nucmednet Chapter 213 Letter from home
Chapter 213 Letter from home
It had been almost a month since she last wrote a letter, and today she finally received a reply. Bai Zhi immediately took the envelope, but her hand suddenly felt heavy: "What else is here?"
Zhou Shensi shook his head: "I don't know if it's a stone or jade. Before leaving, County Magistrate Lin specifically told me not to bump it."
Baizhi tore open the letter and dropped it, revealing three small velvet bags. Unzipping the drawstrings, she found three cool, translucent rectangular stones, each a clear, emerald green. Picking one up and examining it closely, she discovered four small, square characters engraved in small seal script on its underside: "Baizhi's Seal."
Zhou Shensi came over to take a look: "This is a famous seal, right?"
The other two were engraved with "Bai Ying's Seal" and "Lin Chuqi's Seal" respectively. Bai Zhi was a little dazed for a moment, and the hand holding the famous seal was frozen in place, motionless.
After a while, she hurriedly tied the cuffs, tore off a piece of cloth from her clothes, shook off the dust, carefully wrapped up the three velvet bags, put them in her arms, and then took out the letter.
There was only one page of paper, and Lin Ruogui's handwriting was very neat. Bai Zhi took a quick look at it and got the general idea. First, he praised them for being promising children who were serving the country and saving the people, and second, he reminded them to take care as the border was dangerous.
But the last sentence made Bai Zhi concentrate and calm down, and she looked at it twice more.
It read: "So I asked someone to make a seal with my name on it urgently, hoping that it would protect my safety. This should have been done earlier. It's my mother's fault."
She stroked the letter quietly for a while, then carefully folded it back along the crease, stuffed it back into the envelope, and put it in her arms.
Dayan's seals weren't particularly practical; they were simply objects given by parents to their children for good fortune and prosperity. Their power of expression was greater than their wish. Bai Zhi, clutching the three seals and a letter from home, smiled softly.
Zhou Shensi frowned at her expression and said, "Boss, County Magistrate Lin is not your biological mother. Why do you have to be so harsh?"
This ancestor has been talking nonsense for a long time. Bai Zhi didn't take it seriously and just rolled her eyes: "You know shit."
Zhou Shensi: "Oh."
Tu Yingxu's movements were very efficient. He finished chopping the meat in a short while, wrapped it separately with oil paper, and called Baizhi to come and get it. The two hadn't seen each other for a long time. Tu Yingxu wanted to pull Baizhi aside to exchange a few more words, but was interrupted by Zhou Shensi, who said, "Hurry up and chop the meat for tomorrow."
Anyway, the two of them would stay here for a few days, so Bai Zhi was not in a hurry. She held the few packets of oil paper in her arms and walked back, thinking about going back to give Qiaoqiao, Chuqi and Cheng Mao a snack, and also to share some with Qiao Banxian.
The war outside continued as usual, and life in the city went on as usual.
late at night.
The entire city was ablaze with lights, but only a few lanterns lit up in the Imperial Envoy's residence. Wei Fuguang, dressed in her official uniform, sat dignified on the stone steps in front of the main hall, looking up at the night sky through the sparse light. The coachman waited beside her.
"The spy the prince sent here is really smart. He's learned almost all of that barbaric language in such a short time." Wei Fuguang's face was expressionless, but his tone was full of displeasure. "It's good to be in a high position and have great power. It also allows for a wide range of ways to recruit talent. His people can easily replace mine."
The driver paused for a moment, then soothed her, "Miss, the prince's spies are more capable, and therefore more likely to succeed. It doesn't matter who the spies are. You came up with the idea, you took the lead in disciplining the spies, and in the end, you still take the credit."
"After all, there's one missing entry in the history books... Naian, record this incident. From now on, you will record my merits and demerits and establish a memorial for me, so that future generations can appreciate my life."
"Miss, since it's standing, you might as well tamper with it a little and change the spy to your people."
Wei Fuguang waved his hand: "The story I made up is not my life, how can it be considered my immortality? I will write down the facts without changing a single word."
The driver bowed his head and said, "Yes."
The lanterns on the eaves swayed in the wind. Wei Fuguang pointed casually at one, saying, "The spies learned the barbarian customs, and I've heard quite a bit about them. One of them is that the barbarians worship the sun god and believe that darkness, devoid of gods, will bring forth evil spirits. Therefore, they won't venture out after sunset. Yet, the people of Ningzhou keep their lights on all night to protect themselves from the barbarians. Why is that? If the right remedy is to treat the problem, the lights should be turned off at nightfall. This dark place is the safest place in all of Wu County."
The driver said, "I once heard people say that wisteria flowers don't bloom for a hundred days."
"how to say?"
"Times change, and things are unpredictable. I think the people are worried. Just because a barbarian is afraid of the dark today doesn't mean they won't be afraid of it tomorrow. It's better to light a lamp every night to prepare for a rainy day than to dig a well when thirsty."
"The world is unpredictable..." Wei Fuguang followed with a long chant.
The clappers on the street struck twice, and the driver leaned over to Wei Fuguang's ear and whispered, "Miss, there aren't many days left. Should we have the spies dress up?"
"No, the fake face can only last a month. Wait until before the performance to put on the makeup. Don't waste time." Wei Fuguang suddenly became serious. "Tell them to apply the fake face according to Lord Fang's instructions. If it is not applied tightly and Sharama finds out that the person has been replaced, not only will their lives be in danger, but they will also miss the important task of saving the country. There is only one fake face, and it can only be applied this once. The task must be completed within a month."
"Yes."
"That's enough." Wei Fuguang stood up, dusted off his official uniform, and put on his official hat, which had slipped when he looked up at the sky. "Go back and write the official documents. Naian, grind some ink for me."
The driver bowed his head and said, "Yes."
The two men went back to the main hall one after the other, and silence returned to the courtyard of the Imperial Envoy's Mansion.
Suddenly, a bush in the corner moved, and a yamen runner poked his head out, sweating profusely. He complained stealthily, "You've been chatting in the yard for so long late at night... Come with me. We have a deal: those masks are extremely valuable. You can only look at them, not touch them. If anything goes wrong, I'll lose my head. After we look at them, you have to help me calculate whether my brother can pass the imperial examination, as agreed, Mr. Qiao..."
Bai Zhi didn't control the amount of bacon the butcher had promised to cut. On the way home, she splurged on a bundle of firewood and cooked it all that night, telling the children and Cheng Mao to eat as much as they wanted, saying there would be more meat in a few days. The children, having not seen much oil in a while, picked up a large piece of bacon with their chopsticks and began to gnaw at it, each one more unruly than the other. Cheng Mao tried to hold back at first, but Bai Zhi's repeated urgings to eat more eventually led to him devouring it.
But Qiao Banxian hadn't been seen since then, and no one knew where he had gone. However, he sometimes stayed out all night, and Bai Zhi had anticipated this and had saved a portion for him. She was also planning to take his share if Qiao Banxian didn't come back tomorrow night either.
After dinner, Cheng Mao cleared the dishes in the kitchen. Bai Zhi pulled out a warm, torn piece of clothing from her bosom and solemnly handed them the family letter and the two children's seals. Qiaoqiao was so excited that she jumped for joy, holding the seals in her hands. Lin Chuqi stared at the engraving in a daze, her eyes growing moist.
After the two children read the letter from home together, Qiaoqiao also calmed down.
Bai Zhi thought about it, but couldn't think of anything to say at the moment, so she simply shut up and went back to the house, leaving the two children here to reflect on their feelings.
The next day, Qiao Banxian still didn't come back. Bai Zhi patted her conscience and let him stay for another day.
On the third day, the meat was distributed, and the streets were packed. Bai Zhi, along with her two children, squeezed through the crowd and waited in line for an hour until they were served fresh pork. Zhou Shensi and Tu Yingxu finished their meat distribution and were about to return to Weizhou. Before they did, Bai Zhi even scrounged some milk tea powder from them. Back home, the pork was steamed into braised pork belly, and the four of them feasted heartily. Qiao Banxian still hadn't returned.
On the fourth day, the good times came to an end.