Chapter 4: The Golden Age (IV)

“Perhaps, perhaps they left in such a hurry that they didn’t have time to say goodbye!”
Old Du, the shopkeeper, noticed the boy’s sadness and hurriedly tried to make amends. It was clear that those Wealth Gods had a very close relationship with the boy.
Li Kuo smiled faintly. “You needn’t worry. They are but passersby, like wind and clouds—no one knows where they’ll appear next. Let it be fate.”
“Listen, Qilang, don’t think about anything else now that you’re back. Just rest. It’s cold beyond the Great Wall, and you’ve suffered so many injuries—you need to recover properly!”
Old Du fetched two rough ceramic bowls from the neighboring table, filled them with homemade fruit wine, and handed one to the boy.
“It’s our own homemade fruit wine—it won’t make you drunk. Let’s have a bowl each!”
“Dad, Little Qigeh still has injuries—he can’t drink!”
Du Jingtian snatched the ceramic bowl from Li Kuo’s hands, scolding playfully.
“Oh, haven’t you even gotten married yet, and you’re already siding with your husband’s family? Truly, a daughter married away is like water spilled—useless. Pity me, Old Du, who’s worked hard all my life to raise such an ungrateful son.”
Hearing her grandfather mock her like this, Du Jingtian crossed her arms and frowned. “Dad, if you keep talking like that, I’ll really get angry.”
“Alright, alright. Won’t I stop then?”
Old Du patted his thigh and stared at Li Kuo with half-closed eyes. “Qilang, you’ve been with A’tian for so long. In my opinion, you should get married here in the capital!”
“Ah!”
Unexpectingly, the old shopkeeper thought so quickly that Li Kuo was startled.
“Hehe, listen to me, listen.”
Old Du smiled awkwardly. “Now that you’re serving the country, you can’t decide everything on your own. Our Tang Dynasty has such a vast territory—war might break out anywhere. You’re now a battalion commander; if war breaks out, won’t you have to take up arms and go to battle? A’tian and you…”
Old Du swallowed hard and raised the corners of his mouth slightly. “A’tian and you grew up together—playing together since childhood. You know each other very well.”
Sighing lightly, he continued, “Your grandfather passed away early, and I’ve always treated you like my own son. You could consider me your half-father. Now that you’re grown up, it’s not right to have no one to take care of you. Since you and A’tian love each other, why not get married? That way, both your mother-in-law and I can rest easy.”
Old Du wasn’t shy at all and immediately claimed the role of father-in-law.
“Uncle Du, as long as the Xiongnu remain, there’s no home for us.”
Li Kuo didn’t know how to respond and blurted out an official phrase that neither heaven nor earth would acknowledge.

“You little rascal!”
Old Du’s expression changed instantly. “What does the fate of the Xiongnu have to do with whether you get married or not? If the Xiongnu never perish, will you just keep living alone?”
Tapping his fingers lightly, he continued to counsel his future son-in-law, “Besides, which foreign tribe or barbarian group hasn’t submitted to our Tang Dynasty these days? Are the Turks in the north not arrogant? Yet they were driven westward by Emperor Taizong. Are the Khitans in the east not fierce? Still, they were brought under control by An Fuzhang, paying tribute year after year. Even the Tibetans, who used to raid the people of Longyou, weren’t they also defeated by you guys?”
“This… this…”
Old Du’s words made perfect sense, leaving Li Kuo at a loss. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to marry A Tian, but given the current situation, he might have to go on a military campaign outside the borders at any time, leaving A Tian alone in Chang’an—something he truly couldn’t bear.
“And then there are the people from the West!”
Li Kuo suddenly had an idea and blurted it out.
“What? People from the West?”
Old Du’s eyes widened as he stared at the young man in disbelief. “I mean, Seventh Brother, aren’t you just teasing your uncle? My teahouse may not be as grand as those big restaurants like Taibaiju or Beili, but I’ve met many foreigners. How come I’ve never heard of these people from the West?”
“Yes, the people from the West!”
Li Kuo, as if grasping at a lifeline, let out a sigh of relief. “Those people from the West are far more brutal than the Turks and Tibetans. They come from the distant West, invading eastward, burning everything in their path and killing everyone they meet!”
Without caring too much, the young man poured out everything he knew about those people from the West. With some exaggeration, it sounded quite believable.
“How can there be such barbaric tribes?”
Old Du instinctively shuddered, his voice filled with fear.
“They worship some kind of crazy doctrine.”
Li Kuo shrugged. Well, at least he managed to brush it off.
At this point, Old Du probably understood the young man’s thoughts. Not wanting to push him too hard, the old man rubbed his hands reluctantly. “As you wish. But A Tian insists on marrying only you. If you dare to betray her, I’ll fight with these old bones of mine to demand an explanation from you.”
“Please, that’s not possible.”
The three of them chatted and laughed inside, enjoying themselves, when suddenly they heard faint footsteps outside.
“Has Little Seventh Brother returned? Little Seventh Brother!”
Following the sound, Chen Xiaoliu strode into the room.

“Xiao Qi Ge, you didn’t even tell me you were coming back, making me worry needlessly at home!”
Chen Xiao Liu stepped forward, beaming with joy. Behind him stood a dozen young men, all of whom were Li Kuo’s familiar childhood playmates.
“Where is that? I just got here too.”
Li Kuo forced a smile and punched Chen Xiao Liu on the shoulder.
“Hmm, you’ve grown quite strong.”
Chen Xiao Liu puffed out his chest and said, “Didn’t Xiao Qi Ge tell me to train hard? Look, isn’t my physique well-proportioned now?”
“Xiao Liu keeps showing off in front of us all the time. It gives me a headache.”
Su Jinghong, the eldest son of Su’s Rice Shop, waved his folding fan, teasing his friend.
“Xiao Liu is now an important figure. Do you know he’s a patrol officer for the Jingzhao Prefecture? That’s a real official position! If you’re not careful with your words, he might put you in chains and throw you in jail.”
Hao Yihao from Hao’s Silk Shop was no less harsh, making fun of his good friend’s new status.
“Brother Kuo, please be fair! They’re all bullying me!”
Typical of a young man, Chen Xiao Liu pouted and clung to Li Kuo’s arm, complaining.
Li Kuo listened quietly, a smile gradually appearing at the corners of his eyes.
This was the life he had always longed for.
Hundreds of thousands of young men in Longyou fought bravely against the enemy, risking their lives—wasn’t it all for the faint smiles of their friends and family?……