Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 161 Son-in-Law
When Ma Yunlu heard the female guard outside the door report that Ma Lian'er had come to the mansion specifically to see him, not Wei Xiaobao, she wore an incredulous expression. She turned to look at Wei Xiaobao in the wooden tub and asked, "Why would she come to see me?"

Wei Xiaobao closed his eyes, enjoying the comfort of his body soaking in the warm water, and said casually, "Why don't you go see her and you'll know? How could I possibly guess?"

Ma Yunlu had been separated from Wei Xiaobao for more than ten days. Now that she saw him lying naked in the bathtub, her heart was already itching with desire, and she had no mind to think about anything else.

"This girl really knows how to time things! You go to bed and rest after you've finished washing up, I'll be right back!"

Ma Yunlu gently placed the towel in her hand on Wei Xiaobao's face, quickly straightened her clothes, and squeezed out through a crack in the door.

"Where is the man?"

"I told her to wait in the side hall."

As the footsteps outside faded into the distance, Wei Xiaobao drifted off to sleep.

When Ma Yunlu returned, Wei Xiaobao was still asleep.

Ma Yunlu touched the water and found it was already cold, so she woke up Wei Xiaobao and went to make the bed.

"The water's all cold, and you're still sleeping. Aren't you afraid of catching a cold before your injury has even healed?"

"crash"

Wei Xiaobao stood up from the bathtub, stepped out, and began to wipe the water off his body.

"What does Ma Lian'er want with you?"

Hearing the voice coming from behind the curtain, Ma Yunlu stopped what she was doing, sat on the edge of the bed, and said, "She came to see me today because she wants to join the army."

Wei Xiaobao, having changed his clothes, stepped out of the bathroom: "Why did you join the army?"

"This girl is quite pitiful. She lost both her parents and has no siblings or relatives to rely on. Seeing the female soldiers I'm leading today, she had the idea of ​​making a name for herself in the army."

"You agreed?"

Ma Yunlu shook his head and said, "I haven't agreed yet. Let her go back first, and I'll give her an answer tomorrow. Joining the army isn't that easy. Although the female soldiers under my command haven't been on the battlefield before, they've all practiced martial arts and horseback riding since they were young. Their physical fitness and equestrian skills are far superior to those of ordinary girls. Ma Lian'er has been fishing since she was young. Although she's much better than those pampered women, she's still far behind."

Wei Xiaobao said, "Horse riding can be learned slowly. As long as you have the heart to fight on the battlefield, you can be a good soldier. Why don't you agree to let her stay by your side for now, and you can train her more? Even if she can't fight on the battlefield in the future, it's good for her to stay by your side as a maid."

Ma Yunlu, consumed by jealousy, asked, "Why are you so concerned about her?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Oh dear, she followed me to Tianshui, so I have to find her a good place to stay, right? Should I let her stay by my side forever?"

Ma Yunlu hurriedly objected: "No way! Who knows what might happen if she stays by your side? I'll listen to you, let her be my bodyguard for now."

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, when Wei Xiaobao woke up, he was the only one left in bed.

After Wei Xiaobao finished dressing and tidying up, he went out to find Ma Yunlu, only to find two female guards already waiting at the door.

"Is the son-in-law up?"

Wei Xiaobao hummed in agreement, then suddenly realized something was amiss: "Who told you to call me son-in-law?"

"The old general and the young lady instructed us to address them that way. The old general already knows about the matter between the son-in-law and the young lady."

Wei Xiaobao had a lot of wives and didn't care much about these worldly etiquettes. He nodded casually in acquiescence and then asked, "Where is your young lady? Did she go to pay her respects to General Ma?" The female guard replied, "Young lady got up a long time ago to pay her respects to the old general. She should be in the military camp by now. Young lady instructed us to serve you breakfast after the young master wakes up."

Wei Xiaobao followed the two to a side hall, where eight cold dishes, four meat and four vegetable, were already laid out on the table.

"Wow, breakfast is so lavish! Anyone who didn't know better would think I was eating my last meal before I was executed!"

"Hehe, young master, you're joking. This is what we have for breakfast every day. If you don't like it, just tell us and we'll change it for you tomorrow."

Wei Xiaobao quickly waved his hand: "I've been eating fish these past few days, I'm already very satisfied with what I can eat."

Not long after Wei Xiaobao sat down, two female guards brought him a bowl of steaming hot mutton soup and a plate of fried dough balls.

Wei Xiaobao's appetite was whetted, and he swept the food clean in a whirlwind.

After arriving at the military camp, Ma Yunlu instructed his personal guards to fetch Ma Lian'er from the refugee camp. After showing her around the camp and familiarizing her with various military affairs, he arranged for someone to change her into military uniform.

While Ma Lian'er went to change her clothes, Wei Xiaobao had already arrived at the military camp.

"Your injuries haven't healed yet, so why are you in the military camp?"

This was Wei Xiaobao's first time visiting Ma Yunlu's military tent. As he looked around, he replied, "I couldn't sit still by myself, so I wanted to come out for a stroll. There's nothing fun in Tianshui City, so I came to find you."

Besides bows and knives, the military tent contained only common military items, nothing unusual.

Ma Yunlu said, "I've already enlisted Ma Lian'er. I'll take her to try out the horse later."

Wei Xiaobao nodded, then changed the subject: "Does your father know about us?"

Ma Yunlu blushed slightly: "I've been saying I'd come to rescue you every day, how could Father not guess?"

Wei Xiaobao was somewhat troubled: "The relationship between the Ma and Liu families is delicate now. What if they end up fighting each other in the future? Wouldn't that make us enemies again?"

Ma Yunlu said, "When Han Sui attacked Tianshui last time, it was thanks to General Zhao Yun's rescue that Tianshui was able to be defended. My father was saved by Liu Bei twice, how could he be ungrateful?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Your father definitely wouldn't, but your older brother doesn't know."

Ma Yunlu said, "I wonder how it goes that my elder brother will attack Anding? If he can take Anding and then recapture Wuwei, my elder brother will definitely no longer hold a grudge about Chang'an."

Wei Xiaobao said, "Actually, the reason I came to the military camp to find you is because of this matter. I plan to set off for Chang'an today to discuss with my elder brother the matter of assisting General Ma Chao in attacking Anding and Wuwei."

Ma Yunlu said, "Your injuries haven't healed yet, how can you withstand the bumpy journey? If you go to Chang'an, you'll definitely try to be brave and lead the troops into battle again. Why don't you stay in Tianshui to recover and arrange for someone else to send a message to General Zhao?"

“Zhao Yun is my sworn brother. He is currently stationed in Chang’an. I can’t keep ignoring him.”

Ma Yunlu, with a belly full of ulterior motives, rolled her eyes for a while and said, "How about I go to Chang'an with you? That way I can take care of you on the way."

"It's so safe from Tianshui to Chang'an, why would I need you to take care of me?"

"What if Zhang Lu attacks Chang'an and you encounter their army again? What will you do then?"

"Alright, but we can't delay any longer. We have to leave today, and once we get to Chang'an, you're not allowed to say a word. You have to do everything I say."

(End of this chapter)