The General Under the Skirt - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

After applying the medicine, Huo Zhao patted Shen Roujia’s bare instep and said, “All done.”

Shen Roujia was a little taken aback by the pat. In her opinion, a girl’s feet shouldn’t be shown to just anyone. But not only had she shown them to Brother Yu, he had also touched them.

Of course, she knew he hadn’t meant anything by it, she didn’t want to hold it against him, she was just embarrassed. She wondered if he thought she was being inappropriate.

After tending the wound, Huo Zhao boiled some medicine for Shen Roujia to drink. After drinking the medicine, Shen Roujia lay down on the bed.

As Huo Zhao was leaving, he glanced back at her. Her sleeping position bothered him. He turned around and walked over to the bed. With a slightly rough but caring gesture, he pulled the blanket up to her chin and tucked it in tightly, as if to protect her from the cold.

Shen Roujia blinked at him, startled, her eyes wide.

His profile was strong and slightly roguish, his high bridge of nose accentuated by a faint mole, his eyes bright and captivating. His features were sharp and handsome, his expression usually cold and distant, but his gaze was strangely compelling.

This must be the legendary handsome man. The one who made people’s legs weak. He was the kind of man she liked, strong and masculine. And this strong, masculine man was tucking her in.

“Don’t you know how to take care of yourself? Sleeping with the blanket like that, you’ll catch a cold.”

Shen Roujia remained still as he adjusted the blanket. Her delicate features were beautiful and serene, a perfect balance of elegance and innocence. She looked at him, her eyes slightly red-rimmed, like a little kitten. 

“Thank you, Brother Yu,” she whispered.

“…”

Fuck.

She looked so vulnerable.

He straightened up, his forehead still furrowed, his voice slightly hoarse, and said, “I’m leaving now.”

Shen Roujia nodded and replied, “Okay.”

Feeling safe and cared for, she drifted off to sleep.

Little did she know that after she fell asleep, her Brother Yu went outside to take a cold bath and take care of his ‘excess Yang energy’.

This was perfectly normal for a man, especially a twenty-three-year-old virgin like Huo Zhao. He wasn’t particularly lustful, but he had needs. Before marriage, his hand had been his best companion.

As night fell, a cool breeze brushed against his ear, and he suddenly thought of the little girl he had saved.

She was beautiful, with bright eyes and an enchanting smile. Her figure was slender and curvaceous, her waist so small he could probably wrap it around with one hand. She wasn’t particularly tall, but her legs were surprisingly long, straight and pale, even her toes were pretty.

She was like a little temptress, seducing people at every turn.

His thoughts and his body betrayed him.

Afterwards.

Huo Zhao washed his hands, completely perplexed. Could he really be a beast?

Impossible.

He couldn’t possibly be thinking of a man at that moment.

***

The next day, sunlight streamed through the paper window, illuminating Shen Roujia’s face. She slowly opened her eyes.

Stretching, she sat up, put on her shoes and straightened her clothes. When she heard the sound of wood being chopped outside, she knew that Brother Yu was still at home. A smile touched her lips as she walked out of her room. But she stopped at the table.

There seemed to be two pieces of clothing on the table.

Confused, she picked up the top one. It was a pale yellow gauze dress, simple but very beautiful. There was another, identical in style, but red.

They were women’s dresses, lying on the table in her room.

Having learned her lesson from the hairband incident, she didn’t immediately assume that these were for her. She suppressed her excitement, her heart pounding, and went outside.

Brother Yu was chopping wood, his back to her, beads of sweat glistening on his neck in the morning sun.

“Brother Yu,” she called.

Huo Zhao turned his head and looked at her, no emotion in his eyes. Then he went back to chopping wood, no different from usual.

“Breakfast is on the table.”

Shen Roujia glanced back. Breakfast was indeed on the table. She looked at Huo Zhao’s back, plucked up the courage and did not ask directly, but said, “Brother Yu, you left some clothes on my table yesterday.”

Huo Zhao turned around again, and she held up the clothes.

“They’re for you,” he said.

“Ah...?”

Huo Zhao put the axe in his hand down, brushed the dust off his body, turned around, sat down with one leg half bent, and said, “Did you think they were for me?”

So they really were for her!

Shen Roujia tightened her grip on the gauze dress and said, “Brother Yu, you…”

“I left them there yesterday. Are you only noticing them now?”

She remembered now. He had put something on the table yesterday, but she had been in too much pain to pay attention.

“This small town doesn’t have much selection, but they’ll do for now.”

Shen Roujia’s initial joy was now mixed with a complex emotion.

She was both unhappy and happy.

She admired General Huo Zhao, her invincible hero, but he was a distant figure, almost mythical. Looking at Brother Yu, she felt a sudden, tangible connection to that distant ideal.

Back in her room, she changed into the pale yellow gauze dress. It fit perfectly.

She washed the pheasant’s wing headband and tied it in her hair. Despite its less than romantic origins, it was a gift from Brother Yu, she couldn’t just throw it away.

She couldn’t wait to show it to him.

Huo Zhao was sitting outside on his small stool when he saw a figure emerge from the house.

The little girl was dressed in a flowing gauze dress, her long hair blowing in the wind. Her eyes were bright and smiling, her lips curved into a happy smile as she ran towards him.

Shen Roujia lifted the hem of her skirt and turned around in front of Huo Zhao. The hem of her skirt brushed over Huo Zhao’s ankles, tickling him slightly.

She stopped, stood in front of Huo Zhao and asked, “Brother Yu, do I look nice?”

Huo Zhao looked up and down and said, “It’s okay, the yellow dress is pretty.”

Shen Roujia was not very happy and muttered, “Don’t I look nice?”

Huo Zhao was not good at giving compliments. He felt uncomfortable under her gaze.

“You look good too,” he muttered.

Shen Roujia wasn’t bothered by the perfunctory compliment. She smiled, stood next to Huo Zhao and said, “Brother Yu, thank you for buying me clothes.”

Huo Zhao replied, “It was my duty.”

Shen Roujia was confused.

“Why was it your duty?”

Huo Zhao replied, “Did you want to keep wearing my clothes?”

“…”

Her ears turned red again.

Even though his clothes were comfortable, she had no intention of wearing them all the time! After a moment, she asked, “Brother Yu, you must have traveled a long way.”

She wasn’t familiar with the area, but she knew there were no markets nearby. He must have traveled a long way to buy the clothes. Huo Zhao sat with his legs apart, elbows on his knees, and tossed a copper coin. “Quite far,” he said casually.

Shen Roujia felt like a burden, her mood suddenly darkening.

“I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

Without her, Brother Yu’s life would be much easier.

She couldn’t do anything, she couldn’t even help with the housework, he wouldn’t even let her wash the dishes. He had to take care of her injuries, cook extra food, cater to her tastes and take care of her constantly. And he didn’t seem wealthy. 

Having grown up in luxury, she had little concept of money. But she had seen how the fat woman reacted to the silver, so she knew it was a valuable commodity. Still, Brother Yu had given it away without hesitation.

He had always been respectful, never overstepping boundaries, never showing any sign of annoyance.

Shen Roujia wasn’t special, but she was grateful. He had thrown her a lifeline when she was drowning.

“Hey.”

She felt him nudge her shoulder and looked up at him, her eyes questioning.

“Are you sad?” Before she could answer, he continued, “Don’t be sad, I don’t think you’re a burden.”

Just then, a female voice called from the gate, “You’re here today, I just moved in from next door.”

Shen Roujia turned to see a young woman in a pale green dress standing at the gate. She wasn’t tall, but she had delicate features and dimples that appeared when she smiled.

Huo Zhao remained seated. Shen Roujia looked at him and asked quietly, “I’ll go take a look.”

Huo Zhao waved his hand and said, “Go ahead.”

With Brother Yu there, she felt more confident. She approached the young woman with a polite smile. “Miss, you…”

The young woman smiled brightly.

“My husband and I have just moved here, we’re your new neighbors. We brought this from our hometown, it’s too much for both of us, so we wanted to share some with you.”

She handed the bamboo basket to Shen Roujia as she said that.

Shen Roujia was surprised. So, the young woman had simply come to give them food. She had over-thought the situation.

The author has something to say:

Huo Zhao: I am not a lecherous person.
Author: Say that again.