Chapter 560 - River Qinhuai
The journey was very smooth.
Under the escort of the Dragon Might Escort, be it encountering checkpoints or officials on the way, they successfully pa.s.sed them without even needing to check.
The news of Chu Xiaoye and the others killing people in the border town did not arrive.
No one knew if the army there found it embarra.s.sing, or if they were afraid of losing their official hat, or if it was for other reasons. Such a big matter seemed to be quietly suppressed.
Ten days later, they finally entered the Suhang territory.
The news of Qin Zhitan returning had long been sent to the Qin Manor.
Therefore, when they arrived at the five-kilometer pavilion outside Suhang City, Qin Zhitan"s second son, Qin Yu, had long waited here with the servants of the Qin family.
Although Chu Xiaoye did not want to speak along the way, he still chatted with this Minister Qin politely for a few days and learned that his second son, Qin Yu, was managing the business in Suhang.
As for his eldest son, Qin Wen, he was the pride of the Qin family. He was already a scholar and was preparing to take the test this year.
It was indeed something to be proud of for the merchant family to produce a scholar. If they won this year, it would be extraordinary.
Therefore, at the mention of his eldest son, this Minister Qin was especially talkative. The pride on his face was overflowing.
Of course, his second son was not weak either. He managed the Qin family"s business well in Suhang alone and it was growing day by day.
"If not for Yu"er supporting this family, his big brother would not have the time and money to learn. To become a disciple requires money, connections, partic.i.p.ation in all sorts of poetry gatherings, and introducers. And how does he find introducers? He naturally needs to know them with money. Also, if you"re too petty, who will care about you in the future? We"re a family of merchants. It"s embarra.s.sing to tell others, and those scholarly talents look down on us. If Wen"er is not generous, how can he make friends? Without friends, it"s definitely useless to rely on reading books. No matter how talented you are, what"s the use if you don"t have friends to help you publicize and build your reputation? Therefore, the two brothers are both very important."
When they came to the Ten Li Pavilion, Qin Zhitan was still chattering.
When his second son, Qin Yu, came to call him, he stopped talking and got down the carriage.
Chu Xiaoye was dragged into the carriage by him and could only follow him down.
Qin Zhitan hurriedly introduced, "Yu"er, this is Nephew Chu I mentioned in my letter to you. We encountered bandits on the way, and it was all thanks to him and his friends" help. Nephew Chu is our benefactor. This time, we have to treat him well when he comes to Suhang."
Qin Yu hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Brother Chu, Father has already told me what happened on the way in the letter. I can"t thank you enough for your kindness. This time, my Qin family must repay your kindness in Suhang."
Chu Xiaoye said humbly, "You"re welcome. Sorry for disturbing you this time."
Qin Yu was about twenty years old. Although he was young, he looked very steady and was rather similar to his father.
The Dragon Might Escort completed the mission. After seeing the people from the Qin family welcome them, they heaved a sigh of relief.
Qin Zhitan paid him the remaining silver and even gave him more, saying many grateful words.
If they did not escort them along the way, it was difficult to arrive so quickly.
After the people from the Dragon Might Escort left, Chu Xiaoye continued to walk towards Suhang City with the Qin family.
The few men rode on horses, and the few elven girls and Doya and Catherine sat in the empty carriage.
Their appearance was too outstanding and their hair color was very conspicuous. In order to not cause a commotion, they could only squeeze in a carriage.
Chu Xiaoye"s silver hair was shorter and he was wearing a hat, so he was not as conspicuous as them.
Qin Zhitan had probably not ridden a horse for a long time. At this moment, he was riding on a horse and twisted from time to time. He looked uncomfortable changing his posture.
Qin Yu hurriedly said, "Father, why don"t you sit back in the carriage? Mother and Sister"s carriage should be enough to sit in."
Qin Zhitan waved his hand and said, "I haven"t sat for a long time. I"m not used to sitting just now. I"ll be fine in a while. I want to take a good look at the scenery along the way and the appearance of Suhang. I haven"t returned for two years. I wonder how much has changed."
Qin Yu smiled and said, "It hasn"t changed much. It"s not much different from when you left."
Qin Zhitan shook his head and sighed. "How can there be no difference? Look at you. You"re young and confident. You"ve lost your childishness long ago. As for me, I"m old."
Qin Yu hurriedly said, "Father is only 42 years old. How is he old? He"s not old at all."
Qin Zhitan smiled and said, "Alright, let"s not talk about these things that affect our mood to avoid being laughed at by guests. Where"s your brother? He knows that we returned today and actually did not come with you to welcome us?"
Qin Yu smiled bitterly and said, "I was originally talking to my brother last night and said that we would go out of the city to welcome you today. In the end, early in the morning, he was dragged away by his cla.s.smate, saying that he was going to the Qinhuai River to partic.i.p.ate in some scholarly meet."
Qin Zhitan smiled and said, "He should go. These scholarly meet are very important to the reputation of scholars. Most of those famous talents partic.i.p.ate in these scholarly meets to become famous. Even if your brother goes and does not perform anything, he can listen to the poems and high tales of those talents and increase his talent and knowledge. Let him partic.i.p.ate in as many of these gatherings as possible. He doesn"t have to be afraid of spending money. If he gets chosen this year, my Qin family"s ancestors will probably be very happy."
The little girl"s voice suddenly came from the carriage. "Father, you"re so scary! Little Guai doesn"t dare to go to the ancestral hall again. If my ancestors suddenly wake up, Little Guai will be scared to death."
"Little Guai, don"t talk nonsense!"
Her mother immediately covered her mouth, but she could not help but laugh.
Qin Zhitan was rather embarra.s.sed. He turned around and glared at the carriage, saying, "Father is talking to your second brother, don"t interrupt! If girls are so talkative since young. How can they marry out in the future? Learn from your sister, understand?"
Little Guai pushed her mother"s hand away and said unhappily, "Father, you previously said that Sister was disobedient! You let Sister learn needlework and make clothes, but Sister doesn"t even do it. Sister likes to learn from Brother, reading and writing poems all day long. She even went out with her best friend to see talents and specially angered you! Last time, you said that she almost angered you to death. If I learn from Sister, Father, you"ll probably be furious soon."
"Little Guai! You"re asking for a beating!"
The woman placed her on her legs and started slapping her b.u.t.t.
Little Guai pretended to cry twice, but there were no tears.
Qin Zhitan had a headache over this little girl. He could only smile awkwardly at Chu Xiaoye, who was riding a horse beside him. "The two girls at home are disobedient. Sigh, there"s no choice. It"s all because of their two brothers."
Qin Yu, who was beside him, wanted to speak but did not dare to.
Madam Luo"s voice came from the carriage. "Master, you know best who pampered them. Don"t blame my son."
Qin Zhitan snorted and ignored her.
In this family, other than in front of his two sons, he really did not have much dignity.
When the majestic city wall of Suhang City appeared in everyone"s vision, the sun was already setting.
Chu Xiaoye followed the Qin family and successfully entered the city.
The moment they entered the city, they were shocked by the prosperous scene in the city.
Although it was already dusk, the streets were still crowded. The cries of merchants, children playing, young people flirting, and old people cursing were mixed together and deafening.
They could not ride in the city.
Qin Yu held the horse and led the way with the Qin family guards.
They walked from the southern city to the northern city. When they returned to Qin Manor, the sky was completely dark.
They had been traveling continuously for the past few days and everyone was exhausted.
Qin Yu instructed the maidservants and immediately prepared a clean yard for Chu Xiaoye and the others to inform them. Then, he instructed the kitchen to quickly prepare the dinner.
Chu Xiaoye and the others were travel-worn. They took a bath in the house and changed into clean clothes before going to eat.
The dinner that Qin Manor hurriedly prepared was exceptionally sumptuous. Some food was even ordered from the inns on the street, and the taste was extremely exquisite.
When they were eating, the eldest son of the Qin family still did not return.
Madam Luo was a little worried and said, "Yu"er, should we send someone to take a look?"
Qin Zhitan put down his chopsticks and said, "What are you looking at? It"s in this Suhang City. What"s there to worry about? Women have short horizons. Even if you want to see your son, you can"t disturb his learning. Eat!"
Madam Luo was depressed.
Qin Yu hurriedly persuaded, "Mother, don"t worry. The Scholarly Meeting is usually held at night. At noon, we"ll just eat and talk. It"s very lively every night by the Qinhuai River. Furthermore, there are soldiers patrolling. Brother will be fine."
Qin Zhitan looked at his wife and said, "I haven"t rested well for the past few days. After eating, bring Mo"er and Little Guai to the room to rest. It"s not too late to see your son tomorrow."
Madam Luo looked at Chu Xiaoye and the others and could only continue eating.
The guest had not finished eating. If she left with her chopsticks, she would seem very rude.
Lanisi and the others were full.
However, Chu Xiaoye was still dealing with a lamb leg in front of him.
The eldest daughter of the Qin family, Qin Mo, looked at him from time to time, looking a little anxious.
Beside him, Little Guai was also very anxious. She could not help but say, "Brother Chu, why are you so good at eating? Little Guai and Sister want to go out to find Brother. Can you not eat?"
Qin Mo, who was beside her, hurriedly covered her mouth.
Qin Zhitan frowned.
Madam Luo hurriedly reprimanded, "Little Guai! Don"t talk nonsense! Go back to your room first!"
Qin Zhitan looked at the daughters and stopped at the eldest daughter. He said solemnly, "Mo"er, are you going out tonight?"
Seeing that the matter had been exposed, Qin Mo could only say weakly, "Father, Little Guai and I miss Brother, so…"
Qin Zhitan sneered and said, "I think you want to go out and play! Mo"er, you heard your second brother say that there"s a Scholarly Meeting by the Qinhuai River and can"t wait to go, right?"
Qin Mo lowered his head and did not dare to say another word.
Chu Xiaoye finally finished eating the lamb leg and said, "Alright, I"m full. Uncle Qin, I think so. Since they want to go out and play, let them go out. Anyway, this Suhang City is very safe. Just now, on the way, I also saw many girls go out and stroll on the street. Little Guai and the others have just returned. They"re probably very excited. If you let them sleep, they probably won"t be able to sleep."
Little Guai, who had his mouth covered by the Luo family, hurriedly nodded and stole a grateful gaze at him.
Qin Yu also persuaded, "Father, since Mo"er and Little Guai want to go out and Mother misses Brother, why don"t we go out together? Coincidentally, it"s Brother Chu"s first time here. It must be very lively at the Qinhuai River tonight. Why don"t we all go out and walk around?"
Little Guai nodded repeatedly and danced excitedly.
Since the guest had spoken and her second brother had spoken, his father would definitely agree.
Indeed, seeing that everyone could not stay at home anymore, Qin Zhitan could only say, "Alright, let"s go out together."
He looked at Chu Xiaoye and the others and said, "However, you"ve been running around all the time. In order to hurry back these few days, you haven"t slept well. Aren"t you sleepy at this time?"
Chu Xiaoye was full of energy. "I"m not sleepy at all."
Then, he turned to look at Lanisi and the others and said, "What about you? Why don"t you rest early?"
Lanisi and the others were indeed a little sleepy.
When they were bathing just now, they almost fell asleep in the bath barrel. After eating, they did not want to walk anymore.
Just as Lanisi was about to speak, Little Guai suddenly broke free of Madam Luo"s hand and looked at Chu Xiaoye excitedly. "Brother Chu, there are many beautiful sisters by the Qinhuai River! When we go later, if you fancy any one, Sister and I can help you hit on them."
The atmosphere suddenly froze.
Lanisi took a deep breath and looked at Chu Xiaoye. "We"re not sleepy either. Everyone, let"s go together."
Chu Xiaoye:"…"
"Little Guai, can you stop talking nonsense?"
Qin Mo replaced his mother and covered the little girl"s mouth, his face filled with embarra.s.sment.
"Alright, let"s go. It"s more lively with everyone together."
Qin Zhitan stood up and resolved the embarra.s.sment.
When they were out, Lanisi stuck to Chu Xiaoye and pinched his waist fiercely. She gritted her teeth and said, "There are so many beautiful sisters eh, Lord Night?"
Chu Xiaoye grimaced in pain and did not dare to make a sound.
Vilis mocked, "Lord Night, if you fancy anyone later, the few of us can go up and help you hit on them."
Chu Xiaoye hurriedly changed the topic and said, "Quickly wear the headscarf. It"s best to tie your hair and cover it all."
Qin Yu, who was walking at the side, turned around and said with a smile, "Brother Chu, don"t worry. There are actually many elves who visit our Suhang City. Some streets have specialized elf shops and orc shops. Everyone is already used to it."
Qin Zhitan also turned around and smiled. "Our Her Majesty in Southern Tang is broad-minded and tolerant. She allowed all sorts of people from all over the world to do business in Southern Tang. That"s why my trade is very prosperous."
Although he said this, Chu Xiaoye still let Lanisi and the others wrap their hair.
Not only were these female elves" hair beautiful, their appearance and figure were also one in a thousand. If they walked out like this, they would be too striking.
Their hair was very long and hung to their thighs. If they were wrapped up, at least they would not be so conspicuous.
The streets were much less crowded than when they entered the city in the evening.
At this moment, everyone went home to eat. Most went to the Qinhuai River. The night there was the most lively place in Suhang City.
Chu Xiaoye looked at the surrounding buildings and the faces on the street. He felt that this scene was so familiar.
Indeed, he still missed the lives of humans in the past.