As Zhang Liao spoke, he put down the box in his hand and opened it gently. A sweet smell spread in the living room.
Mi Zhen had been staring at the box just now. Because there was a picture of Chang'e flying to the moon on the box, she thought there was some exquisite white porcelain inside. Since she got a pair of exquisite white porcelain vases last time, Mi Zhen
They often show off in front of their playmates, but if anyone wants to touch it, it is absolutely not allowed. Now, there are a lot of white porcelain in Xuzhou city, but they are all daily tableware, and ornaments like vases
It was the only one, not even in Mi Zhu's room. But when she stretched her head, she found that the box was not porcelain or jewelry, but four round golden pastries.
Zhang Liao saw a bit of disdain on Mi Zhen's face and said with a smile: "Little sister, don't look down on this thing. It's called moon cake. I can guarantee that you have never eaten it. Besides, there is a lot of money in Xuzhou City."
You can’t buy it either.”
Mi Zhen didn't seem to believe it. She reached out and picked one up and smelled it. The aroma was indeed so fragrant that she opened her mouth to take a bite.
Zhang Liao quickly stopped her and said: "Brother Zizhong, little sister, look, do these mooncakes look like the moon on August 15th, so you have to wait until the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival to enjoy the moon while tasting it, symbolizing reunion.
It’s more meaningful.”
"That's it." Mi Zhen put the mooncake back into the box without realizing it, and then she became happy again and said, "Isn't the Mid-Autumn Festival just the day after tomorrow? You can eat it in two days!"
Mi Zhu looked at her innocent sister, and then at the tall and mighty Zhang Liao. The two of them looked really good together, and she couldn't help but smile knowingly. However, Mi Zhu did not immediately ask Zhang Liao what he thought about himself.
I love this little girl very much. If it is related to the little girl's lifelong happiness, I must first ask her opinion.
After Zhang Liao left, Mi Zhen still held the box and sniffed the aroma vigorously, looking very greedy.
When Mi Zhu saw this, she couldn't help being happy and said, "Little sister, your saliva is going to flow down. If someone sees you like this, you won't be able to get married."
Mi Zhen thought of the gentleman named Jian who asked about her age just now, her pretty face turned red again, and she said angrily: "She is still young, so she doesn't want to get married!"
Mi Zhu laughed and took the opportunity to ask: "How can a girl's family not marry? Sister, what do you think of General Zhang?"
Mi Zhen was stunned at first, her face was red all the way to her ears, she lowered her head and said in a low voice: "My parents are gone, so it is natural that my brother will make the final decision on marriage. If you say yes, it's okay. If you don't say it, it's not okay."
, ask people what they do.”
Mi Zhu laughed loudly: "Okay, this is what you said, then I have to make the decision."
Mi Zhen was already so embarrassed that she ran back in panic, not forgetting to take the box of moon cakes away before leaving.
But he said that Liu Bei was knitting straw sandals in the hall. Jian Yong hurriedly walked in, raised his hands and said: "Back to my lord, my subordinates have given the straw sandals to Tao Qian, Mi Zhu, Chen Deng and others, and they have all accepted them."
Liu Bei quickly stopped what he was doing, raised his head, and returned the greeting: "Xianhe, you have worked hard this time. Come on, sit down and talk about it. How did they react when they saw the straw sandals?"
Jian Yong had always been informal and had known Liu Bei since childhood. He was not polite at the moment. He sat down cross-legged opposite him and then said: "Back to my lord, Tao Qian and Mi Zhu were very moved when they saw the straw sandals. Others
Although people praise me on the surface, there is disdain in their eyes."
Liu Bei laughed and said: "Tao Qian is old. Although Liu Xin sent people to treat his illness, how long can he survive? Mi Zhu is indeed a gentleman. We should keep in touch with him more in the future. As for the others, they are short-sighted and will not succeed.
event."
Jian Yong has been with Liu Bei since he was a boy. He knows Liu Bei very well and knows Liu Bei's ambitions. Only in front of him will Liu Bei put down his disguise and speak so unscrupulously. Jian Yong has long been accustomed to all this.
, just smiled faintly and said: "I have two more things to report. Today at Mi Zhu's Mansion, I met Zhang Liao, who was under Liu Xin, the shepherd of Jingzhou. This man also went to give gifts to Mi Zhu, and he seemed to be the same as Mi Zhu.
The relationship seems to be very close."
Liu Bei said nonchalantly: "I have heard of Zhang Liao. He was originally a subordinate of Ding Yuan. Later he followed Lu Bu to Dong Zhuo, and now he has switched to Liu Xin. I guess he is a capricious villain. What he gave Mi Zhu as a gift was nothing more than
Gold, silver, jewelry, etc., nothing can be as impressive as the gifts I gave you! Ignore him."
Jian Yong saw with his own eyes that Zhang Liao entered the Mi Mansion without even reporting. He did not agree with Liu Bei's words. He frowned and finally restrained himself from talking about Zhang Liao's affairs. Instead, he changed the subject and said: "My lord, I belong to you."
I have one more thing to report. Mi Zhu has a younger sister who has a pretty face and looks like a suitable child. I want to betroth my lord as a concubine. I wonder what your lord wants?"
The fact that Liu Bei didn't have many wives and concubines didn't mean that he wasn't lecherous, but that he understood his current situation very well. With his current conditions, he was far from being lewd. Besides, he spent most of his time accompanying
With Guan Yu, no matter how beautiful a wife is, it will be of no use.
The ancients said that Liu Bei was the emperor's destiny, and ordinary women could not bear it. They were often killed by him. In fact, it was all lies. Liu Bei's first few wives and concubines did die relatively early. That was because these young women married
Liu Bei, but Liu Bei married his lofty ambitions and neglected these women. These women married Liu Bei and were almost like widows. Most of them were young and could not bear the loneliness. They vented their anger far away, and one by one died of resentment and depression.
Although Liu Bei was not very interested in taking concubines, when he heard that she was Mi Zhu's sister, he still thought it could be considered. He couldn't help but ask: "How old is his sister?"
Jian Yong knew that Liu Bei and he had one thing in mind, and they were all interested in Mi Zhu's family wealth, so he continued: "Mi Zhu didn't tell her how old she was specifically. He only said that she was under 13 years old, but judging from her figure, she should be thirteen or fourteen years old.
Yes. My lord, why don’t you write a letter and go try it?”
Liu Bei knew that in a family like Mi Zhu, a girl would not be allowed to get married until she reached the age of hairpin. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed and said: "Forget it, since she is still young, let's wait two years."
Mrs. Gan happened to pass by behind the screen and heard the conversation between the two of them. She secretly shed tears. She had been married to Liu Bei for more than two years and he had barely touched her. Now she was thinking about taking a concubine. She couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
.
Two days later, Mi Zhu indeed sent a large number of pigs and sheep, loaded with fine wine, to the Jingzhou Army's camp, and invited Zhang Liao to a banquet at his house in the evening. Zhang Liao naturally went happily.
That night, the full moon was in the sky and the sweet-scented osmanthus was fragrant.
The banquet was held in the back garden of Mi Mansion. After three rounds of drinking, Mi Zhu was already a little tipsy. He raised his head and glanced at the bright moon in the sky, sighed and said, "On August 15th, every household is reunited. Such a scene
I'm afraid it won't last long. When troubled times come, people are displaced and miserable. I hope we can keep Xuzhou safe."
Zhang Liao was still full of joy at first, but after hearing Mi Zhu's words, his face darkened, and he said with sadness: "Zizhong, you have never seen the tragic situation of Luoyang under Dong Zhuo's clutches. At that time, there were ten houses and nine empty houses in Luoyang city, and the people were scattered with their wives and children.
Corpses can be seen everywhere in the ravines. Even if you are lucky enough to escape with your life, you will not have enough food to eat or clothes to cover your body. If my lord had not arrived in time, the entire city of Luoyang would have been burned to the ground. Xuzhou has always been a battleground for military strategists.
With wars raging, I'm afraid it will be difficult to survive alone. But don't worry, unless the lord calls me, I will live and die with Xuzhou!"
Mi Fang clapped her hands and said: "Okay, Brother Zhang is indeed very heroic. With Brother Zhang here, I don't think those young people would dare to attack easily."
When Mi Zhen heard that they were only talking about national affairs, she couldn't help but take out the box of mooncakes, took one for herself first, and said: "Brother, Brother Zhang, I've also drank this wine. Shouldn't we try the mooncakes?"
But after waiting for two full days, I’m really hungry. If you don’t want to eat, I’ll eat one first. There are four of them here. If you don’t eat, I’ll finish them all by then. Don’t regret it.”
Everyone laughed, and Mi Zhu and Mi Fang each took one and tasted it carefully. Not only did the mooncakes smell sweet, they were crispy and soft in the mouth, and the sweet taste penetrated into their hearts.
Mi Zhen doesn't drink. She didn't eat much just now. She had been waiting to taste the moon cake. She was already hungry. Although her mouth was small, she ate very quickly. In the blink of an eye, she took the moon cake in her hand.
After eating it all, I was still a little unsatisfied, staring eagerly at the remaining mooncake in the box.
There were not many mooncakes sent by Liu Xin, and only two soldiers could get one in the military camp. Zhang Liao only had this box, and they were all sent to Mi Zhu's house. Since it was a gift from himself, Zhang Liao was embarrassed to eat it by himself.
Although he also wanted to taste the moon cake.
Zhang Liao glanced at Mi Zhen and said with a smile: "Little sister, there is another one here. If you want to eat it, you can eat it."
Mi Zhen glanced at her brother and saw that he was stopping her with his eyes, so she had to retract her outstretched hand and said, "Brother Zhang, this is yours, you eat it."
Zhang Liao shook his head and said calmly: "I still have it in the military camp. You can eat this. Who asked you to be the youngest?"
Mi Zhen came from a wealthy family and had eaten various pastries, but none of them could be compared with mooncakes. After listening to Zhang Liao, she ignored her brother's warning, grabbed the mooncakes and ate them.
This time, Mi Zhu felt very embarrassed and said to Zhang Liao: "I usually blame me for doting on her too much and spoiling her to a bad extent. My dear brother, please don't take it to heart."
Zhang Liao said nonchalantly: "Hey, my little sister is still a child. It's just her nature. If she tries to follow the example of us who push each other, it will be artificial."
Mi Zhen had just swallowed the last bite of the mooncake. After hearing Zhang Liao's words, she became unhappy and said, "Who said I am still a child? I have grown up and am almost as tall as my elder brother!"
Mi Zhu heard something in her heart and said with the strength of her wine: "Yes, yes, my little sister is already a grown-up girl and it's time to find a husband. Brother Wen Yuan, you haven't married yet. I want to betroth my little sister to you. You