pappabearbooks Chapter 14 The old man recounts Ye Yuhang's past
Chapter 14 The old man recounts Ye Yuhang's past
Ye Lingyu waved her hand dismissively and explained casually.
"This is fine salt, chili, and cumin."
Only my father has it; you can't buy it anywhere else.
She turned her back and muttered something under her breath:
"What Father taught me really works everywhere."
Cheng Yaojin ate with grease dripping from his mouth, looking at the remaining lamb bones with some regret.
This delicious flavor, when paired with a jar of aged wine...
That's something I wouldn't trade even for a god.
Li Shimin gave Ye Lingyu a deep look.
This peculiar little girl, and the omnipotent father she speaks of.
He decided that he had to find out the secret behind it no matter what.
After resting for about half an hour, everyone had recovered a lot of their strength.
After continuing on the road for over an hour, we rounded a mountain bend.
The view suddenly opened up before me.
We've arrived at Hexi Village. It should be the busy season for spring plowing and farming.
Yet, a sense of desolation permeated the place.
Li Shimin carefully observed that there was not a single able-bodied young man to be seen on the village road.
In the fields, only a few elderly people were working with their backs hunched over, or a few thin, pale children were playing.
Several children who were playing in the mud spotted the leading mechanical cat at a glance.
Instead of being afraid, they rushed over, shouting happily.
"Sister Yu is back!"
Sister Yu brought Rou Rou back!
The child's innocent voice echoed at the village entrance.
Under the big tree at the village entrance, several old men with canes helped each other to their feet.
Ye Lingyu smiled and ran quickly toward the elderly people.
"Grandpa Liu, Grandpa Wang, Grandpa Bai, I've come to see you!"
She pointed to the mutton and grain behind her, her voice clear and melodious.
"Father said the harvest in the mountains has been good recently."
Let me deliver some food to the village; everyone can share it.
The old men looked at these precious supplies,
Instead of surprise, her eyes were filled with deep sorrow.
The leader, Old Man Liu, sighed and patted Ye Lingyu's shoulder with his withered hand.
"Little Yu'er, go back and thank your father for us."
I'll also take this opportunity to say something from the bottom of my heart to him.
The old man's voice was a little hoarse.
"Tell him to stop blaming himself for what happened back then..."
The young men of the village voluntarily followed him out of the mountains.
"Their fate was that they couldn't come back."
No wonder your father has been protecting our village for ten years.
The old man's words trembled in the wind, and a myriad of thoughts surged in Li Shimin's heart.
"Are the strong and capable men willingly following him out of the mountains?"
"Didn't make it back?"
These words rapidly pieced together in Li Shimin's mind, and an outline gradually became clear.
This little heroine's father must have been a commander of thousands of troops back in the day.
However, due to a crushing defeat or some hidden reason, he chose to live in seclusion here.
Li Shimin's gaze remained fixed on Ye Lingyu.
This little girl, only seven or eight years old, exuded a composure beyond her years from behind.
And that "big cat" that followed him closely, making a slight mechanical friction sound, made him even more itchy.
He kept picturing the figure behind the little girl in his mind.
That must be a reclusive genius living in the mountains.
Perhaps he is a descendant of the Mohist school, or a leading figure in military strategy.
Just thinking about that fine salt, whiter than snow...
And then there was the tantalizing aroma of chili peppers, which made Li Shimin's breathing become heavier.
If these things could be popularized among the Tang army,
Why worry about the soldiers not being strong?
Li Shimin secretly vowed to meet this extraordinary person.
"Young lady, who exactly is your father?"
Li Shimin spoke very softly, his eyes gleaming with a thirst for talent.
This kind of expression was something he would only show in front of Fang Mou and Du Du.
Ye Lingyu simply patted the crossbow at her waist.
"My father is my father; he likes peace and quiet."
I hate people like you who dress neatly but do nothing.
Li Shimin was met with a rebuff and awkwardly touched his nose.
"I... I also yearn for it."
After all, someone who can raise such an outstanding daughter as you must be a peerless hero.
He chuckled and gestured to Fang Xuanling behind him.
Fang Xuanling understood.
"Young lady, please don't be offended. My master has always respected heroes more than anyone else."
Just now, I saw the fire blazing and the oil sizzling, the seasoning was extraordinary.
This clearly shows that your father was an extraordinary person.
His words were full of the gentle elegance of a scholar, trying to lower the other party's guard.
Ye Lingyu glanced at the four people, her eyes revealing a hint of scrutiny.
"Don't think that just because I say a few words of praise I'll take you there. Father said..."
"You can't judge a book by its cover, especially when it comes to good-looking middle-aged men."
She spoke in a condescending tone, her gaze lingering for a moment on Li Shimin's heroic face.
Li Shimin was taken aback, then gave a wry smile.
For the first time, he felt that being handsome was a mistake.
Several elderly men were sitting around the stone mill, their faces grave.
Old Liu puffed on his pipe, his cloudy eyes filled with a complex expression.
"Grandpa Liu, you just said... that those uncles and elders couldn't come back because they followed Father?"
Ye Lingyu's voice trembled slightly.
She had always thought her father was just a skilled hunter, never imagining that so much bloodshed was hidden beneath his facade.
Old Liu sighed.
"Little Jade, I shouldn't have told you this."
Ye Langjun kept this from you because he wanted you to grow up happily.
Li Shimin stood up straight unconsciously, his expression solemn.
Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong exchanged a glance behind them.
The initial anxiety vanished instantly, replaced by the compassion unique to military generals.
Li Shimin was so anxious that he was scratching his head in frustration.
He vaguely sensed that a truth that would shake Hezhou was about to surface.
"Sir, since we've come this far..."
Why not let the child know the truth?
Fang Xuanling spoke at the opportune moment.
He could see the old man's hesitation, and he could also see Li Shimin's urgency.
Old Liu exhaled a puff of smoke, glanced at Fang Xuanling,
Then he looked at Ye Lingyu, whose face was full of pleading.
"That's enough, these debts..."
Someone has to remember, even if it's etched into their bones.
He slumped back onto the stone mill, his gaze fixed on the distant mountains.
"When Young Master Ye first arrived, we just thought of him as a down-on-his-luck young master who had fallen on hard times and ended up here."
"But one year, those Tibetan beasts crossed the mountain ridge..."
They looted the surrounding towns and kidnapped our wives.
They even threw the child to its death right in front of the men.
As he said this, his fists clenched tightly, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged.
"That's a blood feud!"
But the government troops ignored us, and we men who struggled for a living could only wait to die.
"It's Young Master Ye, alone on horseback."
That night, he pursued the enemy alone, slaughtering those beasts until they were all thrown to the ground.
Three girls were rescued.
Li Shimin was shocked to hear this.
He pursued the enemy alone and killed the Tibetan bandits!
Such bravery was extremely rare, even among his close followers in the Tian Ce Mansion.
From then on, the young men in the village seemed to be bewitched.
He insisted on following Young Master Ye to practice martial arts and fight against enemies.
Old Liu closed his eyes, and tears slid down his cheeks.
"Those days were tough, but our Hexi Village is located within a hundred miles of..."
The Tibetans would avoid any flag bearing the leaf character.
"Those were the most dignified days of our lives..."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yaojin slammed his fist into the tree trunk beside him.
"A true hero! This is the blood of the Tang Dynasty!"