MHNEB 34

Book 2: Generals die after a hundred battles; heroes return after ten years’ time.

Chapter 34: Might As Well Not Ask

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Just as the sky started to be a little bright, He Mulan in military attire and A-Dan Zhuo in dressed in a similar way continued to practice martial arts in the yard as usual. The sound of ‘Deng Deng Deng’ brought Hua Father and Hua younger brother to the attention of the practice, and they came to watch. Fang-shi was still washing her face in the room. She cannot sit still when she heard applause and exclamation of what a good match it was. Hearing this, she threw the things that were in her hand away and stood at the door to view the match.

He Mulan promised A-Dan Zhuo that she would teach him swordsmanship. Naturally, she taught everything that she knew. A-Dan Zhuo knew it was a very rare opportunity. Since Hua Mulan removed her armour and returned home, it would be increasingly hard for him to obtain her guidance, so he was extremely hardworking in practising. 

In the eyes of He Mulan, A-Dan Zhuo's swordsmanship style is very firm. He is also rather good in wielding the halberd that people often used in the army. Everyone is exclaiming sounds of ‘good’ when he displayed his swordplay. 

But probably because of the lack of actual combat, he was a little astringent in changing moves. But it is a common fault of the rookies. He Mulan thought that with more and more experience, he would be able to adapt to these things will gradually and become better in it.

Once again, she holds the sword against A-Dan Zhuo's neck. He Mulan placed her sword away and shook her head.

"Ah Zhuo, I suggest you don't use the heavy sword. If you choose to use a sword, then use a single-hand sword.” 

A-Dan Zhuo showed the expression that she just hit him with a psychological blow.  

"Do you think my swordsmanship is too poor?"

"It's not that your swordsmanship is too poor, but if you going to develop your career in the army, it's useless to learn from me to use the heavy sword." He Mulan put away Pan Shi and explained to him: "Even if it was me, I didn't use this weapon at first. The surrounding four countries mainly use leather armour. Even the most sophisticated mingguang armour of the Wei Dynasty can be split open with a broadsword. It is not necessary to use a heavy sword.” 

"In the age when the Three Kingdoms fought for supremacy, weapons and armour were tailored according to the use habits of generals, so there was a strange sword like Pan Shi. It just so happens that I have great strength, and I'm good at using it. If we are fighting in the war, the general weapons will be enough. "

"Besides, it's troublesome to forge heavy swords. It takes a lot of effort to forge it. If you lose your weapons on the battlefield, there will be no replacements that really suit you. In the battlefield, it's a terrible thing to have no weapons that you can comfortably use. " When He Mulan saw that A-Dan Zhuo was showed such a devastated expression, she took the rod spear in his hand and used it to stab forward.

"Do you know why all the recruits in the army learned their swordsmanship by using the spear first? And why are most famous generals good at using spears?”

After thinking about it, A-Dan Zhuo replied, "Because the spear is longer, so it's suitable for use in times when you participate in a battle with either a horse or on foot?” 

He Guang sat under the flight of stairs and chuckled at what A-Dan Zhuo had said. 

Hearing that he was chuckling, He Mulan turned to look at him but she said nothing more.

A-Dan Zhuo saw He Guang laughing and scratched his head.

"Why is He Guang laughing at me? Was what I said wrong? "

"You're right, but it’s not only because of that." Hua father that was sitting on the stone bench could not help opening his mouth. "Everybody learns spears because spears are cheaper."

Huh? 

A-Dan Zhuo felt blinded by such a not noble reason. 

"When my daughter went to the army, she went to join the army in full armour because my weapons that I wore to the army were still there and my family had managed to make our ends’ meets. But many times, it is normal for recruits to be unarmed or because their weapon quality was too poor, their weapons had become damaged. At this time, the cheapest weapon is the spear. As long as there is a wooden pole, just by installing a spearhead, it’d be able to be used. And it's very easy for a blacksmith to make a spearhead......"

Hua Father explained with a smile. "And most of us are cavalries. Long spears are better than swords and other weapons. It's easy to find another one if your weapon is lost. "

"What if I don't lose my heavy sword?" A-Dan Zhuo was a little reluctant.

"Then you'll need to find a way to win General Hua." He Guang chuckled, "I'm can assure you that all the armament officers in the six towns and our country’s border would not have such a weapon prepared for you."

A-Dan Zhuo held his sword and thought for a moment with hesitation.

"The matters of the future, let's discuss it in the future. I……I still want to use the heavy sword. " He raised his eyes a little uneasily to look at He Mulan. "I want to use the same sword as Aunt Hua."

Now, no one can say anything more.

It is hard for a child at this age to change his mind just by persuasion.

"In that case..." He Mulan raised "Pan Shi". "Be prepared to be treated more strictly."

“Watch this move!” 

After practising the sword, He Mulan is going to the market with Hua younger brother. This is the last time she would make a trip to the market in this winter. From the next month onwards, the winter days will be very cold. If there is no major event, she will not go out again. So, they have to purchase a lot of things from the market this time, and this time, they even used a draft horse and roped the horse with a cart. 

A-Dan Zhuo and He Guang both said they wanted to go with her. He Mulan thought of You Ke's pleas before he left again and again. He instructed her that she must let his cousin know the suffering of the people. In line with the idea of keeping this promise, she agreed.

The two teenagers happily pressed their fists together as a sign of celebration. A-Dan Zhuo and He Guang pressed their fists before they felt that something was not right. 

"Eh, are you also Xianbei-ren?"

Only Xianbei-ren like to press each other's fists and shoulders to express their excitement.

"Ah, many people in my family are Xianbei-ren." He Guang replied casually, and suddenly pointed to He Mulan. His eyes widened and he said: "Heavens! Heavens! What is General Hua doing! "

He Mulan moved the millstone plate from the backyard of her home and moved several heavy stone pillars to seal the door of her warehouse tightly.

They looked at how big is the millstone is and how much bigger the stone pillars are.

These two children had never seen such a powerful person, they were so scared that their necks were bristling. A-Dan Zhuo ran to the warehouse door curiously to pick up a stone pillar.

He used the strength of all his might, but he only managed to lift the stone figure made by the stone pillar. 

"Don't move. What if you smash your foot!" He Mulan chased A-Dan Zhuo away like she’s chasing a chicken away, and placed the stone pillar he held down.

"Aunt Hua, you are..." He thought about it, and he could only think of one reason. "preventing thieves from intruding?"

"That’s right, it’s for preventing thieves." He Mulan nodded. "Although the wandering swordsmen here promised not to touch my things, it's hard to guarantee that there are thieves from other places. Last time, even the LuShuihus were attracted…... "

She murmured a little stiffly. "Why doesn't this era have something akin to banknotes! It is much if I can exchange the banknotes for silver. Only when I came to this place did I know that TV dramas are deceiving. Not to mention banknotes, I cannot even use gold and silver! It's annoying to go shopping with a lot of cloth every day! "

It takes two feet of cloth to buy a bag of rice yesterday and two feet of cloth today. When you go out, you need to take a ruler as well as cloth.

Whatever units of shi (0) and dou, she don’t know what are all these!

Before she transmigrated here, she always thought that the unit "shi" meant stone. Only when she transmigrated here, she came to know that it is pronounced as "dan". One dan turned out to be ten litres!

Hua Mulan received her soldier’s pay that consisted of grains and food. She carried it home in sacks and tried to exchange these things with others!

If not for her extraordinary strength, seven dan of rice every month would cause her death if she were to carry it home! 

It’s a lie that they said that one is able to carry ten thousand strings of cash in a belt. How stupid the Xianbei-ren is not to make money!

He Mulan darkly thought that it must be because they cannot even count!

On the way to the market, He Mulan was still thinking about this problem. In order to make sure that Xianbei-ren can't count and do not even have written characters, especially when she saw the commoner’s arithmetic may not be so good, she began to ask A-Dan Zhuo since they were idling.

"Your mom bought 15 chickens the day before yesterday, eight yesterday, and today, at this moment, 12 were killed at home. How many chickens do you have in your house now? "

"Eh, Aunt Hua, are you going to buy chicken today?" A-Dan Zhuo asked her stupidly, like a three-meter high monk, that one cannot rub his head. (1)

"Buy chicken? I just bought chickens……Oh, how could I be influenced by what you said? Just tell me how many chickens you will be left with finally." He Mulan looked serious.

"Oh……How many chickens did you just say? " Poor A-Dan Zhuo is so confused with what was being said that he felt faint. 

"I bought 15 the day before yesterday, eight yesterday, and twelve was killed at home today. How many are left now? "

A-Dan Zhuo sat on the horse, pulled out fifteen strands of horse manes, added eight, removed twelve, counted them carefully, and cried happily, "13!"

"Poof!" He Guang's face trembled a little. "Big Brother A-Dan, you'd better count them carefully. Do not mistakenly count them. You might have taken one strand as several strands."

A-Dan Zhuo heard He Guang’s words and felt he made a mistake probably. He bowed his head and began to count again. He Mulan asked Hua younger brother who was sitting in the carriage again.

Hua younger brother took off his shoes in the cart, counted his fingers and toes, but his fingers and toes were not enough. He was also considered a talent to be able to do this. 

He Mulan patted her head and doesn't expect them to tell her the answer. She has the answer in her heart.

A-Dan Zhuo counted two or three times while Hua younger brother's knuckles were pinched red. Finally, the two people were able to answer her. 

"11! It's 11! "

"Ah……It's 11. " He Mulan turned her head and asked He Guang. "How is your arithmetic?” 

"I learned it at home previously. It is passable." He Guang nodded and gazed He Mulan with expectant eyes.

Ask me! Quick, ask me!

Let me show off my arithmetic!

"In that case, I won't test you." He Mulan turned her head around. She felt a little depressed.

It seems that it has nothing to do with the ethnicity and education level.

In a few years, should she invite a scholar to enlighten her niece ChangLe?

He Guang stared at He Mulan for a long time, but he only waited for He Mulan to say that. He instantly felt stupefied. 

Didn’t we agree to give me a sense of superiority?

Don’t treat me this way!

He Mulan's Shadow is an excellent horse. If you let it "inch" along the road with the slow horse carriage,  it would not be happy, so it shook its neck anxiously. He Mulan had been used to this proud and charming horse. She signalled to the two children and Hua younger brother and picked up speed with the horse. They ran to the far front. 

After Shadow is comfortable because it ran, they would slowly return to the carriage. Hua younger brother and his sister often go to the market together. They urged the carriage with a peace of heart to head to the Majiao bridge.

"Where are we going now?" He Guang took a glance at Hua Mulan who had run away so far that she disappeared without leaving a trace of her shadow. He Guang felt a little uneasy.

"My sister's horse hasn't been out for a long time. Shadow won't let anyone else ride it, so she's going to take a walk with the horse now." Hua younger brother proudly boasted Shadow to him. "That's Shadow! The majestic steed Shadow! It was bestowed by Your Majesty. It's said that it's Your Majesty's chariot horse, Shadowless, was once companions that were in the same battle with Shadow! 

"Ah, so it’s Shadowless’s brother." He Guang nodded understandingly. "General Hua is very brave, and she is also a perfect match with Shadow."

"The way you speak, sounded like you seem to have seen Shadowless." A-Dan Zhuo just does not like He Guang. Obviously, he is a young boy, but he always wears an adult's mannerisms and tone. And every time when Aunt Hua is there, he will revert back to acting like his age.

But, he is an honest man. Although he doesn't like this point about He Guang, firstly, they are all the guests staying in the Hua house. Secondly, he is not related to him. They just live in the same room together. It is merely that he is shallow and annoying, so he's just a little uncomfortable in his heart but he doesn't say it out.

"I've heard of Shadowless’s name." He Guang showed a naive and shy smile again. "Let's not talk about this, Uncle Hua. Can I ask you a question?"

"He family’s young master, ask ahead." Hua younger brother laughed heartily.

"May I ask why do you place the pigsty and toilet together? I noticed that the old house was also fixed this way. Unless…... " This problem has bothered him a day and a night. If he doesn't get a clear answer, even after the period where he needs to have vegetarian meals, he won't eat pork any more.

"Because pig dung and human dung will be left for composting." Hua younger brother smiled understandingly. "Are you scared after seeing our toilet? It is said that you Han nobilities and their families are all served by people to do their everyday tasks. I'm afraid you're still not suited to the life here, probably? "

He Guang breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the words, and his handsome little face regained some colour.

"Ah, probably, I’m a little not used……But since I've decided to stay, I'll get used to it sooner or later. Besides……Er, wait... "

He Guang thought of something more terrible.

“May I ask when you compost, is it used for farming?” 

"Mainly, it is used for growing vegetables…..." Hua younger brother plainly smiled, "Our family’s vegetables are all grown using our family’s compost. The vegetables grew to be in good condition! The cabbage you ate yesterday was grew using a good fertilizer, and the same goes for the radish soup. This year, the vegetables are growing well in the fields. Don't worry, even if you can only eat vegetarian meals, our family can manage to grow enough crops in winter! "

In winter, vegetables are more expensive than meat. So, Hua younger brother said such words, to put He Guang's heart to ease.

Pig shit and human shit are to be left behind for composting.

Our family’s vegetables are all grown using our family’s compost.

The cabbage is eaten yesterday…...

Good fertilizer…...

Enough crops in the winter…...

He Guang's face turned green, and he felt his whole body was unwell. 

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(0) 石(shi/dan) means stone or can be a unit (classifier).

(1) Three-meter high monk, that one cannot rub his head (丈二和尚摸不着头脑): at a total loss. 

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Fleur's Corner:

Next Update: 7/5. 

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