Chapter 5: The Gate of the Tiger Son

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  Out of the blue, there was an extra younger sister with the same mother, and Qin Mubai, who used to be an only child, naturally felt happy. Looking at this little girl's lively, clever, joyful and carefree appearance, her heart involuntarily surged with a desire to protect and love her.

  "Third brother, quickly try the little sister's handmade xiaotian su, hehe!" Qin Shuang'er happily ran over and knelt down on the other side of the table, putting down a plate of rice ball-like things, saying excitedly and proudly, "Quickly try it, I made it for a long time!"

  Liu smiled with her eyes narrowed, and said: "Third Brother, Fourth Sister heard that you're coming back, she stayed up all night to learn cooking skills from the chef in the mansion... Hmm, try some quickly!"

  "Studying all night?" Qin Mu Bai smiled, picked up a piece of "rice ball" and carefully observed it. It seemed to be some kind of minced meat mixed with rice and steamed together; he sniffed it and found it had the fragrance of chicken, but also a hint of... mutton's gaminess.

  It doesn't smell so good...

  "Hurry up and eat, hehe!" Qin Shuang'er blinked her big, bright eyes, looking at Qin Mu Bai with utmost anticipation.

  It was a pity to disappoint his sister's good intentions, so Qin Mubai smiled slightly and put the meat into his mouth. As soon as it entered his mouth, he felt a strange and unpleasant taste, the mutton's gamey smell was even more pungent, and his good appetite instantly turned into nothingness, his eyebrows furrowed, and he almost had an urge to spit it out on the spot.

  This is probably the worst-tasting thing I've had in two lifetimes!

  "Wow, what's with that expression?!" Qin Shuang'er got angry, puffed out her cheeks and stared with round eyes in protest, "Is it hard to eat? Is it hard to eat?"

  Qin Mubai smiled wryly and glanced at his mother, shaking his head to indicate "it's not bad", then resolutely swallowed the thing in his mouth.

  He immediately grabbed a cup of wine and swallowed it down to cover up the strange taste in his mouth, and smiled: "Fourth sister's craftsmanship is really good, the flavor is very good."

  "Haha, I knew it! I'm the genius girl of our Qin family, the future number one chef in the world!" Qin Frost joyfully raised her fist and cheered, then personally picked up a whole piece of meat and put it into Qin Mu Bai's bowl. She smiled sweetly and said softly, "Third brother, eat all of this quickly! Mom and I almost died thinking about you for three years while you were away in the army. It must have been very hard? Now that you're back home, eat more to nourish yourself - from now on, little sister will make delicious food for you every day!"

  "Uh..." Qin Mubai's expression was somewhat stiff as he forced a smile and nodded.

  "Alright little sister, look at you all covered in oil stains, go clean up quickly. You can have dinner with your third brother and me." Liu intervened to help Qin Mu Bai out of the situation.

  "Great!" Qin Shuang'er scrambled to her feet and ran out the door, sticking her head back in with a smile, "Third Brother, little sister will make some snacks for you tonight!"

  "Good, good..." Qin Mu Bai looked at the back of his little sister and burst out laughing, feeling a warmth in his heart.

  "Alright, Sanlang, don't eat this small pastry anymore. Take the four pieces of fabric as a token of our intention." Liu said with a smile, "Now that you're back, rest and stay for a while. Your father's body is getting weaker by the day, as his son, you should be more filial and take care of him by his sickbed."

  Qin Mubai nodded and asked, "Mother, Father was a great hero who rode his horse and wielded his spear across the land, his name renowned throughout the ages. How could he have ended up like this at just 40 or 50 years old?"

  "Alas..." Liu sighed softly, her face filled with worry as she shook her head and said, "Your father often says that a man should be willing to die in battle, so when fighting breaks out, he always charges forward first. He joined the army at a young age and spent over 20 years on horseback, traversing mountains of knives and seas of fire. He has fought in countless battles, with over 200 fierce battles that can be counted, and his body is almost entirely covered in scars, with broken bones and bloodshed being a normal occurrence for him. As people get older, their energy and spirit are damaged, so it's no wonder he's plagued by illness now. Furthermore, your father has always been proud and stubborn, refusing to admit defeat or acknowledge his age... Ah, it's truly hard to put into words!"

  "Mother, you don't have to worry too much." Seeing his mother's anxious appearance, Qin Mu Bai didn't feel good in his heart, so he comforted her for a while and finally made her turn from anxiety to peace.

  "It's great to see you're so filial and sensible now, it makes me happy as your mother, and I'm sure your father is also relieved in his heart." Liu said with a faint smile, wiping away her tears.

  After dinner, Liu and Qin Xue'er accompanied Qin Mu Bai to stroll around their own mansion, chatting about family matters with a different flavor. Father Qin Shu Bao never reappeared, and Qin Mu Bai didn't want to disturb his tranquility either. As for those two elder half-brothers, they also hadn't returned yet.

  According to my mother, both of my elder brothers have already established their own families and live in Chang'an. My eldest brother, Qin Tong, is currently serving as the Left Lieutenant General of the Imperial Guard, responsible for guarding the imperial palace; my second brother, Qin Bin, is a scholar who serves as an academician at the Imperial Academy, responsible for compiling and revising official documents, and is also a member of the emperor's think tank.

  The two elder brothers would come to visit their father every now and then, and when they did, they could gather together.

  Qin Mubai thought to herself, it seems that the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children is really big. According to the current custom of the Tang Dynasty court, "the eldest son inherits the title, the second son marries the main wife", which means that Qin Tong, the eldest son of the Qin family, will inherit the title of the Qin family in the future, and he is already a fifth-grade general of the Imperial Forest Army. Although his official position is not too high, he is still young and has a bright future; Second brother Qin Bin has already started a family, because he got married early, so he didn't have a chance to marry into the royal family and marry a princess or a county lord's daughter. The family business of the Qin family will also be divided between the two legitimate sons in the future.

  As for Qin Mubai and Fourth Sister who will be getting married later... it seems like they won't have a turn.

  At this point, Qin Mubai smiled slightly, thinking that it's better to be content with what one has!

  What if I crossed into a stray cat or dog, or a disabled person in the countryside? The current situation is already considered not bad, at least there is the halo of Old Man Qin Shubao.

  "The road is under your feet, go and walk it yourself."

  Qin Mubai had always believed in this motto. As for those internal struggles and disputes over property, let them go to hell.

  Three days have passed.

  Qin Mubai saw his father a countable number of times. Except for the daily morning and evening greetings, Qin Shubo was rarely seen by anyone else. The interactions between them were also mechanical and formulaic, with only a few words exchanged. Fortunately, there was Liu Shi and Fourth Sister Xiang'er to keep him company, otherwise Qin Mubai would have felt that he didn't belong in this family.

  That night, the two elder brothers made an appointment to return home together to visit their ailing father. The three of them chatted in the inner hall and then came to the polo field in the backyard, but did not invite Qin Mubai.

  "Third Brother, come quickly! Father is going to test the martial arts skills of your two elder brothers!" Fourth Sister Frosty dragged Qin Mu Bai away without giving him a chance to explain, heading towards the horseball court.

  Qin Mubai didn't mind and count, and went to the backyard with Si Mei with a smile.

  The backyard of the Qin's residence was very large, with a polo field like many other wealthy families, but the Qin family's looked more like a martial arts training ground. A row of arrow sheds and horse stables, eighteen types of weapons were on display.

  Qin Shubao sat half-reclined in a large leather armchair, his hair and beard fluttering lightly, his eyes slightly narrowed, with an air of effortless majesty on his pale face.

  A tiger may be old, but its power remains undiminished!

  On the martial arts training ground, two young men wearing martial arts attire were practicing horse riding at a gallop, their movements swift and agile, exuding an air of bold and unrestrained martial elegance.

  "Unexpectedly, Wen's second brother also has such a good riding skill, he is indeed the tiger cub of the Qin family!" Qin Mu Bai thought to himself.

  Seeing Qin Mubai and Qin Shuang'er arrive, Qin Shubao slightly raised his eyelids but remained unmoved. Qin Shuang'er happily ran to his side and called out in a clear voice "Father", then knelt beside him and gently patted his leg.

  "Four little ones are well-behaved." Qin Shubao rarely smiled slightly, his rough big hand gently patted Qin Xueer's head, and then withdrew back into the thick fur coat.

  Qin Mubai stepped forward and bowed, then stood aside to quietly observe the horsemanship of his two elder brothers.

  "Sanlang, have you gained strength from your three years in the army?" Suddenly, Qin Shubao spoke out these words.

  Qin Mubai's heart slightly stirred: If he wasn't mistaken, this was the first time his father had taken the initiative to talk to him in days.

  "In response to Father's words, after I joined the army, I worked hard to reform myself and diligently studied martial arts, and it can be said that I have made some progress." Qin Mubai replied with a bow.

  "Hmm... Fourth Young Master, go and call your two elder brothers."

  Qin Shuang'er ran to call for help, and soon Qin Tong and Qin Bin both rode back on horseback, coming together to pay their respects in front of Qin Shu Bao. Qin Mu Bai took a close look at her two half-brothers, with the eldest brother Qin Tong being exceptionally tall and robust, almost comparable to Yuwen Hongtai; he had an air of a natural-born warrior. The second brother Qin Bin, although from a literary background, also had a well-built physique, standing upright like a spear.

  The three brothers also exchanged greetings, the Tang Dynasty attaches great importance to filial piety and fraternal duty, the elder brother is like a father, as the younger brother Qin Mubai faces his two older brothers must be treated with the same respect as an elder, etiquette cannot be neglected in the slightest.

  Instead, the two elder brothers who had already established their careers seemed less enthusiastic about Qin Mubai, this younger half-brother born of a different mother. Although they were polite, there was a hint of coldness and disdain in their attitude, as if they looked down on him and kept him at arm's length.

  "My Qin family is a martial arts family. No matter what you do in the future, you must not lose your martial skills." Qin Shubao's calm tone exuded infinite majesty, making his three sons and daughter dare not breathe loudly. He said lightly, "I have taught each of my three sons one of our family's ultimate techniques: Eldest son learned spear, Second son learned fist, Third son learned gun. Only archery is something all three of you have been practicing since childhood. In the Great Tang Dynasty, martial arts are not just for military families to practice archery; even scholars and literati must study archery as one of the six arts. Even many women can ride horses and shoot arrows."

  Qin Shuang'er gently patted Qin Shubao's leg, giggling and saying: "Daddy, I can also shoot arrows with a bow, will I be able to become a general in the future?"

  "Don't be naughty." Qin Shubao smiled lightly and patted her head, Danfeng Changyan slightly closed his eyes and said, "It's rare for the three brothers to gather together. Today, I'll test your archery skills as your father."

  "Yes, Father!" The three brothers bowed in unison.

  Qin Mubai clearly felt that his father, two older brothers and younger sister had intentionally or unintentionally cast their eyes on him.

  The meanings of which are all different.

  .??，！