CH 104

That night, Duan Feng gave a high-level reception to his future wife. The tables were filled with various meats and vegetables. The taste of wine was also pretty good, and there was even a roast lamb.

Tan Lingyin kneeled by the table. Without hesitation, she directly picked up a roast leg of lamb, and took a bite. Delicious!

She tore off a piece of meat and gave it to Tang Tang before asking Duan Feng, "Who roasted the sheep, their craftsmanship is really good."

Duan Feng replied, "It's someone from the Western Regions[1], he can only roast meat."

Tan Lingyin couldn't help admiring. "From the Western Regions– to come and seek refuge at our Phoenix Village from tens of thousands of miles away. You have to be nice to them."

‘Our Phoenix Camp’ successfully pleased Duan Feng. He took a sip of wine and replied, "Of course."

Tan Lingyin asked again, "How old is he?"

"In his forties, what's up?"

"Look," Tan Lingyin stretched out her oily fingers and counted for him, "He should have started in his twenties, and it took him twenty years to get here. And that's about it."

"You don't have to be this way, I know what you mean." Duan Feng looked at her displeasedly.

In fact, there's a small advantage to Duan Feng. Whether he was happy or not, it was all written on his face; there was no need to guess. Tan Lingyin smiled embarrassedly, "I just think it's strange. How could a person from the Western Regions come to Phoenix Mountain?"

Duan Feng sighed. He looked at the little moon reflected in his bowl of wine, and said softly, "If there was a choice, no one would want to be without a home, wandering aimlessly."

Tan Lingyin also became melancholy. She was also without a home, wandering aimlessly.

Several men were singing around a bonfire; this was their usual entertainment life. A thin, unkempt man held two iron plates, singing while beating it. His posture was very similar to a man from the side streets who sharpens scissors and knives. His singing was loud and clear, as if ready to pierce the sky. The lyrics were sung in a Hanzhong prefecture dialect. Tan Lingyin could barely understand it, but she felt that his singing was heartbreaking, desolate, and tragic. It echoed in the mountains in the dark night, drumming into everyone's chests. For a moment, Tan Lingyin felt that her heart seemed to be filled with something, but it also seemed to be empty. Her emotions fluctuated along with his singing and soon, she inadvertently bursted into tears.

Duan Feng was a little overwhelmed, "Are you homesick?"

Tan Lingyin came back to her senses. She wiped her tears and nodded. In fact, she was not crying because of homesickness, but because the singing had almost a sort of society in it. It filled people with sorrow and resentment, so she couldn't help but shed a tear.

She realized this camp was filled with talents, just none were literate.

Duan Feng rubbed his hands and said with some hesitation, "I don't want to take you home."

Tan Lingyin rolled her eyes and thought: If you don't want to, then don’t. Why bother to say it outloud?

Duan Feng felt a little guilty and coaxed her, "This is your home from now on, I will treat you well."

Tan Lingyin shook her head. "I don't understand, why do you have to be bandits? Aren't you afraid that the government will come and arrest you?"

Duan Feng snorted bitterly. "We were originally arrested by the government."

"Ah?!" Tan Lingyin was puzzled.

Duan Feng waved his hand and said impatiently, "In short, we didn’t want to be the bad guys, but we were desperate. As the saying goes, 'officials are not as good as bandits'. Although we are bandits, we hold more justice than those officials ever will."

Tan Lingyin understood a little. These unskilled laborers did not voluntarily go to Tianmu Mountain to mine, but were arrested by the former county magistrate. Because they were refugees, they  all had different accents. Because they were refugees, they are not easily noticed after being caught. Think about it, even if a beggar disappeared, who would report to the officials? Even if it was reported, the authorities would probably not find anything.

She suddenly felt sorry for them. These people were caught and forced into labor for no reason. And after they finished their work, they were ‘silenced’. After they were lucky enough to escape, how would they dare go down the mountain again? Let alone trust the government’s authorities.

Tan Lingyin pondered. What would happen if she confessed that she was from the government’s authorities and tried to persuade them to believe in the government officials again?

She would most likely be silenced...

Forget it. Tan Lingyin vented her depression on the roasted lamb leg. She held it and gnawed on the meat fiercely.

After Tang Tang finished eating his piece of meat, he wanted to eat more. With its front paws on Tan Lingyin's knee, Tang Tang looked at her with pleading eyes. It's a pity that Tan Lingyin was so focused gnawing on her lamb leg and didn't notice at all.

Duan Feng couldn't watch any longer, so he tore off a piece of meat and handed it to Tang Tang's mouth.

Tang Tang smelled the meat, it followed the hand holding the meat up to Duan Feng's malicious face. Seeing it was him, Tang Tang turned away and ignored Duan Feng.

Duan Feng didn't expect this lousy puppy to have quite the integrity. He didn't withdraw his hand, wanting to see when it succumbed to its hungry instincts.

Tang Tang didn't give in and grabbed Tan Lingyin's arm. With his paws stretched out, Tang Tang patted her face lightly.

Tan Lingyin noticed Tang Tang and hurriedly tore off a piece of meat for it.

Tang Tang ate happily.

Duan Feng: "..." Was this really a fucking dog? Must be a human in disguise, right?

Fine. He had to admit that he was quite envious of this lousy puppy...

After a satisfying meal, Tan Lingyin took Tang Tang back to rest.

Winter was already cold, and it was even colder in the mountains. Coupled with a ‘ventilated’ wooden house... it was an overwhelming feeling. Even with a charcoal basin, there was no effect. Tan Lingyin asked Duan Feng for an extra quilt, but it was still too cold. She was too embarrassed to ask for another one, and more importantly, she was afraid of being crushed to death by three layers of quilt. In the end, she had carried Tang Tang to bed.

With Tang Tang in her arms, it felt as if holding a heater in her arms, so Tan Lingyin quickly recovered and was no longer cold.

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Footnote:

[1] Western Regions - Han Dynasty term for regions beyond Yumen Pass