Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 241: Big Brother Returns
"Children, don't be greedy. After Laba, it's New Year. Drink Laba porridge for a few days, and then it's the 23rd. On the 23rd, sticky sugar-coated melons, on the 24th, clean the house, on the 25th, grind tofu, on the 26th, cut pork, on the 27th, buy new clothes, on the 28th, let the dough rise, on the 29th, steam buns, stay up all night on the 30th, and go to pay New Year's greetings on the first day of the New Year..."
It was another sunny day. In an alley that intersects Xuanwumen Street, in the cold wind, a few children were busy setting off firecrackers. A few children watching nearby clapped their hands until they were red and sang catchy nursery rhymes.
The sound was so loud that a group of people on horseback passing by Xuanwumen Street stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. The young man in the lead was originally handsome, but there was an inch-long scar on his left cheek, which ruined his appearance and made him look a bit fierce. He listened carefully for a moment, until he finished listening to the whole nursery rhyme, and then he smiled thoughtfully.
"I remember that I didn't seem to hear such nursery rhymes during the New Year in the capital before."
Several tough guys looked at each other, and finally shook their heads to indicate that they had never heard of it before. Seeing this, the young man in the lead rode his horse to the roadside, found a pastry shop that was still open, and asked directly about the nursery rhyme. The clerk was frightened by the young man's appearance, and became a little cautious. After a while of consideration, he smiled and spoke.
"My lord, you are asking about this nursery rhyme. Many people in the capital know it! It is said that on the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, the son-in-law of the Duke of Zhao's mansion coaxed a child who had fallen down in the temple. After a while, the word spread and many children could sing it. Within two days, all the children in the city were clapping and singing it non-stop. Don't tell me, it is really simple and easy to remember. It is quite interesting!"
Hearing the words "a perfect son-in-law", the scar on the young man's face trembled slightly, but then he smiled as if nothing had happened: "I have also heard of the reputation of Dr. Zhang, but I didn't expect that he would have the time to do such a thing."
"Well, he has done so many amazing things! The Imperial College Banshan Hall, you know it, sir? In the past, those dandy young men would fight cocks and walk dogs when they had nothing to do, it was a mess, but they have been studying hard these past few months. This time before the Chinese New Year, the Imperial College was on holiday, and there were actually quite a few people reviewing their lessons! It's really like the sun is rising from the west, it's new!"
The clerk was obviously very talkative, and the young man with a scar on his face did not speak in a ferocious manner, but rather with a gentle and elegant air, so he felt relieved: "I heard that among those who are reviewing their lessons, there is the second son of the Duke of Zhao! It is said that he has finished most of his homework, with only a few math problems left, and he still refuses to ask for help from Lu Sanlang."
"Young Master, you seem to be from a wealthy family. Sanlang Lu should know him, right? Hey, he's the head monk of Jiuzhang Hall, a prodigal who was praised by the emperor himself as a genius. He's one of Dr. Zhang's most proud disciples, and he used to be a good friend of the second young master of the Duke of Zhao's mansion. Now that his former cronies have become famous, Young Master Zhu must be feeling resentful."
Hearing this, the young man nodded to the man, and sent someone to buy two boxes of snacks in the store. After paying, he said that no change was needed, which made the man who got the unexpected reward overjoyed. It was not until he left the store and saw that the guards around him all had strange expressions, and it was clear that they had just been trying hard to hold back, that the young man smiled and said, "Why, you all find it incredible?"
"Master, it's not that we don't believe it, it's just that this is too unbelievable!"
"If the Second Young Master had really changed his temper, the Old Master wouldn't have been so distressed when he mentioned the Second Young Master before!"
"And the little fat boy from the Lu family. Although I have never seen him, I have heard of him. He was a bully in the capital. The two sons of the Lu family have become successful, but he is just a fool. Even Minister Lu hates him. Now such a person has become a genius praised by the emperor himself. I really don't believe it, even if I hear it a thousand times!"
The one who was called the eldest son was none other than Zhu Tingfang, the eldest son of Zhu Jing, the Duke of Zhao. He glanced at everyone, was silent for a moment, and then smiled faintly, "Anyway, I'm going home soon. Whether it's true or not, we'll know after a try. If it weren't for the fact that I could see more real things when I suddenly returned home, I wouldn't have concealed the exact date of my return from my family. Let's go, hurry back!"
Since he had not informed his family of the exact date of his return, Zhu Tingfang deliberately ignored the main entrance and headed straight for the back street. When he reined in his horse at the back door, he deliberately glanced at the house not far away that was suspected to be Zhang Shou's temporary residence, and then dismounted. As he strode into the door, several men followed closely behind him, and the children of the servants playing at the door were simply stunned .
Who is this person? How dare he break into Duke Zhao’s mansion so brazenly?
When the maids heard the children shouting, they thought someone had trespassed and subconsciously shouted for help. But when Zhu Tingfang glanced at them, they took a closer look and recognized that it was the young master. He had been away from home for only half a year, and now the young master was not only much thinner than before, but also had a scar on his face. They almost didn't recognize him!
Even though someone hurriedly tried to report this to Qing'an Hall, when the lady heard the news that her eldest grandson had returned, Zhu Tingfang had already arrived outside the hall in front of Qing'an Hall. She couldn't help but clench the Buddhist beads in her hand and scolded with a smile: "This kid, do you think he is leading the army to raid and give us a surprise attack? The family has clearly released people at the city gate, why didn't they send any news!"
The one who reacted more intensely than the lady was Zhu Ying. Miss Zhu stood up suddenly, blushing and said angrily: "I'm going to go meet big brother and ask him what he's up to! What's the point of this?"
Seeing Zhu Ying had already run out like a gust of wind, Jiu Niang glanced at Zhang Shou, who was still calmly drinking tea at the right lower side of the lady, and said with a smile: "Those who come with bad intentions will not come. Dalang came back at such a good time, probably because he wanted to see Ah Shou as soon as possible. Although he was away on the battlefield before, I guess he must have heard the name Ah Shou so many times that his ears are calloused."
Zhang Shou listened attentively, and heard Zhu Ying's loud voice outside at first , and then the voice became quieter for some reason. He pretended not to see Jiu Niang's teasing look, and said calmly: "If I'm not mistaken, Master Zhu must have experienced the wind and frost and the war outside, so even acquaintances are not easy to recognize, and the followers he brought with him may not be the same ones he brought with him when he went out."
The lady couldn't help but laugh: "That's possible, otherwise I would have thought that everyone sent to the city gate was blind!"
The next moment , a calm voice came from outside the door: "Grandma, mother, I rushed back overnight and did not inform my family in advance. I am sorry that you were worried. It is all my fault."
As Zhang Shou heard these words, a pair of jade-like hands lifted the door curtain, and then a handsome young man with sharp eyebrows and straight figure stepped over the threshold and saw the house. He noticed a scar on his left cheek, and he looked dusty and a little thin, but when he looked at him, he had an indescribable spirit of bravery, so he stood up.
Sure enough, before the visitor could speak, Zhu Ying appeared behind him: "A Shou, this is my big brother!"
Seeing Zhu Ying desperately winking at him with an expression that said "please be careful", Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh. He immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Master Zhu."
Zhu Tingfang shot his eyes at Zhang Shou like a sharp arrow. However, his eyes, which could even intimidate the fierce soldiers in the army, had little effect on Zhang Shou. He only saw the handsome young man standing calmly in front of him, looking directly into his eyes with clear and calm eyes. After looking at each other for a moment, he smiled and bowed in return.
"I have heard of Dr. Zhang's name for a long time, and I can see him in my own home just after returning to Beijing. It is true that hearing about him is not as good as meeting him in person, and meeting him in person is even better than hearing about him." He was about to say something else when he suddenly felt someone pulling his sleeve. He turned his head to see Zhu Ying glaring at him angrily. He sighed inwardly, and then pretended not to see it. After shaking her off, he stepped forward and saluted the Lady Dowager and Jiu Niang.
When the lady first met her future uncle, she couldn't help but feel a little worried, but when she saw Zhu Tingfang's appearance clearly, her worry suddenly turned into heartache. Before Zhu Tingfang could kneel down, she reached out and pulled him up.
"Da Lang, what on earth was wrong with you before? Your face..."
Zhu Tingfang laughed nonchalantly: "Swords and arrows have no eyes. Since we are going into battle, there will inevitably be bumps and bruises. They are all in the past. It's okay. Don't worry, grandma."
However, while the lady looked at her eldest grandson from head to toe, Jiu Niang could not help but frown and examine her older stepson. Her eyes moved down along Zhu Tingfang's disfigured face, and she carefully observed his movements. Then her eyes suddenly fixed, and she asked in a deep voice, "Da Lang, are your chest, abdomen, and right rib injured?"
When Zhu Tingfang went out earlier, he did not expect his stepmother, who was always the most stubborn, to come back. He also did not expect that Jiu Niang would abandon her usual character of not speaking out and speak out about his problems. Seeing that the lady's face changed drastically and she grabbed his arm and refused to let go, he could only put Zhang Shou's matter behind him for the time being.
"Grandma, mother, fighting on the battlefield is not without risk. Just like dad, his body was covered with scars and there was not much healthy flesh. I'm still young, and these flesh wounds will heal after a while of recuperation..."
Seeing Zhu Tingfang, who had just been stern and cold to him, kneeling down on one knee in front of the couch, softening his attitude, and sincerely comforting the two elders, Zhang Shou saw Zhu Ying, who was beside him, looking very uncomfortable, so he quietly moved to her side and whispered, "Why don't you help comfort your grandmother and your mother?"
Zhu Ying's expression changed for a while, and suddenly she took Zhang Shou's hand and walked out. Her action immediately woke up Zhu Tingfang, and when he looked back, he saw the young man and woman disappearing outside the door. His heart skipped a beat, but then a hand was placed heavily on his shoulder.
"Da Lang, you don't have to say those empty words to comfort us! A real man sheds blood and sweat but not tears. You have been like this since you were a child and never complain about the hardships. But because of this, we can't believe you when you say you are fine! I know that you have been away for so long, and you miss your home, miss us, miss your sister and future brother-in-law, and your second brother..."
The lady suddenly paused and said word by word: "But now, you are the most important."
When the lady was trying to pry open the eldest grandson's mouth and ask what happened during the time he disappeared, Zhu Ying impatiently drove away the maids and servants in the courtyard outside the Qing'an Hall. She looked at Zhang Shou with a complicated expression and said softly, "Ah Shou, I just reunited with my elder brother after a long time, and I couldn't help but... couldn't help but hug him!"
Zhang Shou was stunned. It was not because of the passionate embrace between the siblings, but because... Zhu Ying actually confessed such a thing to him! Could it be that she thought he was such a stingy person? But thinking about it again, his face gradually became solemn.
"When you hugged your big brother, did he react inappropriately? Was his face strange, or could he not help but groan in pain?"
"Both!" Zhu Ying's expression brightened when she saw that Zhang Shou understood what she meant, but she still couldn't help but hold Zhang Shou's hand tightly. "Ah Shou, my elder brother has always been the strongest person. When he was injured while practicing martial arts as a child, he usually didn't say a word. And when I greeted him just now, I heard that he rode a horse to the back door of our house."
"But when I hugged him just now, I was excited, and also... I was annoyed by his sudden attack, so I hugged him very hard, and that's probably how I squeezed his wound!"
The more Zhu Ying spoke, the more confused she became. "What do you think? Should we invite a doctor now?"
Zhang Shou was silent for a moment, and saw Yutang Yulan and Mama Li suddenly filed out of the room without saying a word. Mama Li winked at Zhu Ying when she left, but the eldest lady didn't see it at all. He pulled Zhu Ying back into the room without saying a word . The moment he crossed the threshold, he saw that Zhu Tingfang had been stripped of his outer robe by Jiu Niang.
Facing this scene, he couldn't help but glance at Zhu Ying, who was staring at him. Then he saw Zhu Tingfang, who turned around after hearing the noise, with a look of embarrassment and anger on his face. He coughed lightly and said, "Mr. Zhu, you went home first because you were worried about your family. But you are a general who led troops in battles outside. Now that you are back in Beijing, even if the Ministry of War has been sealed, shouldn't you ask to see the emperor first?"
"Yes, yes, I almost sacrificed my personal interests for my own!" Zhu Tingfang felt that Zhang Shou's excuse was perfect, and he quickly reached out to grab the robe in his stepmother's hand, but his hand was empty. In desperation, he simply stepped back two steps and said seriously, "This robe is indeed not suitable for me to wear outside. I will go back to my room to change clothes and go to the palace to see the emperor first!"
Seeing Zhu Tingfang fleeing, Zhang Shou saw Jiu Niang looking angry, while the lady looked at him with a half-smile. He smiled at them as if nothing had happened, but he still held on to Zhu Ying who wanted to chase after his eldest brother.
"Madam, Auntie Nine, Yingying. The eldest master is an adult now. He has his own ideas about some things. Although we care about him, we should not push him too much, otherwise the effect will be counterproductive."
"Duke Zhao should have known about his injury, but since he was released, it must have been expected. At this moment, rather than letting the outsiders think that he, a brave general who won a victory, came back with a serious injury, it is better to let him hold on for now and fulfill his wish and determination to pretend that nothing happened in front of others."
Zhu Ying was about to retort, but after a moment's roll of her eyes, she said loudly, "Well, Ah Shou and I will accompany Big Brother into the palace!"
