there were only footsteps growing more distant, plus a few curses that could not be made out.

Su Qingyu stared at Liang Yu’s back, watching him turn around and say a few words to Qin Cheng. Qin Cheng nodded in agreement and took several men to efficiently clean up the bodies. After a while a few more men came carrying buckets, which seemed to hold water drawn from a nearby stream.

Su Qingyu saw the moonlight reflected on the water’s surface. The gentle water washed away the blood on the ground, covering up all the violence and brutality.

Night wind blew in through the gap in the carriage curtain, cool, carrying a lingering smell of blood.

When Liang Yu came in, Su Qingyu was sitting in the compartment hugging the quilt, somewhat bored as he looked at the night scenery outside the window.

Liang Yu carried a dampness on his body, his smell clean and fresh, only a faint scent of soap bean. He hugged Su Qingyu, felt his face, which was a bit cool, then pulled down the curtain. He pressed Su Qingyu against himself, buried his face in the hollow of his shoulder, and rubbed against him. “Scared?”

Su Qingyu shook his head, then rubbed back against him in return. He turned his head and kissed him.

“It’s fine.”

Su Qingyu made a sound of agreement, leaned against Liang Yu’s arms, and his emotions slowly settled.

In the latter half of the night, no one could sleep. Some were boiling water to wash blades. Some were checking the mules and horses. By the light of the campfire, Su Qingyu saw one man had his arm wrapped in cloth strips, the cloth stained red with blood.

Su Qingyu had calmed down, and together with Liang Yu he got down from the cart to help. Liang Yu took men to check if anything was missing. Su Qingyu went through the medicinal herbs, applying medicine and bandaging the wounded. Fortunately only two or three men were injured, and their wounds were not serious. They were bandaged up in a short while.

The risks before setting out had been made clear by Liang Yu. After going through this experience, the atmosphere in the caravan was not bad at all. In fact, because they had successfully repelled the bandits, morale had even risen quite a bit.