Dear Brother, Your Chest Wrap Has Fallen Off - Chapter 1

Hu bed

In the twenty-third year of the Tianqi reign of the Great Sheng Dynasty, the city of Qiuci was still a little cold in April.

It was just the beginning of the fourth hour, but the camel teams of the Sogdians and the carriages and horses of the Tokharians had already crowded the front of the Household Affairs Office. The caravans coming from the north and south had to first go through the “pass” here, and after their documents received a stamp from the Household Affairs Office clerk, they could continue to the next place.

Zhao Yong’s forehead was covered with sweat, and he limped back and forth among each caravan several times.

In his hand was a letter he received yesterday from Cui Jiarou, the eldest daughter of General Cui, the Grand Protector when he served in the Anxi Army. The letter only said that she would arrive in Qiuci with the “Bai’s Caravan” in the next few days, and made an appointment to meet in front of the Household Affairs Office. As for how many people were in the group and which elders would be traveling with them, it wasn’t mentioned.

The letter was sent from the Dunhuang County relay station in the middle of Hexi, and it took a few days to travel on the road. Calculating the distance, the person should have arrived by this time today.

But he had searched around for a full half an hour and did not see a young lady with a veil on her head surrounded by many servants. He only heard that among several caravans of the “Bai’s”, a caravan had indeed returned from Chang’an, had completed all the documents, and had left a quarter of an hour ago. But no one knew whether there was anyone with the surname Cui among them.

Someone did casually mention that half a month ago, horse bandits to the west of Dunhuang County attacked the Bai’s caravans at night. It seemed that among the dead there was someone from Great Sheng, but no one knew whether it was a man or a woman, old or young.

Zhao Yong’s heart immediately sank, all kinds of bad guesses came to his mind one after another.

The last time he saw Cui Jiarou was three years ago. At that time, it had been two years since General Cui was killed in battle. He returned to Chang’an for some reason and visited General Cui’s widow and children.

Cui Jiarou had blossomed into a thirteen years old slender girl back then, but she still had the temperament of a child. In a flash, she and her younger brother, who was less than four years old, dug a horse trap, which tripped a young man and caused him to have a bloody head. This caused her mother to search for them in anger.

Madam Cui had always been in poor health and had to take herbal decoction for four to five months in a year. Although Jiarou insisted that she was teaching the horse abuser a lesson, she did not dare to let her mother know about it. It was him who stepped in to smooth things over.

Although she was still young then, she was already very beautiful, and when she walked in the streets, young men from Wuling would frequently turn their heads to look at her. Three years had passed, and he’s afraid her appearance had become even more stunning.

Thinking of a young maiden risking her life to cross the dangerous Hexi area, encountering vicious horse thieves roaming the hinterland of Hexi, and being surrounded by them amid a circle of lewd laughters….. Zhao Yong shuddered twice.

Report to the authorities, he must report to the authorities!

–

“Good!”

In a market not far from the Household Affair Office, a Hu female dancer with a tall nose and deep eyes was performing a series of twirling dances to the last tune of a five-stringed pipa. The only spectator nearby cheered and threw down a bean-sized pearl in a heroic manner.

The Hu female dancer’s eyes lit up and she immediately squatted down to pick up the valuable reward.

When she looked up at the God of Wealth, she was greatly surprised.

This was a young man from the Central Plains wearing a pointed felt hat, no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, with red lips and white teeth, very handsome. It’s just, his clothes were dusty and had many holes; he was followed by a skinny donkey whose ribs were visible, and a bunch of pots and pans tied with leather ropes hung on the donkey. A glance could tell that he was not from a wealthy family.

Poor families wished each copper coin could be split into two. Prodigal sons like these who wore tattered clothes but wanted to show off their wealth were rare, even in Qiuci.

Seeing the dancer looking at her, Cui Jiarou smiled brightly and gave her a charming gaze.

The dancer let out a string of joyful laughter, accompanying the joy of the Qiuci people in welcoming their distinguished guests. She lifted the hem of her skirt and spun happily around Jiarou.

Cui Jiarou followed the “Bai’s” caravan into Qiuci today. Because she arrived a little early, she didn’t wait for Zhao Yong to come and greet her. Zhao Yong was her father’s guard in the past. Although she hadn’t seen him for three years, she had correspondence with his eldest daughter and knew that the Zhao family opened a huge inn in Qiuci and made a lot of money. Today, several caravans arrived in Qiuci, which was a good time for the inn to do business. It was very likely that Uncle Zhao was hindered because of this.

She waited for a short while but no one showed up; she was not in a hurry. After saying goodbye to the caravan, she led her donkey and went to the nearby market.

The Hu dancer was spinning continuously like a top beside her. Cui Jiarou was watching her with great interest when she heard a donkey’s bray behind her. It was her donkey that saw something and wanted to follow. The pots and pans on its back made a clanging sound.

She went forward and held the donkey, then she saw an ox cart not far ahead, pulling a load of fresh grass away.

It was early spring when she left Chang’an , and everything was still bleak. After walking for some time, the grass finally sprouted, but was eaten up by the horses and camels of the caravan ahead. The donkey could only eat some hay, and had not seen fresh grass for a long time.

She led the donkey to chase, and finally managed to intercept the cart of fresh grass beside a felt tent.

The price of fresh grass was very cheap, a whole cart was only twenty coins.

A mere twenty, no problem, no problem.

Cui Jiarou reached into the leather bag on her shoulder with familiarity, searched around, and her heart skipped a beat.

Empty?

All those gold and silver hairpins, jade, jadeite, silk and satin that she took with her when she left home are gone?

She rushed to find a place to hide and turned over her bag, hair bun, shoe insoles, and chest wrap. As expected, all the places where she hid her money were empty. She was truly penniless.

The distant sound from the pipa could still be heard, and the dancer with a high nose and deep eyes was still spinning. Going back to retrieve the pearl….. No, what’s the basis of getting back something that has been given away as a reward. She has never done such a shameful thing!

While pondering on a solution, she heard someone shouting in Chang’an elegant dialect up ahead, “Who can treat the cow’s illness? The salary is twenty coins…..”

Cui Jiarou’s heart moved, but she was a little hesitant.

As the well-known number one playboy in Chang’an, she had only been responsible for spending money in the past sixteen years and had never thought about making money.

Looking back at the little donkey, it was skinny and bony, with its pair of big double eyelids blinking as it stared at the cart of grass. Her heart immediately softened.

It’s not shameful to earn money to buy fodder for your precious donkey.

The one looking for a veterinarian was a tall, dark-skinned young man with very square cheeks, exactly like the two corners of the city wall at the Qiuchi city gate.

The square-faced brother saw that although she was dressed in rags, her skin was delicate and tender, and it was obvious that she had never suffered from hardship. He couldn’t help asking doubtfully, “Can you treat cows?”

This question touched upon Cui Jiarou’s strong point.

Her maternal grandfather, the An family, moved to Chang’an from the Western Regions decades ago. Now they ran the largest horse farm in Chang’an, supplying war horses to the imperial court all year round. In addition, there were two other farms that raised cattle, sheep, mules, pigs and other livestock.

Her father went to the Western Regions and was away from home, so her mother moved Cui’s house to the vicinity of the An family, very close to the An family’s farm in the suburbs. She had been hanging out in the horse farm and cattle farms since she was a child. When she got bored of eating and drinking outside and playing with cats and dogs, she would often go to help out. Over time, she learned some skills based on what she saw and heard.

If she had any proper usefulness besides being good at enjoying herself, it was precisely this skill.

Seeing that the square-faced brother didn’t look convinced, she did not explain but just sniffed, her nose twitching. She was stunned, “Why does it smell like sheep?”

The square-faced brother was delighted. There was indeed a sheep. Yesterday he led a sheep out to seek medical treatment, but he had not changed his clothes. After a day, she could actually still smell it.

He didn’t know if it’s real skill or just luck.

He turned around and pointed to a small alley at the back, “The cow is over there, go in first.”

She led the donkey along and went clanging into the alley.

The alley was brightly colored, and the bright morning light shone down from the tall poplar trees above. The dazzling light made it impossible for people to open their eyes.

She raised her hand and placed it over her forehead to block out the scorching light.

At the end of the sight was a walnut tree with its fangs and claws bared. Its branches were just beginning to sprout, and they were covered with fur, like newborn lambs.

Under the tree, there was a thin man wearing a jade crown, sitting lazily on a Hu bed with his eyes closed and his chin supported. Although he was wearing the popular round-necked straight robe, he did not wear a belt around his waist to show his status, so it was hard to discern whether he was a merchant or a military personnel.

How does it turn into treating people? Didn’t he say it’s treating cows?

This person looks perfectly fine, he doesn’t look sick at all? !

Besides, she doesn’t know how to treat people.

The man heard footsteps and opened his eyes. The treetops above his head were blown away by the wind, and patches of light fell on his handsome face.

Her steps paused subconsciously.

This was a young man in his twenties, with neat features and no obvious expression on his face. Beneath his long, arched eyebrows, he had a pair of dark eyes, staring at her indolently, reminding her of the quiet deep sea in the legend. Legend said that there was a mysterious sea monster hiding there, which could instantly roll up huge waves, overturn all passing ships, and eat all the passengers until there was nothing left.

Even though his eyes had the expression of repelling strangers, he sat on the Hu bed as if rooted, not really doing anything.

She was too familiar with this look.

Her uncle had a disabled leg and sat on the couch with a stern face all day long, looking like this.

A few years ago, Qiuci had suffered a great war, her father was killed in it, and Zhao Yong also became lame. No wonder this man’s neck and arms seemed to be able to move, but his lower body was motionless. It was probably because he ran slowly in the war that year and was stabbed in the leg by the Turks.

She was suddenly overcome with affection for her uncle so much that she stepped forward and bowed solemnly, then teased her uncle in the way she usually did, saying, “Brother, you have a majestic and graceful appearance, like the bright moon in the sky, really attractive. Not to mention women, even men would be moved when they see your appearance…..”

Bear in mind, when you compliment a man, what kind of compliment could make him laugh more than the affirmation of “love”. She usually teased her uncle by saying “Wow, that lady must be peeking at you”, “Wow, that girl just blushed”. Although her uncle would laugh and scold her, “Don’t talk nonsense”, his temper would be surprisingly good for at least half a day afterwards.

There were no other girls passing by here, so it was okay for her to use herself temporarily. After all, she would leave when the job was done, keeping her achievements and fame to herself. She also hoped that, at the same time, someone in Chang’an could say a few funny words to make her uncle happy, which would be a reward for her good deeds.

As soon as she finished her flattery, as expected, the eyes on the opposite side that were like the deep ocean began to ripple. However, there was no “hahaha” laughter that she had anticipated.

The surroundings seemed to have suddenly become cooler. Xue Lang raised his eyelids slightly, his frozen gaze lingered on her body for a while, and his cold, thin lips parted slightly, “If you don’t want to die, get lost.”

Right at this moment, the square-faced brother, who was recruiting people outside, came in a hurry. Seeing Cui Jiarou standing there foolishly, he asked, “Didn’t you say you could treat cows?”

After saying this, he turned to the side of the wall.

Turns out she really needs to treat a cow.

Then just now, she….. She turned and looked at Xue Lang again.

The young man stood up from the Hu bed, took two steps slowly with a gloomy but calm face. He was tall and straight, with broad shoulders and long legs, and walked very steadily.

She was stunned for a moment, but then she thought, even if she has just praised someone for nothing, it would be fine if she doesn’t even get a thank you, but why did someone repay her kindness with resentment and yelled at her to “get lost”!

She rolled her eyes at Xue Lang and was about to get lost proudly, but the calf beside the wall “moo”-ed twice.

Jiarou paused.