The next day, the group arrived in Rang County, where they saw that the place was orderly, with busy traffic and happy people. It was completely different from the depressed Xinye.
After entering the city, Liu Qi asked, "Han Sheng is a local. Is there a suitable place in the city for him and his son to stay?"
Deng Ai and his mother were poor but determined. If they wanted Deng Ai to study here with peace of mind, they had to first stabilize their lives. It was not enough to just live in the inn; they also had to have a source of income.
Huang Zhong glanced at the two people behind him and whispered, "To be honest, I still have a house here, and now I only have two old servants to take care of it. I wanted to take the initiative to ask on the way, but I felt it was too abrupt. Since Dalang asked, can you arrange it in my house?"
"That's great. Please lead the way!" Liu Qi was overjoyed. He didn't even bother to go to the government office and first followed Huang Zhong to his old house.
There is a tall mansion in the east of the city. Several big trees in the courtyard show the vicissitudes of this place, and the mottled gate of the mansion is still tall and majestic.
Although Huang Zhong lost his son in middle age and traveled around to lead troops, he was, after all, a descendant of Huang Xiang, along with Huang Zu, Huang Chengyan and others, and still had some family assets.
When I arrived at the mansion, I saw that the front yard was deserted and the garden was overgrown with weeds. However, the central courtyard was very clean. Two old men were rummaging through some things under a tree to dry them.
Seeing Huang Zhong suddenly return, the two elders were very excited and were busy serving tea and water.
Huang Zhong glanced at the familiar yet strange house, a trace of loneliness flashed in his eyes, and he sighed and asked, "What do you think, Dalang?"
"This is a great place!" Liu Qi nodded and said to Deng's mother, "This is General Huang's residence. He is away from home all year round. You and your son can live here!"
"How can this be done?" Mother Deng said hurriedly, "We are all alone and penniless. As long as you can let Ah Niu go to school, I will be willing to do the laundry and sewing."
Huang Zhongyan said: "This house is still deserted. You can live here and help me take care of the mansion. I also have some land and shops. Help me collect the rent every year and take good care of the two old people. That's enough!"
Liu Qi smiled and said, "You are here to serve as General Huang's housekeeper."
Mother Deng was still a little hesitant: "I'm afraid I'm incompetent and can't take care of it."
"It's okay!" Huang Zhong waved his hand and said, "We have two old servants to help us. Just do as usual and recruit two more maids."
Deng's mother was very grateful and knelt down to express her gratitude again. Huang Zhong asked an old servant to take the mother and son to live in the west wing.
Liu Qi picked up the tea bowl, pondered for a moment, and suddenly said: "Han Sheng has been alone for many years, why doesn't he remarry?"
Huang Zhong stroked his beard and sighed, "Since my son passed away, I was heartbroken and disheartened. I entrusted my daughter to my relatives. If it weren't for General Liu's consolation, I would have jumped into the river and committed suicide. Now that I am over fifty years old, I don't want to think about anything else. I hope I can make great achievements in the future and leave my name in the world. This life is enough!"
"That's wrong!" Liu Qi shook his head and said, "Lian Po was still able to fight at the age of seventy, and Han Sheng is in his prime. It is equally important to establish a family and a career. I think Deng's mother is very virtuous. I wonder if Han Sheng is interested?"
"This..." Huang Zhong was startled, and waved his hands hurriedly, "Deng Ai is the one who was ordered to do this. How can I, Huang, dare to take him and his son in?"
Liu Qi smiled and said, "Isn't Han Sheng also a hero in the rise of the Han Dynasty? I suddenly had this idea, not only for the general's sake, but also for the sake of training Deng Ai. If you pass on your skills to him, he will be even better than you in the future and will surely become a fierce general!"
"So Dalang is very far-sighted!" Huang Zhong twirled his beard and nodded, thinking for a moment and then said, "My lord's order is more important than that of my parents. I dare not refuse. As long as Mother Deng doesn't mind me being old and lonely, I will do whatever you want."
From the occasional conversations along the way, he also realized that Deng's mother was not only virtuous, but also literate and able to distinguish right from wrong. If she could leave more descendants for the Huang family, she would have no regrets for the rest of her life.
Liu Qi went to see Deng's mother in person, explained the situation of the two families, and expressed his willingness to act as a matchmaker between the two. If Deng Ai became Huang Zhong's son, it would be natural for him to learn skills.
Although Deng's mother was steadfast and sensible, she also knew the many difficulties faced by an orphan and a widow, and she didn't know how to repay Liu Qi and Huang Zhong, so she agreed.
In ancient times, parents' orders were the most important in marriages, not to mention that Liu Qi was the matchmaker. The restrictions on women in the Han Dynasty were not very strict, and it was common for widows to remarry. For both public and private reasons, Deng's mother could not refuse.
Neither of them wanted to make a big fuss about the ceremony, so Liu Qi simply officiated at the wedding that day. They burned incense and worshipped in the ancestral temple, and set up a simple banquet, and that was the end of the ceremony.
That night, Huang Zhong had his wedding night, while Liu Qi slept on the same bed with Deng Ai. It was his first time to set up a relationship, and he felt an indescribable sense of accomplishment.
Listening to the little stutterer talking about his childhood, which was both sad and strong, it was as if I was back in the days when I was studying in the countryside.
The next morning, Huang Zhong was in good spirits. Deng's mother changed into silk clothes, looking more charming and noble. From now on, she was the owner of this house.
Liu Qi brought Deng Ai to the government office to meet Yang Jun and entrusted him to teach him carefully. There were more than a hundred students in Rang County Academy, and they would be taught personally by Yang Jun and two disciples, which was enough time for Deng Ai to study for a while.
After returning from the academy, Huang Zhong had bought four maids, two servants, and hired a dozen people to clean the yard. The house finally had a homely feel.
After arranging everything, Liu Qi asked Huang Zhong to stay for a few more days and teach Deng Ai some basic martial arts, and then send someone to teach him when there was a war.
Adults understand each other in their world. Huang Zhong thanked Liu Qi, but still personally sent him to Wancheng before returning home.
At this time, the military and civilians of Wancheng were having fun together. New recruits from all over the country had been organized, and those who were eliminated were responsible for patrolling the city. The sounds of training could be heard everywhere, and the whole city was full of fighting spirit.
In the government office, Mi Zhu came up to him with a happy face and said, "General, Cao Cao replied that he is willing to pay 30%, which is enough in my opinion."
"It seems that Cao Cao can't wait to send troops," Liu Qi said with a cold smile, "Since he wants to raise troops for revenge, why should I be polite? Let's each give in half!"
"Yes, why should we agree to Cao Cao's offer of 30%?" Zhang Fei was very relieved to be so tough with Cao Cao for the first time. "Giving up half is just for the emperor's sake."
Mi Zhu hesitated and said, "I'm afraid if I anger Cao Cao, he will raise an army and we will lose both our money and our men."
Liu Qi smiled and said, "This bargaining is different from doing business. After all, Cao Ren is..."
While they were discussing, Xu Shu staggered in with tears on his face. When he saw Liu Qi, he knelt on the ground.
Everyone was shocked. Xu Shu had always been calm and composed, and could foresee things like a god. Why did he lose his composure like this today
Liu Qi's heart sank, fearing that a letter from Xu's mother had arrived, and he hurried forward to help Xu Shu up: "Military Advisor, why is this happening?"
"I regret not listening to the general!" Xu Shu beat his chest and stamped his feet, tears streaming down his face. He said in shame, "I am not Shan Fu, but Xu Shu from Yingchuan, with the courtesy name Yuanzhi. I changed my name when I fled. I deceived the general and I deserve death!"
Liu Qi helped Xu Shu sit down and said with a smile: "It's just a name. As long as the military advisor and I are loyal to each other, it's enough. Why should we care about the name?"
Zhang Fei also stepped forward to persuade him: "My second brother also changed his name and fled to Jianghu when he killed a bully. This is not a big deal."
Everyone tried to persuade him, but Xu Shu took out a letter, handed it to Liu Qi, and shook his head in regret.