CHAPTER 304: CHAPTER 301 PROGRESS

The two feet were resting together.

Xie Liangchen wore long boots for convenience of movement. She didn’t feel it usually, but now compared to Song Xian’s feet, hers seemed both smaller and thinner.

Xie Liangchen couldn’t help but glance at Chen Yongsheng and Chen Zhongdong, fearing they might notice.

"Did you hurt your hand?" Song Xian looked at Xie Liangchen’s fingers, which had two scars on them.

"It’s nothing," Xie Liangchen said, "Just wear and tear from using the medicine knife, it’s not a big deal." Initially, blisters had formed, but now most had healed.

In the current situation, Xie Liangchen couldn’t afford to rest. Too many people were dying in battle. Although the corpses were buried as soon as possible, a plague still broke out in several villages. If left unchecked, it could easily spread.

Although Song Xian understood this clearly, he still frowned and turned to look at Chang An.

Understanding the cue, Chang An hurriedly took out a medicine bottle from his pocket and handed it to Song Xian.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was looking, Song Xian pressed the medicine bottle into Xie Liangchen’s palm.

Xie Liangchen’s palm felt cool, and her fingers curled up.

"Village chief Chen has worked hard these days," Chang An stepped forward to speak with Chen Yongsheng, not forgetting to pat Chen Zhongdong on the shoulder, "We haven’t seen each other for a few days, Zhongdong seems to have grown taller."

Chen Zhongdong happily said, "Still not as tall as General Chang."

Chang An replied, "You can still grow. You might be taller than me by next year."

No one noticed that Song Xian and Xie Liangchen were holding hands half-hidden in their sleeves, with a bottle of medicine between their palms.

Chang Yue, who was adding wood to the fire, faced away from Master and Miss Xie. He appeared to be focused on tending to the fire, but in reality, his eyes were scanning the surroundings to see if any prying eyes were missed. If he was a little more diligent, he should have added damp wood to create thick smoke, making it hard to see even up close.

The medicine bottle in Xie Liangchen’s palm was getting warm. She looked down at the familiar porcelain bottle. This medicine was originally prepared by her for Song Xian. She was about to softly decline; this was a fine external ointment made with Mr. Xu, now hard to come by.

Before she could speak, Song Xian’s grip on her hand tightened slightly.

Xie Liangchen felt somewhat helpless at Song Xian’s gesture, but more warmth filled her heart.

Xie Liangchen couldn’t help but remind him, "Master..."

"Sister," Song Xian cut her off, lowering his voice, "Otherwise, let me apply the medicine for you."

She called him incorrectly once, and he returned the favor in kind.

If she refused to apply the medicine, he would surely open the bottle in front of everyone.

Xie Liangchen had to accept the bottle, take some ointment from it, and gently apply it to her fingers before returning it, "One application is enough."

Fearing that Song Xian might not take it back, Xie Liangchen added, "Yu Niang and I found a few people from neighboring villages to help," implying that things wouldn’t be as difficult going forward, at least her fingers wouldn’t get worn out.

Looking at her explaining with lowered eyes, Song Xian felt a slight sourness in his heart, increasingly aware of his debt to her. Yet he still reached out and took back the medicine bottle, thinking it might at least comfort her.

Chen Yongsheng turned around just in time to catch a glimpse of Xie Liangchen and Song Xian, feeling slightly stirred, wondering what the two were discussing, perhaps sitting a bit too closely?

After all, Liangchen was also a young girl.

Seeing this, Chang An hurriedly said, "The General will soon lead us south, surely unable to let go of Dai State."

Chen Yongsheng’s thoughts were immediately pulled by Chang An.

"There should only be this much grain left in the nearby Ao Cang," Song Xian said, "The rest have been transported to Taiyuan Prefecture. Once we take Taiyuan Prefecture, it will be much better."

Xie Liangchen looked at Song Xian, "Although we’re not fully fed now, the situation is much better than a few days ago. At this time, we can still gather food from the mountains, along with millet and rice bran to tide over the difficulties."

The most frightening things were the war and the mountain bandits. Villagers were panicking; some fled chaotically with their families, some hid in the mountains, and those who fell ill dared not speak. Lack of food was terrifying, but not knowing what might happen next was even more frightening.

Although Old General Zhang frequently moved around Dai State, and before Song Xian brought his troops, he attempted to reassure the people. However, there were rumors, spread with malicious intent by former officials, that when the Qi people arrived, there would be a massacre. At such times, threats were most effective.

Fortunately, with the help of Old General Zhang and Yu Niang, they persuaded the people. Xie Liangchen had large pots of porridge cooked and brought Zhong Qiu and others along to treat the villagers’ ailments. Gradually, there were signs that the mutual distrust was dissolving.

"More and more people are coming for porridge," Xie Liangchen said, "Yu Niang also convinced some villagers to come out from their homes to hunt in the mountains."

Having endured years of war, as long as the people felt somewhat secure, they would find a way to pull through.

Xie Liangchen advised everyone not to consume too much clay, as some mountain fruits were poisonous. By discussing this in the village, the group from Zhenzhou was gradually better understood by the locals.

They learned that these people were from Zhenzhou, some having escaped from the Eight States. Daqi had settled them, allotted them farmland, and after the war, many hoped to return to their hometowns.

Xie Liangchen and Song Xian had barely spoken a few words before someone came looking for Sister Chen.

"Sister, my brother, he’s had a fever for a while."

The child who came running was Hu Zi from the neighboring Wang Family Village. When Xie Liangchen first met him, he wore tattered clothes, barefoot with swelling blackened feet. Feverish, he seemed ready to collapse at any moment.

Xie Liangchen treated Hu Zi’s feet, while Chen Yongsheng tore off a piece of his robe to sew trousers for him. With trousers and later, a pair of shoes, Hu Zi began running errands for Xie Liangchen.

Several villagers from Wang Family Village were saved when Hu Zi led Xie Liangchen there. Administering some medicine followed by rice soup brought them back to life.

Xie Liangchen stood up, instructed Chang Yue to pack the medicine chest, and followed Hu Zi with a group of people.

Watching Xie Liangchen’s busy back, Song Xian realized it wouldn’t be long before everyone here would call her Sister Chen. This thought brought a slight sourness to his heart, making him eager to take Sister Chen home and properly marry her into the family to settle his heart.

"They’re gone." Xie Liangchen took a few quick steps and finally remembered something, turning back to glance at Song Xian, who she had left behind.

Song Xian’s eyes subtly lifted, showing a hint of a smile.

There were still matters in the army for Song Xian to attend to, so he couldn’t follow Xie Liangchen. Instead, he stood where he was, somewhat envious, watching the people from Chen Family Village walk alongside Xie Liangchen.

"Time to prepare for the coming battle with the Pseudo King," Cheng Yanzhao stepped forward to remind him, "You should refocus."

Once, Song Xian had often said similar words to him, not expecting to now have the tables turned.