The General Under the Skirt - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Darkness crept silently in, time twisted and turned, everything on the verge of clarity turned to ash.

She opened her eyes to the damp, dark hold of the ship, the stench of decay filling the air.

The smell was all too familiar. Moldy, maggot-infested food, the sickening odor of the unventilated cabin. Her ears were ringing, someone was beating her, cursing her with vulgar insults. Pain shot through her body, blood everywhere. She was too weak to speak, her status was meaningless here. Even the most privileged are forced to swallow their pride here. They scavenge for food they once considered beneath them, they live like dogs.

She was dragged into a room, a group of men laughing around her. She lay on the floor, her clothes torn, but no one bothered to help her up. Blood and bits of flesh filled her mouth, her vision red.

She was then carried to a bed, surrounded by the jeers and satisfied sighs of various people. Time was blurred. Every day was the same. She didn’t know the people around her; clean or unclean didn’t seem to matter. For a full meal they could do whatever they wanted.

The things she once clung to were lost, discarded somewhere in the mire. Survival was all that mattered.

Then one day she was taken off the ship. She felt the cold wind against her face. She saw her reflection in a puddle of water.

Her hair was matted, tangled with rotting vegetable leaves. Her body was hunched, her appearance wretched, her spirit broken.

She brushed the hair away from her face, but the reflection staring back at her was different.

It was Qingrong.

Qingrong was gone, and she had become Qingrong.

The world shattered around her. Shen Roujia shuddered violently and opened her eyes.

It wasn’t dark. The beautiful moonlight streamed in through the window.

She touched her face and felt the moisture of tears. She had slept by the window, bathed in the moonlight.

She didn’t get up immediately, but lay there, her long eyelashes casting shadows on her cheeks, her thoughts unreadable.

After a while she sat up. Her body hurt, but it didn’t stop her from moving. She had been in constant pain for months. She was used to it.

She didn’t know what time it was or where Brother Yu was.

She parted the curtain. The front room was empty. She slowly made her way to the courtyard, leaning against the wall. She heard water splashing.

Brother Yu was sitting by the well, his back to her, several wooden basins in front of him. He was well built, his back broad, the curve of his spine accentuated by his slightly stooped posture. His legs were long, not exactly slender, but certainly the most attractive legs she had ever seen.

Sensing her presence, Huo Zhao turned. His sharp, angular profile was even more pronounced in the moonlight. He expertly swung the washed vegetables, scattering drops of water. He grabbed a handful of greens with one hand and lifted a basin of water effortlessly with the other. He rose from the small stool and walked towards her.

“Why are you up? Wait for me for a while, I’ll go cook some vegetables.”

Shen Roujia stepped aside and stood obediently, feeling slightly embarrassed. She hesitated, then asked, “I-I can I help you?”

Huo Zhao stopped in front of her, his tall frame casting no shadow of intimidation, but rather a sense of security. He looked down at her, his expression still neutral, his face stern when he wasn’t speaking. Shen Roujia quickly lowered her gaze, unable to meet his, concentrating on her fidgeting fingers.

“Forget it, take care of yourself first,” he replied.

He walked past her into the kitchen, adding, “Go inside, don’t stand outside.”

His words weren’t exactly caring, his tone almost harsh, like he was giving an order to a subordinate. An ordinary girl might have been hurt by his tone, but Shen Roujia wasn’t. In fact, she felt a flicker of happiness.

She followed him into the kitchen. Sliced meat and rice were cooking on the stove, the aroma filling the air. She watched as he put the water and vegetables on the counter, then skillfully lit the fire. Shen Roujia remembered the saying ‘A gentleman stays away from the kitchen’, but looking at Huo Zhao now, she didn’t think it was true.

Huo Zhao saw that she wasn’t leaving and looked up. “Do you need something?” he asked.

Shen Roujia was stunned for a moment and hurriedly said, “No, I want to see if there is anything I can help with.”

There were two pots on the stove, one cooking rice and the other just lit by Huo Zhao. Huo Zhao stood up, put some oil in the pot and said, “You can go back and wait to eat, it’s good to drink medicine after eating.”

This little girl, despite her injuries, was clearly from a wealthy family. He doubted she would be much help in the kitchen.

“Your foot is still injured, don’t move around too much.”

Shen Roujia stood by the door and said, “I can tend to the fire.”

“No need, go back inside,” he replied.

Having been refused twice, Shen Roujia felt a pang of disappointment. She pursed her lips and nodded.

“Then I’ll go back inside. If you need anything, just call me.”

“Alright, go on.”

Shen Roujia had an injury on her foot and still limped as she walked.

Huo Zhao, who was used to eating with his men, preferred stronger flavors. But he kept the seasoning light, considering the sickly little girl in the house.

The dishes were nothing special: a cucumber salad, stir-fried tofu with greens, and stir-fried celery with sliced meat.

The aroma was delicious and made Shen Roujia’s stomach rumble.

Huo Zhao washed his hands, served Shen Roujia’s food, placed the chopsticks next to her bowl and sat down.

Shen Roujia picked up a slice of cucumber. It was cool and crunchy, lightly spiced, refreshing in the slightly humid summer air.

After almost half a year, Shen Roujia was finally sitting down to a proper meal. Although she was still in a strange environment, unsure if she would ever return to her former life, it was much better than before.

It felt like a lifetime ago, everything was so hard-won.

She couldn’t help smiling, but then her nose tingled and her eyes began to water.

Don’t cry, don’t cry!

She picked up her bowl and lowered her lashes, trying to hide her tears, but she couldn’t control her emotions. Perhaps she was just prone to tears.

Huo Zhao hadn’t even put the vegetables in his mouth before he saw the little girl across from him practically burying her face in her bowl.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Shen Roujia quickly lowered the bowl and said, “Nothing, Brother Yu, it’s just that your cooking is so delicious.”

“…”

He hadn’t realized that his cooking was good enough to make someone cry.

“I-I haven’t had such a delicious meal in so long.”

Huo Zhao looked at Shen Roujia and realized that a simple cucumber salad had brought her to tears. She must have suffered a lot.

After a moment, he said, “…Then you eat more.”

Shen Roujia was hungry and ate quickly, but perhaps because she was beautiful, even her eating was graceful.

She swallowed a mouthful of rice, then looked up at Huo Zhao, her gaze hesitant. After a moment she asked, “Brother Yu, do you know where we are?”

Huo Zhao replied, “At the foot of the Lianzong Mountains, southwest of here. Probably within the jurisdiction of Hen County, though quite some distance from the city itself. The place where we are staying is very close to the neighboring Huagang Village, but not within its boundaries.”

Seeing her puzzled expression, he added, “It’s about two thousand kilometres from the capital.” 

Shen Roujia stared at him, speechless. Her chopsticks clattered on the table.

Two… two thousand kilometres?

She would never be able to return.

Huo Zhao tried to comfort her.

“Actually, it’s not that far, less than 2,000 kilometers, it’s only about 1,900 kilometers.”

But his words didn’t comfort her.

Such a long distance would take half a year to travel, and she was alone, with no money, no influence, no escort. Reaching the capital seemed impossible. Then she remembered her brother in Jiangnan. Her eyes brightened with hope.

“Then… how far is it to Jiangnan?”

Huo Zhao thought for a moment and replied, “A little closer.”

Shen Roujia’s hope rose, but before she could smile, he continued, “Around 1,100, 1,200, then.”

“…”

For a little girl like Shen Roujia, who had no money, no power and no one to escort her, this was actually no different from one thousand and one thousand nine hundred.

Huo Zhao looked up and asked, “Why?”

Shen Roujia said quietly, “I have a brother in Jiangnan.”

Huo Zhao understood her distress. Being rescued was one thing, returning home was another. If he wanted to, he could easily escort her to the capital. But it would take time, and his current identity was sensitive.

She was just a girl he had saved by chance. He had done his good deed, nothing more was required.

So he didn’t offer to help.

But the girl, surprisingly, didn’t dwell on her despair. After a brief moment of sadness, she continued to eat with gusto.

She would return home one day, she was lucky to be alive.

Huo Zhao put down the bowl, glanced at Shen Roujia, and said, “Focus on recovering first.”