A Lei moved the abacus sticks and stayed up all night drawing blueprints with ink lines. Hu Shanwei couldn't wait any longer and went to sleep first. Mu Chun was guarding the door with his eyes as big as bells.
It was not until after three o'clock in the morning that the drawings were completed. Arei crawled into the warm bed and slept together with Hu Shanwei. It had been a long time since he had slept with his sister.
Because the weather was damp and cold, it was not practical to sleep on the floor, so Mu Chun used a drawing table as a bed and slept outside. Before he lay down, there was a knock on the door.
Mu Chun picked up a stone paperweight from the desk and said in a low voice, "Who?"
"I." Zhu Zhanhe held two quilts in his arms. "I saw that there was still light in the window. He must not have slept yet. I came to bring some quilts to uncle."
Wow, the community neighborhood committee is bringing warmth to empty-nest elderly people.
A Lei treated Zhu Zhanhe as a thief and was on guard against him, but Zhu Zhanhe had no awareness of being a thief at all. He repeatedly moved closer and played edge ball with Muchun's bottom line.
Facing Zhu Zhanhe's sugar-coated bullet, Mu Chun opened the door, but did not let Zhu Zhanhe in. He blocked the door and took the quilt, "Thank you. It's late, please go back, my lord."
Eat the sugar coating, and the shells will be driven away. People pass through the bushes without getting a single leaf on them.
Zhu Zhanhe was still smiling, "Uncle, you're welcome. When I was in Yunnan, I often went to your house for meals and sometimes stayed overnight. You always welcomed me warmly."
That's because it's dark now and I'm afraid something might happen to you on the way! I can't explain myself!
Mu Chun was about to close the door, but Zhu Zhanhe put one hand on the door frame, so Mu Chun had to stop, otherwise the dragon claws of this dragon grandson would be broken as soon as the door was closed.
Zhu Zhanhe smiled and said, "I almost forgot one thing—what do uncle and Hu Shanggong like to eat? I'll buy it and send it to you tomorrow morning."
Mu Chun said, "Don't bother the prince. Our family of three will go to the street to eat tomorrow. They can buy whatever they want to eat."
Zhu Zhanhe touched his head and said, "That's right. The weather is cold, and it will be cold when it is delivered. It will hurt the stomach. It is better to eat it while it is hot."
Zhu Zhanhe finally put away the dragon claws and left.
It rained all night.
The next day, Hu Shanwei woke up first—she was used to getting up early and going to the harem to clock in for work every day. A Lei slept too late last night, mumbling in his sleep, turned over, and continued to dream.
Hu Shanwei got up quietly. In the outer room, Mu Chun was curled up on the drawing table and sleeping. He had nowhere to put his long legs. Once he stretched them out, his entire calf would be hanging in the air.
Muchun frowned in his sleep, it seemed that he didn't sleep well at night.
Hu Shanwei reached out and used his fingertips as an iron to iron Mu Chun's thick eyebrows.
Mu Chun woke up and realized it was his wife. Without even opening his eyes, he grabbed his wife's hand and held her in his arms.
"Your hands are cold. Let me warm them for you." Mu Chun rubbed Hu Shanwei's wrist with his stubbled face like a puppy and asked, "Is it still raining outside? If it is, we can't go hunting. The road on the mountain is slippery. Be careful not to let A Lei fall."
Muchun did not make up for all the regrets of not having a great father in his childhood on A Lei. Since I don’t have a great father, I will be someone else’s great father.
Hu Shanwei looked out the window. After a night of autumn wind and rain, the green on the earth had basically disappeared. The red maple leaves were like fire, half hanging on the branches and half piled under the trees. Mu Chun asked sleepily, "Is it still raining?" Hu Shanwei thought of Li Qingzhao's "Ru Meng Ling" and said casually, "Do you know, do you know, it should be red fat and green thin."
Originally it was “green fat and red thin”, but now in late autumn, it has become red fat and green thin.
The semi-illiterate Mu Chun had no idea what Hu Shanwei meant and thought that his hand had touched his slightly sagging belly. He immediately straightened his chest and shrunk his stomach, saying, "Winter is coming soon, and I've gained a little weight."
It's like talking to a cow.
However, Hu Shanwei was used to playing the piano for Mu Chun, the cow, and did not mind that the old cow did not understand. He took the opportunity to grab Mu Chun's fat belly. Mu Chun curled up like a shrimp to avoid it, but unfortunately his belly escaped, but somewhere fell into Hu Shanwei's clutches.
Hu Shanwei caught them one by one.
Muchun was lying on the drawing table, like a piece of meat on the chopping board of a butcher's shop in the morning market, ready for anyone to choose. It could be lean or fat, and you could pick as much as you wanted. This was the thing I missed the most.
Boom boom boom!
The door rang.
The couple looked at each other.
Zhu Zhanhe's voice came from outside the door, "Are you up? I'll come over to bring you some hot water for you to wash up."
Mu Chun's identity was kept secret, so it was not safe to send someone to escort him, so Zhu Zhanhe went there in person.
The community neighborhood committee is here to bring warmth again.
Mu Chun quickly got up from the desk, rolled up the quilt, opened the door, handed the still warm quilt back to Zhu Zhanhe, brought a bucket of hot water, and whispered, "Alei is not awake yet, be quiet."
Zhu Zhanhe nodded and left with the quilt in his arms.
Hu Shanwei looked at the steaming bucket and whispered, "Your Highness is thoughtful. Please be nicer."
Mu Chun poured hot water into the basin, tested the temperature, and asked his wife to come over and wash her face first. "This kid has grown up and has bad intentions towards our A Lei."
Hu Shanwei was bending over to wash his face. He almost choked on the hot water when he heard this. "What are you talking about? He's still so young."
Mu Chun, the crazy girl-protector, said, "It is better to kill a thousand by mistake than to let a hundred go. I would rather be a villain for once and save the prince's belly."
Mu Chun used the face wash water his wife had used to cleanse his face. A Lei woke up, and Hu Shanwei, who was combing his hair, said, "It's still early, you should sleep a little longer."
"No need to sleep." Arei stretched and sat up. "We still have to go hunting today. I won't feel sleepy if I play."
In order to save time, the family of three had breakfast in the carriage. When they arrived at Niu Shou Mountain in the suburbs, they changed horses to use as mounts. Mu Chun filled the quiver with arrows, while Arei abandoned the bow and arrows and carried with him a few flintlock rifles made by Portuguese. She skillfully oiled the flintlock rifles, cleaned the slender barrels, and polished them until they were shiny.
Of course, this is also what the eunuch Zheng He brought back to the Ming Dynasty when he sailed to the West. A box of such new weapons has been sent to the gunpowder factory for in-depth research (imitation). The latest sample has been produced and will soon be handed over to the Shenjiying for trial use.
"Oh, nowadays there are no fuses in muskets." Mu Chun picked up the Portuguese flintlock rifle curiously.
The Ming army currently uses matchlock guns, which are about half a person's height. Every time they are used, the outer fuse must be ignited like setting off firecrackers. If there is strong wind and heavy rain, the matchlock gun can basically only be used as an iron stick and cannot be ignited at all.
Are pointed at the trigger at the end and said, "When you pull this trigger, the flint inside will collide and rub against each other, which can ignite the gunpowder in the gun."
Mu Chun felt a little disappointed. He used to be a general who charged into battle and would often yell "Push my Portuguese cannon over here". Now, he had only retired from the battlefield for more than two years, but he could no longer keep up with the advance of the Ming army.
I am probably as old as the matchlock.
A Lei handed him the flintlock and said, "If you like it, I'll give it to you."
Upon hearing this, Mu Chun's worry turned into joy immediately. This daughter was not raised in vain, as she now knew how to care for her old father.
This is the real warmth. Mu Chun held the cold flintlock rifle, but it warmed his heart. He touched A Lei's head and said, "You are so good."
Muchun decided that no matter how late it was in the future, he would wait for A Lei at home to have dinner together - at worst he could eat a little first to fill his stomach.
Mu Chun used a bow and arrow, A Lei used a flintlock rifle, Hu Shanwei was not good at riding and shooting, and she did not bring any hunting equipment. Her happiness came from following Mu Chun and A Lei to pick up prey.
Mu Chun hadn't touched a bow and arrow for a long time, so his hands were a little unfamiliar. The first three arrows missed. But A Lei pulled the trigger of the flintlock rifle and caught a fat rabbit.
Lian Po is old, can he still shoot? For the first time in his life, Mu Chun began to doubt himself.
A Lei and Hu Shanwei half-crouched on a rock, "… Look at the small hole on top for aiming, open and close your eyes and try it out, don't shake when you aim."
A Lei taught Hu Shanwei how to use a flintlock rifle, and the prey was a pheasant.
Hu Shanwei said: "I'm not shaking, this gun is so heavy."
A Lei: "Then try not to shake, adjust your breathing, and shoot when you feel confident."
Bang!
The recoil of the flintlock rifle was like a heavy punch to Hu Shanwei's left shoulder socket. Of course, the shot missed the target, and Pheasant was scared to death.
Mu Chun, who was standing by, drew his bow and shot an arrow, which hit the ground with one shot. He successfully hunted using the most primitive method.
"No more playing, no more playing." Hu Shanwei rubbed his shoulders, "If I continue playing, I'll almost die."
Hu Shanwei is 47 years old this year, which is considered an "old man" in this era.
A Lei rubbed Hu Shanwei's shoulders considerately, "Sister is not old."
At this time, Mu Chun rode his horse and picked up a pheasant. "Stew this chicken tonight to avenge your sister."
"A gentleman should seek revenge immediately, without waiting until night." A Lei pointed to the clear spring at the foot of the mountain, "Let's roast the prey and eat it."
Mu Chun, a crazy doting man, of course obeyed A Lei. The three of them arrived at the stream. Mu Chun carried the prey and gutted it, cleaning it. Hu Shanwei piled up stones as a temporary stove, and A Lei went to the woods to pick up branches to make a fire. They had a clear division of labor and tacit cooperation, which was what they used to do in Yunnan.
The atmosphere at this time was relaxed and harmonious, as if we had returned to the comfortable times when we lived in seclusion in Kunming.
It rained all night last night, and it was difficult to find suitable wood. Arei simply picked up the oval pine cones on the ground. These things contained oil and burned very easily.
Are was picking up pine cones when he heard a rustling sound behind him. Are immediately alert, fearing that there might be wild animals. He picked up the flintlock behind him, turned quickly, and aimed the gun.
"Don't do anything, we are one of us." The person who came turned out to be Zhu Zhanhe.
Arei breathed a sigh of relief and put down his gun. "Didn't you go into the palace to hide from your father? Why did you run to Niu Shou Mountain?"
Zhu Zhanhe helped to pick up pine cones and sighed, "Just out of the tiger's den, I fell into the wolf's den. I entered the palace and went to the coffin of the Empress Dowager in the Rouyi Palace. I happened to meet the Crown Prince burning incense and changing offerings for the Empress Renxiao in the morning. When he saw me, he held my hand and talked a lot. He asked me what books I had read recently, and then he said that the Emperor was personally leading the army and had almost reached there. Later, he even asked me to stay in the palace for dinner."
Zhu Zhanhe shrugged helplessly, "My eldest cousin went to the war with the emperor. I didn't even have anyone to talk to in the East Palace. It was exhausting to talk to an adult like the crown prince. So I left the palace early with the excuse that my father and mother were still waiting for me in the palace."
Going home was impossible, as it was like running from a wolf's den to a tiger's lair. Zhu Zhanhe remembered that Mu Chun had said last night that he wanted to come to Niu Shou Mountain to hunt, so he ran here to hide away.
Arei sympathized, "How did you know we were here?"
Zhu Zhanhe pointed at the flintlock rifle that A Lei was carrying and said, "I came here after hearing the gunshot."
The two men carried the pine cones in their clothes and went to the stream. Mu Chun had already pierced the prey with a wooden stick and prepared the grill. Everything was ready except for firewood.
Mu Chun's smile disappeared when he saw the lingering Zhu Zhanhe.
Zhu Zhanhe piled the pine cones aside and explained, "… I don't know what's wrong with the prince recently. He talks a lot more than before, and is more talkative than my father."
Hu Shanwei knew that the prince had let himself go, and said, "Children should not talk about adults behind their backs."
Everyone in the Zhu family goes to extremes. The eldest grandson, Zhu Zhanji, is a person with a saw-mouthed gourd. He says nothing and his mouth is tighter than a river clam.
Zhu Zhanhe talked about everything, like the surging river, endless.
Zhu Zhanhe patted his chest and said arrogantly, "Mrs. Hu, I am not a child anymore."
It was a rare opportunity to go out and have fun, so Hu Shanwei didn't want to bring up the undercurrent of the palace struggle, so he deliberately changed the subject and said, "Yes, yes, you are not a child anymore, you are a mature man, can you help light the fire? I'm a little hungry, when can I eat the delicious barbecue?"
Zhu Zhanhe then used a flint to strike a fire, puffed up his cheeks and blew air, and the flames spread rapidly. The pine cones were oily and easily flammable and explosive, making crackling sounds.
Arei sat next to the fire and cleaned his gun. If the barrel was not clean, it would easily explode. Some unlucky people would have half of their face blown off.
Hearing the noise of the pine cones in the fire, Arei felt unsafe, so he grabbed the collar of Zhu Zhanhe's clothes and pulled his head back, "Stay away from the fire, be careful of the flames hitting your eyes."
Mu Chun was sprinkling salt on the meat. When he saw A Lei showing concern for Zhu Zhanhe and touching the back of his neck with his fingers, he suddenly felt uneasy. It was as if the salt was sprinkled in his heart, and all kinds of feelings came up.
"I'll start the fire." Mu Chun used his great power to lift up Zhu Zhanhe, who was kneeling beside the fire, and put him aside. "If there are not enough pine cones, go pick some from the forest."
Zhu Zhanhe touched the back of his neck, not annoyed at all, and went to pick up pine cones with a chuckle.
Seeing Zhu Zhanhe's innocent and pure appearance, Mu Chun felt a little sorry, wondering if he was overthinking. Zhu Zhanhe was also raised by Mu Chun, a big fool who didn't have much brains.
Mu Chun decided to give Zhu Zhanhe an extra piece of meat when they had dinner later.
Everyone was doing their job and working hard for lunch, but they didn't know that someone in the forest was secretly observing the four of them.
It was the King of Han, Zhu Gaoxu.
Let’s talk about the King of Han teaching his son. The father went to the army himself, and no one stopped him from teaching his son. So he spoke harshly and even used violence, forcing Zhu Zhanhe to run away from home.
Zhu Zhanhe had been using this trick since he was five years old, and the King of Han had gotten used to it. The Queen of Han felt sorry for her son and advised the King of Han: "He is grown up now and needs to save face. How can he bear your beating and scolding?"
The Prince of Han naturally said, "A loving mother often spoils her son." The Princess of Han was not happy about this and retorted, "Your Highness always compares He'er with Zhu Zhanji of the Eastern Palace, but did the Crown Prince ever hit or scold Zhu Zhanji when he was teaching him? Zhu Zhanji is still outstanding in every way, surpassing He'er. If a son is not taught well, it is the fault of the father. Your Highness should reflect on your own wrong educational methods."
The King of Han was so angry that he was speechless and sulked in the palace. He ordered the butler not to go to see Zhu Zhanhe at night and let him go.
The next day, the spy in the palace reported that Zhu Zhanhe had entered the palace and met the prince in Rouyi Palace. The prince talked to him a lot and so on.
Whenever the prince was involved, the King of Han became excited and wanted to call his son over and tell him in detail what the prince had said to him. He then sent people to wait for him at the palace gate and followed Zhu Zhanhe to Niu Shou Mountain.
The King of Han only wanted to find his son, but he didn't expect to meet the Hu Shanwei sisters - and a mysterious man.
Because the distance was too far, the face seen through the telescope was very blurry, and the King of Han could not recognize who the man was.
However, the man and Hu Shanggong were very close. The man lit a fire and blew air, and his face was covered with dust and smoke. He went to the stream to wash his face. Hu Shanggong took a handkerchief, dipped it in the stream water, and wiped the man's face.
After washing, the man held Lady Hu's hand and rubbed it, and also put her hand on his neck to warm it!
This scene was so shocking that the peeping King Han could not believe his eyes. He rubbed his eyes and continued to look. This time he saw something incredible: he saw a man kissing Lady Hu on the cheek!
It turns out that the scandal about Lady Hu was not groundless. A female official, who was restless and unwilling to stay in the palace, went in and out of the palace every day. It turned out that her plan to go home to take care of her sister was fake, and her plan to meet a man was real.
Who is this wild man who is kept as a concubine by Concubine Hu
Moreover, judging from his son's behavior, he should know this man.
The author has something to say: I have grasped it very well. Chinese characters are so profound and extensive.
Thank you to the little angels who cast their votes for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angel who threw the [grenade]: 2 tiger-skin green peppers;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
Auntie Who Loves to Make Dirty Jokes 25 bottles; Orange Orange Orange 20 bottles; Cat Who Loves to Eat Peaches 10 bottles; Little Frog Mom 6 bottles; Clothes Room Writes the Moon 3 bottles; 17184939 2 bottles; Timmy 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!