The Blessed (Book 1)

97. Military Service of the Court (2)

“Daddy, why hasn’t Tiewa come here yet? I want to practice boxing with him.”

No one noticed that when the little bun stood by their side after practicing boxing, with sweat all over, and that little face wrinkled into a ball since his little company hadn’t come as scheduled.

Hearing him, Ling Jingxuan remembered that Zhao family also had to pick one to serve in the army. Guess their family is also in a mess now. Though both Zhao and Han were both men, their marriage received endless blaming, their relationship had always been stable. Whoever goes for the military service is like breaking them up. He had planned to pay them after the delivery tomorrow. Seen from now, he better pay them earlier. It all thanked to them these days.

Knowing what he was thinking, Yan Shengrui did not disturb him. He poured a cup of tea and handed it by the mouth of the little bun, saying, “You are tired. Martial arts practicing is not a job that can be achieved overnight. Have some patience and made progress day by day.”

After several days living together, he gradually got used to getting along with his children. Both of them liked him very much.

“Hmm. Father, I hear you are good at martial arts. I have learned almost the whole set of Tai Chi daddy taught me. Can you teach me some other martial arts?”

Drinking up the tea in that cup held in Ling Shengrui’s hand, the little bun looked at him with that pair of expecting eyes. Ling Wen, who just finished practicing his calligraphy, also cast his expecting eyes toward him. Compared with Ling Wu who was like a martial arts addict, he had no special interest about it. But if he could learn something more, why not?

“Of course, I’ll teach you whatever you want to learn, but don’t forget reading is your primary thing. You must be a man with both civil and military skills in the future.”

Dotingly pinching his nose, Yan Shengrui said so while pouring him a cup of tea. He hadn’t been fully recovered yet, so he could only do something with his reach.

“Hmm.”

The two brothers looked at each other, then nodded together. Suddenly Ling Jingxuan beckoned Ling Wen “Come here. I have something to talk to you.”

“Hmm!”

Putting down the cup, Ling Wen did not think much, raised his feet to walk over. Ling Jingxuan grabbed him by his hands and said seriously, “Here is the thing. You know, the court starts to recruit soldiers. Every family that has two or more strong labors between fourteen to thirty-five has to offer one for the military service. You are small, so you may not know. those soldiers recruited this time would charge on the frontline, also die fast. In other words, they are like courting their deaths. If one doesn’t want to go, he has to pay twenty taels of silver. I guess we can’t count on the old Ling family to pay, so it would finally fall on us. Besides, you know, your uncle Zhao and his family, given their condition, I guess they don’t have so much silver. You know, without their help, with only me and your little uncle, we could never make 2500 jin jam and 100 jars of wine in such a short time. So I am thinking of paying them twenty taels of silver as their reward, what do you say?”

Forty taels of silver! It’s enough to sustain a common family’s food for a few years! That’s not a small sum. Although Ling Jingxuan could make the decision himself, he still asked for the little bun’s advice, because he had promised that he’d talk to him as long as it was about some big money. As a father, he didn’t want to lose his credit to his son. Though even if the little bun did not agree, he would still do it.

“Daddy, didn’t you often say that we shouldn’t save money that shouldn’t be saved. We can’t be stingy on this kind of money.”

What was out of his expectations was Ling Wen wrinkled his eyebrow and started to lesson him. Ling Jingxuan froze there, but soon he curved up his lips and rubbed his head dotingly, “Oh, daddy is muddle-headed. Money would never be more important than lives. We can’t save this kind of money.”

He had belittled him. It’s true his little bun is stingy, but also reasonable, right?

“That’s the point. Daddy, we can save money later, or Xiaowu and I can go to school next year. Uncle Jingpeng and uncle Zhao’s thing is most important.”

Ling Wen wore a little adult’s expression, making Ling Jingxuan and Yan Shengrui have no idea whether to laugh or cry. It seems it isn’t a good thing that the little bun is too sensible.

“All right, I just want to let you know. Then you practice your calligraphy with your father. I will send the money for your uncle Zhao first.”

Before the little bun took the opportunity to ‘educate’ him again, Ling Jingxuan patted his ass and got up, decided to run away. As for the things at the old Ling family, wait after this had a result.

“Daddy, I want to go with you.”

Ling Wu, who was hanging on Yan Shengrui, suddenly rushed over to cling to his thigh and look up at him with imploring eyes. He had not seen Tiewa for a whole day. He missed him.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Bending over to carry him up, Ling Jingxuan lifted his head and said to Yan shengrui, “I will be back soon. If my parents come, please help me to keep them. I will leave the house to you.”

“Sure, go, put on your straw hat. It’s hot outside.”

Speaking of which, Yan Shengrui picked up two straw hats Lady Wang had woven these days and put them on for the daddy and son. He took the opportunity to touch Ling Jingxuan’s face. If he could, he would like to bite at it. But pity that his sons were there, he could only hold it.

It was not that Ling Jingxuan could not feel it, it was just the other side was too direct. Judging from his scorching eyes, thinking with his butt, he would know that this asshole should have been turned on. In order not to misguide his two son, Ling Jingxuan said nothing, only gave him a stare and then turned to leave. Watching them leave without his sight, Yan Shengrui kept wearing that silly smile there. Ling Wen, who was standing next to him, looked at him suspiciously, thinking, “What is wrong with father? Why…does he look…so silly?”