My years as a soldier

"Oh...not bad." Cao Yi finally responded.

"That's good. If you have anything to say, just say it. When you're away from home and it's the Chinese New Year, it's right for everyone to take care of each other."

Hu Jiuzhang was very straightforward. Hearing his words, Cao Yi's heart warmed up, and his fingers had already been removed from Li Muyun's wrist.

"Why do I feel...Your Excellency's voice sounds familiar?" Cao Yi withdrew from the carriage, got off and jumped onto the dirt road in the courtyard.The light of the fire swayed faintly in the evening wind, and the crackling sound of wood chips in the flames reflected the scorching warmth of this winter night.

"Actually, I also think..." Hu Jiuzhang couldn't help narrowing his eyes.He still couldn't see Cao Yi's face clearly, but that tall figure already reminded him of something.

"Brother, did you go to Yanping Gate this afternoon?"

"You mean Yanping Gate? Ah... I remembered, you are the one in Beiting."

"That's right." Hu Jiuzhang said with a smile in his voice, "It's a coincidence that Anxijun's brother met here again!"

"Haha... yes." Cao Yi sighed lightly, and while speaking, his state actually relaxed.

People who have been soldiers are like wolves. Rather than trying to figure out the other party's demeanor and actions, they prefer to obey the animalistic primitive instinct in their hearts and feel the other party's feelings.

And Hu Jiuzhang looked at Cao Yi, that's how it was.

From the first time he saw Cao Yi, he felt that this person was different from ordinary people. Not only that, he was also different from ordinary soldiers.

This tall one-eyed man is like a lost lone wolf. He is no longer on the battlefield, but he can't adapt to life in the crowd. Whenever there is a slight disturbance, he is as sensitive as a wolf who can kill at any time generally.Such a person should always stay in the army.Only in the army can a lone wolf find a home.

And this is probably the reason why Cao Yi suddenly relaxed physically and mentally after seeing Hu Jiuzhang.

Hu Jiuzhang saw it.He could understand the mood of the one-eyed man in front of him, but he didn't understand why such a person would appear in Chang'an City.

"Brother, haven't you asked for your name yet?"

Seeing Cao Yi get off the car, Hu Jiuzhang walked towards the campfire.His luggage was on the edge of the campfire, and there were some cakes in it.

"Cao Yi." Cao Yi answered straightforwardly this time, as if he could open his heart without any scruples when he met a soldier.

"What about you?"

"My name is Hu Jiuzhang."

Hu Jiuzhang sat by the bonfire, picked up his package, and took out a piece of cake from it.

"It's getting late, Brother Cao, I have cakes here, and there are patients in your car, do you need water? I just have half a pot of water left here, and I will heat it up on the fire later, you Give it to the sick people in the car."

Hearing Hu Jiuzhang's words, Cao Yi was stunned for a while, and even his expression softened.

"This..." Cao Yi hesitated for a while, but couldn't answer for a moment.

Cao Yi was stunned, but Li Muyun in the car was even more "mixed".He didn't know whether Cao Yi felt his pulse, and the big stone in his heart hadn't been put down yet. He didn't expect that Hu Jiuzhang was more friendly to Cao Yi outside than when he was to him.

At first, because he was worried about Hu Jiuzhang's safety, he didn't ask for help directly, but now, listening to the two people talking outside, Li Muyun really couldn't calm down.

He has only made one friend with all his heart in his life, but now he finds that to that friend, he may be just one of thousands of friends.

"...Thank you."

It took a while before Cao Yi answered.As if discouraged, the tall man leaned over and sat by the campfire, directly opposite Hu Jiuzhang.The firelight hit his face, and the scar engraved on his left eye was extraordinarily deep.

Hu Jiuzhang smiled and passed the pancakes in his hand, and looked at the carriage from time to time.

"I don't know who the patient in the car is... Brother Cao?"

"Oh...he...is my younger brother." Cao Yi lowered his head involuntarily, his only remaining eye staring at the fire, as if avoiding something.

"Then... what disease does your brother suffer from?"

Hu Jiuzhang was just curious, and asked casually, but unexpectedly the other party's eyes suddenly dodged.He was the last person to be suspicious, but at this moment, he couldn't help but have some doubts in his heart.

"... Fengchi." After saying the first sentence, and then the second sentence, Cao Yi's tone became much more natural.But the smoother he spoke, the more weird Hu Jiuzhang felt.

"Since it's windy and cold, you must pay more attention to heating. This time I'm going out of the city to see a doctor? Why don't you go out during the day? It's winter, and if you spend a night on the road, aren't you afraid that the patient won't be able to bear it?"

Hu Jiuzhang also said something, although he just asked casually, but the one with ghosts in his heart couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Uh... something happened at home during the day, so it was delayed."

Cao Yi's voice was a little gloomy again. He held the big pancake he just took in his hand, and was about to eat it, but stopped again.

"Brother Cao, are you still worried about my younger brother? Otherwise, you can stay with him in the car. I'll heat up the water here and send it to you."

"Need not……"

Cao Yi quickly shook his hand.Obviously, he didn't want to ask Hu Jiuzhang to enter the carriage at all.

"Brother Cao, why are you so cautious?"

Hu Jiuzhang laughed dryly.At this point, even if he didn't want to be suspicious anymore, he still had to think a few more steps.Hu Jiuzhang also had a younger brother. If Hu Yan was the one who was sick in the car at this time, he would definitely not react like Cao Yi.And it wasn't right.What could be more important than the life of one's own brother?Since people are already so sick that they have to go out to seek medical treatment, why do they delay traveling until night?

As soon as he thought of Hu Yan, Hu Jiuzhang's attitude changed instantly.He frowned subconsciously, and suddenly felt worried, his nose was sore, but he was also a little anxious, wishing to go to the carriage to confirm immediately, for fear that the people in the carriage would aggravate their illness due to the cold winter night.

"Brother Cao, is that really your brother in the car?" Hu Jiuzhang suddenly asked in a deep voice.

Cao Yi's eyes froze, and a fierce light flashed out of it.Cao Yi's hand subconsciously grasped the handle of the knife at his waist. His face remained calm, but his body was already in a defensive posture.

But Hu Jiuzhang's heart is all about his younger brother.That anxiety was accompanied by the regret that had been buried in his heart for more than three months.He regretted saving the 50 taels of silver for Hu Yan, and also regretted encouraging Hu Yan to study and asking him to take the imperial examination.

It was Chinese New Year again, and Hu Jiuzhang's eyes could not stop turning slightly red.He didn't notice the movements of Cao Yi's hands, but his brows tightened, showing a bit of harshness.

"Brother Cao, if the person in the car really—"

"cough……"

Suddenly, there was a light cough from inside the car, and both Hu Jiuzhang and Cao Yi were taken aback.

"Brother Cao, go in and have a look." Hu Jiuzhang stood up quickly, with a worried look, as if he was the one who was sending someone to see a doctor.Cao Yi got up more than half a beat slower than Hu Jiuzhang. He was still holding the handle of the knife with one hand, but he didn't pull out the knife in a daze. He just stared at Hu Jiuzhang's movements with a gloomy face.

"Go!"

Hu Jiuzhang took a step towards the carriage, but Cao Yi still stood there with a gloomy face.That expression is definitely not like a brother who sent his younger brother out to see a doctor.Hu Jiuzhang frowned, and stepped into the carriage in a few quick steps.

Only then did Cao Yi realize that he was going to stop him, and quickly chased after him with a knife, and stepped into the car in a few steps.

The sound of the two getting into the car one after another caused the two sluggish horses in front of the car to neigh repeatedly. The inside of the car was still pitch black, but Hu Jiuzhang entered the car one step ahead of Cao Yi.In the darkness, he only heard a faint but very familiar calling.

"Old Hu."

Hu Jiuzhang couldn't help but froze in place.

The moonlight outside the car door could not illuminate the inside of the car, and half of Hu Jiuzhang's body was still outside the car.It took him two or three seconds to react to those two words before he was finally convinced of the meaning of the voice.

Cao Yi followed him into the car.The carriage swayed, and Cao Yi's tall figure directly covered the last faint moonlight.

The three of them were in the darkness, Li Muyun didn't make a sound, but Hu Jiuzhang suddenly turned around and put his hand on Cao Yi's shoulder.

"Brother Cao—"

Li Muyun's heart almost rose to his throat following Hu Jiuzhang's greeting.Hu Jiuzhang had no weapon on him, but Cao Yi had a knife on his waist.As long as Cao Yi is willing, he can take Hu Jiuzhang's life at any time.As for Li Muyun, although he had secretly moved Hu Jiuzhang's two sabers to his side little by little while Cao Yi was away, he was afraid that the speed with which he handed the sabers was far slower than the speed with which Cao Yi drew them.

There was nowhere to hide in the carriage, and Cao Yi could kill Hu Jiuzhang in this narrow space with just a wave of his hand.

But after a while, Li Muyun's back was soaked in cold sweat.He lay in the quilt, but still felt the bone-chilling cold.It wasn't really cold, but because of the trembling caused by fear, it almost exhausted all his physical strength in an instant.

He suddenly regretted coughing that sound.Obviously it was because he was worried about Hu Jiuzhang that he interrupted him aloud, but he didn't expect that now he would be killed instead.

blame me...

Li Muyun thought to himself, but Hu Jiuzhang was right in front of him, and Cao Yi was like a giant, blocking the only way for the two of them at the car door.

"Brother Cao," Hu Jiuzhang suddenly patted Cao Yi's shoulder sideways. In the darkness, they couldn't see each other's faces clearly. How about this..." Hu Jiuzhang squeezed out of the car from Cao Yi's side with a single step.

"I'm going to light another bonfire in the temple. Your brother has a cold and can't see the cold. It's better to take him to the temple to sleep at night and warm up by the fire than to lie alone in the car."

Hu Jiuzhang's words were very earnest.Cao Yi turned around and looked towards the direction where Hu Jiuzhang was standing outside the car, with vigilance in his eyes, but more dazed and confused.

He stood there thinking for a while, before finally making a sound.

"...Alright."

Compared with Hu Jiuzhang, Cao Yi's belated reaction seemed a bit stupid. His eyes were all on Hu Jiuzhang, and his palm had been put down from the handle at some point.

"You really care about..."

Cao Yi's voice was low and deep, and he was actually a little embarrassed.

"It should be," Hu Jiuzhang had already gone to the courtyard to collect firewood with a half-burned stick. "When you are away from home, don't you just have to take care of each other!"

Hu Jiuzhang's Northwest accent made his words look extraordinarily simple, while Li Muyun in the car had already buried his face in the quilt, almost laughing out loud.

Silly Hu...

He thought to himself, but there was an unstoppable smile on his face.

Really have you!