Chapter 27 That Unforgettable Summer Day

  If old farmer said, the sixteenth year of Zhao Wu was still pretty good. A spring sky that had been drizzling nonstop finally cleared up before the wheat harvest. The scorching sun hung in the sky, and it didn't take long for the water vapor on the ground to evaporate completely. The willow tree, which had grown wildly in the spring, no longer had its usual vigor, and its branches drooped listlessly. Cicadas hid among the leaves, starting their frantic chirping, enticing the mischievous kids under the tree to stick their faces on bamboo poles.

  The entire land of China is filled with the atmosphere of a bumper harvest, whether it's Qin, Qi or Chu. Wherever you go to the countryside, you can see the golden wheat waves swaying in the gentle breeze. Farmers with joyful faces get up before dawn and busy themselves, bending their waists to use sickles to lay the wheat down neatly on the ridges of the fields. Behind them, half-grown children are responsible for gathering the crops cut by their fathers, using straw ropes to tie up the wheat and then carrying it to the edge of the field.

  Half the size of a child, half working and half playing, often after transporting a load of wheat, he would loudly tease his younger brother and sister who were watching, then do a few flips on the ground to show off, only stopping when his brother looked at him with envy and his sister applauded. If it were in previous years, Father would furiously chase this disobedient child with a wooden stick, but this year the harvest was good, so life must be easier, and the little brat's behavior seemed much more lovable to Father.

  "But a loud roar was inevitable: 'Second child, you damn thing, aren't you coming over to work?!'"

  The second child was showing off to his younger brother and sister the cicada he had won yesterday, just as he was saying the crucial part of how he turned defeat into victory, he couldn't leave and didn't turn around, loudly saying: "Dad, there are officials coming from afar, I'll go see if they can take me in!"

  Erwa's father heard this and knew that Erwa's foolish dream of becoming a high-ranking official in the city had recurred, so he stood up straight and scolded with a laugh: "You damned thing, if you can follow him to the city, it would be good, how much food can be saved every day."

  As he spoke, he looked south along the official road and saw a team of carts coming from afar.

  After a while, the fleet came closer and closer. A string of yellow four-wheeled double-decker carriages was pulled by two high-headed big horses, and under the careful call of the coachman, they drove slowly on the flat road. There were more than a dozen in front and back. On both sides of the fleet, there was a row of golden helmeted and armored cavalrymen riding pure white war horses, not a single mixed color one.

  Erwa and his father were both stunned by the grandeur of the horse team, standing in the field with their mouths agape. The horse team slowly came to a stop on the official road in front of Erwa's family home. Several men dressed in black, with an air of guards about them, surrounded the middle carriage of the horse team, and a leader-like figure knocked gently on the door. The door opened from the inside, and two men dressed in black carried a man wearing brocade clothes down from the carriage to a wooden wheelchair that had been prepared in advance.

  The man sat in a wheelchair with a bitter expression, seemingly complaining to the black-clad men beside him. However, the black-clad guards just smiled quietly and ignored his requests. After a brief standoff, a thin guard finally pushed the wooden wheelchair, fulfilling the embroidered man's wish for a stroll.

  The second daughter curiously looked at the official on the wheelchair, only to see him pointing and gesturing with great emotion one moment, and then quietly asking the guards beside him to let him get up and walk around, but being refused, he grumbled and complained that the guards were standing too close to him, affecting his view of the scenery.

  The second child finally couldn't bear it and burst out laughing with a 'heh'.

  His laughter wasn't loud, but the person in the wheelchair had ears sharper than a cat. Hearing someone laugh, the man in brocade clothes poked his head out from behind the man in black and grinned at Erwa, showing off his neat white teeth that sparkled under the sunlight.

  The second child's father rushed up, slapped the second child on the head twice, and scolded loudly: "You bastard, don't you hurry back with me to work?" As he spoke, he was about to drag him back to the fields.

  The second child suddenly became bold and shook off the old man's hand, shouting loudly: "I won't, I want to ask this official if he will accept me as his subordinate."

  Hearing this unexpected answer, the young man in the wheelchair was piqued. He signaled to his guard to bring the child who had spoken closer.

  One of the guards walked over and nodded to Erwa's father, saying: "This big brother is polite, our prince invites your young master to have a conversation, please come this way."

  Before he could speak, the second child jumped up three feet high and happily said: "Great, I'll go now, thank you big brother." He bowed to the guard and then ran to the young man in the wheelchair.

  Erwa's father saw his son in this state, and could only sigh, taking down the dry hand towel from his waist to vigorously pat and slap away the dirt on his body, following after him.

  The second child ran to the front of Jin Yi young man, before Jin Yi young man could speak, he quickly knelt down and knocked his head three times with a "thud thud thud" sound. Then, straightening up, he said loudly: "Please, great sir, take me in! Take me in!"

  This bow actually stunned the young man in a wheelchair, and it took him half a day to come back to his senses. He smiled wryly and said, "Young brother, are you trying to be under my command?"

  The second child nodded very seriously, and her expression was surprisingly solemn.

  The young man raised his face, pretending to be serious: "I don't raise people who eat white rice for nothing, everyone has a skill, take this one for example..." He pointed to a sturdy guard beside him. Then he said: "This guy can be stung by hundreds of bees and won't make a sound or move."

  At this time, except for that sturdy guard, everyone else was secretly laughing, and some people were already rubbing their bellies.

  The young man in the wheelchair also wanted to laugh, but before he could make a sound, he felt a sharp pain in his chest like a knife cut. The pain spread throughout his body in an instant. In agony, he involuntarily gasped violently, and large beads of sweat hung from his face.

  The guard beside him hastily pulled out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve, opened the stopper, and poured out a brown medicinal pellet the size of a longan fruit to give to the young man.

  The young man in brocade clothes shook his head with effort, closed his eyes and took a deep breath for a moment, and his expression gradually returned to normal.

  The second child and his father were scared stiff, kneeling on the ground, not daring to breathe.

  The young man in brocade saw the fearful appearance of Erwa's father and son, and had the guard help Erwa's father up. He spoke softly to him: "Big brother, don't be afraid, I just want to chat with this child, nothing else."

  He no longer paid attention to Erwa's father's words of apology, and instead turned to Erwa and said: "You'd better say something, what skills do you have to eat at my place?"

  At the sound of this, Er Ni suddenly forgot her fear and thought hard for a moment before finally sighing: "I'm good at remembering things, but I don't have any other special skills."

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  Today is Qixi Festival, wishing all readers a happy holiday. Happy holiday next year for those who are still single.