Chapter 77
The next morning, Zhou Yuan took Chen Qing to queue at Tian Ji's restaurant. He thought they were early enough, but he didn't expect that there were already people queuing in front of them.
Zhou Yuan had eaten at Tianji once in Yunxi Town, so he naturally thought the long queues were normal, because Tianji's unique flavor was worth it.
"Do we really have to eat here? Can't we go home to eat?" The three people in front of them started chatting.
"I'm so hungry for it." Another voice, less rugged than the man's, probably belonged to a young man. "It'll be at least another two weeks before I get home."
"Then why are we queuing here?"
"Isn't it inappropriate to abuse privileges?"
Seemingly realizing that someone was listening to them, the three people turned around and nodded to Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan felt that the person in front of him looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.
Tianji finally opened its doors, and the manager immediately spotted the three people in front of Zhou Yuan and his group. The manager quickly ran over and said, "Gentlemen, why are you queuing up? You could have just come to the backyard if you wanted to eat."
Tian Le patted the manager's hand with a smile: "We're fine, we'll just line up. Zi Xi has been craving it for a long time, and we couldn't wait to go home to eat it, so we came over."
Chen Qing heard the name Zixi and felt it sounded familiar.
The manager ushered the three of them inside, and the rest of the people followed the waiter's directions into the shop.
Almost as soon as the store opened, it was already packed with people.
The three people who had just been sitting at the table next to them refused to go into the private room no matter what the manager said.
A waiter came over to greet them. Zhou Yuan ordered some dishes based on his memory of the previous meal, all of which Manager Tian had mentioned were unique and not too expensive. The waiter smiled and said, "Are you a regular customer?"
“No, I was fortunate enough to visit Yunxi Town once,” Zhou Yuan replied.
After he finished speaking about Yunxi Town, the three people sitting at the next table turned their heads to look at him. Zhou Yuan looked over as well and immediately knew that two of the three knew martial arts and were quite skilled.
Soon the pot they ordered was served. Chen Qing stared at the small pot with curiosity, and even before adding charcoal, he could smell the enticing aroma.
Zhou Yuan had tried it once, but he was still attracted by its deliciousness. He patiently explained to Chen Qing, "Do you remember the red persimmon and the green chili pepper that we transported back from Yunxi Town? This is what it's made from."
Chen Qing's eyes widened in disbelief that they could have turned out like this. Soon, a separate charcoal fire was brought out, and the soup in the pot began to simmer, making the aroma even more pronounced.
Thinly sliced meat, vegetables piled up like flowers, and many other dishes that Chen Qing had never seen before were all placed on the table. Chen Qing's initial surprise turned into worry.
These are all so novel, and we ordered so much, they must be expensive.
Zhou Yuan waved his hand in front of him, having already cooked a piece of meat for him: "Try it quickly."
Chen Qing had no choice but to pick up his chopsticks. He was stunned after just one taste. It was so delicious. There was definitely a reason why it was expensive.
Zhou Yuan cooked all the vegetables for him before starting to eat himself. He noticed that Chen Qing especially loved the red persimmon hot pot, which he didn't particularly like. Chen Qing was still a child at heart, preferring sweet and sour flavors.
By the end of the meal, Chen Qing's stomach was so round and full that he could barely walk. Zhou Yuan then finished off the remaining dishes, and Chen Qing propped his head up with his hand and looked at him.
The manager came to the table to pay the bill, and to my surprise, he still remembered Zhou Yuan: "Aren't you the one who helped us deliver things last time?"
Zhou Yuan stood up and nodded: "Thank you for your concern."
"How's business?"
"It's become quite a force to be reckoned with," Zhou Yuan said modestly.
After that, they stopped chatting. When it came time to pay the bill, Chen Qing felt he would have fainted if Zhou Yuan hadn't helped him. He had expected it to be expensive, but he hadn't expected it to be this expensive. The meal cost almost four taels of silver.
You have to understand, four taels of silver is enough for them to live on for a very long time in the village.
Although he was shocked, he didn't spoil Zhou Yuan's mood, knowing that Zhou Yuan had done it all for him.
It's just that the capital city is truly remarkable.
They stayed in the capital for two days, but Chen Qing wanted to go home. The capital was rich and prosperous, but he still preferred to return to his village and face the yellow earth.
He was still thinking about the vegetable garden at home, about the rice they had planted, wondering how the harvest would be, and about Li Xin, wondering how big her belly was now.
The capital city is nice, but it's not suitable for him.
So on the fifth day of the eighth lunar month, they left the capital, and Zhou Yuan took him to Luohe Village.
This year, there's no way he'll make it to the Mid-Autumn Festival. Zhou Yuan plans to find a place to stop on the fifteenth of August, so that even if he's not at home, he can still enjoy the day of reunion properly.
They traveled for three days, and on the third day, the sky suddenly darkened, with dark clouds ahead. Fortunately, there was a dilapidated temple by the roadside. He discussed it with Chen Qing and decided not to continue that day and to take shelter from the rain there.
Zhou Yuan looked around the temple, which seemed to be a place where people often rested. He tidied up the ground and went outside to collect some firewood. Just as he returned, the rain started pouring down.
It was getting very dark, so Zhou Yuan lit a fire. They were used to going out with dry food and water in their bags. He also prepared some snacks for Chen Qing. Before, they didn't have the means, and even if they wanted something sweet, they couldn't get it. Now that they could afford it, he would often buy Chen Qing sweet snacks.
Perhaps because the journey had been too long, Chen Qing had no appetite for the snacks, and only drank some water and took a couple of bites of the biscuit.
The rain was getting heavier, and occasionally a flash of lightning would rip through the night sky. Chen Qingchao moved closer to Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan put his arm around him: "Don't be afraid."
Just as Chen Qing was about to close his eyes, he heard the sound of horses' hooves outside. Zhou Yuan patted his hand and said, "They're probably just people coming to take shelter from the rain."
He stood up, walked to the temple gate, and saw three people dismount cleanly and neatly, then tie their horses up where Zhou Yuan had tied them, and ran into the dilapidated temple.
I happened to run into Zhou Yuan.
The three people who had met once before at Tianji met again here.
Tian Le wiped the rain off his face and bowed to Zhou Yuan, saying, "Tian Le." He then pointed to a boy who was a little shorter than him and another person, "Chen Zixi, Fu Zeyang."
Upon hearing Chen Zixi's name, Chen Qing quickly stood up, supporting himself with his hands on the ground. He moved closer to Zhou Yuan, his gaze fixed on Chen Zixi's face.
"Zhou Yuan, this is my husband, Chen Qing."
Chen Zixi glanced at Chen Qing: "What a coincidence, we're from the Chen family."
Chen Zixi was quite different from the other boys Chen Qing had ever met. His hair was tied up high, and he looked very energetic. He spoke in a witty manner, but there was no trace of childishness on his face.
Zhou Yuan also heard his name clearly: "Chen Zixi? General Chen?"
Tian Le stepped slightly in front of Chen Zixi, his caution evident. Zhou Yuan noticed this as well, and then said, "I once served as a soldier under General Xiao."
Chen Zixi then patted Tian Le on the shoulder: "It's alright. I know a few of General Xiao's deputy generals, but I haven't met you before."
Zhou Yuan nodded: "I'm not a deputy general, I'm just a soldier."
Seeing that they were all wet, especially Chen Zixi, whose face was covered in rainwater, Chen Qing said, "Warm yourselves up by the fire, you're all soaked." He then took out a new handkerchief from his bundle and handed it to Chen Zixi, "Wipe your face."
Chen Zixi took the handkerchief from him. It still had the design of a goose on it. Chen Qing thought he was disgusted, so he said somewhat embarrassedly, "This is new. I haven't used it before."
Chen Zixi smiled and said, "The embroidery is very good. The goose looks just like it's alive. I'll accept it. Thank you."
"Where are you going?" Fu Zeyang looked like a scholar; even sitting, he didn't slouch, his posture as upright as a pine tree.
“We’re heading home,” Zhou Yuan replied. “We went to Xiaxi Prefecture.”
“Xiaxi? I just came back from the Xiaxi border,” Chen Zixi said.
Chen Qing hadn't planned to speak, but upon hearing that he had returned from Xiaxi, he couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "I'd like to ask, did you pass through Jieshi Town and punish some bad guys?"
Chen Zixi thought for a moment: "It seems there was such a thing. That county magistrate was a tyrant in the countryside, and he had countless wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice. There was also someone else at the time who did a lot of bad things, and he was dealt with all of them at the same time."
After listening to his words, Chen Qing glanced at Zhou Yuan, who nodded in response.
Chen Qing stood up, walked to Chen Zixi, and solemnly knelt down before him: "Thank you, thank you."
This startled Chen Zixi: "Oh dear, what are you doing? Why are you kneeling down? Get up quickly, get up quickly."
Chen Qing was already crying, and Zhou Yuan said, "Qing's father was killed by that person. One of the reasons we went to Xiaxi this time was because of this, but it is a pity that we were unable to avenge him in person. I never expected to meet you here."
“That’s quite a coincidence.” Chen Zixi helped Chen Qing up. “I have about a month’s leave, so I’ll take my brothers home for a visit.”
He then introduced the people around him to them: "Tian Le, like me, is under General Cui Chaoming's command."
He then pointed to another person: "Fu Zeyang, the top scholar in the imperial examination two years ago, is now working in the Ministry of Personnel. He took a temporary leave because his father was sick, but he will be supervising the examinations in September."
Chen Qing sat next to Zhou Yuan, looking at the three of them. Just by looking at their appearances, one could tell that all three of them were the pride of heaven: two generals and one civil official. They were the backbone of the entire country.
Remembering something, Zhou Yuan asked again, "Are you going back to Yunxi Town?"
"Hmm?" Chen Zixi glanced at them. "You've been to Yunxi Town?"
“We visited Tian’s Restaurant in Yunxi Town, and Manager Tian helped us a lot,” Zhou Yuan said.
"Uncle Yao?" Chen Zixi said with a smile, "Lele is Uncle Yao and Uncle Nian's son."
"And there's Guaibao. Guaibao is Uncle Qiao and Uncle Fu's child. Do you know Shuming Academy? Uncle Fu is the headmaster of Shuming Academy." Guaibao is Fu Zeyang's nickname. The three of them grew up together. Chen Zixi considers himself the older brother and uses their nicknames.
Zhou Yuan once again marveled at how small the world is, how no matter how far you go, you can't avoid the people you're meant to know.
“Dr. Yu cured my godmother, and Dean Fu even allowed our family to study at Shuming Academy. Your family are our benefactors.”
“It’s quite a coincidence that you left the capital before us and we still managed to meet here.” Tian Le was the youngest of the three, but Zhou Yuan could tell that he was the most composed among them.
"Will your family members participate in the autumn examination this year?" Fu Zeyang, who was standing quietly beside me, asked.
Zhou Yuan nodded, but did not mention Qi Shuning's name.
"It's already very good that he made it to the autumn examination. I hope he can get good results."
"Thank you for your kind words."
The conversation then revolved around the border and military camps. Chen Qing got sleepy as he listened and fell asleep leaning against Zhou Yuan's leg.
The group lowered their voices as they talked.
"So you're the one who rescued General Xiao from the enemy?" Chen Zixi asked. "Why didn't you stay in the army? With your military achievements, you could have made a name for yourself anywhere."
Zhou Yuan gently touched Chen Qing's face, his eyes full of tenderness: "Life is pretty good now."
Tian Le understood perfectly. Just like his two fathers, they were content to stay in a corner of Yunxi Town and were unwilling to venture out.
"Everyone has their own ambitions, and everyone has the right to choose their own way of life." He was taught by his stepfather to be open-minded since he was a child, so he understood Zhou Yuan even more now.
As the night deepened, everyone fell asleep. The rain stopped in the latter half of the night, and the next morning, the sunlight shone brightly into the dilapidated temple. Chen Qing then woke up, and as soon as he moved, the other four woke up as well.
Chen Qing rubbed his stiff neck. He could sleep so well even in such terrible conditions.
They traveled together for a while, and Chen Qing gave Chen Zixi a handkerchief and a purse, and also shared his dry food and snacks with them.
Chen Zixi quickly said, "No need, you're so much farther away than us." Then he added, "Why don't you come with us to Yunxi Town? There are lots of delicious food and fun things to do there."
Chen Qing smiled and said, "I want to go too, but I've been away from home for too long and I miss my mother a little."
"Then we'll meet again someday," Tian Le said.
They are the most carefree, believing that no matter how far the road is, they will meet again someday.
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