After a smile, the barrier between the two became lighter. Seeing that it was still early, I was not in a hurry to report back to Liulaozhuang, so I simply found a cleaner-looking tavern on the official road, handed the horse's reins to the waiter, and walked away.
Got in.
The shop owner was worried that the entrance was so clean that the birds had already built their nests. When he saw two bookish young men walking in, how could he not try his best to entertain them. After a while, several local side dishes and half a jar of rice wine were placed on the small table.
Xu Dayan and Li Xu put two short tables together and chatted while eating. The more they talked, the more they became more and more speculative.
After talking with each other, Li Xu discovered that it is not easy to be a child of a wealthy family. He has been restrained like a prisoner since he was a child. There are many rules on how to walk and how to eat. As for reading, practicing martial arts, writing, reciting poems, etc., Li Xu
Things that he enjoys are daily chores for Xu Dayan. If there is a slight deviation, stir-fried meat slices with bamboo shoots (spanking on the buttocks), and burning bear paws with an iron ruler (beating the palms with a ruler) are commonplace. The rest of the observations
It is extremely troublesome to participate in family affairs, interact with other families, and socialize with other families when it comes to world affairs.
And Xu Dayan was quite curious about Li Xu's daily life. Hugging grass, catching rabbits, playing in the mud, and fighting in groups were all games he could never dream of. As for blocking other people's chimneys with thatch, throwing it into the livestock pen and lighting it on fire.
The wild pepper and other "evil deeds" that could be the same as "shangfangjiewa" were unheard of. Xu Dayan could not even imagine how happy and exciting it was.
Compared with Uncle Zhang's private brew, the wine in this tavern is as tasteless as plain water, but Xu Dayan and Li Xu still feel that the most enjoyable drink in their lives is today. As they talked, they
He talked about the most proud thing in his life.
"That kid was also very stubborn. He knew clearly that he had fallen into the trap I had set in advance, but he went to my rice store carrying sacks all afternoon without even frowning. Although he was beaten half to death by his father after returning home, the next day
I still stumbled to school, and when I met everyone, I was still so arrogant!" Xu Dayan happily drank a glass of wine and introduced proudly.
His most proud feat happened last year. Fifteen-year-old Xu Dayan set a trap to make a boy named Hou, who usually looked down on him, lose a bet and volunteered to work as a waiter in Xu's rice shop for a long time. Although he was beaten by his parents afterwards.
I was given a meal and ordered to go to the door to apologize, but all I can think of now is pride.
"Then, does the family named Hou have more land than yours?" Li Xu asked in surprise. During the conversation, he learned that Xu Dayan's family had hundreds of acres of grain fields and more than 40 shops under his name.
They are spread across several surrounding counties. In Li Xu’s memory, with such a large family property, almost no one around Shanggu can match it. How come when he arrived in Xu Dayan’s hometown, there were still people who looked down on him.
"It's not because of the family wealth. In terms of family wealth, the Xu family is not a small family. In terms of appearance, it is a truly poor family. It can only count the good times for fifty years. And the Hou family has been a prominent family since the Han Dynasty, stretching for several generations.
More than ten generations ago. Therefore, I usually can't even get close to their door! If I get close, I will be scolded by his servants. Although I went to apologize that time, I just barged in and no one dared to stop me!" Xu said with big eyes.
With a hint of drunkenness, he said the word "humble family" loudly. "If his family doesn't accept my apology, it won't be able to regain its reputation. If I let me come in to apologize, it can't be said that they have never had any contact with me, a descendant of a poor family. That day,
Their old man’s face is prettier than a monkey’s butt!”
There are some wealthy families scattered throughout the counties in Shandong, such as Yingji Liu, Qinghe Zhang, Song, Bingzhou Wang, Puyang Hou, and some wealthy families with the blood of emperors and generals such as Xiao, Liang, Li, Zheng, Hao, etc.
In the eyes of these wealthy families, they only have powerful people with a history as long as their own. They do not look down upon the newly rising upstarts like the Xu family. Even the current emperor, because his surname was Pu Liuru, is not willing to be with him.
marriage. On the contrary, because these families had noble blood and large populations, the previous dynasties had to grant high-ranking officials to show appeasement. (Note 3)
Therefore, Xu Dayan used to be as disgusted with wealthy families as Li Xu, but as he grew older, his mentality gradually became calmer. He did not want to cause trouble with these people anymore, but he just hoped that one day his family would become better than those hereditary wealthy families.
Be more powerful and make all those who have slighted you regret it.
"It all depends on manpower. The so-called rich family is just a matter of a few heroes who came out of the situation. I don't believe that ten years of hard work can't buy me a foundation that I can be proud of. My dear brother, what is the happiest thing for you?
, can you say that you are having a drink with Brother Yu?" Xu Dayan drank a cup, poured another one for himself, and held it high, showing his youthful and frivolous attitude.
"Me?" Li Xu was speechless again. Since he was sensible, in addition to studying and playing every day, he has helped his mother with housework. The memories of more than ten years are all daily trivial matters. With a bit of warmth,
It also has a bit of bitterness. It's okay to savor it slowly by yourself in the cold night, but it will become boring if you take it out and share it with others.
"Yes, has brother Xian never done anything out of the ordinary or proud of you?" Xu Dayan's eyes were so wide that he could stuff a bun into them, and he asked expectantly. Chatting with Li Xu today, he saw
It is completely different from my own life. It is curious and fresh. It also makes up for the shortcomings of not having enough fun since I was a child. In my heart, I always regard the stories of Li Xu as my own, and imagine how I would be naughty if I were Li Xu.
, catch cats and tease dogs.
"Just last month, I killed a wolf by myself, and it was so big!" Li Xu gestured with his hands on the two small tables in front of him, and said proudly. This is already the best he can do.
I think of the most proud thing in my life, even though I almost wet my pants when I was scared by the she-wolf.
"Then you took out the kid and named it Gan Luo?" Xu Big Eye asked with a smile. In his eyes, although Li Xu was dull and had little experience, he could be regarded as a young talent.
.You dare to go up the mountain alone to hunt wolves at such a young age. With this courage, you are worthy of your friendship.
"Well, they said the little wolf was a disaster star, so I called him Gan Luo!" Li Xu nodded, with a hint of sadness on his face. On the night he got the little wolf, his father ordered him to drop out of school and evade military service.
All my assumptions about life have been overturned. Even now when I think of these things, I still feel vaguely regretful.
"You name a beast Gan Luo, you really deserve it!" Xu Dayan laughed and raised his cup to his eyebrows, "Come on, do this. Brother, I admire your courage. Two years ago, I couldn't say that myself.
I’m chasing a lone wolf and I haven’t even left the house!”
"What's the chase? I almost got eaten by it!" Li Xu was a little embarrassed by the praise, took a sip of wine and said. Seeing Xu Dayan's confused look, he could only briefly describe how he
I met a wolf, how I was almost killed by a "treasure bow" worth three ounces of gold, how I shot the mother wolf to death with my eyes closed, and how I tracked down the blood trail to find the wolf cub.
After listening to what he said without missing a word, Xu Dayan thought for a while and reminded: "Brother Zhongjian, your bow might be worth three ounces of money. According to the length and strength you said, it should be the best of our Sui Dynasty.
The riding bow is a good thing that you can’t find on the market at all.”
"After hearing what you said about the horse bow, I thought the same thing. Brother Xu, is there any difference between this riding bow and a walking bow?" Li Xu nodded and asked. He was not satisfied with the performance of the bow his uncle gave him.
He has always had a love-hate relationship with the broken bow. He wanted to transfer it to someone else, but he was very reluctant to part with it. He kept it for himself, but he didn't know when the bow lost his temper and he wasted his life.
"The riding bow is short, but its strength may not be weaker than the walking bow." Xu Dayan slapped the small table in front of him and sang in a low voice the secret of bow healing. "Treat the bow stem in winter, the angle in spring, the tendons in summer, and the tendons in autumn.
Combining various materials, repairing the surface in the cold, steaming with wine, cutting into pieces over fire, clamping, tearing by hand, slowly smelting strips. Twisting silk knots, dry glue, painting, quilting, and training again..." This is what Li Xu has always done.
He had never heard of it. His eyes widened, like a child hungry for food, desperately absorbing the nutrients in the song.
"The art of riding and shooting originated from King Wuling of Zhao. However, the method of making a bow is a unique skill that has been passed down in the Central Plains for hundreds of years. Making a good bow is the same as making a good bow. It requires the selection of materials, glue, etc., every step
It is said that they are very strict. It usually takes four years to get a good bow. In the Sui Dynasty, for the southern expedition, I gathered all the bow craftsmen in the country, but they could only make more than 10,000 such good bows. Later, the new emperor came to the throne and spent all the money
If you use it for fun, good bows and good craftsmen will become extinct. Hey, if you sell that bow of yours, let alone three bows, to Bu Xiaowei, he will pay thirteen bows!"
"Pfft!" Li Xu couldn't swallow a mouthful of wine and choked it all out. Thirteen hangings?! Thirteen thousand dollars?! Grandma, this is a big number that he has never heard of when he was so old.
.With so much money, it is enough to open a shop, so why bother going back and forth and suffering.
Just as he was calculating, he heard Xu Dayan say: "However, the generals all wear heavy armor during the war, so it is difficult to really hurt the opponent with a bow. That's why Luo Gong was able to survive without dying due to his heavy weight. If I didn't have the armor of the Sui Dynasty,
Let alone multiple arrows, one arrow will pierce you!"
"That's natural. Brother Xu knows how to ride and shoot!" Li Xu picked up the wine glass and humbly asked for advice.
"Not sure! When I was learning archery, my master always said that if you shoot a few times, you will naturally become familiar with it. I don't have that much time to play archery. Think about it, people who ride war horses and wear heavy armor are not so easy to be beaten.
I cum!" Xu Dayan shook his head and provided a disappointing answer.
Seeing that the sky was already dark, Xu Dayan took out a dozen copper coins and settled the bill. He and Li Xuxiang followed back to Liu Laozhuang. The autumn was high and the full moon was ten, so the ground was very bright. You could see the opposite side without lighting a lamp.
human appearance.
The two of them had just tied up their horses. Before they could take a breath, they heard someone say in a strange voice: "The two heroes are back. Have you seen General Luo? Did he give you some copper coins to reward you two for this afternoon?"
Do something brave enough to do what is right?!"
Li Xu looked up and saw Sun Jiu, Zhang San, Wang Mazi and other senior merchants looking at him in the moonlight. Judging from the situation, everyone had been waiting in the yard for a long time. (To be continued)
