Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
He Family was quite surprised when the siblings expressed their desire to go out for some fun.
Liu Anfeng had a lively personality and often insisted on going out when there was nothing else to do. However, whenever he made such requests, before He Family could respond, his two older brothers would step in and "restrain" Liu Anfeng. Now, not only did Liu Anfeng have this plan, but even the two older sons did not oppose it, which left He Family astonished.
However... glancing at Liu Qingwu, He Family understood the situation quite well.
The girl’s eyes were filled with strong anticipation and interest. Perhaps she was the reason why Liu Anzhi and the others wanted to do this.
Previously, He Family had considered taking Liu Qingwu out for a stroll. Unfortunately, due to numerous matters at hand, they had to put that plan on hold. Now that they saw their sons willing to take their daughter out, how could they refuse? They immediately agreed and personally instructed preparations for the carriage and horses, earnestly reminding them not to leave the city.
Thinking of how Qing Wu's relatives were all killed by Bandits outside the city, He Family felt a chill of fear. As long as their children stayed within the city, they would feel at ease.
Firstly, with Liu Anzhi present. He was steady in temperament and thoughtful in his considerations; having him around ensured that the children would not act recklessly. Moreover, Liu Fangyi, being an officer in Jingzhao Prefecture, meant that there were many guards in the city who knew Liu Anzhi's brothers. If any unexpected situations arose, they could seek help nearby.
With their mother’s permission, the four siblings temporarily dispersed to make preparations. After about an incense stick's worth of time, they gathered again to head out. Liu Anzhi and Liu An Ting rode horses while the younger ones took a carriage.
As the carriage moved along, initially Liu Anfeng sat quietly. However, after turning a corner and getting further away from Liu Residence, he could no longer contain himself and leaned against the carriage window, lifting a corner of the curtain with his finger to peek outside.
In contrast, Liu Qingwu, who had been resting with her eyes closed, seemed exceptionally well-behaved; she remained with her eyes shut throughout. Only twice did Liu Anfeng pull her to look out the window before she reluctantly glanced outside. Eventually, seeing her appear listless and lacking energy, he stopped bothering her.
In truth, Liu Qingwu wasn’t particularly tired. She knew her body was weak; if she played too hard, she would likely tire herself out quickly.
Once they got off the carriage later, there would be plenty of time to play. Qing Wu didn’t want to become a burden to her brothers midway through their outing, so she used this time in transit to rest as much as possible. Even though it was lively outside, she repeatedly reminded herself not to be tempted to look endlessly.
Finally, they arrived at the street where the market was located.
The noisy sounds filled her ears; even someone as composed as Qing Wu couldn’t help but listen intently. Watching Liu Anfeng shouting excitedly by the window made her increasingly curious about what lay outside. Just as she was about to lean over for a better look, Liu Anzhi lifted the curtain of the carriage while Liu An Ting picked up Qing Wu. The moment she caught sight of what was outside, Qing Wu was stunned.
Everywhere were people with cheerful faces and an array of goods on display. The street was deep and long, stretching endlessly before her eyes. On both sides of the road were stalls selling various items—some laid thick cloth or paper on the ground displaying their wares while others pushed carts filled with goods. Looking around revealed a dazzling variety of products; it truly was overwhelming.
Unable to care about anything else anymore, Qing Wu eagerly struggled to get her feet on the ground and ran inside. Liu Anfeng was even quicker than her—running fast and calling out joyfully.
Liu Anzhi and Liu An Ting were worried they might get lost, so each took one of the younger siblings and led them further in. The four of them squeezed through the crowd, stopping occasionally to admire interesting sights. At other times, they would just glance and comment a bit.
Before coming, the He Family had prepared a pouch filled with silver coins and copper coins for Liu Anzhi to carry, instructing him to buy something for his younger siblings if he found anything fun. He also carried a silver note and some silver coins close to him.
Liu Anfeng was practically overjoyed, shouting for his brother to buy him anything he liked. Soon enough, he was holding a full armload of items.
Liu Anzhi and Liu An Ting looked at the quiet Qing Wu with concern. Perhaps not wanting to let them spend too much, every time they asked her if there was anything she liked, Qing Wu would shake her head vigorously. She pointed at the bustling street, making it clear: just being able to come and see was enough happiness for her. She didn’t need to buy anything.
The more she acted so well-behaved and understanding, the more the brothers felt heartbroken, wishing they could buy her one of everything from the street vendors. They urged her to speak up.
Even Liu Anfeng chimed in, saying there was no need to worry; she should just buy whatever she liked since things here weren’t that expensive.
Qing Wu smiled in response but still refused to ask for anything.
What she truly wanted was simply to come and see what this place was like. As for material items, they weren’t particularly necessary. After all, the Liu Residence family had taken great care of her, and she was already satisfied.
Qing Wu's indifferent attitude thoroughly annoyed Liu Anfeng.
The young boy jumped up in frustration and said, “What are you doing? Why are you being so distant! Fine, if you don’t want anything, then from now on, whatever I buy will have to include one for you as well. If you’re unhappy about it, just speak up and ask for something!”
He meant it. No matter what he bought next, he got two of everything. Even wooden toy spears; he asked the vendor for two identical ones.
At this rate, he was likely going to end up buying many things that were completely unnecessary.
Qing Wu had no choice but to think about choosing something she liked from a stall later on. This way, Liu Anfeng wouldn’t waste money on her unnecessarily. With that thought in mind, she approached a cart selling bead necklaces, intending to pick something out. Just as she picked up a string of beads, she heard Liu Anfeng exclaim beside her, “Hey! Isn’t that Uncle San? Where is he going?”
His sudden remark left the other three confused. Liu Anfeng pointed toward an alley behind the stall, saying, “I just saw Uncle San go that way. Look, he’s heading further inside.”
Sure enough, following his finger’s direction, they saw a slightly plump middle-aged man walking deeper into the alley. Who else could it be but Liu Sanlaoye?
Everyone knew that the three elders were currently wandering around the capital and didn’t find it strange at all. Moreover, the Second House and Third Branch had never gotten along well; the four of them briefly considered greeting him but quickly abandoned that idea.
The siblings continued on their way and, after a few steps, realized that the eldest brother was missing. They pushed back through the crowd to look for him and found Liu Anzhi staring intently at the alley they had just passed, deep in thought.
Liu Anfeng hurriedly asked him what he was doing.
"Do you know about the flower streets and willow alleys?" Liu Anzhi said in a heavy tone. "It's just two streets over from there."
Liu Anfeng, still young, didn't understand what was wrong with such places. Liu An Ting, who was more aware of these matters, frowned and asked, "What would he go to such a place for? There's no need to make himself more sullied. Besides, I heard those places don't operate during the day."
His words were quite clear; Liu Anfeng had already picked up that it wasn't a good place for decent people. He snorted, "If there's enough money, I suppose anything can be done. I saw Uncle San just now take out some silver to look at."
Before he finished speaking, San Laoye suddenly stopped, peering around cautiously. Fortunately, there were many people nearby, and the siblings were still a distance away; he did not see Qing Wu and the others.
Seeing San Laoye hesitatingly walking towards them for some unknown reason, the siblings quickly turned into another alley to avoid running into him—if San Laoye discovered that they had seen his sneaky actions, it would likely lead to a lot of trouble later on.
Liu An Ting and Liu Anzhi were slower because they were holding onto Qing Wu. Liu Anfeng was feeling angry and ran quickly. When he reached the corner of the alley, someone turned in from the side. Liu Anfeng couldn't stop in time and was about to collide directly with the person.
He had already closed his eyes, internally lamenting that he was about to get a headache. Suddenly, someone lightly patted his shoulder, inexplicably reducing much of his forward momentum. Just as he was about to collide with the other person, they gently steadied him by his arm, allowing him to stand still.
Liu Anfeng was genuinely impressed by the two quick actions of the other person. Once he steadied himself, he quickly looked up in gratitude. Upon seeing the person, he was taken aback. "General Qin?"
Qin Shuying had just turned the corner when he noticed a reckless person about to bump into him and reached out to steady him. He didn't expect it to be Liu Family's third son.
Seeing Liu Anfeng's stunned expression, Qin Shuying couldn't help but chuckle. After teasing him about his speed, Qin Shuying was about to step aside when he saw Liu Anzhi and Liu An Ting approaching with Qing Wu.
Upon seeing Qing Wu, Qin Shuying was somewhat surprised and greeted her with a smile before turning his attention back to the Liu brothers.
"Why is the Grand General here?" Liu Anzhi asked with a smile. "It seems like the General's residence is quite far from here."
At this remark, Qin Shuying felt a bit irritated. He casually replied while rubbing his chin and furrowing his brows.
—With New Year approaching, he wanted to find a way to take Huo Yun'ai out of the palace to pay respects at Grand General's shrine. Then they could return together to the General's Residence for drinks.
Huo Yun'ai arrived at the Qin Residence after the recent passing of the Former Emperor, feeling deeply saddened, and ended up getting drunk.
In fact, Huo Yun'ai had a strong tolerance for alcohol. General Qin thought for a moment and concluded that he was simply overwhelmed with emotion. Since he was already drunk, it was best to let him be. However, no matter how much Qin Shuying urged him, Huo Yun'ai refused to stop drinking.
Having spent many years in the military, General Qin naturally had a good capacity for alcohol. The drinks from the Northern Frontier were strong and potent, and he rarely got drunk; thus, the lower-alcohol beverages in the capital were hardly a challenge for him. As a result, there were never any hangover remedies kept in the Qin Residence, nor did anyone bother to prepare them.
Who would have thought that today he would need such things?
The person before him appeared to be conscious; although he wasn't slurring his words and his complexion seemed normal, Qin Shuying knew that he was indeed drunk. He instructed the butler to keep a close watch on him before heading out to find a hangover remedy.
Huo Yun'ai was allergic to certain substances and couldn't consume them. It would be too troublesome to explain everything to the butler, so it was better for him to go buy it himself.
However, there was still one problem. Once he bought the hangover remedy, how would he get Huo Yun'ai to stop drinking? That was indeed a dilemma.
Feeling anxious, Qin Shuying hurriedly greeted the Liu siblings before rushing off.
As he brushed past someone, he suddenly seemed to remember something. He abruptly paused in his steps, turned around, and fixed his intense gaze on Liu Qingwu.
Comment 0 Comment Count