Chapter 12 : My lady, how about I teach you to ride a horse

At Huo Tan’s words, the soldiers blinked in surprise, then burst into laughter after a moment of hesitation.

A young man, around sixteen or seventeen, stepped out from among the tall soldiers and bowed to Cui Yunzhao, saying, “Greetings, Lady Cui.”

Cui Yunzhao nudged Huo Tan and whispered, “Let’s find a more suitable place to talk. Standing here isn’t appropriate.”

Huo Tan agreed and led everyone to the martial arts platform.

Along the way, Cui Yunzhao asked the young man his name.

The young man grinned and replied, “Lady Cui, my surname is Zhou, and my given name is Chunshan.” His voice, like the sunlight in his life, seemed warm and golden, completely devoid of any chill.

It wasn’t him. The voice was completely different.

Cui Yunzhao slightly lowered her gaze and signaled to Li Qing beside her.

Huo Tan saw Li Qing open the basket she had been carrying, revealing some red papers inside.

Li Qing took out a red paper and handed it to Zhou Chunshan.

Cui Yunzhao’s gaze moved slowly over the soldiers’ faces, her expression one of well-placed gentleness and grace.

“This is my first time visiting the military camp, and I’m not familiar with all of you. Since we’ve just married, I couldn’t prepare any substantial gifts, so I made these lucky characters to give to the brothers.”

Cui Yunzhao gestured for Zhou Chunshan to open the red paper, which displayed a neatly written character for “Fortune,” with a red seal in the lower right corner.

Most of the soldiers did not know many characters and could barely recognize the word “Fortune,” let alone the seal.

However, Zhou Chunshan appeared to have some knowledge. After studying the seal for a while, he asked, “Lady Cui, is this the Cui family seal?”

Cui Yunzhao was a bit surprised but did not show it, simply replying, “Yes, it is my own seal,  The housekeepers in my family all know it.”

As she spoke, Cui Yunzhao’s voice grew a bit louder.

Her clear and melodious voice rang out across the training ground: “A single character for ‘Fortune’ is not much of a gift. After much thought, I decided that I must thank all of you brothers for taking care of my husband.”

The bonds between brothers on the battlefield are forged with lives.

How could that sentiment be the same?

Most of the people here had fought alongside Huo Tan for many years, some of them had fallen over time, and the rest had faced near-death experiences. In the end, the survivors had followed Huo Tan to the highest positions.

In the past years, although these brothers had always been somewhat distant and formal with Cui Yunzhao, they had never hesitated to protect her when needed.

Many of them had been injured on her behalf. It’s not just to thank Huo Tan, but also to show my gratitude for what was done in the past.”

She lowered her gaze and, when she looked up again, her eyes were clear and sincere.

“To be honest, my dowry is not as extravagant as some outsiders might claim, but I do have a grain store. Brothers can take this character for ‘Fortune’ to the Fufu Grain Store on Shui Street and exchange it for two pounds of rice. All the rice in the store is available for exchange.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the previously noisy martial arts field fell silent.

The burly men, eyes wide in disbelief, looked at Cui Yunzhao in astonishment.

In the barracks, there were many military officers, and several of them had married into families from Bo Ling, including some who had wed daughters from Bo Ling’s prestigious families.

But none of those wives had ever been so generous.

Although Cui Yunzhao came from the prominent Cui family of Bo Ling, these brothers had a certain awkwardness toward her, despite not expressing it openly.

They were not inclined to be close to such high-born families.

The Cui family’s reputation in Bo Ling was notable, but it had never been associated with the warm and familial sentiment that Cui Yunzhao was showing.

They were surprised, and Huo Tan was even more so.

When Cui Yunzhao said she wanted to visit the military camp, Huo Tan thought she merely wanted to see his subordinates. He hadn’t expected her to prepare such a generous gift.

While two pounds of rice and flour per person might seem modest, with over a hundred men under his command, Cui Yunzhao was effectively providing two hundred pounds of food.

In today’s times, food was not cheap.

Huo Tan looked at Cui Yunzhao with deep appreciation and saw Zhou Chunshan, who was standing at the front, blushing and at a loss.

Zhou Chunshan held the character for ‘Fortune’ like it was a hot potato, nervously glancing at Huo Tan.

“Military Officer…”

Huo Tan cast him a cool glance, and Zhou Chunshan immediately fell silent.

Huo Tan then looked at the soldiers, who were showing eager anticipation. After a moment, he let out a low chuckle.

His voice was deep, but his words were firm “Why don’t you all come over and properly meet the Lady Cui?”

Huo Tan was known for his strictness.

After every victory, he never allowed his men to loot or plunder. This was why the higher-ups valued him and awarded him generously.

The soldiers under Huo Tan’s command were all very obedient to him. Thus, when Huo Tan spoke, the soldiers immediately lined up and introduced themselves to Cui Yunzhao.

This time, their smiles were much more sincere.

Soon, it was time for the last person. By then, the characters for ‘Fortune’ had also been distributed.

He had checked eighty people.

Today, twenty people were on rotation, and the person Cui Yunzhao wanted to find was not among these eighty.

None of the people matched in both figure and voice.

Cui Yunzhao felt a bit disappointed but was not discouraged. After meeting these people, she smiled and said, “Thank you for your hard work, everyone.”

Another young soldier approached boldly and said, “Everyone says the Cui family’s daughter is very nobled, but I didn’t expect the Lady Cui to be so warm and gentle.”

“Our military officer is truly lucky.”

Cui Yunzhao pressed her lips together, her face slightly reddening. The dignified and graceful demeanor she had earlier vanished, and she immediately transformed into a shy and delicate new bride.

Seeing the soldiers’ gaze shift towards Cui Yunzhao, Huo Tan frowned slightly and stepped forward to block their intense stares.

“What are you staring at?”

The soldiers then exchanged glances and immediately started making a fuss.

“Oh, this is incredible. Isn’t our military envoy the one who doesn’t like women? He usually doesn’t even look at them.

“What nonsense! How can those women join the army to please the adults? They have to be good ladies like Lady Cui.

With everyone making such a commotion, Cui Yunzhao couldn’t help but laugh again.

Once the atmosphere relaxed, Huo Tan reminded everyone about tomorrow’s banquet at the Cui residence and urged them not to delay.

When he came by yesterday, his men didn’t believe it, but seeing how approachable Cui Yunzhao was today, they were convinced that the Lady Cui indeed wanted to invite them for a feast.

The soldiers thanked Cui Yunzhao once more, shared some amusing stories about Huo Tan, and as the time was getting late, Huo Tan sent the men off.

“Go on, go back to training.”

After sending them away and ignoring their ruckus, he turned back to look at Cui Yunzhao.

At this moment, Cui Yunzhao’s face still had a faint blush, and she looked vibrant and bright.

Huo Tan hadn’t expected her to act this way today.

He sighed slightly and said, “My lady, you are truly generous.” 

At this point, he suddenly reached out and took Cui Yunzhao’s small hand. Huo Tan’s hand was large and warm, enveloping her hand completely within his palm. He could not only feel her body warmth but also her heartbeat.

Thump, thump.

Cui Yunzhao’s heartbeat seemed steady and untroubled.

Huo Tan’s words sounded like sweet nothings “My lady, you are so kind to me.”

“I never expected you would prepare such a big surprise in advance. Not only am I surprised, but the brothers must be quite surprised as well.”

Cui Yunzhao pressed her lips together, her smile as radiant as a blooming flower.

“Soldiers protect our homes and the people with their own bodies. Even if not for my husband, I would still want to thank them.”

“Since I didn’t have the opportunity before, and now I do, how could I miss it?”

As she spoke, her smile remained unchanged, and her heartbeat was steady and calm, exuding composure.

Huo Tan’s sharp eyes remained fixed on Cui Yunzhao’s face. After she finished speaking, he slightly shifted his gaze but kept her in his peripheral vision.

He also smiled and gently shook her hand.

The two of them, like childhood sweethearts, were under a clear blue sky with the shadows of trees swaying. They looked at each other and smiled, their hands moving together, creating ripples of affection.

“My lady, you’re truly wonderful.”

Cui Yunzhao wasn’t sure if this was sincere, but she knew that Huo Tan would not probe further into her actions for the time being.

She sighed softly and replied, “So now you realize my goodness?”

Huo Tan laughed heartily. He tightened his grip on her hand slightly and said, “My lady, since you’ve gone to such lengths, I can’t just enjoy it without giving something in return. How about I give you a gift as well?”

Cui Yunzhao looked up in confusion.

Huo Tan said, “My lady, how about I teach you to ride a horse?”

In her previous life, Cui Yunzhao had only learned to ride after her family moved to Fulu. At that time, travel was inconvenient, and she didn’t want to rely solely on carriages, so she gradually learned to ride.

She hadn’t expected that Huo Tan would want to teach her right after their marriage.

However, after writing the word (fortune) characters all afternoon yesterday, her arms were still sore, and she didn’t have much energy left to learn horseback riding.

“Maybe another time.”

Cui Yunzhao smiled gently and said, “You’re thoughtful, my lady.”

Huo Tan looked at her and said, “Alright then. Let’s go home first.”

Cui Yunzhao nodded, and the two of them walked slowly out of the military camp.

Around noon, as the training ended, they encountered many soldiers heading out together on their way back.

Though the main camp occasionally invited women to be cooks, and there were women in the camp, it was the first time the soldiers had seen a young many with Cui Yunzhao’s elegant demeanor.

As the soldiers hurriedly caught sight of Cui Yunzhao, they…

The soldiers were all stunned on the spot, and after a moment, they started to whisper among themselves. But then, they came face to face with Huo Tan’s dark gaze.

Everyone in the camp knew Huo Tan’s reputation. Although he was only a military officer for now, and looked as elegant as a young nobleman, everyone knew what he was capable of when it came to killing.

His sword was faster than anyone else’s.

On the battlefield, soldiers often saw him riding swiftly, leaving countless cries of agony in his wake. When fresh blood splattered onto his pale face, he wouldn’t even blink.

In that moment, everyone immediately understood Cui Yunzhao’s identity.

The Cui family’s daughter, newly married to Huo Tan.

The next moment, the crude jokes were swallowed back, and each soldier stood upright, giving Huo Tan a precise military salute.

“Military Officer Huo, Lady Cui.”

Huo Tan responded coldly, “Mm.”