Soon, the soldier who went back to report the news returned.
He walked along, gnawing on a chicken leg, carrying a basket covered with a white burlap sack, from which steam was faintly visible.
The soldiers swarmed forward and grabbed the basket.
Someone laughed and scolded, "You little rascal, did you eat all the good food on the way?"
The soldier spat out a chicken bone and shouted, "Don't wrong me! I only got one chicken leg, and you saw me before I even finished eating it! The basket is full of meat buns. Fourth Madam said we should have a little something to eat first, and then we can go back for a feast after this is all over. The family has specially saved a table of food for us!"
"Haha, really? That's wonderful! I wonder what delicious dishes will be served at the banquet today!" A soldier jumped up and down with joy.
At this moment, the basket was opened, and sure enough, it was full of plump, white meat buns.
The soldiers each had four or five portions, ate them heartily, and then, ignoring the weeds and stones on the riverbank, lay down to bask in the sun, feeling incredibly comfortable.
Only Old Master Wen and his son Wen Junyan huddled to one side, half-dead.
They were hungry too, after all, they had been out working since early morning and hadn't eaten yet.
Having just been shoveled full of water, they were afraid that if they said they were hungry, they would ask for another "river water feast," so they had no choice but to endure it...
Several soldiers looked down on their pathetic appearance and, having nothing better to do, would gossip about them.
"Hey old man, what are you thinking? Are you getting senile? Your eldest son is such a good-for-nothing, why are you pampering him like a treasure? Our Mr. Wen is such a good person, brave and resourceful, why don't you like him?!"
"Yes, is this eldest son your son with your lover?"
"Yes, yes, aren't there often stories like this in plays? Like breaking up a loving couple, not being able to marry a courtesan, the courtesan giving birth to a child and then jumping into the river, so the man takes the child home and registers it under his legal wife's name!"
"Oh dear, that's what I guessed too! Otherwise, how could it make sense to ignore a filial and promising second son and only support a good-for-nothing?"
Who says men aren't gossipy? When men get gossipy, even the most gossipy relatives have to take a backseat.
The soldiers were chattering away, which made Old Master Wen so angry he felt like vomiting blood. Unfortunately, when he opened his mouth, he just spat out a mouthful of river water...
Fortunately, the Li family's banquet was over quickly, and the wedding procession passed the stone bridge as the sun began to set.
The laughter and chatter were so lively that the people below the bridge could hear it all clearly.
Old Master Wen, not knowing where he got the courage, tried to call out to his son, but a soldier swiftly drew his saber and held it to his neck.
All discontent and indignation became a joke in the face of the saber...
Only when the column had gone far enough and completely fallen silent did the soldier put away his saber. But perhaps still not satisfied, he raised his hand and slammed the scabbard hard against Old Master Wen's forehead. The old man screamed in pain, and a large bump instantly swelled up on his forehead!
The soldiers ignored them and dragged the father and son onto the bridge.
Soon, the carriage and attendants returned to their original positions.
The servant wasn't beaten, but he was still trembling with fear.
The soldiers shoved Old Master Wen and Wen Junyan back into the carriage. One of the soldiers chuckled and straightened the wrinkled clothes of the father and son, saying, "Gentlemen, you must remember the lesson you learned today. If you dare to have any crooked thoughts again, it won't be as simple as just letting you drink water!"
"Also, our lord is currently investigating a spy who has defected to the barbarians. This spy is very cunning and may be hiding somewhere. When you go back, you should also help keep an eye out for him."
After saying that, he closed the car door and called out to his brothers, "Let's go, let's go, let's go home for dinner!"
"Okay, let's go quickly, I'm starving!"
"You ate the most buns just now, how come you're hungry again? Are you a glutton?!"
The soldiers laughed and joked, shouldered their sabers, and ran off towards the brilliant sunset.
The Wen family's carriage remained parked on the road for quite some time before Old Master Wen finally instructed, "Go, hurry up, go home!"
The servant quickly turned around and ran wildly towards Kyoto.
Wen Junyan clutched his stomach as the carriage swayed, causing him to vomit mouthful after mouthful of water. "Ugh, Father, I'm going to...go sue them, ugh...beat up an official of the imperial court!"
Before he could finish speaking, Old Master Wen slapped him hard on the back of the head. "You idiot! Do you want to get your whole family killed?! Didn't you hear? The Marquis is arresting barbarian spies, and we don't know whose house they're hiding in!"
"He's warning us that if we dare cause trouble again, he'll frame our family for harboring spies! You've forgotten the Wang family. How did the third son of the Wang family go insane? He was thrown into prison and driven mad because of this charge. You want to end up like the third son of the Wang family, don't you?!"
When Wen Junyan recalled the scene of Wang Laosan running around bare-legged in the street, he couldn't help but shudder. "No, no..."
"Then shut your mouth. We'll take the loss today." Old Master Wen gritted his teeth in anger, wanting to say something harsh but not daring to, so he could only mumble, "We'll talk about it later!"
"If we get home like this, what will our family members say..." Now that his life was no longer in danger, Wen Junyan started thinking about the issue of his reputation.
The father and son came out in a huff, but returned covered in injuries, with nothing to hide their shame. They were sure to be laughed at by countless people.
Old Master Wen thought for a moment, then looked at the attendant driving the carriage ahead...
In the Wen family courtyard, Madam Wen had asked several times, and she was getting anxious when she heard that the old master and her husband had not returned yet.
I wanted to talk to my mother-in-law, but she was so hopeless that it would be useless to talk to her, so I simply didn't go.
Fortunately, news came soon that the person had returned.
She rushed over and saw two doctors bustling around her father-in-law and husband.
Startled, she wanted to go forward but couldn't, so she could only ask from behind the screen, "Master, Master, what happened?...Were you hit by someone? What happened?"
Wen Junyan was covered in bruises, and the doctor was vigorously rubbing them with medicated oil. He screamed in pain, but still quickly replied, "What nonsense are you talking about? I am a fourth-rank official of the imperial court. Who would dare to hit me! The carriage overturned on the road and fell off the stone bridge. We are lucky to have survived."
Old Master Wen chimed in, "Give the order that Wen An, the servant, has failed to serve properly and should be given twenty strokes of the cane!"
"Yes, sir." Madam Wen had no doubts and immediately ordered someone to arrest the servant and have him beaten with a board in the courtyard, so that all the servants could see it and remember it in the future.
But the two busy doctors in the room exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with mockery.
The words of the Wen family father and son might fool others, but they are full of loopholes in their own words.
The injuries on their bodies clearly indicate that they were beaten!
Clearly, Old Master Wen knew about this, so when the two doctors left, they both received generous fees and successfully shut their mouths up...
In Cui Family Village, a newlywed couple had just finished their wedding ceremony and were being led into their bridal chamber.
Grandpa Liu beamed with joy, even happier than if his own son were getting married.
Seven or eight old friends from the Liu and Cui families came. Regardless of whether they looked down on men marrying into their wives' families, they were all happy that their old friends had a successor...
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