Chapter 99: Throwing her out of the mansion?
Dai Li stood in front of the main house, facing the direction of the courtyard entrance, while two younger relatives faced her with their backs to the entrance.
Only she saw Qin Shaozong.
A distance apart, their eyes met briefly in the air.
There's no point in arguing with a kid who's still in high school. Although his tone wasn't very nice, his words could be considered a reminder, so Dai Li didn't say anything, only raising an eyebrow at Qin Shaozong.
"Qin Qinian!"
A heavy thud came from behind. Based on his years of experience getting into trouble and getting beaten, Qin Qinian's spine tightened instantly, and his scalp tingled.
He was often in trouble when his father called him by his full name.
Qin Qinian spun around instinctively, his imposing aura instantly weakening. "Father, I..."
"If I hear such nonsense again, you'll never be allowed to go to the barracks again," Qin Shaozong said expressionlessly.
Qin Qinian was shocked. If he had only shown dissatisfaction and condemnation when he heard Dai Li's "heretical" remarks, now his face turned pale with fright.
This sentence terrified Qin Qinian even more than the words about breaking both legs he heard last night.
His father was always a man of his word, and he never broke his promise over the years.
If he says it, he will definitely do it.
Should we stop him from going to the military camp in the future?
He's destined to be a great general; it would be better to kill him than to prevent him from learning martial arts and leading troops.
Qin Qinian was filled with fear and panic. He rushed forward, muttering, "Father, I know I was wrong. Please don't forbid me from going to the military camp." He wanted to reach out and tug at Qin Shaozong's clothes, but he felt that this action was too childish and inappropriate.
Finally, he simply buckled at the knees and knelt before Qin Shaozong, saying, "Father, your son knows his mistake."
Qin Shaozong looked down at him and asked, "Are you here to apologize to me?"
Qin Qinian understood the meaning behind his words and hesitated immediately.
He could kneel before heaven, earth, ancestors, and parents without hesitation. Yet he could not yield to Qin Shaozong, a mere concubine of his father.
He bowed his head as he got up from the ground, walked to Dai Li, and bowed deeply to her. "I'm sorry, I spoke rudely just now. Please don't take it to heart."
“Okay,” Dai Li said with a smile.
Qin Shaozong looked at Dai Li's upturned lips and recalled what his youngest son had just said, and couldn't help but scoff inwardly.
If they kick her out of the manor, she'll have nowhere to cry.
Ha, I bet as soon as she was released, she would burst out laughing at the gate of the mansion, and then leave Yuyang that same day with that brat Qin Yanzhou.
Qin Shaozong: "Qin San, run twenty laps around the mansion after Shenshi (3-5 PM) today."
Qin Qinian nodded quickly.
As long as his father doesn't mention forbidding him from setting foot in the military camp, everything is negotiable.
Qin Shaozong looked at Dai Li and said, “Madam, this is my third son, Qin Qinian, who is sixteen years old. This son is very energetic and noisy, so I hope you will be tolerant of him. If you really can’t bear it, you can give him a beating.”
Energetic and boisterous. These were Dai Li's exact words from last night, but only the two of them knew them.
Dai Li looked away.
Then Qin Shaozong introduced Dai Li and Qin Yanzhou to Qin Qinian, and casually mentioned that Qin Yunce had come to pay his respects yesterday, implying that he should behave better in the future.
Upon hearing Dai Li's surname "Dai," Qin Qinian blurted out, "Aren't you a young lady from the Wei family?"
Dai Li was puzzled. "No."
Qin Qinian frowned and muttered, "This shouldn't be..."
He had never seen his father treat a woman like this, let alone formally introduce her to his elder brother and him, and instruct him to greet her, which was entirely the way a junior would greet an elder.
By all accounts, it seems the father is somewhat inclined to get married.
But her father had made a promise years ago that her second son would marry a woman from the Wei family. She wasn't a woman from the Wei family, so wouldn't that mean she couldn't…
"She won't have the surname Wei," Qin Shaozong said calmly.
Dai Li didn't understand the riddle the father and son were playing. Since she couldn't figure it out, she simply stopped thinking about it and went back to the initial topic of tinderboxes. "Zhouzhou, come with me to make tinderboxes."
Yesterday, she took a stroll around the mansion and found that it was excessively large, larger than the mansions she had lived in before, such as those in Guoyun County or Bairi City.
Besides flowers and craggy rocks, the back garden also had a small bamboo grove, with a square pavilion inside. What Dai Li had her eye on now was the bamboo in the grove.
She assumed Qin Shaozong had returned to the main courtyard to find his son, so she only called out "Zhouzhou." But after she and her son left the main courtyard, they heard footsteps behind them.
Dai Li turned around.
"Since we have nothing to do, my wife and I will go together." Qin Shaozong took long strides and caught up with Dai Li in just a few steps, standing side by side with her.
Dai Li didn't care.
Okay, come if you want, we'll have another source of labor later.
The four of them left the main courtyard and headed straight for the back garden, then entered the small bamboo grove.
Bamboo is an evergreen plant, and even in the cool autumn, it is mostly green except for the slightly yellowed bamboo leaves.
Dai Li walked around the bamboo forest and picked out a bamboo of moderate thickness. "This one is suitable. Break this one off."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yanzhou reached for his sword, but before the dagger was fully drawn, a voice came from the side:
"Let me do it, let me do it!"
Qin Qinian was very excited. The sixteen-year-old boy knew nothing of quiet or humility, and was eager to show off.
Dai Li held down her son's arm and pushed the blade of his sword, which was partially unsheathed, back into place.
Qin Qinian walked up to the bamboo that Dai Li had chosen and began to chop it up, chattering away as he did so.
This time, he dared not say anything unorthodox or heretical. He simply asked, "Madam Dai, you previously said that a tinderbox could be lit with just a breath. Why is that?"
It can ignite with a single breath; is it some kind of magical aura?
Dai Li explained to him, "Because flames need oxygen... air to burn. When you put the lid on, the flame will go out to the point of a spark. Blowing on it is like adding fuel to the fire again, so the fire can start burning."
Qin Qinian asked like a curious child, "Why didn't that spark go out completely?"
“It’s because of the materials,” Dai Li replied.
Qin Qinian: "What materials are needed?"
Dai Li: "Reed flowers, paper mulberry bark, rosin, sulfur and saltpeter, etc."
Both saltpeter and sulfur are combustion aids, while flammable rosin acts as a binder, holding the materials together.
"Then if I bring you all of these, will you be able to make a tinderbox right away?" Qin Qinian was itching to try it.
He always felt that the idea of starting a fire with a breath was too far-fetched, and he wished he could see a tinderbox today.
Dai Li poured cold water on the situation: "No, the reeds and paper mulberry bark need to be processed for seven days. These two started drying yesterday, and we still need to wait six more days."
If you have a microwave or oven, baking ingredients only takes a few minutes. But with these two things available, there's no need for a tinderbox, this low-tech version of a lighter.
Qin Qinian said "Oh," his interest waning slightly, but quickly added, "Then, when you make the tinderbox, may I come and see?"
Dai Li said yes.
"How do you know so much?" Qin Qinian continued to ask.
Dai Li: "It's written in the book."
Qin Qinian subtly shrank his head. "You're quite impressive, being able to read so many books. I can't do that; I can only be a great general."
“Cut it here, it should be about this long,” Dai Li gestured.
"no problem!"
As the two men were talking, Qin Shaozong leaned against another thick bamboo pole with his arms crossed, looking at the three of them with a smirk.
Qin Yanzhou stood to the side with his sword hanging, Qin Qinian was diligently whittling bamboo, and she was looking down at the bamboo.
The cool autumn breeze passed through the pavilion, fluttering the crimson petals of its fragrant leaves. The vibrant colors in the forest resembled a warm and dazzling fire, radiating warmth and brightness.
Despite his words, Qin Qinian was quite efficient. In just a few moments, he chopped down the bamboo that Dai Li had specified, removed the leaves, and then cut it into many small sections as Dai Li had requested.
Dai Li took one and examined it, then said to Qin Qinian, "Cut a small piece here to make a cap. Then make a hole on top of the cap. Don't make the hole too big, about the size of a soybean will be enough."
The reason for drilling the hole is to preserve that little spark; after all, if no air can get in at all, the flame will go out.
"Okay," Qin Qinian readily agreed.
A long bamboo stalk is cut into many small sections, and each section is made into a small bamboo tube that can be covered with a lid. This is no small project.
There is a square pavilion next to it, with a stone table and stone chairs inside. The table and chairs are cleaned by servants every day to ensure they are spotless.
Now the group moved to the pavilion.
There were quite a few small bamboo sections, about twenty in total, and Qin Yanzhou also joined the ranks of making small bamboo tubes.
Both juniors were skilled with knives, and working together, they quickly got all the small bamboo tubes capped.
"Everything is ready. Now we just need to wait for the reeds and paper mulberry bark to dry." Dai Li put the small bamboo tube into the basket.
Qin Qinian asked anxiously, "Do we really have to wait six days? Can we do it in five?"
“No.” Dai Li shook her head.
"Fine, anyway, Father won't let me go out." After saying this, Qin Qinian belatedly looked at Qin Shaozong, who was playing with a bamboo tube to the side, and asked, "Father, why have you confined me here?"
He was unaware that the Wei family had searched for him several times.
Qin Shaozong seemed displeased, "At sixteen years old, you're still so unruly. What kind of behavior is this? You should temper your temper. Tomorrow, your elder brother will also come to stay at the mansion for a while, and you can study with him."
With a "thud," the man tossed the small bamboo tube back into the basket.
The sound wasn't loud, but to Qin Qinian it was like a bolt from the blue, and then the sky collapsed.
Qin Qinian felt a dark cloud hanging over his head, deeply regretting that he had spoken out of turn.
If your father tells you to stay in the mansion, just stay there. Why do you have to dig deeper and ask why? You're just asking for trouble.
Just as Qin Shaozong had said, Qin Yunze arrived in a carriage the next day.
Unlike last time when they had just had a simple meal, this time Qin Yunce came with his luggage. He rode in a horse-drawn carriage, followed by two other carriages carrying his luggage.
Many prominent families were observing the situation openly and secretly, and the more they watched, the more alarmed they became by the situation.
Marquis Wu'an remained secluded at home, and the trend of acquiring medicinal herbs grew stronger and stronger, even reaching beyond Youzhou.
The eldest son of the Marquis of Wu'an even brought his luggage to the mansion to attend to the sick. Some say that his third son also returned to the city overnight and has been attending to the sick in the mansion ever since without stepping out.
Apart from his daughter who married into another county, both of his sons returned to care for him while he was ill.
This is bad!
Regardless, since the other party lacked medicinal herbs, they had to make some gesture. So, the various prominent families emptied their private treasuries, taking out the best medicinal herbs to send over.
The medicinal herbs arrived, but naturally no one was seen, and not even a whisper of their presence could be heard.
Days passed, and six days went by in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, a rumor spread from nowhere that Marquis Wu'an had been saved from the brink of death and that his condition was gradually improving.
Some people suggested that since the crisis had been overcome, shouldn't we go and offer our congratulations? Regardless of whether we can actually see Marquis Wu'an in person, we should at least make our presence felt again! Let him know that we are always concerned about his safety.
After thinking about it, everyone agreed that it made sense.
Especially the Cai family, who had recently been arguing fiercely with the Wei family, immediately opened the storeroom, retrieved the gifts, and left by car.
*
The main courtyard of the Qin residence.
"Madam Dai, today is the sixth day!"
Dai Li had just finished breakfast when she heard a loud, hoarse voice calling from outside.
His voice wasn't pleasant, but it was incredibly loud; before he even stepped through the doorway, his voice could be heard in the main courtyard.
"Hey, why are you pulling my leg? Your mother must be up by now."
As Dai Li stepped out of the main house, she saw two teenagers, one tall and one short, walking towards her not far away.
The taller one seemed to want the shorter one to shut up, so he elbowed him in the chest in an attempt to distract him.
The shorter one got excited when he saw this, stopped talking, raised his hand to block, and fought with the person next to him as he walked. In the blink of an eye, he had exchanged several blows.
Qin Yanzhou was the first to see Dai Li and immediately stopped, saying, "Good morning, Mother."
Qin Qinian stopped immediately upon hearing the sound, and respectfully bowed to Dai Li, saying, "Madam Dai."
He was carrying a bag in his hand, and as he moved, the bag dangled from his hand and then lifted slightly as he straightened up.
"The weather has been nice these past few days, not a drop of rain has fallen, so we can pack up our things now." Dai Li's gaze fell on the cloth bag Qin Qinian was carrying.
Sure enough, after she finished speaking, the boy happily opened the bag, "I brought everything."
The small bamboo tubes were placed in a small basket in the main room. Other materials, such as rosin and sulfur, were stored elsewhere along with the raw materials.
Qin Qinian has brought them all over now.
Dai Li: "Come inside."
Dai Li asked Qin Qinian to put all the things on the table.
After being washed, repeatedly pounded, and dried, the reed flowers and paper mulberry bark have formed a very hard grass cake.
The rosin, sulfur, and saltpeter were all ground into powder, and Dai Li sprinkled them on the grass cakes and began to roll the grass.
Roll it up and stuff it into a small bamboo tube.
"Is that all?" Qin Qinian asked, peeking out from the side.
Whenever he unconsciously moved closer to Dai Li, Qin Yanzhou would quickly grab Qin Qinian's collar and pull him away.
Dai Li: "Okay, get a piece of flint to start a fire."
Qin Qinian didn't have any flint on him, so he immediately went to look for it. Finding nothing in the outer room, he went into the inner room.
Upon entering, he belatedly realized that the room contained very strong masculine traces.
A black robe and a beast-head sash were casually draped over a wooden frame. In one corner of the room, there was a knife rack with a five-foot-long ring-pommel sword on it.
There were many wooden boxes in front of the mirror case, clearly belonging to a woman. On the table were also a woman's beautiful hairpins and a jade thumb ring that was obviously worn by a man.
Qin Qinian realized more clearly than ever that his father was sleeping with a woman day and night, and that even the most subtle traces of their daily life were intertwined.
There was a lamp on the small cabinet and a flint next to it. Qin Qinian looked away, took the flint and went out.
Since Dai Li wasn't very good at using flint, she simply had Qin Qinian light the fire.
With a "plop," a spark landed on the straw cake.
Reed flowers and paper mulberry bark are rich in fiber. After being dehydrated, dried, and mixed with sulfur and other substances, they are practically flammable.
Dai Li: "Just put the lid on."
Qin Qinian did as instructed. He swiftly covered the flames, extinguishing them instantly.
Dai Li took the tinder from his hand, looked through the small hole at the top, and then opened the lid.
Having been burned before, the straw cake at the mouth of the bamboo tube was now covered with a layer of charred black. Dai Li handed the tinderbox to Qin Yanzhou, "Zhouzhou, blow a breath on it."
Qin Yanzhou was slightly taken aback, a glimmer of light appearing in his eyes. Under the gaze of the two men, he inhaled and then exhaled.
As the air currents swept by, the previously charred areas turned increasingly red, finally bursting into a warm, bright burst of color like a small firework exploding.
Qin Qinian was dumbfounded, and it took him a long time to say, "It really can start a fire!"
Qin Yanzhou was also stunned. After a while, he turned to look at Dai Li, his eyes bright and the corners of his mouth turned up. "Mom, it's lit."
Author's note: I'm here! [hugs]
Please, please provide nutrient solution. [Hands clasped in prayer]
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