Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1557 Family
"Husband, you're back." Zheng Sanniang got up from the stove, told her youngest son to watch the fire, and then greeted her into the yard.

"I'm back." Youguo soldier Sun Erlang nodded, took off a sack from his back, and said, "I bought twenty catties of fish, enough to last until the end of the first month."

"Why are there so many?" Zheng Sanniang said angrily, "Just after the reward was paid out, it was a waste of money."

"I bought it when I saw it. Zezhou is a small place, so it's not easy to meet fish merchants." Sun Erlang waved his hand and said, "The sage loves this fish very much, calling it a treasure in the sea."

"Got it, got it, you've said it dozens of times." Seeing her husband say that, Zheng Sanniang didn't want to blame her too much. While nagging, she quickly untied the bag, took out the fish one by one, and tied them up with a rope. , hung under the eaves.

After a while, dried salted fish hung under the indigo-colored tiles.When the wind blows, it sways gently from side to side, which is really beautiful-surplus every year, which is a symbol of abundance in life.

Sun Erlang walked to the fragrant stove and lifted the lid.

The crock was bubbling and steaming.

Meat, wild vegetables, and winter bamboo shoots are rolled up and down inside, and the soup is thick and white, and it makes your mouth water.

There is half a pheasant stewed in the earthen pot, which he went to the mountains to hunt when he was free.

After returning from Yunnan, he fell into a state of having nothing to do.Sometimes he sat on the threshold in a daze, looking at the fields, mountains, and rivers outside the house, and sat for a whole afternoon until his father came to drive people away with a broom.

I couldn't sit still anymore, so I asked my comrades to go hunting together in the mountains.Until the snow fell more and more, and the mountains were closed to block the road.

"Husband, sit down for a while, the broth is ready, I will serve you a bowl." Zheng Sanniang took a wet towel, carefully lifted it through the earthen pot, and carried it into the room.

Sun Erlang picked up the tongs leaning against the wall, took out the briquettes that had burned white, put in two new briquettes, put an empty crock, poured some water, and prepared to warm the wine.

After fighting for so long, you have to reward yourself.

Admittedly, he had already rewarded himself in Yunnan.I have killed people, robbed money, and raped women, but over there, my spirits are extremely tense. When I see anyone, I feel that he is going to be bad for me.

After the class teacher returned home, the presumptuousness of the past year was restrained, and the rules and regulations returned to himself again. It seemed that he was not free at all, but he felt the peace of mind that he had not seen for a long time.

People, after all, love home.

Zheng Sanniang virtuously walked back and forth between the nave, yard, and kitchen, carrying a basket of steamed cakes into the room, carrying two dishes of vegetables into the room, and bringing warm wine to the table.

Sun Erlang sat on the threshold again in a daze.

Seeing him like that, the old man sighed, walked into the kitchen, gave his grandson a piece of persimmon, drove him away from the earthen stove, sat on the pony by himself, and took care of the hearth.

The child is eating persimmons and walking around in the yard.

The big yellow dog followed happily, shaking its head and tail.

In the sheepfold in the southeast corner of the yard, the lambs who hadn't grown up looked at them in fear, bleating.The ram walked to the edge of the pen, lowered his head slightly, and showed his horns full of cracks.

The child screamed, subconsciously took two steps back, the persimmon almost fell off.

The big yellow dog barked twice, looking fierce.But after seeing the little master back away, it whimpered and left the sheepfold in despair.

"Husband, it's time to eat." Zheng Sanniang called out.

Sun Erlang got up silently, went back to the room and sat down.

After a while, the old man came over with a plate of mutton and put it on the table.

"Yaolang from the Zheng family came over yesterday and saw that you were not here, so he sat for a while and left." Zheng Sanniang poured half a bowl of wine for the father and son of the Sun family, and said softly: "It is difficult for the imperial army to enter now, and he has recruited many people. , it didn’t work out.”

"Zheng Jiayaolang" is Zheng Sanniang's younger brother and a soldier of the Youguo Army. He and Sun Erlang are in the same command. One is a rifleman and the other is a crossbowman and long swordsman.

"The people above are speaking in a bureaucratic way, saying that the Great Xia Imperial Army is not a father-son army that is firmly rooted in the party. Pooh! It is obvious that there are fathers and sons, but they have to say it so high-sounding." Zheng Sanniang continued: "Husband, you want Don't want some money?"

"It's useless!" Sun Erlang took a sip of wine, his face flushed slightly.

The life of the warriors in the Imperial Army is really good. Not only is there enough food, but also good food. No wonder everyone wants to join the army.

"Why is it useless?" Zheng Sanniang was a little unconvinced.

"If I say it's useless, it's useless!" Sun Erlang put the wine bowl on the table and said, "No one dares to collect money now. The recruits in the Fifth Courtyard are all waiting in line, what's the use of finding someone? If you can’t get things done, you’ll be making a fuss for nothing, no one is that stupid.”

"Then..." Zheng Sanniang was at a loss for words for a moment, and after a while, she frowned and said, "After the new year, my husband will be 37, how many more years can we fight? Is it possible that the children will have to farm in the future? But there is not enough land points."

When Sun Erlang heard this, his face became even more unsightly.

Zheng Sanniang sat down instead, and asked again: "I can't do the imperial army, can I be a state soldier? Gou Lang has practiced martial arts for ten years, and his skills are not bad. He should be qualified to be recruited as a state soldier?"

Gou Lang is the eldest son of Sun Erlang and Zheng Sanniang. He is 19 years old this year.I went to Taiyuan with a few friends a few days ago, and I will not be able to come back until the Chinese New Year.

"Didn't you see that the state soldiers haven't entered for a long time?" Sun Erlang ate a piece of mutton, a little angry, and said: "The Central Plains is peaceful, and the states have not recruited soldiers in recent years. Even if some people leave, they will not make up for it." .Don't you understand what it means?"

"Then what should I do? I'm so anxious to die of a person, so many years of martial arts training in vain?" Zheng Sanniang was a little hairy, and said: "At the beginning, you let Gou Lang practice martial arts since he was a child. You said that when he grew up, he could inherit his father's career and continue Be the imperial guard. As a result, the gate of the imperial guard is so difficult to enter. If I knew it was so, it would be better to let him learn a craft so that he can support himself. Is the saint confused? This is an old man who has spent half his life fighting for him. It is necessary to use those soldiers who do not know their roots."

"You know nothing!" Hearing his daughter-in-law complaining about the saint, Sun Erlang subconsciously became angry. He slapped the table hard and said, "Sage is such a hero, it's your turn to arrange it? What a stupid woman! "

"I'm stupid, you're the only one who's smart! In the end, you can't do anything! Where's the smartness?" Zheng Sanniang also had a hot temper, and directly retorted.

Sun Erlang was about to get angry again.The old man of the Sun family knocked hard on the table, and both of them stopped.

"Son, Zhang family boss said a few days ago that he was going to send a son to the Western Regions. Is he going to be a state soldier or a government soldier?" Father Sun asked suddenly.

"It's not a state soldier or a mansion soldier." Sun Erlang took a sip of his wine and said, "He went to carry a gun for King Zhao."

"King Zhao?" Father Sun was taken aback for a moment, as if he understood something, sighed, and said, "That's not a serious business, Zhang Shuzi is cruel enough to watch his grandson fail like this?"

"He has ten grandsons, it's okay to leave one or two." Sun Erlang said: "Besides, I've seen that young man before. He is really useless except for being brave and ruthless. Let him farm, do business, and learn crafts. If not, he will only kill people."

"What's the difference between your dog boy?" Father Sun muttered, and sighed: "If it really doesn't work, let him go on the road with the Zhang family boy, alas."

"No way!" Zheng Sanniang was anxious, and said, "It's so far away in the Western Regions, can we meet again after Gou Lang left?"

By the end, I was a little choked up.

Sun Erlang just lowered his head and drank the wine without speaking.

Grandpa Sun also sighed, obviously a little bit reluctant to leave his grandson.

But the reality is here, what can be done?
In the past, people said that practicing martial arts is good, and it can make the whole family happy.This is even more so for their family of imperial warriors, it has almost become a tradition.

But who would have thought that the world would gradually become peaceful, and there would no longer be the need for so many warriors to work hard.These young men who have practiced martial arts since childhood, look down on any other kind of livelihood, except for fighting and killing, they really don't know anything.

What can I do?
Father Sun has two sons, three daughters, and five grandsons.The eldest grandson was trained as a martial artist since he was a child. He is good at using infantry bows, long spears, and horizontal swords, and can also ride horses.

"Can King Zhao offer a reward?" After sighing for a while, he still had to face the reality after all, asked Old Man Sun.

"Should... yes." Sun Erlang wasn't very sure, but King Zhao was the prince after all, so he couldn't even hand out rewards, right?

"Can you go to the Western Regions to be a soldier?" Father Sun asked again.

"I see Xuan." Sun Erlang said: "A while ago there were rumors that Qingzhen recruited [-] government soldiers, and Zezhou seems to have posted a notice, but they only want to ban troops or surrender troops from various places. Gou Lang has never been in battle. , Those who have seen blood should not do it.”

"It's a pity." Father Sun sighed.

Seeing the Sun family's father and son seriously discussing the feasibility of going to the Western Regions, Zheng Sanniang felt empty in her heart, her body went limp, and she slumped on the rope chair.

"Will King Zhao have a fief? Could it be in the Western Regions?" Father Sun asked after thinking for a while.

"Nine times out of ten."

"Are the thieves from the Western Regions fierce?"

When Sun Erlang heard the words, the corner of his mouth subconsciously raised an arc, which seemed to be a bit mocking. He only heard him say: "Didn't the knights of Lubu Feijie say, how powerful can they destroy the Uighurs in Gaochang in half a year? Those bandits and bandits , I can charge with Pao Ze and others, and I can beat them to pieces."

"You are you, and Gou Lang is Gou Lang. He has never been in battle, he has never seen blood, it's different." Father Sun knocked on the table and said.

"We have to go through this." Sun Erlang poured wine for himself and his father, and said, "I was only 20 years old when I first joined the battle. If I was recruited by Li Renhan in Ruzhou, I would be at a loss at that time. , will also be afraid. But after more than ten years of fighting, I found that it is the same. Kill or be killed, that's all."

Father Sun drank and ate in silence. After a long time, he suddenly raised his head and said, "Let's find someone to inquire about it in a few days. King Zhao is the seed of a saint, so he shouldn't act recklessly."

"Okay." Sun Erlang responded.

Zheng Sanniang covered her face with her hands, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

(End of this chapter)