Zhuge Liang's work ethic was beyond reproach, provided nobody bothered him.
CRASH.
A wine-flushed Zhang Fei had just knocked over a clay pot, and Zhuge Liang on the other side of the room finally reached his limit.
"Yide, what exactly are you doing?"
"Hehe!" Zhang Fei hiccupped, looking very pleased with himself.
"Zilong told me you and big brother already did a little ritual when you watched the light screen in the side hall!"
"So I figured I would do one too! Invite that future descendant on the screen to... hic... have a drink with me!"
Zhuge Liang set down his work and watched Zhang Fei bustle around.
He genuinely did not know what to say.
By the time Zhang Fei was directing soldiers to carry half a pig through the doorway, Zhuge Liang had no choice but to intervene.
If he did not stop this now, he doubted the side hall would survive the day.
"Yide, take all of this away. I will handle the ritual."
Zhuge Liang seized command without ceremony and ordered the soldiers to haul that offending half-pig back out. The random assortment of incense burners, yellow paper, and dog blood that Zhang Fei had scattered around the room got swept away too.
If the servants carrying all this stuff in thought they were performing a blessing ceremony, then half the county office was probably already spreading rumors that the Gong'an government building was haunted.
Yide was wonderful in every way. The drinking problem, though. Truly hard to comment on.
Zhuge Liang grumbled internally while arranging three small jars that Zhang Fei had brought. He placed them directly beneath the spot where the light screen had appeared last time.
"Oh, second brother, you are here too! Kongming is doing the offering for me. Want to join in?"
Zhuge Liang heard Zhang Fei's voice behind him, turned around, and sure enough, Guan Yu stood in the doorway, peering in with curiosity.
His iconic beautiful beard was tucked into a cloth bag for protection. He wore a short training tunic, still radiating heat and steam. Clearly he had just finished working up a sweat at the practice yard.
"In that case..." A thoughtful look crossed Guan Yu's dark-red face. "Kongming, wait for me."
In barely any time at all, Guan Yu returned, cradling a bamboo scroll in both hands like it was made of glass.
"Judging by the light screen's tone, this descendant has a rather unconventional style. This is a copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals that I happened to acquire during the siege of Nanjun. I offer it to the descendant as thanks, and also as a hope that they will read more and cultivate themselves."
That was Guan Yu's explanation.
Zhuge Liang understood perfectly and accepted the scroll.
A piece of silk cloth was laid out on the floor in the center of the side hall, and the three small jars plus the bamboo scroll were arranged neatly on top.
Zhuge Liang bowed toward the center of the room and spoke.
"We humbly request the auspicious light to appear. These are offerings of gratitude from General Guan Yu and General Zhang Fei."
A flash of light filled the dim side hall, and everything on the silk cloth vanished.
Zhuge Liang felt a small moment of understanding settle in his chest. The light screen truly was as his lord had described. No rigid formality required. Sincerity of heart was all that mattered.
Guan Yu bowed properly to thank Kongming, then grabbed the still-babbling Zhang Fei by the collar and dragged him out.
He knew his brother's drinking habits far too well.
...
The delivery was a bit heavier this time. Wen Mang had to sweet-talk the courier on the phone just to get the packages brought all the way to his door.
Beyond expectation yet exactly as expected, the gifts were very straightforward.
One bamboo scroll that looked incredibly ancient, with a small paper tag attached. It read:
"Guan Yunchang, Marquis of Hanshouting, General of Zhonglang, offers this gift."
Three small jars of fine craftsmanship, each with its own paper tag. They read:
"Zhang Yide, General of Zhonglang, offers this gift."
The handwriting on both tags was neat and elegant, clearly written by the same person.
Well, well. Wen Mang grinned. His fans had a very creative way of nagging him to upload faster.
He arranged everything nicely, snapped a rapid-fire series of photos, and posted them as a status update with one simple line of text: New video in progress!
After some thought, he also posted the photos along with the jade pendant from last time to his social media feed.
This was a small milestone in his full-time content creator journey, after all. Worth celebrating!
Why not treat himself to a big plate of crayfish tonight while editing?
...
Gong'an County Office.
Zhuge Liang, fresh off a bowl of noodle soup, patted his belly and glanced up at the light screen that had just unfolded above his head.
Unsurprisingly, it showed the items he had sent on behalf of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
Surprisingly, there was also an image that looked like food.
It was something Zhuge Liang had never seen before. The creatures resembled shrimp but were several times larger. They sat in a big bowl, drenched in a red sauce with a few vegetables scattered around. The whole thing looked... unexpectedly appetizing.
Especially in this winter cold, Zhuge Liang felt his mouth start to water.
He had just finished eating, so why did he feel hungry again? Better look at the comments.
[Server Chat Log]
[Riverstone: This is hilarious. That fan is actually pretty accurate. Around the time of Red Cliffs, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei did hold those exact titles.
NerdyGate: They really put in effort. Bamboo slips are not easy to come by these days. By the way, did the uploader open those jars? What is inside?
BadPingWifi: Honestly, no matter what is inside, it cannot beat a pot of crayfish. People online always talk about going back to ancient times, but what is so great about it? No chili peppers, no crayfish.
GlassSword: It is not that bad. The crayfish we eat today is the red swamp crayfish, an American species introduced via Japan. But there are actually three native types in China too, though they are mostly found in the northeast.
Marchifpaid: So in theory, during the Three Kingdoms, garlic crayfish could exist. But realistically, only Cao Cao could feast on it freely. Liu Bei probably would not get the chance, and if Sun Shinwan wanted some, he would have to send his navy to steal it.
AntUnderroad: Speaking of which, Sun Shinwan's navy is basically a bunch of advanced landlubbers. If there had been a proper navy, they could have used Taiwan as a springboard, whether heading north to Japan or south to Indonesia.
DolphinSummer: Ancient shipbuilding was too focused on tower ships. Those things are useless for ocean travel. Naval forces existed as early as the Spring and Autumn period, but it took over a thousand years until the Ming dynasty for Zheng He's voyages. But six hundred years after Zheng He, we now have aircraft carriers. Moving territory. Humanity's peak military power.]
"Go fetch Yunchang and Zilong," Zhuge Liang called out to a servant as he stepped outside.
He understood the principle that one mind sees less than two. With more people analyzing these words, they might uncover intelligence that looked completely different from a fresh angle.
Within a few breaths, Guan Yu and Zhao Yun came jogging over. Seeing Zhuge Liang standing at the door with all the windows and shutters closed, they had already guessed what was happening.
Zhao Yun stepped inside, looked up, and immediately spotted that glorious bowl of crayfish. Shame it was just a picture.
"Are those not river crawlers?" Zhao Yun blurted out.
"Zilong recognizes this creature?"
"When I was young and serving under General Gongsun Zan, I saw this kind of thing in Liaodong. The locals call them river crawlers. Though the ones there are a bit smaller than these."
Zhao Yun held up his hands to show the size. "The locals mostly just roast them over a fire. They taste a bit muddy and there is not much meat. Kids dig them up themselves when they want a snack."
Zhuge Liang smiled. "Then once we defeat Cao Cao, we must visit Liaodong and see what these things taste like cooked with garlic."
Guan Yu had a practical suggestion. "It seems this descendant responds quickly every time they receive something. Going forward, we should send our offerings together and then wait a while, so we do not miss any important intelligence."
Zhuge Liang nodded. "Yunchang's reasoning is sound."
For instance, Liu Bei was not here right now. A servant reported that the Governor of Jingzhou had taken A-Dou and left, saying he was going to find General Huang.
Apparently, the Lord's face had been terrifying before he walked out the door.
He had also, very uncharacteristically, given A-Dou a spanking.
The servants felt terrible for the poor toddler.