Chapter 385

"Borrow a treasure?"

Eunuch Zhao had played Ma Diao for half a night last night and won a small sum of money. At this time, he was catching up on his sleep and was drowsily asleep. When he was suddenly awakened by Kuai Peng, his mind was still in a daze. When he heard that Kuai Peng wanted to borrow a treasure, he immediately thought of his own treasure and couldn't help but raise his head to look at the beam.

There was a small box tied with red silk hanging from the beam of the room. Inside it was his "treasure".

After eunuchs were castrated, they attached great importance to the 'treasures' they had castrated. They would think of ways to preserve them. Although embalming fluid didn't exist in that era, eunuchs had developed a set of effective methods to preserve their 'treasures' over a long period of time.

After they were castrated, they would place the 'treasure' in a limestone box to absorb blood and water to keep it dry. Then, they would wipe away the lime and soak it in sesame oil. When the sesame oil permeated the 'treasure', they would place it in a small wooden box and seal it. Then, they would choose an auspicious day and hang it on the beam of their residence. If their home was in the area, some people would hang the 'treasure' in their ancestral hall.

Hanging the 'treasure' high up signified 'promotion'. This was the goal of all eunuchs when they were alive. After death, their family or adopted eunuch sons would sew the 'treasure' back onto their bodies so that they could become a complete man. Only after death could they face their ancestors.

If someone damaged or lost their 'treasure' due to poor care, they would use ceramic, gold, or silver materials to forge a fake 'treasure' during burial. But a fake was a fake, no matter how precious the materials were. Thus, there was the concept of 'borrowing a treasure'.

An old eunuch 'borrowed a treasure' from a young eunuch, and the young eunuch would borrow a treasure from the young eunuch of the next generation. There were eunuchs every year, so they didn't have to worry that their treasure would be borrowed and they would be buried incomplete. Thus, when Eunuch Zhao heard 'borrowing a treasure', he immediately thought of his own 'treasure'.

Kuai Peng saw him looking at the beam with a rather reluctant expression. He followed his gaze and suddenly came to a realization. He said unhappily, "I'm not borrowing your treasure. Why would I want your treasure? I'm here to borrow the treasure that I saw last time … "

Kuai Peng excitedly explained the purpose of his visit to Fourth Eunuch Zhao. Fourth Eunuch Zhao was not very old, only in his early thirties. He had always had an extremely good relationship with Kuai Peng, and the two of them even privately did some business together. Their interests were also entangled, so Kuai Peng did not hide anything from him and told him his thoughts.

Eunuch Zhao looked troubled. "Brother Peng, this is a secret weapon developed by the military department to carry out secret missions. It doesn't seem appropriate …"

Eunuch Peng's eyes. This is a clandestine love affair, isn't it secret enough? "

Fourth Eunuch Zhao smiled wryly. "Brother Peng, we're clearly not talking about the same thing."

"Sigh, I say, Fourth Eunuch Zhao, Little Tian is my good brother. If I don't help him, who will? I'm the only one who treats that thing of yours as a treasure. You're different. Didn't you say that it's not practical? There's only one real thing in your storage, and it'll rot sooner or later. Why don't you lend it to me? "

Only I treat that thing of yours as a treasure. You're different. Didn't you say it's not practical? There's only one real thing in your storage. It'll rot sooner or later. Why not lend it to your brother? " That is the residence of the Marquis of Zhenyuan, if they pursue the matter... "

Kuai Peng immediately said, "Don't worry! This thing of ours has never been shown to the outside world. Apart from the craftsmen of the military department who invented and developed it, you and me, no one else has seen it. Who would know that it belongs to the military department? In any case, your military department has already marked it as trash. Just give it to me and I'll destroy it immediately after using it. No matter who asks, I won't tell them where it came from. How about it? "

Eunuch Zhao hesitated for a moment. "Brother Peng, will you keep your word?"

Kuai Peng beamed and patted Eunuch Zhao's back. "That's right! Be more straightforward and facilitate a good marriage. That's accumulating merit and doing good deeds! After it's done, I'll treat you to a drink. "

The phrase "accumulating merit and doing good deeds" moved Eunuch Zhao's heart. For a eunuch like him, he had no choice but to castrate himself to become a eunuch. He didn't have much hope in this life and only hoped that the suffering he suffered in this life would be compensated in the next. It was just a slight effort, but he could accumulate merit. This transaction was naturally worth it.

Fourth Eunuch Zhao nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll give this to you. I'll cross it off the military book later. Destroy it after you're done using it. Don't ever say that it came from the military department. "

Kuai Peng laughed heartily and put his arm around Eunuch Zhao's shoulder. "That's a brother. What's there to worry about when I do things?"

Eunuch Zhao snorted and said resentfully, "It's precisely when you do things that I'm worried!"

…

The new year arrived. At this time, there was no such thing as a solar calendar. All festivals were calculated according to the lunar calendar, so the new year and the new year were on the same day. On New Year's Eve, firecrackers went off without end. The people of Jinling wore new clothes and hats as they walked around to congratulate each other. On the long streets, there were dragon and lion dances, people visiting friends and relatives, and people strolling around to watch the bustle. Everywhere was filled with a festive atmosphere.

Early in the morning on the first day of the new year, the head of the family would lead his family to worship heaven and earth and their ancestors. The whole family would cook a "plaque food" together. On the streets, if the younger generation of the family saw their relatives or elders, they would have to kneel and kowtow to them. Therefore, unless one had a high enough seniority, it was impossible to meet someone of a higher seniority. Many people on the streets would temporarily patch up the hem of their clothes. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to wear their new robes after this trip.

Ye Xiaotian and the others were stranded in the posthouse and could only celebrate the new year in another place. The posthouse also prepared dumplings and other festive food for them. They bought some incense, candles, and paper money, and wrote ancestral tablets in their rooms. They offered three cooked meals, and on the third day of the new year, they would burn the paper money as a tribute to their ancestors for the new year.

During the Spring Festival, regardless of age or gender, people would use gold foil to make moths, butterflies, grasshoppers, and other ornaments and insert them into their hair bun or on the brim of their hats to enhance the festive atmosphere of the festival. The ornaments were called "Noisy Noises". The big "Noisy Noises" were the size of a palm, while the small ones were the size of a copper coin. Most people wore one, but there were also rich people who wanted to flaunt their wealth and inserted many "Noisy Noises" into their hair.

Naturally, there was no need for Ye Xiaotian to handle these matters. Miss Ning Er and Sister Sun were in charge of these matters. The two ladies were very attentive to this matter. There was no need to mention Sister Sun. Ever since Ning Er heard Tang Xianzu's words, her attitude towards Ye Xiaotian had changed significantly. The two ladies treated the Jinling posthouse as their own home, and Ye Xiaotian was the head of the family.

On New Year's Eve, Ye Xiaotian wore a head full of butterflies and grasshoppers. He walked with a trembling gait, and the lights inside and outside the posthouse illuminated the gold foil on his head, making him particularly eye-catching.

Zhang Hongyi and the others were all descendants of large clans. They had been so busy during the new year that they couldn't be bothered to come to the posthouse to meet with Ye Xiaotian and the others. Ye Xiaotian also peacefully celebrated the new year in the posthouse. In any case, he had already asked around. Old Master Xia and his family hadn't left Jinling and were still in the Marquis of Zhenyuan's residence, so he wasn't afraid that he wouldn't be able to find them.

On the seventh day of the new year, the extremely bored Ye Xiaotian was watching Mao Wenzhi and Sister Sun set off fireworks in the courtyard.

Jinling was a large port, and there were hundreds of types of fireworks sold in the city. The best fireworks could realistically display flowers, flowers, and people when set off. However, such fireworks had to be specially made by skilled craftsmen, and it would cost a few hundred taels of silver to set off a night. Ye Xiaotian and the others had left Jinling in a hurry, so they didn't have that much silver on them. Therefore, they only set off things like 'Loud Cannon', 'Triple Wave', and 'Field Mouse'.

Even so, Mao Wenzhi and Sister Sun were having a great time, and the courtyard was filled with the sound of their laughter. Although Hua Yunfei was young, he had always had a taciturn temperament. Furthermore, he had encountered a great calamity and his parents had died. His temperament had become even steadier. He did not seem to be as lively as Mao Wenzhi, who still had a childlike innocence.

Ye Xiaotian looked at Mao Wenzhi, who was running around like a big monkey with incense sticks in his hand. He shook his head and said with a smile, "Sometimes I really envy Mao Wenzhi. In fact, Mao Wenzhi has suffered a lot since he was young, and now he is alone, but he can always find fun by himself."

Hua Yunfei nodded his head and said with emotion, "Yes, this is Mao Wenzhi's strength, but I can't learn it."

Just as Ye Xiaotian was about to speak, Tang Xianzu's voice sounded from afar, "Little Tian, Hongxing and the others are here."

As soon as Ye Xiaotian looked up, he saw Zhang Hongxing, Qiao Jinhua, and the others wearing new clothes walking in from outside the courtyard. They were smiling, and their heads were shining with golden light. There were grasshoppers, moths, butterflies, dragonflies, and other things made of gold foil.

Ye Butian hurried forward and cupped his hands, saying, "Brother Zhang, Brother Qiao, Brother Liu, Brother Kuai, happy new year!"

Zhang Hongxing and the others also smiled and bowed to him, saying, "Good luck, good luck, good luck."

Zhang Hongxing said, "I'm sorry, I've been kowtowing everywhere for the new year, and I've only been able to go out today."

Ye Xiaotian said with a smile, "I know you're busy, I won't blame you."

Liu Junyang said with a smile, "But we've received a lot of red envelopes. Today, I'll be the host, shall we go to House of Light Smoke?"

Kuai Peng said, "Why should we go to House of Light Smoke? Ever since I got that treasure, I haven't asked Little Tian to practice seriously."

Kuai Peng moved closer to Ye Xiaotian and said, "We've all come on horses, and we've also brought two for you and Brother Tang. How about we go out of the city and find a secluded place to practice first, so that we don't make any mistakes while we're busy."

Ye Xiaotian had been waiting for their news, and he replied cheerfully, "Okay! My dear friends, please wait for a moment, I'll be right there. "

Zhan Ning 'er sat on the edge of the bed, holding a piece of cloth and gesturing. Suddenly, the door creaked, and Ye Xiaotian's voice sounded, "Miss Ning' er, Miss Ning 'er."

Zhan Ning 'er quickly stuffed the cloth under the blanket, and stood up in a panic, saying, "I'm here."

Ye Xiaotian poked his head out from behind the screen, and said to her, "Miss Ning 'er, Brother Zhang and the others are here, I'll go out with them."

"Oh! Okay, go on with your business … "

Ye Xiaotian's head shrank, and disappeared. Just as Zhan Ning 'er heaved a sigh of relief, Ye Xiaotian's head popped out again. He looked at Zhan Ning' er, and asked suspiciously, "Miss Ning 'er, is something the matter?"

Zhan Ning 'er became nervous again, and she stammered, "No … no!"

"Oh …" Ye Xiaotian looked at her again, and walked away, half-believing and half-doubting.

Hearing the footsteps go out of the door, Zhan Ning 'er heaved a sigh of relief, and returned to the bed to sit down. She took out the cloth from under the blanket, and held it with her hands that were used to playing with spears and sticks, and said dejectedly, "This is already the seventh cloth …"

Suddenly, she pulled herself together, and cheered herself on, "As the saying goes, practice makes perfect! You can definitely make a robe for him with your own hands, and let him understand your intentions! Zhan Ning 'er, you can do it! "