Chapter 41 The Couple’s Secret Plot at Night

Laifu had already settled the carriage and set up the stove.

Qing’er’s mother followed Qing’er to wash rice and cook.

They still had the chicken and pig trotters brought from Mengru County last time. Qing’er’s mother cooked a pot of chicken soup and then a pot of braised pig trotters, adding some vegetable leaves.

Soon, the aroma of food wafted through the air.

Madam Fu ladled a bowl of chicken soup for Chu Chenyin and handed it to her, “Chenyin, come and eat. You’re weak, eat more.”

Chu Chenyin was the kind of person who looked thin but was actually strong.

Madam Fu always treated her as a delicate young lady from a scholar’s family, so she always took extra care of her.

She even used scissors to cut the chicken legs into small pieces for her.

“Thank you, Mother!” Chu Chenyin ate the delicious food to live up to her kindness.

Qing’er’s mother was a really good cook. The chicken soup was fresh and not greasy, and the chicken was tender and not gamey.

Although it was good to have a meal on the run, the delicious food really made one feel refreshed and energized.

After finishing her meal, Chu Chenyin shook off the fatigue of her overnight journey and looked radiant.

As she turned to go to Fu Yanting, she found him squatting beside the little boy with a plate of pig trotters in his hand. A pure smile appeared in his deep, clear eyes, and he gently stroked the lamb’s head.

The little boy must have been starving. He ate the pig trotters in big bites.

When Fu Yanting saw that he had finished most of it, he took the empty plate and returned to the carriage.

Chu Chenyin looked at his figure, slightly surprised.

She didn’t expect that General Fu, besides being ruthless, could also be so gentle and kind.

A smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

General Fu always surprised her.

After everyone had eaten their fill, they packed up their things and got into the carriage.

Marquis Fu told everyone to be careful of horse thieves, so everyone had weapons in their hands, just in case.

But as Fu Yanting said, the horse thieves wouldn’t come back a second time. They had already raided another village at the same time.

Chu Chenyin sat in the carriage, looking up at the blue sky.

There were three hours left. When night fell, everything would change.

When darkness fell, the fire stones would descend, and those horse thieves would surely be restless. It was the perfect time for them to empty their lair.

Night fell, and the vast grassland plunged into darkness. One could only look up at the stars in the sky.

The stars were particularly bright tonight, especially those around the moon, shining so brightly that they were a bit dazzling.

Fu Jianghong leaned against the carriage and looked towards the direction of the capital, his brow furrowed in confusion, “The stars seem a bit strange tonight.”

Madam Fu walked over and asked, “Strange? I think they look the same every day.”

Fu Jianghong pointed to one of the stars beside the moon, “Mother, look, isn’t that star very big?”

Madam Fu looked up and her brow furrowed slightly, “It’s indeed different from usual…”

At this time, Chu Chenyin and Fu Yanting stood up and said, “Father, Mother, we’ll go to that mountain to see if there are any wolves.”

“No, it’s so dark, why would you take Chenyin out?” Marquis Fu interrupted them.

Madam Fu quickly walked to Marquis Fu’s side and whispered in his ear, “Those two young people want to be alone, why are you interfering?”

Marquis Fu immediately understood what she meant and stammered, “Well… okay… go… go quickly and come back quickly…”

“Yes, Father.” Fu Yanting replied, turning around and taking Chu Chenyin’s hand, heading towards the mountain.

Chu Chenyin’s hand was held by him.

She could even feel the rough calluses in his palm.

“General, you can let go of me.” Chu Chenyin tried to pull her hand back.

But Fu Yanting held on tighter, “Stay close to me, there are many wolves on the grassland.”

Chu Chenyin looked up at the distance, “It’s okay, I’m not afraid.”

However, Fu Yanting still didn’t want to let go.

Chu Chenyin gradually noticed that his palm was getting hot. She looked up at Fu Yanting’s profile, and found that his earlobes were red.

She couldn’t help but laugh.

Fu Yanting turned his head to look at her, slightly stunned by her smile.

Just as he was lost in thought, a man’s voice suddenly came from afar.

“That little girl was really good, much better than the one we snatched yesterday.”

“One has given birth, the other hasn’t, what do you think?”

“Of course! Hahaha!”

The harsh laughter slowly came over.

Chu Chenyin felt disgusted.

Fu Yanting quickly pulled her behind a rock.

Chu Chenyin peeked out to see a group of horse thieves riding towards the mountain.

Their leader was carrying a woman in disheveled clothes on his horse.

The woman was bleeding from her lower body, her eyes closed, as if she had stopped breathing.

Chu Chenyin was startled, she retracted her head, squatted down, leaned against the rock, and gasped for breath.

Fu Yanting quickly put his arm around her shoulder, pulled her into his arms, and whispered, “Don’t look.”

Chu Chenyin’s eyes were cold, and she couldn’t help but think of the days of bloodshed in the past.

To think that after being here for so long, this was the first time she had seen such a bloody scene.

Chu Chenyin adjusted her breathing and gradually calmed down.

Perhaps because she hadn’t seen so much blood for a long time, her heart was racing for a moment, and the blood that had been dormant in her body was gradually surging.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Fu Yanting put his arm around her waist, leaped up, and followed the group of horse thieves towards their lair.

The two of them followed the horse thieves cautiously into the mountain stronghold.