Красоты династии Сун

Глава 18

"If you hadn't harmed me, there would have been no danger at all!"

"In barbarian lands, the New Year is bound to be boring!"

"Kucha gathers guests from all over the world, how could it be boring?" Jiu Ruhao replied with a smile, "How about this, double the silver this month!"

"Don't even think about it! One of you is a glutton who only knows how to throw his money around and the other is a silent jerk who only knows how to glare at people! I'd rather cough up blood on the way here than die of exhaustion and boredom!"

Xingge's face was contorted with anger, and he roared. For the past month, especially since entering the Northern Jurchens, he was the only one who spoke the Northern Jurchen language, and he had to take care of everything—food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Jiuru was meticulous about everything, and Moru was always by his side, making him feel like a nanny running errands and doing odd jobs. It felt like being back in the enslaved era of "Drunken East Wind." He truly didn't know how Zijuan had endured it all! Waaah…

"Young Master Ye, if you're too busy, you can send me to help you," Mo said, trying to smooth things over.

"Oh? What were you doing the other day? What can you do?"

"Physical work is no problem for me, and I also know a little about cooking and mending."

Xingge paused, fuming for a moment, then fiercely stretched out five fingers at Jiuru, "Five portions! Give them to me now!"

Jiu Ru raised her hand and struck the palm, "Fine!" Then she laughed and sighed, "Women and petty men are the hardest to deal with, and you've got both!"

At the New Year's Eve dinner, Jiu Ru claimed that he was tired of the barbecued meats from Bei Jue and asked Xing Ge to cook a decent meal, specifically requesting "Tianzhen Hibiscus Chicken"!

Xingge filled several large sheets with a list written in Northern Jurchen script and also gave Moyi several addresses.

"Go quickly and come back quickly!"

"I don't know a word of the Northern Jurchen language, how can I buy it!"

"Hey! Just hand over the bill and the money, stare straight at the shopkeeper, and I guarantee you'll buy it right away, without even having to wait in line!"

"I'm not that scary!" Mo muttered softly, but still obediently went out.

In less than half an hour, Mo returned with a full load of food. As soon as he entered the kitchen, he saw the young master sitting at a small table in the corner, smiling and drinking tea. Xingge had changed into a tight-fitting robe, with a floral apron tied around her waist, and her long hair was strangely tied up on top of her head with a thorn hairpin... Mo was shocked. It was so similar! He immediately understood why the young master refused to go out to eat and why he was willing to sit at the dark corner table to drink tea!

"I told you, if it were me, handsome and dashing, I would definitely be pestered by the shopkeeper and wouldn't be back until sunset. Brother Mo is different! Go wash the vegetables."

Mo quietly placed the vegetables into the water basin, her eyes still following Xingge's busy figure. Suddenly, she felt a gaze behind her. Turning around, she saw the young master's smiling face with raised eyebrows. Mo nodded vigorously, and the young master's smile deepened, just like the excited little boy who sat on the threshold back then.

"You!" Xingge pointed at Jiuru, "Go into the hall. Watching from here makes me feel like I'm being enslaved!" Jiuru was extremely unwilling, but was still pushed out the door.

In the corner, Xingge was blocking the chicken he had just bought; the chicken clucked and jumped around in fear.

"What a sin!" Then there was another 'cluck' sound, followed by silence. "Brother Mo, go pluck the chicken feathers!"

Mo walked over and saw that the chicken had vomited blood and died, its eyes wide open in death. Truly a sin! He reached out and grabbed a chicken's foot to lift it, but his hand felt light; a chicken leg bone was clearly visible. Mo was speechless, and Xingge almost collapsed with laughter…

After working for nearly an hour, Mo was exhausted and sat down at the corner table.

"Try it and see how it's cooked." Xingge handed over a bowl of chicken soup and took one for himself as well.

"Let's cook it a little longer!" Xingge muttered to himself.

"Try it again to check the saltiness!" Another bowl for each person.

"It's lost its flavor!" Xingge muttered again.

"Try it again," and another bowl for each person.

It's still bland.

"Try it again," and another bowl for each person.

Mo had remained silent the entire time, and couldn't discern any difference between the four bowls of soup, only finding them incomparably delicious. But seeing that the soup pot behind Xingge was almost empty, he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

"Young Master, he..."

“That rich man wants to get something for nothing. You don’t need to say anything, just watch me!” Xingge added two large spoonfuls of water to the soup pot, covered it, and let it boil.

The three people sat at the table surrounded by a large spread of dishes. Jiu Ru happily ladled out a bowl of soup, but after taking a sip, she hurriedly looked into the soup pot and her expression changed!

"Where's the soup?! Where's the leg?! Where's the chest?!"

Seeing that the young master was so agitated that he couldn't speak coherently, Mo felt guilty and buried his head in his bowl.

"The first soup was greasy, so I drank it for you. Your feet and chest were dead flesh, so I ate them for you. What's left is all the essence!" Xingge said shamelessly.

"You, you, you"

"You want to dock my pay, huh? Next month then, you're not allowed to eat any of these dishes!"

Where can we eat on New Year's Eve! Jiu Ru swallowed her anger and began to feast even more voraciously.

After a hearty meal and drinks, Xingge insisted on going to the town center to watch the fireworks, so the three of them set off, stepping through the fresh snow. Jiuru, slightly tipsy, walked in front, but Xingge pulled her back, saying...

"You've been with the young master since you were little, haven't you?"

Mo nodded.

"You've been serving me faithfully for over twenty years, haven't you?"

Mo nodded repeatedly.

"Oh, that must have been very tiring!"

Mo nodded vigorously after hearing these heartwarming words.

"Oh, sometimes you must be so angry that you want to drink its blood and eat its flesh, right!"

Mo nodded habitually, then shook his head violently after understanding.

"Don't be so hypocritical!" Xingge grinned mischievously. "Come on, let's go get revenge!" With that, she shoved a clump of snow into Mo Yi's hand. Mo Yi thought he must be drunk, because he inexplicably followed her.

As Jiu Ru was staggering along, she suddenly felt a blow to the back of her head, snow falling all over her. Turning around, she saw several more snowballs flying towards her.

"You've rebelled! You, ah..." He was hit by a flying snowball and his mouth was full of snow again.

"Brother Mo, hurry up!" Xingge saw Jiu Ru rush over and took a step to hide behind Mo.

"Don't even think about running away!" Jiu Ru grabbed one of them with each hand.

The three rolled on the snow, wrestling together, their laughter and cries of pain echoing in the empty night, shaking snowflakes from the treetops...

31. The war begins

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, the three returned to Xicang. Jiu Ru immediately summoned General Dou for a meeting. Inside Xing Ge's room, laughter filled the air as Xing Ge presented a long box to Dou Huai like a precious treasure.

"Xiaodou, quickly open it and take a look."

Dou Huai opened the box with a faint smile. Inside lay a long, cyan sword, its surface adorned with ancient, exotic patterns.

"The Kucha Green Blade?!" Dou Huai held the blade in his hand, examining it closely, his face showing both surprise and delight.

Kucha produces a type of iron ore called "Kucha Iron," which, after special forging, becomes "Kucha Iron." This iron is light yet not brittle, tough yet not soft, and hard yet not brittle. It is then processed into swords and weapons by the renowned Kucha craftsmen Meng, who have been working for centuries. These weapons are known as "Kucha Blades." Because iron ore is extremely rare, it is difficult to produce even one "Kucha Blade" per year. Even if one is produced, it is mostly collected by the Northern Jurchen royal family.

"You're an expert! You haven't disappointed me after all!" Xingge said, feigning shyness.

"Is this a scam or a robbery?!" Dou Huai smiled helplessly.

"It's seduction!"

"Seduction? I heard that the head of the Meng family is over fifty!" Dou Huai looked at Xing Ge with concern. Seduction was impossible, but he had probably messed up something again.

"What? For a broken knife! You can seduce me from now on, and I'll give you anything you want!" Ran pouted unhappily from the side.

"It was seduction!" Xingge patted Dou Huai's shoulder reassuringly. "But the one seduced was Master Meng's twelve-year-old son. Master Meng had his son late in life and doted on him! As a result, he became arrogant and lawless, and the whole family couldn't do anything with him. I ran into him when I went to ask for a knife, gave him a good beating, and he was subdued by me. Hehe! Now he's incredibly obedient. This knife is Master Meng's gift to me!"

"You won't even spare the little kids!" Ran scolded, pulling Xingge back. "What about mine? What about my gift?"

Xingge smiled, turned around, and took something out of his bundle.

"What is this?! It's so ugly!"

"This is called a 'dombra,' and it sounds really nice when played!"

"Why is his a rare treasure! I only have this 'La' thing! No way, I want to choose for myself!" Ran lunged at the bundle.

"This hat is so pretty! I want it!"

"That's a woman's hat!"

Wow! This is so beautiful, I want it!

"What do you want with that woman's veil?!"

"This silver necklace?"

"You're five years old?"

"You're being unfair!"

Xingge snatched the bundle that Ran was holding tightly, and said ingratiatingly,

"Don't underestimate the 'dombra' just because it only has two strings; it can play octaves of harmony! I'll teach you, and from now on, we'll play together in perfect harmony!"

"Oh, I see!" Ran felt a sweet warmth in her heart, her phoenix eyes sparkling. This 'pull' wasn't so ugly after all.

Dou Huai looked at Ran's completely subservient expression, shook his head with a smile, and then looked up at Xing Ge.

"How did things go this time, on important business?"

"Isn't the Prince discussing this with your father right now?" Xingge deliberately beat around the bush, trying to make Dou Huai anxious.

"Keep it a secret?" Dou Huai raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry! If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to achieve our goal within two months!"

"Will the Emperor approve?" Dou Huai's eyes gleamed.

"The court is bound to argue for a while, but in my opinion, it will eventually be approved."

"What do you mean?" Ran asked abruptly, fiddling with her dombra. Then, looking at the two men's expressions, she exclaimed in surprise, "Are we going to war?"

The other two rushed forward and covered Ran's mouth, their eyes fierce!

"This is a military secret!"

"I want to die!"

Ran was so frustrated that her face turned red, and her eyes looked like she was begging for mercy.

"Brother Ran, you must return to the capital on another day," Xingge said softly, releasing his grip.

"Why? It's just a beating..." Ran quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "I want to stay with you!"

"You want to kill me!"