Chapter 168 - Chapter 168: Chapter 164: Receiving People_1 (1/2)
Chapter 168: Chapter 164: Receiving People_1
Translator: 549690339
In the early morning, before the rise of the sun, a faint mist swirled around Bamboo Forest Village.
Yingbao, accompanied by her two younger brothers and Youyou, was running along the well-paved village path.
Youyou was swift, and Yingbao and her brothers trailed closely behind him, not lagging at all. Both puppies have grown up, and when they run, they are even faster than Yingbao.
The sight of the three children, two dogs, and a deer running early in the morning was quite usual for the villagers.
Zhang Meng stood at the crossroad, watching them with approval. “Those two kids are agile and athletic, they have potential. They’re good prospects.”
Unfortunately, the Imperial Court values scholarly pursuits over martial ability. Proposing that Jiang, the village head’s twin sons, learn martial arts seems somewhat inappropriate.
“Good prospects should be trained more,” Xu Kun murmured.
Zhang Meng glanced at his brother, “You’re thinking of taking them as apprentices?”
Xu Kun chuckled, “If anyone is to take an apprentice, it wouldn’t be me. I sense that Brother Fu would like to do so, but I don’t know why he hasn’t acted.”
“With Brother Fu’s awkward status, how could he offer to teach the children of decent citizens martial arts?”
With a sigh, Zhang Meng said, “We should just live out the rest of our lives peacefully.”
Xu Kun remained silent.
Yingbao and her brothers followed Youyou straight to the edge of the pond.
After Youyou stopped to drink, Yingbao gazed into the distance.
Early in the morning, their father was leading a group of villagers to dig a water storage trench.
The trench, twenty feet wide and ten feet long, could be filled with water during the rainy season next year to improve the water supply for the more than two hundred villagers on the South Slope.
After Xiaolu finished drinking, he lifted his head and also looked into the distance.
Following his gaze, Yingbao saw a horse-drawn carriage approaching along the distant village road, accompanied by four horse-riding servants.
The two puppies immediately charged towards the unfamiliar carriage, barking madly as they ran alongside it.
Sun Licheng, who was seated in the driver’s seat, commanded the carriage to stop at the entrance of the Jiang’s residence.
Upon recognizing a familiar face, the two puppies wagged their tails and went whimpering back to their young masters for comfort.
Yingbao patted the two puppies on their heads and, leading her brothers, walked quickly towards home.
A middle-aged man descended from the carriage and was led by Sun Licheng through the large entrance of the Jiang’s residence.
The man glanced at the tall surrounding walls and curiously asked, “Why was it built like this?”
Chuckling, Sun Licheng replied, “There was some trouble with bandits a while ago, building high walls is for defense—nothing more.”
The man nodded without pressing further.
“Is Brother Jiang home?” Sun Licheng called out loudly towards the entrance of the house.
Upon hearing it was Sun Licheng’s voice, Old Man Jiang hurried out of the house, “My, my—Brother Sun is here! Please, come on in.”
Smiling broadly, Sun Licheng introduced, “Here’s a distinguished guest from Prefecture City, Mr. Wang. Mr. Wang, this is Brother Jiang, the one who has been taking care of your nephew, Wei Zhan.”
Wang Xian quickly stepped forward and bowed to Old Man Jiang, “Thank you for taking care of my nephew, Wei Zhan. I am deeply grateful.”
Old Man Jiang quickly returned the bow and invited them in, “Please, come inside and we can talk.”
He then instructed his grandson to find Wei Zhan.
The three men entered the main hall while Sister-in-law Zhou hurried into the kitchen to prepare morning tea for their guests.
Yuanbao had already dashed over to his second uncle’s house to find Wei Zhan. “Wei Zhan! Your uncle is here to pick you up!”
Wei Zhan was surprised and asked subconsciously, “Which uncle?”
Not knowing which uncle it was, Yuanbao pulled him out the door, “You’ll know once you go see!”
Wei Zhan resisted, grabbed the doorframe, and refused to go, “No, no!”