A small alley in Chang'an City.

As the saying goes, the east is rich, the west is noble, the south is humble, and the north is poor. This is the southern part of Chang'an City. Most of the people living here are common people without status or official positions.

Zhou Liyuan was walking down the alley in his memory. Not far away was his master's home, as well as the home of himself and his senior brother.

On the door of the tavern at the intersection of the alley, a red wine flag hangs high, just like it did back then. Looking at it, although the tavern is still the same as before, the boss is not the one who always likes to come and get drinks for his master. At that time, the widow who teased him in a few words was replaced by a somewhat thin man.

The tavern owner saw Zhou Liyuan standing in front of his tavern, smiled and nodded. Just as he was about to move, he pulled the guest into the tavern. Looking at the clothes of this gentleman, he should be able to make a small fortune. Just fix it.

It’s not easy to sell wine these days. You can buy it on credit, the local gangsters collect protection fees, and the filial piety that officials need must come from this small tavern.

Zhou Liyuan watched the tavern owner walking towards him, then ducked and disappeared into the alley, leaving only one owner whom he had misjudged. He scratched his head and complained that something strange had happened.

Zhou Liyuan ignored the tavern owner and slowly walked to the front door of his master's house by himself.

In front of the courtyards in the alleys, chairs, leftover food, and piles of dirt where the children played during the day were quietly left in front of the master's courtyard under the moonlight.

No one has been here for a long time.

There is a plum tree in front of the door. The plums on it are big and sweet. What I and my senior brother liked most back then was that every year during this season, we would climb up the plum tree, pick a basket full of plums, and give half of them to the neighbors. Keep half for yourself.

When he was driven out of Chang'an City, it seemed to be winter, and his senior brother was squatting at the door of this courtyard, looking at himself lying in the snow, his eyes cold and unfamiliar, as if he was looking at someone who was about to freeze to death. Wild dog on the street.

Zhou Liyuan bent down to pick up the plums that fell on the ground, wiped off the loose soil, and took a bite. The plums tasted sour and sweet at the same time. The plums from his hometown were sweet to Zhou Liyuan's heart.

In this deserted street, Zhou Liyuan was like a wanderer returning home, sitting in front of the courtyard, looking at everything familiar, with tears slowly flowing down his face.

He thought he could find a sense of belonging when he returned here, but Zhou Liyuan found that there was no such feeling, only the same emptiness and longing as before.

Chang'an returns to my hometown, and my hometown is Chang'an.

It turns out that from the day the master left, my only relative was my senior brother.

But that snowy morning, when I was kicked out of the yard by my senior brother, I was the only one in the world.

Personal.

When the old Duke Xu Tiande walked to the Duke's Mansion, he saw a group of soldiers stopping at the door of his house. A tall horse was being pulled by someone, standing there, as if waiting for someone to arrive.

With a smile on his face, the old man got rid of the old housekeeper who was supporting him, leaned on crutches, and quickly came to the man's side. The old man's trembling lips were unable to speak. The old man who had fought countless battles in his life was in tears.

The person leading the horse was a young man. Perhaps he was on the northern border. After years of exposure to wind and sun, his young skin was no longer as tender as that of a young man from an aristocratic family. A kind of darkness appeared on the young man's face.

The young man looked at his father approaching, hurriedly put down his beloved horse, stepped forward, and supported his father.

The old man grabbed his second son's arm, stroked his face with trembling hands, and said softly, "You're tanned."

The young man wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and supported his father towards the house. "Dad, it's okay. The sun on the border likes me a little, so it tanned me."

"Let's go, Dad will show you a trick."

After crossing the gate, countless servants stopped and saluted the second young master who had not seen them for many years and the master who had just returned home. The second young master, who was already very popular, looked at everything familiar and nodded.

At the front door, a middle-aged man with a beard stood there, looking at his father and second brother, and he was also a little excited.

The middle-aged man saluted his father: "Dad, you are back."

The old Duke nodded as a courtesy to his eldest son.

"How come you let your second brother take you outside and don't know how to bring him in?"

Xu Huizu was also helpless. It was his second brother who wanted to wait for you there, but he had tried to persuade him many times, but his second brother wouldn't listen.

Seeing the aggrieved look on his eldest brother's face, the old man's second son explained, "Dad, it was me who asked to wait in front of the door for his father to come back. I don't blame eldest brother."

The old man snorted coldly, ignored his eldest son, and took his second son, who had just returned home, to the kitchen. After not seeing each other for many years, the old man wanted to show off his skills.

The second son's favorite thing to eat back then was the Sixi meatballs made by his mother. However, his mother passed away early that year. Among the three sons, the eldest son and his son had the same wife, while the third son was a concubine.

students, but this does not affect the unity of the three of them. I remember when the eldest brother had a dispute with someone in the brothel, the second child who was studying in the Imperial College and the third child who had just arrived at Prince Yan's Mansion came to help out with their friends.

At that time, Taizong called his name in the court and said that he was not strict in educating his children. He was fined a year's salary and then left with a wave of his sleeves. The old Duke who came back from the court saw his three sons obediently lying on the stools.

Waiting for your own family method.

The old Duke, who should have been angry, raised his three sons. After the death of his beloved wife, Xu Tiande, who swore to give up drinking, took his three sons to the Duke's Mansion.

All the hidden drinks were brought out, and the four of them got very drunk. The small amount of money from the fine was nothing compared to the unity of the three brothers.

The old man chopped the minced meat into small pieces, added white flour and tofu, and stirred constantly. The second son on the side heated up the oil in a pot and kept the stove burning vigorously.

It was done quickly, and a plate of Sixi meatballs was ready. Two bowls of rice, a bottle of wine, and a plate of Sixi meatballs made this young man who had fought countless battles on the border feel a little happy and a little sad.

It turns out that my father needs a cane to walk.

Watching his second son eat a Sixi meatball, the old man slowly picked up the wine glass. This was the second time he drank after his beloved wife passed away. If he didn't drink again, he would have no chance. He didn't know if his second son would come back next time.

Can you see him?

"Eat slowly, it's all yours."

The old man picked up a handkerchief and gently wiped the rice grains at the corner of his second son's mouth. The action made the second son a little uncomfortable. It had been a long time since anyone cared about him so much.

At the border, it is often mid-meal. Maybe the local cavalry arrives at the city and the battle starts. Such food and treatment are not available.

After finishing both bowls of rice, the young man whose real name was Xu Yingxu supported his father and walked together in the Duke's Mansion.

"Ji Zi, what are you doing here this time?"

Xu Yingxu replied cautiously: "Dad, this time there is a big movement in Northern Qi, and there is a large-scale display of troops on the border. My second uncle sent me back to ask the court to quickly transport grain and grass to the border."

The old Duke hummed, a little worried, "The court has been messed up by the Yang brothers and sisters. It may be difficult to get food and grass."

The young man disagreed, "Sooner or later I will behead those things that bring harm to the country and the people. But when I come back this time, I may go to the Prime Minister's Mansion. After all, the only one who can defeat Yang Zhao in Chang'an City is Prime Minister Zhang."

."

The old Duke nodded, glanced at his second son who was already much taller than him, and handed him the forehead beads he had just ordered his servants to bring.

"Take it, with this thing, that old man Zhang won't embarrass you."

The young man looked at the familiar Buddhist beads and was about to refuse when he heard his father say: "What Old Man Zhang hates most in his life are you generals. However, in recent years, he has had some friendship with the Duke of Guo. But if you want to rely on this, you

Maybe you can’t even enter the study room of the Prime Minister’s Palace.”

"A few days ago, he came to his father to do something. Although he didn't say it explicitly, he hoped that he would come forward and say a word about the matter, but he refused. Now if you go to his place, you may not even be able to get in.

."

The old man handed the beads into his son's hands and said, "Take it. Although my father will be scolded to death by the border if he speaks out to stop this matter, he will die sooner or later. It's better to die with some value. In this way, our father-in-law will be scolded to death."
Chapter completed!