Chapter 105 Spring Outing
As the spring breeze of May swept by, the lush green fields in the suburbs were thriving.
Qi Chengming, dressed in a modest scholar's long gown and carrying a small bamboo box on his back, walked along the main road—the kind of book box Ning Caichen wore on TV, covered with an oilcloth top so it wouldn't get wet in the rain. Inside the bamboo box were some handkerchiefs, purses, snacks, bamboo-tube drinks, and other rustic trinkets.
Xiao Dezi followed closely beside him, somewhat uneasy, his brow furrowed: "Your Highness, you're going by yourself today..." He swallowed the rest of his words and said ramblingly, "The Imperial Guards will be stationed nearby, and they'll be there immediately if anything happens."
Today, His Highness and Hu Hong are going on a spring outing to a place called Eagle's Cry Mountain, which is more than ten miles away.
Liuzhou wasn't a prosperous place; in the entire prefecture, only this one academy was somewhat famous, with a few students who could be considered renowned. Because the area was poor and chaotic, it was difficult to find a suitable place to go out and have fun—it was dangerous to venture into unfamiliar mountains that had been traversed by generations of locals; poisonous miasma and insects could be deadly. Eagle Cry Mountain was one of the few mountains near the academy that could be climbed, and the main path there was well-traveled.
Qi Chengming tossed and turned all night and slept very late, but got up early today. The young man had faint dark circles under his eyes. He was in high spirits, carrying a bamboo box on his back, and strode forward: "It's alright. The teachers from the academy will also be there. They won't let anything happen to the students. You can go back now."
Isn't this just an ancient version of a spring outing? Qi Chengming was really looking forward to it.
He would meet Hu Hong in the suburbs later, and then they would walk there together.
Xiao Dezi: "..."
He made a weak, empty sound, his heart filled with uncertainty.
Although His Highness had suffered hardships since childhood, walking more than ten miles to go on a spring outing and then climbing a mountain... Could His Highness handle such a high intensity? Xiao Dezi still vividly remembered His Highness's frail health.
Otherwise, we should invite the family physician to come and wait.
Xiao Dezi stood still, no longer daring to follow, but he was making plans in his heart as he watched his prince depart into the distance.
Qi Chengming strode along the cement road, full of energy, admiring his surroundings.
When he first arrived last year, the outskirts of the city were still vast stretches of barren land, with only the occasional listless farmer and naked children playing in the mud. The area was desolate, and it was rare to see a person or a small, pitiful vegetable patch. Everything was gray and bleak.
This year, everything has changed dramatically. Everywhere you look, there are lush green seedlings and vegetables, separated by different field paths. Many people are working diligently and busily. Some are carrying water in front of the dragon-bone waterwheel, their faces flushed but smiling.
Qi Chengming couldn't help but laugh, and then carefully examined it.
The newly reclaimed wasteland was not suitable for growing other things, so it was mostly planted with various leafy green vegetables and wheat. However, he remembered that this familiar road would lead to Uncle Huang's village, and there was a nice piece of land halfway there, which was an experimental field planted with corn.
Qi Chengming peeked around and quickly identified the unfamiliar corn seedling field.
The corn seedlings needed to be plowed again, and several familiar faces respectfully brought out their precious livestock. One person was leading a water buffalo to cultivate the cornfield, loosening the soil. Another person was bending down from time to time to clear away weeds, stubborn stones, or other debris.
The subtle sounds of oxen pulling plows, the clear calls of children helping out, the shouts of adults, the barking of dogs, and the gurgling of water, all combined with the sight of vast fields of wheat seedlings swaying gently, create a truly delightful scene.
Although it was in the suburbs, it was extremely lively.
"Now it truly is 'a patch of green chives in spring, and the fragrance of rice blossoms for miles around'," Qi Chengming exclaimed involuntarily.
Lin Daiyu's poems are so vivid and easy to remember, without being difficult to understand. Even a semi-literate high school graduate like him could recite them fluently, except for the exclamation "Holy crap!"
He lowered his eyes and calculated the time.
According to the book, the corn should be ready in July or August, but we have experience growing potatoes before. The climate in Liuzhou is suitable, so the corn should mature much earlier, in June... June or July?
Qi Chengming was already looking forward to it. *Slurp... grilled corn!*
"Brother Qi!" Hu Hong called out from afar, panting, as he ran over. Today he was only carrying a simple, dusty bundle, which wasn't very aesthetically pleasing, but it looked like it was packed tightly with something heavy. He tied a knot on his shoulder and ran over, looking quite energetic.
As soon as he arrived, the young man bowed apologetically: "I'm so sorry! I've kept you waiting. The stone and the grass in the house—oh, the two grandsons that the aunt you met last time brought—fell ill in the middle of the night, so I'm late."
"Is it serious? What did the doctor say?" Qi Chengming's heart tightened as he thought of the two children's ages. What happened? Did they both get sick?
"The medication has stopped the bleeding." Hu Hong said, somewhat amused and exasperated.
“Yesterday, my aunt came back from work and brought us three strings of candied hawthorns. I… I’m all grown up now, so I kept them. When I woke up, I found that Shitou and Caoye had gotten up in the middle of the night and eaten one of the strings too. They dared to secretly take the cool candied hawthorns that were hanging in the well, and as a result, they got stomach aches. My aunt was so angry that she’s waiting to spank them after they get better.”
Qi Chengming's lips twitched slightly as he smiled: "..."
These mischievous kids are everywhere, really. Spending so much time with Zhong'er, he's almost starting to think all children are well-behaved and easy to manage.
The two continued talking as they traveled together along the outskirts of the city.
They walked a little further and encountered a constant stream of people and carriages—they were going up the mountain to the Xingjun Temple. Since its construction, it had been very popular every day, and even the temple keeper had been elected. The silver collected was so abundant that it was all used to pay for the militia's grain and rice, so it could be considered self-sufficient.
"There are so many people." Even today, seeing this still evokes mixed feelings in Qi Chengming.
Hu Hong felt completely differently. He walked with his head held high and chest out along the winding mountain road, very proud: "Now that we've built the Xingjun Temple, many of the neighborhood aunties are praising our family."
The Hu family was quite famous in their neighborhood.
Overjoyed, Old Lady Hu lit incense for her deceased father and murmured about him for a long time.
"Run!" a stern shout rang out.
Commander Mao's familiar, imposing figure passed by in the distance. He held a willow branch in his hand, striking the ground and raising some dust. In front of him was a group of half-dead men, their faces pale, their steps unsteady, and their breathing labored as if they were about to die.
"This must be the militia..." Hu Hong had also heard that Liuzhou City had formed a new team specifically to protect the safety of the people and maintain order in the surrounding area. His expression was slightly complicated, and his voice was lowered slightly, "...Can it really work?"
Qi Chengming's expression was also somewhat subtle: "This should be the beginning."
Even his own troops couldn't do anything about this bunch of weaklings. Transforming ordinary people of Liuzhou—no matter how strong, they were all untrained—into a well-trained army would take time and effort.
Even though... it's been a month, I still look so bad.
The majority of the people weren't in very good health, so Qi Chengming provided them with good food and drink to help them recover. Since they couldn't engage in intense training at first, they focused on willpower training. Now that they're only just starting to gradually increase the training intensity, they already look quite exhausted.
Let alone the fact that they ran all the way from the city, he was already sweating profusely and panting slightly as he got here.
"By the way, what did you bring with you?" Qi Chengming didn't want to continue the conversation, so he changed the subject and asked. He had been curious about Hu Hong's baggage for most of the day.
"A gourd of soy milk, a bamboo tube of glutinous rice, and a bag of steamed buns my mother made." Hu Hong was a little uneasy, but still calmly explained, "I heard from the teacher that the academy will prepare some food for the spring outing, but we are not to expect too much, so I prepared some myself—my mother's steamed meat buns are especially fragrant and sweet, but unfortunately I can't bring the tofu pudding... I asked my classmate to bring the kite from the academy for me."
As he muttered to himself, Qi Chengming felt much more at ease and shared his own things: "Look, I've always wanted to try carrying this bamboo box! The bamboo tube for holding water can be tied to the side of the strap with a strip of cloth and hung there. When it rains, you can roll down the oilcloth covering the top. There's also a hidden compartment on the back that you can pull out, where I put some ration coupons for backup. I put my kite in there, and it almost didn't fit... It's a clever little thing. You scholars really know how to play."
Hu Hong cast an envious glance at the intricately woven bamboo box, and looked at it longingly from all sides for a long time: "Brother Qi... your belongings are really complete."
Qi Chengming coughed softly.
As the saying goes, poor students have a lot of stationery.
...The two of them chatted and talked all the way to Eagle's Cry Mountain. They rested and walked intermittently, and because they talked the whole way, when they arrived at their destination, Qi Chengming didn't feel exhausted at all; in fact, he felt quite well.
He glanced at his reflection in the lake. The young man had a rosy complexion, sweat dampened his temples, and his chest rose and fell slightly. His face showed an unprecedented level of health after exercise.
The health bar is almost full—it's terrifying!
Qi Chengming was very satisfied and quickened his pace.
Come on! Let him see how ordinary young people live!
A number of people had already gathered in the open space at the foot of Eagle's Cry Mountain. They were all polite and chatting in hushed tones, creating a harmonious atmosphere. Several older teachers had just arrived and were working hard with a few old women from the academy to set up small stoves, teapots, soup bottles, and carrying baskets filled with pastries.
There were only a few large rocks in the wilderness that could be used as tables to place objects, so everyone had to stand to talk, but no one minded; everyone was extremely excited. Then, a young man who was the leader went over and said something to the teacher, and then obediently led the others to the lake to fetch water.
"Brother Qi, you don't recognize... It seems there are students from other places here today besides our academy." Hu Hong glanced around at the crowd, then suddenly reverted to his initial taciturn and speechless state, stammering, "Brother Qi, look...!"
Qi Chengming followed his gaze and exclaimed with great interest, "Ah, someone has already started flying a kite!"
Kites floated in twos and threes above the lake, and you could vaguely see that they were all novel designs: a fat red carp, a large green mantis, and a round tangerine hanging from a golden branch.
"I made a mistake." Qi Chengming suddenly felt that his bamboo box was a bit too hot to handle. He had never flown a kite before, so he didn't think much of it and just asked Manager Song to buy him an ordinary kite - the most classic swallow design.
It's cute as it is, but... but now... I feel like if we let it out, we'll lose.
"Brother Qi?" Hu Hong suddenly turned around and looked at him with a surprised expression. "What kite? I meant the kite flyers—they're all girls!"
He turned his head away awkwardly, his cheeks turning slightly red.
Now it was Qi Chengming's turn to look at him strangely, and it took him a while to realize what he meant: "…………"
Okay.
Brother Hu has reached this age. It's a pity... having teenage girls in front of him is too much for Qi Chengming. Of course, Qi Chengming only has eyes for kites! The adult girls he likes are probably already married, widows, or remarried in this era.
Will he really be able to get married properly in the future?
Qi Chengming felt a headache coming on when he thought about this.
In short, he decided to put his mind to it for now and go fly a kite!
"Brother Hu, let's go together." Qi Chengming made a special invitation, as he had no experience playing with teenage girls alone.
Hu Hong eagerly replied, "...Yes, yes."
He didn't have any!
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Author's note: hhhh, the life of an ordinary teenager is being secretly observed by the prince.
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