kvmb Chapter 274 Qin Qiong and Jingde: The Dreams of Celery and Leeks
Chapter 274 Qin Qiong and Jingde: The Dreams of Celery and Leeks
In the early Tang Dynasty, in the small, impoverished villages surrounding Huayang County, the faces of two brothers were illuminated by the mud and firewood. The Song brothers, the elder brother Song Daqin was a "hexagonal warrior" in the world of brother-obsessed brotherhood, spoiling his deaf and mute younger brother Song Erjiu like the apple of his eye; the younger brother Erjiu, though unable to speak or hear, demonstrated through his actions what it means to be the "ultimate brother-obsessed brother," and can be called the "top-tier warm-hearted brother" in the silent world.
Whenever Daqin returned home, basking in the sun and dragging his leaden legs, Erjiu would instantly transform into the "all-around household chores king." He would tiptoe to fetch a rough earthenware teacup, holding the still-steaming tea in both hands, and then, as if by magic, produce a handkerchief, wiping the sweat from his brother's brow as if it were a priceless treasure. Finally, he would gesture and perform his own self-created "mysterious dance" for his brother, the exaggerated movements making Daqin burst into laughter through his tears, the laughter filling the house enough to lift the thick layer of weariness from the thatched roof…
Unfortunately, their stepfather was incredibly perceptive, looking at Erjiu with more disdain than at rotten cabbage leaves from Huayang County: "This mute brat eats grain faster than a donkey!" Under his relentless nagging, the brothers' mother resorted to her "ultimate move"—under the guise of taking Erjiu to Luoyang for medical treatment, she abandoned the child in the vast sea of people...
A few days later, upon hearing that her younger brother was making a "grand comeback," Daqin instantly embarked on a "revenge spending spree." She borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates and stormed into Huayang Market, quickly snatching her brother's favorite map of mountains and rivers. She also managed to "pick up" a half-used cuju (an ancient Chinese football game) on Zhuque Street, happily fantasizing about a "Tang Dynasty World Cup" showdown with her brother…
To my surprise, when I opened the door, I saw my mother sitting alone in front of the stove, calmly gossiping as if she were talking about Old Wang next door: "Erjiu is staying in Luoyang for treatment. We'll bring him back after we've raised enough money for his travel expenses..."
Daqin immediately sensed something was amiss. His knees buckled, and he knelt down faster than a candidate for the imperial examinations thanking the emperor: "Mother! Even if we have to pawn our old hen and millstone, I will bring Erjiu back from Luoyang! Why wait until we have enough? I have the strength, I can sleep less and work more..."
But her mother kept saying things like, "It's a long way, hard to make the journey," and "My travel expenses are all gone, leaving me only with sorrow," her words a masterful jab at the situation. Daqin was furious, her head practically steaming. In a flash, she packed her bags and prepared for her famous "leaving home to find her brother" scene: "If I don't find Erjiu in Luoyang, I swear I won't return to this home! Whoever wants to be this free laborer can take it!"
This search lasted for three years.
Daqin is a true "time management genius." By day, he transforms into the "Iron-Blooded Guard of Luoyang," standing ramrod straight on the city wall; by night, he becomes the innkeeper "Wang Xiaoer," serving tea and wine with his feet barely touching the ground. Whenever he has a spare moment, he carries a stack of missing person notices and wanders through the streets and alleys of Luoyang, a veritable "sister-finding radar."
Every nightfall, he would hold his treasured maps and cuju (an ancient Chinese football game), and put on an "emo moment" to the moon: "Erjiu, where exactly are you hiding in Luoyang? When will we brothers be able to reunite as 'Qin Qiong and Jingde' and rekindle our past comforts!"
In Luoyang during the Yonghui era, the morning mist had not yet dissipated.
To find his younger brother, Song Daqin had been so frugal that he had to cut back on food, becoming thin and emaciated. He posted a newly written notice on the beams of the Luoyang post station. The ink on the paper was still wet when the dust lifted the edges, revealing the large, crooked characters that read, "Searching for my younger brother, Song Erjiu."
He was nothing more than the lowest-ranking servant in the Henan County government office, doing menial tasks such as cleaning latrines and carrying instruments of torture every day. His monthly salary was barely enough to make ends meet, yet he insisted on spending most of his savings on missing person notices...