Chapter 85: Sentimental Woman

“Eating soft rice? what does that mean?”

Looking at Li Xiao’s exaggerated expression, Xiao Yanyan’s face was full of confusion. She could clearly tell that the words eating soft rice definitely did not mean what they seemed to imply on the surface.

“Nothing much,” Li Xiao shook his head lightly.

He explained casually, “It just means that in the future, I’ll rely on you to take care of me—it means hugging your thigh.”

“Giggle…”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanyan immediately let out a light, bell-like laughter.

“My thighs aren’t thick at all—there’s no way for you to hug them.”

Li Xiao feigned disbelief. “I’d have to measure them personally to know that for sure.”

“Get lost! Hahaha!”

Xiao Yanyan slapped away Li Xiao’s claw that was attempting to cause mischief. She gave him a fierce glare and laughed scoldingly, “You rascal.”

“However, this position of Deputy Military Governor is what you deserve.”

“Even without me saying anything, my brother would definitely have bestowed the title of Deputy Military Governor upon you.”

“In the Battle of Altai Mountain, your contribution was the greatest. You survived a near-death experience to break the Naiman people. I actually feel that just being a Deputy Military Governor is treating you unfairly,” Xiao Yanyan said softly.

She knew very well how dangerous it was to cross the Altai Ridge pass, and how unbearable the march through the endless mountains must have been afterward.

Even many elite armies would have collapsed long ago.

But Li Xiao had led that group of temporarily assembled motley troops, persevered, and successfully raided the Naiman camp.

Xiao Yanyan could completely imagine the hardships involved and was even more aware of how much pressure Li Xiao had endured.

So, at this moment, her gaze toward Li Xiao was filled with heartache.

More importantly, a major reason Li Xiao did all of this was to prevent her from being married off to the Naimans.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yanyan slowly reached out and grabbed the back of Li Xiao’s hand, which was currently combing her hair.

Her fingers gently stroked his chapped skin. In her mind, she imagined the scene of Li Xiao leading the army, trudging with difficulty through the mountain forests in the cold wind.

Unconsciously, her eyes seemed to grow slightly moist.

“What’s this? Crying now?”

He hadn’t expected Xiao Yanyan to go from laughing to crying just like that—women really were sentimental.

However, feeling the warm, soft touch on the back of his hand, Li Xiao felt a slight tingle in his heart. It was very comfortable.

He used his other hand to gently wipe away the tear at the corner of Xiao Yanyan’s eye and said jokingly, “If others saw this, they’d think I did something to you.”

“Your brother would probably take an eight-foot machete and split me alive.”

Xiao Yanyan smiled. She threw off Li Xiao’s rough hand and forced herself to speak. “It’s not that exaggerated—my brother has a very good temper.”

Good temper?

Come on, that’s only directed at you, his sister.

The two joked for a while before Li Xiao thought of an important matter.

“Since I am to be the Deputy Military Governor, then who is the Military Governor of Jin Prefectuer?”

Although he understood Xiao Simo’s intention—that he was there to share power with the Military Governor—Li Xiao didn’t want the relationship with the other party to be too tense.

Each managing their own affairs without interfering blindly would be best.

“It’s not clear yet. My brother hasn’t decided,” Xiao Yanyan shook her head.

She grabbed Li Xiao’s hand and placed it back on her hair, signaling him to continue combing.

“However, it will be nothing more than one of those few people.”

“General Xiao Tuladuo, General Xiao Linta, General Jiu Menganhe…”

“They are all generals who followed my grandfather back in the day.”

Li Xiao nodded lightly. Although he wasn’t too familiar with these people, he had some slight acquaintance with them.

Xiao Tuladuo would likely go to the desert to serve as a Governor there.

Among the others, Li Xiao was considering whose temperament was softer.

Li Xiao did not want to partner with someone who had a fiery temper, an aggressive personality, and a strong desire for control.

Because once the war with the Naimans ended, the main things Li Xiao would do upon returning to Jin Prefecture were just two things:

Farming and fighting for power.

So, Li Xiao hoped most for someone without such a strong desire for power—someone who would turn a blind eye to what he was doing.

Unfortunately, this kind of thing wasn’t up to him.

He still had to rely on this thigh—Xiao Yanyan.

“Among these people, whose temper is a bit better?”

Xiao Yanyan thought for a moment and shook her head. “None of them are great.”

True enough. In the survival environment of nomadic peoples, a person with a weak character could never reach the position of a leading general.

So Li Xiao changed his approach.

“In the troop arrangement against the Naimans this time, Lord Xiao actually took quite good care of me.”

“He placed my troops in the rear to do the easiest work.”

“Hehe, was it because you felt sorry for me and went specifically to beg your brother?” Li Xiao looked at Xiao Yanyan and asked with a smile.

“It was not,” Xiao Yanyan scoffed.

“Who feels sorry for a guy like you?”

“Shameless.”

“Besides, my brother never lets me interfere in matters of war. Even if I wanted to say something, he wouldn’t listen.”

While pulling her hair to her chest and beginning to braid it, she whispered, “It was General Xiao Linta.”

“He said your troops suffered heavy losses in the Altai Mountains and should rest properly, so he wouldn’t let you participate in the most dangerous battles.”

Hearing this, Li Xiao suddenly realized the truth and chuckled, “He’s quite a nice guy then.”

Xiao Linta?

So it turned out to be that old bastard.

Li Xiao naturally didn’t want to participate in the main attack either; he just wanted to honestly preserve his strength.

Xiao Linta’s behavior coincided with Li Xiao’s wishes, and objectively, he had given Li Xiao a hand.

However, subjectively speaking, Xiao Linta was suppressing Li Xiao.

He didn’t want Li Xiao to gain any greater merit.

This only proved one thing: this was an old bastard with a relatively strong desire for power.

“Yes!”

“General Xiao Linta is quite a good person. After Grandfather passed away back then, it was he who led men to guard the Xiao family day and night, preventing those petty scoundrels from taking advantage of the situation,” Xiao Yanyan said with a nod.

Immediately afterward, she told Li Xiao about some past events—how these old generals had connections with the Xiao family, and so on.

From her words, these people were extremely trustworthy.

But unfortunately—hearts are separated by bellies.

Perhaps their loyalty was unquestionable in the past, but what about now?

They dawdled until the sky was nearly dark. Li Xiao originally thought Xiao Yanyan would let him stay the night, but unexpectedly, he was still kicked out of the tent.

Helpless, he could only lead his men back to his own military camp.