Yelyu Lie, puzzled, helped the excited Little Princess down from the horse.
As soon as she touched the ground, Yun Chunnuan quickly ran towards the lush green area.
Yelyu Lie frowned slightly, unable to understand why she was so excited over a patch of wild grass.
He curiously followed her over.
Yun Chunnuan reached out, pulled up a stalk of 'wild grass,' brought it close to her nose, and upon confirming its scent, grew even more ecstatic.
Wild chives!
These are truly wild chives!
When she was young, her grandparents took her to the fields to play, and she often saw this wild vegetable growing all year round.
She pulled up a bunch to play with her little friends, but her grandmother told her this was food and shouldn't be wasted.
That night, her grandmother made a full-course wild chive feast.
It was delicious!
If one likes the taste of chives, they would definitely love wild chives even more!
Yelyu Lie saw her laughing at a stalk of wild grass and, curious as well, squatted down to pull a stalk up, mimicking her by smelling it at the tip of his nose.
The strong scent made him wrinkle his nose.
Seeing his expression, Yun Chunnuan knew that wild chives were probably just wild grass to the Bianliao people, and he had likely never tasted them.
She put the wild chive in the Barbarian General's hand and was about to pull more.
But Yelyu Lie stopped her, "Why are you pulling this wild grass?"
The Little Princess chuckled, her bright and clear eyes flashing with dazzling light, making her seem even more lively.
"I'll make you something delicious!"
Yun Chunnuan spoke, her hands not stopping in their actions.
Soon, she had a handful of wild chives.
Her fair palm was marked red from gripping them, and when she tried to pass them to Yelyu Lie, he pushed them back.
Just as Yun Chunnuan puzzledly furrowed her brows, he bent forward and, with a large hand, grabbed a fistful of wild chives.
Much more efficiently than Yun Chunnuan, who had been pulling hard for a small handful.
He stuffed a large bundle into the Little Princess's arms and continued to pull with energy.
His face radiated joy, the smile unable to be hidden despite his effort to suppress it.
Simply because his Little Princess said, 'I'll make you something delicious!'
Yelyu Lie really didn't think these nose-stinging wild herbs could taste good.
But since she said so, even if he knew it was poison, he'd still take a bite.
The Barbarian General worked with great enthusiasm, looking even more excited than the Little Princess.
Yun Chunnuan was baffled, not realizing how much impact her words had.
Soon, the wild chives nearly overflowed her arms.
"That's enough, that's enough!" Yun Chunnuan quickly called out to the still bustling man.
Yelyu Lie looked up, his eyes shining brighter than the sun, "If you like them, take them all."
He didn't understand romance, but he wanted to give her everything she liked.
"Really, that's enough!"
Enough for a chive feast!
Seeing she could barely hold them, Yelyu Lie finally stopped.
He took off the outermost layer of his fur jacket, wrapped it around the wild chives, and lifted it with one hand.
"Aren't you cold? Use my hat," Yun Chunnuan said, reaching for the hat on her head.
Yelyu Lie stopped her just in time, "I'm feeling strong, not cold."
Seeing her nose and cheeks red from the cold, Yelyu Lie pulled her off the ground, "If you want more, we can come back tomorrow."
"Mm-hmm! Let's go home first."
"Alright!"
Yelyu Lie's smile became even brighter.
Home.
Coming from her mouth, those words sounded so wonderful.
To Yelyu Lie, the General Mansion was just a temporary rest spot after the battles.
After all, since the age of nine, he had spent almost all his days in the barracks.
The General Mansion was more about responsibility, given the large family he had to support, all of whom were unfortunate...
Now, when she said 'going home,' he suddenly felt his eyes burning and his heart stirred in a way that left him at a loss.
He didn't know why this happened.
How could it be after such a short time together?
Confused by his self-doubt, Yun Chunnuan mounted the horse.
Yelyu Lie held the reins with one hand and lifted the bundle of wild chives with the other, contemplating life all the way.
They unknowingly wandered off the main road and into the market.
On either side of the street, vendors called out their goods, selling rouge and powder, clothes and jewelry, and various foods. Aside from pastries, most were meat.
Some had stalls on the street, while others wandered around with goods on their shoulders.
Men and women were all sturdy and robust.
The horse stopped at the corner of the street, Yun Chunnuan already wide-eyed in astonishment atop its back.
Being here, for the first time, she truly felt the experience of time travel...
"Oh my! Isn't that the General? When did the General come back?"
A vendor at the street corner was the first to spot Yelyu Lie.
Excited, like seeing a family member.
Bianliao people have loud voices, and when the vendor shouted, others also noticed Yelyu Lie.
Suddenly, both men and women, vendors and customers, flocked over.
Vendors packed their goods and handed them to Yelyu Lie, while customers gave him objects they had just bought before they could eat or use them.
No matter how Yelyu Lie refused, the vendors took off after giving him their offerings, making it impossible for him to decline.
The people's enthusiasm was fiery, showing deep respect for the Great General who defended the border and protected the country.
This respect was not blind admiration; no one knelt or flattered. Even when they saw the Little Princess on horseback, there was only a hint of surprise, without any discomforting actions.
After eagerly offering their small gifts, the people returned to their places, busy as before.
Left at the street corner, Yelyu Lie was surrounded by the people's tokens of gratitude.
He glanced at the Little Princess on horseback, smiling wryly, "Got carried away and ended up here. Our Bianliao people are a bit enthusiastic, not scared, are you?"
Yun Chunnuan immediately shook her head.
How could she be scared?
She even felt touched by the people's emotions and gazed at the Barbarian General with respect.
How much must a person give to earn such genuine admiration from the people?
No power, no oppression, only sincere reverence.
Yun Chunnuan thought of him standing bare-chested earlier.
She had been so focused on fear that she overlooked all his scars.
Some were life-threatening...
So, there's no love without reason.
Every piece of it was earned through his sacrifices.
Although Bianliao wasn't wealthy, from the peaceful scene, it was apparent that the Bianliao citizens were truly happy and content.
They were indeed fortunate to be protected by a Great General who loved the people dearly and did not abuse his power.
"Yelyu General, you're truly amazing!"