Dear Brother, Your Chest Wrap Has Fallen Off - Chapter 9

Everyday, classes were only held in the first half of the day, and it was free time after lunch.

In the first few days after arriving, Jiarou never took a break.

There was no other way, the chefs in the prince’s family had superb skills. The common delicacies of Chang’an, such as Xingping pastries, crystal rice, roasted meat and fish slices, were all available here.

Especially the Gulouzi, it was particularly special. It was a pancake with a layer of minced mutton filling spread in the middle, then a layer of fermented black beans and pepper, and then another layer of meat filling. It was baked in the oven until crispy and fragrant, and served with yogurt. She could eat this for every meal.

She was too full to lie down after every meal, so she went for a walk on the grassy slope outside to help digest the food, and also conveniently took her donkey on a walk.

The tender green grass under her feet extended everywhere, dotted with wild flowers. Nearly a thousand sheep were eating grass silently and happily not far from the river.

The shepherd was a seven-year-old girl from Qiuci named Gulan Aji. In addition to her, there was a brother who was two years older than her, a mother and a grandmother in her family. The five members of the family were all servants of Prince Baiyin’s family, responsible for herding sheep.

Gulan wore a robe made from one of his brother’s clothes, with two messy braids hanging down her back. Her small figure rode atop a tall mule, looking alert. Whenever a sheep tried to stray, she’d chase them on her mule. She didn’t actually hit them, but simply cracked her whip in mid-air and shouted in Tocharian, “Go back, go back!”

When Gulan returned from downstream, Jiarou approached her to speak. Gulan pursed her lips tightly and didn’t respond, her small rosy face a picture of shyness. However, she was very curious about the prince’s new young tutor and would steal glances at her from time to time.

Jiarou smiled at her and continued to go up the grass slope with Dali.

Two miles further ahead, there was a huge sheep pen that could hold at least a thousand sheep, but it was only one of the dozen or so large sheep pens that Prince Baiyin owned across the grassland.

Gulan’s elder brother was herding sheep on the other side.

There was a felt tent beside the sheep pen. Outside, a wrinkled old woman from Qiuci squatted, cutting grass to dry them before storing them for the winter, ensuring the sheep would not starve. Seeing her from afar, the old woman paused, and as if meeting any other owner of the village, she trembled, touched her forehead to the ground, and kowtowed reverently before continuing with her work.

Jiarou smiled and waved her hand.

It was afternoon break time, and Prince Baiyin was perhaps still dreaming. His two white-haired dogs were playing and splashing in the water. The river water was flowing, lively and quiet.

She squinted her eyes and looked at the vibrant grassland, imagining that her maternal family had also lived on this vast grassland decades ago.

At that time, her maternal grandfather was only a teenager, and he also rode a mule to herd sheep. He fell in love at first sight with her grandmother who came from Chang’an, and with the enthusiasm and impulse of a young man, he pursued her all the way to the Central Plains, and finally took root in Chang’an.

Perhaps what the sweeping monk said was not entirely wrong. Except for the evil man Xue who wanted to eat her donkey and looked down on her, Qiuci was not as boring as she thought.

She was looking around excitedly when she heard a startled cry behind her. Turning to look, Gulan had already jumped off the mule and squatted on the ground, holding a little lamb in her arms. She was half anxious and half angry, scolding the lamb in Tocharian, “Why aren’t you looking at the road? You have a pair of big, dazzling eyes for nothing.”

Another adult ewe surrounded the lamb and bleated non-stop.

Jiarou rode Dali over, jumped off the donkey, and said to Gulan, “Let me see.”

Gulan still held the lamb in her arms defensively, only loosening one leg.

Jiarou first stroked the lamb to calm it down, and then looked at the injured leg to see fresh blood on the sheep’s hoof. The wound did not look like it was bitten by a snake or rat, but more like it was cut by a stone by the river.

It’s a minor injury.

She took out a handkerchief and wrapped it around the sheep’s hoof to absorb the blood that still came out. After the blood flow slowed down, she turned her head and quickly scanned the grass. Her eyes soon fell on a few clusters of tall grass leaves.

“That grass, the one with five leaves,” she said to Gulan in Tocharian, “Pick it for me.”

Gulan hurriedly went to pick some grass for her, watched her chew the grass to extract the juice, and applied the chewed grass onto the wound on the sheep’s hoof.

The grass was somewhat magical; it quickly stopped the bleeding when it touched the wound. Jiarou simply wrapped a handkerchief around the sheep’s hoof and said, “It’s still active, but it’s best not to touch water today. It’s better to take it back to the sheep pen and let it rest for a day.”

Gulan’s eyes sparkled, “Master can treat sheep?”

“I know a little bit.” Jiarou said modestly.

“My father can do it too. He can treat any sheep disease.” Gulan seemed to remember something, and her eyes darkened in a split second. After a few breaths, she said, “You are different from them.”

“Who are they? How are they different?” She immediately pulled out a paper fan from her waist and spread it open. “But am I more handsome and unrivaled?”

Gulan replied in a serious tone, “It’s those teachers. They only teach the young master and never look me straight in the eye.”

Jiarou sneered, all other things were inferior, only studying was superior. Only she, this teacher, was indeed different from others. She was a teacher without learning nor skills.

She picked up the lamb and was about to give it to Gulan, but the wind brought the sound of a series of horse hoofs over.

Seven or eight people rode on fine horses across the Chang’an Bridge and headed towards the manor. Several of them wore soldiers’ soft armor, and the leader was a young man in black casual clothes. His appearance could not be seen clearly from a distance, but his tall and handsome figure was very eye-catching.

Jiarou murmured, “Who is this person? He almost overshadows my elegance…..”

Gulan also looked at the group of people and said, “They are from the Anxi Protectorate. This is their third time coming here.”

In front of the manor’s gate, someone from the Bai family had received the news in advance and showed the etiquette for receiving distinguished guests. They opened the main gate widely and the housekeeper Bai and the servants personally welcomed the guests outside the door.

The visitor dismounted in advance, and Xue Lang dropped the reins.

Wang Huaian stepped forward to hold the horse. Seeing Xue Lang tilted his head, he promptly nodded gently and whispered, “Don’t worry, Grand Protector. The three tutors will definitely live up to expectations and make Prince Baiyin owe you a favor.”

The three scholarly elders behind him, though fatigued, were each solemn and said, “Don’t worry, General Xue. Although Third Young Master Bai is difficult to teach, now that we have arrived in Qiuci, we will certainly help you achieve your wish.”

Xue Lang withdrew his gaze, and when he turned back to the manor, his expression transformed into a warm one as he strode forward. After a cordial meeting and brief greetings, Xue Lang, accompanied by Housekeeper Bai, headed for the manor.

Just as he entered the main gate, he suddenly stopped and looked back.

Behind him was a green curtain extending to the horizon. The prince’s sheep were scattered beside the slowly flowing river, eating grass leisurely.

There was an elegant young man, wearing a blue robe, the color as blue as the sky after the rain, standing loftily dozens of feet away, holding a lamb in his arms.

The afternoon sun illuminated “him” clearly, completely different from the shabbily clothed beggar in the market a few days ago.

The only one who knew Cui Wuniang’s whereabouts was a cunning guy named “Pan An”.

It really came without any effort.

He stared at “him” without blinking, until “he” opened his greedy mouth and smiled at him from far away.

Xue Lang withdrew his gaze expressionlessly, took big strides and walked towards the manor.

　　—

Although Jiarou and Xue Lang only met and did not fight, she was still worried when she thought about how strange he looked when he arrived.

Not long after she returned to the side courtyard with Dali, Third Young Master Bai came hurriedly over, “Master, I heard Grand Protector Xue brought three tutors with him to recommend to Father!”

“He wants to take my job?”

Third Young Master Bai nodded heavily, “Although he hasn’t mentioned this to Father, I overheard those teachers’ private conversations saying they must become the tutor. They thought I couldn’t understand the elegant Chang’an dialect, so they weren’t on guard.”

Jiarou clenched her back teeth for a moment.

What a bandit.

Three days ago, she had just arrived at the manor to recommend herself as a tutor, using her cleverness to entice Prince Baiyin into following her method. Today, with the three teachers present, casually quoting from various sources, the prince had been summoned to the right path, and perhaps her lucrative job was about to be over.

In total, she only had one gold cake and five bolts of brocade, and had also enjoyed a few sets of clothes and some food. The rest had not even been put into her purse or warmed up, and it was going to fly away like this?

She walked forward and pulled Third Young Master Bai into the room, closed the door again, and threw a handful of dice with a flick of her wrist.

The dice rolled silently on the carpet, stopping after a few breaths in succession. There were five dice in total, and each one had a six facing up, perfect sixes.

“Wow!” Third Young Master Bai’s eyes lit up, “Master, teach me!”

At this moment, there was the sound of knocking on the door, and the servant outside called out, “Master tutor, the master wants to see you.”

Here it comes, as expected.

Jiarou responded loudly and immediately went to the bookshelf. She selected a book from the row, opened a page, and placed it in front of Third Young Master Bai. She leaned over to whisper in his ear, tapping the book repeatedly and admonishing him, “Remember, if you fail, you and I, the master and disciple, will be separated forever, never to meet again in this life.”

Third Young Master Bai looked at the five dice with envy and nodded firmly, “Master, don’t worry. I will save you even if it costs my life!”

The author has something to say:

Xue Lang: What a coincidence.

Jiarou: What a coincidence.

Xue Lang: What a coincidence.

Jiarou: What a coincidence.

Xue Lang: What a coincidence.

Jiarou: (I won’t stop if you don’t) What a coincidence.