Koi Fubao: Being loved by everyone on the road to escape from famine

Chapter 208 Love Rival

Fang Jiawen approached Fang Weiyi, gently bumped his shoulder, and asked mischievously: "Brother, what are you thinking about?"

Fang Weiyi coughed lightly, brought his thoughts back to their original state, and lowered his head to continue with the work in his hands.

Fang Jiawen said to himself, "For someone as close to perfection as Sister Zhixue, perhaps only the disciples of our Divine Doctor Valley are qualified to match her."

Fang Weiyi's hand paused slightly, he remembered that Fang Jiawen once mentioned that his body had also been seen by Xiao Zhixue.

Could it be that Fang Jiawen also developed a crush on Xiao Zhixue?

Fang Weiyi's expression darkened: "I warn you, don't have any improper thoughts about Miss Xiao."

Fang Jiawen got anxious when he heard this, and quickly defended himself: "Brother, I also have the right to like Sister Zhixue. You can't interfere with my feelings just because you are my brother."

Fang Weiyi glared at him, not wanting to argue about this in front of all the soldiers, so the two fell into silence, each with different thoughts in their minds.

Not far away, Yingyi listened to all this silently, and the corners of his mouth twitched unconsciously.

The brothers were really rude. How could they marry Xiao Zhixue just because they wanted to? Even their own master couldn't win Xiao Zhixue's heart, let alone these two young and energetic guys.

Xiao Zhixue was completely unaware of all this.

She quickly sorted out the ashes and cleverly used a cloth bag to secretly store them in her own space.

At this time, Fan Yanmu walked out of the tent, looked up at the sky that was beginning to turn white, and a trace of barely perceptible fatigue flashed in his eyes.

He walked to Xiao Zhixue and said softly, "Things here are almost done, and we should go back to the old house to rest."

Xiao Zhixue straightened her back, which was slightly bent due to long-term work, and yawned long and loudly, as if to release all the fatigue from a sleepless night.

Although the night had gradually faded, a barely perceptible trace of fatigue still remained between her brows. Although her injuries had been properly treated thanks to her persistence, her tense mental state made it difficult for her to relax for a moment.

Although she felt a thousand emotions about the ashes of the Dong Chu soldiers, she also understood that the past was past and there was not much meaning in collecting them.

"Okay, let's go back to the old house now."

She whispered to herself, her tone revealing a hint of unquestionable determination.

Xiao Zhixue rubbed her shoulders, which were sore from standing for a long time. There was a subtle stiffness in her movements. Then, with heavy steps, she slowly walked towards the carriage parked nearby.

The sun began to shine, bringing a touch of warmth to the somewhat deserted camp.

Gu Tingxuan walked out from the shadow of the tent and happened to see Xiao Zhixue's leaving figure. He quickly quickened his pace and almost jogged after her.

"Miss Xiao, please stay. I have a gift for you."

There was a hint of urgency in his voice and his eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Gu Tingxuan rushed to Xiao Zhixue breathlessly, carefully took out a small item wrapped in delicate silk from his arms, and handed it to her respectfully with both hands.

Xiao Zhixue stopped and fixed her eyes on the intricately carved wooden box. The delicate texture on the surface of the box seemed to hide an unknown story.

Just as she was about to open the box to find out what was inside, Gu Tingxuan stopped her with a smile: "Don't worry, it won't be too late to take a look when you get back to your residence. Then you will be able to appreciate its beauty better."

There was a hint of mystery in his words, as if the wooden box contained some unspeakable secret.

Hearing this, Xiao Zhixue raised a gentle smile, with a hint of curiosity and gratitude in her eyes: "Thank you, Mr. Gu."

She took the wooden box, put it gently in her arms, turned around and got on the carriage with graceful and calm movements.

Seeing this, Fan Yanmu, who was standing by, couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness in his heart. He got on the carriage with an expressionless face and deliberately ignored Gu Tingxuan. That deliberate indifference permeated the air, making Gu Tingxuan feel puzzled, with confusion written all over his face.

Fang Weiyi and Fang Jiawen followed closely behind. They got on the carriage silently and found a seat to sit down. The atmosphere seemed a little subtle.

Ying Yi bowed respectfully to Gu Tingxuan and said goodbye, then whipped the horse to urge it to go. The horse was frightened and let out a loud neigh, then its four hooves flew and it galloped away along the way it came.

The carriage gradually went away and finally disappeared in the morning mist. Gu Tingxuan looked at the receding figure, slowly turned around, and walked into the tent, feeling mixed emotions.

"Father, the wooden box has been safely handed over to Miss Xiao."

Gu Tingxuan's voice rang out in the tent. Upon hearing it, Gu Huairen nodded slightly, with an imperceptible look of relief on his face.

He closed his eyes, as if he was feeling something. A warm force flowed through his body, slowly healing the fatigue and pain of the past few days. It was a kind of peace and recovery from the depths of his soul.

Seeing that his father seemed to have entered a state of meditation, Gu Tingxuan quietly left the tent, his heart filled with worry about his father's health and deep thoughts about the current situation.

With the arrival of Xiao Zhixue and her group, the wounded in the camp received timely treatment, and the burden on his shoulders was lightened a lot, but he knew very well that it was far from the time to relax.

Although the reinforcements will stay temporarily, peace at the border still requires the joint efforts of everyone to maintain.

In the newly built tents, the soldiers were sitting or lying, enjoying a moment of peace and warmth, while Gu Tingxuan was lying in his own tent, with a lot of thoughts in his mind. The shadow of Xiao Zhixue kept appearing in his mind, making it difficult for him to fall asleep.

On the other side, Xiao Zhixue in the carriage tried several times to uncover the secret of the wooden box, but gave up because of the eyes of the people in the carriage.

It was not until night fell and she returned to the mansion and everything was quiet that she finally mustered up the courage and gently opened the lid of the box.

An exquisitely carved silver hairpin with plum blossom pattern lay there quietly. The plum blossoms were lifelike, and the silver light flickered with a soft and mysterious luster under the dim candlelight.

She played with the silver hairpin gently, her heart full of doubts. She didn't understand Gu Tingxuan's intention in giving her this gift. Could it be that there was some special feeling hidden behind it?

This thought flashed through her mind, and Xiao Zhixue couldn't help but smile slightly, and casually put the silver hairpin aside.

However, the silver hairpin accidentally fell to the ground, making a crisp sound, and broke into two pieces, revealing the secret inside - a hand-drawn map that was folded very small.

She hurriedly picked up the silver hairpin and found the map was cleverly hidden inside.

Unfolding the map, she saw a terrain she had never seen before. The lines were rough and the markings were crude. Even after examining it repeatedly, she could not immediately understand its meaning.

At this time, An Ying'er was attracted by a subtle sound and walked into the room, and saw Xiao Zhixue concentrating on studying a piece of paper.

"Zhixue, what makes you so focused?"

An Ying'er asked curiously.