Dear Brother, Your Chest Wrap Has Fallen Off - Chapter 3

Adobe ancient buildings in the Western Regions

Cui Jiarou was somewhat concerned about the fact that Zhao Yong’s gold and silver mountains did not match what was said.

Zhao Yong seemed to be short of money, and she, coming from the prosperous Chang’an,  used up all the local gifts she brought with her on the road without leaving any gifts for the visit, made her seem very ignorant of etiquette.

Opening her bundle, no need to mention finding a single copper coin, even a complete set of female clothing couldn’t be found. Aside from a pile of chest wraps that she usually changed into, there were only two half-new bellybands with broken strings. If it weren’t for the fact that it was difficult to exchange a girl’s underwear for money, they would have disappeared long ago.

Fortunately, she still had two sets of men’s clothes left. Except for the smelly and tattered one she had just taken off, the other one was something she had kept specially and had never worn. She was waiting until she arrived in Qiuci to dress up as a handsome young man to tease Zhao Yong’s eldest daughter, Zhao Qing’er.

However, when she entered the inn, she found out that Zhao Qing’er’s step-grandfather had been feeling unwell recently, so Zhao Qing’er went to take care of him and would only be back in a few days.

Now she could only enjoy it in advance.

Wearing a cyan colored robe, her slim waist bound by a thin belt, making it appear slender enough to be held in one hand, the young man in the bronze mirror was extremely handsome.

She was born with thick eyebrows that were natural without any makeup, and a high nose bridge that hinted at her heroic spirit. There was only a small red mole the size of a sesame seed near the end of her eye, which added a bit of charm to her.

Overall, she was still a handsome and extraordinary young man.

She was greatly pleased with herself, in comparison, the breathing difficulties caused by binding her chest to dress as a man could be tolerated.

Picking up a paper fan, she opened the door and went down the stairs.

The wooden stairs creaked a few times, causing the scholar who was busy at the counter downstairs to stare directly.

Cui Jiarou came to the counter, fanned herself with a paper fan, and the first sentence that came out was to ask the Qiuci scholar, who was brushing away dust, “Has my donkey had fresh grass to eat?”

The scholar’s ears turned red, and he spoke in fluent Great Sheng refined speech, “Don’t worry, young lord, our shop will never mistreat the animals.”

Jiarou nodded with satisfaction, and was about to take out tips from her bosom, but found nothing. Then she remembered that she was penniless now, and could no longer return to being as extravagant as she used to be.

She withdrew her hand awkwardly, pretended to appreciate the scenery, and walked away unhurriedly.

This was a two-story adobe inn. Downstairs was the lobby with six tables arranged for guests to eat and sit. The guest rooms were all on the second floor, with a total of about twenty rooms.

There was half a wall painted white at the entrance of the inn, with pens and ink placed beside it in case guests or passers-by suddenly feel inspired to write a poem.

This was a trend that had emerged in Great Sheng in recent years. Taverns, inns, bookstores, and any other shop would have some items that could be used for writing in front of their doors.

Zhao Yong obviously followed this trend, and although there were quite a few poems written on the white wall, they were varied.

There was a line of Li Bai’s poem written in regular script, “Looking at the moonlight in front of the bed, I wonder if it is frost on the ground”. There was also a humorous poem written in Tocharian commonly used by locals, “The moon is full at midnight, and the wife climbs over the wall to come in”. There was also someone’s crooked writing, “Green onion is two coins, tofu is five coins, green onions and tofu are ten coins.” She didn’t know how this person made the calculation.

While she was wandering around, more and more people came to stay in the inn. Among them were some familiar faces, who were members of the caravan she had met along the way.

It seemed although Uncle Zhao’s business had not reached a mountain of gold and silver, it was not bad. He only made money but was reluctant to renovate this adobe building, which was a bit too stingy.

But no matter what, she finally didn’t have to worry anymore.

It didn’t matter whether she had money in her pocket or not. As long as Zhao Yong had money, her days in Qiuci would not be bad.

She hummed a little tune and wandered to the stable in the backyard. She watched Dali eat some hay, but when she went out, she took a wrong turn and walked through an inconspicuous side door to another courtyard.

This was a small, cramped courtyard behind the inn, with two adobe side rooms  against the wall. A hemp rope was stretched in the middle of the courtyard, on which men’s and women’s clothes are hung. Unexpectedly, among them, there was a set of clothes dripping with water, which were the rags she had taken off, and had entirely been washed clean. The holes on it were a bit annoying, but compared with the patches on the surrounding clothes of other people, it actually looked pleasing to the eye.

Is this….. the courtyard where Zhao Yong and his wife live?

The surroundings were quiet, and the slight voices coming from the side room were particularly clear, it seemed to be mixed with suppressed crying…..

In the side room, a thirty-year-old Qiuci woman burst into tears and cried in Tocharian, “…..There is no extra money at home, and you actually took in a stranger to stay long-term. How can we support her…..”

“In what way is this a long-term stay?” Zhao Yong argued in a low voice, “She just came to Qiuci to play, maybe just for several months at most.”

“Several months? She is a girl from a wealthy family. Let alone several months, even a few days would be hard for you and me to support her. Don’t forget, yesterday you scraped together dozens of strings of cash and gave them away in vain!”

“Hey, keep your voice down…..” Zhao Yong comforted her in a fluster, but then he heard a “bang” outside. He pushed open the window and saw that a barrel of water under the eaves opposite had been bumped by someone, and the water was swinging in the cask and splashing all over the floor…

***

Due to Cui Jiarou’s arrival, the Zhao family, who were used to having two meals a day, deliberately added a meal at noon.

The dining table was placed under a few peach trees with blooming buds not far from the back kitchen. Two large plates of roasted lamb were served, which was extremely sumptuous.

Zhao Yong’s wife, Mrs. Cao, did not eat. She just stayed by his side with her head lowered. Although her eyes were still red and swollen, her expression was very gentle.

Zhao Yong’s first wife died of illness many years ago. The current Mrs. Cao was the second wife Zhao Yong married in Qiuci after he left the army. She was a native of Qiuci with deep eyes and a high nose. She was only in her early thirties, but she looked like she was in her forties.

Not only Mrs. Cao, Zhao Yong also looked much older than he was three years ago.

After the meal, Mrs. Cao repeatedly reminded the cook to bring up some peach yogurt before leaving.

After swallowing a mouthful of sour peach yoghurt, Jiarou coughed lightly and said, “I have something to entrust Uncle Zhao, please help look for a job for me in the Protectorate…..”

“Why do you have such thoughts, Ah Rou?” Zhao Yong refused without a second word, “If you go out to play, I won’t say anything. But you are absolutely not allowed to go out to serve others.”

Jiarou suddenly bit her lip and said sadly, “I was just thinking of getting to know Ah ye better in the place where he worked.”

She hadn’t called out “Ah ye” for several years, so it still sounded a little awkward. She paused here and continued, “Everyone says Ah ye was a hero, but I have completely forgotten what he looked like…..”

Zhao Yong was momentarily at a loss and didn’t know how to refute.

Since General Cui was stationed in Qiuci, the period between each return to his home was two or three years because of the distance between Chang’an and the unrest in Hexi. Mrs. Cui was weak and could not withstand the bumpy journey, so the Cui family could not bring their family to Qiuci. Until General Cui died in battle five years ago, he had only returned home and met his family twice.

Upon reflection, Jiarou was only six years old when the general was appointed as the Protector General of Anxi. He still remembered the day when the general left Chang’an to go to the Western Regions, tens of thousands of soldiers were in formations. The six-year-old Jiarou shook off the servant’s hand, blocking in front of General Cui’s horse with her small body, and asked with her little face raised, “When will Ah ye come back to fight crickets with me?”

General Cui bent down on horseback and stroked her little head, just like he did every day when he went to the camp outside the city. He said to her, “Tomorrow.”

From then on, countless tomorrows flew by with no end.

Ten years passed in a flash. The children grew up and the general passed away. Only the immortal on the summit of the Kunlun Mountains watched over the people on earth year after year, as if nothing had happened.

He remained silent. Jiarou did not urge him, but continued slowly, “Ah ye appeared in my dream last night and said that Uncle Zhao could not be trusted. I asked him why he said that, and he said that Uncle Zhao had selfish motives and will surely be unwilling to see Ah Rou enter the Protectorate…..”

“I, what kind of selfish motives do I have?”

“I heard uncle has always wanted to have a little boy…..” Jiarou stopped fanning herself with her paper fan and looked at Zhao Yong with burning eyes, “and I am such an outstanding beauty that fish will sink and geese will fall to the ground. Uncle definitely wants to keep me in advance to be a child bride for the Zhao family…..”

Zhao Yong nearly vomited blood, covered his chest and stood up, “Don’t run around, I’ll ask around for you.”

In less than half an hour, Zhao Yong returned from outside.

“Although the Protectorate is in need of people, the jobs are all heavy, such as herdsmen, errand boys, cooks in the kitchen, laundry odd jobs….. none of them are suitable. You should give up this idea.”

“Herdsmen?” Jiarou put away her paper fan. “Very good, just this one.”

***

Just after noon, people were still coming and going in the Anxi Protectorate. It had only been reopened for a month and everything was barely settled. Soldiers and craftsmen had no time to rest after lunch and were still moving around. However, only footsteps could be heard, but no idle chattering. It was clear how strict the rule of the Grand Protectorate was.

After the war five years ago, the original Protectorate had long been in ruins. The rear residence had not yet been repaired, so Xue Lang built two barracks in the newly renovated front yard for living and sleeping.

A deputy general stood in front of the study room with his head bowed respectfully, waiting. Xue Lang bent over his desk and started writing. Soon, a young man wearing a felt hat appeared under his writing brush. The young man’s face was not clear with just a few strokes, but his posture was sneaky and his expression was very lively. The donkey beside him, which was thin yet had four strong limbs, was drawn even more vividly.

Lifting his writing brush, Xue Lang looked at the portrait again, and then handed it to the deputy general, “Hand it over to the clerk to make several copies, and focus on searching in various ready-made clothing shops and low-end inn…..”

After a slight pause, his eyes turned cold, “Which brothel in Kucha has a Rabbit Lord? Also let them confirm whether they have seen this person. We must find him today.” [TL Note: Rabbit Lord here is an appellation for a male prostitute who caters to males]

Seeing his gloomy expression, the deputy general did not dare to ask more questions and carefully took the portrait.

After the deputy general turned around, he picked up the copper bowl beside him and looked at it again, then took out the letter he had just received this morning.

Unfolding the letter, his eyes subconsciously fell on the description of Cui Jiarou, General Cui’s daughter, “She has bright eyes, white teeth, and a graceful figure. She looks like her mother, only her eyebrows resemble General Cui. But There is a □□ near her □□, which is very conspicuous. You will recognize her as soon as you see her.”

He had never met Mrs. Cui, and although he had met General Cui once, how could he remember what his eyebrows looked like?

There were only dozens of words here, and the most useful sentence was, “There is a □□ near her □□”.

But when he was ambushed by the young man who treated the cow at the market, the sparks without eyes burned exactly at the two most critical spots of the letter.

It seemed that the only way was to write another letter to Chang’an to find out.

He once again looked at the time when the letter was sent.

Two months ago.

Such a coincidence, it was exactly the time when his younger cousin should be settling the marriage with the Cui family.

Just as the two families were to tie the knot, Cui Jiarou disappeared. This cousin was a distant relative of his father’s family. The person who sent the letter must not know the relationship between him and this cousin, thus he sent the letter to him.

Cousin and his family seem to be unaware of this.