Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 General Door Tiger
Qin Mubai, who had once been an only child, was naturally happy to have an additional sister of a mother. Seeing this little girl’s lively and quick-witted appearance, she couldn’t help but feel an impulse to protect her and love her.

“Third Brother, quickly taste the Little Sister’s Little Heavenly Crisp, hee hee!” Qin Shuang’er ran over happily and knelt down on the other side of the table. She put down a plate of rice ball-like things and said joyfully and proudly, “Taste it quickly. I’ve been cooking for a long time!”

Mrs. Liu’s eyes narrowed as she smiled to the side. “Saburo, fourth sister heard that you’re coming back. She learned how to cook from the chef in the manor overnight … oh, give it a try!” She said.

“You studied overnight?” Qin Mubai smiled and picked up a piece of “rice ball” to observe carefully. It seemed that some meat was chopped up and then mixed with rice to make it. He smelled it in his nose, as if it had the fragrance of chicken, but it carried with it the smell of lamb.

It doesn’t smell so good …

“Hurry up and eat, hehe!” Qin Shuang’er blinked her watery eyes and looked at Qin Mubai with great anticipation.

Qin Mubai smiled and put the meat ball into her mouth. As soon as he entered, he felt an embarrassing odd smell. The smell of lamb became even more choking. His good appetite instantly disappeared, and his brows furrowed. He almost felt the urge to spit it out on the spot.

This was probably the most unpleasant thing that he had ever eaten in his two lives!

“Wow, what kind of expression is that? Really!” Qin Shuang’er was angry. She puffed her cheeks and opened her eyes wide to protest, “Is it very ugly? Is it very ugly?”

Qin Mubai smiled bitterly at her mother and shook his head to indicate that it wasn’t unpleasant to eat. He swallowed the food in his mouth as if he was going to die.

He immediately grabbed a glass of wine and swallowed it to cover the odor in his mouth. He smiled and said, “Fourth sister’s cooking is really good. It tastes very good.”

“Haha, I knew it! I’m a genius girl from our Qin Family, the number one chef in the world in the future!” Qin Shuang’er cheered happily with her pink fist. She then personally picked up an entire piece of meat and put it into Qin Mubai’s bowl. She smiled and said softly, “Third Brother is about to eat all of this. Mother and I have missed you so much since you left home three years ago. It must be very hard to join the army, right? I’ll make you delicious food every day when I get home!”

“Uh” Qin Mubai grinned stiffly and could only nod.

“Alright, little sister. Look at your greasy body. Go clean it up quickly. I’ll just accompany your third brother for dinner.” Madam Liu came to help Qin Mubai out.

“Alright!” Qin Shuang’er crawled up and ran out the door. She leaned back and smiled, “Third Brother, I’ll make you some snacks tonight!”

“Good, good” Qin Mubai looked at her back and laughed, feeling warm in his heart.

“Alright, Saburo, don’t eat this Little Heavenly Crisp. It’s good that you receive Siya’er’s kind intentions.” Mrs. Liu smiled and said, “Since you’re back, you can rest assured for a while. Your father’s body is getting thinner and weaker. You should be filial before he gets sick.”

Qin Mubai nodded and asked, “Mother, Lord Father immediately swept across the world with his spear. He was famous throughout his life as a hero. How did he end up with such a skeleton when he was only forty or fifty years old?”

‘”Ah” Madam Liu sighed and shook his head with a worried expression. “Your father used to say that men are like horses wrapped in corpses, so they always lead the way in battles. He joined Rong Wu as a teenager. He had been on horseback for more than twenty years, and had fought thousands of battles everywhere. The number of fierce battles could be counted as more than two hundred. There was almost no intact skin on his body, and bloodshed and broken bones were even more common. Humans, their muscles and bones were damaged, how could they not be sick when they were old? “In addition, your father was born with an arrogant heart. He refused to admit defeat, refused to acknowledge his old age, and the worse his health, the worse his mood would be … Sigh, it’s really hard to say anything!”

“Mother, you don’t have to worry too much.” Seeing her mother’s worried expression, Qin Mubai’s heart was not so good. He comforted her for a while and at least made her feel relieved.

“Seeing that you are so filial and sensible now and happy for your mother, your father must be gratified.” Mrs. Liu said as she wiped away her tears.

After dinner, Madam Liu and Qin Shuang’er accompanied Qin Mubai around their mansion, and they had a different feeling when they chatted leisurely. His father, Qin Shubao, never showed himself again, and Qin Mubai didn’t want to disturb his peace. As for the two stepbrothers, they had never returned.

Listen to mother said that the two elder brothers have already married live in changan, elder brother Qin Tong is currently left guard Yi Manor is fifth-grade left general, guarding the imperial city forbidden palace; Second Brother Qin Bin was in charge of compiling the ancient books and records. In fact, he was a member of the Emperor’s Think Tank.

The two brothers would come to visit their father every three or five days, and they would be able to reunite at that time.

Qin Mubai thought to himself. It seemed that the difference between the descendants was really great. According to the current customs of the Tang Dynasty, the eldest son was the second son of the noble lord. In other words, Qin Tong, the eldest brother of the Qin Clan, was going to inherit the title of the Qin Clan in the future. Moreover, he was now a rank five general of the Imperial Guards. Although his official position was not too high, he was still young and promising. Second Brother Qin Bin has already become a family. Because he married earlier, he did not marry a princess princess. In the future, the Qin Clan’s family business would also be divided between the two direct sons.

As for Qin Mubai and the fourth sister who would marry in the future … it didn’t seem to be anything.

Thinking of this, Qin Mubai smiled indifferently.

What if I’m a cat or a dog or a cripple in the country? Right now, this situation was pretty good. At least, it was shrouded in the halo of his father, Qin Shubao.

“The road is under your feet. Go on your own.”

Qin Mubai always believed in this motto. As for the kind of dirty and boring things that were like internal strife and plotting to steal family property, it was better for them to go to hell.

Three days passed.

The number of times Qin Mubai saw his father could be counted on his fingers. Most of the time, Qin Shubao was nowhere to be seen, except in the morning and evening, when he would pay his respects. The communication between them was also mechanized and stylized. Fortunately, with Madam Liu accompanying his fourth sister, Shuang’er, Qin Mubai would have felt that he did not belong to this family.

That night, the two elder brothers made an appointment to visit their sick father. The father and son chatted in the inner hall and went to the polo court in the backyard together, but they did not call Qin Mubai.

“Third Brother, hurry up and come! Daddy is going to test the martial arts skills of the two brothers!” Fourth Sister Shuang’er pulled Qin Mubai to the pole field.

Qin Mubai did not care about it and happily went to the backyard with her fourth sister.

The backyard of the Qin Manor was very big, and like many other large courtyards, there was a polo court that was parading nowadays, but the Qin Family’s was more like a school martial field. A row of arrows chopped down a row of stables, and eighteen weapons were dazzling.

Qin Shubao was half-seated and half-lying in a large leather mattress chair, his bearded hair slightly narrowed his eyes, and his slightly grey face emitted an awe-inspiring aura.

Old Tiger, your might is undefeatable!

On the school martial field, two young men dressed in strong clothes were galloping on horseback to practice their equestrian skills. Their figures were elegant and straightforward, and they were galloping with the elegance of martial artists.

“I didn’t expect Congwen’s second brother to have such a good riding skill. He really is a general!” Qin Mubai thought to himself.

Seeing Qin Mubai and Qin Shuang’er arrive, Qin Shu Bao raised his eyelids slightly and remained indifferent. Qin Shuang’er happily ran to his side and called him “Daddy” like an oriole. Then, she knelt beside him and gently pounded his legs.

“Siya’er, be good.” Qin Shubao smiled faintly and patted Qin Shuang’er’s head lightly with his rough hand. He then retracted his thick fur.

Qin Mubai stepped forward and bowed, then stood to the side and watched the two brothers’ riding skills.

“Sanlang, have you been in the army for three years?” Suddenly, Qin Shubao said this.

Qin Mubai’s heart skipped a beat. If he remembered correctly, this was the first time in a few days that his father had taken the initiative to speak to me.

“Answer my father’s question. After I joined the army, I worked hard to improve my spleen and learn martial arts. It can be considered as a small gain.” Qin Mubai cupped his hands and replied.

“Oh … Si Ya’er, call your two brothers over.”

Qin Shuang’er ran to call for help. Not long after, Qin Tong and Qin Bin rode their horses back and came to greet Qin Shu Bao. Qin Mubai looked at his two stepbrothers carefully. His eldest brother, Qin Tong, was extremely tall and muscular, almost on par with Yuwen Hongtai. He looked like a natural born martial artist. Although his second brother Qin Bin was a scholar, he had also learned a good physique, and he was as strong and upright as a spear.

The three brothers also greeted each other. The Great Tang placed the utmost importance on filial piety and fraternity. Elder brothers were like fathers. As younger brothers, Qin Mubai had to treat the two elders as if he were an elder. He must not be negligent in his etiquette.

On the contrary, the two eldest brothers of the first wife, who had already started a family, did not seem to be so enthusiastic towards Qin Mubai, the concubine’s half-brother. Although they were polite, there was a faint stiffness and contempt that they did not care about others.

“My Qin Family is the General Sect. No matter what you do in the future, you must not lose your martial arts skills.” Qin Shubao’s gentle tone revealed boundless might, causing the third son and daughter to not dare to say anything. He said indifferently, “Father, the three Supreme Skills have been taught to the three of you. Big Lang learns mace, Jiro learns fist, and Sanlang learns spear. Only archery has been cultivated by the three of you since you were young. “I, the Great Tang, am a martial artist. Not only are military generals trained in archery, but scholars all over the world are also required to learn archery. It is one of the six arts. Even many women and children can ride horses and shoot archery.”

Qin Shuang’er gently pounded Qin Shu Bao’s leg and chuckled, “Daddy, I can shoot arrows as well. Can I be a general in the future?”

“Stop messing around.” Qin Shubao lightly smiled and stroked her head. Dan Feng narrowed her eyes and said, “It’s rare for the three of you brothers to gather together. Today, as your father, I will test your archery skills.”

“Yes, father!” The three brothers cupped their fists and agreed.

Qin Mubai could clearly feel that his father, his two brothers, and his younger sister had intentionally or unintentionally cast their gazes at him.

The meaning behind it was different.