Mulan laughed and said, "Aren't I single too?"
Xiang Yu said, "That's because you didn't want to look for them." He told us, "It was incredible. We stayed at Mulan's house for one day, and about twenty groups of her old comrades came. Although they said they were visiting their comrades, everyone could tell why they were there. They were all dressed like grooms."
Baozi asked Mulan, "Didn't you find anyone you liked?"
Hua Mulan blushed: "You're listening to Brother Xiang's nonsense."
Yu Ji said, "Sister Hua should have higher standards. You don't know yet, do you? She is now the Deputy Marshal of Northern Wei."
Hua Mulan waved her hand and said, "It's just a nominal position."
I nodded and said, "That's indeed hard to find. Female master's and doctoral students have a lot of trouble finding partners, let alone a female marshal?"
Hua Mulan glared at me and said, "That steamed bun is still the Grand Marshal."
I laughed loudly, "She shared a bed with me for two years before she became Grand Marshal. If she dares to replace her, she'll have to ask Bao Gong's guillotine if he's willing to do it."
Baozi said, "Don't make yourself sound so pitiful. You're not a low-ranking person either. So, you think Bao Gong would be the one to execute me? If we're going to divorce, it should be considered a celebrity divorce. To put it nicely, it's like two birds flying apart, sacrificing personal life for career."
Liu Bang, in a sly manner, asked, "When are you two going to part ways?" He was then subjected to a barrage of insults from the crowd.
Liu Bang then said, "As for Mulan's personal life, none of the men here are of high status, but unfortunately they're all tied up—hey, Kezi, don't you also not have a girlfriend?"
Everyone turned their attention to Ersha. Ersha was intently peeling open a freshly cooked crab stick when he suddenly sensed something was off. He looked up at us and asked, "What?"
Liu Bang grinned and pointed at Mulan, saying to him, "Kezi, look how beautiful Mulan is. How about she be your girlfriend?" Mulan was curious to know what Ersha would say, so she looked at him with a smile.
Ersha looked at Mulan and shook his head firmly. Everyone was very surprised. Mulan in women's clothing was no less beautiful than Yu Ji and Li Shishi, so why didn't the idiot look at her at all? We all asked, "Why is that?"
Ersha stuffed a crab stick into his mouth and then declared confidently, "We're all Xiaoqiang's customers; a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow." Everyone burst into laughter.
Just then, the sound of carriages and horses came from the gate, and Jin Shaoyan returned in a bronze carriage. He jumped down from the carriage, and the servants of the Xiao family hurriedly came forward to greet him. Jin Shaoyan handed him the reins and said, "The horses are washed and run, so make sure the carriage is clean." He also slipped him a handful of round coins with square holes.
The servant said respectfully, "Thank you, Young Master Jin."
...Now I finally understand why the servant asked me if I wanted my car washed; it turns out it really wasn't free.
Because of his limited mobility, Baozi asked us, "Who's here?"
Liu Bang laughed, "The rabbit is back." Li Shishi blushed and spat at him.
Jin Shaoyan froze upon entering the room, then exclaimed joyfully, "Brother Qiang, Baozi, Brother Yu, Sister-in-law...you're all here?" He excitedly greeted everyone, embracing them, and then naturally found a seat next to Li Shishi. Before sitting down, he lightly kissed her forehead, eliciting whistles from the men and giggling from the women. Ersha slowly stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth, his other hand conveniently covering Xiao Huhai's eyes...
Liu Bang persisted, saying, "That Jin Shaoyan not only ate the grass right next to our nest, but he did it right in front of us. How can we not force him to drink it to death?"
Xiang Yu and the fat man held up large bowls of wine to Jin Shaoyan's nose and shouted, "Drink!"
Jin Shaoyan pleaded repeatedly, "No, brothers, isn't this normal?"
Fatty Ying said, "It's normal for you to play around, but it's indecent when you're hungry."
Yu Ji and Xiao Huan, being women with traditional mindsets, blushed with embarrassment. Fortunately, there were no outsiders around, so they joined in the teasing.
Jin Shaoyan said with a bitter face, "Alright, alright, I accept the punishment." As he spoke, he picked up a bowl of wine and sighed, "Alas, it's easy to change an era, but difficult to change a tradition."
I exclaimed, "What does this have to do with tradition? This is a matter of national conditions!"
Jin Shaoyan was given a good drink as soon as he entered, and sat down in a daze. Liu Bang said with satisfaction, "I'll let you gnaw on the grass near our nest again."
Qin Shi Huang waved his hand and said, "No one should try to squeeze out Xiao Jin anymore. If he wants to take advantage of someone behind his back, there is a chance."
Li Shishi, who had been too embarrassed to speak as the person involved, couldn't help but blurt out, "Pah! I always thought Brother Ying was a good person!"
Hu Hai finished eating first, and the children, unable to sit still, ran to the ground and asked Baozi, "Auntie, when can my little brother play with me?"
Baozi glanced at me, hesitated, and finally said, "We really should have brought the baby elephant. Will we ever be able to get this together again?"
I winked at her, and no one else seemed to notice, except for Li Shishi, who gave me a deep look. By now, the men were all gathered, chatting amongst themselves. Baozi and Yu Ji seemed to have a lot to talk about; two pregnant women together wasn't simply a matter of one plus one being greater than two, but rather two plus two being greater than four…
I took a cup of wine and went up to Qin Shi Huang, asking, "Brother Ying, are you having any difficulties?"
The fat man said, "It's nothing, it's just that we don't have enough manpower."
I nodded. Among emperors, Qin Shi Huang's tasks were particularly heavy. Most others only needed to conquer new empires and then their lives were relatively settled. But besides unifying the six kingdoms, he also had to construct two massive projects—the Great Wall and his underground mausoleum. The Qin army had significantly upgraded its weapons and tactics after their return from the Northern Song Dynasty, so the unification war shouldn't be a major problem. However, the limitations of Qin's population and productivity were undeniable; accomplishing so much at once was no easy feat.
Liu Bang said, "Will you provide meals? If you provide meals, I will find tens of thousands of people to work for you. There has been a disaster in Shandong, and I am worried about how to resettle these disaster victims."
Qin Shi Huang said, "Even if they're hungry, we'll still pay them wages."
Liu Bang, his face flushed, said, "Xiao Qiang, open that military road again, I'm going to bring people here right now."
I said, "Let's forget about it. It's best not to travel between dynasties that are too close together. What should a 20-year-old father call his 30-year-old son?"
Xiang Yu was playing with little Hu Hai when he whispered to me, "By the way, Xiao Qiang, I've always wanted to ask you—will this little guy ever meet another Xiang Yu when he grows up?"
My head was spinning. I waved my hands frantically, saying, "Don't ask me, I don't know." Qin Wuyang's year is almost up. Will he attempt another assassination attempt on Qin after he returns? If so, will it be the current Qin Emperor, or will a second Qin Emperor appear? I still haven't figured this out. Now Xiang Yu has thrown me a whole new question: Will Huhai suffer the same fate as Qin Er Shi when he grows up…?
Just then, the phone in my pocket suddenly vibrated. I glanced at the caller ID; it was Liu Laoliu. My heart sank. I was about to ignore it when Liu Bang said, "Why aren't you answering? Is it your secretary calling?"
This sentence immediately caught Baozi's attention. She could tell whose call it was just by looking at my expression. She stood up stiffly and muttered, "It can't be this fast, can it?"
Hua Mulan asked, "What? So fast?"
I gestured for her to sit down, then walked to a quiet corner and continued, "Aren't we going back?"
Liu Laoliu said in a panic, "It's not about that..."
I finally felt a little relieved. But Liu Laoliu's next sentence immediately brought it up again: "But it's a hundred times more serious than this!"