Chapter 63 (2/2)
“My brother was called Zhuo Er. He was a spy. The Army had him concealed at my side, to have him investigate me to see if I had any collusions with the Yue Lun Kingdom. In fact, they only wanted to excuse to act against Spring Wind Pavilion, even perhaps directly framing me.”
“But brothers are brothers after all, he told me everything about the inside story, and naturally wouldn’t investigate me for the Army and even less, frame me as per military orders. And because he was a soldier of my Tang Dynasty, he also couldn’t betray a secret of a department of the same uniform, so these few months, he was pressed by both sides in extreme suffering.”
Chao XiaoShu’s eyes slightly dropped, and said, “Now thinking of it, even if it angered that person in the Palace, I should have told him the truth earlier, that sooner or later he will die. At the very least in that short amount of time it wouldn’t be so painful.”
Ning Que willingly asked, “But you still haven’t said how he died.”
“Spying is the most dangerous type of work. When he hadn’t fallen to either side yet, at any moment he could possibly die, and once he decided to go with one side, he could even more likely hasten death. That day when he finally decided to tell me the Army’s plan, the Army became aware of the results, and so they cleaned up, and he died at the property across from here.”
Chao XiaoShu gazed toward the shop’s wooden door, gazing towards that gray wall that couldn’t be seen.
After a period of silence, Ning Que asked, “The one who did it was that swordsman from South Jin from earlier?”
“Yes.” Chao XiaoShu turned back and looked at the youth’s young face. With a slight smile he said, “From now on we are brothers.”
Ning Que’s brow slightly jumped, smiling he replied, “Isn’t this a bit too careless?”
Chao XiaoShu smiled and stood up, then said, “One whole life, two brothers. This kind of thing has always been that simple.”
“One whole life, isn’t more than two bowls of fried egg and noodles.”
Ning Que shook his head smiling and said, “This word ‘brother’ is a bit too common. Also I know of those famous brothers, if they weren’t among those people that fortunately died first, then these brothers in the end will all become enemies. Tonight I just wanted to help you, and earn a bit of money. Can you not be so ba.n.a.l, looking for some other meaning from livelihood?”
Chao XiaoShu’s brow slowly scrunched up, with great interest sizing up Ning Que. A bit unexpectedly hearing this kind of reply, he asked, “While you are so young, but the world in your eyes is so dark…..now I’m really curious about your past, in the future if you’re interested in telling me, please remember you absolutely must call me. The tea is on me.”
Ning Que responded saying, “I already don’t want to remember those things, much less act as a storyteller for other people to listen.”
Chao XiaoShu smiled saying, “Alright, then besides fried egg and noodles, what do you believe is the true meaning of life?”
“Life’s meaning of course is career and love, or that is to say money and women. I know you feel that this sentence is very clever, and feel that I’m clever, but is it possible for you to not smile so enigmatically?”
Ning Que helplessly shook his head. In order to make this ChangAn City big shot understand what is called meaning, his finger indicated to Sang Sang who barely walked past asking, “Do you think that one girl recruited into Red Sleeves is suitable to be your family’s lady of the house?”
Sang Sang took her small hand and wiped it on her ap.r.o.n. Afterwards she knitted her eyebrows very seriously thinking for quite a while, only then cautiously and solemnly she said, “I think that the girl sitting on second seat of your left hand side stands out very well.”
“That is Miss Lu Xue.” Ning Que thought of that girl’s soft waist. Smiling he questioned closely, “Why do you feel this girl is very suitable to act as my wife?”
Sang Sang opened her eyes, that pair of willow-leaf eyes, and seriously answered saying, “Make-up on her face is applied thinly and evenly. Her smile feels very clean with neat white teeth, looking at them I feel she is very healthy. And I have secretly looked at her waist and b.u.t.t, in the future she should be very good for rearing children.”
Ning Que turned his head, to look towards Chao XiaoShu proudly smiling.
Chao XiaoShu looked at the small dimple on his left cheek, staring blankly he thought, Everyday guarding a shop, and discussing with your own underage maid over which prost.i.tute is suitable to bear children and is suitable to act as his own wife, could it be that this is life’s meaning?
All of a sudden he began thinking of leaving the Old Brush House to rely on the small maid in front of the shop’s doorway, thinking of after returning back to Old Brush House the two bowls of hot steaming fried egg noodles, thinking of before when he was forgotten in a corner by himself, thinking that between this pair of master and servant the two naturally wouldn’t let other people insert feelings, gradually he understood a little something. Smiling he said, “In the first place, the meaning of life is to keep on living.”
Ning Que shook his head and smiled while saying, “Forget it, these words are too sour.”
Chao XiaoShu looked at the youth’s expression, and knew that he also didn’t understand what he was saying, naturally he also couldn’t bring into the open those things. Standing up to leave he walked to the doorway, turning his head he smiled saying, “I should go. Tomorrow night ChangAn City still has very many matters that need to be dealt with. Someone will come here tomorrow to give you silver, afterwards he will also take you to go to a place.”
Once he heard the last few words of this sentence, a bit of an alert expression appeared on Ning Que’s face. He didn’t ask what kind of place, and rather directly asked about the core of the matter. “Is it possible to not go?”
Chao XiaoShu pushed open the store’s wooden doors, and neatly and cleanly said, “Impossible.” …… ……
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