nashuaworldcup Chapter 253 Recovery
Chapter 253 Recovery
With the withdrawal of troops from the northern frontier and internal strife underway, the danger to the north was averted. Nanfei led his troops to sweep through the northern barbarians, advancing all the way to the foot of the Qilian Mountains. This battle was of paramount importance; a defeat would inevitably lead to a counterattack from the northern barbarians, while a victory would allow Dongyang to concentrate his forces to confront the southern Yue.
It seems that the Northern Rou Lord has also been forced into a desperate situation. With a do-or-die mentality, he decided to launch a major counterattack, and the two armies clashed on the grassland.
Yuan Feng hadn't been on the battlefield for a long time, and Nan Fei had changed his previous approach of only planning. Every time he personally went to the battlefield wearing her armor, the soldiers couldn't tell the two of them apart.
That day, Nanfei was shot in the left arm by a stray arrow. Yuan Feng personally applied medicine and bandaged him, her movements were meticulous, and the bandaging was quite exaggerated.
Nanfei smiled to ease the tension: "The military doctor has examined you, and there's nothing serious. If only you were this meticulous about your own injuries."
Yuan Feng said, "It's different."
Nanfei asked, "How is it different?"
Yuan Feng put away her medical kit: "You didn't need to get injured."
Nanfei said, "Swords have no eyes, life and death are common occurrences, and injuries are nothing new. Besides, you are a general, you don't need to be so considerate and meticulous."
After a long pause, Yuan Feng said, "Look at me now, how can I still be a general?"
Nan Fei was slightly taken aback, looked her up and down, and after a while said, "Why not? You are a general now! When we return to Bianjing, let the young master take a look at you. If you are completely cured, I will ask my brother-in-law to appoint you as the one and only, unparalleled, national and border-guarding general. You have made great contributions to the annihilation of Bei Rou, and you must be rewarded and promoted."
Yuan Feng was not amused by his words and said seriously, "I have made contributions in guarding the northern desert, but I have not made contributions in destroying the Northern Rou. I do not covet other people's credit. Besides, I have long since recovered."
“What do you mean by ‘others’? I’m your husband.” Nanfei corrected him, dissatisfied. “However, I think it’s fine if you don’t want to be a general, since you’re not interested in that anyway.”
"Once we return, you should immediately resign from your post with the Crown Prince. We'll go back to Chongming Island to recuperate. Many families have moved there, including Princess Qingcheng. You'll have plenty of company; it'll be lively."
Yuan Feng stubbornly said, "We're not on Chongming Island, and the war isn't over yet. I can't keep hiding behind you forever, and you can't keep making me hide behind you forever."
Nanfei was sometimes exasperated by Yuan Feng's stubbornness: "What do you mean by hiding behind me? You're injured, so you should rest properly. Isn't the Great General qualified to go to the battlefield?"
Yuan Feng stared at him: "What did the Crown Prince say in his letter?"
Nanfei asked, "How did you know the Crown Prince had sent a letter?"
Yuan Feng said, "I've led troops for so many years and been a general for so many years, haven't I? Why do you always keep things from me? I have nothing left, what is there to hide?"
Nanfei's voice rose slightly: "Why do you always feel like you have nothing left? I'm sitting right in front of you, aren't I? I'm not trying to hide anything, I just think you're not well and I don't want you to worry..."
Yuan Feng interrupted him: "You don't want me to worry? Is it that you really don't want me to worry, or do you think I'm simply incapable of worrying?"
Nan Fei stared at her in astonishment, while Yuan Feng simply turned her back. One sat on the bed, the other on the edge, and neither spoke for a moment, the atmosphere even more tense than before.
As Nan Fei watched Yuan Feng's retreating figure, he suddenly noticed that her clothes were too big. The military doctor had said that Yuan Feng was in good health, but she had clearly lost weight, which was only now being noticed by him.
Nan Fei slowly exhaled, sat down next to her, and advised, "Why would you think that? Of course I don't want you to worry. You never wanted to be a general in the first place. Now that our three armies are united, we have people to use. Wouldn't it be better for you to relax and be more at ease?"
In his letter, His Highness the Crown Prince said that with the Western King's flight westward, Western Ling was essentially doomed. Xu Sheng had deployed troops along the entire Jingjiang River, and the ships and fishing boats of the Dahe Gang were all on high alert along the riverbanks. His Highness the Crown Prince had sent the young master back to Bianjing.
Yuan Feng responded with an "oh," her mind elsewhere.
Nanfei added, "There's currently internal strife in the northern deserts, so the north is temporarily safe. His Highness the Crown Prince has transferred Uncle Yin and the others south, ready to fight at any time. We can't drag this battle out for too long; we need to finish this as soon as possible and return with our troops. It seems His Highness the Crown Prince is quite wary of Xu Sheng."
After a moment of silence, Yuan Feng suddenly said, "You haven't hugged me in a long time?"
"What?" Nanfei didn't react: "What did you say?"
Yuan Feng lowered her head and spoke clearly, word by word: "You haven't hugged me in a long time."
Weren't we discussing military matters? How did we suddenly switch to personal matters? And why are these words coming from Yuan Feng's mouth?
Even Nan Fei was stunned for a while before he came to his senses. He put his hand on Yuan Feng's shoulder: "If you want me to hug you, just say so. Why go through all this trouble? You're making me thirsty."
But it's not safe now... Hang in there a little longer. Once we get back to Chongming Island, we'll stay together every day, and then we can slowly start living our lives together.”
Why does she sound so eager? Yuan Feng got up and poured him some water: "Drink up."
Nanfei, holding his cup, looked up at her and praised, "Ah... Ah Feng is so considerate."
Not only had it been a long time since he had hugged her, but it had also been a long time since he had called her Ah Feng. The way he called her Ah Feng sounded a little stiff. But given Nan Fei's cooperative attitude, Yuan Feng couldn't bear to say anything more.
She forced a smile and said, "Looks like I have the potential to be a good wife and mother?"
Nan Fei nodded, about to continue praising him, when Yan Zeyu called out from the doorway, "General."
Nanfei immediately stood up: "I'll go take a look first, and I'll be back in a bit."
He casually placed the cup on the table, saying that he was thirsty and had forgotten to drink water in his rush to leave. Yuan Feng stared at the cup, a bitter feeling welling up in her eyes.
Several months have passed, and Yuan Feng has recovered. But Nan Fei seems to be stuck in that past, as if he can never escape it again.
Yuan Feng went to see Nan Fei several times and saw him laughing and joking with others, just as lively as she knew him. But when he looked up and saw her, her expression immediately changed.
The smile was still the same, but Yuan Feng felt something was different. Before, Nan Fei had been very playful and affectionate in front of her, always wanting to hug her, coax her, and cling to her.
Now, there always seems to be something between Nanfei and her. Just like just now, the two of them were sitting side by side on the bed, very close, their clothes touching but their limbs separated.
Nanfei was very busy and often came home very late. At first, Yuanfeng would wait for him, but later she tried to go to bed earlier and found that Nanfei came home earlier.
After realizing this, Yuan Feng was afraid that Nan Fei would get tired, so she went to bed early every time. Yuan Feng pretended to be asleep, and Nan Fei usually lay with his back to her.
Sometimes Yuan Feng wanted to take the initiative, but she would pull her hand back halfway. Nan Fei was really tired; if he wasn't willing, then it was better to give up. The more she thought about it, the less courage she had.
The trip to Chongming Island to find him truly drew upon all the courage I had accumulated over the years, fueled by An Liangchen's hints, the shock of my father's death, and the despair of a dying man...
She was brave and fearless on the battlefield, but in front of Nanfei, she was actually very cowardly.
Yuan Feng had cultivated her influence in the military for many years and always believed herself to be irreplaceable. However, Nan Fei was doing very well in the military and was very popular, so her absence for a long time had no impact. As a result, she became increasingly worthless.