LW chapter 77

 

The next morning, Zhou Yuan took Chen Qing to Tianji to stand in line. He thought they were early enough, but he hadn’t expected people to already be in front of them.

Having eaten at Tianji in Yunxi City before, Zhou Yuan thought that lining up like this was normal because Tianji’s unique flavors were worth it.

“Do we really have to eat here? Can’t we just go home to eat?” The three people in front of them started chatting.

“I’m so greedy.” Another voice, softer than the man’s, perhaps a ger’s, said, “It would take at least half a month to get home.”

“Then why are we standing in line here?”

“Isn’t it good to have a little privilege?”

As if they had realized someone was listening, the three people turned around and nodded at Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan felt that the person in front of him seemed familiar but couldn’t recall where he had seen him before.

Tianji finally opened its doors. The attendant saw the three people in front of Zhou Yuan and the others. He ran up and said, “Gentlemen, why are you lining up? If you want to eat, just go to the back courtyard.”

Tian Le smiled and patted the attendant on the shoulder. “We’re fine. We’ll line up. Zi Xi has been craving it for a long time and couldn’t wait to go home and eat, so we came here.”

Chen Qing heard the name Zi Xi and felt it sounded familiar.

The attendant invited the three of them inside, and the others were led into the shop by attendants as well.

It was almost time for the shop to open, and the whole place was filled with people.

The three sat at the table next to them. No matter what the attendant said, they refused to go to a private room.

A server came to take their order. Zhou Yuan ordered several dishes based on what he remembered eating before. They were all special and not as expensive as Tian had said. The server smiled and asked, “Are you a regular customer of this shop?”

“No, I was just lucky to visit Yunxi City once.” Zhou Yuan replied.

As soon as he mentioned Yunxi City, the three people at the next table turned toward him. Zhou Yuan also turned and, with a glance, knew that two of them were very skilled martial artists.

Soon, the pot they had ordered was served. Chen Qing stared curiously at the small pot in front of him. He smelled its fragrance before adding charcoal to the fire.

Zhou Yuan had eaten it before, yet he was still fascinated by such delicious food. He patiently introduced it to Chen Qing. “Remember the red tomatos and green peppers we brought back from Yunxi City? These are the ingredients.”

Chen Qing widened his eyes, unable to imagine that they could turn out like this. Soon, the divided charcoal fire was ready. The soup in the pot began to bubble, and the aroma grew stronger.

Thinly sliced meat, vegetables stacked like flowers, and many foods Chen Qing had never seen before were placed on the table. His initial surprise turned into worry.

Everything was so new, and they had ordered so much that it would definitely be expensive.

Zhou Yuan waved his hand in front of Chen Qing, cooking a piece of meat for him. “Hurry and try it.”

Chen Qing had no choice but to take the chopsticks.

He was stunned the moment he tasted it. It was incredibly delicious and expensive for good reason. Zhou Yuan cooked more dishes for Chen Qing, who then began to eat. He noticed that Chen Qing especially liked the red tomato pot. Zhou Yuan didn’t like it as much. Chen Qing was still a child at heart and fond of sweet and sour flavors.

By the end of the meal, Chen Qing’s stomach was bulging, and he could hardly walk. Zhou Yuan cleaned up the remaining dishes. Chen Qing propped his chin with his hand and looked at Zhou Yuan.

The head attendant came over to settle the bill. Unexpectedly, he still remembered Zhou Yuan. “Weren’t you the one who helped us deliver goods last time?”

Zhou Yuan stood and nodded. “Thank you for remembering.”

“How’s it going? How’s your business?”

“Somewhat successful.” Zhou Yuan replied modestly.

They stopped chatting after that. If Zhou Yuan hadn’t paid the bill, Chen Qing thought he would have fainted. He thought it would be expensive, but he hadn’t expected it to cost nearly four taels of silver. Nearly four taels of silver for one meal!

In the village, four taels of silver were enough to live on for a long time.

Although he was shocked, he didn’t spoil Zhou Yuan’s good mood, knowing that Zhou Yuan had done it for him.

He only sighed, realizing that the capital was indeed the capital.

They stayed in the capital for two days, but Chen Qing wanted to go home. The capital was rich and prosperous, but Chen Qing still preferred to return to the village and the mountains.

He thought about the vegetable fields and rice paddies back home and wondered how the harvest was doing. He also thought about Li Xin and wondered how big his belly was now.

The capital was nice, but it wasn’t for him.

So, on the fifth day of the eighth month, Zhou Yuan brought him back to Luohe Village.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t make it for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year. Zhou Yuan planned to find an inn on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. Even if they weren’t home, they had to enjoy reunion day.

They traveled for three days. On the third day, the sky suddenly turned gloomy. Dark clouds loomed ahead. Luckily, there was a dilapidated temple by the roadside. Zhou Yuan discussed it with Chen Qing and they decided not to travel further that day and to take shelter there.

Zhou Yuan looked around the temple. It seemed that people often stopped there. He swept the floor and went out to gather firewood. By the time he returned, it had started to rain.

It was very dark. Zhou Yuan lit a fire. They were used to traveling. They carried dry food and water in their bags. He also prepared snacks for Chen Qing. They couldn’t afford such luxuries in the past, so sweets were a rarity. Later, when they could afford it, Zhou Yuan often bought sweet treats for Chen Qing.

Maybe the journey was too long. When he saw the snacks, Chen Qing lost his appetite. He only drank some water and took two bites of cake.

The rain grew heavier. Lightning flashed across the night sky from time to time. Chen Qing moved closer to Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan embraced him. “Don’t be afraid.”

Just as Chen Qing was about to close his eyes, he heard the sound of horse hooves outside. Zhou Yuan patted his hand. “Maybe they’re just people looking for shelter from the rain too.”

He stood up, walked to the temple gate, and saw three people dismount neatly. They tied their horses where Zhou Yuan had tied his and ran into the broken temple.

It happened to be a reunion with Zhou Yuan.

The three people they had met at Tianji appeared again.

Tian Le wiped the rain from his face and bowed to Zhou Yuan. “Tian Le.” He pointed to the slightly shorter man and the man beside him. “This is Chen Zixi and Fu Zeyang.”

When Chen Qing heard Chen Zixi’s name, he quickly stood up, his hand braced on the ground. He stepped in front of Zhou Yuan, his eyes fixed on Chen Zixi’s face.

“Zhou Yuan, this is my husband, Chen Qing.”

Chen Zixi glanced at Chen Qing and said, “What a coincidence! He’s from our Chen family, too.”

Chen Zixi was unlike anyone Chen Qing had ever seen. His hair was tied high. He looked spirited and spoke wittily, yet his face carried no trace of childishness.

Zhou Yuan also clearly heard his name: “Chen Zixi? General Chen?”

Tian Le stood slightly ahead of Chen Zixi, his caution obvious. Zhou Yuan noticed this as well and said, “I was once a soldier under General Xiao.”

Chen Zixi patted Tian Le’s shoulder and said, “It’s fine. I knew General Xiao’s adjutant general, but I haven’t seen you before.”

Zhou Yuan nodded. “I wasn’t an adjutant general. I was just a soldier.”

Seeing that they were all wet, especially Chen Zixi, whose face was covered in rain, Chen Qing said, “Come warm yourselves by the fire. You’re soaked.” He pulled a new handkerchief from his bag and handed it to Chen Zixi. “Wipe your face.”

He accepted the handkerchief, which was embroidered with geese. Chen Qing felt embarrassed and said, “It’s new. I’ve never used it before.”

Chen Zixi smiled. “The embroidery is beautiful. The goose looks alive. I’ll take it. Thank you.”

“Where are you headed?” Fu Zeyang looked like a scholar. Even when sitting, his back remained straight and upright like a pine or cedar tree.

“We’re going home.” Zhou Yuan replied. “We’re heading to the Xiaxi Prefecture.”

“Xiaxi? I just returned from the Xiaxi border,” said Chen Zixi.

Chen Qing normally wouldn’t speak up, but upon hearing that he had come back from Xiaxi, he couldn’t help himself. “Did you pass through Jieshi City and punish the wicked people?”

Chen Zixi thought for a moment. “It seems there was something like that. The county magistrate oppressed the villagers, and there were many false cases under him. Someone dealt with it at that time—anyway, much evil had been done.”

After hearing this, Chen Qing looked at Zhou Yuan, who nodded.

Chen Qing stood up, walked in front of Chen Zixi, and knelt down solemnly. “Thank you, thank you.”

This startled Chen Zixi. “Oh, what are you doing? Why are you kneeling? Quickly get up.”

Chen Qing was already crying when Zhou Yuan said, “Ah Qing’s father was killed by that man. That’s partly why we came to Xiaxi, but unfortunately, we couldn’t avenge him ourselves. We didn’t expect to meet you here.”

“That really is fate.” Chen Zixi helped Chen Qing up. “I have a month’s leave, so I’m escorting my brothers home.”

He then introduced the others: “Tian Le serves under General Cui Chaoming, like me.”

He pointed to the others: “Fu Zeyang is the top scorer from the imperial exams two years ago. He now works in the Ministry of Personnel. He’s on temporary leave because his father is ill, but he’ll attend the autumn exams in September.”

Chen Qing sat beside Zhou Yuan and looked at the three of them. Just by looking at them, you could tell they were all blessed by heaven. Two generals and one civil official—they were the backbone of the nation.

Zhou Yuan suddenly remembered something and asked, “Will you be returning to Yunxi City?”

“Huh?” Chen Zixi glanced at them. “You’ve been to Yunxi City?”

“We went to Tianji in Yunxi City, and Manager Tian helped us a lot.” Zhou Yuan said.

“Uncle Yao?” Chen Zixi said with a smile.
“Le Le is the son of Uncle Yao and Uncle Nian.”

“And Guai Bao is the son of Uncle Qiao and Uncle Fu. Do you know Shu Ming Academy? Uncle Fu is the dean of Shu Ming Academy.” Guai Bao is Fu Zeyang’s nickname. The three of them grew up together. Chen Zixi saw himself as the older brother, so he gave them nicknames.

Zhou Yuan sighed again, realizing that no matter how many times he traveled, he couldn’t avoid meeting people he was fated to meet.

“Doctor Yu cured my godmother, and Dean Fu allowed our family to study at Shu Ming Academy. Your families are our benefactors.”

“This is truly a great fate. You left the capital before us, yet we still meet here.” Tian Le was the youngest of them, but Zhou Yuan could tell that he was the most steady.

“Will your family be participating in this year’s autumn exams?” Fu Zeyang quietly asked.

Zhou Yuan nodded but didn’t mention Qi Shuning’s name.

“Just being able to participate in the autumn exams is good enough. I hope he does well.”

“Thank you for your kind wishes.”

The next topic was the border and military camps. Chen Qing was bored and fell asleep against Zhou Yuan’s legs.

The others lowered their voices.

“So you were the one who saved General Xiao from the enemy?” Chen Zixi asked. “Why didn’t you stay in the military camp? With your merits, you could make a difference anywhere.”

Zhou Yuan gently stroked Chen Qing’s face, his eyes full of tenderness. “Life is good enough now.”

Tian Le understood very well. Like his two fathers, he chose to quietly stay in Yunxi City and didn’t want to leave.

“Everyone has their own aspirations, and everyone has the right to choose their own path in life.” His fathers had taught him to be open-minded since childhood, and now he understood Zhou Yuan even better.

The night grew late, and they all fell asleep. The rain stopped in the second half of the night. The next morning, the sun shone brightly on the ruined temple. Chen Qing woke up then. As he moved, the others also woke up.

He rubbed his stiff neck. He had slept soundly, even in such a rough place.

They walked together for a while. Chen Qing gave Chen Zixi handkerchiefs and a purse and shared dry food and snacks with them.

Chen Zixi quickly said, “No, your journey is much longer than ours.” Then he added, “Why don’t you come to Yunxi City with us? There are so many delicious foods and fun things there.”

Chen Qing smiled. “I’d like to, but I’ve been away from home too long, and I miss my mother.”

“Then let’s meet again if fate allows.” Tian Le said.

They were free and easygoing, believing that no matter how long the road, they would meet again.

 

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