AFMD : Chapter 17

“Auntie, it’s time to take your medicine.” Huo Du held the bowl of medicine, feeling both aggrieved and coaxing.

“Nephew is here” Song Jin got out of bed.

Huo Du responded absentmindedly, feeling like every conversation was like putting a green hat on himself.

After a few times, he had become quite skilled at feeding the medicine, not spilling a drop. Huo Du began, “Today…”

Song Jin furrowed his brows.

Huo Du immediately changed his tune, “Today, I’m going to train the troops. Auntie, if you need anything, just tell Old Li. Your wound hasn’t healed yet, so it’s better not to go out for the time being.”

“Yes, the General is filial.”

Who the hell wants to show filial piety to his aunt? I’m your husband! Huo Du silently picked up the soup bowl and left, his back brimming with frustration.

Song Jin watched Huo Du step out of the room against the light, disappearing between the green tiles, gently and swiftly reaching out to touch his wrist.

At night, Huo Du came over with a pillow, insisting on sharing the same bed with Song Jin.

“Auntie, I’m afraid of the dark.” Huo Du shamelessly scooped up Song Jin and moved him to the inner side of the bed.

The mighty General is afraid of the dark? Song Jin didn’t expose him, lying down with his clothes on, gradually calming his breath.

Thinking Song Jin had fallen asleep, Huo Du sat up with a sullen face, his gaze lingering on Song Jin’s face. Over the past five years, with four instances of life-threatening danger, Song Jin’s body had become increasingly fragile. His face was pale from blood loss, and the veins at the junction of his chin and neck were visible through his skin.

Huo Du held Song Jin’s hand, repeatedly reminding himself that he couldn’t lose control again. He couldn’t afford to cause any more suffering to his Jin Jin.

Since she’s legally his wife now, what’s the harm in calling her “Auntie” a couple of times? Huo Du slightly leaned down, kissing him carefully and tenderly, afraid that Song Jin would wake up and slap him.

“Mm…” Song Jin hummed, suddenly opening his eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“Jin Jin, I…” Huo Du, the renowned General, behaved like a naughty kid caught stealing, nervously explaining why he kissed his “auntie.”

Why would he need a reason to kiss his own wife? Huo Du couldn’t find one and, under the elder-style “authoritative and caring” gaze of Song Jin, earnestly apologized.

“I was wrong, there won’t be a next time.”

Song Jin nodded expressionlessly, secretly feeling elated. Huo Du had always been used to playing coercive affection games with him, so seeing him so frustrated was rare. Hearing him call him “Auntie” was oddly satisfying.

He wasn’t a cruel person. Huo Du had locked him up several times, and if living peacefully meant tolerating a bit of fun, so be it. Unfortunately, trouble arose every time.

Huo Du was forgetful. Let this “Auntie” teach him a lesson.

Seeing Huo Du lie back down, Song Jin stared at his lips for a while, feeling a bit sorry for himself.

Why did he soften as soon as he was kissed? If Huo Du had kissed him while he was asleep, that would be one thing, but he was awake and facing his long-lost lover. Who could resist speaking out when faced with such a situation? In order not to reveal himself, Song Jin had no choice but to open his eyes and scare Huo Du.

He wanted to play along for a few more days.

In the General’s Mansion, Song Jin was treated like an ancestor, while Huo Du was the one in charge once he stepped out. Outsiders couldn’t figure out the relationship between General Huo and Song Jin. Hearing their polite and distant titles for each other, many merchants and minor officials secretly speculated that Huo Du regretted tying himself to his “auntie” and began to think about marrying off their daughters to him.

Song Jin never expected that one day he would receive matchmakers for Huo Du as an elder.

He was annoyed, but he had to maintain a smile.

He politely sent off a matchmaker, but it caused a huge stir. Matchmakers in Yunquan City knew that Song Jin didn’t oppose marriage proposals, so they felt that they had a chance to break into the General’s Mansion and rushed to propose.

In just one afternoon, seventeen or eighteen of them came. Song Jin felt jealous until he was full, and finally couldn’t help but burn all the portraits of the girls and boys. He showed them to Huo Du, making it clear that it was impossible.

People in the mansion could see through everything as if it were a mirror. Only a new maid, barely thirteen or fourteen years old, hadn’t heard of Huo Du’s earth-shattering love story. Hearing everyone calling Song Jin “Auntie” she actually took him for an aunt. Bold as she was, she even asked why Song Jin didn’t live with Zhao An.

Zhao An? To be honest, he didn’t recognize him. He couldn’t even make up a name.

Song Jin flipped through the account book with one hand and cracked melon seeds with the other. After thinking for a moment, he said, “When we got married, he showed me a table, an heirloom left by his ancestors, saying it was the betrothal gift. It was so rickety it couldn’t be used, but he insisted I use it. Can you believe how infuriating that is?”

Not only was it infuriating, but it also made his back ache and legs weak!

“This kind of person is domineering and stingy, definitely not someone to live with.” Song Jin altered the facts and casually lied to the child.

“Mm!” The maid, not understanding the situation, nodded earnestly.

Song Jin was pleased and gave her a bag of melon seeds.

With a smile on his lips, he turned his head and saw Huo Du standing at the door with a knife, his eyes fierce and bloodshot, not knowing how long he had been listening.

Song Jin’s legs suddenly went weak. Judging by Huo Du’s current ability to play dumb, the incident with the table should belong to the part he hadn’t remembered.

He’s going to blow my cover!! Oh no!

Just as he was thinking about whether to be tough and face the anger head-on or pretend to be dizzy to avoid this wave of anger, Huo Du actually turned around and left.

Now it was Song Jin’s turn to be at a loss.

What’s going on? Did he come to settle the score after the fact, or does he just not want to deal with me anymore?

Song Jin quickly threw down a handful of melon seeds, wiped his hands, and followed.

Huo Du walked away quickly, not waiting for Song Jin’s consent.

Song Jin chased after Huo Du to the training ground, where he saw Huo Du sitting at the stone table, slamming his sword down on the table, and chugging a pot of chrysanthemum tea in one breath.

He was not happy.

“Don’t come near me, I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself” Huo Du said hoarsely.

Song Jin’s heart ached as he met Huo Du’s gaze, realizing that it was sadness rather than anger overwhelming him.

I hurt his heart.

Song Jin’s scalp tingled, immediately forgetting Huo Du’s warning of “not being able to control himself” as if being hit by him for a day or ten days, could it be worse than Huo Du?

“Huo Du…” Song Jin approached him, “Ah! You…”

Song Jin hadn’t even apologized when a huge force dragged him towards Huo Du, crashing into his cold and hard armor.

Song Jin was pinned in Huo Du’s arms, feeling only the cold and hard armor, except for the bump on his head buried in his chest.

A warm liquid seeped through his thin summer clothes, burning his chest and piercing his skin straight into his heart.

“Jin Jin, you…”

 

“Jin Jin, I can’t take it anymore…” Huo Du’s voice trembled with frustration, despair, and anger. Song Jin instantly lost all his stance. Who wouldn’t feel sorry for such a Huo Du? Even if he proposed locking him up for a lifetime at this moment, Song Jin might agree.

Since he crossed over, he had been pushed, coaxed, and forced by Huo Du, intentionally or unintentionally, to this point. Except for business matters, he had always been passive in front of Huo Du, which meant he had no means of coaxing people.

Even getting a girlfriend required some coaxing, but Song Jin’s extraordinary love story, filled with life and death experiences, had seen no progress in this aspect.

Song Jin rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

Huo Du noticed his movement, his hands stiffening, but he didn’t let go. Still worried that Song Jin might have a headache because of the way he was addressed, he corrected himself sulkily, “Auntie, you can’t forget about us like this!”

Even if you don’t remember the promise I made to wait for you, I beg you not to put our affairs on someone else’s head.

He couldn’t bear it!

When Huo Du came back and heard that Song Jin had burned all the portraits of the potential matches, he felt delighted. He hurried to confirm, but he overheard such words at the door. Suddenly, a sharp sword fell from the top of his head, and his whole body felt cold.

Huo Du pressed his face against Song Jin’s chest, trying hard to control himself. He thought that as long as Song Jin woke up, even if he didn’t remember, it would be okay. After all, he would always, always accompany him until Song Jin remembered, or until he grew old, until death.

He was wrong. Call him selfish or domineering, but compared to Song Jin’s amnesia, compared to dying in battle, he feared more that Song Jin would transfer their love to Zhao An.

The cherished memories they shared were erased, handed over, choked off without even a cry of injustice.

Yes, Huo Du misunderstood.

He thought Song Jin’s memory was confused and mistook what he had done for him as Zhao An’s.

Song Jin didn’t hear Huo Du’s words clearly; his mind was full of how to beg for Huo Du’s forgiveness. Of course, even if he had heard them clearly, he wouldn’t have understood Huo Du’s thought process.

So, he patted Huo Du’s back and said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to deceive you…”

Song Jin paused, “Okay, I did mean to. Huo Du, I love you… I love you.”

Huo Du reacted for several seconds, suddenly lifting his eyes as if a prisoner walking in the dark suddenly saw the light.

He stared intently into Song Jin’s eyes, not missing any slightest change. “What do you mean by ‘deceive me’?”

“You haven’t lost your memory!”

Song Jin’s mind went blank. Wasn’t the key reaction supposed to be “I love you”?

“Be gentle, it hurts!” Song Jin exclaimed.

Huo Du suddenly exerted more force, as if he wanted to split him in half. In an instant, Huo Du went from sitting on the stone bench holding Song Jin and crying to standing, holding Song Jin and placing him on the stone table, pressing close to him, his eyes dark.

Song Jin couldn’t react, feeling dizzy, and heard Huo Du’s voice next to his ear, chillingly hoarse.

“Do you dislike the wooden table? Is this one hard enough?”

“Auntie? Hmm?”

Auntie, self-destruct, tragic.