Volume 1 In the Countryside Chapter 53: Sharing the Beauty of the Moon Across the Distance
Under the bright moonlight of August 14, the houses in the village on both sides were silent. The handsome young man and the beautiful lady walked side by side to welcome their upcoming birthday.
This was a beautiful scene. If it weren't for the pair of teachers and students who were still nagging and mocking her, Zhu Ying would have hoped that this road would be longer. But now... she couldn't bear the occasional conversation, so she suddenly stopped and turned around, shouting angrily, "Uncle Hua, are you done yet? Ah Liu is still young, can't you give him some slack?"
Zhang Shou was actually quite helpless about the childish bickering between the two people behind him, but when he turned around and saw Hua Qi looking at Zhu Ying with a somewhat subtle expression, he could only retract his gaze and scolded Ah Liu: "Ah Liu, respect the elderly and the virtuous, don't deliberately make people angry!"
"Oh." Ah Liu glanced at Hua Qi and suddenly snorted, "Don't think I don't know what you are thinking."
Zhang Shou rarely saw Ah Liu's humane expression. He was slightly stunned when he saw him jump up after saying this and disappear on the eaves of a village house nearby. The next moment, he saw Hua Qi touch his nose, mutter something indignantly, and then he also jumped up and disappeared. Faced with this sudden change, he felt angry and amused.
Ah Liu actually laughed at Hua Qi for being a light bulb... It turns out that this kid is not boring at all...
At this time, Zhu Ying grumbled in annoyance: "Uncle Hua is really... so dishonest!"
Zhang Shou knew that Zhu Ying had also noticed it, and he couldn't help but laugh. However, in this environment that was very suitable for talking about love, he thought about it and finally decided to start with a topic that would spoil the mood.
"The men who were captured alive just now said that they left ten people to guard the mountain, but when we came down, there were no people or horses. If it was really done by these uncles and grandfathers in the village, think about the years I have lived with them day and night, what kind of strong men have I been living with in this village!"
But Zhu Ying actually liked listening to Zhang Shou talk about the daily lives of the villagers, especially when he was impressed by the villagers' strong fighting power. She couldn't help but snorted, "Shouldn't the most surprising person be Ah Liu? When he took me to Qi Liang to find you, he was dumbfounded and taciturn. Who knew he was Uncle Hua's apprentice, and he was actually quite capable!"
Zhang Shou agreed with Zhu Ying's resentment: "That's right, this kid is just a talent for pretending to be stupid. He fooled me for so many years! I will interrogate him carefully later. Oh, and also Mr. Yang, Xiaodai's father Deng Erniu... I must pry open all the tight-lipped mouths in the village! Yingying, you must help me. Without your prestige as a big lady, I will definitely not be able to get anything out of you!"
"Okay, it's settled then!"
Hearing Zhang Shou calling her Yingying naturally, Zhu Ying smiled and agreed without hesitation. The moonlight shone on her smooth face, making her already long eyelashes even more straight and attractive. Her dark eyes stared straight at Zhang Shou: "I also want to know why my father's old subordinates and Uncle Hua's apprentices are all here."
"That's because my uncle is here, of course!"
When this abrupt voice sounded, Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying were both startled. When Zhang Shou turned around and saw the old man who had come out of nowhere with a big smile on his face, he was so angry that he couldn't help but say something murderous: "Mr. Yang, do you understand the principle of not looking at or listening to anything indecent?"
"Of course I don't understand." Mr. Yang smiled, and then immediately said seriously, "But now that Master has said this, of course I understand. I should hide for a while, and then show up after Master and Miss have finished talking."
Zhu Ying didn't think the two had said anything shameful, but when she heard what Yang Laoguan said, even she, who was always generous, couldn't stand it anymore. She immediately said angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about? Let's get down to business! Ah Shou was just wondering, where is the person Ding Hai sent to guard the entrance of the bamboo forest?"
Zhang Shou asked angrily, "Also, have they released any information? Is there anyone outside the village to meet them?"
"Look at my mouth. I was scolded by the Duke back then, but I still can't help it after so many years!"
Yang Laoguan slapped his lips lightly, then said with a smile: "Let's talk business. When we heard the noise on the mountain, we immediately took action. We used blowgun arrows from Miaojiang to shoot people directly. It didn't take much effort to take down ten people. And we used anesthetics, so most of the horses that we had to shoot were still alive and kicking, and they are worth a lot of money!"
Zhang Shou was speechless. Those were the horses of the Linhai Camp, right? The old man dared to covet them. He was simply obsessed with money!
Old Yang continued confidently, "As for the outside of the village, Deng Erniu has personally led people to investigate. Besides, when Hua Qiye saw me, he told me that there is a group of people he personally brought with him wandering outside. We will make sure that no one who slipped through the net will come back to disturb the village again."
Hearing this, Zhang Shou was relieved, but he still had doubts. In the important area of the capital, where did Hua Qi get the troops to be drawn at will, and how could he be so ostentatious? But thinking that Ah Liu was not at home, it meant that only Old Liu and Aunt Liu and his wife were with his mother Wu, so he couldn't help asking again: "How is the situation at home?"
Mr. Yang smiled immediately, "I know that you are filial, don't worry, Old Liu is the most cunning guy, he can definitely guard the door, and his wife is also a first-class capable person. As for Miss Wu, of course she is worried about you, but as long as she sees you, she will be fine. If you are still worried, I will send someone to report that she is safe."
Seeing that Yang Laoguan puffed up his cheeks and made a sharp cry like the cry of a night bird without waiting for his orders, and a similar cry was heard not far away, Zhang Shou suddenly realized that the words had been said by others and he had nothing to say at all.
However, Mr. Yang hadn't finished speaking yet. Seeing that Zhu Ying's anger had come and gone quickly, he smiled and said, "Miss, you don't know how considerate my son-in-law is to the villagers."
He was also afraid that Zhu Ying didn't understand Zhang Shou's arrangement, so he exaggerated and said, "Son-in-law is worried that if we fight these rebels head-on, we will inevitably suffer losses, and he also intends to fight side by side with you, Miss, so he actually designed a plan to lure the enemy deep into our territory..."
"If you don't speak, no one will think you are dumb!" Zhang Shou simply wanted to chase this old man away. Where did he learn this matchmaker-like attitude?
Seeing that the situation was not good, Yang Laoguan quickly changed the subject: "I just met Mr. Hua Qi, and he said that no one was injured in the bamboo forest? The same is true for us. It was very easy to capture those ten people, and no one even got a scratch! Such an easy-to-deal-with rebel army, I'd better give me another hundred or eighty!"
Zhu Ying was so happy with what Yang Laogong said that she had forgotten that the old man seemed to be hiding and watching her from the side. "That's right. With just such a small number of people, we can't even fill the gaps between our teeth."
When Master Yang said this, Zhu Ying actually agreed with him. Zhang Shou felt his temples throbbing. Having just experienced a bad mouth late at night, he had to cough heavily to interrupt the conversation between the old man and the young man.
"It's almost midnight." In fact, it's not even 9 o'clock yet.
"Tomorrow is Yingying's birthday. The lady at the Duke Zhao's mansion even sent longevity noodles, but it's not enough for the whole village to eat together."
Even though the silver thread noodles were served in a cart and a small bowl was enough for each person, you might as well get busy instead of talking nonsense here!
"So, Mr. Yang, go back and tell everyone in the village to hold a big banquet to celebrate Yingying's birthday tomorrow."
Hurry up and collect those messy thoughts, think about how to celebrate your birthday, and stop thinking about the chaos!
Zhang Shou's simple and crude way of changing the subject worked. Old Yang nodded and laughed and ran away. But after running for a while, he suddenly turned back and shouted, "Tomorrow is not only the eldest lady's birthday, but also your birthday, so we should celebrate it in a big way!"
Although Zhu Ying's face was beaming with joy, she couldn't help but ask, "Isn't this too much of a fuss?"
Zhang Shou, who only wanted to get rid of Yang Laoguan, said in a serious tone: "Why mobilize a large army? I heard that in many places, when an old man in the countryside celebrates his birthday, a banquet is set up on the long street, and everyone is having fun for three days and three nights. Now that the storm has been settled, even if it is just to reward everyone for their hard work overnight, we should hold a big banquet to appease people's hearts. This is not mobilizing a large army, this is for everyone to have fun together!"
"Okay, I'll listen to you then!"
Zhu Ying nodded with a smile, then looked up at the bright moon in the sky, with a look of melancholy on her face: "A Shou, do you know? Dad said that my name came from the full moon on my birthday. Everyone likes to say white as jade, but Dad likes to say white as the moon... In previous years, he, my eldest brother, my grandmother and my second brother celebrated my birthday, but this year..."
At that moment, seeing Zhu Ying's eyes gradually turning red despite her smile, Zhang Shou couldn't help but reach out his hand. However, when his hand was about to touch that beautiful face, he stopped. In the end, he just reached back into his arms, took out a handkerchief and handed it to her.
"Su Dongpo's "Water Melody" said it well: people have joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, the moon waxes and wanes, and it is difficult to have everything in life. I wish you a long life, and we can enjoy the beauty of the moon together even though we are thousands of miles apart."
He softly chanted his favorite words, then smiled and said, "If I were your father, with a daughter as good as you, I would definitely overcome all difficulties and return victorious. If I were your elder brother, with a sister as good as you, even if I had wings, I would be able to fly over any obstacle safely! Yingying, believe them, nothing can separate blood-thicker-than-water relatives."
Even life and death...
Zhu Ying turned her head, the tears in her eyes turned into joy. She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and nodded vigorously: "You are right. Ah Shou, I think when your parents gave you this name, they also hoped that you would live a long and healthy life. We were born on the same day, and our names represent the best wishes of our elders, so you should live a good life!"
The moment he saw Zhu Ying burst into laughter, Zhang Shouqing clearly felt that his long-silent heart moved slightly.
