146 – On the Road to the Capital

Manman faced his Gege with an unusual dependency and gave him a sweet smile, “Gege, I want birds.”

“When we stop, let Old Dad catch [them].” Yuanyuan looked back at Lei Tie with inquiring eyes.

Lei Tie nodded.

Qin Mian had seen the way his family’s big poker-face and small poker-face communicated with each other countless times, but he still couldn’t refrain from smiling. It was a pity that there was an outsider, otherwise, he would definitely pounce on them and kiss them.

When Lei Xiangzhi noticed the tender expression in Qin Mian’s eyes as he looked at Lei Tie, Yuanyuan, and Manman, his eyes were filled with happiness and joy. All of a sudden, he felt embarrassed, thinking that he was hindering the family of four.

He found a topic of conversation, “Eldest Sister-in-law, I can see that Yuanyuan and Manman are very smart. I’ll be perfectly satisfied if Chongchong¹ can be half as good as them in the future.” Chongchong was his and Li Shi’s son, only two months old.

“Fifth Brother, you’re the future palace graduate; how can your son be lacking?” joked Qin Mian.

Lei Xiangzhi laughed and cupped his hands in obeisance as he said, “Thank you for your blessing words.”

Qin Mian took out a book from the drawer and handed it to him, “For you to pass the time. But the two little boys are very noisy, I’m afraid you can’t enjoy reading it.”

“No.” Lei Xiangzhi received the book, “Children should be lively.”

Near noon, the entourage arrived in Zhaoyang County. Huo Sirui, Bu Qingyun, Zhao Tianhe, and Qu Zongwen were all present. Bu Qingyun gave everyone an introduction. Among them, an escort surnamed Zhang had been to the Capital several times and could lead the way at the front of the procession, which was convenient to arrange the daily course of the journey reasonably, lest they missed the lodging place.

Qin Mian opened his mouth and said, “Well, find a wine house first and let A-Tie treat us all to a meal.”

Bu Qingyun hurriedly said, “Eldest Sister-in-law, I heard from Xiangzhi that you and Eldest Brother especially advance your schedule for us. It should be us that treat you and Eldest Brother to a meal.”

Qin Mian shook his head with a smile. “No hurry. When you all become palace graduates, treat us to a meal. By that time, our family of four will be very happy to be in your light.”

Hearing what he said, Huo Sirui and the others had to give up. Hence, Lei Tie treated them to lunch.

The group of people had lunch in the county. While at it, they bought some dried food before setting out to the north. The group added up to four carriages and nearly 20 people; the procession was not small.

After Lei Xiangzhi went to Huo Sirui’s carriage, Qin Mian’s group of four people and a wolf were much more at ease. Qin Mian and Lei Tie gently rubbed Yuanyuan and Manman’s stomachs to aid digestion. The two little boys were so comfortable in their fathers’ arms that they hummed.

Qin Mian and Lei Tie played with the two children for a while before putting the bed together and let the children take a nap. Owing to the carriage’s special “tires”, it didn’t jolt even though the road was not very smooth. The two little boys slept very well.

Qin Mian took off his shoes and climbed the bed, lazily leaning against Lei Tie’s chest.

As soon as Lei Tie placed his hand on Qin Mian’s abdomen, Qin Mian shrunk away, “What are you doing?”

“Rub, help digestion.” Lei Tie said it with a poker-face, but his big palm went into Qin Mian’s lapel and ambiguously drew a circle on Qin Mian’s waist.

Qin Mian took out his hand and held it tightly to keep it from moving. He said with a severe countenance, “A-Tie, don’t look down upon White Spot.”

White Spot unenthusiastically looked at them.

Lei Tie incomprehensibly looked at it, “[I] didn’t.”

Qin Mian patted him on the shoulder. “Have you ever heard the word ‘lecher’?² You think White Spot didn’t know what we’re doing?”

“Awoo.” White Spot nodded its head, acting as though it was taking this matter very seriously.

Lei Tie’s hand stiffened. He extinguished his intention and removed his hand before he tidied up his wife’s clothes and hugged him tightly. Then, he said in a low voice, “Sleep a while if you’re sleepy.”

Qin Mian shook his head, “Want to eat fruit.”

From the magical space, Lei Tie took out three peaches, peeled the skin, and cut it into pieces before he served it in a fruit bowl and fed it to his wife with a bamboo fork.

Yuanyuan and Manman woke up after nearly an hour’s nap. Lei Tie used warm water to wash their faces and brush their teeth.

Yuanyuan crawled to the window and looked at the strange scenery outside. “Dad, where are we going?”

“To a very interesting place. It’s very far away. It takes many days to get there. Is Yuanyuan scared?” Qin Mian prepared fruit for Yuanyuan and Manman.

Yuanyuan shook his head, “Not scared; Old Dad is here, Dad is here, and Didi is also here.”

Qin Mian curled his lips. Fine. Ever since Lei Tie had shown his “qinggong” and leaped to the top of the tree in front of Yuanyuan and Manman, even if he also leaped to the top of the tree, in Yuanyuan and Manman’s hearts, their Old Dad was still more powerful than their Dad.

“Our Yuanyuan is the best.” Qin Mian cupped the little one’s face and kissed it.

“Old Dad, I want to pee-pee.” Manman squirmed in Lei Tie’s arms.

Lei Tie opened the door, held Manman, and let him aim to the outside to pee. He looked at Yuanyuan.

Yuanyuan nodded, “Yuanyuan also wants to pee-pee.”

Manman saw that the line of the urine coming out was crooked and thought it was very interesting. Curious, he asked, “Old Dad, why is the pee crooked?”

Mouth agape, Lei Tie didn’t know how to explain it. He turned to look at Qin Mian, “Wife.”

Qin Mian sweated, “Er… The wind blows it.” How could he explain “inertia” to a kid under three years old?

“Why does it crooked when the wind blows it?” asked Manman yet again.

Yuanyuan also looked at Qin Mian, waiting for an answer.

Qin Mian sweated, “Because… The wind is stronger. Alright, Manman. You’re going to eat fruit soon, can’t talk about pee.”

Lei Tie curved lips as he served Yuanyuan and Manman.

After putting things in order, the family of four sat on the settee and ate the fruit.

At sunset, the fleet of carriages stopped in front of an old temple.

Bu Qingyun took the lead in jumping out of the carriage and ran to Qin Mian’s carriage. “Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law, in front of us is an abandoned old temple. We will rest here tonight; it might cause Yuanyuan and Manman to feel wronged.”

“It’s fine.” Qin Mian opened the door, “Qingyun, please tell the four big brothers that there is a bed in our carriage. So, we don’t have to delay the journey for the sake of Yuanyuan and Manman’s comfort. I forgot to say it before. Those four big brothers have taken a lot of trouble.”

“It’s nothing.” Bu Qingyun said with a smile, “They like Yuanyuan and Manman. Just now, they even said that the children are so cute. Eldest Sister-in-law, let me help you to get them out of the carriage—they won’t be scared, right?”

“No. Then, I’ll be troubling you.” Qin Mian handed Yuanyuan over to him.

Bu Qingyun was very happy. He carefully took Yuanyuan, put him safely on the ground, and took Manman next before he squatted down in front of them.

“Yuanyuan and Manman can call me Uncle Qingyun.”

Yuanyuan and Manman looked at Qin Mian. After getting their Dad’s nod, they both called out “Uncle Qingyun”, very cleverly.

Bu Qingyun had not married yet; he still had a childish temperament. He held both children’s hands, “Come, I’ll take you two to play.”

White Spot was like a guard, following them without haste.

On that side, the four escorts had gone to the temple to clean up. Qin Mian motioned Lei-Qin Le and the others to help.

Although the temple was old, its walls and roof were not broken, so there was no problem to shelter them. Several people broke off a few branches to make brooms and swept the temple. Lei-Qin Zhong, Lei-Qin Shun, and the two escorts picked up some branches nearby to make a fire.

Everyone took a break and settled their own dinner. In the first place, going out on a journey was not easy. Basically, people tried to prepare some good rations and made themselves eat better within their ability. For example, double-layered pancakes stuffed with meat, steamed stuffed buns, baked sesame seed-coated pancake, and so on could be eaten after they were roasted on the fire.

Qin Mian was more prepared because there were Yuanyuan and Manman around. He even brought a three-eared pot which could be tied with a rope to hang over the fire while cooking soup.

Simple vermicelli and minced meat soup sprinkled with a handful of dried scallions were very fragrant. Everyone, including the four escorts, swallowed their saliva in secret.

Qin Mian told Lei-Qin Le, “Go and bring over the fermented tofu we brought.”

“Yes, Little Master.”

Manman chimed in, “Dad, fermented tofu is delicious. Manman likes it, too.”

“En.” Qin Mian rubbed his little head.

After Lei-Qin Le brought the fermented tofu jar, Qin Mian handed it to Lei Xiangzhi and said to everyone, “If you’d like, try it. It tastes very good if you put the fermented tofu on the pancake.”

Qu Zongwen, Escort Zhang, and the others expressed their gratitude with a smile. Such a big jar of fermented tofu cost one tael; it didn’t mean that they couldn’t afford it, but it was not convenient to bring along. It was a wonderful thing to be able to taste the fermented tofu while one was traveling.

Each person had a share of half a piece of fermented tofu. They spread a thin layer on the pancake or steamed stuffed bun and took a bite. The fresh and savory taste was captivating, leading a person to endless aftertastes.

When the soup had been cooked, Qin Mian and Lei Tie began to bake pancakes. Qin Mian made the pancakes himself. He mixed in minced meat when he kneaded the dough before making the pancake. This way, the pancake would be easier to heat over the fire.

After the pancakes were done, Qin Mian’s family of four, together with Lei-Qin Le, Lei-Qin Zhong, Lei-Qin Shun, and the manservant Dashan, each had a bowl. There were only eight bowls, so the rest didn’t get a share.

Yuanyuan and Manman happily sat on their Old Dad and Dad’s thighs while being fed a mouthful of fragrant meat pancake and a mouthful of delicious soup. They were very happy.

“Old Dad, eat.” Yuanyuan grabbed Lei Tie’s hand and delivered the meat pancake to his mouth.

Lei Tie bit a small mouthful and touched his son’s head. “Old Dad will eat when Yuanyuan’s full.”

Manman learned from his Gege and let Qin Mian have a bite, “Dad, eat!”

“Alright.” Qin Mian took a bite with a smile and then continued to feed him.

A warm and loving family of four was envied by others.

That night, Lei Xiangzhi and the others unrolled their own blankets to rest in the temple. Meanwhile, Qin Mian’s family of four slept in the carriage; they had a good night’s dream.

Lei-Qin Le, Lei-Qin Zhong, Lei-Qin Shun, and Dashan were a group, while the four escorts were a group; every night, one person in each group were assigned to keep vigil in the first half of the night and another for the second half of the night. This was to ensure that all the scholars could have a good rest. On top of that, there was a magical wolf, so everyone was sleeping at ease.

After dawn, Lei Xiangzhi and the others were more or less suffering from backache. Upon seeing Qin Mian’s family of four came down from the carriage neatly dressed and energetic, they were envious.

Yuanyuan and Manman greeted good morning to the uncles one by one. The large group of people liked the two little boys even more.

While Lei Tie prepared breakfast, Yuanyuan and Manman followed Qin Mian to do morning exercises.

Lei Xiangzhi and the others watched the two little boys doing exercises while moving their muscles and bones. Being raptured over it, they called the boys adorable.

After a simple breakfast, the group continued on their way while the weather was fine.

When all was said and done, it was inconvenient to have outsiders around. Qin Mian had expected this for a long time, so he prepared a lot of snacks in the space, such as small steamed meat-filled dumplings, steamed dumplings, glutinous rice rolls, and so on. He pretended to take them out of the cabinet and put them on the table to give “preferential treatment” to the family of four.

The boys were still too young; for fear they would make a slip of tongue, Qin Mian didn’t tell them about the existence of the magical space for the time being.

Lei Tie used his vital energy to heat the food, and the family of four pleasingly enjoyed it.

White Spot also did; Qin Mian had specially made dried meat for it to eat.

It began to rain in the afternoon, but it didn’t rain much. The procession continued the journey. They had been on the road for five days and it rained for five days. Yuanyuan and Manman were a little sullen. Qin Mian and Lei Tie had racked their brains to play new games with the boys. When they thought that they were about to run out of inspiration soon, the sky finally cleared up.

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