Chapter 321: Barred from Entering Camp (2) (2/2)
Gao Zhangwei didn’t believe them at all. He mocked them instead. “What? A pretty boy like this is trying to impersonate Captain He? If he’s Captain He, then I’m the Great General himself!”
“You…”
“Alright, stop fighting. We’ll know whether he’s Captain He or not once the men from the Right Wing Army arrive,” Sima Hui suddenly said.
Her words carried some weight around here, so the men stopped quarrelling. In a moment, the soldier who had run off to the Right Wing Army returned with Captain Guo, Zhang Mai, and Xiao Hongyu in tow.
Captain Guo stared at He Changdi as if he were a ghost. He quickly walked up to him and patted He Changdi’s shoulder forcefully. Then he asked, “Are you really Zixiang?”
The corners of He Sanlang’s mouth twitched. He lowered his voice and said, “Brother Guo, you have some obscene drawings hidden under your pillow. There was this night when…”
Captain Guo’s expression turned stiff. He quickly gripped He Sanlang’s shoulder and squeezed. “You brat! Why do you keep acting beyond your years? See, now that you shaved away that beard of yours, no one recognises you!”
Xiao Hongyu ran closer and stood in front of He Sanlang, staring right into his eyes. “Wait, what the heck? It’s really Brother He! Why did you shave your beard?!”
Zhang Mai couldn’t hold back his laughter as he watched He Changdi’s expression getting darker and darker.
“Alright, alright. It was just a misunderstanding. This person really is Captain He. Move along, everybody. It’s almost time for dinner.” Zhang Mai showed his pass to the soldiers guarding the entrance.
The foot soldier held up the pass with reverence and awe as he returned it with both hands. He even rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he apologised to He Changdi.
He Sanlang waved his hand. The soldier was just doing his job.
As the band of brothers were about to leave, Sima Hui suddenly called out to them. “Excuse me, Captain He!”
He Changdi turned slightly and bowed to Sima Hui. He asked in his usual low tone of voice, “Do you have any orders for me, General Sima?”
Sima Hui’s face was flushed, but it wasn’t obvious under the fading light of day. However, her slightly rushed words betrayed how nervous she was.
“May I ask if Captain He is the son of the border general at Mingzhou, Great General He?”
He Changdi’s brows drew together. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded. Although his identity wasn’t well known here at the northern border, he didn’t intend to hide it. Captain Guo and the rest knew exactly who he was, so there was nothing he couldn’t admit to.
“I’ve long admired Great General He. May I ask if Uncle and Aunt He are doing well? Is the matriarch still sound of health?” Sima Hui turned to He Changdi with eyes full of expectation, face slightly flushed with color.
He Sanlang’s expression didn’t budge at all, but his tone turned frosty. “General Sima, I haven’t returned home in a long time, so I’m not too sure about the situation at home. I have some pressing matters at hand, so please excuse me.”
After saying so, He Sanlang turned and left. Sima Hui watched in a daze as He Sanlang’s figure slowly disappeared into the falling night, her heart full of unvoiced disappointment.