Chapter 126 What does the word 'old' have to do with me?
"Nianxia, do you think Madam is up yet?"
"She's definitely not awake yet. I called for water several times last night. Based on past experience, Madam won't get up until at least the beginning of the morning. Let's warm up some porridge first, so she can eat it as soon as she wakes up."
"Oh my, it's snowing!"
...
When Dai Li woke up, she felt much colder, though she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination.
If I had to use a metaphor, it would be like being enveloped by a cloud of cold air, with every breath you inhaled carrying frost, chilling you from your trachea all the way to your lungs, dispelling the few remaining traces of drowsiness.
She was alone on the couch, the spot beside her long since cooled. Qin Shaozong was not one to sleep in late; he would get up before dawn every day to do his morning exercise, and then go to his study.
It was fortunate that he made almost no noise when he got up, otherwise Dai Li would have had a real reason to sleep in a separate room from him.
She sat up, clutching the quilt. The quilt slipped slightly, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin stained with red marks. Dai Li lifted the quilt and glanced down, her lips twitching. Unable to bear the sight, she pulled the quilt up a little higher.
Her handkerchief slipped onto the footrest last night, and Qin Shaozong later picked it up and hung it on the wooden frame next to the bed.
The wooden frame is right next to us; it's not exactly close, but it's not far either.
Dai Li reached for her handkerchief, only to find her body limp, as if her bones had been disassembled and put back together. She withdrew her hand and fell backward with a thud, pulling some of the blanket over her face.
Oh no, I've overindulged.
Unexpectedly, Qin Changgeng was so sensitive to the word "old," and it was something that couldn't be mentioned at all; he would react strongly if it was mentioned.
Dai Li felt as if she were back in the previous night, that rough and urgent male voice so close to her ear:
"I am not yet forty, but in the prime of my life, capable of drawing a great bow and taming a wild horse. What does the word 'old' have to do with me?"
"It's only once, Madam, don't pretend to be weak and delicate. If we do it again, don't fall asleep. Tsk, you don't have to do much effort at all, you're so pampered..."
"Put your legs up and squeeze them together."
"If you can't finish it today, you can eat it tomorrow."
...
Dai Li sighed heavily, "This is really terrible."
Nianxia and Bipo, who were waiting outside, came inside upon hearing the noise.
After washing up and putting on new clothes, Dai Li realized that her initial feeling wasn't a figment of her imagination. A cold front had indeed arrived, bringing with it a heavy snowfall.
A soft layer of white fell outside the window; the ground was white, the eaves were white, and the treetops were white. Sunlight shone on it, creating a dazzling brightness, like a painting with colors arranged in a harmonious way.
It truly lived up to the saying: "Clad in silver, it is exceptionally enchanting."
It was still snowing heavily, and Dai Li couldn't resist pushing the window open as wide as possible and reaching out to catch the snowflakes.
She's from the south and has traveled to the north quite a few times for business and leisure. But it's rare for her to happen to be there during a heavy snowfall.
Modern industrial pollution is particularly severe, with a lot of dust in the air, and much of the snow that falls to the ground is very dirty. After the snow melts, the water becomes even more turbid.
But it's different here.
Gunpowder had not yet been invented in this era. The water was clean, with many streams crystal clear and rivers having transparent sections two to three meters deep.
Without sandstorm pollution, one can see the sky filled with dazzling stars at night. The saying "A towering building a hundred feet high, one can pluck the stars with their hand" is most vividly embodied here.
It's snowing now, and the world is a pristine white, a truly beautiful sight. However, Dai Li dares not look at it for too long; the snow under the sunlight is too bright, and staring at it for too long will hurt her eyes.
Dai Li had just finished her breakfast when Qin Yanzhou arrived.
"Good morning, Mom." The young man bowed and greeted Dai Li.
After straightening up, he carefully examined Dai Li's complexion and saw that apart from the lingering redness around her eyes, she seemed to be in good spirits, which put him at ease.
Dai Li was also looking him over. When she noticed that her son was dressed too lightly, she immediately frowned in disapproval. "Why are you dressed so lightly? Zhouzhou, you just had bloodletting. You are in a weak period now. You should wear more clothes."
Qin Yanzhou lifted his collar slightly to show Dai Li what he was wearing underneath. "I have extra clothes underneath, and it's not as cold as when the snow melts."
Over the years, he has gradually become able to tolerate both cold and heat, and has gotten used to it. If his treatment hadn't just ended, he wouldn't have planned to put on that layer of clothing underneath.
Dai Li was worried, feeling that the child would be cold. She got up and moved the charcoal brazier a little closer, and then nagged him a couple more times to wear more clothes and not worry about being laughed at.
She knew that most children of this age prioritized style over warmth.
Qin Yanzhou had no choice but to agree.
Dai Li then asked him, "Has Zhouzhou had breakfast yet?"
Qin Yanzhou said he had already eaten.
Dai Li looked towards the door. Nian Xia was sweeping snow in the yard, but Bi Po wasn't there; she seemed to have gone to the kitchen. Qin Shaozong was, of course, in his study.
Dai Li withdrew her gaze with satisfaction, but still lowered her voice a little, "Qin Changgeng didn't hear our final plan last night."
Qin Yanzhou nodded, wanting to ask something, but then felt it was inappropriate.
“However, after what happened last night, he might take the winter hunt more seriously. Zhouzhou, you should... act according to the circumstances,” Dai Li reminded her son.
The stakes were whether or not Qin Shaozong could hunt a tiger in broad daylight, regardless of whether anyone assisted him.
Later, Dai Li pondered the matter over and over again and realized that she had overlooked something: she had not specified the number of people the other party should assist!
Two people assisting each other is assistance, two hundred or two thousand people assisting each other is also assistance.
Qin Changgeng is an arrogant man, and Dai Li previously thought he wouldn't send out a large group of people to search the whole mountain for tigers. But after what happened last night...
Well, it's hard to say.
She could clearly tell he was holding his breath.
The loser of the bet must agree to one thing, but this thing is not yet clearly specified and is too flexible. It's hard to say whether Qin Changgeng will set his sights on it.
Qin Yanzhou's brow twitched slightly. "Mom, I have an idea..."
Dai Li curiously leaned closer.
The mother and son were plotting something in the room, while Nianxia outside continued shoveling snow, completely unaware of what was happening.
*
"Qin Yanzhou, oh, what a rare guest! It's rare for you to come and see me." Qin Qinian was surprised and amazed when he saw Qin Yanzhou.
But after saying that, he seemed to remember something and gasped slightly, "Why aren't you staying in your own yard? What are you doing out here?"
He knew that Qin Yanzhou had become a disciple of Mr. Nalan and had to go there for guidance every other day. Originally, Mr. Ding had also treated him every other day, so the two were just in time to avoid each other.
Now that the treatment is complete, it's like having a day off. But based on his understanding of Qin Yanzhou, this man would most likely stay quietly when he has free time.
Qin Yanzhou: "Of course I've come to find you."
Qin Qinian tilted his head. "What do you want from me? Have you thought it through and are willing to have a good spar with me? But not now. If I win now after you've finished your treatment, it won't be a fair victory."
Qin Yanzhou asked, "Why have you been so eager to spar with me?"
“Of course, they’re around my age, none of them can fight.” Qin Qinian said without hesitation.
His cousins from the Wei family often came to visit him, but he never felt like he could really connect with them. He liked practicing swordplay, while they preferred listening to folk songs or reading books. Even though his third cousin had some martial arts skills, that was about it.
As for the other companions, they did have people to play with him, wielding knives and sticks, but they all held back, afraid of bumping or hurting him.
It's pointless.
Only Qin Yanzhou...
This guy really went all out when fighting him, and his own skills were quite good, plus he didn't have that annoying fawning attitude.
"But what's the point of asking these questions? You're not going to fight me." Qin Qinian turned his head and pouted.
The young man suddenly said, "It's not impossible for me to spar with you."
Qin Qinian turned around abruptly, "You agreed? Not the kind of defensive strategy you adopted later, but a full-scale attack."
Qin Yanzhou nodded. "Yes, we'll give it our all."
Just as Qin Qinian was about to be pleased, he heard the other party say the second half of his sentence, "But I have a condition. I've heard that there will be a winter hunt in a few days. Why don't we have a small competition first? If you can beat me, I'll then have a proper match with you."
Winter hunting is not uncommon.
In Qin Qinian's memory, his father would hold winter hunts whenever he felt like it. As the third son of the Qin family, Qin Qinian himself would participate in these hunts every time.
“Okay, what do you want to compete in? I’ve even hunted wolves myself in the past,” Qin Qinian said proudly.
This was his greatest achievement, and at his age, being able to hunt wolves alone on horseback was already remarkable. After all, wolves are pack animals; if you spot one, there must be a whole pack nearby.
"We're not competing to hunt wild beasts, we're competing to hunt rabbits," Qin Yanzhou said.
Qin Qinian almost thought he had misheard. "What's so great about hunting rabbits? They're not difficult at all."
Qin Yanzhou smiled almost imperceptibly. "That's not necessarily true. This hunt isn't just about the number of rabbits we catch, but also the number of rabbit burrows we find that contain live rabbits."
Qin Qinian raised an eyebrow, "The number of rabbit holes? And there have to be live rabbits inside?"
He still didn't understand what was so fun about hunting rabbits.
Rabbits don't hibernate and are always looking for food. So even in winter, there are still plenty of rabbits in the mountains; it's no exaggeration to say they're everywhere.
Snowshoe hares might not be that conspicuous. Ordinary hares, on the snow, are like targets, easy to catch one after another.
"Hunting rabbits isn't particularly difficult, but that's precisely why it tests your skills even more," Qin Yanzhou said calmly.
Just as Qin Qinian was about to ask how the test would be conducted, he saw a figure in orange turn in from outside.
He and Qin Yanzhou were inside the doorway, about two zhang apart, and could see each other if they looked up.
Shi Rongyue, who was dejected, was stunned.
Seeing this, Qin Qinian waved to the other person, "Rongrong, come here."
"Young Master Qin, Little Cousin." Shi Rongyue went over and curtsied to the two of them. She was carrying a round wooden bucket in her hand. When she curtsied, the jade pendant on her waist collided with the small wooden bucket, making a soft "tap" sound.
Qin Yanzhou: "Miss Shi."
Qin Qinian welcomed the person into the house and asked, "Rongrong, what are you holding in your hand?"
"First, some tea snacks." Shi Rongyue placed the food box on the table, opened the lid, and took out the small box inside.
There were three small boxes in total, containing cheese, sesame cakes, and beef jerky.
"Young Master Qin, Cousin, there's still some time before dinner. Why don't we have some tea and snacks together?" Shi Rongyue looked at the two of them, her gaze shifting slightly to the left.
Qin Yanzhou and Qin Qinian were originally seated, but when Shi Rongyue arrived, they stood up to return the greeting. Now that she has taken her seat at the table, it is clearly inappropriate for the two of them to remain standing.
He couldn't leave until the matter was finished, so Qin Yanzhou sat down again.
He lowered his eyes and sat down when a furtive shadow appeared in the upper part of his field of vision. Soon, a small wooden box containing beef jerky caught his eye.
He looked up and saw the girl sitting opposite him smiling. Her round cheeks revealed a pair of endearing dimples as she smiled. "Young Master Qin, I'm so grateful for your quick thinking and reflexes in the passage that day. Otherwise, I'm afraid I wouldn't be here today. This small tea and snack is hardly a token of my gratitude for saving my life, but I would still like to ask Young Master Qin to accept it."
Author's Note: Barring any unforeseen circumstances, tomorrow will be the winter hunt. [Lower-eared rabbit head]
This tenosynovitis is so recurring; it gets a little better after treatment, but then the pain comes back after a few days [crying emoji]
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