Song Jin was pressed against the stone table and blinked his eyes, understanding the reason for Huo Du’s anger. These days had been tough enough for him; might as well just reveal the truth now.
“But my headache is real” Song Jin said, quickly stopping Huo Du before he could kiss him. Huo Du always lacked restraint, but Song Jin had just recovered from a concussion and was feeling dizzy.
Huo Du quickly pulled Song Jin up and held him on his lap, gently kissing his forehead and hair. He treated Song Jin’s head like a precious treasure, making sure nothing happened to it. He had been jealous to the brink of madness these past few days.
With his head resting on Huo Du’s shoulder, Song Jin suddenly thought of a brilliant excuse that couldn’t be refuted. Pointing to his head, he said, “Didn’t the doctor tell you? I can’t make sudden movements. My memory just came back, and it could disappear in a flash.”
Huo Du believed Song Jin’s exaggerated words and handled him as delicately as porcelain.
Song Jin enjoyed this for a while, feeling like he was already living a retired life. Except for Huo Du’s exaggerations…
Even a great general who could kill enemies and break through enemy lines became flunky in front of his wife.
“I can walk on my own” Song Jin insisted.
Huo Du firmly placed Song Jin’s hand on his arm. “Be good. If you fall and hurt yourself, you’ll be the one suffering from the headache.”
Song Jin: “I’m supposed to be a talented young man, yet I need assistance even for a walk after dinner.”
Ahead were seven or eight steps, and as Song Jin’s eyelids twitched, he saw a tall figure squatting in front of him, saying, “Today, come up.”
“But my leg isn’t injured.”
“I’ll carry you for stability.”
Song Jin had no choice but to climb up, feeling that Huo Du was overly nervous, as if he couldn’t take care of himself and needed help even to urinate.
Maybe… should he just tell Huo Du that his head didn’t feel dizzy anymore? Would he be angry?
Song Jin hesitated until one evening when he got up, and Huo Du immediately helped him support himself against the wall.
“This way, you won’t have to bend down” Huo Du said.
Song Jin’s cheeks flushed. “You did that on purpose.”
How could anyone urinate like this! Just get it done already!
Song Jin suspected that Huo Du saw through his tricks.
Huo Du’s breath grew hot. He had endured for over two years, holding his wife in his hands every night but unable to move, his eyes almost spitting fire.
“I promise to be gentle, alright?” Huo Du’s hands didn’t stop moving, and he added, “The doctor doesn’t recommend shaking your head; it could make you dizzy.”
Song Jin nodded in a daze. “So, can I walk by myself tomorrow?”
Huo Du cruelly refused. “Not tomorrow.”
“Then I won’t do it.”
“I will.”
…
As it turned out, General Huo’s reasoning was quite sound. Song Jin lay in bed and couldn’t even get out by himself, let alone walk.
Living off the land, living off the sea, the docks of Yunquan City were bustling early in the morning. Under the pretext of inspection, Huo Du personally bought seafood for Song Jin every day.
The doctor said eating fish was good for the brain, so Huo Du diligently prepared fish for Song Jin’s three meals a day.
Whenever fishermen caught rare items from the deep or far seas, they would immediately deliver them to the general’s mansion.
It didn’t matter how much money they could make; what mattered was that they could help General Huo. Since General Huo arrived, they no longer had to worry about Japanese pirates, and the general’s wife was quite formidable in business. In just half a year, Yunquan City had acquired many things not found in the Central Plains, broadening their horizons.
The people hoped that the general and his wife would live comfortably here and stay as long as possible.
At the gates of the general’s mansion, Li Lao Si carried a basket of fish – green fish, cod, yellow croaker – and a basket of walnuts. He noticed that General Huo hadn’t come to buy fish at the docks today, so he assumed that Madame General wouldn’t have fish to eat.
He had quite a harvest when he pulled in his nets today, so he left behind the fish that General Huo usually bought, keeping them in seawater, and went to pick wild walnuts on the mountain. He had found a walnut tree there half a month ago, and it had ripened in these days.
Li Lao Si left the fish and walnuts at the gate of the general’s mansion. “Lord Guardsman, could you deliver these to Madame General?”
The guard recognized him. Last month, Li Lao Si’s mother fell seriously ill with rare symptoms, and the doctor prescribed a medication that was scarce in the south. They searched all over Yunquan but couldn’t find it. Fortunately, Song Jin and Huo Du passed by. Being from the capital, they happened to have it at home.
Without a second thought, Song Jin had someone bring it over to Li Lao Si. Li’s mother needed long-term medication, so Song Jin also introduced one of his subordinates responsible for transportation to Li Lao Si. He could ask for help when the medicine ran out.
It was a small matter, but Li Lao Si was a filial son and remembered the kindness. He cared about Song Jin’s health even more than General Huo did.
How could brain supplementation stop? Not even for a day.
Therefore, when Huo Du didn’t go to buy fish for a day, Li Lao Si immediately brought it over.
The guard said, “Wait here; I’ll go to the accounting office to get the money.”
Because so many people were bringing fish for Song Jin, Huo Du didn’t want to disappoint them, so he instructed the guard to buy them. After all, his wife was not short of money.
“No, no, no, I don’t want money” Li Lao Si waved his hand. “My mother said we should repay kindness.”
After saying this, he quickly slipped away.
In the evening, Song Jin waited for Huo Du to finish his military training and have dinner together. After much pleading, Huo Du finally agreed to let him eat vegetarian during these two days of his mountain training.
Song Jin felt like he had already eaten enough fish for several lifetimes in these few months.
The sea was so vast, and his stomach so small.
So why did he scare Huo Du into thinking his brain wasn’t functioning well and he could easily lose his memory?
General Huo was too strict; there had to be fish on the table every day. Song Jin hadn’t expected anyone to be stricter than General Huo.
He saw that the table was crowded with seven or eight fish, almost overshadowing the vegetables. He widened his eyes. “Didn’t you say I could eat vegetarian today?”
One should keep their word!
Huo Du picked up a chopstick of fish for him and cracked a walnut while raising his eyebrows. “I indeed didn’t buy them.”
“Then how did they come here?”
“Li Lao Si saw I didn’t go to the docks today, so he brought them over.” Huo Du admired Li Lao Si’s actions. “See, he did it with good intentions. It wouldn’t be right not to accept it.”
Song Jin was fed a mouthful of fish and swallowed it tearfully. “It’s all your fault. Everyone in Yunquan City knows my brain isn’t good.”
People even greeted him on the street.
Huo Du held Song Jin close to his knee and felt his forehead. “Darling, you still have a scar here. It hasn’t healed yet; let me take care of it some more.”
Song Jin asked, “How long?”
“One or two years…” Huo Du saw Song Jin’s displeased expression and corrected himself, “Two months.”
“Humph.” Song Jin thought for a moment, then asked Huo Du seriously, “Are you still concerned about your uncle’s matter?”
Huo Du hugged Song Jin tightly without saying a word.
Although Song Jin’s second amnesia was fake, he had still experienced it once. What if one day… Huo Du’s breath hitched; he remembered when he was in the capital, asking around about Song Jin’s suicide. The servant exaggerated the story, and although Huo Du knew not to believe everything, there was truth in rumors. He was jealous, insanely jealous. But the harsh lesson taught Huo Du that using force and dominance on Song Jin, aside from whether Song Jin could accept it, would first and foremost invite punishment from heaven. His desire to possess Song Jin was suppressed without outlet, so Huo Du became particularly dominant in the matter of Song Jin’s brain supplementation. After all, he really didn’t want to call his uncle’s wife again.
Playing with Huo Du’s fingers and interlocking them with his own, Song Jin summoned the courage to speak slowly, “Actually, you don’t have to worry at all…”
“Don’t you realize? I know more about Zhao An than you do. Any random person in the capital probably knows more about him than I do.”
“But you sacrificed yourself for him twice.”
Song Jin laughed at this sour statement and retorted, “No, not even once.”
“The Song Jin you heard about in those stories isn’t me.” Song Jin looked into Huo Du’s eyes, nerves taut, as if he were gambling.
The story of ‘resurrecting the dead’ was a topic of discussion everywhere, and Huo Du never expected to hear it from Song Jin.
There wasn’t much to say, really. But a careless lie from Song Jin had made Huo Du uncomfortable for so long that Song Jin felt it was necessary to resolve the matter.
Huo Du remained silent for a while, then, in Song Jin’s anxious gaze, he hugged him tightly, his eyes reddening. “Then will you…?”
“No, have you not noticed? I know less about Zhao An than you do. If you were to be jealous of the old Song Jin because of me, I’d be upset.”
Huo Du pinched Song Jin’s mouth. “I won’t let you get hurt anymore, and don’t mention this word again.”
He looked at the smiling Song Jin and suddenly felt like he had been a bit petty. He hastily explained, “I’m just jealous, not because I think you’re not good… I… sigh, no matter if there’s Zhao An or not, I love you.”
Seeing Huo Du’s lack of confidence, Song Jin understood his meaning and said with a smile, “I’m even more jealous than you.”
“Although it’s been me all along, if you were to get jealous of the previous Song Jin because of me, I’d be sad.”
“Absolutely!”
“I’m the only one allowed to like you!” Song Jin asserted dominantly, running out of courage. He touched his ear, feeling a bit hot and agitated. “Am I petty?”
“No, you’re not.” Huo Du swore that he had never felt as joyful and clear-minded as he did now.
The two of them, both being petty, were a perfect match.
…
As the New Year approached, a letter arrived from the Huo family, requesting Huo Du to bring Song Jin back home. In the letter, Song Jin was directly referred to as “daughter-in-law.”
In secret, Lady Huo had been searching for Song Jin for over a year without success, but it turned out that Huo Du stumbled upon him by chance. With the marriage already predestined, Lady Huo had long come to terms with it and only hoped that Huo Du would bring Song Jin back to reunite the family.
She also wrote a separate letter to Song Jin, expressing her apologies.
Song Jin could never have imagined that their acceptance in the capital was so high. It seemed that Huo Du’s frantic actions had stirred up quite a sensation.
Although Lady Huo had manipulated his memories, she had inadvertently saved his life. From Huo Du’s perspective as an elder, he could understand and appreciate it.
With the Huo family’s gesture of goodwill, they had completely severed ties with the Princess’s mansion. Each party had their own principles, and no one bothered each other.
On the day of their departure from Yunquan City, the people bid them farewell along the way, filling five large carts with cured fish and meat.
“Will the General and Madame be back?”
“We’ll come back after celebrating the New Year.”
Song Jin smiled and held a stack of lists in his hand. “When I return, I’ll bring back some good things from the capital for everyone.”
Huo Du held Song Jin’s hand tightly. “Let’s go.”
“Okay.” Song Jin smiled back at him.
The storyteller quickly recorded this classic scene. During the days when the General was away from Yunquan City, everyone would surely be even more interested in the story of “The Dominant General and the Charming Daughter-in-law.”
They could even have two extra storytelling sessions each day!
?Sissy Aunt?completed
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