Chapter 81

The man moved slightly and looked back at him. The morning light broke through the fog at this time, and a beam of light shone on his face. His eyes were extremely clear, showing the freshness of a young man.

"elder brother."

"Zhongxuan, what are you doing up so early?" Lin Shuge touched his hand and felt it was cold.

"Brother, look over there." Xie Chen pointed in a direction.

Lin Shuge looked in the direction he pointed, and saw several large bamboo baskets filled with pears. To prevent the baskets from poking the pears, Xie Chen considerately put a layer of leaves under each basket.

I don’t know whether to praise him for being considerate and attentive, or to praise him for staying up late at night to pick a bunch of pears from the tree? This is a problem.

Considering that he had worked so hard for a long time, Lin Shuge praised him a few words and then took him back to sleep.

Xie Chen seemed quite energetic and didn't look tired at all.

"Brother, I will speak quietly so as not to disturb others."

"Yes, yes, go to sleep quickly. Who would stay up late at night to do this? I'm not asking you to finish it for me in one day." Lin Shuge picked up Xiaobai who was rubbing against his feet and made room for Xie Chen.

However, Xiaobai struggled to get off his hands, so Lin Shuge had to put him on the ground. Unexpectedly, he jumped up, lay down next to Xie Chen and fell asleep.

Lin Shuge: “…”

Okay, go to sleep, both of you.

He sorted the pears in the yard and picked a basket of peppers. It was already daybreak.

Hearing hawking sounds from outside the alley, he went out and bought a few butter cakes for breakfast. At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and he had to put down what he was holding and open the door.

Before the door was opened, Zhou Du's voice was heard outside, "Brother Huai Ting, open the door quickly. I'm here to visit the patient."

Lin Shuge let him in, stood against the wall with his arms crossed and asked him, "Why didn't you go on duty today?"

Zhou Du smiled and said, "You are taking a day off today. Why is your illness getting worse?" He looked at Lin Shuge carefully. "But you look good, much better than before."

He handed the thing in his hand to Lin Shuge.

"What's this?"

"The venison my brother brought back is just right for you to nourish yourself with," Zhou Du said as they walked.

After entering the yard, I saw the situation in the yard, "When did you pick all the pears? I have been craving your pears for a long time, huh? And the peppers."

Just as Lin Shuge was about to answer, the door creaked and Xie Chen walked out with sleepy eyes and a dazed look.

Zhou Du was shocked and asked, "When did your Zhongxuan come back? No, why did he come out of your room in such a grand manner?"

Lin Shuge explained everything clearly with a smile.

Zhou Du's head was full of question marks, and he felt more and more that he couldn't understand this young Master Wei.

"Didn't you ask for chili peppers before? You're here today, so take your portion back. You can use it for cooking or dry and grind it to make chili oil. It's up to you. Be careful when picking it and don't break the roots."

Zhou Du naturally agreed and ran over to pick peppers. "Xu Yu hasn't picked any yet, right?"

"No."

"I knew I was more important." Zhou Du said, holding a long pepper in his hand.

"The can of chili sauce you gave me was snatched away within a few days after I brought it back. Although my brother is usually serious, honest and steady, he is the worst. In a few words, he divided up the can of chili sauce and gave me the least. He said that I have a good relationship with you and I will definitely get a lot. He also asked me if I had the nerve to snatch food from my niece?" Zhou Du said aggrievedly with accusations in his eyes.

"Remember to save the seeds this year, so that you can plant more next year." Lin Shuge comforted.

Suddenly, there was a weight on his shoulder, and Xie Chen leaned his head against his shoulder. "What's wrong? Are you still not awake?"

Xie Chen said "hmm" and shook his head.

"Go wash your face first. There's food on the table. Come over and eat later. Then go to bed."

Xie Chen nodded, woke up from his nap, and went to wash up.

Zhou Du beside him made several clicks of the tongue, and Lin Shuge looked at him strangely.

"It would be great if my brother was like you, giving in to me in everything. But don't you feel bored? I'm still here." Zhou Du asked Lin Shuge after seeing Xie Chen walk away.

"What nonsense! Zhongxuan and I are very close brothers. Are you envious?" Lin Shuge said indifferently.

Zhou Du chuckled and was just about to say, "I'm not envious at all, I just wanted to remind you," when he saw Xie Chen coming towards him, against the light, with a slender figure. Zhou Du could sense a hint of pressure from him, so he shut up and said nothing.

"Have you finished washing? Come over and have breakfast. I bought some on the street this morning. I just ate a few and they tasted very good." Lin Shuge handed him the butter cake on the table.

Xie Chen thanked him, finished eating in a few bites, then squatted down and helped him string the peppers into a string.

Zhou Du twitched his lips beside him. Well, it looks like the brothers are really friendly and respectful to each other. He didn't want to be annoyed if he didn't see it. But when he looked up, he saw a white shadow jumping out.

"Xiaobai, let me touch it." Zhou Du ran over excitedly.

Xiaobai squatted down and meowed at him a few times. Zhou Du was immediately captured by it and picked it up and said, "It's hungry. Do you have anything to eat?"

"There's one in the kitchen. Let me do it."

"No, no, what should I do? I haven't seen Xiaobai for a long time. I need to let it recognize me. Otherwise, what will I do if it forgets me?"

Lin Shuge had no choice but to give clear instructions one by one and let him go and play with Xiaobai.

"You can start work tomorrow, right?" Zhou Du asked casually.

Lin Shuge said “hmm”.

"The county magistrate has been talking about you these past two days. He must have something to talk to you about. But I don't think it's a big deal. I'll see when I go there tomorrow."

Lin Shuge pondered for a moment. Recently, the county has been busy preparing for the autumn harvest. The most important thing for the officials in the county government should be collecting taxes. There have been no vicious fights or thefts among neighbors. Could it be the county magistrate's office?

Seeing this, Xie Chen reminded him, "The doctor told you to relax and not worry too much. You have finally recovered for a few days, so don't worry too much now."

Indeed, it is useless to think too much. He will know what happened when he goes on duty tomorrow. He smiled at Xie Chen.

"You worry too much. I think you think too much. But it's no wonder. You have been worried about the disaster victims recently." Zhou Du said while touching Xiaobai who was eating.

"What are you thinking about? Are you thinking about me?" someone shouted from the top of the wall.

Lin Shuge could tell who it was even with his eyes closed.

"You actually distributed the peppers behind my back. You...you promised to give them to me. My restaurant is still waiting to prepare new dishes, and you gave them to him first?" Xu Yu was heartbroken, covering his chest with his hands and looking heartbroken.

The door was ajar, and soon someone pushed it open and walked in. Xu Yu rushed in angrily. Zhou Du touched him and gave him a provocative look.

"Everything should be based on first come first served, don't you think?" Zhou Du said with his arms crossed.

Xu Yu sneered, "Lin County Magistrate, I..."

"Stop, that's all. Divide it between the two of you and go back to grow some on your own." Lin Shuge didn't want to listen to them arguing, so after he told the two to pick the fruits, he gave each of them half and sent them away.

"Brother, I'll take care of the rest, you go and have a rest." Xie Chen hung up a few strings of brightly colored peppers and stored the remaining pears. These pears were still too hard, and they would taste better if they were covered.

He finished the work in no time. "Brother, do you want to go out for a walk? When I came here, I saw that the scenery of Yueming Mountain was quite nice."

Lin Shuge thought that he had been stuck at home for a while, and Zhongxuan was there too, so it was a good opportunity for him to go out and relax.

The two of them led the horses out of the city. Xie Chen climbed onto the horse and smiled as he stretched out his hand to Lin Shuge, "Brother, I'll pull you up."

"You won't fall this time, will you?"

Xie Chen shook his head, "Of course not. Even if I fall, I won't fall on my brother."

He put his arms around Lin Shuge's waist, whipped his horse, and galloped forward like an arrow.

Lin Shuge could only feel the whirring of the wind in his ears and Xie Chen's slightly shaking chest. "What are you laughing at?"

Xie Chen's even more cheerful voice came to my ears, "Of course I'm happy."

"What are you so happy about?" The wind started to pick up, blowing up the two people's long hair. The hair became entangled with each other, and Lin Shuge reached out and brushed it.

Xie Chen said nothing. He held the reins with one hand and held his waist tightly with the other. "Brother, hold on tight. I have to speed up."

As soon as he finished speaking, the horse neighed, raised its hooves and galloped forward. Lin Shuge was shaken and frightened and leaned back closely against Xie Chen.

"Zhongxuan, you are getting bolder and bolder. Did you do that on purpose just now?" Lin Shuge turned his head and glared at him, with a hint of water in his eyes.

The horses slowed down. Xie Chen gently tidied up his messy hair and smiled, "Brother, why would you think that?"

Lin Shuge stared at him suspiciously, seeing that his face was full of innocence, after staring at him for a long time, he actually felt a little aggrieved, which made him reflect on whether he was being mean-spirited.

"Brother, we're here."

Lin Shuge looked back and saw a grassland in the distance, but nearby it was lush greenery, with leaves overlapping each other and mountains reflecting each other. It was indeed a beautiful scene.

Xie Chen got off the horse first and reached out to help him, but Lin Shuge brushed his hand away, "I can do it myself."

Xie Chen felt that he was in the wrong, so he followed him closely and served him.

"Brother, are you hungry?"

“Not hungry.”

"Brother, are you thirsty?"

"Not thirsty."

“Brother, you…” Lin Shuge raised his hand towards him, and Xie Chen shut his mouth aggrievedly.

The sound of running water could be heard in the distance. Lin Shuge looked in the direction of the sound. In the distance, the sky was high and the clouds were light. The fields were vast and boundless. A stream ran through the grass, and the water was gurgling. Lin Shuge sat on the ground and said to Xie Chen, "Zhongxuan, come here quickly."

Xie Chen staggered over and sat next to him, neither of them spoke.

At this moment, there was a sudden sound of horse hooves. Xie Chen immediately stood up and protected Lin Shuge behind him.

The sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer, and the people on the horses were becoming clearer and clearer. They were Lu Yuechuan and Ye Qi, followed by Jian Su and a young disciple.

Seeing Lin Shuge's calm attitude, Xie Chen put away the dagger hidden in his sleeve.

Several people got off their horses. Ye Qi saw that they looked normal, but Lu Yuechuan was obviously listless, as if he had suffered some kind of blow.

"Why is County Magistrate Lin here?" Ye Qi asked, and then looked at Xie Chen who was on guard beside him, and said with a smile: "Are you out for fun? This season is just right for fun. Remember to ask me to come along next time."

Lin Shuge exchanged a few pleasantries with him, and then asked, "Have you all returned from Wei County? I wonder how Wei County is doing now?"

Ye Qi showed a bitter smile and sighed, "It's a long story."