After the nude painting incident, Zhou Xuan went to take care of "Little General Zhang Jiao". This is a money tree, a great contributor. However, if you want to win three thousand taels of silver again, it will be difficult. Its not possible to have fools like Wu Pangzi all the time, and thanks to brother Lin Heishan, otherwise Wu Pangzi would definitely refuse to pay. In ancient society, it wasnt easy to get by without a powerful helper.

  Tang Xiaosan and Hu Tong crouched beside Zhou Xuan, listening to him talk about the habits of crickets, how to catch them and feed them. As they listened, they nodded their heads from time to time. They had always been fond of playing with crickets, so they naturally understood quickly.

  At breakfast, Madame Qin said to Zhou Xuan: "My son-in-law, your sister-in-law is from Mufu Village thirty miles outside the East Gate. Unfortunately, her parents died early and her older brother also passed away. She wants to go back to the village to take a look and pay respects at her parents and brothers graves. Your father-in-law has official business, so youll have to accompany her on this trip."

  Zhou Xuan naturally agreed, thinking of his sworn brother Lin Heishan saying he would come to find him for a drink today. So, he asked his mother-in-law to instruct the servants to pay attention, if his sworn brother came looking for him, they should apologize on his behalf and say that as soon as he returned, he would go look for his sworn brother.

  Since the round trip is over 60 miles, we should set off immediately. Zhou Xuan asked Lai Fu to rent a horse carriage. In this era, not having a car is really inconvenient. Now that economic conditions permit it, I should consider buying a car.

  Lai Fu was quite capable, and in a short while, he had called over a single-horse carriage, and also rented a horse according to Zhou Xuans instructions. Zhou Xuan wanted to learn how to ride a horse. The temperament of these rental horses was very good, but if you wanted them to run fast, forget it. They were most suitable for learning to ride.

  Tang Xiaosan and Hu Tong were both from Shaoyang Village near Mufeng Village. Tang Xiaosan hadnt returned home for several days, so Zhou Xuan asked him to accompany him to Mufeng Village and take a look at his home on the way. Hu Tong stayed here to take care of "Little General Zhang Bao".

  Tang Xiaosan asked Hu Tong if he wanted to hand over the twenty silver coins that Zhou Gongzi gave him yesterday, and Hu Tong refused, saying he had to hand them over to his father personally.

  Zhou Xuan burst out laughing, Hu Tong understood his feelings, it was a sense of accomplishment and pride, just like returning home in glory, of course he had to bring the silver back himself.

  Zhou Xuan rode an old horse, Tang Xiaosan helped him lead the reins, Su Qingzhen sat in the carriage, and Lai Fu sat beside the coachman. The group left the east gate of Jiangzhou City.

  Zhou Xuans mind was quick and his body agile, the horse under him was relatively docile, after riding for a while he had already grasped the basic skills of horseback riding. He let Tang Xiaosan sit on the carriage shaft as well, speeding up their progress.

  The autumn weather is just beginning, and the second crop of rice seedlings have just been planted not long ago. The fields are a lush green, and in the morning the sun is still not too strong, with a gentle breeze blowing, making one think its spring.

  When Zhou Xuan came out of the east gate, he saw vendors selling fresh dates and pears by the city gate. He bought five or six catties of each, washed them clean in the moat, and let everyone eat. He specially picked a few thin-skinned and refreshing good pears and a handful of dates to give to Su Zhenzhi in the carriage.

  Twenty miles out of the city, entering the Mu Fu mountainous area, the road is no longer easy to walk on, rugged and uneven, the horse-drawn carriage bumps violently, the carriage "rumbles" loudly.

  Su Yu opened the curtain and said to Zhou Xuan: "Sister-in-law Zhou, this carriage is swaying so much that Im getting dizzy, I want to get off and walk."

  Before knitting needles, they all called Zhou Xuan "Zhou Gongzi", which would call her brother-in-law, maybe because there were outsiders around.

  Zhou Xuan jumped off the horse, letting the coachman stop, and stretched out his right arm to let the spinning wheel support him getting off the carriage. These were all very natural movements, derived from his modern consciousness, without thinking about any male-female physical contact taboo.

  The needle hesitated for a moment, then gently touched Zhou Xuans arm and jumped off the carriage. The women of Southern Tang were not yet popular with bound feet, so they wouldnt be that weak and frail.

  Zhou Xuan said: "Sister with the needlework skills, you come ride this horse. This horse is very stable and wont buck violently."

  The needle said: "You ride and Ill walk, its okay."

  Tang Xiaosan and Lai Fu came down together to accompany Zhou Xuan and Zhenniu on foot, while the driver drove an empty cart slowly.

  After walking for more than two miles, Zhen Needle, although not a small foot, has been pampered in the palace for three years. This mountain road is not easy to walk on, and she cant keep up with Zhou Xuans pace.

  A gust of mountain wind came, and the trees on both sides of the road rustled loudly. In the sky, yellowish-gray clouds were gathering, as if it was going to change weather.

  Zhou Xuan said: "Sister with the needle, get on the horse. Dont worry if you cant ride, Ill hold the reins and we can go faster. Look at the sky, it might rain."

  Zhou Xuan led the horse to a large stone, let the spinning needle stand on the stone first, then held her hand and helped her step on the stirrup and mount the horse.

  At the moment when the hem of her skirt fluttered up and down, Zhou Xuan saw a shiny thigh exposed at the top of the "thigh- covering" stocking, white and plump.

  Zhou Xuan was stunned. He had put on those western-style pants especially to ride a horse today, but the needle and thread didnt have that kind of pants. Whats this? Riding a horse with his butt exposed?!

  "Sister-in-law, lets go." The needle held the saddle tight with both hands, riding a horse for the first time, feeling a bit scared and excited.

  Zhou Xuan shook his head, trying to shake off the lewd thoughts, leading the way on foot while occasionally turning back to glance at Su Qingzhen sitting upright on horseback. The thought of riding a horse with a bare butt kept lingering.

  After walking another three or four miles, Tang Xiaosan pointed to a fork in the road on the left and said: "Master Zhou, if we go in from here, its our Shaoyang Village. Master and Miss Su can rest at my place for a while?"

  Zhou Xuan asked: "Sister Spinning Wheel, are you tired? Do you want to take a break?"

  The spinning needle shook its head and said: "Im in a hurry to offer sacrifices to my parents graves."

  Zhou Xuan said: "Xiao San, you go back first, at 11:30 - that is, the second quarter of noon, wait for us here and return to the city together."

  Tang Xiaosan responded with a "yes" and hurriedly went to the fork in the road. The horse carriage could no longer proceed, so it stopped here to wait. Zhou Xuan, Zhenzhen, and Lai Fu continued on their journey.

  Mangfu Village is a small mountain village, with twenty or thirty households scattered high and low in the mountains. Few outsiders come to the village, so when Zhou Xuan and his group arrived, all the old and young villagers gathered around them.

  The needle picks up the transparent gauze that covers her face, one by one calling out "this uncle" and "that elder", tears streaming down her face.

  The villagers looked and found that it was Xue Zhen who had returned, Xue Zhen being the most beautiful woman in their village. Three years ago, she was selected to enter the palace, and the villagers were proud to say that Xue Zhen had made a good match and would become an imperial concubine. Unfortunately, after leaving for three years, there was no news from her, and her father and brother passed away one after another. Her sister-in-law remarried in another village, and their familys three thatched cottages were sold cheaply to the neighbors.

  A village woman who was rather reckless pointed at Zhou Xuan who was leading the horse and asked, "Is this your husband? Hes quite a talented person."

  Just as Zhou Xuan was about to explain, the needle from the horses back leaned over and gently patted his shoulder with a pitiful look in her eyes, revealing a pleading expression. Zhou Xuan shut his mouth and smiled at everyone, indicating his consent. He thought to himself: "What does this mean? Do I have to pretend to be her groom again? Hmm, its also okay. After being a palace maid for three years, coming back with nothing would be too bleak and embarrassing. Let me pretend to be her boyfriend, so it seems like she has found a home, and spare these villagers from overflowing sympathy."

  "Uncles, aunts, is my father and brother buried with my mother?" The Needles mother had passed away before the Needle entered the palace.

  The villagers nodded one after another, saying it was in the mountain behind.

  Zhou Xuan tied the horse to a miscellaneous tree at the foot of the mountain and accompanied Zhēn Zhēn up the mountain. Lái Fú carried incense, candles, and paper money behind them. Seeing that Gū Yé encountered difficult roads and occasionally supported Zhēn Zhēn Miss, Lái Fú secretly rejoiced in the back. The house servant and the mistress were in tacit agreement; Zhou Xuan, this son-in-law of the Qín Manor, was settled. If he couldnt marry the legitimate second miss, then he would marry the eldest miss, Xiāng Xiāng.

  Three graves were built side by side, all of which were hastily constructed. Su Xianer burst into tears and fell to the ground. Zhou Xuan thought of his parents and brother a thousand years later, also in despair, and solemnly bowed several times.

  After the worship, Zhou Xuan said: "Sister Niuzhen dont be sad anymore, go back, next year on Qingming Festival Ill accompany you here, find a few craftsmen to renovate the tomb and set up a better tombstone."

  Su Xianzhen suddenly lifted her head, staring at Zhou Xuan with a pair of swollen Danfeng eyes.

  Zhou Xuan didnt think there was anything wrong with what he said earlier, washed his hands in a nearby mountain spring, and slowly walked down the mountain with the spinning wheel, helping her onto the horse to start their journey back.