Outside Xiangyang City, the plains are full of square fields, and there are also caravans and caravans coming and going on the official roads.
The mountains south of Xiangyang belong to the Dahong Mountains. The Xu family lived at the foot of Xian Mountain in the southeast. Xian Mountain was later also called Yanghu Mountain because Yang Hu, a famous general of the Western Jin Dynasty, often climbed the mountain.
Xu Feng's mother ran to Xiangyang and settled here. It is only three miles away from the village next door and only twenty miles away from Xiangyang City.
As soon as Liu Cong got off the carriage, he saw another carriage, "This is it?"
"My lord, I finally saw that my lord was upset and took matters into his own hands. He invited Mrs. Fan out and asked my lord to punish her." Xu Feng knelt on the ground and said.
"That's all, get up." Liu Cong looked at the different scenery around him and walked towards Fan's carriage drive: "Madam, get out of the car and go shopping with me for a while."
Wearing a veil and a red silk fairy skirt, Fan got out of the car slowly with Liu Cong's support.
"Madam, you are so beautiful today." Liu Cong's depressed mood eased a lot at this moment.
"Husband, I want to please my appearance. Today's makeup, I painted it just for my husband." Mrs. Fan smiled brightly and said to Liu Cong.
"Hahaha, it's a good saying that a woman should look good to please her, let's go." Liu Cong was overjoyed, grabbed Fan's hand, and put it on Yi Ji's arm.
In his previous life, he could not go shopping arm in arm with his girlfriend. Today, Liu Cong's mood gradually improved as he looked at the smoke rising from the village.
In the distance, at a slightly higher place, there is a courtyard. The stone wall is one foot high, and the tiles on the roof of the courtyard can be vaguely seen. In the middle of the fields on both sides of the door, there are steps made of bluestone slabs.
Xu Feng said as he walked, "Last time, General Mo came back and wanted to take my mother to the city. My mother said she couldn't let go of the land outside the city, and she didn't like the prosperity of the city. So General Mo found some masons and built a new house.
"
Fan smiled softly: "General Xu is also a filial son."
Liu Cong understood that just like the rural elders of later generations, they were not used to living in high-rise buildings in the city. It was not that they wanted to hold a hoe and do farm work, but they were used to working hard all their lives and could not take time off.
"Your mother has acquired all this land for you all her life, so it's natural that she can't let it go."
"My lord said, I'll go in first and tell my mother." Xu Feng said and was about to run in first.
"Shan Rong, wait a minute, there is no need for this. There is no minister today, so just treat me as your friend and come to visit the old man with you." Liu Cong stopped him.
"Thank you so much, my lord."
"Mother, mother, I'm back." Xu Feng entered the yard and shouted.
"What are you shouting for? I'm making a fire."
Following the sound, I saw a lady dressed in coarse linen clothes, with only her back visible to everyone, squatting there, holding a bamboo tube and blowing on the stove.
The smell of firewood irritated everyone's nostrils, thick smoke rose, and the fire slowly rose.
Xu Feng went over and grabbed the bamboo tube and helped the old woman stand up: "Mom, didn't I buy you some cloth? Why are you still wearing this?"
"Those cloths are made of such good materials that your mother is too cheap to wear them. Besides, can you still work in those clothes?" the old woman said.
"Mom is saving it for you, so that you can use it when you get a wife in the future. By the way, there are some pretty good girls in Lijia Village next door. My mother didn't dare to think about it before, but now I think I can speak for you."
"You are a general now, worthy of them. This is all thanks to Mr. Liu. Hey, aren't you on duty today? Why are you back?"
Once the old woman opened her mouth, she didn't give Xu Feng a chance to speak.
Xu Feng looked at the old woman dotingly and said with a hint of helplessness: "Mom, I don't want to think about those things now. I will wait until I have achieved great success. Oh, by the way, mom, I have taken over the master now..."
"Cough." Liu Cong coughed, interrupting Xu Feng.
"Ah, did you bring someone back?" The old woman listened to the voice and turned to look at everyone.
"Ah!" Fan exclaimed, and Liu Cong shook her hand.
The old woman who turned around had a scar on her face, and her right eye was under the scar, which looked like a black hole. The image was indescribably ferocious.
"Master..." Xu Feng was about to speak, but Liu Cong raised his hand to shut him up again.
Pulling Mrs. Fan forward, Liu Cong bowed to the old woman and said, "I have met the old lady. I am a friend of General Xu. I came to visit with my concubine. Please forgive me for intruding."
Fan still looked at the old woman with some fear, but under Liu Cong's pull, she also bowed to the woman.
"Get up, get up quickly." The old woman enthusiastically stepped forward to support Liu Cong and Fan.
"Girl, does my face scare you?" The old woman held Fan's hand and smiled.
In Fan's eyes, although the old woman was smiling at her, the scars on her face were affected by her smile.
In short, she still looked a little scared, but it was not that she was afraid of the old woman, but that she felt some empathy. How could she bear such pain?
"I'm rude." Mrs. Fan bowed to the old woman again.
The old woman greeted Xu Feng again: "You take your friends in and sit down. Mom will cook for you. Mom hasn't eaten the noodles you bought last time. Go sit down and I'll steam some eggs for you later."
Kill an old hen."
"Master, Mr. Liu, shall we go in first?" Xu Feng said to Liu Cong.
Liu Cong nodded, followed Xu Feng, and led Fan in to sit inside the house.
Xu Feng ran out to help again. He first went to the chicken coop to catch an old hen, slaughtered it, cleaned it up, and walked to the stove. The old woman was beating eggs.
"Mom, I'll do it." Xu Feng talked to my mother and called himself me again.
The old woman put the beaten eggs into the pot and said, "You are a general now, how can you do these things?"
"Whatever I do, I am still your son." Xu Feng grinned honestly. "Besides, our lord still does these things, what can't I do?"
"Master Liu still does these things?" The old woman was a little surprised.
"That's right, my lord is capable of both literary and military skills, and is omnipotent." Xu Feng said while adding more firewood.
"Look at your friends, they are all so handsome. When will you marry me a daughter-in-law?" The old woman suddenly changed the subject.
Xu Feng wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Mom, I want to make great contributions now. Huo Qubing once said, if the Huns are not destroyed, why should we take care of our family?"
"Mom doesn't understand this, but she is happy to see that you are knowledgeable."
After a while, the rice was ready, including a bowl of steamed eggs, a stewed soft and glutinous old hen, and several bowls of pancakes (noodles) with some chicken soup poured on top.
The food of the common people in the Han Dynasty was really good, and this was also because Xu Feng's salary was so generous.
The old woman was about to go out, but Liu Cong's strong request made her sit down together. But she only ate noodles, and the chicken and eggs were not moved.
During the conversation, I learned that the old woman's surname was Ma.
"Auntie, how could you endure such pain and come to Jingzhou in the first place?" Fan asked suddenly.
Ma put down the bowl in his hand and sighed: "At that time, I took Xu Feng and ran to Fancheng. A visiting doctor stopped the bleeding for me and said that I couldn't bear it and wouldn't survive."
"I really couldn't bear it at that time. It hurt too much. It hurt so bad. But when I thought about Feng'er, I got through it. Then I took him to Jingzhou. I have been here for ten years."
"Because of my face, Xu Feng has been fighting with people since he was a child. Once there was nothing I could do. I knelt down to beg him, and he agreed not to report to the army. When this kid went to be a soldier, I really followed him with my heart.
left."
When Xu Feng heard this, his face was already filled with tears. He lowered his head and shoveled noodles into his mouth while wiping his tears.
Mr. Ma poked him on the head with a chopstick, "Why are you crying?"
"Mother!" Xu Feng threw away the bowl, knelt in front of Ma's family, buried his head in Ma's lap, and cried loudly. He didn't care that Liu Cong and Fan were there.
Liu Cong watched this scene silently, with mixed feelings in his heart. Fan was already in tears.
Women are weak by nature, but mothers are strong!
When Xu Feng calmed down, Ma continued: "Your friend is still here, crying too much?"
Xu Feng was only 17 years old this year. Liu Cong suddenly remembered that the first time he met Xu Feng was only half a year ago.
"You are a good mother, and Xu Feng is also a filial son." Liu Cong's admiration for Ma came from the bottom of his heart.
Ma laughed and said: "Life is getting better now. Mr. Liu values Feng'er, named him, and made him a general. Now he sends money, food and cloth back every month. I didn't dare to think about it before. I want to think about it now."
As long as he can get another wife."
Liu Cong smiled and said to Ma: "The lives of ordinary people should get better and better."
Even if it is for Ma, it is also for myself!
After dinner, Liu Cong and others left the Xu family. When Ma sent them off, she also asked Xu Feng to do a good job for Liu Cong.
Liu Cong's mood improved, but he became depressed again.
"Let's go shopping in Xiangyang City." Liu Cong patted Xu Feng's shoulder and took Fan to the carriage.