Xuzi slowly walked out of her small courtyard, turned around and gently closed the shabby wooden door.
Zhen'er had already fallen asleep. After she had settled her feelings, she first chirped and told Xuzi about the "interesting" experiences on the road for a while, and then she began to yawn nonstop. Those interesting things in her mouth were very interesting to people older than her.
For Xuzi, many of them were just childish nonsense, and sometimes even unnecessary risks. But Xuzi didn't interrupt, and smiled and acted as a good listener, until Zhen'er couldn't support it anymore,
He fell sideways on the bed, then pulled down the gauze curtains for her and straightened the pillows.
"She has suffered a lot for me!" Xuzi thought to himself. Therefore, no matter what troubles Zhen'er got into on the road, he should not blame him. Because those experiences that are no different from hardships for girls of the same age are not different for him and Zhen'er.
For children, it is a valuable asset. This is enough to make up for the lack of mutual understanding.
There was no one idle near the courtyard gate. Several soldiers blocked the entrance of the alley, almost sealing off the entire alley. Luo Shixin, the instigator of all this, was spitting foam and talking nonsense to Wu Yulin, who came to congratulate him after hearing the news.
Seeing Li Xu going out, the two of them greeted him at the same time.
"You're going out so soon, why don't you chat with your sister-in-law for a little longer!" Luo Shixin looked Xu Zi up and down, with a hint of ridicule in his words.
"Yes, you have Luo Shixin holding the door for you. This kind of good thing is something you can never ask for. Where are your siblings, have they settled in?" Wu Yulin, who was already very familiar with everyone, smiled and supported.
"Their master and servant are all asleep. They have traveled thousands of miles for several months. It is very hard!" Xuzi smiled and replied in a low voice. Since he has decided to accept Zhen'er, he has nothing to hide. Besides, suddenly from the sky,
For such a big happy event like a fall, it is appropriate to let a few friends have fun with it.
"Old Wu, you have no luck. Age and seniority are there, so you can't make trouble looking at your younger siblings. As for me, I am only ten days younger than Zhong Jian, and I usually have the shamelessness to ask my sister-in-law for a few sips of wine.
You won't be beaten out with a big stick!" Luo Shixin sighed deliberately, pointing the finger at Wu Yulin openly, but still pointed at Xu Zi secretly.
"Go, old Wu is a civil servant, how can I be as useless as a rough guy like you? Zhong Jian and his siblings are both well-educated, how could they not take the initiative to come and pay homage to the brothers!" Wu Yulin's tone of voice was also very strong.
, while scolding Luo Shixin, he made his own request.
After being beaten with a gun and a stick, Luo Shixin immediately rose up to resist, "Look, he is a scholar after all, and he can explain a set of principles in everything he does. What's the matter, Zhongjian, are we going out to have a drink at noon today, or are we at your house?
eat?"
"Let's go out to eat. The house hasn't been tidied up yet. Another day, I'll have a family dinner for you all!" Asahi suggested with a smile on her face.
The three of them smiled and turned around. Before they could move, they saw Qin Shubao and Captain Zhang Hong walking side by side from a distance. Behind them, there were more than a dozen soldiers. Some were carrying boxes, tables and chairs.
, some were carrying pots and pans, and others were carrying a big fat pig that had just been killed and cleaned, and a dozen kinds of green and delicious vegetables.
"Since my younger siblings are here, we have to arrange a nest for you." Before Xu Zi could recover from the surprise, Qin Shubao put down the bunch of wine baskets in his hands and explained with a smile. "We are thousands of miles away.
Don’t hesitate to work hard. I think we can’t wait too slowly. Although Yuanwu is a small place, fortunately it guards the canal and has no shortage of things to live at home!”
"Thank you, Brother Qin, thank you all brothers!" Li Xu bowed repeatedly and was so moved that he didn't know what to say. Qin Shubao and others had bought tables, chairs, vegetables, and it was obviously very rude to push everyone away. But he rashly
It was too difficult for Qi'er to lead everyone in. "We haven't officially gotten married yet!" He explained to Qin Shubao with a blushing face. "She was still young when we got engaged. Later, I was busy fighting everywhere, which delayed the wedding.
!”
"Even you, Li Zhongjian, such a good daughter-in-law can bear it. If I were Lao Luo, I would have carried it home in eight sedans. Come in early every day, so that others won't miss you!" Xuzi said.
Before they got married, Luo Shixin laughed and punched him as a joke.
"It's just you, Luo Shixin. Whenever you see a beautiful woman, you hide it from your family!" Qin Shubao repaid Li Xu's injustice. "Tell me, how many wives have you married? Do you still think you can come here?"
"Aren't we the only child of the Luo family?" Luo Shixin scratched his scalp and replied with a sneer. He was as tall as a tree and his family was wealthy, so he started taking concubines at the age of fifteen, and now there are nearly half a dozen women in the family.
Many women loved their handsomeness and wished their parents would marry them into the Luo family. Therefore, Luo Shixin had a lot of romantic debts behind him, and he was often grabbed by the affectionate Qin Shubao.
"It turns out that Shixin is not inferior to Pan An. Magistrate Wang's house was sent to the wrong person. We should have prepared a big house for Shixin. Otherwise, we have been on an expedition for a year and a half, and there will be no place for the women Shixin brought back.
Hide!" Seeing Luo Shixin's embarrassment, Wu Yulin also stepped forward and beat the drowned dog hard.
Everyone burst out laughing, gave up on Li Xu, and turned to Luo Shixin for advice. Luo Shixin bowed repeatedly, "Don't talk nonsense, don't talk nonsense. Today is a good day for Zhong Jian. If you don't look for the rightful owner, look for me."
Luo Zuo? Besides, there are many women in my family, but they are all useless. Unlike Zhongjian, who can be raised at home and ride horses side by side to fight!"
"Yeah, I didn't expect that my brothers and sisters were so good at martial arts, that they could find themselves here safely in these turbulent years!" Everyone's attention was successfully diverted by Luo Shixin, and they all praised Li Xu's good fortune.
Just when everyone was busy showing off their words, the door creaked open from the inside. Cui'er, who had changed into a maid's outfit, smiled and saluted everyone, then turned to Li Xu and said: "Master Qi, young mistress.
She said that she has made tea and can invite the guests in to taste it. If the distinguished guests don’t mind, she will personally cook a few side dishes at noon today. Thank you Master Qin and Master Luo for taking care of me!"
"We can't wait for it!" After hearing this, Qin Shubao and others were not willing to be polite to Li Xu anymore. They followed Cui'er and entered the small courtyard in a chaotic manner. Everyone was busy tidying up the decorations in the main hall and setting them up.
They didn’t care about their status. They gathered around three tables like the barbarians, eagerly waiting for the newlyweds to offer tea.
The door leading to the inner house was gently opened, and a young woman wearing a light blue dress and a smile on her face slowly walked out. The aroma of freshly brewed tea instantly filled the room, and everyone's eyes were also attracted by it.
Overflowing with smiles.
"What a neat and beautiful girl!" Even after reading all the flowers, Luo Shixin still secretly admired in his heart. Before that, he had met Li Qier once. At that time, Qier was very busy, so although she looked beautiful, she was not as beautiful as she is now.
So radiant. But now her face and the corners of her eyes are obviously filled with happiness, and every smile exudes the unique youthful vitality of a girl.
"I've met you uncles! I didn't know that a distinguished guest was coming, so I couldn't prepare everything in a hurry, so I had to ask you to drink some tea first and sit for a while, and then let the little girl carefully put away some dishes." Zhe'er handed the teapot to her.
The maid, squatting down, smiled and saluted.
"Enough, enough!" Everyone didn't dare to show off, so they all stood up and clasped their fists in return. Xie'er lowered her head with a smile, picked up the newly brewed tea, and slowly stepped forward.
The soldiers had no intention of asking for tea from Asahi's house. They just stayed in the house just to join in the fun. When everyone realized that there were too many people, Qi'er had already come out to greet him, and it was too late to say goodbye. Many people were afraid that the host would not be able to greet them.
Come, so they all took the initiative to cover the tea cup with their hands. Unexpectedly, the hostess here was quite well prepared. Before one pot of tea was poured out, the clever maid had already brought out another pot of boiling new tea. The two masters and servants tacitly understood each other.
Cooperate, and after a while, the tea bowls in front of everyone are filled.
At this time, even Qin Shubao secretly admired Li Xu's recovery. Being able to judge the number of uninvited guests outside the courtyard in a short period of time and make preparations so quickly was definitely not something that ordinary women could do. Thinking of this, he
Thinking of some recent rumors in the officialdom, I couldn't help but take another look at Zhen'er. However, I didn't see any of the squeamishness common among rich women from her, but instead found a rare sincerity.
Like Qin Shubao, all the soldiers also felt the kindness and thoughtfulness of the hostess. They were sincerely happy for General Li, and at the same time they did not want to cause more trouble to General Li, so they all stood up and left. Xuzi and Qier walked side by side.
Everyone walked out of the gate, watched everyone go away, and then walked back side by side, continuing to greet their friends who stayed at home.
After greeting Qin Shubao and others, Qi'er left the maid to serve tea for the guests and went straight into the kitchen. "You can't tell, my younger siblings are the only ones who can get into the kitchen!" Qin Shubao and others secretly wondered and praised with a smile.
Xuzi stayed with the smiling face, not wanting to deny it, but also not daring to admit it. Several times, she wanted to sneak over and tell Xie'er how hard it was, but she was afraid that Luo Shixin and others would make a joke, so she had to calm down and sit quietly and drink tea.
Originally, he decided to accept Zhen'er, partly because he was moved by the friendship that the other party had come to search for thousands of miles away, and the other half because he saw the shadow of Tao Kuo Tuosi and Wan'er in Zhen'er. Qin Shubao and others gave him a lot of trouble. At this moment,
In addition to the touching memories and regretful memories of his youth, there was also a touch of warmth in his heart.
As the aroma of vegetables wafted over from the kitchen, this warmth that belonged exclusively to Qi'er became stronger and stronger, gradually gaining a firm foothold in Xu Zi's heart, drowning the shadows of Tao Kuo and Wan'er.
Qi'er has a stronger temperament than Wan'er, and is more experienced than Tao Kuo in dealing with things. And now Li Xu is no longer the same Li Xu who had nothing in the past.
After a while, Cui'er took out the cooked dishes from the kitchen and placed them on the table. They were just two meat and two vegetables common in ordinary people's homes. There was nothing special about them. It was just that the aroma was stronger, which made people move their index fingers.
Among the people sitting there, Luo Shixin was the most impatient, and without waiting for the host's persuasion, he grabbed his chopsticks and grabbed a portion first. As soon as the food was in his mouth, he immediately frowned. Then, his brows became tighter and tighter, and there was a whining sound in his nostrils.
After a long while, he finally vomited the food into his stomach, and at the same time let out a long sigh, "Oh, I am more and more envious of Brother Zhongjian. How can some people's lives be so good? Ask my sister-in-law quickly.
, does she have any sisters? I, Lao Luo, are going to send a matchmaker to her house to propose marriage. If nothing else, just these few dishes, my life will not be in vain!"
"Fuck you, you're not serious!" Xuzi cursed in a low voice, and took a bite of the food and put it into his mouth. Qilu people have strong tastes, so he had been worried that Qin Shubao and others could not adapt to Qier's craftsmanship.
At this moment, I was praised by Luo Shixin, and I couldn't help but feel a little doubtful. So I tasted this dish very carefully, and I wanted to distinguish the weight of each seasoning with the tip of my tongue. As a result, the more I chewed, the smoother the texture became, and the more I tasted, the more comfortable I felt on my tongue. I couldn't help but sit up straight.
, picked up an extra chopstick. Before the new dishes were introduced, Luo Shixin protested loudly, "You are still talking about me, but I still remember to comment. It's better for you. You wish you could finish all the dishes by yourself."
Don’t give others a chance to do anything!”
Qin Shubao, Wu Yulin, and Zhang Hong all laughed after hearing this, and started to eat one after another. After one taste, they all felt the same way about Luo Shixin's praise. It's just that they were all older than Xu Zi, so they couldn't talk as much as Luo Shixin. So.
They praised each other for their cleverness and skill in cooking such good dishes. Qin Shubao, in particular, was a little dissatisfied with Li Xu for taking Shi Erya as his concubine, so he spared no effort in praising her. He wished that Xu Zi would immediately kill the eldest wife.
Welcoming you at the door, lest the concubine, who has been favored for a long time, takes over the inner house.
Xuzi was happy and drank wine to persuade her. The guests also raised their glasses to accompany them. Their tongues and throats were washed by the wine, and they felt that the food tasted more authentic. After drinking a few glasses, at Luo Shixin's strong request, Xuer came out of the back hall.
She came out to toast the guests. According to the rules of Qilu, she filled the wine glasses in front of everyone, and she also raised half of the wine to compensate. Then she excused herself because she was too drunk, and left with a smile, leaving only Cui'er to refill glasses for everyone.
"Sister-in-law seems to have lived with us for many years!" Seeing that Zhen'er behaved so well, Luo Shixin put down his wine glass and praised her.
"Knowing that you are all Qilu heroes, she learned a few things before the battle!" Xuzi smiled modestly, with a look of happiness on her face.
"This is a rare thing. We know where we come from, so we follow the local customs, and yet we can learn to be so similar. Zhongjian should be satisfied with this kind of thinking about others!" Qin Shubao also put down his wine cup and said as a veteran
said.
"That's natural. How can I, Li Xu, be so virtuous that God favors me so much?" Xu Zi nodded and spoke with emotion. He had missed one good woman after another, but there are always unexpected blessings waiting in his life.
.When the time is ripe, the fate that belongs to you will come at the right time, neither early nor late.
Speaking of this, he felt a little grateful for God's favor. Both Shi Erya and Zhen'er were very considerate and considerate of him. Although there will inevitably be some stumbling blocks when the three of them get along in the future, this blessing of being together
, but it is a great honor for Xuzi.
Cui'er, who was waiting on the side, was happy when she heard what her uncle said frankly. She picked up the wine jar and filled the pottery cup in front of Xu Zi. Just when she turned around, she heard that Luo Shixin had turned his wine cup sideways and asked with a smile: "This
Sister, do you feel satisfied after meeting Brother Zhongjian today?"
All dowry girls from wealthy families will most likely end up as the concubine of their uncle, so the character and appearance of the owner's husband is often related to her life happiness. Luo Shixin was just making a joke without hesitation.
He didn't think so deeply, but after asking Cui'er, his face turned red, and he resisted turning around and running away. The wine jar in his hand trembled again and again, and almost all the wine in the jar was poured into Luo Shixin's sleeve.
"I wanted to sigh for my sister-in-law's bad words, but why did you...?" Luo Shixin deliberately stared and wanted to continue making nonsense. Qin Shubao kicked him hard under the table, and he had to swallow the second half of the sentence.
.
"I'm so rude, please punish me!" Cui'er realized that she had gotten into trouble, put down the wine jar, stepped aside, and lowered her head to apologize.
"Okay, okay, Brother Luo is shaking his arms back and forth. What's your fault?" Qin Shubao calmed Luo Shixin, turned around and comforted him with a smile.
In this situation, Li Xu naturally would not blame his family. He smiled, waved his hand, and comforted: "He is full of tongue and deserves to be punished. You go and serve my wife. I will call you if anything happens!"
Cui'er hid in the back hall as if she had been pardoned. Listening to the sound of footsteps disappearing, Luo Shixin relentlessly demanded justice from everyone, "Look, we just got married, and even the dowry girl has been protected.
The ancients said that brothers are like brothers and sisters, and wives are like clothes. When it comes to Zhongjian, I think it may be the other way around!"
"It's easy for General Luo to say, why don't you tear up a few pieces of your own clothes and show them to everyone!" Zhang Hong interjected, holding up a wine cup.
Everyone laughed together again. Enough was enough. Wu Yulin looked around and reminded in a low voice: "My brothers and sisters have come all the way here, so we can't wait too long. Although this house is not small, it is a bit too shabby.
Why don't we all go out in a while and find a new yard for Zhongjian, lest my brothers, sisters, and family come to visit and blame us rough guys for being rude."
Although Xuzi has never told everyone about the origin of Zhen'er, from the perspective of Wu Yulin who has been in the officialdom for many years, can't he see that she is of noble origin? Not to mention this rare cooking skill and elegant behavior, even just now
The beautiful maids who served the wine were not available to ordinary people. So he put himself in Xuzi's shoes, hoping to help create some external conditions to make this fate more perfect.
"Yes, it is really unfair for my siblings to use this house as a new house. This matter will be taken care of by the rest of us. Zhongjian will be at home to accompany our siblings later. We will look around and see anyone.
We will buy a suitable house. Everything that needs to be purchased has been neatly arranged, and it won’t cost much anyway.” After Qin Shubao pondered for a moment, he nodded in agreement.
"That can't be done, how can we let a few brothers spend money? Besides, we can't live here for long. Once the army calms down, they will march to Wagang immediately!" Xuzi saw everyone saying and saying,
Put it into practice and speak out quickly to stop it.
He is not a very picky person about life. Besides, the purpose of leading the army this time is to exterminate the Wagang bandits, not for enjoyment. According to the original plan, this army could not stay in Yuanwu for a few days. It was just for a few days of rest.
Even if he didn't have to spend half a penny to buy a big house, he still felt that it was too extravagant.
He was about to say some other polite words, but he heard Qin Shubao explain with a smile: "Zhongjian probably doesn't know yet, I'm afraid we will have to live in Yuanwucheng for a month. Old General Zhang received another imperial edict,
The imperial court has sent an additional group of soldiers and horses to cooperate, and requires everyone to join forces and march together to suppress Wagang. The meeting place is at Yuanwu, so we just need to rest here for a while!"
"Hold up, the Wagang Army has just been demoralized by us. If we don't take advantage of the situation and advance here, waiting for reinforcements here, won't we be giving the enemy a chance to take a breather?" After hearing Qin Shubao's words, Luo Shixin immediately jumped up and protested loudly.
"When the imperial edict was issued, how did we know that we had defeated the Wagang Army?" Qin Shubao shrugged and replied. He was also very dissatisfied with the imperial edict. The new troops were led by Tiger General Liu Changgong and Yushi Xiao Huaijing.
, both of them were ignorant, and they rushed to help eagerly. Instead of working together to suppress the bandits, they felt that this battle was profitable and wanted to get a share of the victory.
"It's good, at least the soldiers from Dongdu have better armor and equipment than our county soldiers!" Wu Yulin thought for a moment, then he understood the key and smiled to reassure everyone.
"I'm afraid that while they are actively trying to grab the credit, they are unwilling to give away any of the materials and equipment in their hands!" Luo Shixin sat back on the stool heavily and said angrily. He raised the wine cup and took a long drink of his own before continuing to ask.
, "Where is Mr. Zhang? Is he just going to let those bastards from the imperial court rub him around?"
"Although Mr. Zhang has the name of Doctor Guanglu, he is not in court after all, so he cannot let the emperor know the true situation in the army!" Wu Yulin thought for a while and defended Zhang Xutuo.
"Even if Mr. Zhang is in court, Your Majesty cannot hear his advice at this moment. According to the imperial envoy who delivered the decree, the king of Yue in Dongdu is now supervising the country. The emperor went on a northern tour a month ago and will not return until the end of the year!"
Qin Shubao sighed and said again.
"What?" This time it was Li Xu's turn to jump up. Regardless of the surprise on everyone's faces, he asked eagerly, "Brother Shubao, when did this happen? Can you tell me more details?"
"Master Zhang and I met the imperial edict in Putian. That was five days ago. The edict was delivered by the same Eunuch Wen. He said that His Majesty went north to meet with the Turks for an alliance and had been gone for seven or eight days. Why,
Zhong Jian, do you think there is anything wrong?" Qin Shubao glanced at Li Xu, wondering why the other party was suddenly so nervous.
"Oh my God!" Xuzi, like Luo Shixin, fell heavily back to his seat. Yang Guang had been gone for more than ten days, and it was impossible to chase him back no matter what. He was going to the fortress to make an alliance with the Turks
, but he didn’t know that the Turkic brothers he had in mind were sharpening their knives on the road at the moment.
"A big fat sheep delivered to the door!" The ferocious laughter of the Turkic wolf riders rang in his heart, and cold sweat dripped from Xuzi's forehead. (To be continued)
