Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 5: If one only worries about not achieving fame and fortune, why worry about not having a wife?

"call--"

Zhao Yun rushed to Liu Bei's resting place and began his first fabricated story about Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.

"Eldest brother, second brother, third brother, the cooks in the manor have all taken leave. We'll go to Zhen Ding city for dinner today. I know a tavern that has the finest wine."

These words left Liu Bei speechless.

They had planned to rest for the night at Zhao Family Village, but unexpectedly, after Zhao Yun met with Zhao Feng, he hurriedly headed to Zhen Ding City.

How could you come up with such a lame excuse as "all the cooks in the village have taken leave"?
Faced with Liu Bei's suspicious gaze, Zhao Yun immediately blushed and argued, "Brother, all the cooks in the manor have really taken leave!"

"Fourth brother, it's not a big deal that the cook is on leave," Zhang Fei comforted him. Then, his tone shifted, and he looked at Liu Bei with a smile: "Elder brother, I want to eat steamed buns. Since the cook from Zhao Family Village is on leave, how about I show off my skills today?"

Guan Yu's phoenix eyes snapped open, his voice lingering with a hint of lingering meaning: "Third brother is right. The cook has taken leave, but the rice and flour are still here. I, Guan, have been longing for steamed buns for a long time!"

Zhao Yun stood there stunned, secretly lamenting his misfortune.

Zhao Yun knew that Liu Bei was good at cooking, but he was being pressured by Zhao Feng to get married and it was his first time making something up, so he didn't think things through. In his haste, he came up with a lame excuse. Seeing that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were practically drooling when they mentioned steamed buns, Zhao Yun couldn't help but look to Liu Bei for help.

Brother, help me!

Liu Bei had a vague idea of ​​why the usually composed Zhao Yun was so flustered.

With a slight smile, Liu Bei came to Zhao Yun's rescue: "Second brother, third brother, our detour here has already delayed our journey. If we delay any longer, we might miss our chance to meet Guanqiu Yi. Steamed buns can be eaten anytime, but opportunities to make a contribution don't come every day. Let's take care of business first."

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei secretly regretted it.

It wasn't that the two couldn't see through Zhao Yun's lame excuse, but rather that they had been eating nothing but crudely made, hard-to-swallow flatbread all along the way, which had long since disgusted Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei simply wanted to take this opportunity to eat the steamed buns that Liu Bei had personally made.

"Fourth brother, tell me honestly, why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Zhang Fei put his arm around Zhao Yun's shoulder and tightened his grip.

Guan Yu squinted at Zhao Yun, seemingly calm but actually threatening: "Fourth brother, I can go hungry for a meal, as long as there is a place to stay in Zhao Family Village."

Zhao Yun felt a chill run down his spine.

If Liu Bei and his two companions do indeed settle in Zhao Family Village, Zhao Feng will definitely come to urge them to get married again! Even worse, Zhao Feng might ask Liu Bei to help urge them to get married.

No one knows a brother better than his brother, and Zhao Feng would absolutely do anything to pressure Zhao Yun into marriage!
Left with no other choice, Zhao Yun could only explain the reason.

Upon hearing that it was about urging someone to get married, Zhang Fei immediately laughed and added fuel to the fire, saying, "Men should marry and women should marry; it's only natural. I'm worried that no one will want me. Fourth brother, you're like a well-fed man who doesn't know the hunger of a starving man!"

Zhao Yun said bitterly, "Third Brother, you don't understand. The respectable women my elder brother chose for me are either from powerful families or prominent clans. I'm just a commoner; even if I married one, I'd be looked down upon. How can a man like me put up with a woman's treatment?" Zhang Fei's eyes widened. "Fourth Brother, I really want to strangle you! You look down on women from powerful families and prominent clans? Do you know that the women my parents chose for me were either as strong as oxen or had fiery tempers? I wanted to marry a gentle woman from a powerful family, and my parents called me a toad with unrealistic dreams. You, you, you..."

Zhang Fei was so angry he was trembling.

Both marriages were arranged by parents and matchmakers, so why did Zhao Yun's elders only choose powerful and influential families, while his own parents kept their distance from him?
Zhao Yun, however, stated unequivocally: "I would rather marry a woman who is as strong as an ox and has a fiery temper than a weak woman from a powerful family. Only a strong body can produce a strong son, and only a fiery temper can bring out masculinity."

Listening to Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei's argument, Liu Bei couldn't help but rub his forehead and turn away.

Zhang Fei, of humble origins and fiery temperament, desires to marry a gentle woman from a powerful family; Zhao Yun, from a wealthy family and with a mild personality, desires to marry a strong woman with a fiery temper.

Indeed, couples complement each other; the more they lack something, the more they want it from their partner.

Liu Bei turned his gaze to Guan Yu and asked, "What kind of woman does Yun Chang like?"

Guan Yu narrowed his phoenix eyes, stroked his magnificent beard, and said with a hint of pride, "Brother, I've been married for a long time, and my son is already ten years old this year!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent, because of the four people present, all of whom, except for Guan Yu, were single.

Liu Bei originally had the opportunity to marry, but considering the inconvenience of bringing his family along in the chaotic times, and also to avoid repeating the tragedy of "losing his wives several times", Liu Bei chose to remain single.

With no woman in his heart, Liu Bei's sword-drawing speed is naturally divine; women only hinder Liu Bei's ability to draw his sword.

That being said, it doesn't mean Liu Bei didn't want to get married. If he met a good woman when he was successful in his career, who would refuse to get married unless they had different sexual orientations?

Therefore, when he heard "Guan is already married" and "My son is already ten years old this year!", Liu Bei couldn't help but grit his teeth and said, "Second brother, today you write ten poems of 'Bei Feng: Ji Gu' and send them back to Hedong."

Guan Yu's face instantly stiffened: "Brother, I haven't memorized it all yet."

"It's alright, I'll read it to you later." Liu Bei said earnestly, "Second brother, you've been away from home for nearly ten years since you committed a crime. Your wife has to support our parents and take care of our young child at home, which is quite difficult. If she could see the ten chapters of 'Bei Feng: Ji Gu' written by your own hand, it would be a comfort to her."

Guan Yu thought to himself, "This is bitter. When my elder brother is magnanimous, he can be as tolerant as a hundred rivers. But when he is young, he is as narrow-minded as a chicken. The closer we get, the more petty he becomes. Ten chapters! That's ten chapters!"
The ten chapters of "Bei Feng: Ji Gu" consist of eight hundred characters! Even in simplified characters, it would take a long time to write, let alone the traditional characters used at the end of the Han Dynasty. Liu Bei even asked Guan Yu to finish writing ten chapters in one day. Anyone who heard that would get goosebumps.

With a trembling voice, Guan Yu bargained, "Brother, could you write fewer chapters?"

But Liu Bei was petty at this moment. He put on a stern face and scolded, "Your sister-in-law hasn't complained about the hardship yet, so how can you say you're tired? If you can't finish writing, you can ask your third or fourth brother to help you copy it. We are all brothers, so we should share the good times and the bad."

Before Guan Yu could speak, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun both took a step back and said in unison, "We would not dare to be disrespectful to our sister-in-law!"

Guan Yu was so angry that he grimaced. If he didn't want to help, he should have just said so. If he was going to make an excuse, he should have come up with a plausible one. How could copying "Bei Feng: Ji Gu" for me be considered disrespectful to my wife?
Left with no other choice, Guan Yu had to make a promise. In the end, after promising to wash Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun's warhorses for half a month, Liu Bei changed the ten poems of "Bei Feng: Ji Gu" into one. After all, "Bei Feng: Ji Gu" is a love poem, and it would not be appropriate to have Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun copy it for him.

However, in secret, Guan Yu copied the poem "In life and death, we made a vow. I will hold your hand and grow old with you" ten times, and even added a sentimental line, "With this, I thank my wife for her ten years of hardship."

(End of this chapter)