The training period is short, especially for newcomers, who can't sustain it for long.

"Alright, that's a wrap."

Upon hearing this, everyone eagerly started jogging in place and fighting in an attempt to warm themselves up.

Ermo ran to Su Cheng's side, trembling, "Brother Cheng, what's wrong with you today? Why are you so patient?"

Su Cheng said mysteriously, "I have a secret weapon."

Ermo stared wide-eyed in disbelief, "Brother Cheng, you even brought charcoal?"

Su Cheng was speechless. "Look at me, where is there any fire on me?"

"So how did you do that?" she said, then reached out to pull his hand. Seeing that his hand wasn't cold, she tugged at his clothes. "Let me see what you used. How come it's so warm?"

Su Cheng was getting a little annoyed by him. "Ugh, get out of the way."

The general came over and saw them standing there, asking, "Aren't you two going to warm up? Aren't you cold?"

Before either of them could speak, Wu Mazi stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the general, I am reporting that Battalion Commander Su cheated."

People around him turned to look, wondering what cheating was involved and what else he didn't know.

Ermo got impatient and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Who cheated?"

"Hmph, I heard everything you just said. If you cheat in this kind of exercise, who knows if the others cheated too?"

Wu Mazi, as if he had found a handle, launched into a barrage of attacks on Su Cheng, as if afraid that the general hadn't heard. He added, "It's on his body. If you don't believe me, you can ask him to take off his clothes and show everyone."

"Commander Su, do you dare?"

That very confident look made everyone very excited. "What is it? Let us see too!"

Although the general liked Su Cheng very much, he would not condone such behavior. If what Wang Mazi said was true, he would definitely criticize him severely.

Su Cheng didn't look at Wu Mazi, but said to the General, "General, that was just a joke between me and Ermo. I didn't expect Mazi to take it seriously."

"Then why don't you take it off and let everyone check it?"

The people around him started to jeer, and Su Cheng put his hand on his clothes, ready to take them off, but the general stopped him, saying, "Go back and take them off, it's too cold here."

Wu Mazi retorted, "Who knows if he'll lose the things when he gets back?"

The general's eyes widened. "I'm right here. Do you think I'm going to protect him?"

The general had been fighting for many years, and a single glance from him could scare everyone into silence.

Without saying a word, Su Cheng took off his outer clothes, revealing the jacket Liu Huan had made for him beneath the two outer robes. "Do you want to take them off again?"

"You...didn't you put a hand warmer there? How could this be?"

Su Cheng gave him a disdainful look. "Am I stupid? Why would I take a hand warmer?"

After saying that, he picked up his clothes and put them on. The general looked at him thoughtfully and said, "Alright, everyone, go back now. Today is over."

Everyone rushed towards the camp, but the general kept Su Cheng behind. "Is that the same clothing your brother brought in?"

"yes"

"Come to my tent in a little while, I need to talk to you."

As soon as the general left, Ermo looked on with envy, "Brother Cheng, why does the general always look for you? I'm so envious."

Su Cheng said irritably, "Do you want this good fortune?"

Ermo waved his hands repeatedly, "Forget it, I'm not destined for that. I just want to wait safely until the war ends, go back and ask my mother to help me find a wife so I can live a peaceful life. That will be enough for me."

Wu Mazi passed by and said, "Keep dreaming. You'll die on the battlefield sooner or later."

He could actually say such vicious things! Ermo was so angry she almost cried. "Brother Cheng, is it really true?"

Su Cheng said to him very seriously, "No, we will all live to be a hundred years old. Let those petty people talk. Even if they die, we will be fine."

After Su Cheng returned, he went to the general's tent, where only he and a few trusted confidants were present.

"Take off your clothes."

Startled, Su Cheng obediently complied, taking off only his undergarments before he hesitated and asked, "Do I need to take more off?"

"No."

After the general finished speaking, he took off his own clothes, picked up his jacket and put it on. A warm feeling came over him, making him feel very comfortable, even though it smelled a bit.

The general went out for a stroll and came back, saying, "These clothes are nice. Go ask your brother where he bought them."

"It would be even better if it had pants."

After thinking for a moment, Su Cheng decided to tell the truth, "These clothes were made by my family, not bought."

“I didn’t know your family had this skill. Go ask around. If you can make these and sell them to the army, we can all wear these clothes and go fight those barbarians comfortably.”

Seeing Su Cheng's stunned expression, he asked again, "What's wrong? Is something troubling you?"

"It's not that I'm making things difficult for you, but I don't know if I can even do it, and..."

"Alright, why worry so much? Just go and ask. I'll take responsibility for any problems."

Su Cheng returned with his mission, and the house was full of goose feathers, some washed and some not.

Liu Huan was leading everyone in picking and choosing, and even Su Yi was dragged along to do the hard work.

"Brother is back! Changbai, hurry up and buy some food."

Changbai was having a headache from picking things up, but upon receiving the order, he immediately put down the goose feather he was holding and went out, afraid that Liu Huan would regret it the next second.

"What are you doing back here, bro?"

Su Cheng sat in Changbai's seat and asked, "What's this for? Is this what my clothes are made of?"

"Isn't it amazing? Is it warm? I gave this to your brother and he wasn't happy. He's getting more and more childish."

Su Cheng grinned so wide his mouth stretched to his ears, "I knew Huanhuan cared about me the most."

Su Yi said expressionlessly, "She said this was an experimental product, and it wasn't done well, otherwise it wouldn't have been your turn."

Su Cheng ignored all of that and said smugly, "I don't care. Huanhuan and I grew up wearing the same pair of pants. We're the closest of friends."

He wasn't exaggerating when he said they shared a pair of pants; when they were kids, they always mixed and matched their clothes and pants.

"Alright, you're getting more and more exaggerated. You guys keep going, I'll go make some soup for the young man."

Mainly, she also wanted to take a break.

Su Cheng became quiet after she left. Su Yi asked, "Why did you come back?"

"The general thought this clothing could keep out the cold and asked if it could be sold."

Su Yi didn't speak, and Su Cheng suddenly realized, "No way, Huanhuan really brought these to sell?"

He stopped picking and choosing and ran to the kitchen to find her. "Huanhuan, how come you can do everything?"

"Go back and tell the general that these clothes are very expensive. If possible, we can cooperate. I don't want to make money, but I can't lose money either."

Su Cheng was surprised that the mission was completed so quickly, and patted his chest, saying that he guaranteed to complete the mission.

After eating and packing up some meat, he took the freshly made pants back home, and fearlessly provoked Su Yi, "Second Brother, then I won't be polite."

The general took the trousers back and tried them on. He was very satisfied and immediately wanted to write a letter to the capital to tell His Highness the Crown Prince about it.

Su Cheng took the food back, and Ermo stepped forward first to take his package, saying, "Brother Cheng, let me help you carry it."

The person next to him joked, "You're not trying to get it for Chengzi, you're looking for something to eat inside, aren't you? I know you too well."

Ermo didn't argue, "Hmph, it's none of your business."

After saying that, he took out the contents and ate them without any qualms, feeling perfectly justified.

Su Cheng ignored him and put on the down pants Chang Rong had given him. The closed-up design at the bottom made the upper body very warm.

He thought it was feasible.

While the letter was being sent back to the capital by fast horse, Liu Huan had already begun collecting goose and duck feathers from the city. Both types of down were acceptable, and a drying room was built specifically for high-temperature drying and sterilization.

They also hired many women in the city to boil water, wash clothes, and sort fine down.

When everyone heard that the clothes were made for soldiers in the military camp and that the money was well spent, everyone was very enthusiastic.

"I've never heard of goose feathers being used to make clothes before."

"Yes, I'm really curious how they did it."

None of the ducks and geese raised in the city escaped; all the duck meat was sold cheaply to the military camp, which made the military camp keep saying that the food was good.

Because it was a border area, Liu Huan wasn't afraid that people would learn her skills, so she confidently rented a large courtyard and worked with everyone.

Each garment was covered in thick fleece, and several older women tried them on out of curiosity, finding that they were almost indistinguishable from the leather garments they wore.

"This is good, it's warm to wear."

"Yes, I'll feed more ducks and geese next year and make a few clothes for myself."

Another aunt said, "No way, this is someone else's secret recipe, how can you learn it so easily?"

Liu Huan smiled indifferently, "It's okay, everyone can do what they want. I was just thinking that the soldiers in the barracks work hard, and the winter is long, so it's better for them to be warm and comfortable."

"Miss Liu is truly kind and righteous."

The proceedings were in full swing in the courtyard. In the prefect's residence, in the courtyard of the second young master Han, Han Shuo listened to the servant's report with a blank expression.

"Is that woman really doing this kind of business?"

"Yes, and it's a collaboration with the general of the military camp, definitely a lucrative job."

Han Shuo pondered for a moment, "Do you think if I joined, Dad would look down on that good-for-nothing even more?"

The servant chimed in, "The second young master is right. How can he be compared to the second young master?"

Without further hesitation, Han Shuo went to his wife's courtyard, calling out, "Mother~"

Mrs. Han was having snacks and warming herself by the fire with Miss Han in the house. When she saw him come in, she pulled him over to sit down.

"What are you doing here? Have you completed the task your father gave you?"

Han Shuo proudly replied, "Mother, don't worry, I've done everything. Anyway, I'm better than that good-for-nothing."

Mrs. Han was satisfied. "That's good. Judging from his appearance, he's not going to amount to anything. You'll have to take charge of this household from now on."

Miss Han, who was standing nearby, asked impatiently, "Brother, have you made contact with Lord Su yet?"

The moment Miss Han saw Su Yi that day, she took a liking to him; he was young, promising, and handsome.

He's much more promising than the young masters she met in the border town.

They can continue to live in the capital, which is far better than being a young master in a border town.

"Not yet. Lord Su is very sociable and few people approach him. Even my father treats him with great respect."

"That's right. Lord Su is a top scholar who descended from the God of Literature. He is not someone that ordinary people can compare to."

After saying that, he remembered that they had mentioned bringing in a girl who seemed to be related to him that day, so he asked, "By the way, what's his relationship with that girl?"

"It seems to be her fiancée. The girl hasn't styled her hair yet, so they're probably not married."

Miss Han's eyes lit up. "If we don't get married, it's not certain who will be Mrs. Su in the end."

Madam Han was also very satisfied with Su Yi, thinking that it would be even better if her daughter could marry an official in the capital in the future.

“Mother, why don’t you invite that young lady over in your name? She’s currently collaborating with the military to make clothes, and it’s very profitable. I believe that if I can get involved, I’ll definitely impress Father.”

"Okay, I'm willing to do anything as long as it's for your own good."

Madam Han readily agreed, "It just so happens that the bougainvillea in the courtyard is in bloom. I'll have someone cut some branches and bring them inside, and invite a few ladies and young misses to keep us company so we can have a proper meeting with this Lady Liu."

Miss Han looked disdainful. "A woman who shows her face in public all day long can't be from a good family. She was probably forced into this position by Lord Su's family."

When Liu Huan received the message, she was wearing an apron and picking goose down with everyone. Because there was no separator, she was picking slowly by hand, and her eyes were wide open.

"Mrs. Han, what brings you here?"

Changbai thought about what the man had just said: "He said the bougainvillea in the yard was in bloom and invited everyone to come and see it. It's just one flower, yet he specially invited people to go see it."

Liu Huan shook her head. It's normal for a straight male guard to be straight; she wouldn't stoop to his level.

Where is your master?

"I went on an inspection tour with the prefect today and haven't returned yet."

Liu Huan raised an eyebrow: "Why aren't you going?"

Changbai said, "The place we're going to is a bit far. My master told me to stay home and serve Miss."

When Su Yi returned that evening, Liu Huan told him about it.

Su Yi said expressionlessly, "It's up to you. Go if you want, or don't if you don't."

"What should I bring?" These social obligations are still necessary.

Su Yi recounted what he knew: "The prefect's wife is his second wife. The eldest son, Han You, whom you met that day, was born to his first wife. His current wife has a second son and an eldest daughter. It's worth mentioning that the two wives are sisters."

Liu Huan's eyes widened. "Does that mean... the two sisters married the same man?"

"I don't know. You just need to know that this lady is a second wife."

Liu Huan nodded. "Alright, I know what to do. Go ahead and go. It's better to keep a low profile on someone else's turf."

...

The next day, Liu Huan changed into her newly bought clothes and put on a cloak before going to the banquet. As soon as she got off the carriage, she was stared at and pointed at.

"Who is that person? I've never seen him before."

"I don't know, they must be Mrs. Han's guests."

Just then, Madam Han came out herself, greeted everyone with a kind smile, and then took Liu Huan's hand and said, "Madam Liu, you've finally arrived. Please come inside."

Once inside, everyone asked, "Madam, may I ask who this gentleman is?"

Madam Han smiled and introduced to everyone, "You don't know yet, do you? This is Lady Liu, a member of Lord Su's family."

She deliberately didn't say she was her fiancée, and everyone could tell from the fact that Liu Huan wasn't dressed like a married woman that Su Yi had found her temporarily in the border town.

The enthusiasm on everyone's faces faded a bit, and they casually remarked, "She's really a great beauty, I wonder which family she comes from."

The "which one" here refers to a brothel in the red-light district; everyone understands immediately.

A person nearby chimed in, "It's probably the Yihong Courtyard; it's known for its beautiful women."