Chapter 3: The Golden Age (III)

The weather in July is like the mood of a ruler—changing at will. One moment the sun hangs high in the sky, casting scorching heat, and the next, heavy rain pours down, forcing pedestrians by the roads to hurry. A light rain had fallen a few days earlier, thoroughly suppressing the dust in Chang’an, filling the air with a fresh scent of soil. Li Kuo rode freely in the breeze toward the Kelong Teahouse in Tongji Fang, enjoying the rare coolness of summer.

Over these days, the wound on Qingfeng’s buttock had healed quite well. Feeling guilty, Li Kuo added more oats to his horse’s food. The horse seemed to understand him, snorting affectionately and pressing against the boy’s body as soon as it saw him. (Note 1) Sigh!

It had been five days since he returned to Chang’an. If he didn’t see his old friends now, Li Kuo would truly feel guilty. Leaving aside everything else, just for Xiao Liu, he had no reason not to go to Tongji Fang. That place held too many memories from his childhood—memories he couldn’t forget.

The Kelong Teahouse was now much busier. Its hall was filled every day with all sorts of customers and tea lovers. Manager Du had become far more shrewd. He spent twenty Guan Yuan dynasty coins to hire a famous singing girl from Beili, who sat in the teahouse all day playing music and singing, drawing considerable attention. Whether they were officials from Chang’an or Wannian, or even some respected gentry, everyone took pride in visiting Kelong Teahouse to hear the music.

There’s a saying, right? Well, it’s not just music being heard—it’s the atmosphere.

Even the teahouse’s signboard had been replaced. The original thin cedar board was now made of solid red pine, and Gao Shige, the secretary of the Longyou army, personally inscribed the name of the shop. The characters “Ke” and “Long” were written with great strength and vigor, leaving people in awe. Although Gao’s handwriting wasn’t as fluid as that of Zhang Xu or Zhang Jiuye, it was precise and upright. The two bold characters, set into the wooden board and gilded, were truly magnificent.

Moreover, who in Chang’an didn’t know that Kelong Teahouse belonged to Lieutenant Li Kuo? Though the nominal manager was Old Du, it was because General Li didn’t want business to affect his official career, so he let Old Du hold a nominal position.

Lieutenant Li was a great benefactor to the people of Chang’an and Longyou. If not for him leading three thousand cavalry to besiege Jiuqu City, how could Shibao City have been taken? Without capturing Shibao City, everyone would have starved to death due to the soaring rice prices!

Now, in Chang’an, there were few who didn’t know Geshu Han, but everyone knew Lieutenant Li Kuo.

Even the Music Bureau composed new songs based on Captain Li’s heroic deeds to praise his great achievements. How could the Kelong Teahouse not thrive with such connections?
Master Du was in high spirits—since the great victory in Longyou, his business had been getting better by the day. He recruited two clever clerks from another shop: one to handle accounting and the other to serve customers. With that, he had plenty of free time and would sit by the entrance on a stool, telling everyone, “Do you know Captain Li? He’s my future son-in-law!”
The envious looks from customers made him feel very pleased. After all, having a son wasn’t as good as having a daughter—wasn’t the Imperial Concubine the best example? Having a bald son meant worrying about his future, while raising a good daughter could secure a worthy husband!
Li Kuo didn’t realize he had already become a hero in the eyes of the people of Chang’an. Upon arriving at the shop, he leaped off his horse. He tied Qingfeng to a wooden pole in front of the shop and strode inside.
It was afternoon, so there weren’t many customers in the shop. The entire place seemed to have been renovated, exuding elegance from top to bottom. The young man had no interest in admiring the carved screens or the pearwood tables; he headed straight to the back room.
“Ah Tiantian, I’m here!”
Seeing the young man enter, Du Jingtian frowned slightly and pulled Li Kuo aside, whispering, “Young Seventh Brother, come in quickly. Grandpa has been thinking of you.”
After a pause, she spoke mysteriously, squinting her eyes slightly, “Yesterday afternoon, a nobleman brought you a gift!”
Li Kuo scratched his head, unable to recall meeting any nobleman. Entering the inner room, he lifted his robe and sat down gracefully, saying, “Uncle Du, I’m sorry for coming to see you so late…”
As soon as Master Du saw Li Kuo, he thought of the God of Wealth, his eyes shining with excitement. How could he blame such a treasure?
Seeing the young man being polite, the old man quickly waved his hand, saying, “It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s good that you’re here.”
Master Du tapped the table as he slowly recounted what had happened.
“Just before nightfall yesterday, three noblemen came to the shop. They asked if I was your former employer. As you know, the success of our Kelong Teahouse is all thanks to your blessings, Seventh Brother…”
“Dad! Can’t you just get to the point?”
Du Xiaoniang snapped playfully and gave her grandfather a light punch with her fist.
“Okay, okay, okay!”

Old Du’s face was flushed with joy as he spoke a bit faster, “Those three clearly had a long journey behind them; they looked tired and worn out.”
I replied briefly, and they didn’t press further. They ordered two pounds of braised mutton and two pots of good wine.
Old Du glanced at Li Kuo and, seeing no unusual reaction from the young man, continued, “They kept asking about your recent situation, so I told them everything. Finding it strange, I asked for their names. But they refused to say anything, only asking me to give this to you.”
Old Du took out a long black cloth bundle from behind and pushed it toward the young man.
“I guessed it was something valuable, so I didn’t dare open it.”
Old Du rubbed his palms together, laughing heartily.
Li Kuo took the bundle, untied the velvet ropes binding it, and removed layers of waterproof kudzu cloth. What appeared was indeed a yellow wooden crossbow! The young man suppressed his shock and picked up the crossbow, testing its weight—it was just right, neither too light nor too heavy!
“Hey, there’s also a letter!”
Old Du Jingtian, with her sharp eyes, picked up the Huzhou-style paper from the bottom of the bundle and unfolded it gently.
“Oh, so it was those escort friends you met on the road. No wonder there was such a strange item.”
She suddenly understood, her mouth forming a wide smile.
“Let me take a look!”
In his urgency, the young man snatched the paper, and neat handwriting came into view immediately.
“To Captain Li—‘That slap is one I owe you. This crossbow is given to you as compensation. Well, I underestimated you. You… are a real man!’ —Ni Xin” Just a few words clearly revealed the sender’s identity.
The young man shook his head slightly and sighed.
So she still remembered him! She still remembered him!
Since the battle at Great Wall Fort, he had parted ways with these merchants and escorts. Those who made a living in the martial world and trade routes naturally had to hustle for a living, while as a soldier, he had to pick up his weapon to protect what was precious.
Now that General Geshu had come to Longyou in person, there was no reason for his direct unit to head to Liangzhou anymore. How ironic! How ironic!
Initially, he had left the border to escort military supplies to Liangzhou in order to thoroughly investigate the Luo Shu Jue. In other words, he was acting as a spy for the emperor. Unexpectedly, he encountered a massive invasion by the Tibetans along the way. Inside, they spread heretical teachings to manipulate the hearts of the Tang people, while outside, they sent heavy troops to attack the border passes. It seemed the Tibetans had been planning this against Longyou for a long time.

This battle was fought at just the right time and brilliantly! Without this battle in Longyou, the tragedy in the Zhongnan Mountains might have happened again.
Yet my own plans were completely disrupted by this war; now, it’s extremely difficult to go to Liangzhou!
Looking at this letter, Li Kuo could not calm down for a long time. That rainy night in the wilderness, the flickering fire in the cave, Ni Xin’s skin as white as sheep-fat jade…
A young man isn’t a saint; upon learning that Ni Xin was a girl, he naturally felt some stirrings in his heart. But after all, he and A Tian had grown up together, and under those circumstances, he was more concerned with how to handle the awkward situation.
You Long, Ni Xin—so it seems they’ve already arrived in Chang’an?
“What a fine crossbow!”
Although Old Du, the shopkeeper, had no military experience, he knew his stuff well and marveled at the crossbow.
“I’m giving this crossbow to you. If I gave it to someone else, they might not even dare to accept it!”
“Of course. This crossbow is prohibited; who else but military officers would dare to use it?”
Du Jingtian proudly held her head high, as if she were the owner of the crossbow.
“Did they say where they were going?”
Although Li Kuo knew this question was likely to yield no answer, he still asked instinctively.
“No, they left in a hurry. After handing over their packages to me, they ate just a few bites before leaving. Hehe, I’m not saying it’s wrong, but they’re really rich—they left behind two guan worth of meat!”
Old Du was very proud when talking about this. That was two guan worth of meat! Those three guests gave it to him without even blinking—truly like the God of Wealth.
“Oh!”
The young man’s heart sank; his hopes were dashed once again.
Wandering the world with a sword, traveling the lands with a bow—perhaps the two of them were destined to go separate ways.