Chapter 155 Xie Guanlan didn’t look at Wen Xingluo
Wen Xingluo and Xie Shian returned to the palace, which was decorated with lights and looked very festive.
The old concubine took Xie Shian's hand and looked him up and down. Finally, her eyes were wet and she kept saying, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back..."
Xie Shian was afraid the old lady would cry, so he did two somersaults with a smile. "I had a great time playing in the frontier. The wind and sun have made my body stronger! Look, grandma, have I grown taller?"
"Yes, she's grown taller!" The old man was amused by him, "Your sister has grown taller too!"
Upon hearing this, Xie Shian hurriedly pulled Wen Xingluo up to compare heights with her.
Wen Xingluo avoided his hand, looking disgusted for a while, "Fourth brother is a man, yet he comes to compare himself with a girl like me, and he's not embarrassed at all! If you want to compete, go compete with second brother!"
"By the way," Xie Shian sat down next to Wen Xingluo, "Ningning, didn't you say in your letter that you sent me a box of persimmon cakes? Where are the persimmon cakes? I didn't receive any!"
Wen Xingluo: “…”
She presented the persimmon cake to Xie Guanlan!
As she was speaking, the maid lifted the curtain and Xie Guanlan came in.
Wen Xingluo didn't notice him and said guiltily, "Maybe he was eaten by a big cat on the way."
Xie Shian raised his eyebrows, "Big cats will eat persimmons? Why do I not believe it?!"
Wen Xingluo: “…”
She doesn't believe it either.
"Ziheng." The old concubine was the first to notice Xie Guanlan.
Wen Xingluo's body stiffened.
When he came to his senses, he subconsciously followed Xie Shian and Xie Yanchen to stand up and bowed to Xie Guanlan.
The old concubine looked at Xie Guanlan and reminded him in a serious tone: "Your brothers and sisters are saying hello to you."
She emphasized the word "sister".
Xie Guanlan had a blank expression on his face. He nodded slightly to the three of them, but his eyes avoided Wen Xingluo.
"Brother!" Xie Shian said happily, "I've been in the army for a few months and have learned a lot and gained a lot of experience. In the future, I want to be your vanguard!"
The boy is sincere and loyal.
Xie Guanlan patted his shoulder and said "OK" solemnly.
After lunch, the old concubine and Xie Jing went to rest.
In the west wing, Xie Shian excitedly took out a bundle and said, "I brought gifts for my elder brother, second brother, and Ningning. I'm sure you'll like them!"
He first handed Wen Xingluo a wooden box. "This is a clay figurine made by a local craftsman. The girls there love it. I ordered it half a month in advance."
Wen Xingluo opened the wooden box.
There are a total of eight small clay figurines inside, each with different shapes and cute expressions. They are the family of Zhenbei Palace.
She glanced at the little clay figurine representing Xie Guanlan. It was wearing a red robe and a jade belt, standing with its hands behind its back. From its attire to its limbs, everything was extremely delicate and exquisite. There was a half-smile on its face, which seemed gentle and amiable, but in fact it was reserved and aloof.
She, Xie Shian, and Xie Yanchen subconsciously shifted their gaze from the little clay figurine to Xie Guanlan's face.
Xie Guanlan smiled, "What are you looking at?"
The three of them lowered their heads in fear.
His expression is exactly the same as the little clay figurine!
This little clay figurine is so lifelike!
Xie Shian added: "Here, this is a gift for my second brother."
Wen Xingluo looked over curiously.
Xie Yanchen opened the package and found a dried head inside!
The strong visual impact made her heart tremble. Before she could react, a wide crimson sleeve blocked her face, isolating her sight from the head.
The familiar scent of sandalwood hits my face.
It’s...Xie Guanlan.
Wen Xingluo raised her head, but Xie Guanlan didn't look at her. He just stared at Xie Shian with cold eyes.
Xie Shi'an was unaware and proudly said, "This was the first enemy I killed! That night, he brought a group of soldiers and horses, wearing our military uniforms, sneaked into the camp, and while everyone was asleep, he cut many people's necks. He also tried to set fire to our military supplies, but I fought him for fifty rounds and finally killed him! I heard that this man is notorious on the border. He once massacred a village and robbed the people of their food and money!"
"Third brother, you're amazing!" Xie Yanchen happily picked up the skull. "I like your gift, third brother. I will definitely make it into the most beautiful skull flowerpot and plant a hollyhock for you."
Xie Shian picked up the gift for Xie Guanlan again.
"Brother, this is a famous sword I brought back especially for you!" Xie Shian coughed lightly, "Look at the workmanship of this scabbard, look at the carvings..."
Xie Guanlan had no expression on his face.
What a famous knife! You can tell at a glance that this knife was bought from a street stall.
At most, five taels of silver.
Xie Shian kept talking, "This knife is very heavy. Big brother, you don't know how hard it was for me to carry it back. I was exhausted along the way!"
Wen Xingluo was puzzled, "Didn't Fourth Brother come back on horseback?"
Xie Shian: “…”
"Don't worry about that," Xie Shian coughed guiltily, "Anyway, I'm just working very hard! And this knife is very expensive. It cost me a lot of money—"
He rolled his eyes.
This time when he went to the border, his father and elder brother wanted to give him some experience, so they were both extremely stingy and didn't give him a penny.
The salary in the military camp was not enough for him to fill his stomach. He relied on the help of his good brothers to be able to drink and eat meat. He even borrowed money from his good brothers to buy the little clay figurine for Ningning.
But judging from what my father said today, he doesn't plan to give him a monthly stipend until he is promoted to General of the Central Army. From then on, he will have to rely on his salary to support himself.
How could this be possible? Just going to a restaurant to listen to some music would cost him a lot of money.
He tentatively held up five fingers. "Brother, this knife cost me five hundred taels of snowflake-patterned silver! Now I'm penniless. How about... you reimburse me?"
Wen Xingluo and Xie Yanchen looked at each other.
Buying gifts for people and then asking them to reimburse you...
This is truly something Xie Shian could do!
Xie Guanlan weighed the broken knife and raised an eyebrow. "Five hundred taels of silver?"
Xie Shian rubbed his nose guiltily.
His elder brother is a connoisseur of goods, so perhaps his price was too high...
He whispered, "I remembered it wrong. It's not five hundred taels, it's fifty taels... fifty taels..."
Xie Guanlan suddenly chuckled.
Xie Shian was so frightened that his heart jumped up, and he quickly confessed, "Oh, I just want to get some money to go out for a drink! I finally came back, I don't want to live a hard life! I also planned to take Ningning shopping and buy her two new clothes. Now I don't have a penny on me, how can I take it? Ningning and I will be laughed at! Big brother, I beg you!"
The boy threw a tantrum.
Xie Guanlan rubbed his brows and was about to refuse, but he caught a glimpse of a confused girl holding a little clay figurine. He paused and said, "Go to the accounting office to withdraw money."
Xie Shian jumped up excitedly, "Brother, you are so nice!"
Xie Guanlan gave him a warning look, "Don't take her out to hang out with her friends, and don't let her drink outside."
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