When Tang Mingfan came home and saw Gale, he too fell head over heels for the horse. Like a child, he circled Gale, stroking and patting him.
Linlin watched from the side, looking rather pained.
Tang Mingfan even had Tang Zhuyun set the meal out in the courtyard. As he ate crayfish and drank the liquor he had specifically sent Xiu'er to fetch, his gaze hardly left Gale.
Tang Zhuyun smiled and stuck out her tongue. "I was worried you'd think the horse came from some shady source and scold me, Dad!"
Tang Mingfan said with a perfectly straight face, "You helped the horse dealer sell horses, and he gave you the horse as payment. How could that be shady?"
Tang Zhuyun burst out laughing.
She was so fond of this father of hers. He was upright without being rigid, and he cherished her in every way.
Tang Mingfan then said to Linlin, "Your aunt bought the horse. This is her being good to you, so remember that, all right?"
Linlin nodded. "Grandfather, I'll be good to Aunt too! If Aunt can't find someone to marry her, I'll provide for her."
The atmosphere turned awkward at once. Both Tang Mingfan and his son looked at Tang Zhuyun with some embarrassment, worried she would turn hostile.
To their surprise, Tang Zhuyun laughed heartily. "Then it's a deal! Dad, big brother, what do you think we should do about a carriage? I want to order one, but I'm afraid someone will take me for a fool. How many taels of silver would it cost? If twenty taels are enough, let's buy one."
"Where did you get twenty taels of silver?"
Tang Zhuyun had deliberately steered the conversation here. Pretending not to care, she said, "I learned medicine in the countryside before. When I went to pawn something, I gave the pawnbroker a prescription that greatly improved a stubborn illness he'd had for years. He gave me the money to thank me. Linlin can vouch for me!"
Linlin nodded repeatedly. Remembering the pawnbroker's admiration and gratitude, he basked in the reflected glory.
Tang Mingfan and Tang Baixin were both delighted and surprised.
Linlin said, "My aunt knows martial arts too!"
No one took that seriously, but Tang Mingfan and his son both realized that they had known far too little about Tang Zhuyun in the past.
They discussed the carriage.
A plain carriage without any fancy decorations cost around ten taels of silver, so Tang Mingfan made the decision on the spot. He told Tang Baixin to take a day off tomorrow and buy one. Then, when Tang Mingfan went to court the day after, he would be a man with a carriage too.
Tang Zhuyun had never realized that this father she had gained had such an adorable side, like a child who had gotten a new toy and couldn't wait to show it off.
Since that was the case, she might as well add fuel to the fire.
He was her father, so of course she had to spoil him herself.
"Big brother, don't forget to find a coachman. He doesn't need to live here; he just has to take Dad there and back every day. Dad, I'll prepare a food box and a charcoal stove for you. From now on, I'll pack you breakfast too. It won't get cold, whether you eat it on the road or after you enter the palace."
Tang Mingfan said, "What was that thing called again? Mao, mao..."
"Mao xue wang?"
"Yes, make that!" Tang Mingfan had, unusually, drunk a couple of cups of liquor and was somewhat excited.
Tang Zhuyun hesitated. "Dad, wouldn't that be too greasy to eat in the morning? Besides, wouldn't the smell bother other people in the palace?"
"That's what I want. Listen to me." Tang Mingfan's aged face had turned red with excitement. "Listen to your father and make that!"
Seeing that he was a little drunk, Tang Zhuyun meekly agreed.
She didn't know whether it was the liquor or the full moon tonight, but she couldn't shake the feeling that her father had transformed.
Later, Tang Baixin helped him inside and saw him into bed. When he came out, he said to Tang Zhuyun, "Dad hasn't been this happy in a long time. He knows the horse is your way of showing filial respect to him."
Linlin gazed eagerly at Tang Zhuyun from the side-he thought the horse was a gift for him.
Tang Zhuyun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Grandfather can take him to court in the morning, and you can learn riding and archery in the afternoon. By the way, big brother, can you ride? Why don't you teach Linlin?"
Tang Baixin was embarrassed to admit that he couldn't ride either. He had been hoping to take this opportunity to learn!
He covered his mouth with his hand and said somewhat awkwardly, "Well, I have someone in mind to teach Linlin: Chang Zhi, who works under Dad."
An image of a northwestern man with a full beard immediately appeared in Tang Zhuyun's mind.
Chang Zhi had originally been a bandit chief. Later, he came to admire Tang Mingfan and went to the capital to join him. He was now a head constable at the Court of Judicial Review.
Chang Zhi used to come to the Tang residence for meals often, but after Tang Zhuyun came to the capital, she found him utterly repulsive and never treated him kindly. Chang Zhi didn't want to put Tang Mingfan in a difficult position, so he stopped coming by as much.
There was no doubt that Chang Zhi also detested Tang Zhuyun very, very much.
"All right!" Tang Zhuyun pretended there was no bad blood between them and readily agreed. "I remember Brother Chang can really eat. I'll make extra food."
Chang Zhi wasn't just an ordinary big eater. He truly deserved the title of rice bucket: he could eat a whole bucket of rice by himself.
Seeing that she didn't object, Tang Baixin said, "Then it's settled. I'll speak to him tomorrow and ask him to start coming the afternoon after."
As it turned out, the next day, Chang Zhi heard that the Tang family had bought a horse and carriage and wanted to hire a coachman. He thumped his chest and declared that he could do the job.
To put it plainly, he also wanted to save the Tang family some silver.
Chang Zhi wasn't short of money. He had amassed quite a fortune during his years as a bandit.
He also genuinely admired Tang Mingfan and wanted to help support him, but Tang Mingfan had repeatedly refused him in stern, righteous terms.
"But what about Miss Tang?" Chang Zhi turned his head away and curled his lip as he said this.
If not for Lord Tang, he wouldn't have bothered seeing that vile woman for the rest of his life.
Tang Baixin smiled. "It's all right. My younger sister isn't the same as she used to be. You'll see when you go."
The next day, Chang Zhi did indeed arrive early in the morning to take Tang Mingfan to court.
He swiftly harnessed the horse to the carriage, then sat on the carriage outside the courtyard, waiting for Tang Mingfan to come out. He didn't want to see Tang Zhuyun.
To his surprise, Tang Zhuyun came out of her own accord.
She had something in her hands, and Xiu'er followed behind her, carrying a large food box.
Tang Zhuyun smiled and handed him what she was holding. In a sweet voice, she said, "Brother Chang, there are four roujiamo I made wrapped in this lotus leaf. Have them to tide you over on the road."
Had she really changed her ways?
Without a word, Chang Zhi reached out and took the large lotus leaf, then lowered his head and took a big bite. This is so fragrant!
Tang Zhuyun said, "...You can't eat the lotus leaf."
Chang Zhi said gruffly, "Why can't I eat a lotus leaf? Eating it clears internal heat! You don't understand!"
Tang Zhuyun didn't dare say another word.
As Chang Zhi ate the roujiamo, he easily took the large food box from Xiu'er and put it in the carriage. "These roujiamo are pretty tasty, but there are too few to fill the gaps between my teeth. Give me a few more."
Tang Zhuyun stared dumbfounded as he devoured the four roujiamo like a whirlwind sweeping away clouds. "Oh, all right."
She brought out all eight she had saved for the rest of the family. Chang Zhi still wanted more after eating them, and when he heard there were none left, he said regretfully, "I'm only about thirty percent full. Make more tomorrow. I'll bring you a cut of meat later!"
Linlin looked at Chang Zhi with admiration.
He had gotten up early today because he was worried about his Gale, and had followed Tang Zhuyun outside.
Tang Zhuyun pressed a hand to her forehead. Was admiration between men always this baffling? Why admire a rice bucket?
A little later, Tang Mingfan came out with his head held high, strutting with pride. From the look of him, he seemed less like he was going to court than ascending the throne.
Peh, peh, peh. She couldn't make such an irreverent joke.
After the carriage left, Tang Zhuyun couldn't help muttering, "What's Dad planning to do?"
Later, once the little charcoal stove was lit, red oil would sizzle and the mao xue wang would bubble, its overpowering aroma filling the entire hall-the scene was too beautiful for her to imagine.