Fu Xin Ci was confined to her room by Madam Fang for several days, embroidering wedding dresses, until the day Qi He had his leave. Only then was she allowed to move freely.
After breakfast, Qi He, in front of Madam Fang, proposed, "Sister Fu, shall we take a walk outside together?"
Madam Fang, thinking her daughter had just settled down, didn't want them to go. However, she couldn't refuse Grandpa Meng, who readily agreed with a smile and asked them to return early.
Fu Xin Ci stifled her laughter. The two of them led their horses out of the house. Once they had ridden a mile out, and confirmed her mother couldn't hear, she finally let out a laugh.
Seeing Sister Fu's shoulders shaking with laughter, Qi He also smiled.
When Fu Xin Ci finished laughing, she looked up and saw Qi He gazing at her tenderly.
"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm laughing?"
"I can guess without asking. Nine times out of ten, it's because Auntie didn't want you to go out."
"You guessed so accurately." Fu Xin Ci had to admit that Qi He was thoughtful and observant, far superior to her in these aspects. He was the benchmark for a good son-in-law in her mother's eyes.
Seeing Sister Fu constantly looking at him, Qi He felt both sweet and a little shy.
Pure-hearted youths were too much to handle. Fu Xin Ci dared not look any longer and slowly shifted her gaze elsewhere.
"Shall we go see your friends?"
"Mm."
Fu Xin Ci felt a little nervous. She didn't know how Qi He would react when he saw her companions and those people from Longcheng appearing in the valley.
When they stood on the hilltop, Qi He's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the once silent valley now bustling with busy men and women.
Fortunately, his heart had been toughened by Sister Fu over the years. He quickly calmed his shock and looked at Fu Xin Ci, saying, "Sister Fu, are they all your friends?"
"I'd say: there are two kinds of friends. One kind are very good friends, friends with whom one can share life and death. The other kind are acquaintances; we can fight together, but the bond isn't as deep as with the former."
"Oh. After hearing Sister Fu say that, I'm even more eager to meet your friends with whom you can share life and death."
"Mm, that's exactly why I wanted to end with you getting to know them today."
"..." Qi He didn't know what was happening to him. He felt a twinge of jealousy. He had always believed that besides Grandpa Meng's family, he was the only one who could follow Sister Fu through thick and thin.
But now, hearing Sister Fu speak of friends with whom she could share life and death, he was even more eager to meet them.
Previously, Fu Xin Ci had told her companions about Qi He. However, when her companions saw Qi He, their expressions were somewhat off.
The captain was the most reliable. Looking at the young smiling face before him, he first felt a secret envy, then stepped forward to greet the young man.
"Hello Qi He, my name is Long Teng. I'm very pleased to meet you."
With the captain leading the way, Xu Jia Can also quickly came forward to greet Qi He: "Hello Qi He, my name is Xu Jia Can. You can call me Brother Can from now on."
Fatty: "You have to say your full name, right?"
Hearing Fatty's words, his companions laughed. "If you didn't say your full name, we would have almost forgotten who you are."
"Heh heh, I've never seen you guys so mean." After bantering with his companions, Fatty extended his thick, large hand to greet Qi He: "Hello Qi He, my name is Xue Shu, the 'Shu' from tree. But my companions are used to calling me Fatty. You can call me Fatty from now on."
"Alright," Qi He agreed readily, and the slight jealousy he felt earlier disappeared.
However, he was celebrating too soon. It wasn't until those feisty girls came to greet him that he truly understood what "human hearts are unpredictable" meant.
Fortunately, the captain was kind-hearted and didn't want them to bully Qi He too severely, as Qi He was going to be Xin Ci's husband. Moreover, they saw that the young man's character was good. They couldn't antagonize him, or Xin Ci would be put in a difficult position.
With the captain holding them back, Xiao Ai and the others could only let it go. They felt a bit indignant, thinking this ancient little brat wasn't good enough for their Xin Ci.
Fearing they would further corrupt Qi He, the captain took him to see the place where they were going to build houses.
Regarding the construction, Qi He, as a native, offered some very good suggestions, which greatly benefited the captain and others.
By lunchtime, they had all become close friends. It was evident that Qi He genuinely enjoyed interacting with the captain and Xu Jia Can.
On the way back, Qi He's excitement had not faded. He spoke animatedly the entire time about how harmoniously he had gotten along with the captain and the others that day.
"Sister Fu, when I have my next leave, can you bring me to see the captain and the others again?"
Fu Xin Ci hadn't expected him to become friends so quickly.
As if answering her unspoken question, Qi He smiled and said, "Because of you, I was willing to become friends with them. And then I discovered that they are indeed worth befriending. Especially the captain; he is like an elder worthy of our utmost respect. Even in just one day, I learned a great deal from him."
"Is that so? The captain would be very happy to hear you praise them so highly."
"I'm also very happy to have met the captain and the others. I can now somewhat understand the feeling Sister Fu described. They are now like both teachers and friends to me."
Hearing Qi He's words, where he deliberately avoided mentioning Xiao Ai and the others, Fu Xin Ci could only feel a sense of helplessness.
She couldn't entirely blame Qi He. He was from ancient times, and it was understandable that he couldn't accept Xiao Ai's pranking methods.
The journey back was not lonely at all. Qi He continuously recounted amusing anecdotes from his time with the captain and the others.
"Uncle Xu and Uncle Sun were also very nice. They kept smiling at me as they looked at the crossbow I was carrying."
Fu Xin Ci also smiled. She didn't mention that the crossbows they were using were crafted by Uncle Xu and Uncle Sun.
"That Magistrate Xiang was also quite interesting. When the captain introduced me to them, their eyes held a peculiar gleam."
Fu Xin Ci: ...
"From their words and actions, I perceived that they all knew Sister Fu and respected her greatly."
Fu Xin Ci hadn't expected Qi He to be so exceptionally observant, quickly noticing subtle details that she herself often overlooked.
When they arrived home, Uncle Qi had also come. He was sitting in the courtyard, talking with Grandpa Meng.
"Those people are getting more and more out of hand. They say there's a flood in the south, so the military rations for the second half of the year will be halved, and we'll have to figure out the rest ourselves at the garrison."
"Yuan Shan, you don't need to be so anxious."
"Uncle Meng, this is such a major issue; how can I not be anxious? I'm a commander now, responsible for the sustenance of at least seven or eight hundred men. I can't afford not to be worried."
Qi Yuan Shan was truly anxious. The rations for so many soldiers had to be sourced locally. If they encountered those violent and barbaric soldiers, the residents' grain would be plundered.