Do you know the long song of laughter?

Chapter 84 The Book of War
  After dinner in the evening, when Ms. Liu was clearing away the dishes, Li An called out to her, and then told them about her plans to go to Bianjing.

"A Niu, can't you just study in Yangzhou?" Mrs. Liu said.

It is said that a mother is worried when her son travels thousands of miles. Little Li An has never left her side since he was a child. She is really worried about going to such a far place all of a sudden.

"Your mother is right. If you follow me to Bianjing, you will be in trouble for others." Li Nan said.

"Mom and Dad, I'm not going alone, but I plan to go as a family. There are many rich people in Bianjing, and it will be easier to do business and make money in Bianjing." Li An said.

"Going to Bianjing?"

Liu and Li Nan were stunned when they heard this.

Li Nan quickly came to his senses, shook his head and said: "No, I'm not familiar with Bianjing. How can business be so easy? The family owes so much money, so we can't mess around. Besides, your grandparents are still there. .”

"Your father is right, and I found a matchmaker and asked her to help arrange the marriage for your eldest brother. The matchmaker said that the people have been selected and we will arrange for us to see each other in a few days. What about your eldest brother's marriage in Bianjing? "Ms. Liu also objected.

"Mom, when did this happen, why didn't I know?" Li An was surprised when he heard this.

"Go, go, tell your eldest brother a wife, your eldest brother doesn't even know why I'm talking to you." Ms. Liu said angrily.

Li An glanced at his elder brother. Li Ping heard his mother talk about his marriage and was listening attentively. When Li An looked over, he lowered his head in embarrassment.

"Mom, take me with you when we meet," Li An said.

"How can a younger brother look after his elder brother's wife without fear of being laughed at?" Ms. Liu glared at him.

"Then tell me which company it is from." Li An asked.

Li An was going to find out which family the girl was from, and then went back to find someone to inquire about her character.

"I just went to have a look, but I haven't decided yet. I don't know if it will work out yet," Liu said.

Li An pondered for a while and said, "Mom and dad, my child is unfilial. I will no longer be able to fulfill my filial piety in front of you."

"Aniu, you..."

Li Nan could say anything, but Mrs. Liu grabbed him and said, "Aniu, you have many ideas and have read a book. Since you want to go, your father and I won't stop you. But you followed Liu Xuezheng to Bian Jing, you must be obedient and not cause trouble to others, you know?"

"Well, mother, don't worry." Li An nodded.

"No, how old is A Niu? Do you really want him to go to Bianjing alone?" Li Nan said worriedly.

"Although I have never read a book, I have heard that famous teachers produce great disciples. A Niu followed Liu Xuezheng to study, is it possible that we still have to stop him?" said Liu.

"I…"

Li Nan opened his mouth, not knowing how to refute.

"Brother Li, sister-in-law, I'll go with A Niu." Shi Lin, who had been silent for the whole time, said.

"Master, do you really want to come with me?" Li An said in surprise.

"You have just started to learn martial arts. If I don't follow you, won't your martial arts be in ruins?" Shi Lin said.

"I'll be relieved if Brother Shi follows you, but it's too troublesome for you." Li Nan came back to his senses and said.

"Is this any trouble? I've always heard that Bianjing is prosperous and I want to see it." Shi Lin said with a smile.

Li Nan and Mr. Liu tried to persuade him a bit, but when Shi Lin insisted, he stopped trying.

To be honest, they were really worried about letting Li An go to Bianjing alone, but having Shi Lin following him made them feel relieved.

It was still early before departure, but there was no sadness about parting.

Mrs. Liu put away the dishes and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Li Nan also went out to feed the donkey.

"Aniu, come with me." Shi Lin said.

"Oh!" Li An responded, stood up and followed. Shi Lin took Li An to the room where he lived, lit the lamp, and then took out a small wooden box from under the bed.

Li An had seen this wooden box before when he helped Shi Lin move. The paint on the box was almost gone and it was very worn.

The box was not locked. Shi Lin placed the box on the table, opened the box directly, then took out a few books from the box and handed them to Li An.

When Li An saw the book in the box, he thought it was a family secret book or something. When he took the book, he was stunned when he saw the words on it.

The top one turned out to be a copy of "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.

"Master, what is this?" Li An looked at Shi Lin with some confusion.

"This was handed down from my ancestors. My father said it was a military book. I can't read and I don't know what is written on it," Shi Lin said.

Li An briefly looked through it and found that Shi Lin gave him a total of four books, three of which were military books. However, he had only heard of "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, and he had no impression of the other two.

Except for this, the last one had no name and was written by hand. Li An looked at it and saw that it was a record of military experience.

"Master, this is indeed all about the art of war." Li An nodded and wanted to ask, but finally held back.

"Are you curious, how come I have these books?" Shi Lin said.

Li An nodded, he was indeed very curious.

Military books are different from the Four Books and Five Classics. Even with printing technology now, military books are difficult to buy.

Such books were not allowed to be circulated by the imperial court, and only those families with martial arts records had them.

"I heard from my father that my great-grandfather was from the Southern Tang Dynasty. Because he killed the generals of the Song Dynasty, he was afraid of being accused, so he ran away when the Southern Tang Dynasty surrendered to the Song Dynasty, and has been living in seclusion in Lijiacun," Shi Lin said.

Li An also had many speculations about Shi Lin's identity before.

I wasn't too surprised by what Shi Lin said.

After all, Shi Lin's methods of fighting back his strength, including the ancestral spear, are not simple.

"Don't be afraid. My father said that my grandfather told him that my great-grandfather was not wanted by the court after he fled."

Seeing that Li An was silent, Shi Lin thought he was scared, so he comforted him.

Li An came back to his senses, shook his head and said, "I'm just a little surprised. I didn't expect that my master's ancestor was a general."

So many years have passed and the Shi family has not been discovered. It is possible that no one was looking for them at that time.

After all, the war was in turmoil at that time, and the Southern Tang Dynasty surrendered. Many people fled, and it was difficult for the court to find them.

"Who is a general? I heard from my father that my great-grandfather was just a captain at that time." Shi Lin shook his head.

This can be explained clearly. At that time, the Southern Tang Dynasty was not strong, and a captain was no more than a nobody.

Maybe Da Song didn't take him seriously, he was just scaring himself.

"Master, since this is your ancestral property, how can you give it to me?" Li An refused.

"I don't know how to read, so why should I keep it? See if it's useful. If it's useless, I'll give it to Goudan later." Shi Lin said.

"Yeah." Li An thought for a while and didn't refuse.

It was good to read it when he was bored, but he never thought that he could become a famous general with just a few military books.

Zhao Kuo read so many military books, but in the end he couldn't just talk about military affairs on paper.

　Thanks to Jin Busan, You Say I'm Skinny, Book Friends 20231028969_ba, and Hai Meng Guanyue for their monthly support.

　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)