Xie Zhao rubbed his temples and took a moment to calm down, unable to bear to look at Qi Lin.

He was obviously coaxing his wife, and Jiang Yuzhu believed most of it. Compared with the godson who came to her door, Xie Zhao's previous words seemed to be complete nonsense.

Jiang Yuzhu lowered her eyes and thought for a while, then asked, "Did they scold me?"

"yes."

"no."

Qi Lin and Xie Zhao said in unison.

When the godmother asked the question, Qi Lin did not dare to hide it, but Xie Zhao chose to hide it because he hoped Jiang Yuzhu would not be angry about several dying people.

After the two finished speaking, they looked at each other, waiting for the other to change his words.

Xie Zhao's eyebrows and eyes were very calm, but his aura should not be underestimated, and the meaning of threat was very obvious.

Qi Lin shuddered, revealing an apologetic smile, and then turned to Jiang Yuzhu, the cheap godfather she had betrayed and accepted by chance: "Godmother, godfather didn't tell the truth!"

Xie Zhao: "..."

Where did this rebellious son come from!

Jiang Yuzhu took two steps back, deliberately choosing to stand behind Xie Zhao, and said lightly: "Husband, don't leave anyone behind!"

Damn barbarian, he dared to disrespect her even when he was about to die!

Next, the previous scene was repeated.

There seemed to be a gust of strong wind, and the torch in the barbarian's hand suddenly went out, and the surroundings fell into darkness again.

"Light the torches and give chase! The slave from Da Qi must be running back!"

There is only one tunnel, and you can't run far.

The barbarians thought they were infallible and were planning to steal the packages on the cart.

In the darkness, Qi Lin wisely shut up and moved his ears.

Puff, bang!

There were many consecutive sounds, followed by a rustling sound.

About a quarter of an hour later, when the lanterns were lit, there was no one in front, and the barbarians who were shouting just now were nowhere to be seen.

"Godfather, Godmother, there are so many packages, they were all robbed by the barbarians!"

Qi Lin didn't hesitate for too long. He rummaged through the box and found some fine tea, cloth, and a thin goose down jacket.

Ever since Jiang Yuzhu brought goose down jackets into the camp, they quickly became a trend in the border town.

Goose meat is not as expensive as goose down, so the geese that people had raised for several years to guard their homes were slaughtered and almost the entire family was wiped out.

Qi Lin stroked the goose down jacket and couldn't let it go.

"Take it if you like it, it's not worth anything."

Qi Lin called her godmother, which was a great advantage for Jiang Yuzhu, so she was willing to give him this small benefit.

Qi Lin thanked her, folded the goose down jacket and put it into his bag, saying, "Godmother, Sishui City is even colder than the border town, and my sister is pregnant, so she needs me more than I do."

As expected, when the barbarians robbed, there must be someone at the exit to close the net and respond.

The group was delayed for three days. When they came out of the tunnel and arrived at the bathhouse, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Xie Zhao's men came to support them. After discussing, the couple decided to go back with Qi Lin and stay overnight to avoid being targeted.

Jiang Yuzhu originally wanted to go to the bathhouse to take a bath, but she walked out dejectedly less than half an hour after entering.

There was only one large room in the bathhouse, with a huge soaking pool packed with people.

Jiang Yuzhu couldn't bring herself to take off her clothes in public.

Another thing was that she was worried that her makeup would be smudged after washing.

"Godfather, godmother, come with me!"

After joining forces with Qi Lin, Qi Lin's advantage emerged.

With no food or sleep in the tunnel, Qi Lin suggested, "How about we go to the market first?"

The barbarians only have two meals a day. If they miss a meal, they can only wait until the next day.

"At the market in Sishui City, there's braised beef, beef soup with steamed buns, beef noodles, and even roasted beef!"

Not only is the beef delicious, but compared to Da Qi, the mutton is neither fishy nor smelly. When it is cold, it is more comfortable to drink a bowl of steaming mutton soup with sesame sauce pancakes.

Jiang Yuzhu touched her shriveled belly and said cheerfully, "Go!"

Since you are going to stay at someone's house, it's not good to show up empty-handed.

Jiang Yuzhu asked about the customs of the barbarians and prepared generous gifts.

Qi Lin was quite touched and said more sincerely, "Godfather and Godmother, you two don't have to spend money. My sister-in-law is very kind. She is really different from those barbarians who fight and kill at will!"

"Since we are visiting, we should not come empty-handed."

Jiang Yuzhu told Qi Lin not to feel burdened. In fact, if the couple stayed over, it might cause trouble for Qi Ju's in-laws, so it could be considered as some compensation in advance.

Today is a market day, and people are coming and going in the market. Occasionally, Jiang Yuzhu hears someone speaking the Da Qi dialect, and she feels particularly familiar with it.

The barbarian market is similar to the one in Si Shui City, with a wide variety of items sold and peddlers walking the streets shouting their wares.

When the weather is cold, the food vendors build sheds behind them to protect them from the wind and snow, so that passers-by can have a hot meal inside.

Jiang Yuzhu wanted to try beef noodles, but was attracted by the cooking skills of a couple who owned the stall.

The man was kneading dough. It was obvious that he was very strong and his kneading technique was very particular.

Qi Lin stopped and greeted the stall owner and his wife familiarly, saying with a smile, "Uncle, aunt, you're still setting up a stall in such cold weather!"

"That's right. The New Year is almost here, so it's good to earn an extra penny."

The middle-aged man saw Qi Lin and hurriedly greeted him. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he lowered his voice and asked, "Qi boy, things have been uneasy lately. Why did you come to see your sister at this time?"

"The last time I came to deliver the goods, I heard my sister nagging about wanting to eat chicken stewed with gourd strips."

Qi Lin hesitated and looked at Xie Zhao and Jiang Yuzhu.

Jiang Yuzhu had no intention of leaving. She first watched the man kneading the dough, and then turned her attention to a large iron pot set up outside the shed.

"Qi Lin, shall we eat this?"

The fire under the iron pot was burning brightly, and my aunt was quick and skillful. She cut the pork belly into slices with 60% fat and 40% lean meat and put them into the pot. Soon, the sound of sizzling oil began to appear.

"Come on, Qi boy, bring your godfather and godmother into the shed. This meal is free!"

The man greeted them warmly while his wife was frying meat slices, occasionally interjecting a few words.

The fat from the pork belly was stir-fried until it was greasy. My aunt then added scallions and dried chilies and continued to stir-fry, making the spicy meat aroma even more intense.

Seeing Jiang Yuzhu lost in thought, her aunt smiled and said, "Sister, this is the most authentic meat sauce. You haven't tried it yet, have you?"

After saying that, the aunt added some finely ground chili powder and a spoonful of vinegar to stir-fry. Now even Qi Lin was reluctant to move.

"Aunt...sister is from the northwest?"

The pork belly was coated with bright red chili powder, and Jiang Yuzhu felt inexplicably appetizing before she even ate it.

A hint of nostalgia appeared on my aunt's face: "Yes, it's been more than 20 years since I went back to my hometown."

Back then, the couple traveled from the northwest to the north to make a living, and eventually arrived in Si Shui City.

The two planned to return home after earning enough money, but unexpectedly they encountered war and it was not easy to return to the border town.

I didn't know if I would come back if I left, and if I took all my belongings with me, I was worried that I would be robbed and lose everything, so I put it aside.

"I want a bowl of sauerkraut noodles."

The Jiang family's hometown is in the northwest. Although they have lived in Beijing for some years, Jiang Fulu can't change his taste.

The Jiang family has a cook brought from their hometown who makes delicious noodles with braised meat.

Smelling the familiar fragrance, Jiang Yuzhu began to worry about her relatives in the capital again.