Chapter 408
When the convoy behind caught up and heard the whole story, Fang Zichen smiled broadly, grabbed the old man’s basket, and refused to let go, saying to him, "This is all something this official ought to do. You’re too polite. Take it back, take it back. Aiyo, so heavy. Old man, if you have to carry it back again, that won’t be easy! Then I’ll reluctantly accept it!"
When the old man heard the prefect had accepted it, he smiled so much his face wrinkled up.
But having accepted the old man’s and not others’ would be hard to justify.
Lord Fang treated everyone equally.
Having gotten several baskets of pears for nothing, Fang Zichen’s eyes lit up.
After seeing off these common folk, the pears and persimmons were distributed.
It had to be said, although the pear skin was a bit tough, they were sweet, juicy, and refreshing.
It was still hot in the ninth lunar month. The sun had already set, and the next town was still far away, so the convoy had to camp in the countryside that night.
There was no river or stream nearby, so everyone could only eat the large flatbreads they had brought with them in the morning.
At night the imperial guards took turns keeping watch. There were many mosquitoes in the mountains, so mugwort was burned too. The goods had people watching them, so Fang Zichen didn’t need to worry. Now that he had finished eating, he went straight back to the carriage.
This carriage was a gift from Xia Jinghong back then, and it was very spacious. Gungun and Dandan had played all day and were already asleep. Fang Zichen, however, lay there and couldn’t fall asleep no matter what.
Zhao Ger slept on the far left, next to him was Guaizai, then Gungun and Dandan, and Fang Zichen slept on the far right. Now the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. From time to time there were bird calls in the distant woods, and the sound of crickets continued. Fang Zichen had lived in the village long enough that he didn’t find it noisy at all.
Guaizai hadn’t slept together with his father and daddy for a long time. After lying down, he looked like someone overly excited after drinking too much. Now he had finally fallen asleep, but Fang Zichen propped himself up, looking wan. "Zhao Ger, I want to switch places with you."
Zhao Ger looked at him by the firelight coming through the carriage curtain. "What’s wrong? Why switch for no reason?"
Fang Zichen’s expression turned somewhat aggrieved. "These two little brats stink too much. I can't take it much longer."
Zhao Ger: "…"
They really did stink. The carriage was full of the sour smell of the two children.
Gungun and Dandan were chubby to begin with, and they sweated a lot. Today they had spent most of the day playing outside in the blazing sun with Fang Zichen, and their clothes had already been changed three times. Even though they had changed again by now, their necks still reeked of sour sweat.
Fang Zichen felt as if someone had placed two bowls of stinky tofu next to him. The smell was truly overpowering—he was afraid that if he lay there all night, tomorrow Zhao Ger would have to carry him up the mountain (to be buried).
Zhao Ger saw his deeply aggrieved expression and couldn't help laughing: "Didn't you always say that a child doesn't resent his mother for being ugly, and you don't resent your sons for being smelly?"
Fang Zichen: "…I was just saying it! A man's mouth is a lying ghost—how did you actually believe it! But forget it. As they say, if I don't go to hell, who will? Zhao Ger, I love you. Let me bear this suffering!"
Zhang Quan had just finished his patrol and returned to the front, only to see Fang Zichen sticking his head out, resting it on the wooden board of the cart outside.
"Lord?"
"What is it?"
"You're…?"
"It's cooler outside," Fang Zichen said.
Zhang Quan knew him well. Earlier that evening, when Gungun and Dandan were running around the campfire and passed by him, he had smelled that overpowering smell too.
But there was no helping it—those were just the conditions when camping out in the wild. Although they had brought water skins, they had drunk most of it while traveling under the hot sun at noon, so there really wasn't any extra to wipe down the two young masters.
Earlier, Uncle Tang had suggested leaving Gungun and Dandan at home. After all, the journey was tiring—hot on the way there, cold on the way back—and bringing children along was inconvenient. Gungun and Dandan were still young; if they came down with a headache or fever on the road, what would they do?
Last time, when rushing to take up his post, there had been no choice. But at that time, Physician Li and Li Yisheng were around, so Fang Zichen hadn't worried too much. This time, with new recruits conscripted, Physician Li was even busier, and Li Yisheng couldn't free himself either. There were three medical halls in town, and the physicians inside…
Fang Zichen didn't dare hire someone to come along either, afraid that if he hired some old fellow, he'd end up having to take care of him instead.
Fang Zichen thought it over and agreed. Leaving Gungun and Dandan at home for Uncle Tang to look after was best. But last time he went to Anxi County, after only half a month apart, the two children had missed him terribly. After he returned, they stuck to him like glue—even when he went to the outhouse, the two little ones wanted to hang onto his legs and follow him in. When they heard him talking with Uncle Tang, they threw a fit that night. Not shouting or crying loudly, just refusing to eat, running to the back courtyard, squatting in the corner silently shedding tears—exactly like Guaizai back then. It broke Fang Zichen's heart.
In the end, he brought them along.
If they want to go, let them go! It's not a big deal. If he really left them at home for Uncle Tang to look after, Fang Zichen was also afraid that when he returned, these two boys would have turned into little pigs.
Uncle Tang spoiled the children far too much. He often secretly gave them sugar water. When Fang Zichen caught him, he'd say: "Master, the children aren't really fat. In wealthy families, young masters still have wet nurses even at two or three years old! It's not a problem for the two young masters to have some sugar water now and then."
It was true that young masters in wealthy families ate well—eight or nine dishes per meal, things like clear-steamed crab meat lion's head meatballs, clam and yellow croaker soup, fresh shrimp dumplings, chicken wrapped in rice sheets, Yunnan ham stuffed pastries, crab meat crabapple cakes. They also had snacks regularly. Every day's three meals were never the same, and they had several maids attending them. Uncle Tang felt their three young masters ate rather modestly. Aside from Guaizai, who must have a chicken every meal, Gungun and Dandan just rotated through chicken, pork, and fish. Each meal had only three or four dishes, and the pork was always stir-fried with vegetables. What young master eats like that?
But Zhao Ger only knew how to make home-style dishes. If Uncle Tang wanted to make bird's nest soup with silver ear fungus or something, he could handle it—after all, he had personally made it for Meng Ruqing before. But other elaborate dishes? Don't ask—the answer was simply that he didn't know how.
The two children weren't fat because they ate too well—they were fat because Gungun and Dandan simply ate a lot. Yet these two weren't picky either. Sometimes when there weren't enough dishes, Zhao Ger would mix the remaining gravy into their rice, and the two little ones would eat it with great relish.
Later, Gungun and Dandan decided that rice mixed with gravy tasted even better. After that, there wasn't even gravy left in the house. Before, when he used to pour out the leftover soups and gravy, the village chief's wife would see it and say it was wasteful. If that were fed to pigs, the pigs would surely grow well. Uncle Tang thought so too and wanted to bring home a piglet to raise. But later, seeing that nothing was ever left over at home, he gave up the idea.
"Not fat?" Fang Zichen said. "Uncle, come, look into my eyes and say that again. Are the children fat or not?"
Uncle Tang's eyes darted away, and he couldn't get the words out.
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