Chapter Seventy-Four Departure

  On the third day in the afternoon, the blacksmith sent over what Wang Kuang wanted. Wang Kuang then stayed alone in his room tinkering for half a day before coming out.

  These days, Xu Guoxiao's life in Jian'an was very comfortable, no longer having to serve others. Although he was just a small yellow gatekeeper, this identity did not require him to be served by others, but compared to being in the palace, it was like heaven and earth. Every day, he ate the varied food sent by Fuli Inn, some of which he had never eaten or seen before, and some of which he didn't used to like, but Fuli Inn's cooking was different. For example, take bok choy, which was not loved by big households in Chang'an, and even if they ate it, it would be Chinese cabbage, because no chef could remove the bitterness of bok choy. But Fuli Inn had this ability, making you clearly taste the bitterness of bok choy without feeling bitter, but rather a different flavor. If it weren't for winter, when vegetables were scarce, he wouldn't have to eat bok choy, otherwise, who knew that bok choy could also be made so delicious?

  Apart from this, he also found that the food made by a few shops in Jian'an was quite good. Upon inquiry, they all said that it was taught by Xiao Dong's family and didn't even charge a penny for it. This was quite interesting. These days allowed Xu Guoxu to become more and more interested in Wang Kuang. This young man who didn't treat his culinary skills as a treasure to be hidden away had something that made him hard to figure out. Therefore, driven by curiosity, he also heard many rumors about Wang Kuang.

  Li Yexu has been alone these days, and his illustrious family background makes him look down on Xu Guoxiao, and he is not willing to socialize with ordinary people. However, this does not affect his frequent visits to the Fuli Inn for wine, but he always declines the inn's offer to treat him to a meal and pays in full. Wang Kuang, who knows about this, just smiles, thinking that Li Yexu is just a bit proud. Since he doesn't want to socialize with me, I don't need to make an effort to get close to him either. From the first time Li Yexu spoke to me like that, it's clear that he's not one of those spoiled rich kids, probably just not used to interacting with people, which is somewhat similar to his military godfather in later generations' online rumors.

  Wang Kuang made time and set a departure date with Xu Guoxiao five days later. Xu Guoxiao was not very willing at first, wanting to stay for a few more days, but after hearing that Wang Kuang would prepare all the food for the journey within these five days, he agreed. Of course, on the surface, he still had to pretend to be urging Wang Kuang.

  For this trip to Chang'an, Wang Kuang didn't have much confidence in it. Originally, this was just one step in his plan, and everything he had done over the past few years was for this trip to Chang'an. In comparison, Sun Mingqian wasn't as calm from the very beginning. The emperor's summons, how many people would dare not think about it for several lifetimes, yet it fell on Wang Kuang's shoulders just like that. So these days he has been busy arranging everything, fearing that Wang Kuang wouldn't prepare thoroughly and miss something, wasting this opportunity. Now Sun Mingqian is running back and forth to the horse stable every day, checking if the horses are hungry or thirsty.

  Lin Quanmiao was also traveling with Wang Kuang. Originally, he was supposed to set out after the spring, but this time Wang Kuang was going to stay at Lin's house in Chang'an, and Lin Ming was worried that Wang Kuang would be bored at Lin's house without anyone to talk to, so he sent Lin Quanmiao ahead of schedule. Lin Quanmiao had no objections, if he were to travel alone, the food on the road wouldn't be as good, now that he was following Wang Erlang, Lin Quanmiao believed that even if the food they brought was finished, Wang Kuang could still come up with a delicious meal.

  This time, Wang Kuang was preparing to take Wang Ruo and Sun Jia Ying together. In the past two years, Sun Ming had not found a suitable martial arts teacher for Sun Jia Ying, so in these two years, Sun Jia Ying could only follow Master Liu, watching his older brother Sun Jia Huan learn cooking skills from Wang Kuang with great satisfaction. He was already envious to death, and as soon as he heard that Wang Kuang was going to take him to Chang'an, he jumped up high, almost poking a hole in the roof of their own house.

  Wang Kuang took them to see the world, often saying that reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles is essential for a person's development. Wang Xian was not a bookworm, but he liked reading and worked hard, which was enough for Wang Kuang. Not being a genius didn't matter; as long as Wang Xian paved the way, everything would be fine. As for Wang Kuang taking Wang Xian to Chang'an, Mr. Liu fully supported it, originally wanting to follow them on their journey, but he was too old and feared he couldn't handle the trip, so he gave up.

  Many people in Jian'an City already knew that Wang Kuang was going to Chang'an, and these days there would be quite a few people coming to the door to chat for a couple of sentences, making Wang Kuang feel again the warmth of when he was young in the countryside, when neighbors would come to see him off when he went on a long trip, saying a couple of auspicious words.

  Of course, there are also people who ask Wang Kuan to bring some things for relatives and friends along the way from Jian'an to Chang'an. The official road has only one route, which must first go to Yangzhou, then take the waterway across the Yangtze River (Changjiang) and the Han River, and finally walk on land to Chang'an. If you are alone and ride a fast horse, you can also reach it by walking on land all the way. Some people also ask Wang Kuan to buy some things for them, of course, they are light and easy to carry.

  On the day of departure, there were so many things entrusted to him by others that a whole horse cart was filled. There were tea leaves, letters, shoes brought by mothers for their sons studying or working away from home, and pouches brought by wives for their husbands, among other things.

  These are all common human feelings. Xu Guoxu sometimes comes to the guest house to see if someone is looking for Wang Kuang, and will also smile and give Wang Kuang a geography lesson, such as where the meteorite county is, and who to find after arriving at a place. These are all different from Wang Kuang's understanding, making Wang Kuang feel that the relationship between people in the Tang Dynasty, even between nobles and commoners, is not as tense as propaganda claims.

  From the provincial government office to the North Gate, it's only a few hundred meters away, which can be covered in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. But on this day, Wang Kuang's team took an hour to finish, and all along the way, people familiar or unfamiliar with him were greeting him: "Xiao Dongjia, have a good trip and return early!" "Xiao Dongjia, have a safe journey!" And so on. Xu Guoxu and Li Yexi didn't show any impatience at all, sometimes even helping to return the greetings.

  Wang Village was on the road that Wang Kuang had to take, and there was a fork in the road that led into it. When they arrived at the fork, they saw Chen Da leading a horse and waiting for them. It turned out that Wang Ling was worried that Wang Kuang would be taken advantage of after arriving in Chang'an without any guards, so he had instructed Chen Da to follow him. Chen Da was one of the most cunning people in their group, with good martial arts skills, especially after his experience with Yan Wang. He was ruthless and merciless when dealing with enemies. With him following, Wang Ling could rest assured. Originally, Wang Kuang had already brought Gao San along, but Gao San only had the cunning and sensitivity he developed as a beggar, without any actual martial arts skills.

  For the journey to Chang'an, Wang Kuang didn't think he was in danger. He was just a cook and wouldn't conflict with others. As for politics, Wang Kuang had always been disgusted by it. In his middle school days, he almost got into a fight with his father's old friend because he said that the most despicable people in the world were those who engaged in politics. As for using his knowledge from later generations to help Li Er open up new territories and establish a great empire, Wang Kuang had never thought of it. He didn't want to change history, and if history changed, whether there would be a place for him in the future was another story.

  Division -

  The Sparrow's heart is filled with frustration, the more than 4,000 words that were just coded, suddenly jumped to a halt, an hour of darkness, the result was unbearable, only remembering these few words, and also lost the mood to continue writing.

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