Chapter 465: The First Winter (XII)

Wei Ci couldn’t remember how long it had been since he slept so serenely, even the devils in his dreams disappeared without a trace.

A night of good rest.

When he woke up, it was already late morning, but the quilt still retained its warmth… as if the person next to him had just gotten up.

He briefly knitted his brows. Had she just woken up?

Others deemed her to be undisciplined, and not knowing her limits, truthfully, she had the most self-control.

Because regardless of how early she slept the night before, she would wake up to practice her martial arts the next morning and she never had the practice of lazing in her bed.

Wei Ci stretched out his hand to touch, and the realisation hit him that the source of warmth came from two hot water sacks wrapped in thick cloth.

So where did the real Jiang Pengji go?

At the government office, Feng Jin and the trio started to get down to business. Xu Ke appeared rather displeased, and he knitted his brows extremely tightly.

Jiang Pengji noticed and asked curiously, “Who provoked Xiaoyu, he wears such a frightening expression so early in the morning…”

Xu Ke heard some noise, and he lifted his head and looked his lord in the eye. Both his eyes were bloodshot and he looked exhausted.

Feng Jin smiled and said, “Yesterday Han Mei returned to update us that there are more than 500 people trapped deep in the mountains. I’ve sent an army to get them. If we were to save them all, Xiaoyu will have to arrange a place for them to stay, provide clothes to weather through the winter, and food within a night… There are too many miscellaneous items, Xiaoyu didn’t get to rest last night and he hasn’t had anything for breakfast, so naturally his expression is unsightly.”

In the cold winter, he had to stay and work overnight. It’d be weird if Xu Ke looked pleased.

“Yes, thank you for the trouble, Xiaoyu.” Jiang Pengji smiled cheekily, “Why not pick a time, and I’ll accompany you to a barbecue session.”

Qiguan Rang supported his chin and then coldly retorted, “The snow has sealed the mountains, my lord shouldn’t be running about. Instead let this winter pass in peace.”

Yesterday, she went out to hunt for their gathering to feast on roasted meat. In the end, she brought back over 500 “burdens”, and poor young Xu Ke didn’t have the chance to eat the roasted meat and steamboat, instead slogging hard through the night.

Considering the situation, Qiguan Rang inevitably had compassion for Xu Ke, as it was difficult to assume the position of district caretaker.

Jiang Pengji took the chairman’s seat. “What does get through winter in peace mean? I, your lord, do not hibernate in winter. ”

Qiguan Rang’s eye shifted, “I’ve heard that the lord carried a person back on your horse. Did you rush speedily from outside the district to the district headquarters?”

Office gossip!

Xu Ke and Feng Jin look seemingly serious as they carried out their duties. Yet truthfully, they were eavesdropping and trying to find out the identity of that person.

Observing his lord holding him with high regard, this man was definitely not an average person.

Jiang Pengji magnanimously admitted, “Yes, didn’t I think this man is about to die from sickness? The streets were empty, and I didn’t meet anyone.”

Xu Ke revealed an astonished expression; this scene wasn’t right.

He was most familiar with his lord’s temperament, and describing her as cold hearted would not be going overboard. If not for an important person or close friend, she cannot be bothered and will be too lazy to care… who is this divine person to be rescued personally by her?

It wasn’t just him, the other two were also curious.

Jiang Pengji raised her brows and asked plainly, “What expression is this?”

“We’re just curious who that man is, is he my lord’s close friend or…”

“Other than Wen Zheng, Huaiyu and Xiaoyu both know him. This is Master Yuanjing’s disciple Wei Ci, Wei Zixiao.” Jiang Pengji seemingly had a hidden agenda, but she continued directly, “However, he is currently very ill and cannot even get out of bed. I’m afraid it will take some time for him to recover. Please don’t disturb his rest for now. When he gets better, he’ll go to the government office.”

When the time comes, he’ll be a highly competent worker, there’s hope in sharing the workload.

Xu Ke had heard of Wei Ci’s name, and he suddenly recalled something, and his ears reddened mildly.

He was very sensitive to vocals, and pleasant sounds were carved deep in his memories. Wei Ci’s voice was one such example.

When Feng Jin and Wei Ci had first met, it would have been many years prior at a hot spring in the Ji mountains. Both only had a glimpse of each other’s face.

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Qiguan Rang was rather worried. What if Wei Ci wasn’t easy to get along with and disrupted the harmony?

Master Yuanjing’s esteemed disciple, just based on this identity alone, Wei Ci had enough right to boast.

Consolidating all those things in his mind, Qiguan Rang frowned discreetly. He intended to privately ask Feng Jin and Xu Ke to mentally prepare his heart.

With regards to Qiguan Rang’s concern, Feng Jin and Xu Ke could understand.

“That Wei Zixiao, his personality is rather cold but he’s an upright gentleman. He shouldn’t be hard to get along with.”

Feng Jin and Wei Ci only had a brief encounter, they had never conversed in depth and their understanding of each other was limited.

In comparison, Xu Ke knew him better but also superficially, and could not be considered to truly know him.

Qiguan Rang sighed, saying, “Looks like we have to wait for him to recover before reaching a conclusion.”

With Liyun’s hard work, over five hundred people trapped in the deep mountains were safely rescued.

“This is Xiangyang district — are you certain it isn’t Shangjing?”

When he first stepped in, Zhang Ping felt even his eyes were incapable of taking it all in.

The ground was laid with pale-green bricks, the surface was smooth, and both sides of the streets were clean.

Moreover, at each distance between streets a sign was placed for “rubbish bin” items. Occasionally there were people on the streets.

Looking at their appearances, they didn’t wear excessively. Yet amid the strong gusts of chilly wind, they did not shiver or hide away, as if they did not feel cold.

Zhang Ping observed on his left and right, and he discovered the houses there were different from the common ones. They were built in an organised manner and they were neat and aesthetically pleasing.

A short wall separated a wall of bricks, and he could see the top of the eaves were laid with a neat row of bricks, so not much snow accumulated. There were even people who regularly climbed the ladders to sweep the snow off…

From the people’s attire and their expressions, the traces of disaster were completely absent. When they swept the snow, they exchanged kind words and smiled to each other.

Contrary to these people, this group of men appeared to be refugees who escaped from their hardships.

The district headquarters sent men to facilitate the registration of households. Zhang Ping blended in among the crowd where a familiar voice was heard from outside.

Was it Dian Yan?

Where is Zixiao?

Zhang Ping was looking for someone, and Liyun also noticed the commotion and came over to find out.

Liyun glanced at Zhang Ping and questioned, “Brother Dian, is this the other master you’re looking for?”

Zhang Ping looked pathetic at that moment, but his facial features were presentable, his pupils were bright and clear, and with one glimpse you could tell he was an honest and responsible gentleman.

Dian Yan nodded, then took the initiative to speak to Zhang Ping, “Master Zixiao went to see the doctor. He will return when his condition improves.”

Zhang Ping raised his brows. Why did Dian Yan’s speech seem so weird?

Dian Yan explained himself, “Master Xiheng, the wind is strong and cold, let’s go back first.”

“Return where?”

Zhang Ping turned his head backwards; hadn’t it been stated that after registering one’s temporary household register, then only would a house be allocated?

Liyun laughed and dispelled his doubts. “The lord has made arrangements from the start, so both of you need not drift along with the people.”

They were unfamiliar with the district roads. When Liyun offered to bring them around, they were more than happy.

As they walked, Zhang Ping increasingly felt something was amiss.

“This cannot be the place designated for the average people, right?” He asked.

“Of course not.” Liyun replied, and there was no continuation.

Zhang Ping kept silent, and thought to himself that the youth was arrogant and hard to get along with.