Chapter 25 Urgent! What should I do if I don’t want to drink the soup? Urgent! I don’t want to drink…
The sky is a mixture of day and night, one side is gray-blue like a veil hanging lightly, and the other side is filled with bright clouds like a boiling vermilion bird spreading its wings.
The pale moon rises in the east, the wandering clouds retreat, and the world steamed by sunlight exudes a unique smell, with the wild air of the mountains, the slight fishy smell of flowing water, the greenness of new fruits and plants, the light fragrance of flowers, and... the curling smell of fireworks.
Ye Jindian peeked out the window through the hot mist from the iron pot: "Husband, look, the sky is so beautiful."
Zhang Min, who was burning the fire, turned around when he heard the sound and saw the gentle scenery of the moon hanging on the branches and the sun sinking into the mountains.
He looked for a while, turned back to look at Ye Jindian who was full of admiration, and then turned to look out the window again.
"Yes, it is beautiful."
He couldn't help but share her smile.
The two people were so immersed in the beautiful scenery that they almost forgot about the fire and the pot. It was not until the burning smell reminded them that the firewood rolled down that they hurried to save their food for tonight.
"It's okay, it's okay." Ye Jindian was relieved. "It's just a little burnt."
She used her chopsticks to push the burnt food aside, intending to eat it later.
Zhang Min had just drunk tonic soup last night, so she was not in a hurry to cook. She locked the medicine on the top shelf of the cupboard to prevent it from being taken away by wild cats or something.
Therefore, tonight we can only have two dishes, one meat and one vegetable.
As the server, Zhang Min got the opportunity to turn the burnt dish to himself.
As soon as he sat down, he quickly put all the food into his own bowl, fearing that Ye Jindian would snatch it away.
He said, “I just like it burnt.”
Ye Jindian handed the bowl over: "I like it too, give me two pieces."
These words made him a little confused about whether they were true or false, so he could only reluctantly pay two yuan.
Seeing that he was no longer as reserved as before, Ye Jindian also relaxed a lot and couldn't help laughing at him, "You look a lot like a brother I used to know."
Brother.
What brother?
Where did this brother come from?!
Isn’t she Aunt Wan’s only daughter?
Zhang Min showed nothing on his face, just looked at her innocently with his big, bright black eyes. But in his mind, he had already been thinking about how many brothers she knew and how he looked like one of them.
"Come to think of it, you two are destined to meet." Ye Jindian said this, took a mouthful of rice, and looked at the twilight outside the window.
She remembered that it was also such an evening when she met the other party.
However, the dusk in the border town is not as beautiful as that in Shengjing. Everything there is bold and rough. Even the traces of the towering city walls eroded by time reveal a stubborn spirit of "if you have the guts, hit me with your fists".
The wind and sand rolled across the mountains and fields, pressing down the crops. Only the poplar trees stood upright, stabilizing the hillside.
But the hills were dark like reefs in the waves, with dark purple and scarlet overlapping, which looked a bit scary.
She was returning home from harvesting wheat in the fields and was nearly blown away by the wind when a hand suddenly pressed against her shoulder and someone behind her said, "Be careful."
The voice was hoarse, a bit like a drake's.
The boy was not much older than her, but he was quite calm. He helped her harvest all the wheat, successfully preserving the winter food supply for the mother and daughter, and not a single grain was stolen by the wind and sand.
For the mother and daughter who were struggling financially at the time, the wheat was their only means of survival.
She was very grateful to him.
Zhang Min put the rice into his mouth, afraid that his wife would hear the sourness in his words, so he spoke vaguely with the rice grains and chopsticks in his mouth: "What do you mean?"
What kind of bad fate could he have with her "brother"?
"I don't know his name, but he never speaks, so I call him Stone." Ye Jindian smiled softly, "Tell me, are you two destined to be together?"
One is called Shitou and the other is called Baishi.
Stone……
It turns out she remembers herself.
Zhang Min was happy again, with the corners of his lips raised. He asked calmly, "My wife seems to have a good relationship with him?"
If he still cared about their friendship, could he use this identity to gain a little favor from his wife, and only hope that she would know his identity as the Right Prime Minister in the future and spare his life.
Seeing that he was still eating the burnt pieces of meat, Ye Jindian picked up a piece of vegetable leaf for him with chopsticks and said, "Don't be picky about food."
Zhang Min: “…”
But he really doesn't like eating grass, but... if his wife picks it up, he can still bear it.
With a look of pain on his face, he swallowed the meat wrapped in vegetable leaves.
"I don't know whether our relationship is good or bad." Ye Jindian thought about it and found it difficult to explain clearly.
Initially, remembering his help, she wanted to repay him, but was repeatedly rejected. The following year, unfamiliar with the terrain, he was tricked into a canyon by the young prince of Beiwan. She finally had the chance to repay him, but was severely scolded. Later, their relationship gradually improved, but before their friendship could deepen, he left the desert, leaving her with only a stone.
Zhang Min couldn't hold back and asked anxiously, "How can you not know whether it's good or not?"
They had known each other for three years in the desert. Even though they were young at the time and knew nothing, and had no romantic feelings for each other, they had fought wild wolves together, supported each other through life and death, and walked out of the canyon.
Later, when the old general in the army laughed at him, she still rushed out, knocked him down, stood firmly in front of him, and said that he would definitely have a bright future.
Could it be...
His cheeks puffed out.
Did Tiantian not even have any friendship for him at that time? !
She said with her own mouth that she was his mentor, someone who could see his bright and smooth future and allowed him to focus on moving forward without worry.
Ye Jindian looked at him strangely: "Why are you so anxious?" She saw his ears were red with excitement, leaned closer, and lowered her voice to tease him, "I know him well, are you unhappy?"
So stingy.
She also didn't say what she felt for Brother Shitou.
Zhang Min lowered his head, took a big mouthful of rice, and said in a muffled voice, "No."
Ye Jindian thought he was just being stubborn and took a piece of vegetable leaves with her chopsticks to comfort him, "Don't worry, my husband, I don't have any improper thoughts about him. We are just ordinary childhood playmates."
The most ordinary childhood playmate!
Zhang Min: “…”
He ate all the leaves viciously.
Seeing his cheeks puffed up with stuffing, Ye Jindian found him adorable. She couldn't help but smile and pinch his cheeks, whispering a few words.
Ordinary people cannot hear it, but Zhang Min, who has practiced it specially, can.
What she said was—
"Are you jealous?"
His wife even thinks he's jealous!
Zhang Min opened his mouth and bit the bowl, wanting to bite it into pieces to grind his teeth.
*
Maybe he is talking about his youth today.
Ye Jindian dreamed of Brother Shitou for the first time in a long time.
The other person wore an airtight copper mask all year round, and occasionally a bit of herb could be seen leaking out from his chin.
She guessed that the other person must have been hurt, so he had thorns all over his body and stabbed anyone who tried to get close to him.
The dream was very confusing. Sometimes they were carrying loads in the strong wind, sometimes they were sitting on the sand dunes singing, and sometimes he shut her out and didn't want to see her.
Later, he danced with a sword in the yellow sand and taught her how to shoot arrows and ride a tall horse; there were also scenes of them running wildly through the dark woods hand in hand, as if trying to get rid of something.
After waking up, Ye Jindian only remembered that the dream was about him. As for everything else in the dream, it was already vague and not very real.
She didn't take it too seriously, and took out her four treasures of the study as usual, then went to the blacksmith shop to shout for a while.
The shopkeepers around her already knew her, and a kind lady even brought her a bowl of water so that she could moisten her throat after shouting.
Ye Jindian was not polite and just said "thank you" and drank it in one gulp.
After wiping the water stains from his mouth and returning the bowl, he started setting up the table and writing letters for others to earn a little money to supplement the family income.
*
Prime Minister's Mansion.
Luo Ying quickly stepped into the main hall and handed over the document. "Over at the Weiwei Temple, they only have crossbows with a bow force of three to twelve stones. There are only three crossbows with a bow force of sixteen stones, but the mechanism and crossbow arm are broken, and no one knows how to repair them."
Moreover, this matter is secret, so it is not convenient to recruit craftsmen in a high-profile manner.
"I remember that this sixteen-stone crossbow was made according to Minru's drawings?" Zhang Min finished reviewing the documents and then looked up at Luoying. "Go ask Xie Zhaoming if Minru can help repair it."
Minru is the pen name of Xie Ling.
"My sister only knows how to draw blueprints and assemble and unload, but she doesn't know how to forge." Xie Zhaoming's voice came from far away in the courtyard, with a bit of the leisurely and relaxed manner of a nobleman.
I don't know how he managed to sneak in without notifying anyone with his sick body.
The corners of Zhang Min's mouth twitched as he looked at a fox in a long robe with wide sleeves that looked out of place, with his hair hanging down and a fan waving, stepping into their dignified and solemn main hall in an elegant manner.
"Don't say you're taking a rest again."
He just couldn't believe he had so many holidays.
Xie Zhaoming looked at him with a touch of gentleness and condemnation: "Look at what you said. I spent more than a year traveling north and south to announce the birth of the Great Yan Dynasty to the world on behalf of Your Majesty. After returning, I worked for more than a month to report the situation in various places in detail. Your Majesty gave me..."
Zhang Min interrupted him expressionlessly: "Stop complaining and get down to business."
I'll save this kind of thing for my wife to complain about.
He is only interested in his brothers' embarrassing moments.
"Oh." Xie Zhaoming's expression remained unchanged. He closed his fan, tapped it on his palm, and looked at him with a smile. "His Majesty said that you need the help of a sharpshooter who can pull a sixteen-stone crossbow. He asked me to come over."
In the entire dynasty, the only ones who could pull the sixteen-stone crossbow were His Majesty, Zhang Min, his uncle Gongsun Shuo, Li Wuzhi, and him.
Your Majesty must not come here to take risks. Li Wuji is in charge of the left and right military marquises. On the day the Shi family army enters the capital, we must prevent any accidents and guard the capital's main gate and the palace gate.
Therefore, apart from Gongsun Shuo, the only person who could help Zhang Zimei was this civil servant.
"I say, you military commanders, don't be so depraved." Xie Zhaoming opened his fan, his demeanor so gentle and refined that Zhang Min felt extremely disgusted. "How can you be a general if you can't even draw a bow weighing only sixteen stones?"
The shadow next to him: "..."
My fists itch.
Zhang Min replied calmly, "You can't ask them to be able to shoot sixteen-shot bows and not be picky. They must be quick and swift, and they must be able to crawl through muddy puddles and sleep in pig, sheep, cattle, and horse pens."
Xie Zhaoming is a lazy person who would wipe his dirty fingers a hundred or eighty times. If you fall into his hands, he will kick you into the mud and soak you for ten days.
——Once you’re used to it, you won’t be so picky about it anymore.
Xie Zhaoming looked calm, as if Zhang Min wasn't talking about him. He calmly turned to the main matter, "My sister said that the main problem with the crossbow is that the load-bearing components are too fragile, and the crossbow can't withstand the force of 16 stones. So, even if the crossbow is repaired, it will break after a few uses."
Most crossbows in the military had a force of two to more than two stones, but less than three stones. Those who could pull a twelve-stone crossbow were already rare. A careful search through history books reveals that those who could pull a sixteen-stone bow were few and far between.
The fact that Dayan has produced so many people is unprecedented and will never be surpassed.
"But there's someone in the Shi family army who's incredibly skilled at shieldwork. Even a twelve-stone crossbow wouldn't be able to take him down in one long-range strike." Zhang Min leaned back in his chair, leaning on his elbows. "Even if those three crossbows can only fire once, find someone to fix them for me."
They have to at least create opportunities to capture the king.
Xie Zhaoming fanned himself slowly. "Okay, I have ten days off, so I'll run some errands for the Right Prime Minister. You must remember to send a gift to thank me." After a moment's thought, he added, "By the way, my wife wants purple Ganoderma lucidum. Don't you have two in your house? I'm not greedy, so just give me one."
Zhang Min: “…”
He knew that he would not come to the temple for no reason.
Zhang Min picked up a pen and threw it over: "Get lost."
Xie Zhaoming dodged to the side, holding his chest and coughing several times. He frowned and looked at him, sighing softly: "You are so rude, it will not please the lady."
Zhang Min, who was stabbed in the chest and hadn't recovered for several days, narrowed his eyes, clenched his fists, rolled up his sleeves, and walked towards Xie Zhaoming.
Luo Ying: “…”
Why is he here? Can't he go first?
*
Soon, Xie Zhaoming rubbed the bruise on his elbow and went to the clinic to cry to his wife.
"Madam—" He took the opportunity to push her into the backyard living room, lifted up the wide sleeves with silver crane pattern, revealing a wound the size of a coin, "Zhang Zimei actually hit me, look!"
Wei Chulan was trapped at the back window sill. She skillfully lowered her head to coax him and rubbed the bruise on his elbow. "Then I'll mix some ground aconite into his medicine next time and help you poison him?"
Xie Zhaoming: “…”
That lady is too indulgent to him, which is not good.
"Forget it." He put his arms around his wife's waist and leaned his head on her shoulder. "Since he ran thousands of miles to save me, I'll spare his life."
Wei Chulan hummed softly, suppressed the smile on her lips, and gently combed his loose hair.
At dusk, when staying in a dark room for a long time, people's desires will inevitably grow along with the cool air.
Xie Zhaoming held his wife's ankle with his safe hand and slowly climbed up.
His injured hand coiled around her braid, playing with it from time to time, and whispered to her in a seductive voice, "My lady, I miss you..."
Wei Chulan's eyes moved slightly, and she slid her hand down along his collar and held him.
Xie Zhaoming's eyes turned red and moist. He raised his head and kissed her neck, his breathing gradually becoming rapid...
Suddenly.
There was a knock on the door, and the medicine boy whispered outside, "Military Advisor, Madam. The Right Prime Minister sent two boxes, saying they have valuables and need the Military Advisor and Madam to receive them personally."
It took a while before the door opened.
Wei Chulan's expression was normal, but Xie Zhaoming's expression was grim. The medicine boy felt that the atmosphere was weird, so he didn't dare to look at anyone and just lowered his head to look at the ground.
She followed them until they went to the main hall.
Xie Zhaoming gnashed his teeth as he stepped into the main hall: "I want to see what goodies Zhang Zimei has given us that we need to receive in person."
If it weren't for the purple Ganoderma lucidum, he would have been dead.
Luo Ying: “…”
He touched his nose, took three steps back, and asked his men to bring out two boxes.
"This jade box is a thank-you gift from the Prime Minister to Madam Lan." He took another step back. "This wooden box is a thank-you gift from the Prime Minister to the Military Advisor."
The men put down the box, clasped their fists and retreated. The three of them quickly said goodbye and fled.
Xie Zhaoming muttered, "Running so fast, it must be bad news." He pointed at the jade box and said to the medicine boy, "Open this first."
The medicine boy responded "yes", respectfully broke off the jade buckle and opened the jade box.
As soon as the jade box was opened, a huge purple Ganoderma lucidum appeared before one's eyes. It was of very good quality and had a rich fragrance that filled the air, which made one feel excited just by smelling it.
Even people who don't know about herbs know that it must be very rare.
Wei Chulan's eyes lit up and she quickly covered the jade box to prevent the medicinal effects from evaporating.
She held the jade box in her arms, unable to let it go.
The medicine boy hesitated: "This wooden box..."
Xie Zhaoming knew that there would be nothing good inside, but he was curious, so he said, "Open it."
The medicine boy slowly opened it.
Xie Zhaoming saw nothing.
He frowned: "Nothing? Zhang Zimei isn't that stingy, is she?"
He walked closer to take a look.
There was nothing inside, but only a small mushroom that was extremely dried up by the sun!
Zhang! Zi! Mei!
"My dear, I've changed my mind." Xie Zhaoming pointed at the shrunken mushrooms in the box and said angrily, "I'm going to poison him to death."
This person is so abominable!!
Wei Chulan hugged the fox with amusement, gave it a kiss and stroked its fur.
*
After taking revenge on Xie Zhaoming, Zhang Min was in a good mood.
He walked home with his hands behind his back, humming a song. When he saw the smoke rising from the kitchen, his steps became even more brisk.
"Madam, why did you come back so early today?"
She started the fire before he even started teaching next door.
Ye Jindian used a palm-leaf fan to drive away the smoke and said, "Well, I want to make venison soup today, so I'll come back early."
The main thing is that the new prescription needs to be simmered for an hour and a half to be effective.
It's venison again.
Zhang Min felt that some parts of his body had begun to swell and ache.
"Really?" He took a few steps back miserably, his voice weakening. "Then I'll go teach first?"
Someone come and teach him how to refuse the soup that his wife worked so hard to prepare without making her angry.
urgent! !
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