"Pooh"
On the empty path, a simply dressed man walked with his arms swinging in a nonchalant manner. He turned around and spat out the grass root in his mouth because he felt it had lost its taste.
"My sister-in-law is going to make fun of me again this time I go home, sigh."
The man, Liu Bang, who had just returned to Pei County from the State of Qi after a period of wandering as a knight-errant, said this.
Because he was uneducated and incompetent, and liked to invite friends to eat and drink, Liu Bang basically relied on his family for support. Since his eldest brother was like a father to him, he often brought people home to eat at his elder brother's house, which naturally aroused the dislike of his sister-in-law.
"Forget it, I'll go back and borrow some money from Xiao He to buy some floral fabric to take back with me, so I can hear less nagging... I wonder if Widow Cao has remarried yet."
One second he was thinking about how to please his family, the next second his thoughts shifted to women. Liu Bang chuckled a few times, wiped his sweat, and quickened his pace.
After entering Pei County, Liu Bang felt much more comfortable. The streets were familiar, and the old man selling vegetables was still as stingy and cunning as ever, sneaking in some spoiled vegetables.
"Hey, Mr. Liang, could you please steady your hand a little?"
Liu Bang winked and shouted at the vegetable seller, startling him so much that his hand trembled. But Liang the old man had a good mentality; he finished boasting about his vegetables without changing his expression.
He grabbed a broken carrot and threw it at Liu Bang, saying, "Ouch, thanks! I was just thirsty."
Liu Bang deftly grabbed the carrot and stuffed it into his mouth, then chuckled and bit into it. The abundant juice and slightly sweet taste made Liu Bang chew it several times.
He simply squatted down in front of Old Man Liang, and while biting, mumbled incoherently:
"This must be the celestial fruit bestowed by the Moon Goddess; it is indeed delicious."
Old Liang gave him a disdainful look: "This is called a carrot. It's not only delicious, but you can get a lot from one acre. And not only the root is edible, the carrot greens are good too."
With a hint of pride on his wrinkled face, Liang Weng pointed to the carrot and said:
"This is something you can't find outside of Qin. I've heard that you, Liu Bang, have traveled to many places, but you've never tasted this before, have you?"
"Not bad, not bad"
Liu Bang sighed as he finished his meal in a few bites, saying, "I've never eaten like this before, but now I'm back home. Home is the best."
Actually, he returned because he sensed danger. The Yan state was about to be attacked and its capital was about to be captured, while the nobles and princes of the Qi state were still indulging in luxury and pleasure.
None of them realized that Qi was about to fall. Liu Bang thought to himself that he was from Pei County of the Great Qin Dynasty, how could he stay in the territory of an enemy state?
So, with a sense of righteous indignation, he slipped away and ran off.
"You good-for-nothing! You have some martial arts skills, why don't you join the army and fight for a title? Why are you a reckless and aggressive wandering knight? Old Master Liu sighs whenever he mentions you."
Liang Weng was a fellow townsman of Liu Bang, and had known his father, Liu Taigong, for many years—which is why he couldn't stand Liu Bang no matter what!
In the eyes of these mature elders, having a good-for-nothing son in the family is something that deserves a beating.
"I'm not going to join the army. What if I die? Wouldn't that be like my father, an old man with white hair, burying his young son?"
Liu Bang accepted another carrot, shook his head, and said shamelessly.
"You rascal!" Liang Weng was so angry he almost fell over. He pushed and kicked Liu Bang away, but in the chaos he didn't notice that Liu Bang, who was pretending to resist, was actually stuffing a few carrots into his pocket.
After everyone left, a busybody asked, "Is this the Liu Bang?"
“It’s him,” Liang Weng replied perfunctorily as he tidied up his stall, thinking to himself that he would give Liu Bang, that unfilial son, a good scolding when he got back.
"How dare you offend Mr. Liang like this?" a busybody joked.
"Xiao He, who grew up with Liu Bang, has a bright future ahead of him. I heard he's a high-ranking official in Xianyang. Who knows, when Liu Bang returns, he might benefit from his connections and become an official as well?"
"Hmph, I've lived all these years and I'm an expert at judging people. Before becoming a high-ranking official, Xiao He was known in the county for his competence. As for Liu Bang—"
Old Liang scoffed, spitting as he spoke, recounting the boy's life from bedwetting as a child to marrying a widow as an adult, finally concluding:
"You'll never amount to anything in your life!"
After leaving Liang Weng's stall, Liu Bang went to Xiao He's house, which he knew well, but found the door closed and the stone steps at the entrance covered in moss, indicating that no one had lived there for a long time.
"Hey, where did Xiao He go?"
Liu Bang was completely baffled, and he couldn't keep waiting. His stomach was growling loudly, and after eating a few carrots, he was even hungrier.
Seeing that it was getting late, Fan Kuai's dog meat stall should have closed up shop by now. With no other option, he timidly trotted home.
Go home early, you might even get a free meal!
What he didn't realize was that many eyes were following him: women buying vegetables at the market, Xiao's neighbors, passing medicine sellers, and so on.
Inside the county government office, news kept pouring in, and the young magistrate beamed with joy. He had been directly selected by the King of Qin from Xianyang to serve in Pei County.
Who would have thought that a county magistrate's biggest concern every day was when the dissolute second son of a small rural landlord would show up?
"Men, gather all troops and block all roads leading to the Liu family's residence. Don't let a single mosquito fly out!"
Of course, no one was foolish enough to find fault with the magistrate's words and immediately went to relay the order.
The attendant asked the magistrate, "Magistrate, who is this young master Liu that even the King takes him to heart?"
"Want to know?"
"certainly"
The magistrate slapped him hard on the head with a sharp crack, "If you want to know, why don't you ask the king!"
"Go quickly, arrange some gifts, and have someone come and help me change my clothes. I'm going to visit the virtuous Liu family," the magistrate said with a smile.
Pei County holds a great secret: Xiao He and Liu Bang, both highly regarded by the king. Xiao He rose to prominence as soon as he entered Xianyang, and Liu Bang was likely to do the same.
Therefore, when the county magistrate went there, he did so with great fanfare and fanfare.
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