Chapter 22: A Galloping Horse in the Red Dust Brings a Smile to the Consort
The late spring sun had become somewhat harsh. To ensure the village could successfully grow strawberries, Zhao An taught them to use rags torn from old clothes to build a simple sunshade. It would provide shade on sunny days and also prevent direct scouring from heavy rain. This was an experience Zhao An had gained from his initial strawberry cultivation.
In addition, seeing that there was a lot of bamboo near Zhaojia Village, he had the villagers use bamboo sections to create a simple drip irrigation system. He had only offered a few ideas at the beginning, but Liu Huan took them very seriously, leading the villagers to take meticulous care of the several mu of strawberry seedlings.
Although they hadn’t seen any monetary return yet, the other villagers were not as respectful to Zhao An as Liu Huan was. However, they still worked very hard, taking good care of the ancestral land where the strawberry seedlings were planted.
Zhao An hadn’t been to this side for more than ten days. This time, he came with Feng Shaoping and saw that the growth of the strawberry seedlings was very gratifying. A smile, like that of an old farmer at harvest time, involuntarily appeared on his face.
Hu Sheng, who had been by his side all along, was amused by his appearance and couldn’t help but tease him, “These people aren’t necessarily that good to you. Why do you care about them so much?”
Zhao An shook his head and patrolled the edge of the field with his hands behind his back. As he walked, he said with a wag of his head, “This is a sense of accomplishment, you understand? Besides, when everyone around me is living a better life, not so many people will sneak up to the back of my house to drool when I’m stewing meat.”
In reality, no adults had actually come to his house to drool, it was mainly those half-grown children. Zhao An was not a man of stone. Every time he saw them, he would feel a little embarrassed, as if eating meat was a crime, and he would feel an inexplicable sense of shame and guilt.
Perhaps some people could derive a sense of superiority from the suffering of others, but Zhao An couldn’t. Even after experiencing the era of spiritual energy revival, which was comparable to an apocalypse, he still didn’t like to appreciate the suffering of others.
Hu Sheng was not surprised by his answer. The reason he had fallen for Zhao An was that he sensed a warm and resilient aura from him.
If someone hurt him, he could become a sharp blade. But when facing the weak, even those who had no connection to him, he would generously radiate kindness. Just like the first time Hu Sheng saw Zhao An from the window of Ruyi House, the way he spoke to the old woman selling yarn was friendly and well-behaved, very likable.
Of course, his current “carried away with success” look was also very likable. So much so that Hu Sheng’s gaze never left Zhao An, until Feng Shaoping spoke up, “Brother Hu, why are you still here? You should hurry back to the mountain. The people from the Imperial Household Department might arrive at Zhaojia Village at any time.”
Although Feng Shaoping had come in advance to notify Zhao An, he certainly couldn’t let the eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department know on the surface, so he planned to stay here. Hu Sheng, however, had to leave. Before he left, he gave Zhao An a deep look and said, “Fate was not on our side this time. I’ll come and teach you martial arts next time.”
Seeing that he was about to leave, Zhao An felt a little reluctant. He turned his back to Hu Sheng. “You should go. With Young Master Feng here, you don’t need to worry about me.”
He said not to worry, but how could that be possible? Hu Sheng thought for a moment, then took off the jade pendant from his waist and gave it to Zhao An. “If you want to contact me in the next two days, you can take this jade pendant to the bookstore in Changxi County and find the manager.”
This scene of reluctant parting fell into Feng Shaoping’s eyes, and his jaw almost dropped. Since when had Hu Sheng become such a sentimental person?
But intimidated by the authority Hu Sheng had previously established in his mind, Feng Shaoping didn’t dare to laugh at him and could only stand silently in the background.
After Hu Sheng had ridden far away on his horse, Feng Shaoping finally grinned and winked at Zhao An. “You have really good taste. You just arrived in Changxi County and have already snatched away the most handsome man here. My father wanted to betroth my sister to him after just a few words, but unfortunately, Brother Hu was completely unwilling to accept, saying he had suffered a hidden injury during his military campaigns. I didn’t expect he was waiting for you.”
Zhao An had no intention of hiding his feelings for Hu Sheng. Hearing Feng Shaoping’s teasing, he could say without blushing, “You don’t have to tell me. I’ve always known I have good taste.”
“Tsk, tsk, truly worthy of being the one Brother Hu likes. So frank,” Feng Shaoping said as he walked up to Zhao An and patted his shoulder. “From now on, you and I, Feng Shaoping, are also friends.”
Zhao An smiled at him. “Let’s go back, my friend. The sun is quite strong. Let’s keep it simple for lunch today. I’ll make you some cold noodles with shredded chicken.”
“You can cook?” Feng Shaoping was somewhat surprised. Even he, the son of a county magistrate, couldn’t cook. Zhao An had been the son of a Prime Minister, and later the brother of Consort Li, yet he could cook for himself.
Zhao An gave the astonished Feng Shaoping a disdainful look, walked to his well, and pulled up a rope hanging over the wellhead. At the end was a vegetable basket containing a piece of chicken thigh cooked last night and a few fresh cucumbers.
Anyone who has lived in the countryside knows that a well can serve as a natural refrigerator. The temperature at the bottom of some deep wells is only a few degrees, and some fruits and vegetables will even emit white steam when pulled up from the well.
Zhao An shredded the chicken thigh and cucumber, added salt, sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, and minced garlic to make a simple cold shredded chicken salad. Then he boiled a large pot of noodles, and lunch was ready.
After eating, Feng Shaoping praised it repeatedly, saying that Zhao An’s cooking was better than the chefs at Ruyi House. But Zhao An knew his own level; he could only make some home-cooked dishes. He just took it as a compliment from Feng Shaoping, not knowing that what Feng Shaoping was thinking at that moment was that he had eaten Zhao An’s cooking before Hu Sheng, and he couldn’t help but feel a little smug.
Before Zhao An could take the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen, Liu Huan’s eldest grandson ran to their door and knocked. “A lot of officials have come to the village entrance. They all say they’re looking for Young Master Zhao to buy strawberries.”
They’re finally here.
Zhao An didn’t have time to wash the dishes. He thought for a moment, then beckoned to Liu Huan’s eldest grandson to come in. “Come and help me wash the dishes. How about I give you two large coins for your work?”
But the child looked at the wolf and shook his head, clearly not daring to come in. Helpless, Zhao An could only hide the used bowls in the deepest part of the cupboard, lest someone suddenly get the idea to come into his house and think he was messy.
However, Zhao An was clearly overthinking. By the time he ran to the village entrance, he saw that the officials had set up a tent on a piece of dry land outside Zhaojia Village. The eunuch, dressed in the uniform of an Imperial Household Department manager, sat in the very center of the tent. On the tea table next to him were not only hot tea but also various fruits.
Such pomp and circumstance were almost comparable to the emperor’s personal visit. Zhao An thought of the emperor he had seen when he first transmigrated to this world, and the images in his memory. It seemed that every time he saw the emperor, he was by Zhao Qingcheng’s side, and there wasn’t such a grand display.
Of course, if the emperor were to travel in his official capacity, it would surely be hundreds of times more exaggerated. Zhao An’s mind was racing as he walked up to the eunuch. Before he could figure out what kind of etiquette to use, the eunuch had already stood up and greeted him. “Greetings, Your Lordship, the Imperial Brother-in-law.”
“Not at all, not at all. This commoner greets the Eunuch,” Zhao An did not dare to be arrogant. Although he did not bow, his tone was very friendly.
The eunuch seemed very satisfied with Zhao An’s performance. After sitting down with a smile, he ordered someone to prepare a seat for Zhao An. Only after Zhao An sat down did he continue, “This servant must congratulate Your Lordship. Her Ladyship, the Noble Consort, is with child and is suffering from severe morning sickness. His Majesty’s heart aches for her. Hearing that there is a sweet and sour fruit in Changxi County that is very appetizing, he specially sent this servant to find it for Her Ladyship.”
He gave Zhao An a reproachful look. “I didn’t expect to hear from the county magistrate that this fruit was found by Your Lordship. Since Your Lordship has found such a good fruit, why didn’t you think of presenting some to Her Ladyship? You’ve made His Majesty so worried.”
It was clear that Zhao Qingcheng had once again gained the emperor’s favor and had even been promoted to Noble Consort. And the emperor had probably forgotten that he had punished Zhao An, so the eunuchs below were very polite to him. By bringing up the matter of presenting the fruit, he was helping Zhao An smooth things over.
Zhao An was indeed very tactful and said a string of pleasantries, the gist of which was that when he first discovered the strawberries, he felt that transportation was inconvenient, which was why he hadn’t sent them to the capital. Later, he had cultivated a new batch of seedlings in the village and had originally intended to plant them in pots and send them to the capital, but he hadn’t had time before the people from the capital arrived.
