Chapter 129 Let’s Pick Up Grandpa
Jin Sui heard that Liu Yun would pick up Grandpa Ling tonight, and couldn't sleep that night. He tossed and turned in bed until midnight. Gu Chang Xiao, who had been pretending to sleep on the small couch, couldn't help but said, "If you really can't sleep, let's go wait outside the city."
Jin Sui sat up from the bed, nodding his head like a chicken pecking at rice: "Okay, okay! Wait, I'll go to the kitchen to get two pieces of cooked meat."
She also took out two gold ingots from the space, which she specially exchanged with Yan Shiyi.
When picking up a child, you should bring food; when picking up an elder, you should bring gold.
Gu Changxiao watched her busying around with a smile on his face. For some reason, he felt warm in his heart. This kind of care between family members was something he had never experienced before.
He has many close relatives, but they all want him to die. On the way, he experienced what it was like to be loved by a true elder from Master Ji.
"Should I prepare some gifts as well?" Gu Changxiao was infected by her enthusiasm.
Jin Sui smiled and said, "It's up to you! We are going to pick someone up, so it would be better to bring some gifts.
Let me tell you, there are some etiquettes to bringing gifts. When picking up a girl, bring flowers and desserts. I guarantee she will be happy.”
Speaking of desserts, Jin Sui took two more energy bars. Unlike the rewards she usually gave to Hei Hu and others, which were already cut into several pieces, these were whole bars, and she just tore the wrapping paper and wrapped them in lotus leaves.
Unexpectedly, when Gu Changxiao saw the energy bar, his expression froze instantly, and he asked tentatively: "I saw Brother Ji often give this kind of brown sugar to Hei Hu and others. Where did it come from?"
Jin Sui was so overwhelmed by the joy of receiving the call from Grandpa and Jin An that he didn't think much about it and said casually, "I made it. The raw materials are very simple, just sugar and some dried fruit powder."
Gu Changxiao pretended to be casual and said, "I have never seen this kind of snack anywhere else. Is it only Brother Ji who can make it?"
Jin Sui was about to say yes, but she had taught it to Chen Yunniang, and there was already an improved and simplified version on the market.
But she accidentally saw Gu Changxiao's eyes, and her heart trembled. This guy never bothered or asked too many questions about such trivial matters, but today he kept asking about the energy bars.
Suddenly she remembered something. When she and her grandfather rescued Gu Changxiao from the reed marsh, they hurriedly gave him medicine and bandaged him up. But when they left, she stuffed a complete energy bar into his hand! Moreover, he tore off half of his sleeves.
Jin Sui's mind worked quickly. He was smart and careful. Although he was unconscious at the time, he could pull his sleeves and must have heard the sound.
If she recognized my voice or my grandfather's, and then made another guess, she would definitely guess that I am a woman!
She rolled her eyes and said, "How could that be possible! This is a common dim sum recipe in the Central Plains. I saw it and learned it by myself in a small town near Los Angeles."
The light in Gu Changxiao's eyes dimmed, and Jin Sui deliberately asked in a teasing tone: "Brother Gu, why do you care so much about a piece of dessert? Did your sweetheart make it for you?"
Gu Changxiao laughed: "Not a sweetheart, but a lifesaver."
"I was once saved by a woman who left me a piece of the same dessert. If it weren't for her, I would have died in the wilderness."
Jin Sui was surprised and said, "Wow, you have to thank her very much. Didn't you go to thank her?"
Gu Changxiao shook his head: "I couldn't find her before, and I couldn't find her after. I didn't even see her face, I only vaguely remember her voice."
He took out the half sleeve from his arms: "By the way, this is a token she left behind. Brother Ji, do you know where this kind of material can be found?"
Jin Sui: ...What do you mean by a token she left behind? You clearly tore it off, okay? "This is a very common piece of linen from a farmer's house. You can't find her with this. But Brother Gu, if you find this lifesaver, how are you going to thank her?"
Jinsui was really looking forward to his answer. It felt like he had saved a domineering boss and was waiting for him to write a check.
"Of course I should give you a big reward for saving my life! With my current ability, I dare not exaggerate. Although I cannot confer a title, I can still afford to give you gold, silver and good land."
Jin Sui asked tentatively, "If I want ten thousand acres of good land and a thousand taels of gold, will you give it to me?"
"Of course!"
Jinsui felt heartbroken, as if he had lost ten thousand acres of good farmland and a thousand taels of gold. If I had not pretended to be the King of Li, and had used Ling Jinsui's identity to find the border town with my grandfather, I could still be a rich man!
Can I say that the one who saved him was my sister? Gu Changxiao probably wouldn't believe it...
"It's a good thing you know me!" Jinsui said firmly.
Gu Changxiao asked in surprise: "Brother Ji, will you help me find her?"
Jin Sui nodded heavily: "I will definitely help you find her!"
Fortunately, you met me, otherwise you would definitely find her. But now, you can’t find her.
Gu Changxiao couldn't find a gift to pick up the guest, so he followed Jinsui's example and took a lotus leaf chicken from the kitchen for Jin'an. He then took out a jade pendant from his chest pouch and prepared to give it to Taoist Ji.
As soon as Jin Sui saw the jade, he knew it was extremely valuable and said hurriedly, "This is not suitable, it's too valuable!"
Gu Changxiao smiled and said, "Master Ji saved my life. No matter how precious the jade is, it is hard to repay his kindness. This jade has other uses. My secret guards all know it. The border city is not stable. Master Ji is taking Xiao An with him. Holding this is also a guarantee of safety."
Now Jin Sui accepted it and solemnly thanked Gu Changxiao on behalf of his grandfather.
Gu Changxiao reminded them again: "Before the imperial decree of reward comes, Master Ji and Xiao Anwu must keep their identities secret."
Jin Sui assured: "Don't worry, they won't let anything slip."
I walked all the way with you, and neither of them told you that I was a woman. Your ability to keep a secret is pretty reliable.
Since the discovery of fish oil, although most of it was used to make firearms, a small portion was still used for lighting, especially for the reconstruction of border towns, where work was often rushed in the middle of the night.
Because the wages offered by King Li were high, and there were overtime pay and a meat snack for working until midnight, the workers were happy to work faster.
After all, they used to work for the powerful and wealthy, and their wages were meager, and they would be beaten if they worked slowly.
Those who performed corvée labor for the government had to bring their own dry food. They often worked day and night, and it was common to die of exhaustion.
Therefore, there is a high-hanging street lamp every ten meters on the main road of this new border town, so there is no need to light a torch or carry a lantern when going out.
Gu Changxiao carried the food and Jin Sui held two new cloaks, and they did not bring anyone else with them. Under the orange street lights, the two of them walked leisurely towards the outside of the city.
Occasionally, when she met patrolling soldiers or passed by a construction site, Jin Sui would wave and greet them. She also taught Gu Changxiao: "I did a good job in the character setting of the King of Li in the border town. He was close to the people and treated the soldiers as brothers. You should do the same in the future."
Gu Changxiao asked with a sullen smile: "Then I want to learn to be rude to the nobles, rude to the officials appointed by the court, and decisive in killing the enemies?"
"Of course! The character cannot be destroyed."
Gu Changxiao nodded heavily: "Thank you for your advice, Brother Ji! I will never let the King of Li's character collapse."
The two looked at each other and laughed out loud.
Jinsui sighed in his heart, if this man didn't have so much on his shoulders, it would be really nice to work for a boss like this.
What Gu Changxiao was thinking was, if he could keep Brother Ji by his side, how much more fun his life would be!
Since he was born, he has never met anyone as lively, intelligent, free and bold as Ji Sui.
When passing by a street lamp, he heard a small clicking sound. Jin Sui threw his cloak into Gu Changxiao's arms, rolled up his sleeves, and walked forward to open the switch of the street lamp.
While repairing the gear of the pulley, he said to Gu Changxiao: "In the future, education in Border Town should not only focus on liberal arts, but also science.
Look at the Black Feather Battalion. They can read the Thirty-Six Stratagems by force, but I’ve been talking so much about physics that my lips are peeling. They can’t even install a simple pulley. A street lamp breaks down every now and then, and only a few people can fix it.”
"science?"
"It's the study of things, mathematics, chemistry, etc."
"Brother Ji, you know so much. At your age, you have mastered so many subjects. You are a genius!"
Jin Sui was already immune to this kind of temptation, and he directly dragged the biggest scapegoat: "I am from the Taoist sect! We Taoists have a strong spirit of research, and we want to know a little bit about everything."
"You forgot one thing. My medical skills are very advanced."
He pointed to the construction site over there, where a huge pulley was being used to transport things: "Look, in our border town, the study of things is much more useful than the Four Books and Five Classics!"
"Just this pulley to transport heavy objects saves a lot of manpower."
Gu Changxiao pondered and said, "Brother Ji is right. When I recruit talents for Border Town in the future, I will also pay attention to talents in science."
As far as Jinsui knew, science was not valued in this era. In Chang'an, even if you were a math genius and had great mental arithmetic skills, you could at most be a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Industry and Households, and it would be difficult to get promoted.
Those who could become great architects in the future were just minor officials in the Ministry of Works in this era.
She said mysteriously, "If we can get the Momen people here, our border town will develop faster! Oh, and don't let go of the folk fireworks makers, they are all talented in improving firearms!"
As she spoke, she fixed the street light so that it no longer swayed or made any unusual noises.
Clapping his hands: "Alright! How about this, this prince is a versatile person, right?"
Gu Changxiao laughed: "Your Majesty is a rare all-rounder in the world!"
Jin Sui laughed twice: "Master Gu is absolutely right!"
Gu Changxiao's eyes fell on her face: "Don't move."
Jin Sui touched his face: "What's wrong?"
Gu Changxiao smiled even more: "I told you not to move. The more you touch me, the more you hurt me."
It turned out that it was putty from the street lamp that fell on her face, but she didn't even notice it.
Gu Changxiao put everything in his left hand, took out a handkerchief with his right hand, and gently wiped her face.
The early autumn night wind blows suddenly, bringing a chill, but at this moment under the street lamp, it is bright and warm like spring.
The loose hair on Jinsui's forehead fell onto Gu Changxiao's fingertips, and the flying hairband wrapped around his arm.
It could be wiped clean in just a few strokes, but he was reluctant to let go. He used his fingers to feel the temperature of the skin through the thin handkerchief.
The scene of that night when Taoist Xiao Ji fell asleep leaning on his shoulder and his fingers gently stroking his cheek kept appearing in his mind.
Jin Sui moved her neck along his handkerchief, her eyes moving upward to fall on Gu Changxiao's face. The overlapping light and dark lights cast overlapping shadows on his face.
The slightly upturned Ruifeng eyes flash with a light as clear as a deep spring. When they look at you seriously, people can't help but think that it is affectionate.
There was clearly no other desire in his eyes, but Jin Sui felt nervous for no reason. Just being stared at like this made her feel very anxious.
Something is wrong! This feeling is so wrong!
She snatched the handkerchief, wiped it on her face a few times, threw it back into Gu Changxiao's arms, took the cloak and walked forward first.
"Hurry up, don't keep Grandpa waiting."
Gu Changxiao stood there in a daze, holding the dirty handkerchief, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised and smiles in his eyebrows and eyes.
Taoist priest Xiao Ji, are you shy?
When he saw the lights of the border town, Liuyun lifted the curtain and said to the inside: "Get ready, we're almost there."
Jin'an, who was dozing off, woke up instantly, opened the window and looked out. At the end of the road, there were lights like a bright galaxy.
Jin'an was looking at the beautiful scenery, but Grandpa Ling was panicking: "What's going on? Could it be that the Tartars are coming again?"
During the time he followed the imperial envoys to the outskirts of Yanzhou, he heard many legends about the Tartars attacking the city. The most popular one among the people was that King Li burned the city in anger and burned thousands of Tartars to death in the border town.
There are also reports that the King of Li can use the fire from heavenly thunder to burn his enemies, and the fire is accompanied by bursts of thunder.
Anyway, no matter which version it was, it was all related to fire. Grandpa Ling had a deep memory of it. When he saw the little fire in the distance, he panicked instantly.
The soldier driving the car laughed and said, "Don't panic, sir. It's not the Tartars attacking the city. This is the lamp oil special to our border town. We are working day and night to build the new city. The lights will only be on for one night."
Grandpa Ling stroked his beard and stretched his head to take a closer look. He couldn't help but praise: "How much lamp oil does this require! Your prince is really willing to spend it."
He couldn't figure out whether the current prince was Gu Changxiao or his own daring granddaughter, so he could only say this vaguely.
Liu Yun understood, and then he remembered that he had not yet informed the Taoist priest. He stood up and entered the carriage. Under the surprised gaze of the two, he whispered: "Your Majesty, it's still Taoist priest Ji. This matter must be kept secret from everyone. Don't say the wrong thing."
Jinan asked in confusion: "Brother Gu didn't come?"
Liuyun shook his head: "I am here. Due to some things, the identities of the two have not been changed back. Anyway, don't let anything slip."
"Then, what should I call my brother?"
Liuyun looked at him as if he were a fool: "Call me Prince!"
He replied, "When you get to the border town, you can go play with Hei Hu. You two will definitely become good friends."
Jin An said happily: "Hei Hu, this name sounds very powerful. Is he a general?"
Liuyun added: "You and Master Yan Shiyi can also become friends."
Jin'an was suddenly full of expectations for his future life in Border Town, not knowing that he had been defined as a fool by Liuyun.
Grandpa Ling was very calm: "Don't worry, I won't make any mistakes. So where is Mr. Gu now?"
"The prince's old guard."
As they were talking, the carriage stopped and the officer driving it called out, "Your Majesty!"
Grandpa Ling quickly opened the door curtain, and then saw the girl he missed day and night, standing on the side of the road with tears in her eyes.
At that moment, Grandpa Ling burst into tears. The journey of these few months was richer than the experience he had in the past ten years when he was young!
First, he went out alone and was caught by bandits, then he went with his granddaughter to look for his grandson. After finally finding his grandson, his granddaughter was lost again.
He stroked the door frame, and the voice of Sui Sui almost came out. He opened his mouth and shouted, "Prince."
Jin Sui rushed forward to help him out of the car, but he called out without hesitation: "Grandpa!"
Grandpa Ling looked around nervously and saw that the driver had gone far away. Master Gu and Liuyun who were left behind knew what was going on.
He no longer cared, stroked his granddaughter's head, and said emotionally: "Hao Suisui, you have suffered! How come you have lost so much weight? And you have become darker."
Jin Sui burst into tears: "Grandpa has become thinner and his hair is thinner."
Jinan jumped off the carriage and threw himself directly into Jinsui’s arms: “Brother!”
Liuyun behind him coughed lightly. Jinan thought of his instructions and shouted again, "Brother Prince!"
Liuyun: ...
Taoist Xiao Ji is so smart, he didn’t expect that his younger brother is such a fool.
(End of this chapter)
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