Ye Suijin was fortunate to have seen Zhao Jingwen first, otherwise at this moment, when she saw the living Duan Jin, she would likely have been unable to control herself and insisted on embracing him and pounding his back fiercely.
Fortunately at this moment, although her heart surged with joy, she was able to control herself.
Duan Jin felt his eyes were deceiving him.
His mistress stood on the steps looking at him, seeming happy that he had rushed back, but her eyes also looked as if she wanted to cry.
His mistress seemed to have some strange difference from when he had left.
Duan Jin couldn't help taking another step forward.
Now he could see more clearly, Ye Suijin's skin was whiter than snow, but her cheeks still held traces of alluring red.
It gave an indescribable feeling.
Made one inexplicably anxious.
In a flash of insight, Duan Jin suddenly understood something!
"Mistress," he awkwardly avoided looking at her, unable to look directly, flustered to disguise it, "did you urgently summon me back, is there some matter?".
The young man's appearance was all seen in Ye Suijin's eyes.
Later when he mingled in the military camps, having seen everything, and able to say any vulgarity, but he still refused to take a wife.
But now, he was still so innocent.
Ye Suijin walked down two steps, stopping on the last, greedily looking at the youth, said: "Nothing much, I wanted to ask you..."
Where had he been sent? Oh, the summer harvest!
"Ask you, how is the situation with the summer harvest?"
Duan Jin's spirit lifted, immediately reported: "These last few days drove away two groups! Really were starving and reckless, we held bright blades, patrolling every day, and they still dared watch for gaps to charge up!"
When discussing affairs, Ye Suijin's habit from many years, in an instant her mind steadied.
What was the situation this year?
The capital had changed hands again, the mountains and rivers had a new surname. Northerners dragged their families south to flee.
What they truly wanted was the land of fish and rice in Jiangnan, Dengzhou was just a necessary route in their flight south. Just that many people would never make it to Jiangnan, collapsing halfway. Ragged clothes, sallow complexions.
When she returned to life this year, what could she do?
In Ye Suijin's mind flashed countless thoughts and memories in a short moment.
This was not something to decide in a moment.
She steadied her mind, first needing to understand the present situation: "Are the refugees migrating south now more, or fewer than before?" Too much time had passed, she couldn't clearly remember the specifics of this year.
Duan Jin very definitively said: "More."
"The refugees say the north is unlivable now, groups of soldiers, the commoners also don't know which family the soldiers belong to, simply can't distinguish. Extremely miserable."
"Entire villages fleeing south together."
"Many follow the convoys of large households, but rations run out, no carts or horses, walking and unable to keep up, sigh."
Ye Suijin said: "It's pitiable, but even pitiable, they also can't rob our grain. Grain is now life, no grain then no life. Jin, you cannot be soft-hearted."
Duan Jin was startled.
Ye Suijin also said: "Discuss it tomorrow, chaotic times need harsh laws. The Ye manor can't let people think it can be bullied. If needed, kill to establish might."
Back then she had been too young, feeling the refugees were pitiable, unable to be ruthless.
Yet she did not know people were most prone to take advantage of softness and fear hardness. She had a saintly heart, so the refugees dared to commit evil relying on her compassion.
She would need to intercept here today, suppress there tomorrow, her energy completely occupied.
She could not repeat the same mistake a second time.
Duan Jin felt a trace of unease in the night wind.
If two people were too familiar with each other, so familiar as to distinguish the emotions hidden in her footsteps and breathing, they would not fail to notice her subtle changes.
Ye Suijin was shrouded in a strange aura, unrelated to what she had done earlier in the room, completely the aura of the person herself had changed.
Yet he had left the manor only a few days.
"But..." He reflexively wanted to speak for the refugees.
It really was too tragic, the elderly were the first abandoned, in the underbrush were women's naked corpses, many children had been separated from parents or simply lost them, becoming orphans like him.
How could they...
Ye Suijin had been tempered through blood and fire, intrigues and schemes, her heart long hardened like iron.
Human life, both precious and worthless.
Able to make one ache with heartbreak, and also just a number on paperwork.
But Ye Suijin also knew it was impossible for the youth before her who had never killed or seen blood, to immediately transform into the later ruthless killing general.
One had to grow step by step.
But she believed that with her to guide the way this life, they did not need to fumble and take so many detours again, she could make Duan Jin grow faster, higher. "Don't worry about this, I will handle it." She said.
She still could not help raising her hand, touching Duan Jin's face.
The skin was cooled by the night wind, that touch was real, tendrils of numbness directly pierced into her fingertips, instantly spreading through her body, making one's heart race.
In Duan Jin's memory, when small he was often stroked on the head and pinched on the face by Ye Suijin, sometimes she would even twist his cheeks to play.
Later when his height gradually caught up to hers, she would no longer rub and touch him.
Her fingertips tonight were filled with unbelievable gentleness. But he had grown up, unable to calmly enjoy such gentleness like when he was small.
Duan Jin's face was completely red, hands and feet useless, stammering: "M-mistress?"
Ye Suijin drew back her hand: "Tanned."
Duan Jin breathed a sigh of relief, said: "Yes, the sun is fierce. I never shirked, patrolling by horse every day at the fields."
Ye Suijin looked at him with a smile, asked: "Then did you miss me?"
Duan Jin without hesitation: "Of course I missed you!"
He opened his eyes wide and said: "Mistress doesn't know, three days ago, I suddenly felt anxious for no reason. Broad daylight, scared me to death."
"This morning people from the manor rushed over, saying mistress was possessed, I grabbed him and asked, it turns out it was when I felt anxious!"
"This must be because I missed mistress too much, so I sensed it! Mistress, isn't it so!"
Similar words, Zhao Jingwen had also said before. So her rebirth, Duan Jin had also sensed.
After all, these were the two men most closely tied to her life.
Ye Suijin asked: "Other than feeling anxious, did you sense anything else?"
Had he remembered anything?
She had returned to life after death. Could Jin also come back?
Return with their shared memories. Thus, not needing to start over from the beginning, the two of them combined like twin blades, able to overturn this whole world.
"Nothing else..." Duan Jin honestly answered, scratching his head, "What else?"
He had not.
Ye Suijin felt a trace of disappointment in the depths of her heart.
"Nevermind. I was greedy." She smiled again, "I always want others to only have me in their hearts and eyes, thinking of me every day."
"Then mistress can rest assured. I have only ever had mistress alone in my heart and eyes! Thinking of her every day!" This Duan Jin could guarantee.
Ye Suijin laughed.
Her eyes looked especially loving and gentle under the stars and moon.
"Jin, I'll take you as a sworn brother." She said.
Duan Jin froze, looking at Ye Suijin in confusion.
"We'll become sworn siblings, then we'll be family from now on." Ye Suijin forcefully said. "In the future big sister will get you three wives, four concubines! Give you a hall full of children and grandchildren! Blessings for generations!"
Let's see who still dares gossip about General Duan Jin's fate as an ominous star behind his back!
See if she doesn't whip their mouths ragged!
Duan Jin blanked for a moment, then suddenly blinked, firmly saying: "I don't want that!"
Ye Suijin was astonished.
"My fate is inauspicious, destined to be a baleful star, how could I let mistress block fate for me!" He said resolutely, "I don't want that!"
This fate was divined by a street fortune teller long ago.
Ye Suijin had kicked over the fortune teller's stand, driving him away.
Duan Jin didn't actually believe it, but this happened to be his reason to refuse Ye Suijin.
Ye Suijin wanted to say more, but he hurriedly said: "Mistress should rest well even though you're better! If there's nothing else, I'll go back now!"
After speaking he immediately slipped away, coming like a gust of wind and going like a puff of smoke.
Ye Suijin watched his figure disappear at the doorway, looked up at the starry night sky, gave a sighing laugh, then turned to return to her room.
The maid peeked as she entered the room, then hiked up her skirt to run after Duan Jin, pounding him while lowering her voice: "Are you dumb? Are you dumb? Why didn't you agree? If you became mistress's sworn brother your status would be different! Don't you know!"
She was really going to be angered to death by this silly boy.
They grew up together, practiced martial arts together, both were by Ye Suijin's side.
Duan Jin blocked left and right, stubbornly said: "I refuse! Ow--go easy!"
Turns out the maid was furious enough to twist him.
"I know you mean well for me, but how can I?" Duan Jin explained in a low voice, rubbing his arm, "I, Duan Jin, what virtues or abilities do I have, to be worthy of being mistress's sworn brother? What great deeds have I accomplished, what great matters have I handled?"
The maid was speechless.
"Mistress is a woman supporting the Ye manor alone, already difficult enough. To suddenly recognize me, a grown man, as a brother for no reason, those filthy-mouthed people will surely gossip about her. Did you ever consider that?"
The maid didn't make a sound now, after a moment, she sighed.
She had been by Ye Suijin's side through it all.
That year when the old manor lord passed away, the Ye clan members fought over the Ye manor, because the old manor lord had no sons, only the sole daughter Ye Suijin. And this daughter was too outstanding, no matter which Ye clan member, alone they were no match for her.
The young miss was also ruthless, directly drinking a bowl of potent medicine in front of the clan members, wiping her mouth: "I will not birth children! For one hundred years, choose the best from the next generation as successor!"
After speaking, she shattered the bowl: "Agree, or not?"
Already forced to this step, naturally they could only agree.
Ye Suijin competed in martial arts for a husband.
Not for anything else, only because a married woman controlling the manor compared to an unmarried girl seemed more reassuring.
Clearly the person was the same, only changed attire, done up hair. Yet this move really worked.
People's hearts strangely steadied.
The maid suddenly brightened, pounding a fist in her palm: "I've got it!"
She excitedly said, "Let Master Zhao become sworn brothers with you! That way, you'll be Uncle to our master in the future!"
If he can't be a younger brother, he can still be a little uncle. It's all the same!
She's so clever!
But Duan Jin's eyebrows shot up as he spat, "Humph! Who cares about that?"
With a snort, he turned and strode away.
The maid wanted to chase after him, but glanced back worriedly at the main courtyard, afraid Ye Suijin would call for her. Then she looked back, but the brat's black-clothed figure had already disappeared into the night.
He runs so fast!
The maid stamped her feet in frustration and headed back inside.
Another maid emerged from the main room and waved her over, saying, "She's calling for you."
And added, "She's in the east chamber."
The west side held the bedrooms while the adjoining east rooms were for banquets and rest.
The maid hurried over. Ye Suijin asked her, "What did he say?"
She must have known the maid would chase after Duan Jin to reprimand him.
The maid quickly explained on Duan Jin's behalf, repeating his words verbatim, "He did it for the master."
"I know. He always does things for me." A faint smile spread across Ye Suijin's lips.
The maid was burning with curiosity. She had to let Ye Suijin know about her clever idea, so she described her plan of having Duan Jin become sworn brothers with Zhao Jingwen.
Make A-Jin the younger brother of Zhao Jingwen?
Ye Suijin tugged at the corner of her mouth. "He's not worthy."
The maid was confused.
Who?
Who exactly was unworthy of whom?
Ye Suijin sat cross-legged on the kang bed, staring at the scattered letters, documents and ledgers on the desk. Her jet black eyes seemed to gaze into the empty air.
After waking from a nightmare, the mistress had become more frightening than before.
The maid didn't dare ask any more questions.
