Kingdom of Heaven and Han

Chapter 176
At the intersection, Zhang Chi bid farewell to his companions, and went to the officer who was traveling with him to sign a bet.Watching the crowd set out on the road, they went from Xiang Xiaolu to Xiaolu.

It was already mid-June, and not long after the sun rose, it was unbearably hot.There is a small stream not far from the road, the water is clear, and there are miscellaneous trees growing on both sides.Zhang Chi saw many hearts on a tree, so he went to pick two.Wash in the stream water, eat to quench your thirst.

Near noon, a small village appeared ahead.Five or six families, surrounded by hedges, were quiet.There were two big yellow dogs lying on their stomachs at the entrance of the village, and when they saw Zhang Chi approaching, they barked wildly there.When he got closer, he recognized someone from his own village, so he shut up and lay down.

Walking up to him, Zhang Chi stroked the big yellow dog.The dog was so hot that it stuck out its tongue and didn't bother to care about people.

Standing up, Zhang Chi looked at the stone-paved street and was lost in thought for a moment.This is the place where I grew up, and I am very familiar with every inch of the land.After leaving for half a year, it feels like a world away when I come back again.

At this moment, a man came back from the field with his trouser legs rolled up, carrying a hoe.He saw Zhang Chi standing at the entrance of the village at a glance.Shouted: "Is it Zhang Jia Erlang? I haven't seen you in half a year, but you are much stronger!"

Seeing that it was Dad Lin from the neighbor's house, Zhang Chi hurriedly said, "Yes, yes! Dad is busy in the fields again!"

Father Lin said: "Weeds are growing happily in the rice fields. I'll pull them up in the fields. When we get to the entrance of the village, why don't you go home soon? Your parents miss you every day these days. I don't know how happy they are to see you!"

Zhang Chi agreed.Go forward to go to your home with Father Lin.Arriving in front of Lin Axuan's door, he said: "I'm on vacation for the past few days to visit my relatives, and my father will come to my house for a drink or two. I haven't seen you for many days, and I miss you so much!"

Father Lin agreed and returned to his home.

In front of the house, Zhang Chi stood there, adjusting his mood for a while.Opening the courtyard door, the civet cat lying in the shade of the tree glanced at him lazily, then turned his head away.The fifth brother, who was pounding around in the grass with a branch, looked back and called him the second brother.

The mother who was spinning in the main room heard the voice.He came out of the room and stood there looking at his son, speechless for a moment.

Zhang Chi stepped forward quickly and said to his mother, "Mom, I'm back!"

The mother looked at Zhang Chi and the wine and meat in his hand, her body trembling a little.He went forward and took his son's hand, and said in a low voice: "Erlang, what did you do in the army? After you escaped home, don't go out to be seen by the villagers. Now the army is strictly controlled, not like before!"

Zhang Chi laughed and said, "What did Mom say! The army is on vacation, let us come back to visit our relatives! I have lived at home for more than ten days, and I have to go back to the army! After training for half a year, how could the army let us go?"

"Didn't commit a crime?" Mother circled around Zhang Chi. "Do not lie to me!"

Zhang Chi said: "Of course there is no crime! There are 39 people in Dengcheng County. We came back together. In a few days, they will come to our house as guests! You will know at that time. Mom, I will come back to visit my relatives. Please come back later." Folks, come drink!"

Mom still didn't believe it, and murmured: "I've never heard that officials only take vacations to visit their relatives. You are a soldier, and you still have vacations?"

Zhang Chi had no choice but to put down the wine and meat in the house.He came out and said, "If you don't believe me, I'll invite Li Zheng from my hometown to see what he has to say! Now that you're a soldier, you won't be the same as before. You won't believe me!"

Who dares to believe it?From ancient times to the present, it has never been heard that soldiers still have holidays.The army is always afraid of soldiers escaping and is always on guard. How could it be possible for you to go home on vacation?What should I do if I go home and never go back?Are there fewer and fewer people in the army?
Zhang Chi had no choice but to go aside to tease his younger brother.

But the mother said: "Wulang, go to the field and call your father! Just say that Erlang is back, let him go home quickly!"

The fifth brother agreed, and quickly ran out the door.

The mother said to Zhang Chi again: "When you entered the village just now, did you meet any villagers?"

Zhang Chi said: "Just after entering the village, I saw Father Lin next door. I went home with him."

"Alas—" Mother shook her head and couldn't help sighing.Standing there alone, I don't know what I'm thinking.

Zhang Chi was at a loss and stood there, not knowing what to do.

Not long after, the father came back with the third and fifth brothers.Seeing Zhang Chi standing in the yard, he put down the hoe and hurriedly closed the gate.

Zhang Chi stepped forward to meet his father.Said: "Father, I have a month's vacation in the army, and I came back to visit my relatives. I don't know that my mother doesn't believe it, so I am in a dilemma here."

Father grabbed Zhang Chi's hand.Said: "Is it really a vacation in the army? Didn't you come back here? Erlang, this is not a joke, you must tell the truth! You are in the army, exempting us from hard labor. This year, I went out to do things and earned a lot of money. If you really committed a crime and escaped back, I will send you away tonight! Although the arrest is strict now, as long as you escape to the nearby Fangzhou, you will be fine!"

Zhang Chi couldn't laugh or cry: "Father, it's really a vacation in the army! I'm doing well in the army! Because I never committed any crimes, I did a good job. I was the first one to go on vacation. The army takes care of food and housing. I have saved all the money, and I want to bring it back to you!"

Father looked into Zhang Chi's eyes for a while, and then said, "Is it true that you didn't tell a lie?"

"Of course not! It's not like I joined the army alone in Dengcheng County, so you just have to ask!"

Seeing Zhang Chi's sincere attitude, Dad nodded: "Okay, I'll take what you said is true! There are also soldiers in the next village, so I'll go over and ask in a while. If it's really a holiday, of course I have nothing to say."

Zhang Chi said: "Qian Fei from the village next door is not on leave this time, we have to wait for the next time. Yang Biao from Daliushu Village, ten miles away, is on leave this time, and he came back with me. If you don't believe me, just ask around. understood."

"A soldier still has a holiday?" Father muttered in a low voice, and went over to discuss with his mother.

The third brother is in his teens, only half a head shorter than Zhang Chi.Seeing his father walk away, he came to Zhang Chi's side.Said: "Second brother, I have grown up so much, I have never heard that there are holidays in the army. You are not an official, how can you let it go in the army? I have only heard that when a soldier leaves the school, it is difficult to see him alive. "

Zhang Chi said: "Why, even you don't believe me? Wang Guan leads the army, which is different from others. We eat well and dress well in the army, and our life is much better than at home! Tell you, the past six months , I have learned more than half of "Thousand Characters"!"

The third brother didn't believe it: "The army still teaches literacy? I've never heard of it!"

Zhang Chi said: "There are so many things you haven't heard of! It's different for Wang Guan to lead the army. We don't know how good our life is in the army. We eat three meals a day, and there must be a cooked breakfast for breakfast." Where are the eggs!"

The third brother shook his head again and again: "One egg a day, how many chickens do you need? Thousands of people in the army can lay so many eggs?"

Zhang Chi laughed and said, "Thousands? Hundreds? You underestimate Wang Guan. Now there are more than 6000 people in our army! How many chickens? It's only [-] to [-]. Do you think there are many? Tell you, around Xinye , there is a special place to raise chickens, maybe it’s not [-] chickens.”

How can the third brother believe it?My family also raises more than a dozen chickens, which lay three or four eggs a day.In a year, no matter how prolific a chicken is, it will not lay eggs for more than half a year.The eggs in the house should either be eaten by the children, or they should be saved for the busy farming season.

The parents discussed it for a while, and then listened to Zhang Chi's words with suspicion.Check the things he brought back, discussing how to invite the village to drink.Because Zhang Chi served as a soldier, he was exempted from forced labor at home and could earn some money a year.

No wonder Zhang Chi's parents didn't believe it.Since ancient times, soldiers have traveled thousands of miles away, so how can it be possible to have a holiday?In times of war, how many people can return home alive?It happened in history that when you go, you are still guarding the frontier with your head wrapped and your head white.Wang Xiaolie's army is completely different from the army in history.

(End of this chapter)