Liu Laoliu said, "What Ouyang Feng? This is a marquis—Marquis Su!"
"...Lord Sun? Wukong?"
Liu Laoliu was speechless: "Su Wu! Lord Su!"
I felt the name sounded familiar and asked, "Who is Su Wu?"
Old Liu sighed and said, "Didn't you sing in the song when you were in elementary school—'Su Wu, upholding his integrity even in the face of the barbarians, endured nineteen years of hardship in the snow and ice'..."
I quickly stood up and asked with utmost respect, "Is this the Han Dynasty envoy, Su Wu?"
Liu Laoliu said, "It's him. Master Su stayed in the Xiongnu territory for nineteen years, serving under three generations of Han kings, and was finally granted the title of Marquis within the Pass."
I stammered, "Even after becoming a marquis, you still look like this... uh?"
Liu Laoliu sighed, "After returning to the Han Dynasty, Master Su dared not forget the humiliation he had suffered. He did not enjoy the luxury of his mansion and the fine food, and he still dressed as before. This was partly to spur himself on and partly to warn future generations. He always wanted to go on a mission to the Xiongnu as an envoy of the Han Dynasty, but he did not succeed. The banner he was holding in his hand was the same one he had used back then."
I couldn't help but feel both admiration and respect, and reached out to touch the stick Su Wu was holding. Su Wu stepped back and said in a deep voice, "What are you doing?"
I said, feeling wronged, "Can't I even look?"
Su Wu shouted sternly, "Unless I die!"
Liu Laoliu said, "That's Lord Su's lifeline. No one but the Han Dynasty emperor can touch it."
I thought to myself, "It's interesting that my manhood is growing into my arms," but I didn't dare say it. In just a few words, I had already made Lord Su my new idol. Besides, that stick of his looked very sturdy; if it were to strike my head, I'd probably be the second Ran Dongye.
I pulled Liu Laoliu aside and whispered, "Why did you invite Lord Su here out of the blue? What's the order in which my clients are listed?"
Liu Laoliu said, "Originally, several military generals were to follow Qin Hui, but after what happened to you, we had concerns about who to appoint next. Those military generals have many enemies, which might give your adversaries an opportunity to take advantage of you. So now we are mainly arranging for scholars and unimportant people. Lord Su should be fine. I don't believe your adversaries can conjure up another Xiongnu state."
I glanced at Su Wu and said to Liu Laoliu, "Can I take him to take a bath first? Lord Su smells too strong!"
"Then do as you please. Just remember to go along with him. Lord Su has suffered for so many years and has seen through everything. Now he just can't let go of that obsession and still wants to serve the country."
I said, "Alright, you can go now." I knew exactly what to do next.
As Liu Laoliu was leaving, he put his arm around my shoulder and said emotionally, "Xiaoqiang, haven't I been good to you?"
I pushed him an arm's length away: "Stop, stop. Just say what you have to say!"
"...Look, after you signed that contract with the winery, you must be making at least several million in revenue every month, right?"
I held the bag in my hand: "How much do you want?" In short, good wine is served to friends, but if a jackal comes, a shotgun awaits him—if he dares to ask for more than 500, I'll slap him!
Liu Laoliu seemed to have figured out my bottom line, and cautiously held up five fingers. I pulled out five bills and gave them to him: "Is that enough?"
Liu Laoliu chuckled and said, "You really are a rich man now. Actually, I just wanted 50. By the way, you don't need that motorcycle anymore, do you?"
I rummaged through my pockets for a while before finally finding the motorcycle keys I'd gotten from the village chief, and tossed them to him: "They're parked at the entrance of Pawnshop Alley. Go get them yourself."
Liu Laoliu tossed the key back to me, grinning, and said, "No need, I've already pried it open with a wire. I just wanted to let you know."
I finally couldn't hold back any longer, grabbed a beer bottle and threw it. Liu Laoliu had already leaped onto the motorcycle like lightning, the two power cords clasped together, and a plume of black smoke billowed as he disappeared from my sight.
After seeing Liu Laoliu off, I turned to Su Wu and said, "Lord Su, shall we go take a bath?"
Su Wu asked blankly, "What is taking a bath?"
I shuddered. But then I thought about how this person had been herding sheep in the freezing cold for 19 years and had hardly ever seen water, and I understood: "It's just a bath."
I thought he would refuse, but to my surprise, Su Wu readily agreed.
I led him to the car and found that Lord Su was indifferent to everything around him, only holding his staff with a determined look in his eyes. Nineteen years of hardship had made him forget all worldly pleasures, and he had even forgotten how to communicate. He now lived only in his own world.
I thought about it for a moment and quickly rejected the idea of taking him to a sauna. His appearance would definitely cause a sensation, and I didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble, much less let our Lord Su be looked down upon. Old Su made enormous sacrifices to uphold national integrity; we can't let our hero shed blood and tears again! Thinking of the suffering he endured, I immediately had a plan: I'd take him to my villa! I wanted to let the Lord Su have a few days of comfort; right now, only Qin Hui lives there—it's too good for that old traitor.
I rolled down the car window and revved the engine, letting the wind blow in fiercely—the smell on the Marquis was absolutely awful!
When we arrived, I easily unlocked the door. Surprisingly, the house was very tidy, except for a faint smell of instant noodles. Qin Hui, wearing soft pajamas, was lounging on the sofa, leisurely flipping through TV channels. He lazily waved at me as I entered, as if to say hello. As soon as Su Wu walked in, Qin Hui jumped up in fright: "What did you bring back?"
It seems that loyalty and treachery have always been at odds. Even across different dynasties, the mere glance between the two carried an inherent hostility. Su Wu glanced at Qin Hui and gave a cold snort.
Qin Hui, without saying a word, ran barefoot to Su Wu, used a tissue to hold his hands and tugged at Su Wu's cotton-padded coat, shouting, "Change your shoes! Change your shoes!"
Without a word, Su Wu struck Qin Hui hard with the stick in his hand. Qin Hui clutched his head and screamed, "Why did you hit me?"
I found it incredibly amusing. This person and this scene are truly the greatest comfort to history; this is what they mean by good triumphing over evil.
As soon as I mentioned Su Wu's name, Qin Hui immediately wilted. Regardless of what others said about Qin Hui, he always considered himself a scholar, and as a scholar, he wouldn't dare disrespect Su Wu; a subject should take Su Wu as a role model. Of course, Qin Hui could completely ignore the latter point.
I led Su Wu to the bathroom, filled a tub with warm water for him, placed a brand-new set of clothes beside him, and said respectfully, "My lord, please come in. If you need any help, just call me."
Su Wu nodded, first taking off his cotton-padded coat and trousers and handing them to me. I carefully carried these two precious items and closed the door behind me. Su Wu's outer garment was quite distinctive; unless someone was wearing it, you would never tell that it was two separate garments. It was shiny and gleaming, and completely free of any fur, inside or out. It was said that Lord Su had survived several winters without food, and the fur must have all ended up in Lord Su's belly.
I couldn't possibly throw away such a treasure, so I left it by the bathroom door. Then I noticed that these two pieces of clothing didn't fall over at all; they just stood there, like a medieval knight's armor, faithfully guarding their master's door—the clothes were all perfectly straight!
While Su Wu was taking a bath, I looked around and found that Qin Hui's bedroom was even more spotless. Many of the foreign language books I had bought to impress others had been moved to the bookshelves in this room. There was also an open English novel on the table. I asked Qin Hui in surprise, "Can you understand it?"
Qin Hui said, "I can understand 'La Dame aux Camélias' by flipping through a dictionary." Seeing my surprised expression, he snorted smugly, "You think being a treacherous minister is so easy?"
I also noticed something interesting: Qin Hui would carefully wipe every spot I touched with paper, leaving no fingerprint untouched. I never imagined that the scheming and wicked Qin Hui would have such a psoriasis! He and Su Wu were truly a perfect match.
We went downstairs, and I asked Qin Hui, "Are there enough instant noodles left?"
Speaking of this, Qin Hui said with a bitter face, "You should leave me some money. They say on TV that eating instant noodles all the time is not nutritious, and I feel like throwing up just from the smell."
I said with a smile, "Okay, I'll save some for Su Wu later."