"Do you want to go?" Liu Rumei turned to look at Liu Ce.
Liu Ce nodded gently. "Miss, please let me finish…"
"If the Crown Prince loses battle after battle, it will reach Wannian City!"
"Xiangguo Temple is no more than fifty li from Wannian City. If Zhu Meng finds out that the Marquis is at Xiangguo Temple…"
Liu Tie, standing nearby, added, "Yes, besides, the young master is still in Wannian City."
This sentence struck a chord with Liu Rumei. She frowned, looking at Liu Ce, then at Liu Tie.
"What do you two mean?"
"Miss, we are willing to go to Wannian City and do our best to protect the Marquis and the young master."
Upon hearing their words, Liu Rumei sighed faintly.
"Since your hearts are not here, then go."
Her words left Liu Ce and Liu Tie somewhat at a loss. Liu Ce quickly bowed again. "Miss, you misunderstand. I have been with you for four or five years. I understand right from wrong. Please rest assured, I will pick up the Marquis and then come to Hetou Village to find you."
Liu Rumei did not reply immediately. She was actually thinking too much.
Would her rashly taking her father and elder brother away shake the morale of the army?
Liu Ce and Liu Tie clearly misunderstood. They eagerly said, "Miss, please rest assured, we will make proper arrangements and will not delay our charcoal business."
Liu Rumei waved her hand. "It's not because of that. Alright, you two go and prepare. We'll depart tonight."
Then she turned to Xiaoqing. "Go back and get more travel expenses for them."
"By the way, you don't need to wait for me tonight. I'm going to find Brother Xiaobei."
Without waiting for Xiaoqing to reply, Liu Rumei turned and left.
Seeing Liu Rumei leave without hesitation, Xiaoqing was a little surprised. But since the young lady had given the order, as a mere maid, she dared not disobey.
Liu Rumei arrived at Chen Xiaobei's newly built house, which used to be the village's canteen. The place was quiet. Except for a small dog that had been brought over temporarily barking at her, there was no other sound.
Chen Xiaobei had not returned yet, but Liu Rumei was not in a hurry.
After lighting an oil lamp, Liu Rumei sat down and picked up a book at hand to read.
It was a book of poetry that Chen Xiaobei had casually bought when he went to the county town.
Liu Rumei was a little surprised that Chen Xiaobei would read something like this.
Although Chen Xiaobei was cunning and possessed extraordinary wisdom, Liu Rumei had never seen any talent in him for poetry.
Looking at the poems and essays in the book, Liu Rumei had read most of them when she was a child, so it was like a review.
While she was reading, she suddenly heard the door creak open.
Then Chen Qiao'er's voice came, "Sister Liu, are you in the room?"
Liu Rumei quickly responded, and then footsteps sounded. Chen Qiao'er rushed in.
Seeing Liu Rumei, Chen Qiao'er threw herself into her arms without a word. Liu Rumei smiled and picked Chen Qiao'er up.
"Qiao'er, why did you come?"
"Sister Liu, I just went to see Sister-in-law. When I came back, I saw a light in the room."
"Sister-in-law said she wanted to come in and see. I said it must be you."
Chen Qiao'er said this with a proud look. She glanced outside the door, and Cui Hongyu walked in unhurriedly.
"Sister, I hope I haven't disturbed you. Qiao'er is impatient. As soon as she heard it was you, she rushed in."
"Alright, Qiao'er, come down."
Chen Qiao'er was obedient. She slid out of Liu Rumei's arms and landed on the ground. She shook herself, walked to a nearby chair, and climbed onto it with effort. She even consciously crossed her legs.
Liu Rumei smiled at her comical appearance. Sudanshan Novel Network.
Her gaze shifted in surprise. "Sister, are you alone?"
Her question made Liu Rumei blush slightly, but she nodded gently. "Yes, yes, I am alone."
Upon hearing this, Cui Hongyu immediately understood. Liu Rumei being alone here meant she was waiting for Chen Xiaobei, of course.
Cui Hongyu walked into the adjacent room, added a pile of charcoal to the brazier, and then turned to Liu Rumei. "I've added charcoal to the stove. It will be fine until tomorrow morning."
Then she looked at Chen Qiao'er. "Alright then, Sister, you wait here for a while. I'll take Qiao'er and leave now."
She beckoned to Chen Qiao'er. Chen Qiao'er was also obedient. She quickly slid off the chair and went to hold Cui Hongyu's hand. They said goodbye to Liu Rumei again and turned to leave.
Watching Cui Hongyu leave, Liu Rumei felt a little displeased.
She believed Cui Hongyu was a sensible person and would understand her feelings. However, Chen Xiaobei was only one person, and tonight he could not be with Cui Hongyu if he was at her place.
She then thought of her own home. Her father had four or five wives in the main and side rooms, but they all lived in the same large mansion. Even if they didn't sleep in the main room, or in a side room, they were all in the same courtyard, so perhaps they didn't feel so lonely.
Therefore, she had to suggest that Chen Xiaobei build a large mansion for everyone to live in.
She waited for a full half hour. The door creaked open, followed by a familiar cough. Chen Xiaobei was back.
Chen Xiaobei saw the light on in the room and immediately turned back to close the door. Of course, he knew who would be here with the light on at this hour.
Chen Xiaobei had a slight smell of alcohol tonight. After all, it was Chen Xiaowen's wedding. As the village head, Chen Xiaobei had to drink a few cups, and he ended up having more.
Chen Xiaobei entered the room and saw Liu Rumei sitting under the oil lamp. Her demeanor was like an orchid, and she looked at him with a shy and amorous gaze. He couldn't resist. He walked up in three steps, reached out, and embraced Liu Rumei.
Liu Rumei leaned into Chen Xiaobei's embrace and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Neither of them spoke. They just stood there quietly.
After a long while, Liu Rumei raised her head and gently kissed Chen Xiaobei's face. Then she said softly, "Brother Xiaobei, shall we rest now?"
Chen Xiaobei nodded. Taking advantage of his slight drunkenness, he reached out, scooped Liu Rumei up, and quickly walked towards the bedroom.
There was a slight crackling sound in the bedroom, the sound of burning charcoal. The room was warm at this moment. Although the charcoal stove at this time could not compare to the central heating of Chen Xiaobei's previous life, it was still better than nothing. At least it was enough to wear a thin autumn shirt and pants in the room.
Moreover, with the current atmosphere, he wouldn't feel cold even if he was naked.
Liu Rumei was still a bit reserved. After taking off her outer clothes, she got into bed. Chen Xiaobei, on the other hand, was somewhat rough. With a series of clicks, he removed his own clothes, lifted the quilt, and pounced in, startling Liu Rumei with a soft cry.
Chen Xiaobei chuckled. "Hey, I didn't scare you, did I?"