The God of War Who Protects the Nation: Starting with Saving a Mother and Daughter in Distress

In the following days, Qin An stayed by his wife and daughter's side almost every step of the way.

During the day, he would accompany Cai Yan to read books and listen to Cai Zhen chatter about interesting things in the village. In the evening, he would help Yang Yuyan chop firewood and carry water.

Yang Yuyan would cook his favorite dishes in different ways, and their nights were filled with tender intimacy.

She poured all her longing into these tender moments, hoping they would help her through the long separation to come.

Happy times pass in the blink of an eye.

When Qin An suggested they move to the county town, Yang Yuyan was making pancakes at the stove. She paused, nearly spilling the batter, and asked, "Move now?"

"Well, I don't have much time left. I need to take you around and help you get used to it beforehand!"

Qin An leaned against the stove, looking at her face covered in flour, and noticed that Yang Yuyan's mood was off. Qin An added a sentence.

"The house that Magistrate He gifted is next to the county government office, where the security is good. Baishan Village is too remote; if something happens while I'm not there..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Yang Yuyan already understood.

Qin An is now a centurion, and with his growing influence, his wife and two children are indeed easy targets if they stay in a remote mountain village.

But this is, after all, my home where I've lived for so long.

Every brick, every tile, every table, every chair—all were painstakingly acquired by them, each a cherished memory.

Yang Yuyan silently scooped the pancakes into a plate, her voice lowered: "I can't bear to part with them."

Qin An hugged her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head: "I know, but we're going to the county town, not that we're not coming back. Once I'm settled, you can come back to visit anytime you want."

Cai Yan and Cai Zhen ran in upon hearing the noise.

Upon hearing that they were moving, Cai Zhen frowned: "I also contributed to building this house..."

Cai Yan tugged at her sister's sleeve and whispered, "Father is right, it's safer to go to the county town."

Yang Yuyan looked at her two daughters, then at the worry in Qin An's eyes, and finally nodded.

She could cherish the memories, but she couldn't let Qin An worry about the safety of his family while he was fighting on the front lines.

While packing, Yang Yuyan found an old wooden box and carefully put Cai Yan's books, Cai Zhen's collected toys, the cloth she had half-woven, and even the peeling ceramic pot on the windowsill into it.

Qin An watched from the side without offering any advice. Instead, he picked up the wood-chopping knife next to the stove and handed it over, saying, "I'm used to this one too, take it with you."

Yang Yuyan looked up at him, her eyes slightly red, but she couldn't help but smile: "You're even more sentimental than I am."

Qin An didn't reply, but turned to dismantle the swing in the corner. The thick hemp rope was worn rough, but the wooden board was smooth and shiny; Cai Zhen loved to swing on it.

He untied the rope and carefully put the wooden board away: "Take this with you too, put it on the locust tree in the backyard, and play with it just the same way."

After packing two large wooden crates, Qin An called over a dozen of his old brothers, and they loaded the crates and bedding onto two carts.

The old men pulled their carts to the village entrance to wait, while Cai Yan and Cai Zhen were sent to Aunt Li's house to say goodbye.

The once lively courtyard was now empty, leaving only Qin An and Yang Yuyan standing in the main room.

Yang Yuyan looked around the empty room, feeling an indescribable sense of loss.

She slowly walked through each room, her fingers tracing the soot-blackened walls above the stove, and the crooked marks on the door frame of the small cubicle where Cai Yan and Cai Zhen had lived.

Those were the height markings they took for their two children when they moved in.

She stopped when she reached the bedroom door.

All that's left is a bare earthen bed and a few bulky pieces of furniture that can't be moved.

But what appeared before her eyes was the scene of the day the stone house was completed.

Qin An stood beside her, holding her hand, and solemnly said, "From now on, this is our home."

That night, they made up for their belated wedding night. There were no red candles, no wedding banners, only an oil lamp and the smell of fresh mud filling the room, but they were so happy then.

"Wife?" Qin An's voice brought her back to her memories.

Yang Yuyan turned around and looked at the man in front of her who was more composed and resolute than she remembered.

His shoulders had broadened, and there was a hint of ruthlessness between his brows, but in front of her, his eyes remained as gentle as they had been back then.

She suddenly stepped forward, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed her face against his chest.

"My husband," her voice was muffled, with a barely perceptible tremor, "hold me one more time... right here."

Qin An was taken aback, but then he understood what she meant.

He didn't say anything, but simply tightened his arms and held her tightly.

"That's not how you hug someone." Yang Yuyan looked up, her eyes filled with tears, but her face flushed slightly.

"I mean... just like on our wedding night, this house was built brick by brick by us, every corner holds our memories, and I don't want to leave like this, I want to say goodbye one last time..."

She bit her lip, her voice lowering, "Just one last time."

Looking into her eyes, Qin An felt a surge of warmth welling up inside him.

He leaned down and kissed her lips, more gently and more forcefully than usual.

Yang Yuyan responded to him on tiptoe, tears finally sliding down her cheeks, the salty taste mingling between their lips.

"Silly woman, why are you crying?" Qin An wiped away her tears with his thumb. "It's not like we're parting forever."

"I know." Yang Yuyan sniffed, but pulled him even tighter. "I just... I just want to remember this place."

Their love began in the main room.

At the stove, Qin An pinned her against the still-warm edge of the stove.

Yang Yuyan bent backward, her hands supporting her on the stove—the stove where she made pancakes every morning, and where Qin An's favorite scallion pancakes were made one by one.

Her clothes were crumpled and disheveled. When Qin An's large hand reached into her clothes, she looked up at the blackened beams above her head, but the corners of her mouth curved up.

"What are you laughing at?" Qin An whispered in her ear.

"Thinking back to the first time we cooked here," Yang Yuyan's voice was a little breathless, "you burned the firewood too brightly and almost burned the pot through."

"That's because of the firewood, not me." Qin An lowered his head and kissed her neck, which earned him a soft hum from her.

From the kitchen to the main room, and then to that small bedroom.

There were no bedding on the earthen bed; it was bare. Qin An spread his outer garment on it before gently laying her down.

Yang Yuyan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), looking at the familiar rafters on the roof, and suddenly reached out to touch the wall next to her.

There's a small dent there, which was accidentally bumped when we moved the furniture.

She remembered that Qin An felt heartbroken for a long time that day, but in the end, she herself said, "It's good to leave a mark, to prove that this house belongs to us."

At that moment, her fingers were pressed on the indentation, and Qin An was leaning over her, just like on their wedding night.

"My husband," Yang Yuyan cupped his face in her hands, her eyes glistening with tears, "you were like this on our wedding night too."

Qin An paused for a moment, then hugged her even tighter.

In this empty bedroom, on this earthen bed without mattresses, they felt as if they had returned to that night.

The difference was that Yang Yuyan at that time was still somewhat reserved.

At this moment, she opened her eyes wide and stared at Qin An without blinking.

Looking at his eyebrows and eyes, at his sweat, at every trace he left on my body.

She wanted to etch all of this into her memory and take it with her, along with this house.

Finally, she nestled in Qin An's arms, both of them panting heavily.

The empty room amplified every breath, which echoed softly between the four walls.

"We built this house brick by brick, and I really hate to part with it," she said softly. "But what I hate to part with even more is you."

She raised her eyes, her gaze clear and firm: "Home is wherever you are. This stone house is home, that house in the county town is home, and even if we live in a tent or a thatched hut in the future, as long as you are by my side, that is home."

Qin An's throat bobbed, but he didn't say anything; he just hugged her tighter.

"Let's go!" After resting enough, Yang Yuyan gently pushed him in his arms, her voice returning to its usual gentleness, "The children are waiting, if we keep talking, they'll laugh at us."

Qin An helped her up, straightened her clothes, and tidied her disheveled hair.

Yang Yuyan also reached out and straightened his collar. The two smiled at each other in the empty room.

"We can come back anytime we want," Qin An said.

"Okay," Yang Yuyan replied, taking one last look around the stone house that held countless memories.

She didn't shed any more tears, but simply closed the door gently.

As she locked the door, she whispered something only she could hear: "Thank you for giving me this home."

When he left, the villagers all came to see him off.

Uncle Li stuffed a bag of peanuts into Yang Yuyan's hands, several women held Yang Yuyan's hand and chatted intimately, and the children surrounded Cai Zhen and refused to leave.

Qin An mounted his horse, Yang Yuyan carried Cai Zhen into the cart, and Cai Yan sat beside him.

The wheels rolled over the cobblestones at the village entrance, making a clattering sound. Yang Yuyan looked back; the stone house grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared at the end of the road.

She sighed softly, but tightened her grip on Cai Zhen's hand.

The old home was left behind, and new days awaited them ahead.