Those men who are healing offer to go harvest the fruits outside the cave. A group of five left and unexpectedly they return with a big wild boar and three rabbits. That evening, they roast it over the fire. Their spirts lifted up. They laugh and talk about their hometown. Everyone is in good spirt including those who are still laying down.
That night, everyone have a good meal. They even have apples and oranges after dinner. The men sleep well at night and Er Yin keep the fire going on since everyone is in a deep sleep. She tidy her items in the bag. Most of the medicine is used up. Water bottles are empty. Her clothes smell but there is nothing she can do not as if she can wash her laundry even she have the soap in her bag. The blood stains on her is all dry up. She pack everything neatly in her bag and the Duke watch what Yi Jin is doing. At that angle, his assistant looks like a lady who is matured and can be married off. He feels that Xie Yi Jin is strange and maybe a girl but he is not in the mood to go find out if it is true. He is now depending on his assistance to keep him and his men alive. Now his assistance is the only one who is going around taking care of things. Even the horses outside are staying with in their area are taken care by her. She is chopping bamboos down to block the horses from running too far. When she is free, she goes looking for eatable things in the forrest. She sets up trap for anything that moves. After another five days, Luo Ming returns with many bamboo tubes fill with water. He found a small village and they are willing to accept the soldiers as long as they don't attack the village and leave once they are well enough. The men who are fit now assist the men who are wounded onto the horses. Er Yin help the Duke up onto his horse. While Luo Ming lead the way, Er Yin goes back into the cave and check if everything is taken out of the cave and kill the fire soon after that. She hop on her horse and follow the group in front. It is a leisure walk in the field of grass. The sun is shining bright that afternoon. Er Yin enjoy the heat that the sun is giving them. She rather be feeling the heat than to shiver in the dark cold place.
They reach the village before the sun sets. With the sudden appearance of so many soldiers makes the villagers afraid. Thus the village head master promise the villagers that once they recover, they will leave. He arrange them all to sleep at the village hall. An open house with no doors that is big enough to allow a lot of men to sleep in. Plus an outdoor kitchen for them to cook. If the space in the house is not enough, some men can sleep on the ground outside the house which is flatten. After the village head master leaves, the men finds their spots in the open house. Some meat and vegetables are given to them. Er Yin take up the task to cook. Along with a few men who can cook, they get busy in the open kitchen.
That night, everyone is asleep. Er Yin as usual is awake. She stay up poking the fire with her stick. The Duke comes over and sit beside her. He hand her a bamboo of barley water in it.
"Drink it, you are very dehydrated. Look, your lips are peeling so badly."
He attempted to touch her lips but she move away and drink the barley water. He watch the assistance drinking up to the last drop. After drinking she make a satisfy sound loudly. Suddenly he decided to ask her real name. The name that his assistance is born with. He look at her carefully while she is poking the fire.
"Xie ... what is your real name."
"Yi Jin. Your highness after so long you still cannot remember my name?!"
"What about mine, do you know, my real name?"
"Your title is Duke Yan Sheng. Yan Han Sheng is your common name."
"Stange you know."
"I must know, you are my boss. I have to know everything."
" What else do you know?"
"I know that you are the only son of the late Duke Yan Ping. You are the cousin of the emperor. Your grandmother dote on you and you grow up in the palace."
"Hmm.... so you said you have 3 siblings... how many brothers and sisters, does your family have?"
"My family have 2 sons and 2 daughters. The last 2 are pair of twins, a boy and a girl."
"Are you the eldest ..."
"Yes... the first is a boy and the second is a girl. We are just a year apart. We are nearly like twins too. Very close very close..."
She suddenly remember her brother who always considerate for her and the family. When there is not enough to eat, he always offer her more as she is growing up. He pretend he is full but she have seen him digging for sweet potatoes in the ground to roast them and eat it. Those sweet potatoes are small and still growing. He ate without complain. When harvesting the fields, he always try to do more so that their parents will not work too long. He was a good son who have ended his life on the battle field. A good man who is just twenty years old and just started to live his adventure in life. Er Yin feel sad and hold her tears back. She look up the sky, it is beautiful tonight.
"So you have ... a ... second sister? What is her name?"
"She... her name is Xie Er Yin."
" Do you both look alike?"
"Yes. Very. Both of us are tall,, dark and skinny. She is very frank and talkative..."
"Doesn't she sound like you. Frank..."
"Haha it runs in the family. We all very frank haha..."
"It is nice to have siblings. I don't have any but if cousins are count in, i have a dozen. Yet... we are all not close. Not that close enough to be frank with each other. Not frank enough to say what we want to say. Even the emperor is my cousin, i cannot say that one day he will not kill me..."
"That is terrible... you are all ...family. Isn't family should protect each other? My family struggle to protect everyone in the family. Even thought we are not rich but we are happy. Everyday waking up to see everyone. The joy of talking about everything nothing about taels."
"I don't believe it.... the common people must have their own problems. Thus there will be some issues that you have."
"Of course there is... money is not a very big issue since i live near the mountain. Food can be dig, harvest or hunt. So not a very big issue. I only need taels for building a house and clothes. Other than that, we don't have other worries."
"You know what is my worries now?"
"... when we return to the capital..."
"Yes... how am i going to keep my men safe ... and you from capital punishment. In the long history of warfares in different states. The ones who lose, the ones who abandoned and leave their post are all executed. If this time, i am able to save all of you with my head, i will do it."
Er Yin hearing that she grab his arm and hold it tight. He look at her hands and look up to her face.
"Don't say words like this. An Army without the commander is like a herd without a guide. Besides that, he is alike your brother... he would not want your head because your grandmother might want his head."
He laugh and pat her back. They continue to joke to end in the night of loneliness. He look at her and smile with tenderness. He now wants to protect this person whatever the reason is to take on an identity of her brother.