Chapter 68: Reconciliation

The group had been trekking rugged mountain paths for more than half a day. Even the most physically strong and energetic among them now felt the fatigue in their legs.

Pei Yuan was utterly exhausted, but his eyes still burned with a startling brightness.

Wei Meng studied Pei Yuan’s expression. Based on his understanding, Pei Yuan’s anger had reached its peak. Fearing he might lose control and do something reckless, Wei Meng anxiously tried to calm him down:

“Little General, when you see her, please speak calmly…”

Pei Yuan cut him off coolly, “Stand back.”

Wei Meng fell silent and reluctantly retreated.

The weather looked ready to storm. A fierce, eerie wind howled through the trees around the manor, leaves rustling in waves—it was unsettling. Pei Yuan’s heart pounded in his chest. He raised his hand and knocked heavily on the door, then quickly realized the sound was too loud. He softened his touch and gently knocked again, twice.

Dozens of soldiers surrounded the outer perimeter, all eyes on him.

Pei Yuan, now close to his hometown, felt a rare nervousness. On his way here, he had prepared a whole speech from the bottom of his heart, but now he couldn’t get a single word out.

As he hesitated, he suddenly became conscious of how disheveled he looked. Worried Bao Ning would dislike his appearance, he hurriedly stepped back, tore off part of his sleeve to wipe his face, scraped the mud off his boots by the wall, and patted dust from his clothes.

Wei Meng was stunned. He had expected Pei Yuan to storm in and break the door down. He hadn’t expected this—he looked like a young girl freshening up before a date.

He nudged a nearby soldier with his elbow. “What’s our commander doing?”

The soldier stammered, “I—I don’t know.”

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. Meanwhile, Pei Yuan had finished tidying himself up and stepped forward confidently to knock again.

He leaned half his body against the door, lips close to the crack, and softly called out,

“Ning Ning, open the door—I’m home!”

Once he started, the words came more easily. His voice grew louder:

“Ning Ning, I came to find you. Open up—I’m home!”

Inside, Ah Huang the dog barked loudly.

Pei Yuan’s face lit up—he had the right place. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat:

“Ning Ning, wake up! Can you hear me?”

Bao Ning had been fast asleep. Awakened by the noise, she sat up, still dazed, staring at the door in disbelief.

Pei Yuan’s voice was hoarse, and Ah Huang didn’t recognize him. The dog ran up to the door, barking wildly.

Pei Yuan’s tone turned cold:

“Bark one more time and I’ll toss you out by your legs!”

That confirmed it for Bao Ning—it was definitely Pei Yuan outside. No one else would say something like that in that tone.

He really came all this way to find her? Bao Ning was surprised.

To say she wasn’t happy would be a lie. But she pressed her lips together and pushed that joy back down. She steeled herself—he needed to be taught a lesson. She was still angry. If she forgave him too easily, given his forgetful and stubborn dog-like nature, it would only cause more trouble in the future.

She had to make it clear: mistrust was a serious offense, and she wasn’t that easy to win over!

She laid her quilt flat and lay back down. Let him wait outside all night.

The house fell completely silent. Bao Ning didn’t speak. The sheep didn’t bleat. The dog stopped barking. Pei Yuan pressed his ear to the door and listened—his heart began to panic.

He feared something had happened to Bao Ning inside. Desperate, he shook the door hard, making it creak.

“Ning Ning, say something! Don’t scare me!”

Annoyed by the noise, Bao Ning covered her ears and got up to take a sip of water.

Pei Yuan heard the movement inside and relaxed. She was fine. He pondered why she wouldn’t open the door. Then he remembered the awful thing he said: if he ever came back for her, he’d be a dog. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. What if Bao Ning really wanted him to bark like a dog in public?

That would be too humiliating!

Bao Ning sipped her water and glanced at the door. It was quiet now. She frowned, assuming Pei Yuan had given up and left. That thought made her feel oddly disappointed. She put the cup down, adjusted her clothes, and resolved to ignore him for another two days.

Just then, a few soft, awkward, and shy dog barks came from the door—not Ah Huang’s usual wild howling.

Bao Ning looked over, surprised. Even Ah Huang looked puzzled, staring at the door crack.

After a pause, the sound came again: “Aw-woo… aw-woo…”

Pei Yuan paced nervously outside. He’d already lost all dignity—why wasn’t she responding?

The wind carried the sound, and Wei Meng and the soldiers heard it. None dared laugh; they all held it in. Pei Yuan no longer cared what they thought. Fearing Bao Ning might have fallen asleep again, he banged on the door to wake her, then leaned close and barked a couple more times—before falling silent.

A moment later, Bao Ning burst out laughing inside. She sounded genuinely happy. Pei Yuan couldn’t help but smile too—the earlier humiliation instantly forgotten.

As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.

Suppressing his joy, Pei Yuan leaned on the door and tried to reason with her.

“Ning Ning, I know you’re awake. Let me in, please!”

Bao Ning came to the door, voice cold and composed:

“Coming here in the middle of the night—what for? Go find your concubines. Get a few more and fill up the whole courtyard. Sleep in a different one each night, drown yourself in their sweet words. Just don’t come bothering me.”

“There are no concubines!” Pei Yuan forced a bitter laugh. “Those were drunken, angry words—they don’t count. I only want you. I’d rather die than take a concubine.”

“You only want me? Well, I don’t want only you,” Bao Ning replied. “Didn’t your eyes tell you everything? You saw it—I have a lover now. So go.”

That, oddly, made Pei Yuan feel better. At least she was angry enough to fight with him. Better than silence.

“I know I was wrong! I came to apologize!” he softened his voice. “I was blind, I was stupid. I’m not even a man—just a dog. I should never have doubted you. Please open the door, I’ll bow to you in apology!”

“No need,” Bao Ning said. “It’s late and not appropriate for guests. Come back early tomorrow, gongzi.”

“Gongzi? What do you mean gongzi?” Pei Yuan grew frantic. “I’m your husband, your man—we’ve shared the same bed! What’s so inappropriate?”

“You have no shame, do you?” Bao Ning snapped. “What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”

“It’s crude but not wrong! What part of it was false?” Pei Yuan blurted, then realized his mistake. He had no right to argue—he was in the wrong.

He pressed his fingers to the door crack, hoping to make himself heard more clearly. He rasped,

“Ning Ning, I was wrong. You’re right about everything. Let me in.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Bao Ning turned away, even angrier now. She felt he wasn’t truly remorseful. After a pause, she said coldly, “Pei Gongzi, you seem to forget—I don’t have a husband. The man I married didn’t want me. On the very first day of our wedding, he handed me a divorce letter. He even signed it. All that’s missing is filing it at the yamen. Legally, we’re not related.”

“Divorce letter?” Pei Yuan was stunned.

He racked his memory and finally remembered—he had written one. In a fit of rage, trying to drive her away, he had written that damned letter. But that was so long ago. How could she still remember it?

Bao Ning refused to budge. She ended with “Gongzi, please leave” and turned to go to bed.

Pei Yuan was going mad. Gongzi again—he hated that word. He nearly kicked the door down but stopped himself. He looked at Wei Meng.

Wei Meng had heard the gist of it and avoided eye contact, pretending not to notice.

Pei Yuan felt like his chest was on fire. He had to get in tonight. The longer this dragged on, the worse it would be. He needed to explain things to her. Yelling, scolding—he could take it. But he couldn’t stand this awkward, distant state.

The wind grew stronger, whipping his robes. Pei Yuan looked down, then up, and suddenly had an idea.

“Ning Ning, it’s raining outside,” he said, voice lower now, brow furrowed, groaning softly.

Bao Ning’s footsteps stopped.

Pei Yuan knew it worked. He took it further. Stumbling, he slammed into the door with a loud thud, pretending to fall, and cried out:

“Ning Ning… my leg hurts…”

His voice was filled with pain. Bao Ning’s heart clenched—was it really raining? Was his old injury acting up?

Pei Yuan slumped to the ground, weakly knocking on the door, voice trembling:

“Ning Ning… you really don’t want me anymore? I’m in so much pain I could die…”

Pei Yuan simply lay down on the ground.

The circle of soldiers outside stared, stunned. Even Wei Meng was frozen in place. Pei Yuan turned his head and noticed their looks—only then did he realize how humiliating this was. He glared and waved at them, mouthing: “Get lost! All of you, get the hell out!”

But it was too dark to see what he was saying. Everyone remained rooted in place, bewildered.

Bao Ning, after all, couldn’t bear to leave Pei Yuan lying out there. She opened the door, intending to help him inside.

But as she looked up, she saw the courtyard surrounded by a dense wall of soldiers, all armed with blades, spears, and halberds—like a raid in progress.

Bao Ning glanced down at Pei Yuan. He was making exaggerated faces—clearly not sick or injured.

Realizing she’d been tricked, Bao Ning’s face darkened. She stepped back to close the door. Pei Yuan reacted immediately, stretching his leg into the doorway to block it.

“Don’t close it, don’t close it!”

He popped up from the ground like a carp flipping in water, forcefully shoved the door open, darted inside in a flash, then slammed the door shut and leaned his back against it—all in one swift motion.

Pei Yuan let out a sigh of relief. “Finally got in…”

“You—!” Bao Ning was so angry her chest hurt. She wanted to stomp on him, but knowing it wouldn’t even hurt him, she just shoved his shoulders, trying to push him back out.

Pei Yuan stood firm, unmoving, only lowering his head to look at her, eyes full of amusement. Bao Ning felt a bit uneasy under his gaze.

“Who let you in…”

Her eyes had now adjusted to the dark. Even though there wasn’t much moonlight, she could clearly see Pei Yuan’s face—and paused.

He looked utterly disheveled.

Covered in dust and dirt, scratches on his face, and pitifully miserable.

She looked down at his shoes. They were the ones she had made herself, from the best material, carefully cleaned every day. But now they were caked with yellow mud, the soles nearly falling off.

Where had he been? Wasn’t he riding a horse? How did he end up like this? Bao Ning’s anger, once raging, softened at the sight of his pitiful condition.

“Bao’er, don’t make me leave,” Pei Yuan reached out to hug her, rubbing his face against hers, voice hoarse.

“What kind of things were you saying just now—talking about divorce and calling me gongzi. You know I can’t live without you, and yet you still tried to anger me. It’s like stabbing me straight in the heart.”

“You’ve said every sweet and terrible thing possible.” Bao Ning blocked his chin with her hand. His stubble pricked her skin painfully.

She didn’t want to forgive him so easily, so she lowered her eyes, still resisting.

“Weren’t you the one who said I wasn’t special? That I should go ask around, you have no shortage of women.”

“I do lack one—you. You’re the only one I need.” Pei Yuan clutched her hand, kissing and licking her fingertips, pleading softly,

“Stop saying things just to hurt me. You’re trying to kill me like this. My life is yours—take it if you want, just don’t make it hurt so much.”

He bit down on her fingers, then pressed her hand to the hilt of his sword at his waist.

“Go ahead. Draw the blade.”

“What is wrong with you!” Bao Ning struggled to yank her hand back, but Pei Yuan held on tight. After a few tugs, he fell to the floor with his arms wrapped around her waist. The pity she had just felt vanished in an instant. She now wanted to bite him to death.

Pei Yuan rubbed his face against hers, arm tucked beneath her waist, rolling around on the ground with her in his grasp.

Bao Ning regretted opening the door. She knew this man was shameless. His head dropped lower, rubbing against her chest and covering her with dust. After rubbing and cuddling her, he kissed her collarbone, whispering,

“Bao’er… Bao’er…”

“Who’s your Bao’er!?”

Bao Ning tried to push him off, but Pei Yuan shamelessly snuggled back up to her, tousling her hair and pushing her face into his chest.

“Bao’er, I missed you to death. I thought I’d go crazy without you.”

She had always known Pei Yuan could be shameless, but she hadn’t expected this level. He didn’t look like a prince at all—he was worse than a common street thug, spouting nothing but lewd nonsense.

Pei Yuan was rough by nature. His way of expressing love and longing was through physical closeness. Only when their bodies were close did he feel calm and satisfied. He squeezed her waist so hard she thought it would snap. She tried to kick him. He didn’t dodge, just buried his face in her neck, taking a deep breath and laughing softly.

“Ning Ning, let’s make up.”

Bao Ning snapped, “You came here to reconcile—or to threaten me?”

“Both,” Pei Yuan replied, peppering kisses on her eyelids.

“If you don’t forgive me, it’s like killing me. Can you bear that?”

Bao Ning thought she’d die of anger before that ever happened.

Pei Yuan leaned into her ear, shamelessly imitating a dog’s bark. Bao Ning shivered from head to toe. Ah Huang came bounding over to join the fun and barked along.

The room suddenly turned into a circus. Bao Ning had had enough. She shoved Pei Yuan away.

“Shut up, all of you!”

Silence fell immediately.

Bao Ning sat up from the floor. She was exhausted from all his wrestling and didn’t bother standing.

Staying seated, she started to talk seriously. “We need to talk.”

Pei Yuan took off his robe and placed it under her to sit on. “Alright, go ahead.”

Bao Ning pursed her lips. “Do you know why I’m angry?”

“I do,” Pei Yuan said. “I didn’t trust you. I said things that hurt you. I acted on suspicion and never asked for your side. I’ll change, Ning Ning. Please give me a chance.”

Bao Ning looked at him in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to actually understand it so clearly.

Pei Yuan’s gaze was sincere.

“Ning Ning, I want to live a good life with you. I’m not a prince. I’m not a general. I’m just your husband. If you’re upset, hit me, scold me—I’ll take it. Let’s just talk things through. Please, don’t leave me without a word again. I couldn’t handle it. If I couldn’t find you… what would I do? I can’t live without you. My legs, my life—you gave them to me. You wouldn’t really leave me, would you?”

It was rare for him to say so much. Bao Ning suddenly felt her eyes sting.

“Who doesn’t want to live peacefully? You’re the one always asking for a fight. It’s clearly your fault, and you turn it around like it’s mine.”

“I’m not good with words,” Pei Yuan said. “I can’t sweet-talk you into forgiveness. Promises feel fake—I make them and you won’t believe them anyway.”

He pulled out a short blade from his sleeve, grabbed Bao Ning’s hand, and placed it in her palm.

“So here. I’ll give you a knife. Keep it under your pillow. I’ll sleep beside you. If I ever mess up again, if I ever upset you, stab me. Just end it.”

Bao Ning couldn’t help laughing through her nose. “You’re so damn annoying.”

“I’m learning. I’m learning to make you like me.” Pei Yuan cupped her face, rubbing his thumbs under her eyes, voice soft.

“I’m a fast learner.”

Bao Ning bit her lip, saying nothing. Her eyes were slightly curved—that meant she was smiling inside. Pei Yuan could tell.

“Tired?” he asked. He pulled her leg onto his own and started removing her shoe.

“Let me rub your feet.”

“Quit it.” Bao Ning pulled her foot back and stood up. She tugged him up as well.

“Sit somewhere. I’ll go boil some water and wipe you down—you’re filthy.”

Bao Ning fetched a firestone, and soon the candle was lit, filling the room with light.

There was a small kitchen in the courtyard. She went to heat the water. When she came back, Pei Yuan had already stripped and was obediently sitting. He didn’t dare sit on the bed and instead sat on a small stool, back hunched, legs stretched out, with Ah Huang crouched between them. He’d gotten addicted to barking like a dog, now playing with Ah Huang’s chin and barking along, making the dog wag its tail.

After playing enough, he hugged Ah Huang’s belly and lifted him into his lap, prying open its mouth to check its teeth.

For a moment, Bao Ning felt like life had returned to their old days in the little courtyard—peaceful and quiet.

Pei Yuan looked up and saw her. Quickly, he pulled his fingers out of Ah Huang’s mouth and wiped them on his waistband.

Bao Ning said, “Don’t just sit there. Go to the kitchen and carry the water. I boiled a lot—I can’t lift it. And wash your hair properly.”

Pei Yuan answered and stood up, heading out half-dressed.

Bao Ning stopped him and handed him his coat.

“It’s cold outside. Don’t catch a chill.”

Pei Yuan took it, eyes glued to her like he couldn’t get enough.

Bao Ning turned back to tidy the bed. As she fluffed the pillow, she saw his shadow on the floor and asked,

“Why haven’t you left yet?”

Pei Yuan mumbled “Oh,” and crooked his finger at Ah Huang.

“Come on, let’s go carry water.”

Bao Ning called out after him,

“There are sugar pastries steaming in the pot and some soup left from earlier. Check the fire while you’re there—don’t let it burn.”

Sansukini: Should she forgive him now?

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