Chapter 21: Apology
The personal guards carried Yun Ye back to the tent, and Lao Cheng carefully put him on the bed.
As soon as his body touched the bed, Yun Ye screamed loudly, and Lao Cheng rubbed his hands anxiously. He knew very well how strong Niu Jinda’s hands were. The 42-jin iron horse-shaped weapon in his hands was as light as straw. Most other horse-shaped weapons were made of a mixture of rattan, horse hair, and lacquer, but his horse-shaped weapon was made of pure steel and was unstoppable in breaking formations. Just now, under the influence of excitement, his subordinates did not know the severity of the situation. Just looking at the two black and blue handprints on Yun Ye’s shoulders, you can tell that he was seriously injured. If this kid were to be left with a disability, Cheng Yaojin would feel that he was unforgivable.
This is not the fault of Niu Jinda. He has been working with his partner for many years and knows very well how the death of his young relative has left a shadow on this iron man. Just when he was at a loss, the military doctor hurried in with a medical bag on his back. Seeing the general here, he hurriedly bowed. Cheng Yaojin waved his hand impatiently to stop him: “Don’t be too polite. Take a look at the severity of Xiao Ye’s injury.”
The doctor lifted Yun Ye’s shirt and gently pressed on the two black and blue handprints. Yun Ye let out a scream and kicked his feet wildly. Cheng Yaojin glared at the doctor, who quickly bowed: “Your Excellency, Lord Yun is not in any danger. It’s just that the tendons in his shoulders have been slightly dislocated. I will release the blood clots with acupuncture and he will recover in a week.”
Hearing the doctor say this, Old Cheng finally let his guard down. As long as there are no lingering problems, this kid is still young, and he will be able to live and jump around again after a few days of recuperation. When Old Niu captured him, he actually left a little strength in his hands.
The military doctor took a three-edged needle and lightly pricked Yun Ye’s shoulder a few times. A few strands of bright red bruises flowed out of the needle holes, and Yun Ye also felt that the swelling and pain were slowly decreasing. He couldn’t help but relax his brows and nod to the military doctor to thank him. The military doctor dried the bloodstains on his body and said that he was going to boil medicine and withdrew from the account room.
Lao Cheng sat in front of the bed, covering Yun Ye’s lapel, looking at him with embarrassment. Yun Ye saw Lao Cheng’s embarrassment and made a big grimace at him, saying, “What is Uncle embarrassed about? Uncle Niu has always taken good care of his nephew, and a few days ago he even taught his nephew to ride a horse. He is already in his fifties and still fighting in the battlefield. He has never left the battlefield in his life. What is the point of it? To get promoted and get rich, to marry and have children? I heard that he only has an old wife and a disabled son at home. I’m afraid that even a prestigious official position won’t be a big temptation for Uncle Niu. Today, I heard about the magic of potatoes and became so excited that I could see that he had suppressed his anger in his heart, but I don’t know that his resentment is like a flood that is suppressed all the time, and sooner or later it will break through the dam and do something. I don’t know what he will do. Now, his resentment must have dissipated a little, but I don’t understand. I heard that Uncle Niu was also born into a family of officials, so how could there be a tragedy where the whole family starved to death?
“It’s not the tragedy of the expedition to Korea that brought it about. Three hundred thousand troops were buried in Goguryeo, and countless families were ruined. Do you think that being born into a family of officials means you can rest easy? It’s a joke. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, there were seventy-two rebellious kings, and thirty-six groups of smoke and dust wreaked havoc on the world. There is no place like the land of Taoyuan in the world. Old Niu’s father was the county magistrate. The defeated soldiers returning from Goguryeo, coupled with bandits and rebels sweeping back and forth, there was not a grain of food in the house. It was only natural that they would starve to death. Don’t think too much. Take care of your wounds. We still have to plant potatoes and sell them to His Majesty. We can’t delay this. I’m still waiting to see 15 tons of grain per mu. Chu Mo will be back from Lord Changsun in a day. Let him take care of you then. Get some rest. I’m going to see Lao Niu.
After saying that, he picked up the tent and walked out. Yun Ye ordered his personal guards to take some ice from the jar and wrap it in oilcloth to apply to his shoulder. The burning pain finally stopped. He drank a bowl of unknown liquid and fell asleep with the quilt.
The rainy weather in early autumn seemed to be telling everyone that summer was gone. Wangcai had not gone to the river to drink for some time. He did not like the salty taste of the well water, but the roaring river in front of him made him feel even more frightened, so he tried to open his mouth wide to let the rainwater flow into his mouth. After doing it a few times, he felt bored. The owner’s tent was right next to it. The old man inside was holding a knife and stabbing a piece of meat into the owner’s mouth. Seeing the owner helplessly begging for mercy, Wangcai felt very embarrassed and slinked back to the stable with his tail wagging.
Yun Ye couldn’t stand it anymore. After the old ox woke up, he slapped himself hard a few times and took a knife to find Yun Ye. He planned to cut himself in front of Yun Ye to apologize. Just as he was about to do so, Yun Ye bit the old ox’s wrist to prevent him from doing such a cruel thing. With his strength, a half-catty piece of meat would be cut off with one blow.
People in the army have always been straightforward. Lao Niu thought that Yun Ye’s biting his wrist was a complete lack of flesh in his body. Needless to say, a whole sheep was placed in the shed for barbecue. Lao Niu personally wielded the knife. The golden lamb made Yun Ye’s mouth overflow with saliva. Unfortunately, his hands were too weak to do anything. Lao Niu pressed him down on a stool, took out a small knife studded with precious stones, and shoved a half-catty piece of meat into Yun Ye’s mouth. The lamb was roasted to perfection, with a fragrant aroma. Cheng Chumo, who was sitting next to him, opened his mouth wide to get a piece, but was kicked out of the shed.
Lao Niu was still complaining, “Do you plan to let me serve you? I hurt Xiao Ye, and I can’t use my arms. It’s fine for me to lower myself to feed him, but you’re taking advantage of me.”
Cheng Chumo smiled sheepishly. Yun Ye finally swallowed the meat, and tears welled up in his eyes. He roared at the old ox in his heart, “Is this how you take care of people?”
Seeing that he had swallowed the meat, the old ox casually stuck a knife into the leg of the lamb, rubbed his face with his hand, and solemnly asked Yun Ye, “Kid, I have never bowed to anyone in my life. Today is the first time. Now that you have eaten the meat and stopped me from stabbing myself, how about I let it go this time?”
Yun Ye looked up in surprise at the serious face of the old ox, and after a long pause, he said, “Uncle Niu, do you want to shorten my life? You were blinded by the past and accidentally scratched the kid. This is also due to the kid’s overly thin body. How can you blame your uncle? I heard that you wandered outside the tent all night last night, and my nephew was already uneasy. I originally planned to go to Uncle to pay my respects, but unexpectedly you came to see me first. I am already extremely rude, and I am already grateful that you do not blame me. How dare I accept your apology, Uncle? Please do not mention this matter again, or I will be ashamed to death.
“Hey, kid, of course you don’t deserve my apology. I have lived a life of adventure, and I have killed countless people. Even if I have done something wrong, I don’t bow my head. I can just take a life in exchange for another. I don’t care about life or death.”
At this point, the old man paused, and his eyes flashed with hatred. He clenched his fists and shouted, “People can die of old age, disease, drowning, burning, being killed by a knife, being trampled to death by a horse, but not by starvation. This is the most painful way to die in the world, and the greatest punishment the heavens can inflict on the world. I have spent my entire life in battle, and I have never regretted the deaths of my men. I only hope that the world will soon be at peace, and that there will be no more people dying of starvation. You say that potatoes can be grown in barren land, and that good land can produce 150 catties. With this, my wish will be fulfilled, and there will be no more people dying of starvation in the world. Not to mention apologizing, even if you ask me to kneel down, what’s wrong with that?