When Qiáo Zǐqiū insisted on joining the military to reclaim the coastal defense HaiFang city for his elder brother, General Qiao understood. But he was old now, having experienced so much, and his only son remained by his side. At that moment, he truly feared losing him, feared him following in his elder brother's footsteps. The girl from the Huo Ruǐ family was a good child. After this war ended, he would be able to watch his son marry and have children. He felt comforted by this thought.
Thinking this, Qiao Lao quickly pulled out a chair beside him and kindly invited Tong Xiang Běi to sit down. He said, "Oh, Miss Tong, don't be in a hurry. Sit down with us. Have a chat with Zǐqiū and have some more food. You've been working so hard on this meal alone. You're such a diligent person. ZǐQiu, you're both family now. You need to learn to take care of her proactively."
As Tong XiangBěi placed a large plate of seafood fried noodles on the table, aside from feeling embarrassed, her first reaction was to look at Cheng Mo's expression. She had a bad feeling, and sure enough, he turned his head and stared at Qiao Zǐqiū with eyes that could almost eat him, his fists clenched tightly.
"General Qiao, elder General Qiao, um, well, Xiao Běi isn't tired. We ate quite a lot just now. Today, we're going back to Zebei Town with Lord Mo, and we'll definitely come to welcome your triumphant return." Tong Xiang Běi quickly spoke up to salvage the situation.
"Yes, triumphant return! Well said, Xiang Běi. Here, let's drink to our triumphant return!" Qiao Zǐqiū also immediately stood up to follow suit. Although they had agreed to cooperate that they pretended to be a couple in front of Tong's mother, he realized that it had been a long time since he had been truly open with his father. He just wanted to prolong the misunderstanding of their close relationship a little longer, as if by doing so, he had truly existed by her side. Hidden in his selfish heart was this little secret joy that no one knew about. At this moment, he was a bit hesitant to meet Cheng Mo's gaze.
"Old General Qiao, Cheng Mo and I have developed a set of Tai Chi techniques, which are great for improving health and vitality. It doesn't require much space, so it's very suitable for practicing on the deck. Would you be interested in watching?" At this moment, Tong Xiang Běi proposed a plan they had long planned to promote this set of internal and external martial arts within the navy, as it didn't require much space and was suitable for collective practice.
"Oh? Sure, sure." Qiao Lao was immediately delighted at the prospect of having his soldiers taught martial arts by Lord Mo.
Cheng Mo was very pleased with the proposal to practice together with Tong Xiang Běi. They had already prepared matching chiffon and silver-threaded couple shirts for the afternoon's outing. Now, standing on the large platform by the sea, practicing Tai Chi together, it was a picturesque scene of flowing robes and divine companionship.
Cheng Mo quickly invited Prince Róng to join them. He treated his imperial brother as a rival in love. This was a perfect opportunity to show off in front of him.
After completing a practice session together, Xiang Běi slowed down the pace and began explaining and demonstrating the techniques, until both Qiao Lao and Prince Róng couldn't resist joining in the practice themselves.
Qiao Zǐqiū's gaze drifted past the picturesque couple in front of him, towards the distant horizon, where a fleet of warships was anchored, waiting for him to join the battle.
Falling in love had become a solitary journey for him;
loving meant only being able to watch from afar.
From lunch until the conclusion of the Tai Chi teaching session, the setting sun had gradually dipped beyond the horizon. Insisting on reaching the nearby inn for the night, Xiang Bei justified it as a means to verify the seamless 24-hour operation of the management. Reluctantly, Cheng Mo took the opportunity to join the father and son from the Qiao family to the command tent, organizing key leaders to make necessary arrangements, before heading out to meet Xiang Bei, who had already packed and awaited his arrival, to embark on the journey towards the distant town of Zebei.
Exiting the Sunrise Xianwan Tea Inn managed by the villagers of Chen Village, the next stop was the Overseas Shopping Center, where immigrants from the coastal defense Hai Fang city were resettling. Xiang Bei had strategically positioned these two inns within a distance of less than a hundred miles, allowing for a carriage ride of just three to four hours around, considering the anticipated urbanization and population growth surrounding sunrise bay XiaWan as a new maritime hub.
Within this shopping center, two of LeiZi's apprentices were guiding newcomers. Like Lei Zi, they hailed from the seafaring community Dan clan, so Xiang Bei designated them to lead an independent team under her command, ranked as Traders One and Two, respectively.
Reflecting on the greatest transformation over the past few months, it was undoubtedly Lei Zi. After rigorous assessment, he was now qualified to mentor apprentices. Recalling how Tong Chen had repeatedly reported his relentless dedication to learning, Lei Zi had always replied, "I'm learning for every seafarer Dan who dreams of having a roof over their head on land." He had succeeded, and subsequently, every member of the seafaring trade department had followed suit, emulating Lei's dedication.
Besides fresh seafood, the Overseas Shopping Center also offered a variety of imported goods organized by the YunMeng traders of Trading Company of Haifang City. Xiang Bei purchased several novelty items here as souvenirs to take back to Zebei Town.
They didn't dine here; instead, Trade One handed over several bamboo tube meals that he had fetched. Cheng Mo took them and without delay urged the carriage to move on. Only he would be willing to use his prized steed to pull the carriage. With a distance of over a hundred kilometers between the three inns, they arrived in just three hours. So, when they reached the Mulberry and Silkworm Inn, it was already past ten at night.
From afar, they could see the glow of the biogas lamps shining through the windows of the inn's public restroom, bright and inviting, while shadows of diners could be vaguely seen in the lobby. They exchanged a glance and smiled with satisfaction. This was exactly the warm illumination they had envisioned when founding the inn, meant to guide weary travelers through the night.