Chapter 1368: Side Story: Mu Bowen (6)
Editor:
Atlas Studios
The brothers rushed to Xingzhou Prefecture and finally arrived at the city gate the night before Mu Shiâs birthday banquet. Thinking that they could enter the city the next day to celebrate their fatherâs birthday, the brothers were not in a hurry and spent the night outside the city.
Mu Bowen was relieved that they could make it in time. When he woke up the next day, his throat was dry and itchy, and his nose was blocked. Fortunately, he was clear-headed and didnât feel dizzy. Hence, after drinking a bowl of ginger soup, he followed his younger brother into the city.
The city gate had just opened, and the skies had yet to dawn. There was only the sound of chickens and dogs in the city. Due to the thick snow on the ground, there was a crunching sound when the horsesâ hooves stepped on it. It was rare for the brothers to move at such a relaxed pace and they let the horses trot forward slowly. Even the cold night felt gentler.
With a calm state of mind, Mu Bowen turned his head and smiled at his brother. "Xingzhou Prefecture is peaceful and stable. When we can go home and settle down, that will be great."
Mu Bosi replied softly, "When I retire, Iâll definitely come back."
The two brothers rushed back to the Mu Residence and the guard knocked on the door. The doorkeeper opened it and cried out in surprise when he saw the two masters return. As he welcomed them in, he sent someone into the house to report their arrival.
The winter night was cold, and the servants of the Mu Residence had only just woken up, let alone their masters.
However, being a light sleeper, Mu Shi woke up the moment there was movement outside. When he heard that his two sons had returned to celebrate his birthday, Mu Shi was still in a daze and didnât quite believe it. After a while, he shook his head and laughed. "These two brats."
The family only reunited at dawn. Mu Kejia reached out to hold the hand of her twin brother like a little girl and smiled. "Great, the four of us are together again."
Mu Bosi pulled his sisterâs hand away and said sternly, "Behave yourself. Youâre already so old, yet youâre still pulling and tugging."
However, Mu Yangling waved at them and said, "Hurry up and come up to pay your respects to Father."
The brothers quickly went forward and knelt down. Mu Shi quickly reached out to pull them up. With a laugh, Mu Bosi pushed his fatherâs hand away, insisting on kneeling down. "Father, this is your first grand birthday celebration. No matter what, we have to kowtow to you."
Mu Bowen looked at his father, who was right in front of him. Seeing that his hair was all white and the veins on his hand were bulging and trembling, he felt as if someone had grabbed him and pinched him hard.
Mu Bowen let go of his fatherâs hand and slowly kowtowed to him three times. His memory was mostly of his fatherâs back view, carrying a bow and arrow on his back, taking his sister into the mountains, carrying a bag and holding a broadsword as he left for the military camp...
Every time, he would stand at the door or lean against the window to look out and watch him leave.
His sister was his support. As long as his sister was by his side, he was fearless. However, his father was the pillar of support for the entire family. It was only because his father shouldered the burden of the entire family that he could rely on his older sister with peace of mind.
And now his father was old. The man who used to throw him into the air with ease was actually shaking when he grabbed his hand.
Seeing that Mu Bowen was lying on the ground and not getting up, Mu Bosi hurriedly helped him up when he got up himself. He covered for him and said, "Big Brother has been traveling with me through the night for the past few days. Last night, we spent the night outdoors outside the city. His throat has been feeling a little uncomfortable since this morning."
Shu Wanniang became worried. "Have you taken medicine? Should we find a doctor to take a look?"
Suppressing his emotions, Mu Bowen looked up and smiled at his mother. "Iâve already drunk the ginger soup. I think Iâve recovered after sweating all over."
With a frown, Mu Shi muttered, "Why does a grown man like you not even know how to take care of yourself? You couldâve come back two days later."
Shu Wanniang looked at her husband reproachfully and went forward to pull Mu Bowen back. "Your fatherâs heart aches for you too. When you werenât around, your father talked about you every day. Now that youâre back, he canât help but want to lecture you."
Mu Bowen only smiled and looked around. Seeing that he did not see his eldest son, he followed his mother in and asked, "Whereâs Fengâer?"
"Your brother-in-law dragged him away to practice boxing. That child is the same as you. Whenever itâs winter, he canât wait to wrap himself in a blanket. Your brother-in-law couldnât stand it and said that he wanted to teach him a set of boxing techniques. After practicing them, he wonât have to wrap himself up like a cicada pupa like now." Shu Wanniang looked at the four children and smiled. "Among the four of you, only you and your sister are most afraid of the cold. But now, seeing that you and Ah Ling arenât dressing thickly, it can be seen that King Rongâs boxing techniques are indeed effective."
Mu Yangling immediately refuted the rumors. "Mother, I didnât practice his boxing techniques. Iâm not afraid of the cold now because my internal energy is abundant."
Qi Haoran, who had brought Mu Feng over, happened to hear this. He couldnât help but purse his lips. Though he didnât embarrass his wife in front of everyone, when there were only the two of them, he asked her mockingly, "Yo, why donât I know when you cultivated a strong internal energy? Come and tell me, is your current internal energy enough for you to jump far using your qinggong?"
Mu Yangling couldnât help but blush. Pleased to see this reaction, Qi Haoran looked down at her condescendingly and said, "Let me calculate how many years youâve been cultivating internal energy. Itâs been more than 30 years since you were nine years old. Even a fool wouldâve become a first-rate expert in the martial arts world, right? The internal cultivation technique I taught you is a top-notch cultivation technique found in the Zhu familyâs collection. And what did you do with that? Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
The word "tsk" had a rich meaning. Annoyed, Mu Yangling decided that she hated this word the most in her life.
After he was done being sarcastic towards his wife, Qi Haoran went to serve his father-in-law in high spirits.
This being his father-in-lawâs first grand birthday celebration, no matter what, he had to do something for him.
Mu Bowen was accompanying Shu Wanniang. Seeing that his mother also had a lot of white hair, he couldnât help but ask, "Mother, are you and Father in good health?"
Shu Wanniang nodded with a smile. "Alright, letâs not talk about your father. Heâs as strong as an ox. Heâs still working in the fields and canât rest at all. My health is good too, so you donât have to worry."
Mu Bowen nodded and turned around to pull his son over. He asked, "What time do your grandparents wake up every day? When do they eat breakfast? How much can they eat a day? Does Grandfather drink? Since youâve been by their side for half a year, have you ever seen them sick? If so, what illness was it? What medicine did they take?"
Mu Feng stared at his father with his mouth agape. After a while, he stutteringly replied that he really didnât pay attention to these things. He had simply gone home to prepare for his exams.
Recalling how his grandfather and grandmother would ask about his food, clothes, and studies every day, Mu Feng felt a little ashamed. His face flushed red as he said softly, "Father, Iâve been negligent. Iâll definitely pay more attention going forward..."
Mu Bowen waved his hand. "As their son, even I donât know these things about them. Why would I make things difficult for you? Go and invite the butler and your grandparentsâ family physician over."
Mu Feng hurriedly jogged out.
As a general who had retired from the battlefield, Mu Shi had many hidden injuries on his body. So no matter how strong his body was, there would always be problems when he was old. However, he ate quite a lot, and his appetite had never deteriorated.
As for Shu Wanniang, she had been nursing her health well over the years. Although she still fell ill from time to time due to her poor body constitution, she did not have as many health issues as Mu Shi.
Before Mu Bowen could ask further, the guests here for Mu Shiâs birthday banquet had already arrived. He quickly sent the doctor away and went to the front to entertain the guests with his brother.
Given Qi Haoranâs status, it wasnât appropriate for him to personally welcome guests at the entrance, so he stood beside his father-in-law to help.
Mu Shiâs entire body was glowing, and his face was filled with smiles. After receiving the guests, he first introduced his son-in-law, then proudly flaunted his two sons and two daughters who had returned to celebrate his birthday.
On his way to the front yard, Mu Bowen could not help but stop in his tracks.
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