Big Boss – Chapter 83

Kiss Beneath the Veil

Ye Youqing was momentarily speechless. After a while, she reached out and patted Zhou Hong’s shoulder, then walked back into the courtyard. Ci Ke had already stood up and squatted beside Ma Xiao, playing with the fish.

The two of them were talking and laughing, looking very happy.

The summer wind swept up the dust and fallen leaves, brushing against their pant legs. The courtyard was bustling with activity. The little girl muttered to the ants, while Zhou Hong and Ma Da busied themselves at the stove. Shi Li sat on a stone bench, slightly rocking, with her hands supporting the back of her head.

The aroma of food gradually filled the courtyard, the cooking smoke drifting into the blue sky, blending with the white clouds. Keen ears could hear the noise of traffic and the shouts of street vendors from the alleys outside.

Ye Youqing looked at Ci Ke’s back and suddenly felt a sense of satisfaction.

Everyone was tired from the journey, and they all went to bed as soon as dusk fell. The small courtyard was bathed in moonlight, dim and quiet, with only the main house in the middle still lit.

After delivering dinner to the confined Lian’er, Ma Xiao knocked on Ye Youqing’s door. Upon receiving a faint “come in,” she pushed the door open.

She saw a woman sitting at a table, with some papers scattered on it. The woman was leaning on her elbow, her hair falling out of its hairpin and covering her eyes, looking very weary.

“Miss,” Ma Xiao whispered, afraid of disturbing her.

Ye Youqing looked up, and upon seeing Ma Xiao, her phoenix eyes cleared a bit. She exhaled, removed the hairpin, and gathered all her hair behind her head, tying it into a loose bun.

Her gentle and perfectly balanced features became visible as she tilted her head to gesture for Ma Xiao to sit down.

“Miss, you said earlier that you wanted to see me tonight for something. What is it?” Ma Xiao asked, sitting properly.

“Don’t be nervous. I just have some questions. I remember you mentioned before that you worked at a smelting workshop for a long time before becoming a blacksmith?” Ye Youqing asked.

“Yes,” Ma Xiao nodded quickly.

Hearing this, Ye Youqing’s expression relaxed a bit. “So, do you know the process?”

Ma Xiao thought for a moment and continued to nod. “I stayed there for a long time, often taking on multiple jobs to earn money, so I basically figured it out.”

“Are you planning to build a blast furnace for smelting?” Although Ye Youqing had already told them about her experiences in the mountain stronghold during the day, Ma Xiao was still somewhat surprised to hear it now.

Ye Youqing nodded.

Ma Xiao seemed a bit troubled. She scratched her head. “But even though I know the process, making iron requires at least a blast furnace, a steelmaking furnace, and a forging furnace. I have some knowledge, but when it comes to making refractory bricks and such, I’m clueless.”

Ye Youqing smiled. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

Just then, there was another knock on the door. After Ye Youqing said “come in,” a tall, thin man stepped over the threshold and stood in front of her with his head bowed.

“Miss Ye,” he said.

“Tell Old Liu when you go back, to make another deal with the wealthy merchants who bought our ore before. Send someone to follow them and bring their craftsmen back to the mountain stronghold. Ask for the method to build a blast furnace, and inform me once we successfully smelt iron,” Ye Youqing said.

Ding Cheng was somewhat surprised. He looked around and bent over. “Bring them back by force?”

“Return them after we’re successful,” Ye Youqing said lightly, then placed a bulging purse into Ma Xiao’s hand. “Get all the silver you need from Ma Xiao.”

Ma Xiao’s eyes flickered, and she clutched the purse, feeling a bit flattered.

“Also, is there a river near the mountain stronghold?” Ye Youqing asked again.

Ding Cheng quickly nodded.

“Good, it’s best to build the workshop in a secluded place near the river. That way, we can use the river water to power the bellows and save some manpower,” Ye Youqing said, rubbing her forehead.

She wasn’t sure if the Qi Dynasty had developed the Bessemer process yet, but even if it had, it was probably not widely used. Once they successfully smelted the iron, they could think about improving its quality, Ye Youqing thought.

“Will this really work?” Ding Cheng was both excited and doubtful.

“Didn’t I say, we’ll know if it works once we try? If it fails, it doesn’t matter; the iron ore is still in the ground. But if it succeeds, the silver we earn in the future will be more than enough to support an Iron Cavalry of a hundred, let alone an army,” Ye Youqing said softly, rubbing her temples.

“Alright, go back and rest early. You can stay in Weizhou for a day and return the day after tomorrow.”

“No, since Miss has given the order, I’ll return to the mountain stronghold tomorrow to avoid wasting time,” Ding Cheng said, a bit excited. He nodded to Ye Youqing and took his leave.

“Does Miss really trust me this much?” Ma Xiao asked cautiously, holding the purse, her clear black-and-white eyes looking at Ye Youqing.

Ye Youqing smiled gently and patted her arm. “If I really had that much suspicion, wouldn’t I be no different from the current emperor sitting on the dragon throne?”

And she believed in her ability to judge people.

Ma Xiao nodded heavily and then took her leave. The moonlight was once again blocked outside the door. Ye Youqing rubbed her eyes and picked up another piece of paper, struggling to write something with a brush.

Ding Cheng kept his word. The next day, he and Ma Xiao left Weizhou in a hurry.

It rained on the third day. The sky was gray and gloomy, with raindrops falling from the eaves, making a continuous dripping sound that irritated people. Water accumulated in the low places in the courtyard, creating ripples.

No one went out on rainy days. The courtyard was desolate and cold, even the willow tree was soaked in rain, no longer swaying with the wind, looking lifeless.

Ci Ke stood by the open window, her eyes expressionless and unmoving.

She suddenly felt a bit cold, rubbing her arms and closing her eyes slightly. Her body trembled until she opened her eyes again, drenched in cold sweat.

Every year, near her birthday, the scenes from that year replayed in her mind, frantically reenacting, making her watch over and over as the soldiers broke into her home, dragged her father from the dinner table, tied him up, and took him out to the courtyard.

Or on the day of the execution by waist severing, when she was already a servant of the Ji family, scrubbing a basin of dirty clothes in the courtyard, suddenly smelling a pungent blood scent that enveloped her like a demon, lingering for a long time, scaring her into hiding in a corner and crying for half a day.

That night, she heard the news of her father’s death from other servants.

She tore at her sleeves, trying to calm herself. Today, for some reason, maybe the rain and the gloomy weather caused her anxiety, or maybe her brother’s return reminded her of those past events.

Finally, she had to slam her hand against the brick wall, watching as her knuckles bled, to suppress her sorrow.

Footsteps came from next door; it was Ye Youqing’s. Ci Ke took a step forward.

When one cannot suppress their emotions, they want to talk to someone. She suddenly yearned for Ye Youqing to knock on her door. Perhaps hearing her gentle voice would calm her down.

The wall shook, and the door next door was pulled open. Ci Ke instinctively sidestepped to hide behind the wall.

Ye Youqing’s footsteps paused at her door for a moment, then went in the opposite direction. Following that was the sound of the courtyard gate opening, and Ye Youqing had left.

Ci Ke closed her eyes. She hadn’t washed up today, nor had she tied her hair. She let her black hair drape over her shoulders and quickly walked a few steps before diving under the quilt, burying her face deep in the darkness.

This was her own suffering, and she didn’t want to spoil Ye Youqing’s mood by talking about it.

If she fell asleep, she wouldn’t think about it anymore, she whispered softly to herself, then tightly closed her eyes.

She didn’t know how long she had lain there, but she did fall asleep. However, it wasn’t peaceful because the scenes in her dreams were just as chaotic and complicated as her memories.

Besides the corpses of her family, there were even scenes of her being torn and beaten. She wanted to escape, but no matter how she struggled, she sank deeper into the nightmare.

The faces of those people in her dreams were already unrecognizable, blocking her in a dark corner, plunging her into an abyss.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, one of the faces became clear and approached swiftly, then the surroundings brightened, carrying the fresh breeze after the rain, lifting her messy hair.

Ci Ke lay on the bed, staring blankly at Ye Youqing’s enlarged features.

“You finally woke up. I called you for a long time with no response and almost went to fetch a doctor,” Ye Youqing said with relief, covering Ci Ke’s forehead with her palm. “You don’t have a fever, so why are you sweating so much?”

Some strands of the woman’s black hair were stuck to her face, contrasting sharply with her pale complexion, making her look like a delicate and fragile porcelain doll.

“I’m fine, just slept a bit longer,” Ci Ke said, staring at Ye Youqing. When Ye Youqing leaned in, she closed her eyes, carefully inhaling the fragrance from her body.

There was also a faint scent of rainwater, which alleviated much of the fright from her nightmare. She couldn’t help but grab the corner of Ye Youqing’s clothes, holding it tightly to feel at ease.

Seeing her like this, Ye Youqing knew she had a nightmare. Her heart ached, but she maintained a composed expression and smiled. “It’s getting late; you can’t sleep any longer.”

“But I want to sleep,” Ci Ke shook her head and said.

Ye Youqing looked at her for a moment, then suddenly lifted the quilt and forcibly pulled her up. Ci Ke couldn’t resist her strength and was dragged into a sitting position.

Her eyes became moist, and she kept shaking her head. “Ye Youqing, I don’t want to move today.”

Ye Youqing stared straight at her and suddenly leaned in close, whispering, “Do you want me to help you dress up?”

Ci Ke was stunned. At first, she thought she had misheard, but when she saw Ye Youqing reaching out, she stumbled off the bed and staggered towards the dressing table.

Ye Youqing must be joking, Ci Ke thought as she turned and sat down, hurriedly grabbing a comb to tidy her hair. She quickly arranged it on top of her head and fastened it with a simple hairpin.

Ye Youqing didn’t say anything else. She stood silently by the side, watching Ci Ke finish everything herself.

When it was time to change clothes, Ci Ke hesitated but eventually turned her back to Ye Youqing, quickly changing out of her inner garments and into a light yellow silk dress. When she had tied her belt and looked up, she saw Ye Youqing was facing away, neatly folding the bed.

The woman’s movements were slow and deliberate, as if she didn’t care about Ci Ke’s actions at all. Ci Ke didn’t know whether to feel relieved or sad. When the rustling stopped, Ye Youqing finally looked at her.

“Come with me,” Ye Youqing said, then turned and walked into the cool evening breeze. The rain had stopped, and the sky wasn’t very bright, but the air was clear and fresh.

Ci Ke smoothed her dress and quickly followed.

What she didn’t know was that although Ye Youqing appeared calm, her hands were sweaty, and her heart was pounding like a drum, unable to calm down.

Help you dress up? Ye Youqing, Ye Youqing, have you eaten three pounds of sunflower oil? Ye Youqing walked quickly ahead, silently cursing herself.

The courtyard was eerily quiet today. Ci Ke suspiciously looked around the rooms. All the doors were closed, and she didn’t know what everyone was doing inside.

Ye Youqing opened the door for her, and Ci Ke sneaked a glance at Ye Youqing before lowering her head and walking out.

Dodging the puddles left by the rain, Ye Youqing walked ahead without saying a word to Ci Ke, and Ci Ke didn’t speak either, only feeling anxious and guessing.

What’s wrong with Ye Youqing? Where is she taking me?

Could it be that she’s sending me back to Bianjing?

The increasingly chaotic thoughts made her worry, but strangely, the previous sorrow over past events had lessened, driven out by these concerns.

“Ye Youqing!” As the sky grew darker, Ci Ke became frightened and grabbed her clothes. “Where are we going?”

“Just come with me,” Ye Youqing turned back and smiled at her, her face barely visible in the dim light.

It had rained earlier today, and there weren’t many people on the streets. Ci Ke followed Ye Youqing with small steps, all the way to the west of the city. There was an open area surrounded by shops, now closed, so almost no one was around.

Leaves knocked down by the rain stuck to the ground, smeared with mud.

“Ye Youqing, you!” Ci Ke finally got annoyed. Halfway through her question, she saw a large display of fireworks blossoming in front of her. For a moment, she was dazed, as if it were dawn, dazzling as daylight.

She raised her hand to pull Ye Youqing’s hand, but it stopped in mid-air. She forgot to retract it as she looked up at the huge firework frame in front of her, joyfully and festively shooting fireworks into the sky and around.

The fireworks illuminated the surrounding houses, the nearby trees, and Ye Youqing’s face. She was smiling brightly, with a red glow in her phoenix eyes and slightly parted lips, revealing a small section of white teeth.

A small section of fireworks sprayed near Ci Ke’s feet. Ye Youqing hurriedly pulled her to a safe place. Ci Ke looked at the blooming firework flowers in front of her, feeling a surge of hot air rushing to her head, almost escaping from her eyes.

The fierce fire drove away the gloom. At this moment, she couldn’t recall any of those past events.

“Ci Ke, happy birthday,” Ye Youqing said gently. “From now on, you’ll be eighteen, a grown-up.”

Ci Ke’s eyes brimmed with tears, but her lips slowly curled up. She looked at Ye Youqing, muffledly laughing, “I came of age a long time ago. I’ve been an adult for a while.”

“I don’t care,” Ye Youqing said with a smile. She looked up at the sky, a bit disappointed. “I planned to tell you a story about how the departed turn into stars under the starry sky.”

Now the sky was pitch dark, with no stars in sight. The cheesy lines Ye Youqing learned from TV dramas were all for naught.

She looked down at Ci Ke again. Under the firelight, the girl was more beautiful than ever, especially her eyes, more captivating than the stars.

Her cherry lips were moist and glossy.

Ye Youqing thought of the story Shi Li told, stared at those lips, and leaned in slightly. But feeling Ci Ke’s gaze, her heart pounded fiercely, and she didn’t dare to lower her head. She had to resist the urge to scratch her ears, pulling herself away and rummaging through her clothes.

“You actually believe that kind of story…” Ci Ke began, but her vision suddenly darkened, and her face was covered with a veil.

A warm breath approached, and a pair of soft lips touched her slightly parted mouth through the thin veil.