[Three] Autumn wind rises

  Things didn't turn out as Liu Wei had expected, and the Han family didn't look at Xiao Wu with different eyes from then on. The couple still lived a hardworking life, rising with the sun and resting with the sunset, their days were no different from before.

  Time flies like an arrow, and the harvest season has arrived. The earth is a vast expanse of golden yellow, and the fields are filled with busy figures. However, for most tenant farmers who live in debt, the grain has not yet left the ground, and the silk has not yet been taken off the loom, but more than half of it already belongs to others.

  At noon, Liu Lian carried a willow basket to deliver lunch to her husband. The autumn sun was still very poisonous, she wore a hood, walked with lotus steps, and swayed her willow waist. The bitter and hard life of a village woman did not leave any marks on her. Her hands and face exposed outside were as white and tender as before. If it weren't for the fact that she was wearing coarse linen clothes, no one would believe that she was a rural woman. No wonder the tenant farmers all envied Xiao Wu for finding a virtuous and beautiful wife.

  She arrived at the field, but didn't see her husband's shadow. Liu asked the villagers across the field in surprise and only then did she know that Xiao Wu had been called away by the master of the house. Harvesting was a top priority for farming families, so she immediately put down her basket, quickly picked up the sickle her husband had discarded, and took over his unfinished farm work.

  The sun sets behind the western hills, and men and women in the fields gather their tools and head home. Liu Bi also returns home to cook dinner. The sky is already very dark, and seeing that her husband has not yet returned, she loses her appetite, takes a few distracted bites, and anxiously wonders what's going on.

  At last, the sound of the gate opening was heard, and Liu Wei hurried forward to greet him. Her husband walked into the house with a expressionless face. As a couple for so long, Liu Wei naturally understood Xiao Wu's temperament and knew that there must be something important, so she carefully served him porridge and handed him chopsticks: "Husband, are you hungry? Eat quickly."

  Xiao Wu remained silent, sitting down at the table with a plop, holding his bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, devouring his food. Liu Bi sat across from him, not asking any questions, but instead gazing softly at her husband as he ate and drank.

  "Mr. Han wants me to go out with the housekeeper!" Xiaowu quickly finished his meal, put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and told this rather important news to Junjia.

  "Ah?" Liu Wei rushed over, clapping his hands excitedly, "This is great news, it means that Lord Han holds you in high regard."

  "I haven't agreed yet." Xiao Wu said with a hum, this kind of errand would be sought after by others, but he had his own concerns.

  "Why?" Liu Wei was somewhat displeased, although it is said that women do not ask about external affairs, but how could she be one year older than her husband and yet need to advise him, "If you were to openly punish Han Xiang, would there still be a place for us as a couple in Anyang?"

  "Is Lord Han a narrow-minded person? In fact, I also want to go, but this trip will take about ten days, and the farm work is heavy, isn't it tiring. Moreover, leaving you alone at home, I..." Xiaowu lowered his head and said half of the sentence with a twisted expression.

  "Oh, so you're reluctant to part with me...” Liu Wei's scolding turned into a smile as she used her chopsticks to poke her husband's head across the table. "Foolish, I'm such a big person, can't take care of myself? Besides, you're working for Master's household, no one dares to make things difficult for me."

  Xiao Wu's face turned bright red, he was not good at speaking, since marrying Liu Li, the more he loved her, the more he felt indebted to her, always feeling that he had a good skill but couldn't serve the country, take care of his parents or provide for his family, really couldn't be considered a good husband.

  This time, Han Zhi's state's request was not convenient to refuse, but Xiao Wu thought that he would have to leave home for a long time, and his family's young and beautiful daughter-in-law made him feel a bit uneasy. However, Liu Lian's words finally made up his mind: "Since it's like this, my wife, I'll go and accept the appointment tomorrow."

  It was soon time to set off, and before dawn broke, Liu Li helped her husband pack his luggage, then helped him put on his warrior's short robe. She couldn't bear to part with him, and holding onto him, she cried until she became a tearful person. After all, since they got married, the young couple had never been apart for even a day.

  Xiao Wu's iron bones were soft, and he couldn't bear to part with his family. He quietly curled up his index finger to wipe away the wet corners of his eyes, without saying a word, resolutely slung his bag over his shoulder, hung his bow and arrow, shouldered his iron spear, turned around and left, throwing back a distant voice: "Farewell, my wife!"

  "Be careful on the road..." Liu Wei's eyes were brimming with tears as she chased after him to the door, watching her husband's departing figure. Her heart felt like it had been suddenly emptied, and she leaned weakly against the gate.

  Walking on the narrow path between the fields at dawn, the tenant farmers who got up early to work all greeted Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu occasionally clasped his fists in farewell, with a sense of a general going into battle. When he arrived at the Qing Shi Street, the sky was already bright, and he stopped in his tracks, looking back once more, but saw only the beautiful mountains and rivers, the misty villages, and a surge of heroic emotions rose up in his chest, casting aside his lingering thoughts, he strode forward, heading towards the Jin Tang Hall.

  At this moment, outside the gate of Hu Jin Tang, a group of people were preparing their carriages and horses, and according to custom, they were making offerings to the gods before departure, which was called Zu Dao. Several idle men gathered on one side to watch, all knowing that the inner courtyard of Han Fu had received three-grade robes bestowed by the current emperor, serving as the envoy for the birthday of the Khitan national master, and was now departing from the capital. Han Zhizhou had specially prepared several carriages of Xiangzhou local goods for his son's use on his mission.

  The Song and Liao countries have been allies since the Treaty of Chanyuan, and it has been over a hundred years now. Although there have been some frictions during this period, peace has always been the main theme. Every year, both sides send envoys to each other's courts to exchange greetings and gifts, and the carriages never stop coming and going. According to convention, when Song or Liao envoys enter the border of the other country, they present local specialties as gifts to the local officials along the way.

  As it was not worth much, local goods, and he wasn't worried about robbers, Governor Han only ordered his steward, Han Han, to supervise the escort, with two guards, plus Yue Wu, so they should be safe on the road.

  "Household is safe!" Little Wu arrived on time, put down his luggage, inverted the gun tip, and bowed to greet.

  "Yue Wu, you were originally a tenant farmer, but thanks to the kindness of Master Xiang, you became an attendant. On the road, just listen to my orders and don't lose your manners." Han Han, wearing a purple cool shirt, inserted a small flower next to his soft shoes, his chubby face shaking with a forced smile.

  "The little man followed the housekeeper's orders." Xiao Wu was naturally calm and composed, although he had no good feelings towards this arrogant guy in his heart, but on the surface, there was not a hint of it. He responded with a sound, picked up his luggage, and walked towards the mule cart.

  "Brother Wu, Brother Wu!" The two escorts who were traveling with him had seen Xiao Wu's bravery and martial arts skills that day, and they spontaneously clasped their fists in respect, feeling a lot more at ease.

  The sun rises high, the journey is urgent, the leading car driver cracks his whip and shouts loudly, three heavily loaded mule carts set off on their way north. According to plan, the group will arrive at Baigou, the boundary between Song and Liao, in five days, where they will meet up with Han Xiao's delegation and hand over the goods before returning.

  According to the steward's instructions, two guards sat in the last two carriages to escort the goods. Xiao Wu, who was responsible for leading the way, should have been sitting in the first carriage, but he disliked the slow pace of the carriage and jumped down, walking quickly alongside, as if exercising his legs. Han Han rode a thin horse at the end, his massive body making one worry that the horse would be crushed under him.

  The Song people were short of horses and regularly spent a huge amount of money to buy horses from neighboring countries, Dali and Western Xia. The horses were divided into fifteen grades, with the first twelve grades used as war horses, and the last three grades, which were weak and not suitable for armor, used as postal relay horses. Although wealthy households kept many horses for transportation, it was difficult to buy good horses. As for animal-powered vehicles, they mainly used cattle, donkeys, and mules.

  Out of the county town, turn onto the wide official road, and a stone arch stands in front, with the inscription "The humble avoid the noble, the young avoid the old, the light avoid the heavy, and those who leave avoid those who come". Unlike the streets in the city which are paved with bricks and stones, the official roads are all dirt roads. Although there are willows and elms on both sides, they cannot block the autumn wind that blows up sand and dust to hit one's face. Xiao Wu has had a sandy eye disease since childhood, and it is hard for him to bear it at this moment, so he jumps onto the mule cart.

  "Forward!" Han Han suddenly regained his energy, whipped the horse and rushed to the front. As it turned out, although he was the steward of the Han Manor, he had been buried in trivial matters all day long and rarely went on a distant trip.

  It was the busy farming season, and except for the occasional postal courier on horseback, there were few travelers on the official road. By noon, the boundary marker indicated that they had left Xiangzhou. Xiao Wu, who had never been away from home before, couldn't help but look around curiously at the unfamiliar scenery. As far as the eye could see, the land was vast and sparsely populated, with wild geese flying over barren hills and solitary foxes roaming the desolate terrain, presenting a bleak and desolate autumn landscape.

  The ancients said, "As long as parents are alive, one should not travel far." Xiaowu suddenly thought of his elderly parents in their hometown of Tangyin County, with grey hair and a worn face. As the eldest son, he couldn't stay by their side to support and care for them, which made him feel unfilial. His heart felt a pang of sadness, and he secretly vowed to make a name for himself and repay his parents' kindness in raising him.

  After hurrying along the road for half a day, everyone's stomachs were growling with hunger. The fat one couldn't bear his hunger any longer. Han Han saw a rest stop with food stalls in the distance and shouted: "Everyone hurry up, there's a place to rest and eat ahead!"

  According to the Song system, every 20 li of official roads had a horse station with a resting horse pavilion, where civilians could operate food and drink businesses; every 60 li had an official inn affiliated with various provincial government offices, providing food and lodging for officials on business trips.

  "Guests have arrived!" The young shopkeeper, who was guarding the quiet restaurant, had already seen this group of people and horses from a distance, and he eagerly came forward to greet them. "Honorable guests, please come in quickly! Our small store has freshly cooked excellent braised beef, as well as fragrant scallion pancakes."

  "Don't forget to feed the mules." Han Han instructed, pacing in official steps, leading the way into the main hall. He occupied a table by himself, first ordering a plate of braised beef, a dish of peanuts, and a jug of yellow wine. For the other table, he ordered a bowl of congee and a meat bun for each of the five people: Xiao Wu, the two bodyguards, and the three cart drivers.

  Xiao Wu rarely got to eat meat buns, and with hot congee, he wolfed down a few mouthfuls, but still didn't feel full. He was too embarrassed to ask for more, while the others at the table were eating slowly and leisurely.

  With a full belly and a loud belch, Han Han called over the servant to pay the bill. As he stood up, he stumbled slightly, realizing he had drunk too much. His small eyes, sunken in his meaty face, scanned the room before landing on Xiao Wu: "Xiao Wu, I think highly of you as my steward. You can temporarily take over this task."

  Xiao Wu nodded, secretly delighted in his heart. It is well known that the standard for measuring a martial artist's strengths and weaknesses lies in their horsemanship and archery skills. His marksmanship had already shown some accomplishments, but his riding skills were still somewhat unrefined, due to the fact that he had no horse to practice with.

  He helped Fat Gan to the rear car, where he rested in the top compartment. Xiao Wu returned to his horse, feeling as comfortable as a fish in water. He cracked the whip and shouted loudly: "Everyone set off!"

  To fulfill his duty as a supervisor and also to practice horse riding, Xiao Wu rode a lean horse back and forth on the empty official road, wielding an iron spear and fighting with imaginary enemies in his mind.

  It is said that the imaginary enemy of the Song people should be the Western Xia people who have been fighting for many years, but because of the sixteen states of Yan and Yun, they are more hostile to the friendly country of Liao. Xiao Wu also cannot escape the custom, fantasizing about himself waging a great war with the Liao people to recover his ancestors' land.

  The key to horseback archery is completely different from infantry combat, mainly focusing on charging and breaking through the enemy lines. In a single charge, one must face countless enemies and require killing them under the horse's hooves at first sight, unlike infantry combat where one engages in a prolonged fight with the enemy until death.

  Xiao Wu's marksmanship was also taught by Zhou Cong, but Zhou Cong's specialty was archery, and his marksmanship was just average. It wasn't until Xiao Wu encountered a real master that he understood this.

  Just as he was about to shoot, a faint sound of a girl's soft laughter suddenly came from beside his ear. Xiaowu immediately put away his gun and pulled the reins, vigilantly looking around in all directions. However, he saw no one else on the official road that stretched out before him like a straight line to the sky, nor were there any figures in the desolate hills and wild fields on either side. Had he misheard? Xiaowu shook his head. As an archer, what was most important was eyesight and hearing, and he believed he hadn't misheard. Could it be that some powerful person had caught up with him from a shortcut?

  Although Xiao Wu was born into a farming family, he had great ambitions from an early age. He loved to read ancient books and study military tactics. As a result, when faced with unexpected events, he remained calm and composed. With a nonchalant air, he continued to engage in the intense battle, like a child engrossed in a game, but his ears perked up, catching any possible unusual sounds.

  When Xiao Wu rode along the horse team from head to tail again, he heard a low laugh. This time he listened carefully, and the laughter clearly came from the middle mule cart. He was secretly shocked in his heart, could it be that the strong man had taken advantage of the rest just now to get on the car?

  "Everyone, stop the car, there's a thief!" Xiao Wu acted decisively, taking the initiative before the strong man could launch an attack. He drew his bow and arrow, pointing directly at the carriage where the voice came from. "Halt, you bold thief! Dare to move the national envoy's gifts? Come out immediately, or I'll shoot you through the heart!"

  The two guards saw that Xiao Wu was not joking and immediately tensed up, raising their knives and guns to block the other two carriages. The coachmen also reacted quickly, jumping down from the carriages and crouching down by the roadside ditch, which was overflowing with rainwater, to avoid being mistakenly injured.

  "Ah! Are there thieves? Where, where?" Han Han, who was lying on the top of the last car, rolled down like a meatball, not even caring that his hat had fallen off. Jiu, who had been woken up by the commotion, trembled with fear and hid behind Xiao Wu's horse, asking in a shaky voice.

  "Chou Yue Wu, just give me a chicken feather as a token. You're the one who's shooting, and you're sticking your head out to let me shoot!" Along with a crisp and clear voice, a green-shirted young girl with a cloud-like hairdo and an enchanting smile poked her head out of the carriage - if it wasn't Han Jiu'er, the most favored little ancestor of the Han family, who else could it be?

  " Ninth Sister?" "My little aunt!" Xiao Wu and the housekeeper almost shouted in unison, Hanhan cried out in distress, "Little aunt, what are you doing running around here? What if something happens to you, won't Master have my head on a platter? No way, I'll take you back to the manor."

  "Take me back to the mansion? This coming and going will delay a whole day, aren't you afraid of delaying my father's important mission, aren't you afraid that the imperial court will want your head?" Han Jiu'er mischievously narrowed her eyes, leaning lazily against the carriage door, she had calculated the timing before daring to appear.

  "This...". How could Hanhan be a match for the eccentric and cunning Jiuniang? He thought to himself that he really couldn't bear this responsibility, and was at a loss for what to do. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead, thinking he had come up with a plan, "I've got it! Yuewu, you quickly send Jiuniang back to her manor on horseback, then hurry back here tonight and meet us at the post house where we're staying overnight. This way, neither of us will be delayed!"

  "Ah!" Xiao Wu responded with a sound, turned over and got off his horse, just about to go forward to "invite" Han Jiu'er to get out of the carriage.

  "How dare you!" This idea was indeed good, exciting Han Jiu'er to jump up at once, standing on the driver's seat and stomping her small leather boots, her eyebrows raised upside down. "You've turned against me! Who is the master and who is the slave? At present, of course, it's I, Ninth Miss, who has the final say. Hurry up and set off!"

  " Ninth Sister, stop messing around!" Xiao Wu took a step forward and stood in front of the carriage seat to prevent Han Jiu'er from falling off, then turned his head to look at the steward, waiting for him to speak.

  Han Han was a bit afraid of offending this little ancestor, beads of sweat seeped out from his forehead, his two small eyes rolled around, grasping the risk of taking Han Jiu on the road, calculating that it would take only four days to reach Baigou, and with Yue Wu's good martial arts skills escorting them, they wouldn't encounter any mishaps, as long as they met the big official, this little girl would surely listen obediently.

  "Yue Wu, you're in charge of guarding the middle car and taking care of Ninth Miss. If anything goes wrong, it's on your head." Han Han finally made up his mind.

  "Han Er Bo Bo, it's still you who loves me." Han Jiu Er suddenly smiled and laughed, promoting the housekeeper from Dog Cai to Bo Bo. She then made a silly face at Xiao Wu and sweetly said, "Wu Ge, thank you."

  "Alright, alright!" Xiao Wu responded with his mouth, but his head suddenly became big. Being a convoy for the car team was no problem, but how to take care of a little girl?

  "It was a false alarm, let's hurry up and get on the road." With the master present, Han Han didn't dare to be too arrogant, his tone towards everyone was much softer.

  "Hold on, Fifth Brother... come and talk." Han Jiu'er suddenly washed away her previous coquettishness, twisted and turned to call Little Five over, wanting to say something but hesitating, whispering a few sentences in his ear.

  "Ah……" Xiao Wu's face turned bright red, he hadn't expected that taking care of Han Jiuer would also include this. He turned to the housekeeper, not knowing how to bring it up, and couldn't very well say in front of everyone that he had to accompany Ninth Miss to relieve herself, sighing that bringing a woman on the road was really inconvenient.

  "Jiuniang told you to do something, just do it, no need to ask me. Everyone is waiting by the car." Hanhan, being a capable and resourceful housekeeper, noticed Jiuniang's embarrassment and helped cover for her.

  "Brother Five, help your own family member down from the carriage." Han Jiu'er also looked half shy and half proud, using Xiao Wu's arm to jump down from the carriage, pointing to a small mound not far away, "Follow me over there."

  The roadside ditch was deep and the weeds were lush, Xiao Wu had to open the way with his feet, while holding Han Jiu'er's slender hand to prevent her from falling or being pierced by the sharp grass.

  The first time he met Han Jiu'er, Xiao Wu was also moved by her soft and boneless small hands. Although the daughter-in-law at home was delicate and beautiful, she was after all the daughter of a humble family and had to take care of household chores, her hands couldn't compare with those of a noble lady... Fortunately, they were already on the mound, Xiao Wu's forehead was sweating, not because he was tired.

  "Brother Wu, take care of me." Usually the daughter's family, born with a fear of the wilderness, fortunately Han Jiu'er has an unspeakable sense of security towards this Brother Wu who saved her life, and after instructing him, she lightly moved her lotus steps to turn behind the stack, neither daring to get too far away from his protection nor too close to be heard by him.

  Xiao Wu's hearing was far superior to that of ordinary people, how could he not hear Han Jiu'er's soft and gentle voice as she undressed? Although he had a family, he was after all a young man with a strong temperament, facing an exquisite beauty who was yet to blossom. To say that his heart was free from distractions would be false, the only thing he kept repeating silently to himself was: "Do not listen to what is improper, do not listen to what is improper..."