Chen Zhaoci and his group settled down in the rear office of the Liaodong Prefect.
This was where every prefect lived, a three-courtyard house. Because his family was large, Xu Rao rented a courtyard next to the back courtyard. It is said that his predecessor did the same. Several courtyards near the back office were built in a very grand manner. The one Xu Rao rented was a five-courtyard house, with a side gate connecting it to the back office. Chen Zhaoci and his female relatives lived in that five-courtyard house, which served as the back courtyard of the family.
After a busy day, I finally managed to get everything settled at home. I haven't seen Xu Rao since he came back; he's been busy at the yamen. Although the earthquake didn't affect this area much, there are still some disaster relief tasks to be done, and the manpower to help the affected people rebuild their homes still needs to be arranged one by one.
Xu Bai and Chen Yuyuan stayed in the three-courtyard house with Wu Muyue. After tidying up their luggage, the two of them went to Chen Zhaoci's courtyard.
In Chen Zhaoci's courtyard, the main house was converted into a bedroom, and the west wing was used to store medicinal herbs. Bai Wei and the others had already sorted out the remaining few herbs and placed them one by one on the shelves in the room. Fortunately, the weather here was not very hot and humid, and the herbs had been wrapped in oil paper and had not become damp.
Xu Bai pulled Chen Yuyuan into Chen Zhaoci's bedroom. When Chen Zhaoci saw the two of them come in, she quickly took a handkerchief and wiped their faces. Xu Bai grabbed Chen Zhaoci's hand shyly and said, "Mom, I'm all grown up now. I can wipe my own face."
Chen Zhaoci said with a smile, "No matter how old you are, you are still your mother's child. Your mother still wants to wipe your face herself. Come on, Ayuan, wipe your face too. You two are sweating so much. Even though it's hot, if you sweat so much, you might catch a cold if you're not careful."
Xu Bai said nonchalantly, "I have my mother, so I'm not afraid of catching a cold."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhaoci sneered and said, "Who is it that doesn't like taking medicine and complains about its bitterness?"
Xu Bai said somewhat embarrassedly, "Oh dear, Mother, those were all medicines you prescribed to reduce internal heat, they were really bitter, you know."
Last time, Xu Bai ate too much barbecue and got a sore stomach. Chen Zhaoci prescribed some medicine to clear the heat, and it tasted extremely bitter.
Chen Zhaoci snorted and said, "Don't you understand the saying 'good teeth taste bitter'? Alright, stop wasting my breath. What brings you two here?"
Xu Bai looked at Chen Yuyuan, who scratched her head sheepishly. Xu Bai could only step forward and say, "Mother, I heard that my brother-in-law is now a general here. When are we going to visit my sister's family?"
Chen Zhaoci said, "Your eldest sister is bringing Tuan Ge'er over tomorrow. We'll have to wait a few more days to go to your eldest sister's house."
Xu Bai asked, "Will my brother-in-law be able to come tomorrow as well?"
Chen Zhaoci said, "It's probably impossible. Your brother-in-law has taken people to patrol the border, and I heard he'll be away for a while."
Xu Bai listened and gave a somewhat disappointed "oh." Chen Zhaoci asked him, "Is there something you need to see your brother-in-law in such a hurry?"
Xu Bai said, "I heard that my brother-in-law has encountered the Jurchens from the north several times with his men. I would like to ask how the battle went."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhaoci knew that boys were generally more interested in marching and fighting. In addition, Xu Bai grew up in Hexi and had a stronger affection for the border troops. Whenever he heard of any military situation, he liked to follow people around and ask them in detail.
Chen Zhaoci comforted her, "When your brother-in-law comes back, you can go and ask him about it properly."
With his mother's permission, Xu Bai said to Chen Yuyuan with a grin, "Our brother-in-law is quite something. He used to be the deputy commander of the Wuxiang Left Guard. He had a bright future ahead of him. He requested the emperor's order to come to Liaodong to guard the border. I heard that he started as a lieutenant general and has now become a general."
Chen Yuyuan listened with bright eyes as Xu Bai told her about Cheng Kai, his nominal cousin-in-law. Because they had something to talk about, Xu Bai and Chen Yuyuan sat on the large kang bed by the window in Chen Zhaoci's room, eating some dried apricots and other snacks that Bai Wei had found, and talking until Xu Rao returned from the government office. Xu Bai still hadn't finished talking.
Xu Bai was overjoyed to see Xu Rao return. He jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed), took Xu Rao's hand, and said, "Dad, you're back. You must have had a hard day."
Xu Bai was outgoing, while Chen Yuyuan was the opposite. He bowed to Xu Rao in a formal manner, and then stood to the side somewhat reservedly.
Xu Bai helped Xu Rao sit down on the kang (a heated brick bed), then served her tea before pulling Chen Yuyuan to sit opposite her.
Xu Rao took a sip of tea and felt a little better. She asked, "What were you saying just now? I heard your voice in the courtyard."
Xu Bai said, "Dad, we're talking about my brother-in-law. He's a general now, and he's a very capable person."
Xu Rao nodded and said, "Your brother-in-law is indeed a very capable person. Putting aside everything else, just look at the several encounters with the Jin people. He took the lead and led his troops to defeat the invading Jin people in a rout."
Xu Bai said with some longing, "I wonder when I'll be able to go to the border to take a look."
Xu Rao said, "That's easy. When your brother-in-law comes back, you can have him take you there."
Xu Bai and Chen Yuyuan are already over ten years old. Xu Rao felt that they should go out and see the world. It would be good for the children to see more of the world.
Upon hearing Xu Rao's words, Xu Bai happily told Chen Yuyuan, "Yuan, Dad said that my brother-in-law will take us to the border."
Chen Yuyuan smiled happily at Xu Bai. Seeing the two of them so happy, Xu Rao couldn't help but pour some cold water on them, saying, "Your brother-in-law has agreed, but you two still need to get your uncle's permission. Your uncle is your teacher now, and you can't go if he doesn't agree."
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