Sun was born into a family of military generals. He had been exercising since he was young, so he was very healthy and had some strength.
But as an adult, she found it difficult to stop her little son's hand.
"Jing'er, you are very strong, be careful of your mother."
Xiao Dan, the maid beside her, said hurriedly.
Sun looked at her youngest son who was begging with a smile, with some annoyance.
"Just wait, you little rascal! I'll ask Xiao Zhu to find her father and have him make a small saddle for you."
"Mom, my sister and I want some too."
Sun looked over and said, "You two just keep competing with your brother."
But there was no denial.
On the morning of the next day, the disabled groom was summoned by Sun through the screen and some words were spoken.
Although the Yongyi Marquis Mansion has declined a bit, it won’t be too slow to make a saddle.
On the third day, the maid followed Xu Zaijing carrying a small saddle.
There was an eight-year-old boy in the stable, who had been following the disabled groom. The frostbite scars on his face were no longer visible.
He was wearing a new dress that fitted him well.
The groom saw Xu Zaijing entering the stable yard from a distance, and he said to the servant beside him:
"Qingyun, this dress of yours was made for you by the maidservant personally ordered by the Madam.
From now on, you will stay with Sanlang, which will be a good prospect for you."
"Yes, uncle."
When he saw Xu Zaijing coming, he was sent over by the groom.
The pony was already bridled, and Qingyun pulled the struggling pony out of the stable with some effort.
The pony was struggling with Qingyun at first, but after being pulled out of the stable, it stopped trying when it saw Xu Zaijing coming over and shook Qingyun.
Then he sped up and ran over, pulling Qingyun to the ground.
Taking the saddle from the maid, Qingyun began to tie it to the pony's back.
Xu Zaijing fed grass under the horse's head, and the pony rubbed its head against Xu Zaijing affectionately.
"My mother said you'll follow me from now on, right? Your name is Qingyun?"
"Hui Sanlang, yes."
"good."
Xu Zaijing patted Qingyun's arm in a manner that was not suitable for his age. His shoulders were a little high and he couldn't reach them.
A few days later, Sun took her five children back to her mother's home to celebrate her mother's birthday.
What was different from previous years was that in addition to the three carriages of the Marquis' Mansion, there was a pony tied to the side of the last carriage. The pony was fully equipped with a bridle and saddle, and it moved happily along with the carriages.
There was also a neatly dressed servant named Qingyun following in the convoy.
Arriving at the gate of the Sun Mansion near Xishuimen, Sun got off the carriage and looked at the overly luxurious carriage in the alley with some surprise. Then she walked into the gate of her mother's house with an understanding in her mind.
The maidservants followed Sun into the backyard, holding the gifts.
After greeting his mother and sisters-in-law, he found out that it was the brothers from the third branch of the Cao family who came to the Sun Mansion.
The father of the Lord of the Sun Mansion had a very good relationship with the third master of the third branch of the Cao family, and they were friends for life.
The Sun family did not publicize this relationship, and only said to the outside world that it was an old friendship.
After the Cao family produced a queen, the Sun family did not try to curry favor with or borrow the Cao family's power, but this made the Cao family cherish this relationship even more.
The Sun family was well taken care of in the military and official circles. Although he did not hold a high position or power, he held a low-level position with considerable real power.
With such a relationship, one can be trusted with one's life on the battlefield!
Sun's mother had become a grandmother and it was her birthday, so the Cao family came to celebrate.
The five brothers and sisters of the Xu family entered the backyard. The eldest brother Xu Zaiduan, Xu Zaizhang, and Xu Pingmei were in front, and Xu Zaijing and Xu Anmei were behind. They knelt respectfully on the floor in the room and said in unison:
"Happy birthday, Grandma! May you be blessed with blessings as vast as the East Sea and live as long as the Southern Mountains!"
The lady of the Sun family's surname was Gu. She had the same ancestor as the two Gus of the Ningyuan Marquisate and the Xiangyang Marquisate. However, her ancestor was a bastard of the Gu family and was not very wealthy.
She married into the Sun family, a family of equal status, but unexpectedly, the Cao family, a military officer with whom she was closely related, had a queen.
He never expected that his daughter would be proposed to by the new marquis of the Xu family in Daizhou who had adopted her.
Looking at her daughter's five children, the lady's eyes were full of love and pride.
"Okay, okay, good kids, get up."
Sun was the tenth child in her family, and her parents called her Shi Niang.
Except for an older sister named Liu Niang, the rest of her older brothers are brothers.
Two of the older brothers died of illness when they were still children and did not grow up.
That is to say, Xu Zaiduan and his family have six uncles.
The six uncles also have many children each, plus the children brought by the relatives who came with them, this time for Mrs. Sun’s birthday, there will be five or six tables just for the children.
The girls could listen to their mothers' conversation in the room, but the boys were taken out to play by their cousins after paying their respects.
A group of boys, some of whom were the same age as Xu Zaijing, called him cousin because he was his uncle's grandson.
Yes, Xu Zaijing's grandmother was already an old lady in the Sun family.
A group of boys, some older ones who were studying liberal arts were exchanging some learning experiences, while those who were practicing martial arts and preparing to join the army were learning from each other.
Both the Sun and Cao families were descended from military generals, so naturally more of them learned martial arts.
The brothers from the Cao family who came with them changed clothes with the descendants of the Sun family who were of the same age, and started wrestling in the open space.
There were also people wearing leather armor and attacking and defending each other with unsharpened swords and shields.
Xu Zaijing walked to a stone lock and saw that no one was paying attention, so he picked up the stone lock with one hand.
Although Xu Zaijing felt that no one saw him, in fact, on the second floor of the courtyard, the second son of the third branch of the Cao family was drinking tea with a teacup in one hand, but he was frightened by Xu Zaijing's performance below.
When he called a brother from the Sun family to come and see, Xu Zaijing had already put down the stone lock and went to play tossing pots aside.
Looking at the children playing happily in the yard, one of Xu Zaijing's uncles said, "Brother Cao, you must be mistaken. How could my nephew pick up the stone lock?"
"You, I, this, I really didn't see it wrong. Wait until I go down and find him and let him settle it again. It would be bad if the child loses his strength after doing this again."
Si hour (9-11 a.m.)
The guests had almost arrived, and the Sun family set off firecrackers and fireworks, and the birthday banquet began.
At the men's table, the young man from the Cao family was drunk and took advantage of his drunkenness to talk about Xu Zaijing with everyone at the table.
The Cao family was an in-law family with a noble status. When they came to the Sun family to celebrate the birthday, they sat at the main table.
Hearing this, most of the people present were in disbelief, only the old master of the Sun family sitting in the main seat had surprise in his eyes.
Although the young master of the Cao family was drunk, he was not yet drunk. Seeing the old master's expression, he said
"Uncle Shi, have you thought of anything?"
"Silang, now that you mention it, I'm reminded of an ancestor of our Sun family who was exceptionally strong. He once served under a general under the Taizu Emperor of our Great Zhou. While attacking a county town in Xinzhou, he fell victim to a scheme."
The old master took a sip of wine and looked at the eyes on the table and the surrounding tables looking at him.
"This is what my comrades said. They said that our family fell into a trap there. Fortunately, the commander in charge of the vanguard saw the signs of feigning surrender when they entered the city, but at that moment, the gate in the city gate was about to fall."
The man called Cao Jia Silang was also surprised. The old master continued,
"The gate weighed a thousand pounds and knocked one armored cavalryman off his horse. He was about to die, and then fell on his horse. My ancestor was standing nearby. He saw this and, without regard for his own safety, he dived under the gate and held on for more than ten breaths. The other comrades in the army quickly raised their shields and stuck under the gate, allowing the others in the doorway to escape."
I also ask all readers to check for bugs and point out any inconsistencies in the text in a timely manner.