Sometimes, Zhao Ger couldn't help but wonder—in this life, if it weren't for Fang Zichen, if he hadn't been kidnapped all those years ago, what kind of life would he be living now?
But one thing was certain — it wouldn’t be as vivid or full of variety as it was now. He wouldn’t get to experience all the extraordinary, thrilling, challenging, and joyful things that few people ever do. Every day was different. Life didn’t have to be a stagnant pool, repeating itself day after day, year after year.
What Fang Zichen gave him wasn’t just love and care — it was a colorful, vibrant life. When he grew old and looked back on his youth, he wouldn’t have to talk about raising children, serving his husband, running the household, or fighting for favor like everyone else. He wouldn’t have spent his whole life staring at the same small patch of sky, never stepping beyond that little plot of land, with every day just a copy of the last.
No—he had a different life. A legendary one.
He could say that he and his husband made their way step by step — from their village to Yuanzhou, then to the capital, and finally to Hezhou. He’d seen so many different landscapes, met so many warm and kind people, and lived through so much. He’d fought ghosts, ridden horses, and scared people half to death. It was a life full of excitement. Every day was bright, and he looked forward to each one.
Even Guaizai’s childhood was different from other kids’. Whose child got to have experiences like this? He never worried about having no one to play with — Fang Zichen made up a new game for him every single day.
Meeting Fang Zichen, being with him—it felt like finally coming home after walking a very, very long road.
Guaizai still wanted to go scare people again, but no one came to play ghosts and cause trouble anymore, which left him rather disappointed for a while.
Fang Zichen allocated funds to Beian and had people purchase three hundred horses.
Now that the new recruits' physical fitness had improved, it was time to start tactical training. Broadswords, long spears, arrows, and a whole range of weapons were all commissioned from the blacksmiths in town, who worked overtime to forge them.
That cost another hefty sum.
Fang Zichen’s heart ached at the cost, but he had no choice. He was deeply worried about the situation in the north. He ordered the Qin family troops to step up training for the new recruits according to his plan, and to build a formidable army as quickly as possible.
He had a feeling that the imperial court wouldn't hold out much longer.
After returning to Hezhou City, he’d been busy at the training grounds all the time and rarely stayed home. Zhao Ger was at the shop, and although Uncle Tang and the others were at home, the three children just refused to stay put. Every day, they'd trot along after Fang Zichen, or head to the shop to find Zhao Ger.
Just now, Fang Zichen had brought the three children back from the training grounds when Uncle Tang came over and said someone had delivered a letter.
It wasn't from the Zhao family in the capital, so it had to be from the Qin family or Yang Mingyi. Along with the letter came several big chests.
Yang Mutao ran just one restaurant and was considered wealthy in Fu'an Town, but wealth in a small place didn't amount to much in the grand scheme. Fu'an Town was far from Hezhou, and no courier would deliver such a heavy load for less than a few dozen taels of silver. With so many things... Yang Mingyi wasn't that well-off.
So it had to be from either the Qin family or the Zhao family.
And sure enough, when he opened the envelope, it was from the Qin family.
Guaizai beamed with joy: "It's a letter for Guaizai from Pretty Uncle and Handsome Grandpa!"
Fang Zichen wasn't close to those two, but he still glanced at it.
Meng Ruqing asked how Guaizai had been doing lately, saying that if he wanted anything or lacked anything in Hezhou, he should just let them know.
Qin Hengxuan asked if Guaizai had been obedient and how his little bottom was doing.
He felt that the little one's mouth could be a real headache sometimes. He adored Guaizai, but during the few days Guaizai stayed at the Qin residence, he'd had several urges to spank him. He prided himself on his good temper, but even he felt that impulse—so how much more so for others? That's why he often worried that Guaizai might get a beating from Fang Zichen. Until Guaizai had Qin An deliver a batch of paintings, one of which showed him being pinned over Zhao Ger's knee for a spanking, with a look of utter familiarity, as if he were used to it. That was when Qin Hengxuan knew—Guaizai definitely got his fair share of spankings.
After Guaizai finished reading the letter, he carefully placed it in his special little chest.
It was full of letters.
Fang Zichen noticed that he'd been all smiles just a moment ago, but now, after putting the letter away, he suddenly looked melancholy.
"What's wrong?"
Guaizai stared at the topmost letter in the chest and said gloomily, "Uncle Yang hasn't written back to Guaizai in a long, long time."
Fang Zichen thought about it carefully—that was true.
After they came to Hezhou, Yang Mingyi indeed hadn't sent any more letters.
If distance were the issue, surely a year would be enough for a letter to arrive? The Qin family had already sent two.
Besides, right after they arrived, Guaizai had sent a letter to Yang Mingyi, so there was no way Yang Mingyi didn't have the address.
Then again, maybe he'd just been too busy.
Fang Zichen poked Guaizai's forehead. "Still thinking about your Uncle Yang?"
"Yeah!" Guaizai said, a little shyly.
Fang Zichen studied him carefully, then said very seriously, "Son, puppy love is not okay."
Guaizai looked up at him, frowning. "But Father, you also said that the early bird catches the worm, and the late bird gets caught! Uncle Yang is so pretty-pretty, and he matches Guaizai perfectly! A match made in heaven."
That actually made a bit of sense, but...
Fang Zichen: "Do you really like your Uncle Yang that much?"
Guaizai nodded vigorously: "Mhm!"
"Then why do you still go around kissing every girl and ger you see? I've watched you—you look absolutely entranced!" Fang Zichen seized the moment to teach his son a lesson. "Son, you should learn from your father! A good man should be devoted to one person, like your father. Being too fickle is no good."
"Guaizai knows. Marrying one ancestor is enough—marry too many and there's no way out. Guaizai kisses big brothers and big sisters the same way Guaizai kisses Father."
Fang Zichen laughed. "You little rascal, that actually makes sense! See? I knew it—someone like me couldn't possibly father a little lecher."
Guaizai puffed out his chest. "Guaizai is a good manly man."
---
After Li Yuxi's full-moon celebration, Fang Zichen and Zhao Ger returned to Pingxiang Village again.
It was now past the middle of the fifth lunar month. The imperial guard who had been dispatched to the capital with a letter before the New Year had finally returned.
Fang Zichen calculated on his fingers—the man had been gone over half a year. Had he crawled the whole way there?
When Fang Zichen had come, it was deep winter, so they couldn't take the water route, and with the elderly and children, they'd been slower.
Now the imperial guard was back, and not only did he have a retinue of guards following him, he'd also brought four old men along.
"Greetings, Lord Fang."
Fang Zichen saw an old acquaintance step down from the carriage and was taken aback. "Lao Gu? What are you doing here? At your age, how can you be so reckless as to come all the way out here? If you'd shaken apart and died on the road, that would've been suicide. At your age, why can't you think straight?"
Riding in a carriage was miserable! Even he couldn't stand it.
It was terribly bumpy. Back then, he'd only managed to make it bearable by fitting rubber tires, and even so, Physician Li and his wife had needed quite a few days of rest after arriving in Hezhou before their complexions improved.
He’d heard that Li Yisheng first wrote to his parents about Xie Xiaoyu, and his mother and father were so overjoyed they hurried to pack and leave. But right after they set out from Yuanzhou, the driver wasn’t paying attention and the carriage hit a huge pothole in the official road. His father threw out his back, so they had to turn around and go home in tears.
These old men were all over sixty. It was a miracle they'd made it to Hezhou alive.
No comments:
Post a Comment