Ji Yuan said that he was going to break his promise, but he did not look regretful at all.
The general couldn't help but stand up from his seat, walked to Liao Zhengbao, and patted him on the shoulder heavily, and the latter also nodded at the general.
Ji Yuan weighed the small wooden sword in his hand, thought for a moment, and said to Liao Zhengbao.
"The wooden sword is a token your parents gave us. You should also leave us a token so that your parents know that you are really still alive."
"Yes, yes, yes, it should be!"
Liao Zhengbao first carefully folded the amulet in his hand twice and put it into his arms. Then he rubbed his hands and thought about what token he should give to his parents, but he couldn't think of anything suitable for a long time.
"I don't have anything suitable here..."
Liao Zhengbao looked at the general for help, but the general couldn't think of anything. There was a lack of everything here, and there were no special products. He couldn't just bring a broken weapon back home.
"How about this, you write a letter home. A verbal letter is fine, but it's not as good as a written letter. You can always read it to relieve your sorrow. You can keep this wooden sword too."
Ji Yuan made a suggestion and returned the wooden sword to Liao Zhengbao. The latter scratched his head and said embarrassedly after accepting the wooden sword.
"Although I can recognize some simple words, I can't write well. How about you write for me, sir?"
In the past, letters sent home were all written by people with some literary skills in the army, such as the North Gate Army Guard. This time, with Ji Yuan and Chang Yi here, there is no need to bother two people.
"Okay, I'll help you write it."
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan naturally agreed happily.
Right at the table in the conference room, a soldier found paper and pen, and Ji Yuan wrote on behalf of Liao Zhengbao.
After learning that his family had not received any letters in all these years, Liao Zhengbao simply talked about his experiences over the years, from the confusion when he first joined the army, to the fear later, to the numbness later, and finally to a firm sense of responsibility.
Even though Ji Yuan's handwriting was very small this time, the letter home was still five pages long. Every stroke on the paper made others feel like they were appreciating a piece of art.
Every time he finished writing a page, he would put it aside and blow gently to dry the ink quickly. After Ji Yuan finished writing, he turned his wrist and changed back to the original pen he used in the army, and the wolf hair pen he used for writing before was put into his sleeve, so this could be easily seen.
"Okay, let's see if there's anything missing."
Ji Yuan moved the desk aside, and Liao Zhengbao and the generals and soldiers beside him hurriedly moved closer to take a look. They saw the neat and orderly handwriting on the five pages of paper, which made them feel happy.
The general couldn't help but say to Ji Yuan and Chang Yi.
"I understand now. Why are the two gentlemen, who have no bureaucratic style, able to obtain the pass and be escorted to this dangerous place on the frontier? They even dare to boast that they can help Sima Liao return home. Just based on this word, the two gentlemen must be pedants and amazing scholars. There must be many people in the officialdom and scholars who curry favor with you."
Chang Yi shook his head and smiled.
"The general is a man of discernment, but I dare not compare myself with Mr. Ji. Although my calligraphy is good compared to that of ordinary people, it is far inferior to Mr. Ji's."
Liao Zhengbao held the paper with joy on his face, and read the words carefully. He didn't know many words, just enough to understand basic military terms, but on these pages of paper, he could read surprisingly smoothly and appreciate the meaning of every word.
"Well done, very well written, very well done!"
Then Liao Zhengbao picked up a pen and wrote his own name. Although he tried to write neatly, it was still a little crooked. It looked even worse when compared with Ji Yuan's handwriting, but it made the letter surprisingly real.
A long letter from home and 18 taels and 6 zhu of saved silver were all that Liao Zhengbao wanted Ji Yuan and Chang Yi to take back. He knew that this opportunity would probably never come again, so he borrowed some of the money from the general.
When Ji Yuan and Chang Yi returned, the general and Liao Zhengbao sent them to the north gate and dispatched a team of soldiers and a carriage to escort them on the road, or at least to the border of the area under their jurisdiction.
When the carriage carrying Ji Yuan and Chang Yi disappeared outside the north city gate, Liao Zhengbao felt a little lost, but he quickly cheered himself up and returned to his usual strong self.
At this moment, the North Gate Army Officer was writing documents in his barracks. He had finished writing down and organizing the situations of the soldiers and patrols he was responsible for in recent days. When he wrote about the two people who visited today, he could not remember the name of the specific official who approved the document. So he dragged over the wooden box beside him, opened it and looked for the official document, intending to write it down accordingly.
As a result, I searched everywhere but couldn't find the official document.
"That's weird. I clearly put it here, so why can't I find it... Eh? What's going on?"
The military officer at the North Gate suddenly took out a piece of white paper from a pile of official documents. He pulled it out and turned it over from front to back to confirm that there was not a single word on it. In addition, he couldn't find the document from Ji Yuan after searching over and over again, which made the military officer have a slightly absurd idea.
When I told the general and Liao Zhengbao about this, they were both shocked. They looked at the piece of high-quality rice paper, which was obviously not owned by the army, over and over again for a long time...
"General, do you want to bring these two gentlemen back?"
When the North Gate Army Officer asked this question, the general and Liao Zhengbao both looked at him, and the former shook his head.
"The Liao family must have found some extraordinary people to help them. Don't do this to arouse people's disgust."
…
As soon as Ji Yuan and Chang Yi left the border territory, they naturally took off into the air and flew towards the northwest. They had told Liao Zhengbao that they would soon deliver the letter and silver to the Liao family, but Liao Zhengbao and some soldiers who knew about this matter probably could not have imagined how soon this would be.
On this day, before it got dark, a yamen runner on horseback arrived at Maotan Village. This was someone Ji Yuan and Chang Yi had specifically found, who disguised himself as a person of "status" and ordered him to deliver a letter.
The sound of horse hooves rushed all the way to the village entrance, then slowed down, asking in the village about the location of the Liao family, and finally was taken to Liao Daqiu's house by Old Zhang who was strolling in the village.
Lao Zhang led the way, while the officers followed behind, leading the horses.
"Sir, it's right in front, right in front."
"Lead the way."
"Yes Yes Yes!"
Old Zhang quickly approached Old Liao's house and started shouting at the top of his voice.
"Lao Liao, Lao Liao! There is a letter from your family, saying that Xiaobao sent it from the army, Lao Liao..."
"What?"
Liao Daqiu rushed out of the house in a panic and looked at the officer who was leading the horse. The latter asked Lao Zhang to help hold the reins, took two steps forward and bowed slightly to Lao Liao.
"This must be Mr. Liao Shan, right? Your son Liao Zhengbao has a letter delivered, and there is also a package with the letter. It's all here, and I haven't opened it!"
As the officer spoke, he took out a tightly tied cloth bag from his bosom and handed it to Liao Daqiu, who took it carefully and then couldn't wait to open it, but suddenly stopped and quickly called the officer into the yard.
"Sir, sir, please come in and have some tea!"
The officer waved his hands quickly.
"No, no, I have official duties to attend to, so I won't bother you anymore. This plague is too serious, many people have died, and I'm busy... It's a wonder that there's not a single sick person in your village. It seems that God will still take care of you for doing good deeds."
"Yes, yes, I dare not disturb you, sir. Please walk slowly, walk slowly!"
The officer waved his hand to indicate that they didn't need to see him off, and he got on his horse and prepared to leave. However, before leaving, he remembered something and turned back to say to Liao Daqiu.
"By the way, Mr. Liao, my name is Du Kun, and I am a government official in Dahe County."
Old Liao was stunned for a moment, then he reacted immediately, and after hesitating for a while, he gritted his teeth and said.
"Don't worry, sir. Next time I go to the county, I will definitely come to visit you with my heart. I..."
"No no no no... No, that's not what I meant..."
The officer was a little amused.
"I mean, Mr. Liao, just don't forget me. I don't want to take your benefits or money. I wouldn't dare to take it even if you gave it to me..."
After saying this, the officer did not stay any longer. He rode his horse slowly out of the village, then whipped his horse and left.
As soon as the officer left, Lao Zhang immediately shouted.
"Old Liao, why are you still standing there? Read the letter!"
"Oh, yes, yes, yes. But, but I can't read..."
"Hey, dad, why do you care so much? Just watch it first!"
"Yeah, let's see first!"
Several people sat down in the yard, quickly untied the bags and took out the things inside. One of the small bags was heavy. When Liao's mother opened it, she found that there were quite a few silver ingots and broken silver.
"Shh... So much money..."
"Read the letter, read the letter!"
Liao Daqiu carefully opened the envelope, not wanting to tear it, and then took out five sheets of letter paper.
The amazing thing is that he could actually "read" the letter. Although he couldn't recognize the big characters, he could clearly see what was written in the letter. He even read it out loud to Liao's mother, Old Zhang, and his youngest son who had also come out to join in the conversation.
"Dear parents, I, the unfilial son Liao Zhengbao, ask Mr. Ji to write on your behalf: I have been in the army for nine years, traveling thousands of miles, and have not heard from you in the past nine years. I feel very guilty... I have not yet repaid your kindness in raising me. When I see the wooden sword today, tears well up in my eyes..."
More than a quarter of an hour had passed since the five pages were finished. The Liao couple's faces were already filled with tears, and even Old Zhang's eyes were red as he listened.
It was because Xiao Liao was still young and had never met this brother before, so he didn't have much feeling. Instead, he leaned on his mother's legs and asked naively.
"My brother said he was in a very far place and it would take several months for the letter to come back. This letter was written by Mr. Ji, but didn't Mr. Ji and Mr. Chang just leave this morning?"
The three adults were all stunned.
"Yes, the two great gentlemen have only been gone for a short time! Could it be that they have already written the letter, so they came to the village to find you today?"
Old Zhang was surprised, then he thought about it and said something reasonable. The Liao couple wanted to nod, but the innocent little Liao spoke again.
"No, no, that's not right. The wooden sword mentioned in your letter was given to Mr. Ji by my father this morning!"
Now, the adults in the courtyard just looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
After a long time, Old Liao murmured something.
"This is like meeting a god..."