The Xu family had inherited some land from their ancestors. Xu Baihu was also from a military family, so his life was considered quite good. His family had a small property, so he had an old maid to do chores such as cooking and cleaning.
When the sky began to brighten, the old cook of the Xu family slowly finished preparing breakfast. She knocked on the door of Changgeng's study and said, "Young Master, Madam asked if you would like to eat in her room."
Changgeng was concentrating on writing. When he heard this, he paused and replied as if he was used to it, "No, she likes peace and quiet, so I won't disturb her. I'll have to trouble you to tell my mother that I'm paying my respects to her."
The old cook was not surprised by his reply. The daily questioning and answering between mother and son was like a routine, nothing new.
It was strange. Logically speaking, Xu Baihu was only a stepfather, while Changgeng and Xiu Niang were biological mother and son. However, this pair of biological mother and son would only eat at the same table when Xu Baihu was at home. They would eat at the same time in the morning and at night, pretending to be compassionate, filial, and happy. As soon as the male host left, they would be even stranger than strangers, ignoring each other. They lived in the same courtyard, but Changgeng did not even use the main door. Every day, he would go to the side door next door. The mother and son might not even see each other for ten days or half a month.
Even when Changgeng was seriously ill last year, Xiu Niang only glanced at him indifferently. She did not care whether her only son was dead or alive.
In the end, it was Master Shi Liu who carried him away and took care of him.
The old cook had always suspected that Changgeng was not Xiu Niang's biological child. However, based on their appearance, the mother and son looked very similar, so they must be related by blood.
Moreover, if he was not her biological child, why would a weak woman like Xiu Niang take care of that child when she was stranded in a foreign land and could not even protect herself?
It did not make sense.
After a while, the old cook brought over a lunchbox and said to Changgeng, "Master will probably return to the city today. Madam told Young Master to come back earlier."
Changgeng understood what she meant. With Xu Baihu back, they had to pretend to be a loving mother and filial son again. He nodded and said, "Got it."
His gaze fell on the lunchbox. Suddenly, Changgeng saw a strand of hair stuck to the handle of the lunchbox. He immediately retracted his hand.
The old cook's hair had already turned white. Naturally, this black and soft long hair was not hers. Xu Baihu had not returned yet. There were a total of three living people in the house, including the master and the servant. If it was not the old cook's hair, then it was naturally Xiu Niang's.
Changgeng had a strange obsession with cleanliness — he only hated his own mother.
When they were next door, he could even eat the leftovers from his adoptive father's bowl. However, when he returned home, as long as it was something that Xiu Niang had touched, he would not touch it at all.
The old cook knew about his strange temper. She hurriedly and carefully removed the strand of hair. She smiled and said, "Madam accidentally dropped it on the table. No one has touched it since it was taken out of the pot. Don't worry."
Changgeng smiled at her very politely and said, "It's okay. I happen to have some questions to ask Mr. Shen today. I'll go to my adoptive father's house to eat later."
After he finished speaking, he did not take the lunchbox. He grabbed the book on the table and put it under his arm. He then picked up the heavy sword hanging at the back door and left the house.
Mr. Shen rolled up his sleeves and was busy oiling a few pieces of dismantled steel armor in the courtyard.
The steel armor was sent by the soldiers guarding the city. The soldiers of Yanhui also had their own "long-armed division" that specialized in the maintenance of military steel armor. However, there were too many sets of armor in the army and they were always too busy. Therefore, they would look for civilian long-armed divisions to do some miscellaneous work.
"Long-armed divisions" were those who repaired steel armor and lighters. They dealt with those iron things all day long. They were considered craftsmen. However, in the eyes of the common people, long-armed divisions were similar to those who beat dogs and cut their feet and heads. They belonged to the "lower nine classes". Although they did not have to worry about money in this line of work, it was not very honorable.
Mr. Shen was a scholar, but it was unknown why he had such a strange hobby. Not only did he like to tinker with things when he had nothing to do, but he also often used this skill to earn some money.
Shen Shiliu, who accidentally entered the teenager's dream, was sitting on the threshold with his long legs stretched out. He leaned against the door frame as if he had no bones. There was an empty medicine bowl beside him — he did not even clean it after drinking it.
Shi Liu stretched lazily and waved to Chong Changgeng, who was half-dead, and ordered, "Son, go and bring me the wine pot."
Mr. Shen's hands were full of engine oil. He was sweating profusely as he said to Changgeng, "Ignore him. Have you eaten?"
Changgeng replied, "Not yet."
Mr. Shen then turned to Shi Liu and roared, "You woke up early in the morning and waited to eat! Can't you do some work? Go and get some rice and cook some porridge! "
Shen Shiliu tilted her head. She was perfectly deaf. She said slowly, "Huh? What? "
"Let me do it." Changgeng was used to it. "Why do you need rice?"
This time, Shi Liu heard him. He raised his long eyebrows and said to Mr. Shen, "Stop ordering your son around. Why don't you do it yourself?"
Mr. Shen, who was a gentleman, was angered by his wastrel brother every day. He said, "Didn't we agree to take turns? You're a man. It's fine if you can't hear me, but how can you go back on your words! "
Shen Shiliu used the same trick again and "couldn't hear" it again. He asked, "What is he barking about?"
He acted as if he was really barking.
Changgeng was speechless.
Actually, it was quite convenient to be deaf.
"He said …" Changgeng lowered his head and met Shi Liu's playful eyes. In an instant, the dream from the previous night flashed back to his mind. He suddenly realized that he was not so indifferent.
Changgeng's throat suddenly felt dry. He forced himself to calm down and said expressionlessly, "You'd better sit down. Don't bother to act shamelessly so early in the morning."
Shen Shiliu didn't have time to get drunk that day. His conscience didn't turn into wine. He smiled and took Changgeng's hand, stood up, and patted the back of the young man's head affectionately. He stumbled into the kitchen.
He was actually preparing to work. Shi Liu was rarely seen in a hundred years. It was rare to see someone who could do something. It was comparable to the blooming of an iron tree.
Changgeng hurriedly followed him in. He saw his foster father casually grab a few handfuls of rice and throw them into the pot. Then, he scooped water and washed the rice. The water splashed and the white waves flew. Then, he condescendingly reached out two fingers and stirred the water casually. He took out the rice and shook off the water droplets. He announced, "It's half done. Shen Yi, come and take turns."
Mr. Shen was speechless.
Shen Shiliu reached out and took the wine pot from the stove. He raised his head and took a sip. His movements were smooth and precise.
Sometimes, Changgeng suspected that he was pretending to be "blind."
Mr. Shen was probably convinced. He didn't make any unnecessary struggles. He cursed as he washed his hands with locust and ran into the kitchen. He steamed pastries and began to clean up the mess that Shi Liu had left behind.
Changgeng took out the invitation he had received in the morning and showed it to Mr. Shen one by one. After Shen Yi finished reading and commenting, Changgeng stuffed the paper into the stove and helped to start the fire.
"Your handwriting has improved. You've been working hard recently," Mr. Shen said. "I see that the invitation you received was from the Marquis of Stability, Gu Yun?"
Changgeng said, "Yes."
Shi Liu, who was idling nearby, suddenly turned his head. A strange expression flashed across his face.
Mr. Shen didn't raise his head. "Marquis of Stability led an army the fifteenth and became famous in one battle. The seventeenth was the commander. He was ordered to go on an expedition to the west. When he passed by Xi Liang City, he saw the remains of the ancient people. He felt that the scenery of the previous dynasty was still the same, but the country had been established for hundreds of years. He picked up his brush and wrote the 'Ode to the Long Pavilion'. He was originally going to leave it as it was, but the bootlickers around him secretly left it behind and engraved it on a stone tablet. Speaking of which, Gu Yun's handwriting was taught by the contemporary scholar, Mr. Mo Sen. Since you're practicing your handwriting, why didn't you receive the ancient invitations? Why did you receive the invitations of today's people? "
Changgeng rolled up the paper full of words and stuffed it into the stove without hesitation. "I heard that the three Black Iron Battalion, the Black Eagle, the Black Armor, and the Black Cavalry, wiped out the Eighteen Bei Man Tribes under The Old Marquis. Later, they were passed to the Young Marquis and made the bandits of the Western Region bow down to them. I don't like his handwriting. I just want to know what kind of handwriting was left behind by the hand that held the three Black Iron Battalion."
Mr. Shen stirred the spoon in the pot unconsciously, but his eyes seemed to have drifted away. After a while, he slowly said, "The Marquis of Stability's surname is Gu Yun, and his name is Zi Xi. He was the only son of the former Emperor's Eldest Princess and The Old Marquis. His parents died early when he was young, and he was pitied by today's emperor. He was raised in the palace and was granted a title of nobility. He was born to be rich and idle, but he insisted on going to the Western Region to eat sand. I don't know if he's a hero or not, but I'm afraid there's something wrong with his brain."
Mr. Shen was wearing an old gown that had been washed until it was white. The corners of his gown were stained with oil from the steel armor, and there was an unlucky apron hanging around his neck. The two brothers lived together and didn't have a woman at home. One was more outrageous than the other. He didn't know if the apron had been washed since it was brought back. The color of the apron was long gone, and it looked neither fish nor fowl wrapped around his body.
Only the outline of his face was clear.
Shen Yi had a high nose bridge. When he wasn't joking, the side of his face was almost cold. His eyelids trembled slightly, and he suddenly said, "Since The Old Marquis passed away, the Black Iron Battalion's achievements have shocked the emperor, and they are feared by the emperor. In addition, there are many sycophants in the imperial court who flatter the emperor …"
Shi Liu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly interrupted him, "Shen Yi."
The two people by the stove looked at him together. Shi Liu was staring at a small spider web on the door frame.
Shi Liu didn't drink. The more he drank, the paler his face became. He didn't show any emotion in his eyes, and it was hard to see clearly.
He said in a low voice, "Don't talk nonsense."
The Shen brothers were usually very rude. As brothers, they didn't respect their elder brother, and the elder brother spoiled them. They quarreled from morning to night every day, but their relationship was very good.
Changgeng had never heard Shi Liu speak in such a stiff tone.
He was sensitive by nature, so he didn't know what was going on. He frowned deeply.
Shen Yi's teeth tightened. He realized that Changgeng was observing him. He forced himself to control his emotions and said with a smile, "It's my fault. But isn't slandering the imperial court a side dish? I just said it casually. "
Changgeng sensed the awkwardness in the atmosphere, so he cleverly changed the topic and asked, "During the ten years between the Northern Expedition and the Western Expedition, who was in charge of the Black Iron Battalion?"
"No one was in charge," Shen Yi said. "After the Northern Expedition, the Black Iron Battalion was silent for a while. Some left, some died. There were only a few veterans left in the army, and most of them were disheartened. After more than ten years, the elite soldiers of the past had been replaced. Their equipment hadn't been replaced for many years, and they had aged beyond recognition. It wasn't until the rebellion in the Western Regions a few years ago that the Marquis of Stability was ordered to restart the Black Iron Battalion. Rather than saying that Marshal Gu took over the Black Iron Battalion, it's better to say that he trained a new batch of elite soldiers in the Western Regions. If you have the chance, you can learn from his writing."
Changgeng was stunned. "Could it be that Mr. Shen has seen the writing of Marquis of Stability?"
Shen Yi smiled. "Although it's rare, one or two of them occasionally appear on the street. They all claim to be authentic. Anyway, I can't tell whether they're real or fake."
As he spoke, he blew white steam and carried the dishes to the table. Changgeng was very perceptive and went forward to help. When he passed by Shen Shiliu with the porridge, the sickly man reached out and grabbed his shoulder.
Changgeng grew up earlier than the average teenager. Compared to his peers, he was tall and big. Although he was still young, he was almost as tall as his adoptive father. When he raised his head slightly, he looked straight into Shi Liu's eyes.
Sixteen actually had a pair of very typical peach blossom eyes, which could only be seen when his gaze was unfocused. This was because when his gaze focused, it was as if there was a pair of abysses shrouded by clouds and mist in his pupils, making it difficult for others to see through them. It was pitch black.
Changgeng's heart palpitated again. He lowered his voice and deliberately called his adoptive father, which he didn't usually use. "Adoptive father, what's wrong?"
Shi Liu said carelessly, "You're just a child. Don't always think about being a hero. Do heroes have any good endings? As long as you have enough food and warm clothes for the rest of your life, and you don't have to worry about sleeping when you wake up, that's the best life. Even if you're poor and idle, it doesn't matter. "
Shen Shiliu often pretended to be deaf and mute. It was rare for him to speak human words, but when he opened his mouth, he poured cold water on Changgeng.
He was a cripple who was half deaf and half blind. Naturally, he didn't have any ambition or drive. But how could a young man listen to such disheartened words of muddling through?
Changgeng felt a little uncomfortable because he felt that he was being looked down upon by Shi Liu. He thought unhappily, "If we all waste our lives like you, who will support our family in the future? Who will take care of you? It's easy for you to say that. "
He avoided Shi Liu's hand and said perfunctorily, "Don't move. Be careful not to burn yourself with the hot porridge."
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