After Jiangdu's army returned to the city, Zhang Yangquan did not let Xu Baisheng lead the troops back to Zhenzhou to guard, so Xu Baisheng rarely had a few days to spend with his wife.
That evening, when he returned home, Mrs. Xue had already prepared the meal. The couple ate at a small table. Although there were only two dishes and one soup, the meal was very warm.
Among the generals' mansions, Xu's Mansion is the simplest, with only one of the three courtyards occupied. Xu Baisheng has been away from home for many years, and apart from Mrs. Xue, there is only one elderly maid living in the mansion.
Mr. Xue liked to be quiet by nature, and did not like to go out to drink tea or listen to plays with other generals' wives, so he stayed at home most of the time.
The two of them ate in silence for a long time, and Xue suddenly whispered: "By the way, my wife sent someone to deliver something a few days ago!"
Xu Baisheng asked: "What?"
Xue said: "A glazed pen holder."
Xu Baisheng hummed and said, "Except for gifts from the manager and his wife, don't accept anything from others!"
Mr. Xue chuckled and said, "Remember!"
Xu Baisheng nodded and suddenly said: "I heard that Zhao Desheng's mother's eyes have been cured!"
Mrs. Xue whispered: "Yeah."
Xu Baisheng said: "It was probably Wang Jiancheng who cured me. His medical skills seem to be very good."
Ms. Xue lowered her head and said "Yeah" again.
Xu Baisheng hesitated for a moment and said, "Do you... want to see him?"
Mrs.
Xu Baisheng was immediately at a loss and said, "Just ask, if it doesn't work, just give it a try, okay?"
Mrs.
Xu Baisheng said hurriedly: "Okay, I won't go."
Mrs.
Xu Baisheng nodded hurriedly.
Mrs. Xue then tried to shed her tears, picked up the chopsticks, and the two of them ate in silence.
After a while, the old maid entered the lobby and whispered: "General, the general-in-waiting is here to visit with his wife!"
"Please, no, let's go out to pick them up!"
Xu Baisheng was very happy. Monkey was his best friend among the generals. He and Xue came to the door and welcomed Monkey and Yang Ying in.
Monkey and Yang Ying each carried a large food box. After entering the lobby, they couldn't help laughing when they saw the small table in the lobby and the two dishes and one soup on the table.
"Brother Xu, I really admire you. Today is a rare good day for you to go home. How can you eat so poorly? Fortunately, we brought some food here!"
Xu Baisheng smiled and said: "It cost you a lot of money."
The four of them moved to a large table and placed all the food in the food boxes on it, as well as two jugs of good wine.
Mr. Xue had almost finished eating just now, and after eating for a while, after Yang Ying had finished eating, the two girls went to the back room to talk together. Monkey and Xu Baisheng were drinking in the front hall.
Mrs. Xue showed Yang Ying the handkerchief she had recently embroidered. Yang Ying looked at it for a while, then suddenly sighed and said, "Sister, you are so lucky."
Mrs. Xue said: "Why did sister say this?"
Yang Ying smiled and said: "You have married a capable husband. I heard that he has made great achievements again. After defeating the Tatars, he will be promoted to marshal! Although our Hou Baisi is also smart, he can't compete with General Xu.
Comparing it, it’s not even close!”
Ms. Xue smiled from ear to ear.
"I don't know much about him, but since my sister said so, it's not wrong."
Yang Ying sighed: "Hou Baisi and General Xu were promoted to Qianhu together, but now General Xu is going to be promoted to marshal, but he is still the deputy commander of the capital. Alas, it was all my fault!"
Mr. Xue said blankly: "What does this have to do with my sister?"
Yang Xing said: "Originally, the manager and his wife asked him to go to the Military Intelligence Agency. This is a good job that can make meritorious service. It's a pity that he was transferred out again because of me!"
"Is it because of my sister?"
"You don't know something. The Military Intelligence Agency is responsible for collecting intelligence from various places. I know two people, both from the White Lotus Sect. They are very familiar with Liu Futong's army. I recommended these two people to Hou Baisi, who can be responsible for Anfeng's intelligence!" Xue said curiously: "That's no problem!"
Yang Ying said: "The manager and his wife don't think so. They think Hou Baisi transfers my people to the Military Intelligence Agency regardless of whether he is public or private."
Xue said: "Then why don't you explain it?"
Yang Ying smiled bitterly and said: "Sister, how can you explain this kind of thing clearly? Forget it, let's not mention this!"
After a pause, he said: "By the way, I heard that Zhao Desheng's mother's eyes were cured. Do you know?"
Mrs. Xue whispered: "Yeah."
Yang Ying said: "Sister, do you want to try it too?"
Mrs.
Yang Ying said sternly: "Good girl, there is no use running away from some things. Only by facing them bravely can we overcome this hurdle!"
Ms. Xue lowered her head and twisted her clothes without saying anything. When she fled south, she was assaulted by a group of refugees in turn, which made her unable to have sex.
She regarded this matter as a great shame and humiliation. She was unwilling to mention it on weekdays, and she did not dare to see the doctor. The only person who knew about this matter, besides Xu Baisheng, was Yang Ying.
Yang Ying said again: "Sister, if you don't think about yourself, you should also think about General Xu! He once told my husband that he would not take concubines in the future. Do you want him to have no offspring?"
Mr. Xue was surprised and said, "Did he really say that?"
Yang Ying nodded: "It's absolutely true! If other men say this, I just think they are farting, but General Xu is different. He means what he says, and you should know best."
Ms. Xue bit her lower lip and said, "Sister, I... am afraid that others will laugh at me..."
Yang Ying held her hand and said, "Don't be afraid. My sister will accompany you when the time comes. Wang Meng is a famous person in the south of the Yangtze River and will never publicize this kind of thing everywhere!"
Mrs. Xue finally nodded and whispered: "Then let me discuss it with my husband."
Around Haishi, Monkey and Yang Ying said goodbye and left together.
Mrs. Xue told Xu Baisheng about agreeing to see a doctor. Xu Baisheng was surprised and happy, and said, "Weren't you unwilling just now? Why did you change your mind?"
Mrs. Xue whispered: "Sister Yang persuaded me. I thought about it and realized that I can't just think about myself, let alone let you have no future."
Xu Baisheng was stunned and stretched out his arms to hug her.
Ms. Xue buried herself in his chest and shed tears again. After a while, she gently pushed her husband away and said, "By the way, there is one more thing I want to tell you."
Tell the story about Yang Ying and the monkey.
"I think it's a pity that Sister Yang has good intentions, but was misunderstood by the manager and harmed General Hou. Can you help them?"
Xu Baisheng was silent for a while and said, "Okay, I'll find a suitable opportunity to make some comments to the manager."
Before dawn the next day, Xu Baisheng got up early and practiced spear and stick in the yard.
It was raining lightly in the sky, so he took off his shirt and practiced with his upper body naked. Just after practicing for half an hour, there was a knock on the door outside.
Xu Baisheng went over and opened the door, and found that it was Zhang Biao, the governor of Zhao Desheng.
"Zhang Biao, if you are not guarding Zhenzhou, why are you back in Jiangdu?" He frowned.
Zhang Biao took out a bamboo tube from his sleeve and said: "General Zhao asked me to bring you a letter."
Xu Baisheng secretly wondered that Zhao Desheng actually asked Qianhu to deliver the letter. Could something big have happened?
He first took Zhang Biao into the lobby, wiped his body and hands with a towel, then fetched the bamboo tube, took out the letter and took a look, and his face suddenly changed.