The child loved the Spring Thunder Saber so much that he couldn't bear to part with it. Seeing that his good-looking brother wasn't stingy, he simply sat down on the edge of the mud brick wall, his feet dangling over the edge. If he dirtied his clothes, he would only be nagged by his mother for a day or two. But this saber was a real saber. Perhaps he would only be able to touch it once in his life.
His Royal Highness saw that the child was holding the saber and seemed to have forgotten himself. He had no choice but to reach out and gently grab the back of the child's collar and pull him back slightly, afraid that the child would accidentally fall off the wall.
His Royal Highness then took a bite of the sugar-coated hawthorn and narrowed his eyes at the endless stream of people on the official road outside the city. If the water was too clear, there would be no fish. With the strict control and infiltration ability of the Beiliang army, it wouldn't be difficult to catch a few fat sheep to serve as a warning to others. However, Beiliang was originally a poor and desolate place where birds didn't even shit. It needed a large amount of real money to circulate. Li Hanlin's father, Li Gongde, the Governor of Feng Province, was able to become the new Beiliang's Administrator. It wasn't just because this old scoundrel was Xu Xiao's lackey. If one were to say that Li Gongde's method of making money make money was the second best in Beiliang, no one would dare to claim to be the best. Xu Xiao once joked that if one gave Li Gongde a copper coin, it would produce one tael of silver the next day. Furthermore, in order to obtain this second-rank official position in Beiliang, which was second only to the Jiedushi in name, Li Gongde, this old pixiu who plucked feathers from wild geese, had spat out a lot of real money for the first time. Rumor had it that Feng Province's tycoons were drinking with their in-laws and laughed loudly, saying that in the future, it wouldn't be only Feng Province that would be oppressed by Iron Cock Li.
Hsu Fengnian chewed on the hawthorn, his mind wandering ten thousand li. On this secret trip, he did not make a big fuss and left quietly. Other than a short and narrow Spring Thunder Saber, he only had a few banknotes and a small bag of silver coins. All in all, he only had about three hundred taels of silver. If he were in a first-class brothel in Liangzhou, he would only be able to enjoy a meal with a prostitute, and he might not even be able to enjoy himself to the fullest. Hsu Fengnian held a bamboo stick without any candied haws in its mouth. Seeing that the toddler obviously liked this spring thunder very much, it put its little face on the scabbard and smiled foolishly at the good-tempered big brother in front of it.
Hsu Fengnian saw that the battle between the white-clothed swordsman and the man with the Zhanmadao on the stage had reached its climax. The crowd would not disperse for a while, so he was not in a hurry to get the Spring Thunder back. This child, who was looking forward to Jianghu, reminded him of a certain penniless pauper. Squatting on the wall with the bamboo stick in his mouth, Hsu Fengnian smiled softly and said, "You can touch it, but don't take the saber out. It's very sharp. What if your mother comes after me and beats me?"
The child tilted his head and secretly winked at Hsu Fengnian. He deliberately raised his voice and said with a bright smile, "Of course not. My mother never beats people. She has a very good temper!"
Hsu Fengnian touched the child's little head and smiled without saying anything.
She did not have the nerve to pick up the hairpin to examine it in detail, for fear that the stall owner would roll his eyes at her. She never thought that as soon as she came back to her senses, she would discover that her son was gone. Her temperament was indifferent, she was not anxious to show it on her face. Sure enough, she saw her son on the top of the wall, accompanied by a strange young man carrying a saber. At first, she was worried that there would be some disturbance, for a poor family like her could not withstand any disturbance. She lifted the corner of her skirt and trotted to the top of the wall, but she happened to see that young man pulling the back of her son's collar. Unconsciously, her state of mind calmed down. She knew that since he was young, her son had a fondness for those chivalrous men who roamed the Jianghu. He had never once failed to participate in the martial arts competition at the old city site of Tuma Pass. Sometimes, when he heard his playmates calling him from the alley, he did not care that he was eating and would rush out. When he came back, he did not forget to finish his meal without leaving a single grain of rice behind. While he ate, he danced with joy as he told her how the chivalrous men made their moves, making her heart filled with joy.
Many of the hardships that she could not speak to others were not so bitter anymore.
Hearing the child's' flattering ', Xiao Niang, who had an enchanting figure but was as delicate as a young lady, covered her mouth and laughed. Her eyes narrowed into crescent moons, and she restrained her expression, only hiding some charm that quietly hung on the tip of her brows. She rolled up her sleeves and saluted this good-natured young master. It was probably due to the hardships of living in seclusion these past few years that she had developed a keen intuition for all kinds of men. Whether they had ulterior motives, she could see through most of the dark tricks they used to play hard to get. The young man biting the bamboo stick in front of her was even more like a descendant of a large family than that military officer's son at Toppling Horse Pass who only knew how to pretend to be cultured. It was rare that his eyes were very clear when he looked at her. This made her think of the well water at the entrance of the village. It was very clean, but she could not see through its depth.
Lil 'Miss said in a light voice, "You Song, return the saber to this young man."
The young child nodded and made a sound of acknowledgment. He stood up. Even though his eyes were unwilling, he still stood up and respectfully returned the Spring Thunder Saber to the Big Brother who was bending down to receive the saber.
Lil 'Miss naturally patted away the yellow dirt on the child's butt. Children from poor families, no matter how much they played, they couldn't trample on clothing that was sewn needle by needle. She was the widow of a Beiliang courier. Without a man, she had to work alone in the fields. Every year, the government would give her a sum of money as compensation. It wasn't much, just eight taels of silver, but at least she had something to look forward to. Privately, she heard from the private school teachers that according to the Beiliang military law, it should be more than thirty taels. Most of it had been doctored by the officials. However, she was a widowed woman and didn't care about this. She couldn't care about it. There were some men in the villages near Tuma Pass that wanted to marry her, and one of them had military merit. But she felt that since You Song had taken the surname of Zhao with his husband, she couldn't let him call a man with a different surname father. You Song's personality was a bit mischievous, but this was how children were. She knew a bit of words and had a broader vision than the average crude village woman. Every day, she listened to him recite the poems and books he had learned from the private school. She sat at the side and twirled the wick. She only felt that a day of hard work and life was not easy. She didn't complain about the tight but fulfilling days.
On the platform of the ruins, the two chivalrous men fought back and forth until the sky turned dark. Most of the audience below were ordinary people who lived a stable life. No matter who they were, whether it was Tianshan Wind Chasing Sword, Chopping Horse, Splitting Tiger, or Saber, as long as they fought energetically, they wouldn't be stingy with their applause and cheers. A total of one to two hundred spectators cheered loudly. Many men stood on the benches and applauded. After all, they didn't need to pay half a copper coin. Those who had placed bets were relatively nervous and didn't make much noise. They only secretly clenched their fists when they saw the person they betted on making a good move. When they saw that they were at a disadvantage, they were worried.
Hsu Fengnian didn't have much interest in watching the fight, but he didn't show any disdain. He took the lead and walked down the mud brick wall. The young woman took the opportunity to take the child's hand. She was afraid that if she stayed with this young man, she would attract the gossip of the marketplace. She didn't dare to linger on the wall. She only wanted to get down the mud road as soon as possible and leave the marketplace with her child. The village they lived in was just to the side, less than a li away. The child was grateful for his big brother's generosity. He smiled and tugged on His Royal Highness' sleeve. Hsu Fengnian turned his head and saw the child reach out his hand as if wanting to take his hand. Hsu Fengnian smiled but didn't reach out his hand. He only glanced at the young woman, whose mouth was slightly open and whose face was red. He didn't want to embarrass her, so he just pinched the child's cheek and strode away.
The young woman quietly exhaled. Her face was burning hot. She glared at the child. The latter was a child as white as a thin sheet of paper. He only felt that his mother was prettier than before. She was shy but didn't know why she was blushing.
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