Chapter 2 Home

  What's fun?

  Liu Yanzhao was stunned for a moment, and he was no longer the Liu Sixiang of before. How could he still remember to bring some fun things for Ba Mei?

  Qilang Liu Yanyi heard what Bajie said and also looked over, seemingly very curious about the things Liu Yanzhao was carrying, with a hint of longing in his eyes.

  Liu Yanzhao was stunned, he inexplicably crossed over and didn't know about these things. His hands subconsciously reached for his chest, but felt something in his bosom.

  He hastily took it out, but it was a small bundle wrapped in white cloth. When he opened it, two exquisite little ceramic people appeared before Liu Yanzhao's eyes.

  He had actually bought them long ago, but when he was getting used to the armor, he temporarily forgot about these two small things in his bosom. Moreover, Liu Yanzhao at present still wasn't accustomed to putting things into his bosom.

  "It's really beautiful, thank you Six Brother!"

  The happy little girl immediately rushed forward and took the small ceramic doll from Liu Yanzhao's hand, leaving the doll wearing a skirt to herself, while the other one wearing armor was handed over to Qi Lang.

  "Hey, Seventh Brother, every time Sixth Brother brings you some, it's all because of Little Fish's sake."

  Liu Yanyi, still with a childish look on his face, took the ceramic figurine and bowed to Ba Mei, "Thanks, Seventh Brother has thanked you."

  This made Eighth Sister Liu Yankui feel quite pleased, putting on a mature air and stretching out her small hand to wave it around. "Seventh Brother doesn't have to be so polite, we're siblings, why be so formal?"

  The lively scene warmed Liu Yanzhao's heart. In his previous life, he was just a nerd who had no siblings or friends. Now, he could finally experience the warmth of sibling love that ordinary people often talked about, which moved his heartstrings.

  This feels so good.

  Just as Liu Yan Zhao was sighing, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps behind him. He turned his head and saw old steward Liu He Zheng accompanying several women walking towards him.

  Is this really Yangmen's female general?

  Liu Yanzhao's heart rate accelerated imperceptibly, staring at them for a few moments. The long shirt and short skirt, the hair bun on her head, all of this was consistent with the costumes he had seen in ancient dramas.

  Suddenly, Liu Yanzhao remembered something and quickly fixed his gaze on their feet. After a while, he let out a sigh of relief, fortunately, they didn't have bound feet.

  Ancient people considered foot binding to be beautiful, but they didn't know the abnormality within it. He had only seen pictures before and felt extremely nauseous; if he were to encounter it in real life, he feared his whole body would break out in goosebumps.

  "Older sister, first sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, third sister-in-law!"

  At the moment when Liu Yanzhao was stunned, Eighth Sister and Seventh Lang had already walked forward and saluted the newcomer. At this time, even if he was still confused, he understood that he should also go forward to salute, otherwise he would reveal his flaws and have a bad start on his first day in the mansion.

  "Sixth Brother has seen the mother and several sisters-in-law," Liu Yanzhao said in a low voice, imitating Xiaoyu and the others, his eyes darting to Liu He behind them, who nodded slightly in response.

  It was just this small action that changed the gaze of several women, and Dalang's wife and three others looked at each other, then all turned to look at the old lady who had not spoken, Cuishan Flower.

  This atmosphere made Liu Yanzhao a bit nervous, as people all say that children are their mother's heart and soul, and Zuo Saihua is Liu Liu's own mother. If there was anything off about him, how could it escape her eyes?

  At the time when Liu Yanzhao was too afraid to come out, he saw Zhe Saihua stretch out his hand and pat Ba Mei, "Xiaoyu, your sixth brother just came back, why did you come to disturb him? Did you finish today's homework?"

  Liu Yankui, who was still full of smiles, immediately lowered his head when asked this way. However, after a moment, he puffed out his chest and pointed at Qilang, who was gloating, "Mother, Seventh Brother didn't finish his homework either! He didn't even review the 'Six Strategies'!"

  "Ba Mei, you..."

  The two of them arguing actually made Zhe Sai Hua and the others laugh, "Alright, Eighth Sister you follow your mother to practice martial arts now, Seventh Brother, you also go back to your room to study military tactics, lest your father scolds you when he returns from the camp tonight."

  As she was about to leave, Zuo Saihua walked a few steps forward towards Liu Yanzhao and tidied up his hair which had been messed up by wearing the helmet. "My son has also worked hard, go back and wash up, take a good rest for a while, later mother will go to the kitchen to prepare some of your favorite San Xian Lianhua Su."

  "Girl, you're being unfair! The fish wanted to eat with you but you refused, now it's going to be given to Sixth Brother instead!"

  Ba Mei pouted her mouth, as if she had found an excuse for not finishing her homework successfully. The innocent nature of children is really lovely, and it made everyone laugh again.

  "You silly girl, always talking nonsense! When has your mother not loved you? Go, your sister-in-law left some sweet rice cakes for you, eat them and hurry up to do your homework!"

  Dalong's wife, Zhou Shi, held the puffed-up Eighth Sister's small hand and followed behind Suo Saihua with Erlang's wife, Geng Shi, and Sanlang's wife, Dong Shi.

  It turned out that these women who later rode onto the battlefield were also like ordinary people.

  He sighed to himself, and Liu Guan's housekeeper walked up, taking the helmet from Liu Yanzhao's hand. "Sixth Master, you weren't here for two days, and the old lady was worried about you. As soon as she heard that you had returned, she hurried over and ordered the servants to invite Dr. Luo, thinking he would arrive soon."

  These words couldn't help but bring a hint of warmth to Liu Yanzhao's heart, a mother's love that warmed the depths of one's soul no matter where it was or whose spirit resided in this body.

  Under Liu He's accompaniment, Liu Yanzhao returned to his small courtyard. The courtyard was very clean but not a single servant could be seen. It was only then that the relevant fragments appeared in Liu Yanzhao's memory.

  Originally, in the mansion, except for a few elder brothers who had gotten married, there were no maids serving in the courtyard. Some only had one or two young servants who came to clean up from time to time.

  This was the rule set by Old Lady Zuo Saihua to prevent the family from becoming immoral. Of course, her several sons also did not violate this rule. As a martial artist, without the disturbance of servants serving him on both sides, he found it much more convenient.

  The armor was removed and neatly placed on a table in the corner, the room was very simple, with only one bed, one desk and bookcase, and a few chairs left.

  Liu Yanzhao was shocked to see that Liu Jiye, who was now a high-ranking official and the pillar of Northern Han after the Song dynasty's invasion, had such a simple room as his son.

  Of course, Liu Yanzhao would not put his emotions on the surface, because from today onwards, this place would be his room, and he had to adjust his lifestyle, temperament, and hobbies accordingly.

  "Sixth Master, come and wash your face. The weather is also starting to get hot. I think you've suffered a lot these past few days!"

  Lao Guanjia Liu walked in with a copper basin, the well water inside rippling and clear, making Liu Yanzhao's heart feel parched and delighted. He hastily went forward to scoop some of the cool water and began washing up.

  "Hey uncle, you've worked hard, why don't you go back and take a rest too."

  Liu Yanzhao took the towel handed over by Liu He and wiped his face randomly. The old steward hesitated for a moment, then retreated and said, "I'll let him go first, Sixth Master, rest well, and when Dr. Luo arrives, I'll bring him over."

  After finishing, Liu He bowed and left, while Liu Yanzhao wanted to say something, but still endured. Although he was not used to the title of 'old slave', this was a product of the current era. If he wanted Liu He to change his words, he feared it would cause unnecessary suspicion.

  Forget it, since I've come to this ancient time, some things can't be changed, so I can only choose to adapt.

  He changed into casual clothes, a typical white martial arts uniform with cuffs and waist gathered, instantly making him look much more spirited.

  In ancient times, regardless of gender, people valued their appearance. Although Liu Yanzhao and others did not have servants in their homes, they still had copper mirrors. Looking at himself in the somewhat unsuitable copper mirror, Liu Yanzhao couldn't help but snap his fingers unconsciously - Liulang's looks were indeed impressive. Although he was a martial artist, he was still quite handsome, with sword-like eyebrows and red lips, and some of the elegant aura of a scholar. He could become a renowned general in later generations, and his appearance and temperament were indeed different from others.

  On the table, there were several books, an inkstone and a few brushes. Flipping through them casually, apart from military texts like 'The Art of War', 'Six Secret Teachings' and 'Wei Liaozi', there were also classics like 'Zuo Zhuan' and 'Analects'.

  Unexpectedly, Liu Liulang was a talented scholar, but now he has changed. As a liberal arts major, Liu Yanzhao is confident that he won't be worse off with these books.

  Just as Liu Yanzhao was secretly pleased with himself, a faint footstep sound came over, and soon a slender figure appeared before his eyes.

  "The Sixth Master is exhausted from running around. This lotus seed porridge was sent by the old lady, instructing the kitchen to send it over for the master to fill his stomach first."

  The little girl is not very old, about the same age as Xiaoyu, wearing a white shirt, with clear and beautiful eyebrows, perhaps busy, with a few beads of sweat on her forehead, and even some black soot on her face.

  "Never mind," Liu Yanzhao moved the book aside, walked to the copper basin, washed the towel he had just used, and handed it to the little girl in front of him. "Come on, wipe your face, you've become a little flower face."

  As for Liu Yanzhao's actions, it was clearly beyond the other party's expectations. She quickly retreated to one side, lowering her head and not daring to speak.

  The old master and mistress of the mansion, as well as the young master and his wife, were not unreasonable people. They were heroes who protected the great Han dynasty outside, and in the mansion, they did not put on airs with their subordinates. However, this did not mean that she, as a subordinate, could overstep her bounds by accepting the towel handed to her by the sixth young master, especially since it was the sixth young master's own towel.

  "What's wrong, aren't you satisfied yet?"

  Seeing her unresponsive, Liu Yanzhao couldn't help but smile. As the only son in his previous life, he had never had the chance to experience the bond between siblings, let alone with the arrival of Eighth Sister earlier, which had actually sparked his affection.

  Liu Yanzhao gently wiped the little girl's face with a damp towel, and although he could sense that she was being somewhat unnatural, as the soot was removed her face became increasingly pure and lovely, and her smile even more radiant.

  "Remember, next time don't make a fool of yourself again!"

  Watching the little girl leave in a hurry, Liu Yanzhao smiled and picked up the lotus seed porridge to take a few sips. The little girl was really cute, too cute, but he forgot to ask her name just now.

  Outside the courtyard, however, the little girl who had run out of the house was panting heavily. She really hadn't expected that Sixth Master would actually help her wipe her face - could it be a dream? But the towel still clutched in her hand told her that everything that had just happened was real.

  What's wrong with Sixth Master? In the past when delivering things to his mansion, although he was polite to the servants, he would never have acted like this today.

  Thinking and thinking, she couldn't help but walk into the kitchen. It was almost evening, and it was bustling with activity. A maid who was stirring the pot saw the girl and immediately showed a smile, "Feng, is Sixth Master okay?"

  "It's nothing serious."

  "That's good," the woman seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, "the general and his wife love their people like children, you gentlemen are also kind-hearted, Buddha bless, it's all right..."

  She muttered a few words, wiped away her sweat, and beckoned the girl to come over, "Come on, hurry up and help your mother prepare dinner!"

  "Ah!"

  The little girl quickly stuffed the handkerchief into her bosom, nimbly picked up a piece of firewood from one side, walked to the stove, and carefully tended to the flames.