“Going to buy vegetables?” The beggar uncle met YangYue while entering the residence.
“Is there anything Senior would like to eat?”
“Now that my grandson is back, we can buy some meat, right?” The beggar uncle said, “I don’t want that minced meat, I want a big piece, with three layers of fat.”
“Senior….” YangYue was about to interrupt him, but he continued to talk.
“Otherwise, just buy chicken. If it’s a hen, then we can steamed it, but if it’s a rooster, then we can roast it in soy sauce, and the remainder of the chicken can be put in soup.”
“Uncle….”
The beggar uncle did not give him a chance to speak at all: “The best thing to buy is mutton and we can make some soup, or even make skewers. For the soup it should be the mutton thigh meat, the fat part is very important. You know what, I’ll just go with you.”
YangYue said quickly: “Uncle, I’m not going to the market.”
The beggar uncle was silent for a moment, then he waved his hand: “It doesn’t matter where you go, I’ll just accompany you. Let’s go!”
Before YangYue could come up with any excuses, he pushed out of the door. The beggar uncle wrapped his arm over his shoulder, and it made him feel very uncomfortable.
“Da Yang, you know, I’ve been paying special attention to you. By nature you are honest and calm, also a very good cook,” The beggar uncle pulled his arm, “Compared to others, you’re so much better…”
Their bodies were closer than before, whenever the beggar uncle spoke, his spit was sprinkling on YangYue’s face.
YangYue uncomfortably tried to distance herself from him, politely asked: “Uncle, did you want to ask me something?”
“Nothing big, it’s just…Your father is in Yangzhou right now?” The beggar uncle asked.
YangYue was surprised, unexpected him to ask about his father, but he still nodded his head: “Yes, his legs are injured, so he’s currently living at Xie Residence.”
“You’ve been out for so long, your father must be worried. You guys have to think about your parents, don’t just think about playing outside. Remember to write to him, let him know you’re alright.” The beggar uncle glanced at him to check his facial expression, “I was right? You guys never write any letters home?”
“It’s because he knows the nature of our work, so he’s never worried.” YangYue explained.
“That’s why I said you guys are still kids, you don’t understand parents’ feelings at all.” The beggar uncle began to lecture him, “The child travels thousands of miles away, of course any mother or father would be worried, do you understand? Especially when we’re at war with pirates. You should write him a letter to let him know you’re alright.”
YangYue carefully considered his words, felt like he was right, and quickly nodded his head and said: “Yes, I will write a letter when we get back.”
“Exactly.” The beggar uncle was satisfied with the answer, he paused for a moment, then continued: “You know, Jinxia considered me as her uncle, and Mrs. Shen as her aunt, isn’t it great?”
“…. Yes.” YangYue was starting to feel a bit dizzy, because he couldn’t keep up with his words, then he said, “Uncle, if you have something to say, why not just say it. Let’s not beat around the bush.”
“Fine, I will just say it.” The beggar uncle hesitated for a moment, “There’s a saying once a master, always a father. Your father, Yang ChengWan is Jinxia’s master right? So, technically he’s like Jinxia’s father.”
*[once a master, always a father = Indicated when someone is your teacher, master take you in as their student, disciple, they become your father for a lifetime because they’re the one that ‘raise’ you, TN]
YangYue looked at him.
“Since Jinxia also has some happy news, shouldn’t you include that in your letter as well?” The beggar looked at him with a sincere face.
“What happy news?” YangYue’s brain wasn’t loading.
“You—This child, didn’t I just tell you? She accepted me as her uncle, and now she has an aunt, isn’t this good news? Don’t you feel this is needed to share with your father?” The beggar uncle kept blabbing on and on.
YangYue promised: “Alright, I will tell him about it.”
The beggar uncle was very satisfied, then continued to say: “When you write about Mrs. Shen, remember to include in the letter that she is from Quanzhou, Fujian, and her surname is Lin.”
“I have to talk about this too?”
“Of course! If you don’t write it clearly, your father might get the wrong idea, and then he will question who is this uncle, who is this aunt. You must write everything about where we’re from and what our names are. Don’t let your father think bad of us, do you understand?”
“Understood.” YangYue tried to agree, “So you’re telling me that I need to write a letter to my father, indicating that I am fine, as well as include Jinxia’s news regarding the fact that she has accepted an uncle and an aunt. Then, I also have to explain the origin of Mrs. Shen, who is from Quanzhou, Fujian, and whose surname is Lin, is that right?”
“That’s right.” The beggar uncle wiped his sweat, and shook his head, “This kid, you’re good at everything, yet you’re so slow. You can’t even understand this small matter. I’m sweating just from talking to you.”
YangYue had to listen to him until he was dripping with sweat. A silent sigh came out of YangYue as he patiently looked at the beggar uncle. The two of them have walked around the block 18 times just for this matter.
***
When night comes, YangYue called Jinxia to the kitchen to help heat up the water, as well as told her what happened today.
“He asked you to write a letter to the Master? But also have to write about the Lin Family and indicate her origin as well?” Jinxia picked up a stick of firewood, while thinking, her hand threw the piece of wood into the burning fire, “One time, my aunt said she has an old friend in the Capital, who has the same surname as your father. I think they’re telling you to write the letter to check if their guesses are right. This is the same as what we’ve thought about.”
“I just don’t understand, it’s a simple matter, why does he make it sound so complicated?” YangYue was confused.
“Don’t forget, Mrs. Shen is a person who has experienced trauma, which made her stay away from officials and remained quiet in an isolated area.” Jinxia said, “Uncle is someone who likes to meddle in other people’s business, but if it’s related to my aunt, he will definitely be very careful.”
“Then I’ll just write a letter. That’s right, do we need to write about Shangguan Bangzhu’s situation as well?”
“Just say that the wounds are healed. I noticed she tried to move by herself, I think just a few more days of rest, then she should be fine. Is the chicken bone soup finished yet?”
“It’s finished, this type of chicken can’t be in the soup too long or else the bones will fall apart.”
Jinxia jumped up happily, forgetting about the fireplace: “I will bring this to Lu Daren.”
“If you don’t put wood in the fire, how can I cook?”
“I will go find Xie Brother, he seems very free.” Jinxia took a bowl of chicken bone soup, and walked out of the kitchen.
“Master Xia!” YangYue shouted to stop her.
She stopped and turned around: “What?”
“Can you hold back a little?” YangYue laughed, “You’re a girl.”
“I know, I’ll try!”
***
Carefully bringing the bowl of soup to Lu Yi’s room. As she entered the room, she called out to Lu Yi: “Come and drink this soup quickly. There’s
Carrying a bowl of soup he entered Lu Yi’s room, Jinxia entered while pushing the door while calling out to him: “Hurry up and drink chicken soup, inside there are huangqi and ginseng, very good for healing, removing poisons, and repairing muscles.”
*[Huangqi = Or another name Astragalus propinquus, it’s a medicinal herb that’s been used a lot in Chinese traditional medicine, which is good for variety of diseases and body disorders, TN]
Lu Yi walked over and laughed: “Did you cook this?”
“Da Yang made it.” Jinxia chuckled, she pushed the bowl towards him, “Be careful, it’s very hot.”
Lu Yi didn’t drink it, instead he used a spoon and stirred it for a while, his eyes fixed on Jinxia.
“What is it?” Jinxia subconsciously touched her face, “Is there dirt on my face? I went to the kitchen to help Da Yang with the fire.”
“I’ll help you wipe it.”
Lu Yi lifted his sleeves and gently wiped her face, his movement was very careful and soft, as if he’s afraid of hurting her. Slowly wiping up and down, while continuing to stare at her.
Jinxia felt something strange, she pressed his hand, suspiciously asked:’”What are you doing?”
“Nothing….” Lu Yi forced a smile, turned his hand over and held her hand in his, and quickly changed the topic, “You know, when I was in Cengang, I couldn’t stop dreaming about you.”
Hearing him confessing about his dreams, Jinxia became very interested, she happily asked: “What did you dream about?”
Lu Yi moved his hand toward the table, and chuckled: “You were only this tall, hair in two buns. You were jumping up and down, asking me to follow you.”
“Then?” Jinxia urged him to quickly tell the story.
“Then you stopped in front of a residence, and in front of it were two lions, and its mouths were small stones. Then you tried to climb on it, and touched the stone inside the lion’s mouth.”
Jinxia let out a loud laugh: “I only told you about this once, yet you still remember it? How did I look when I was little? Am I adorable? Enough for people to love me?”
“Very similar to now, people couldn’t help but love you.” Lu Yi chuckled.
“I also think so.” Jinxia nodded her head.
Staring at Jinxia, Lu Yi couldn’t help but think back to the time in Yangzhou, when she was hugging a chubby cat, and then she turned and asked him ‘Daren, don’t you think I can also make others distressed?’. At that time, he didn’t pay too much attention to her words, but today, thinking about it, it really touched his heart. His feelings for her, it’s not just pity.
“Drink the chicken soup first, it’s not good if it’s cold.”
Jinxia continued to urge him. Suddenly, the sounds of trumpets were heard, and her body immediately tensed up and frowned. Jinxia thought it was the alarm to inform that the pirates were coming back. Lu Yi noticed the tension, he quickly reassured her: “General Qi is coming back, they’re probably greeting him using the trumpets.”
“General Qi is back in town?!”
When Qi Jiguang received Madam Qi’s letter, he quickly understood the enemy’s tactics, but he only sent General Hu Shouren home, while the remainder of the troop stayed in Ninghai. They deliberately lowered their flag, quietly waiting for the enemy to show up.
What they’ve thought about came true. After Hu Shouren left less than half a day, the soldiers rushed to report that a large number of pirates began to gather and prepare to attack Taizhou. Qi Jiguang led troops day and night to Taizhou. The war began and thousands of pirates fell dead, and most soldiers were beaten. Luckily they were able to save five thousand citizens, and only injured three people.
***
Just returning from the entrance hall, Xie Xiao had a reddish glow on his face, was constantly clenching and rubbing his hands, and muttered to himself.
“Brother Xie, what’s wrong with you?”
Chun Yumin was helping YangYue prepare the food, confusingly looking at Xie Xiao.
“He and Jinxia probably just came back from watching the Qi Family marching home. No need to worry about him.” YangYue didn’t need to lift his eyes, and continued to focus on his vegetables, “When you cook the sweet potatoes, especially frying it, focus on the colour, wait until it’s golden yellow and then remove it, or else it will darken the pot. This way, the colour of the dish will be beautiful.”
Chun Yumin tilted her head, and continued to stare at the sweet potatoes: “I see. Can you try it, how does it taste?”
YangYue took the chopsticks and tried a piece: “It’s crispy outside and soft outside, the temperature and seasoning is also very good.”
Hearing his approval, Chun Yumin let out a smile: “Next time I will try this dish again. I was afraid that the sweet potatoes would become greasy, and hard for others to eat.”
“Don’t worry, you have Master Xia, she will eat everything.” YangYue laughed.
Just as he finished his words, the corner of his eyes noticed Jinxia and Lu Yi walking in, and Xie Xiao still excitedly ran around the courtyard. YangYue quickly called them all to dinner. At the same time, Cen Shou, the beggar uncle and Mrs. Shen also arrived. Once everyone was seated, Xie Xiao said: “I’ve decided. I want to join the Qi army!”
The others were still dumbfounded, except the beggar uncle, who excitedly said: “Good! My soldier, come here, I will use tea instead of wine to toast to you.”
Xie Xiao became excited, immediately stood up, the two of them clinked their tea cup and drank it.
“A real man should go on a journey!” The beggar uncle happily said, “A soldier follows the sound of wind, once go never come back.”
*[A man should travel when he’s young. A traveller will travel until the end, TN]
“Uncle, don’t create trouble. He’s not Jin Ke, the guy who killed Qin King.” Jinxia pulled the beggar uncle to sit back down, then said, “Uncle, as someone who’s very skilled in kung fu, you’ve done nothing but follow my aunt around. Who are you to encourage him to never come home?”
“Everyone has their own ambition! For his country,” The beggar uncle pointed at Xie Xiao, then pointed at himself, “For the family, there is no shame in the heart.”
Unable to respond to his statement, Jinxia turned to look at Xie Xiao: “Brother, joining the military is not a small matter, you should write a letter to discuss it with your father.” YangYue
Unable to reply, Jinxia turned towards Xie Xiao, coaxing him:’Brother, joining the military is no small matter, at least you should write a letter to discuss with your father first right?” YangYue just sent a letter home telling their parents they have reunited, suddenly Xie Xiao wants to join the military, what if Old Xie Master thinks YangYue and her persuaded Xie Xiao to leave home.
As soon as Jinxia brought up Old Xie Master, Xie Xiao immediately frowned, he waved his hands: “Discuss with him? He will definitely not let me go. Ever since I was young, out of all the ten things I wanted to do, he probably only agreed on one.”
“In that case…. You should at least discuss it with Shangguan Sister.” Jinxia said.
Xie Xiao furrowed his brow: “She will for sure persuade me not to go, saying this and that, and I shouldn’t go. Overall, women always have a lot to say, plus she’s injured right now, I don’t want to worry her.”
Xie Xiao is a type of person, once he decides on something, he will do it immediately. Jinxia doesn’t know what else to say, just afraid that Old Xie Master will misinterpret the situation. She quickly nudged Lu Yi under the table, signalling him to help her.
Lu Yi unwillingly spoke up: “Joining the military is a good thing, especially right now, the pirates are attacking Zhe Provinces, they will definitely need someone like Xie Brother.”
Xie Xiao did not expect Lu Yi to praise him, for a moment, he was speechless but quickly gained his confidence back and yelled loudly: “See! Even Lu Daren agreed that I should join the military.”
“General Qi’s army recruitment is extraordinary, not sure if Brother Xie has heard of it?” Lu Yi asked.
“Recruitment?” Xie Xiao was a little confused, “I have not. Isn’t it just all about fighting, what else would he need?”
Lu Yi shook his head: “You’re wrong. General Qi’s army isn’t only fighting skill, but you must also have a good mental state, good face, observance, and more importantly, have good fortunes.”
Xie Xiao who heard it frowned: “Good face and have good fortunes? Is he recruiting soldiers or arranging a marriage?”
“I see this kid’s forehead is pretty big, I think his fortune is good.” The beggar uncle encouraged him.
Lu Yi continued: “General Qi has a rule, 4 things needed and 4 things don’t.”
Xie Xiao shook his head: “What do you mean 4 things to have and 4 things don’t?”
“To simply put it, in order to choose a soldier, the person has to be a villager, big and muscular, and have tanned skin. They also have to be stupid, afraid of governors and the law.”
“Wait wait, afraid of governors and the law? How does that make sense?” Xie Xiao said in surprise, “This master isn’t afraid of anything, and I’m great at killing pirates.”
“Joining an army, being able to kill the enemy is one thing, but the most important thing is being able to obey orders. You can’t go against your elders, masters and the law, or else it will be very difficult to serve the Emperor. A person who has these traits, no matter how good your kung fu is, having someone like this will be a disaster.” Lu Yi explained to him.
Xie Xiao scratched his neck, after hesitating for a moment he said disappointedly: “Then, if I go, they won’t accept me?”
“It’s not just you,” Lu Yi pointed at Cen Shou and YangYue, “Even if they go, General Qi won’t accept either.”
“What does that mean?” Xie Xiao said impatiently.
“Current government officials will also not be allowed to apply, because of all the schemes happening within the government, so they can’t be reused.”
“Ha ha ha!” Hearing that nobody at this table can join the Qi army, Xie Xiao felt a little happier, he happily said, “The recruitment process seems so tight, no wonder they’re so well known.”
Jinxia glanced affectionately at Lu Yi for a moment, while attentively picking up some food for him.
“Going to buy vegetables?” The beggar uncle met YangYue while entering the residence.
“Is there anything Senior would like to eat?”
“Now that my grandson is back, we can buy some meat, right?” The beggar uncle said, “I don’t want that minced meat, I want a big piece, with three layers of fat.”
“Senior….” YangYue was about to interrupt him, but he continued to talk.
“Otherwise, just buy chicken. If it’s a hen, then we can steamed it, but if it’s a rooster, then we can roast it in soy sauce, and the remainder of the chicken can be put in soup.”
“Uncle….”
The beggar uncle did not give him a chance to speak at all: “The best thing to buy is mutton and we can make some soup, or even make skewers. For the soup it should be the mutton thigh meat, the fat part is very important. You know what, I’ll just go with you.”
YangYue said quickly: “Uncle, I’m not going to the market.”
The beggar uncle was silent for a moment, then he waved his hand: “It doesn’t matter where you go, I’ll just accompany you. Let’s go!”
Before YangYue could come up with any excuses, he pushed out of the door. The beggar uncle wrapped his arm over his shoulder, and it made him feel very uncomfortable.
“Da Yang, you know, I’ve been paying special attention to you. By nature you are honest and calm, also a very good cook,” The beggar uncle pulled his arm, “Compared to others, you’re so much better…”
Their bodies were closer than before, whenever the beggar uncle spoke, his spit was sprinkling on YangYue’s face.
YangYue uncomfortably tried to distance herself from him, politely asked: “Uncle, did you want to ask me something?”
“Nothing big, it’s just…Your father is in Yangzhou right now?” The beggar uncle asked.
YangYue was surprised, unexpected him to ask about his father, but he still nodded his head: “Yes, his legs are injured, so he’s currently living at Xie Residence.”
“You’ve been out for so long, your father must be worried. You guys have to think about your parents, don’t just think about playing outside. Remember to write to him, let him know you’re alright.” The beggar uncle glanced at him to check his facial expression, “I was right? You guys never write any letters home?”
“It’s because he knows the nature of our work, so he’s never worried.” YangYue explained.
“That’s why I said you guys are still kids, you don’t understand parents’ feelings at all.” The beggar uncle began to lecture him, “The child travels thousands of miles away, of course any mother or father would be worried, do you understand? Especially when we’re at war with pirates. You should write him a letter to let him know you’re alright.”
YangYue carefully considered his words, felt like he was right, and quickly nodded his head and said: “Yes, I will write a letter when we get back.”
“Exactly.” The beggar uncle was satisfied with the answer, he paused for a moment, then continued: “You know, Jinxia considered me as her uncle, and Mrs. Shen as her aunt, isn’t it great?”
“…. Yes.” YangYue was starting to feel a bit dizzy, because he couldn’t keep up with his words, then he said, “Uncle, if you have something to say, why not just say it. Let’s not beat around the bush.”
“Fine, I will just say it.” The beggar uncle hesitated for a moment, “There’s a saying once a master, always a father. Your father, Yang ChengWan is Jinxia’s master right? So, technically he’s like Jinxia’s father.”
*[once a master, always a father = Indicated when someone is your teacher, master take you in as their student, disciple, they become your father for a lifetime because they’re the one that ‘raise’ you, TN]
YangYue looked at him.
“Since Jinxia also has some happy news, shouldn’t you include that in your letter as well?” The beggar looked at him with a sincere face.
“What happy news?” YangYue’s brain wasn’t loading.
“You—This child, didn’t I just tell you? She accepted me as her uncle, and now she has an aunt, isn’t this good news? Don’t you feel this is needed to share with your father?” The beggar uncle kept blabbing on and on.
YangYue promised: “Alright, I will tell him about it.”
The beggar uncle was very satisfied, then continued to say: “When you write about Mrs. Shen, remember to include in the letter that she is from Quanzhou, Fujian, and her surname is Lin.”
“I have to talk about this too?”
“Of course! If you don’t write it clearly, your father might get the wrong idea, and then he will question who is this uncle, who is this aunt. You must write everything about where we’re from and what our names are. Don’t let your father think bad of us, do you understand?”
“Understood.” YangYue tried to agree, “So you’re telling me that I need to write a letter to my father, indicating that I am fine, as well as include Jinxia’s news regarding the fact that she has accepted an uncle and an aunt. Then, I also have to explain the origin of Mrs. Shen, who is from Quanzhou, Fujian, and whose surname is Lin, is that right?”
“That’s right.” The beggar uncle wiped his sweat, and shook his head, “This kid, you’re good at everything, yet you’re so slow. You can’t even understand this small matter. I’m sweating just from talking to you.”
YangYue had to listen to him until he was dripping with sweat. A silent sigh came out of YangYue as he patiently looked at the beggar uncle. The two of them have walked around the block 18 times just for this matter.
***
When night comes, YangYue called Jinxia to the kitchen to help heat up the water, as well as told her what happened today.
“He asked you to write a letter to the Master? But also have to write about the Lin Family and indicate her origin as well?” Jinxia picked up a stick of firewood, while thinking, her hand threw the piece of wood into the burning fire, “One time, my aunt said she has an old friend in the Capital, who has the same surname as your father. I think they’re telling you to write the letter to check if their guesses are right. This is the same as what we’ve thought about.”
“I just don’t understand, it’s a simple matter, why does he make it sound so complicated?” YangYue was confused.
“Don’t forget, Mrs. Shen is a person who has experienced trauma, which made her stay away from officials and remained quiet in an isolated area.” Jinxia said, “Uncle is someone who likes to meddle in other people’s business, but if it’s related to my aunt, he will definitely be very careful.”
“Then I’ll just write a letter. That’s right, do we need to write about Shangguan Bangzhu’s situation as well?”
“Just say that the wounds are healed. I noticed she tried to move by herself, I think just a few more days of rest, then she should be fine. Is the chicken bone soup finished yet?”
“It’s finished, this type of chicken can’t be in the soup too long or else the bones will fall apart.”
Jinxia jumped up happily, forgetting about the fireplace: “I will bring this to Lu Daren.”
“If you don’t put wood in the fire, how can I cook?”
“I will go find Xie Brother, he seems very free.” Jinxia took a bowl of chicken bone soup, and walked out of the kitchen.
“Master Xia!” YangYue shouted to stop her.
She stopped and turned around: “What?”
“Can you hold back a little?” YangYue laughed, “You’re a girl.”
“I know, I’ll try!”
***
Carefully bringing the bowl of soup to Lu Yi’s room. As she entered the room, she called out to Lu Yi: “Come and drink this soup quickly. There’s
Carrying a bowl of soup he entered Lu Yi’s room, Jinxia entered while pushing the door while calling out to him: “Hurry up and drink chicken soup, inside there are huangqi and ginseng, very good for healing, removing poisons, and repairing muscles.”
*[Huangqi = Or another name Astragalus propinquus, it’s a medicinal herb that’s been used a lot in Chinese traditional medicine, which is good for variety of diseases and body disorders, TN]
Lu Yi walked over and laughed: “Did you cook this?”
“Da Yang made it.” Jinxia chuckled, she pushed the bowl towards him, “Be careful, it’s very hot.”
Lu Yi didn’t drink it, instead he used a spoon and stirred it for a while, his eyes fixed on Jinxia.
“What is it?” Jinxia subconsciously touched her face, “Is there dirt on my face? I went to the kitchen to help Da Yang with the fire.”
“I’ll help you wipe it.”
Lu Yi lifted his sleeves and gently wiped her face, his movement was very careful and soft, as if he’s afraid of hurting her. Slowly wiping up and down, while continuing to stare at her.
Jinxia felt something strange, she pressed his hand, suspiciously asked:’”What are you doing?”
“Nothing….” Lu Yi forced a smile, turned his hand over and held her hand in his, and quickly changed the topic, “You know, when I was in Cengang, I couldn’t stop dreaming about you.”
Hearing him confessing about his dreams, Jinxia became very interested, she happily asked: “What did you dream about?”
Lu Yi moved his hand toward the table, and chuckled: “You were only this tall, hair in two buns. You were jumping up and down, asking me to follow you.”
“Then?” Jinxia urged him to quickly tell the story.
“Then you stopped in front of a residence, and in front of it were two lions, and its mouths were small stones. Then you tried to climb on it, and touched the stone inside the lion’s mouth.”
Jinxia let out a loud laugh: “I only told you about this once, yet you still remember it? How did I look when I was little? Am I adorable? Enough for people to love me?”
“Very similar to now, people couldn’t help but love you.” Lu Yi chuckled.
“I also think so.” Jinxia nodded her head.
Staring at Jinxia, Lu Yi couldn’t help but think back to the time in Yangzhou, when she was hugging a chubby cat, and then she turned and asked him ‘Daren, don’t you think I can also make others distressed?’. At that time, he didn’t pay too much attention to her words, but today, thinking about it, it really touched his heart. His feelings for her, it’s not just pity.
“Drink the chicken soup first, it’s not good if it’s cold.”
Jinxia continued to urge him. Suddenly, the sounds of trumpets were heard, and her body immediately tensed up and frowned. Jinxia thought it was the alarm to inform that the pirates were coming back. Lu Yi noticed the tension, he quickly reassured her: “General Qi is coming back, they’re probably greeting him using the trumpets.”
“General Qi is back in town?!”
When Qi Jiguang received Madam Qi’s letter, he quickly understood the enemy’s tactics, but he only sent General Hu Shouren home, while the remainder of the troop stayed in Ninghai. They deliberately lowered their flag, quietly waiting for the enemy to show up.
What they’ve thought about came true. After Hu Shouren left less than half a day, the soldiers rushed to report that a large number of pirates began to gather and prepare to attack Taizhou. Qi Jiguang led troops day and night to Taizhou. The war began and thousands of pirates fell dead, and most soldiers were beaten. Luckily they were able to save five thousand citizens, and only injured three people.
***
Just returning from the entrance hall, Xie Xiao had a reddish glow on his face, was constantly clenching and rubbing his hands, and muttered to himself.
“Brother Xie, what’s wrong with you?”
Chun Yumin was helping YangYue prepare the food, confusingly looking at Xie Xiao.
“He and Jinxia probably just came back from watching the Qi Family marching home. No need to worry about him.” YangYue didn’t need to lift his eyes, and continued to focus on his vegetables, “When you cook the sweet potatoes, especially frying it, focus on the colour, wait until it’s golden yellow and then remove it, or else it will darken the pot. This way, the colour of the dish will be beautiful.”
Chun Yumin tilted her head, and continued to stare at the sweet potatoes: “I see. Can you try it, how does it taste?”
YangYue took the chopsticks and tried a piece: “It’s crispy outside and soft outside, the temperature and seasoning is also very good.”
Hearing his approval, Chun Yumin let out a smile: “Next time I will try this dish again. I was afraid that the sweet potatoes would become greasy, and hard for others to eat.”
“Don’t worry, you have Master Xia, she will eat everything.” YangYue laughed.
Just as he finished his words, the corner of his eyes noticed Jinxia and Lu Yi walking in, and Xie Xiao still excitedly ran around the courtyard. YangYue quickly called them all to dinner. At the same time, Cen Shou, the beggar uncle and Mrs. Shen also arrived. Once everyone was seated, Xie Xiao said: “I’ve decided. I want to join the Qi army!”
The others were still dumbfounded, except the beggar uncle, who excitedly said: “Good! My soldier, come here, I will use tea instead of wine to toast to you.”
Xie Xiao became excited, immediately stood up, the two of them clinked their tea cup and drank it.
“A real man should go on a journey!” The beggar uncle happily said, “A soldier follows the sound of wind, once go never come back.”
*[A man should travel when he’s young. A traveller will travel until the end, TN]
“Uncle, don’t create trouble. He’s not Jin Ke, the guy who killed Qin King.” Jinxia pulled the beggar uncle to sit back down, then said, “Uncle, as someone who’s very skilled in kung fu, you’ve done nothing but follow my aunt around. Who are you to encourage him to never come home?”
“Everyone has their own ambition! For his country,” The beggar uncle pointed at Xie Xiao, then pointed at himself, “For the family, there is no shame in the heart.”
Unable to respond to his statement, Jinxia turned to look at Xie Xiao: “Brother, joining the military is not a small matter, you should write a letter to discuss it with your father.” YangYue
Unable to reply, Jinxia turned towards Xie Xiao, coaxing him:’Brother, joining the military is no small matter, at least you should write a letter to discuss with your father first right?” YangYue just sent a letter home telling their parents they have reunited, suddenly Xie Xiao wants to join the military, what if Old Xie Master thinks YangYue and her persuaded Xie Xiao to leave home.
As soon as Jinxia brought up Old Xie Master, Xie Xiao immediately frowned, he waved his hands: “Discuss with him? He will definitely not let me go. Ever since I was young, out of all the ten things I wanted to do, he probably only agreed on one.”
“In that case…. You should at least discuss it with Shangguan Sister.” Jinxia said.
Xie Xiao furrowed his brow: “She will for sure persuade me not to go, saying this and that, and I shouldn’t go. Overall, women always have a lot to say, plus she’s injured right now, I don’t want to worry her.”
Xie Xiao is a type of person, once he decides on something, he will do it immediately. Jinxia doesn’t know what else to say, just afraid that Old Xie Master will misinterpret the situation. She quickly nudged Lu Yi under the table, signalling him to help her.
Lu Yi unwillingly spoke up: “Joining the military is a good thing, especially right now, the pirates are attacking Zhe Provinces, they will definitely need someone like Xie Brother.”
Xie Xiao did not expect Lu Yi to praise him, for a moment, he was speechless but quickly gained his confidence back and yelled loudly: “See! Even Lu Daren agreed that I should join the military.”
“General Qi’s army recruitment is extraordinary, not sure if Brother Xie has heard of it?” Lu Yi asked.
“Recruitment?” Xie Xiao was a little confused, “I have not. Isn’t it just all about fighting, what else would he need?”
Lu Yi shook his head: “You’re wrong. General Qi’s army isn’t only fighting skill, but you must also have a good mental state, good face, observance, and more importantly, have good fortunes.”
Xie Xiao who heard it frowned: “Good face and have good fortunes? Is he recruiting soldiers or arranging a marriage?”
“I see this kid’s forehead is pretty big, I think his fortune is good.” The beggar uncle encouraged him.
Lu Yi continued: “General Qi has a rule, 4 things needed and 4 things don’t.”
Xie Xiao shook his head: “What do you mean 4 things to have and 4 things don’t?”
“To simply put it, in order to choose a soldier, the person has to be a villager, big and muscular, and have tanned skin. They also have to be stupid, afraid of governors and the law.”
“Wait wait, afraid of governors and the law? How does that make sense?” Xie Xiao said in surprise, “This master isn’t afraid of anything, and I’m great at killing pirates.”
“Joining an army, being able to kill the enemy is one thing, but the most important thing is being able to obey orders. You can’t go against your elders, masters and the law, or else it will be very difficult to serve the Emperor. A person who has these traits, no matter how good your kung fu is, having someone like this will be a disaster.” Lu Yi explained to him.
Xie Xiao scratched his neck, after hesitating for a moment he said disappointedly: “Then, if I go, they won’t accept me?”
“It’s not just you,” Lu Yi pointed at Cen Shou and YangYue, “Even if they go, General Qi won’t accept either.”
“What does that mean?” Xie Xiao said impatiently.
“Current government officials will also not be allowed to apply, because of all the schemes happening within the government, so they can’t be reused.”
“Ha ha ha!” Hearing that nobody at this table can join the Qi army, Xie Xiao felt a little happier, he happily said, “The recruitment process seems so tight, no wonder they’re so well known.”
Jinxia glanced affectionately at Lu Yi for a moment, while attentively picking up some food for him.
