After setting off, Zhou Yuan and his companions took the goods from the official’s residence and headed to the capital.
Zhou Yuan was the only one who knew what they were delivering. He didn’t even tell Meng Qi, his close friend, what it was. He was always in charge of it. Only Zhou Yuan, Meng Qi, and a man named Meng Shuanzi from the village came this time. Since they didn’t have horses, they rented them from a horse shop after paying a deposit.
They hadn’t forgotten everything they were taught in the barracks. At the very least, they could still easily ride horses. Riding for several days in a row made their inner thighs sore, but they could endure it. There had been far harder times in the past.
During this period, they slept in the open. If they were lucky, they would find an inn with bunk beds. Otherwise, they could only spend the night in the mountains.
After all, Meng Qi was a newlywed. While resting, he would point to his clothes and say, “My wife made these.”
When they stayed at an inn, he would take out his purse and say, “My wife embroidered this.”
At lunchtime, he looked at the dry biscuits next to Zhou Yuan and swallowed hard. “Brother, can you give me a bite?”
Zhou Yuan only glanced at him and asked, “Why, didn’t your wife make you any pancakes?”
Meng Shuanzi beside him laughed and said, “His wife is good at everything except cooking. I heard his kitchen almost caught fire the day after they got married.”
Meng Qi took a bite of the dry biscuit and said, “Even so, my wife is the best in the world.”
Zhou Yuan just smiled.
Suddenly, Meng Qi felt something was off. He looked at the cake in his hand and said, “Brother, you didn’t make this cake.”
Meng Shuanzi took a sip of water and said, “You can have a wife, but I can’t have a lover?”
Meng Qi straightened his back and said, “How could I not know?” You don’t even know who it is, yet you still dare to laugh at me.
“Why wouldn’t I know?” Meng Shuanzi sneered. “If I don’t tell you, you won’t figure it out, even if you rack your brains.”
“Then who do you think it is?” Neither of them wanted to argue, and Zhou Yuan didn’t care about them. Listening to their bickering eased the loneliness of the journey.
“Why are you teasing me?” Zhou Yuan leaned against a tree and played with the purse that Chen Qing had given him. He had touched the small talisman paper inside many times.
“Brother, when will you get married?” Meng Shuanzi asked.
“He still has to observe the mourning period.”
Meng Qi and Meng Shuanzi thought he was jealous, so they didn’t bring it up again. Instead, they started discussing future plans.
Zhou Yuan said, “We’ll deliver the goods this time. When we return from the capital, we can look for jobs along the way to make money for the journey.”
“First, we’ll run a bodyguard agency, and once we succeed, we’ll travel the world.” Meng Qi was already eager. “With our brother’s abilities, that would be easy.”
The closer they got to the capital, the colder the weather became. By the time they reached it, a thin layer of snow had fallen.
Everything in the capital was more expensive than in their small hometown. Even an ordinary bunk bed for twenty people cost far more than it would have back home. Zhou Yuan thought they hadn’t had a proper bath in days, so he requested a triple room. Meng Qi’s hands trembled when he paid.
After settling in, the three of them took turns bathing. The room was expensive, but hot water was free. Meng Qi looked at the food budget and decided not to eat at the inn.
It was their first time in the capital, where the hustle and bustle was unmatched. Meng Qi and Meng Shuanzi planned to go sightseeing and buy things for their family members.
Zhou Yuan had other matters to attend to, so he asked them to leave first while he stepped out.
This time, in addition to resolving this issue, he came to the capital to meet with the general again.
After the border war ended, the original border garrison remained, while the remaining reinforcements retreated to their original posts.
The general who had led Zhou Yuan and his men was Xiao Chengyin, also known as General Pingnan.
During the Battle of Guping Pass, a spy in the camp caused General Xiao to be surrounded and cut off by the enemy. All of his guards were captured. Only Zhou Yuan remained by General Xiao’s side.
With his sword bent, Zhou Yuan killed 20 to 30 enemies and held out with the injured General Xiao until reinforcements arrived.
The Battle of Guping Pass also paved the way for the court to win the war.
Afterward, General Xiao wanted to recruit Zhou Yuan into his army. However, Zhou Yuan declined his offer, worried about his grandmother at home.
However, when General Xiao returned to the capital, he gave Zhou Yuan a token as well. Zhou Yuan could come to the capital to see General Xiao anytime he wanted.
Today, Zhou Yuan wanted to return the token. From now on, he would settle down in Luohe Village.
He went to the gate and handed the token to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper recognized the token as the general’s at once and immediately went to report it. Soon, someone led Zhou Yuan to the main hall.
General Xiao was nearly fifty years old, and his health wasn’t that great from fighting outside for years. At that moment, a fire had been lit in the flower hall. Seeing Zhou Yuan enter, General Xiao stood up.
“Zhou Yuan!”
Zhou Yuan bowed to him. “Greetings, General.”
General Xiao was happy to see him and patted his shoulder. The remaining snow on his shoulder melted and soaked into his clothes near the blazing fire. He pulled Zhou Yuan up. “Have you taken care of everything at home? Are you coming to me now?”
Zhou Yuan shook his head. “Everything at home has been taken care of. I came here to return the token to General Xiao.”
General Xiao was stunned. “Huh?”
Zhou Yuan handed the token back to General Xiao. “I’m about to get married, and I don’t want to be separated from my husband. I will have to disappoint the general.”
“Married?” General Xiao didn’t take the token, but he was happy for Zhou Yuan. “After you’re married, you can bring your husband to the capital. I can also have someone help with chores at my big house.”
Zhou Yuan nodded. “In the future, I want to settle down, farm with my husband, and run a small business. I want to be content with a simple life.”
General Xiao nodded. “Very good, very good.”
“I came to see you today to return the token and say goodbye.”
General Xiao nodded. “Everyone has their own aspirations. After witnessing the cruelty of war, one realizes how precious ordinary things are. Keep that item; it may be useful in the future.”
Zhou Yuan nodded and, seeing people waiting beside General Xiao, prepared to leave.
However, General Xiao wasn’t in a hurry to let him go. He asked his subordinate to bring out specialty goods from the capital, saying that, since he was getting married, he should bring gifts for his new husband.
Zhou Yuan had only come to return the token and didn’t want anything from General Xiao, so he refused the gifts. After refusing several times, he accepted the red cloth prepared by the general’s wife, which would be used for the wedding. He didn’t accept any silver, money, jewelry, or jade.
When Zhou Yuan said goodbye, General Xiao patted his shoulder and said, “If you get the chance, bring your husband to visit us. You can keep the token, just like your knife.”
Zhou Yuan left under the guidance of the housekeeper. In the end, Zhou Yuan saw General Xiao standing in the courtyard. He sighed and left the general’s mansion.
However, when the general’s household saw him off, they packed him a large bag. Knowing that it would be impolite to refuse again, Zhou Yuan bowed three times to the residence of the general.
By the time they returned to the inn, Meng Qi and Meng Shuanzi had already purchased items. After all, they weren’t wealthy, so they didn’t buy much.
They just enjoyed the experience. Glancing at the red cloth Zhou Yuan had brought back, they thought their brother knew how to cherish his husband. He had thought about it from so far away and bought red cloth for the wedding.
“Brother, are we going back tomorrow?” It was already mid-November. If they hurried, they might make it home in time for the Laba Festival.
Zhou Yuan nodded, and the three of them went out again that night to wander the streets of Beijing. They mostly looked and were reluctant to buy anything.
As they walked by a restaurant called Tianji, the three of them were drawn in by the strange aroma, but Zhou Yuan saw the price tags on the door and quickly pulled Meng Qi and Meng Shuanzi away.
Meng Qi kept looking back, saying, “It smells so good. What are you selling?”
Shuanzi also swallowed hard. He thought it smelled delicious.
Zhou Yuan had never smelled anything so delicious. However, he knew the food inside must cost at least four or five taels of silver. A store like that was not open to people like them.
After passing Tianji, they wandered around aimlessly and soon heard voices up ahead.
“I’ve already loaded the goods, and now you’re saying the escort can’t come? What about the other escort agencies?”
“Since it’s the end of the year, many agency heads are out of town. What can we do? If we can’t deliver, the official will find out.”
“Stop arguing.” The manager ran his hand through his thinning hair. “Go see if anyone can make this trip. It doesn’t matter if it’s expensive.”
Zhou Yuan and Meng Qi looked at each other. Then, Zhou Yuan stepped forward and walked to the manager’s side.
The attendant looked at Zhou Yuan’s tall figure, then at his rough clothes. With a bad attitude, he said, “What are you looking at?”
Zhou Yuan smiled and replied, “I just heard you say you were looking for an escort agency to deliver something. We three brothers happen to do this kind of work.”
The attendant glanced at Meng Qi and Meng Shuanzi behind Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan was the tallest, but Meng Qi and Meng Shuanzi were also quite tall, especially Meng Shuanzi, who was muscular and had a fierce expression.
The attendant shifted his gaze. “Who are you with?”
“We three brothers do odd jobs. We haven’t made it big yet. We came to the capital this time, and we’re heading home in two days. If it’s along the way, we can stop by.”
The attendant thought they seemed a bit unreliable, but he really had no choice. “Do you really work in this line?”
Zhou Yuan replied, “We brothers are veterans retired from the battlefield. We figured we’d make a living with our own hands in the years ahead.”
The attendant was 70% convinced. “But there’s no proof—how can I trust you?”
They all had their household registration documents on hand, so Zhou Yuan took them out. “These are our household registration documents, which show where we live. We can run, but our families can’t.”
The attendant examined the documents carefully and found that, except for Zhou Yuan, the household registrations of the other three listed family members. There was also an official court seal proving they were veterans.
The attendant said, “We’re transporting these goods to Yunxi City in Xixin Prefecture. Is that on your way?”
Zhou Yuan nodded. Xixin Prefecture was located between the capital and their hometown, so a slight detour wouldn’t be a problem.
Ultimately, the attendant decided to send someone with them. It was a desperate measure indeed. Most importantly, when Zhou Yuan showed his documents, the attendant noticed the token from the House of General Pingnan.
Tianji in the capital was backed by the House of General Zhengxi. The attendant had certainly been around high-level officials in the capital for years, and he could tell that Zhou Yuan’s token was real at first glance. If something went wrong, he could go straight to the House of General Pingnan for help.
The next day, Zhou Yuan, Meng Qi, and Meng Shuanzi set off for Yunxi City with a Tianji attendant.
They didn’t ask what was loaded in the two carts, but, seeing the attendants on the same route, they could tell that the cargo was important.
They stopped sleeping at night and took turns keeping watch.
The attendant was bored and wanted to show off, so he began to talk about Tianji’s background.
“Our Tianji shopkeeper is the second master of the House of General Zhengxi. Since you’re veterans, you must know General Zhengxi, right?”
They knew General Cui Chaoming, but they’d never heard of the second master.
The attendant was quite proud. “More than half of the military expenses during the war were covered by our Tianji.”
General Zhengxi fought the war, and the second master covered the military costs. This general’s household had made great contributions to the court.
The three listened carefully and decided to be even more cautious.
As for the Laba Festival, they didn’t have time to eat Laba porridge. Their only focus was on teaching the mountain bandits who tried to steal their goods a serious lesson. They barely ate a grain of rice that day.
The journey wasn’t smooth, but fortunately, there was no danger. On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the attendant and the goods arrived in Yunxi City.
There was also a Tianji in Yunxi City. The shopkeeper’s surname was Tian. He was very grateful to those who delivered the goods. When he learned that they were retired veterans from the battlefield, he treated them warmly. He invited them to dine at the Tianji restaurant, which they could not afford in Beijing, and gave them generous gifts.
Zhou Yuan had no intention of discovering the connection between the Tianji in Yunxi and the one in Beijing. They were only responsible for delivering the goods. Zhou Yuan only remembered seeing Shopkeeper Tian carry a box that required two people with one hand. However, he noticed that Shopkeeper Tian had some white hair and looked elderly.
After completing the delivery, they stayed one night in Yunxi City. The next day, they wandered around the city. Overall, prices in Yunxi weren’t as high as in Beijing. They bought some local specialties, said to be seasonings that could make food taste as good as Tianji’s.
In the end, Zhou Yuan went to another medical clinic to ask about Zhang Yin’s condition. The doctor looked like a scholar with slightly gray temples, but he was so kind that he didn’t seem like a typical city doctor.
Doctor Yu was very cautious. He only listened to Zhou Yuan’s description. He wasn’t confident without examining the patient. The symptoms sounded very complex.
“I haven’t seen the patient, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to prescribe medicine recklessly. It would be better if I could check the pulse.”
For some reason, Zhou Yuan felt reassured by him. “You should prescribe some medicine so that the family can feel more at ease.”
Yu Nian prescribed a warming tonic and told Zhou Yuan that the patient’s condition sounded dangerous. He urged Zhou Yuan to bring the patient to the doctor as soon as possible.
Zhou Yuan left with the herbs but saw Tianji’s shopkeeper coming out of the back courtyard of the clinic.
He nodded to Shopkeeper Tian, then left with the medicine.
Over the next few days, the three of them traveled at full speed and finally returned to Luohe Village on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, just in time for the Little New Year.
