Chapter 3 — The First Beauty of Xuyen Thanh

A few days passed and my index finger blistered. His voice was hoarse and he gasped for air continuously. I waved my hand to signal: "Stop fighting, stop fighting." "There's a shop next door to my house in Viet Chau. I'll let you rent it for free. Can you move there and open it?" “If we keep fighting like this, we both lose, is it worth it?” Ta Nhuoc Nho's voice was so hoarse that he could barely make a sound: "No... unless you return Tieu Bach to me." I got mad: "You're the only one in your house, and the boy who serves you all day often disappears." "You're not at home, Phu Quy has been hungry for several days." "If I'm not at home, my parents will still feed it." “Little Phu Quy cannot have an irresponsible father like you.” I don't know which sentence pierced his heart. He bowed his head, seemingly thinking. The sunset shines through the eaves, illuminating his face, reflecting his long eyelashes. Picturesque. He was so quiet, yet had a bit of aura. But then he spoke in a hoarse voice: "I will hire someone to take care of it, give it back to me." Well, it was originally his dog. I hugged Phu Quy and cried, he felt my sadness. It licked my tears, obediently lying in my arms. I cried even harder. I patted its head: "Your father promises to take good care of you. If he forgets to feed you, you can run home yourself." Phu Quy: “Woof woof.” When I hugged Phu Quy and gave it to Ta Nhuoc Nho, he hugged it tightly as if afraid I would change my mind. "The poisonous woman caused us to separate father and son for so many years." I raised my broom: "You weak scholar, dare to scold me one more time." Ta Nhuoc Nho wanted the puppy back, so he relied on his position to act recklessly. “There's no decency at all, it's rare.” "So sour, be careful of being single." "The shirt you're wearing today is yellow and red. It's like a rooster with its tail spread out." I threw the broom right in his face. Ta Nhuoc Nho held the dog in his hand and pointed at me: "This emperor... you are generous, don't care about your women." At night, thinking about his mouth from head to toe leaving no room behind, makes me want to die. The next morning, we went to the flower and bird market to buy dozens of parrots. After being trained by me, every day at Dragon hour, the parrot hovered in front of the door of his palace. “Damn scholar, you weak scholar, wake up quickly.” “Ta Nhuoc Nho, narrow-minded, trash.” ... Tieu Dao carried water into the room, her face covered in two huge dark circles. “Miss, why waste eight hundred just to harm the enemy by one thousand?” I sat up from the bed, my eyes were also black. From the other side of the wall came Ta Nhuoc Nho's weak curse: "So Tuyen Ninh, are you sick..." The corners of my mouth couldn't help but curl up crazily. I looked at Tieu Dao and smacked my lips in satisfaction: "Happy!" Spring passed and fall came, six years passed, Ta Nhuoc Nho and I still "greeted" each other through the wall every day. After learning how to train parrots to curse him, I immediately turned my interest to other small insects. There's nothing to hide, the effect isn't bad at all. But today, when I released the seventy-two parrots I trained… Thirty-seven mosquitoes. Nineteen flies. And a few honey bees, on the other side of the wall, were silent and there was no movement. Haven't you been chased again? As soon as we stepped into the yard, we immediately saw Phu Quy squatting on the ground. Seeing me, it woofed continuously. It's much bigger than before. Wearing custom-made clothes by Tran Tu Cac. Looking at it is knowing the luxury value. I hugged Phu Quy, an envelope fell from his shirt. "This young master has to go on a trip to the border, Phu Quy will leave it to you to look after." On the right side of the letter, is a small, elegant line: "So, is Phu Quy's outfit even more stylish than yours? Learn." I threw the letter hard on the ground: "Ta Nhuoc Nho!" In the envelope there were also two checks, each for ten thousand taels. Twenty thousand taels, enough to feed dogs for any year or month? I went back to my room, grabbed a pen, and immediately wrote a letter scolding Ta Nhuoc Nho. If he dares to slander me, I must return ten sentences. Just whistle, the carrier pigeon will immediately fly, I stuff the letter into it and let it fly away. The incense that Ta Nhuoc Nho used has been replaced by a specially made one. All it takes is a little bird or insect smell to find him. Outside the door, Ms. A called me to pack my things. I asked why. She said: "Fighting broke out on the border, the enemy general Sa Man has occupied two cities, just need to go through Viet Chau to reach Thanh Chau." "Your father has some connections in the court. Let's move to the capital, it's safer there." “I heard that even the Crown Prince has personally gone to war.” I was stunned and looked at the courtyard next door. Could Ta Nhuoc Nho have gone to war? Shoulders cannot carry, hands cannot carry. After going to the battlefield, will I be able to return? After packing up, I prepared to carry Phu Quy to the carriage. Thinking about it, he climbed into the yard next door and left a letter. "This lady has brought your child Tieu Bach to the capital. If you still want it, go there and claim it." "Hurry up there, otherwise I will make a civil registration for him, so he can change his family name to So." On the way to the capital, I heard that the Crown Prince at the border had gone missing. When he entered the capital, he heard that the Crown Prince's soldiers had found him among the piles of corpses, thanks only to two honey bees. What a strange thing. I still write letters cursing Ta Nhuoc Nho every day as usual. I don't know if he received it or not. In the letter, I scolded him severely: "A guy as weak as a chicken still wants to make achievements on the battlefield?" Thinking about scolding each other for so many years, I felt a little sad, so I asked: "Are you still alive? Phu Quy sits in the yard dazed every day, probably missing you." Half a year has passed, I have not received any response to the letter. Early that morning, Phu Quy was unusually excited, looking up at the sky and howling. I raised my head and a carrier pigeon swooped down from the sky. This time, I actually brought a piece of paper with me. I opened it and saw Ta Nhuoc Nho's handwriting. He wrote: "Your handwriting has gotten worse."