Yan Ping'er, who came along, stared wide-eyed: "Wow! So much food, many of which I've never seen before."

Song Anxin smiled and said, "Commander Yan, if you don't mind, please try some."

"Hehe, Lady Hui, then I won't be polite." Yan Ping'er picked up a piece of pastry and put it in her mouth, then her face changed immediately. "Mmm, so delicious! What kind of food is this? I've never eaten anything so delicious in the Northern Frontier."

"This is called Book Cake. I made it myself. I'm glad that Captain Yan likes it. Feng He also loves this Book Cake the most," Song Anxin explained.

Lin Fenghe was eating a piece of book cake on the side, savoring the long-lost taste. He looked relaxed, his eyes never leaving his mother.

Song Anxin then took some food and packed it into two small bundles, which she then had Qingfeng and Qingyun deliver to General Zhenbei and General Yan.

Lin Fenghe said, "Mother, I'll have someone deliver it. Outsiders aren't allowed to move around freely in the military camp."

Song Anxin had forgotten about this. She nodded and handed the things to the soldier Lin Fenghe had called in, and of course gave some to the soldier as well. The soldier was overjoyed and thanked her repeatedly.

Without pausing for a moment, she took out the family portrait drawn by Lin Fengyao. It was drawn in the form of a cartoon. After learning to draw from Mr. Wu, Fengyao's drawing skills improved a lot. The characters in the drawing were lifelike and highlighted the characteristics of each family member.

Yan Ping'er's eyes lit up as soon as she saw it: "The figures in this painting are really interesting. There are even two children crawling on the ground, haha."

“These are Fenghe’s nephew and niece, Xiaoxuan and Xiaoyu,” Song Anxin explained with a smile, then pointed to the figures in the painting: “Fenghe, look, this is your second sister-in-law. She’s pregnant now, and next year you’ll have another nephew or niece, your second brother…”

As Song Anxin pointed to the figures in the painting, she told Fenghe about her family's situation. Looking at her family in the painting and smelling her mother's familiar scent, Lin Fenghe felt extremely at peace at that moment.

The next day was Lunar New Year's Eve, and the military camp was unusually filled with a joyful atmosphere. Song Anxin and her relatives helped the soldiers make dumplings at the kitchen camp.

As evening approached, the New Year's Eve dinner began. The cooks carried up the dumplings they had prepared throughout the day and poured them into the pot hanging above the bonfire.

"Soldiers, today is New Year's Day, so eat and drink to your heart's content! There are plenty of dumplings!"

"Ooh ooh ooh!...."

The soldiers cheered. Even though it was just dumplings, it was a rare treat for the soldiers in the northern border region, and they could eat as much as they wanted.

The soldiers' families all brought out the food they had brought to share. Song Anxin generously kept some for Fenghe to keep on hand, and brought out the rest.

"Damn, what is this stuff? It tastes really good, spicy and numbing. Brother Lin, your family has a lot of delicious food!"

After eating a piece of food from Lin Fenghe's side, Lu Pianjiang simply stayed right next to Song Anxin and Lin Fenghe's campfire and refused to leave.

Since his last duel with Lin Fenghe, his opinion of military strategists has changed significantly. After several battles, he has become increasingly convinced of Lin Fenghe's abilities and now calls him "little brother" all the time.

Song Anxin explained with a smile, "This is spicy dried tofu, a homemade snack."

"Hui Gongren, you still know how to cook as well as ever. I especially miss your family's tea cakes." Yan Shuping said after taking a bite of the pastry.

Yan Ping'er held a persimmon cake in her hand and ate it with a satisfied look on her face: "Aunt Anxin, the things you brought are so delicious. Wait for me to go to my grandfather's place and get you a roasted lamb leg."

After saying that, he quickly ran away.

Song Anxin smiled helplessly. She quite liked Yan Ping'er, so she made her call her aunt. However, neither of them went to the general's camp to celebrate the New Year; instead, they all came to their camp.

"Come, come, Lady Hui, let me toast you to thank you for bringing us all this delicious food," said General Lu.

"Hui Gongren, I also toast you!" Yan Shuping also picked up his wine.

The strategist and soldiers gathered around the bonfire also raised their cups to toast Song Anxin, not only to thank Lady Hui for sharing the food with them, but also to thank her for ensuring that they would have enough military rations for the year, no, for the future.

Song Anxin raised her wine glass and smiled as she drank with the soldiers.

Soon the dumplings floated to the surface as the pot boiled.

"Come on, everyone, the dumplings are ready! Let's eat!"

A group of soldiers began to feast, drinking and chatting happily. Some soldiers even had their families with them. It was rare to see such joy and relaxation on the faces of the soldiers from the northern frontier. It was as if the war had ceased to exist at that moment.

At this moment, a soldier approached Song Anxin and asked, "Lady Hui, do you still remember me?"

Song Anxin looked at the dark-skinned man in front of her with some confusion, unable to figure out who he was.

"Hehe, I'm Huo Liuzi, the yamen runner who scared you with a knife in front of the Ningdu County government office. I later asked General Yan to let me join the army in the northern frontier, didn't I?" Huo Liuzi scratched his head and said with a smile.

His reminder made Song Anxin realize, "Oh, it's you, Liu Zi. Here, take this food. Have your family arrived yet?"

She grabbed a handful of food from in front of her and offered him a caring greeting.

Huo Liuzi was somewhat moved: "My family didn't come, but they sent a letter."

"That's probably because your family is busy. By the way, you've been here for over two years now, right? Let me tell you about some recent changes in Ningdu County..."

Song Anxin chatted with him, telling him about the current situation in Ningdu County, hoping that on New Year's Eve he could feel closer and closer to his hometown.

Looking at the gentle woman in front of him, Huo Liuzi felt as if she were his own mother, and gradually he grew bolder and started chatting with her.

"I wasn't used to it when I first arrived, but the brothers in the army were all very kind and took good care of me... The Huns are despicable; they often harass us and covet our border territories... The first time I went to the battlefield and thrust my sword at them, my hands were shaking, but all I could think about was how they seized our cities and killed our people, and that made me less afraid..."

As he spoke, a radiant light slowly spread across his face. "The longer I stay here, the more convinced I become that coming to the Northern Frontier was the right thing to do. Here, the passion in my heart seems to have found its home, and I'm slowly realizing what I came into this world for."

His eyes became firm and fervent: "I want to be a great man who can protect the people of my dynasty, and I want to be a brave warrior of the Great Yin Dynasty. As long as the Xiongnu want to trample on a piece of my land, I will fight them here for a long time!"

"Good! Good, well said! This is how soldiers of our Great Yin Dynasty should be!"

Lu Pianjiang, who was standing to the side, heard the loud clapping and cheered for him.

"Yes, we must fight those Huns for a long, long time!"

Yan Ping'er stood up and shouted excitedly, which immediately inspired the soldiers on the side, who also shouted enthusiastically.

"The struggle with the Xiongnu has been going on for a long, long time!..."