Qi Qi followed behind them, trying to appear calm.

Mr. Chen patted him for no apparent reason, which startled Qi Qi.

Mr. Chen was even more confused. He raised his hand and pressed it against Qi Qi's forehead: "Why are you hanging your head like that? It's almost touching the ground. You said you had a fever... but you're not hot at all?"

Qi Qi continued in a high-pitched voice, "The messenger must have relayed the wrong message. Actually, my neck is a bit uncomfortable; I probably slept poorly last night."

Mr. Chen: "...You even got a stiff neck and lost your voice?"

Qi Qi really wanted to cover his mouth. This sudden concern was really deadly. Please, Uncle, return to your usual aloofness.

Then a rough, large hand gently pinched the back of Qi Qi's neck: "Like this? I know a technique that's very effective for stiff necks. I'll let you try it."

Qi Qi: "What method?"

Gu Siyan said seriously, "It's simple. Just like repairing a hairpin, if it's bent, just bend it and it will straighten."

Qi Qi quickly covered his neck: "No, no, no, my neck is fine, no need to bend it, just leave it like this."

"It doesn't hurt anymore? You should still get it treated."

Qi Qi raised his head slightly: "It's almost healed, just a little soreness, no need for you to worry."

Gu Siyan chuckled lightly, a very faint and strange laugh. Unfortunately, Qi Qi didn't see it. He just thought that this man was indeed a good leader, caring so much about his subordinates. No wonder so many people were willing to die for him. In this small villa, when Qi Qi was bandaging people up and down for the first half of the month, he never heard anyone say a bad word about him.

Mr. Chen found it even stranger. The young General Gu he knew would never be so frivolous... He realized that he was teasing the kid.

When the big boss was having dinner, the kitchen cobbled together a table of dishes: a wild pheasant and wild vegetable soup, a plate of cured wild boar meat stir-fried with garlic sprouts, a clear stewed fish with little sauce, just some scallions and ginger to remove the fishy smell, stir-fried wild vegetables with eggs, a big combination of various wild vegetables, and a bowl of steamed cornbread made from white flour.

Qi Qi had already smelled the aroma wafting from the kitchen. Having not tasted meat for a long time, the smell of the food he used to be tired of made his mouth water.

There were only four people at the dinner table: Qi Qi, Mr. Chen, Brother Hu, and Gu Siyan. He wasn't some leader who had to hold meetings before meals. After he said "Let's eat," Qi Qi grabbed a steamed bun and started eating with the others.

The steamed buns were pure white, fragrant, and soft, with no oil in them. It would be strange if Qi Qi wasn't tempted; tears of happiness were welling up in his eyes.

He picked up a piece of chicken, some scrambled eggs, and some stir-fried vegetables, his cheeks bulging as he devoured the food. Of course, this was because the bearded guy next to him was also eating voraciously, which made Qi Qi seem less prominent.

She didn't dare pick up the cured meat; the dishes were placed in front of Gu Siyan, and she looked up too far to pick them up.

Gu Siyan watched and thought to himself that he had really suffered. He used to enjoy delicacies, but now he was so happy even eating simple meals.

There was no rule against talking while eating or sleeping in private. Mr. Chen and Gu Siyan talked about serious matters concerning the local Zhenbei Army. When they mentioned the incident of attacking the Fourth Prince a month or so ago, Qi Qi quietly perked up his ears.

The Fourth Prince's ship was somewhat prepared. That night, the large ship sank, but he managed to salvage half of the cargo. Not all the people died, and both princes survived. He was so angry that he didn't even bother to pretend. He immediately went to summon his pirate subordinates to deal with them. Since he wasn't after money but mainly wanted to kill, the casualties among his subordinates were still manageable.

Brother Beard snorted coldly, clearly upset about his bad start. He had only been on the ship for a short time when he was beaten by a master. Not only was his hand almost broken, but he also suffered internal injuries, and his internal organs were almost shattered. It took him several days to recover.

Mr. Chen said, "He was indeed a master. After examining the knife wounds, we found that many of our men had died at the hands of the same person."

“But we didn’t come away empty-handed,” Mr. Chen chuckled mischievously, placing a piece of cured meat on Qi Qi’s plate. “Look, Lao Liu has found a treasure. His math skills are really good, and he can read the ledgers very quickly.”

Qi Qi secretly rolled her eyes.

Now you're calling me a treasure? The other day you made me work like a dog!

They don't even dare to slack off. It's like their brains have radar installed. If Qi Qi is even a little slow, they'll say that Qi Qi can do it, and they won't give him food if he doesn't finish reading!

Miserly treatment of prisoners is outrageous!

Bearded Brother also put a piece of fish on Qi Qi's plate: "It's really good."

Qi Qi didn't like the fish. The cook probably added too much salt because it was getting late. What was supposed to be a very fresh fish became too salty and had a strong ginger flavor. Besides, the oil lamp wasn't very bright, and she was afraid of choking.

Qi Qi picked up the fish and gave it to Brother Beard: "Sixth Brother, have some, it'll help you recover."

Bearded Guy: "You eat, you're too skinny."

Qi Qi: "No, no, no, Sixth Brother, eat. You do so much every day and are so tired. How can you not eat more?"

Bearded Guy pursed his lips: "I'm in good health, not tired."

Qi Qi suspected that this guy didn't like eating fish himself, but he still put it on other people's plates!

"Brother, you eat! If you don't care about your health, someone else will!"

Suddenly, Bearded Guy picked up the pitiful, almost falling-off piece of fish and swallowed it in one gulp: "...cough, cough cough..."

Qi Qi thought to himself, "This big idiot is even less agile than me. He doesn't even pick out the splinters. He must have gotten stuck!"

"Sixth Brother, have some soup to soothe your nerves..."

I quickly went over and patted his back, and then it was a chaotic mess.

The other two people at the table remained calm, as if they were from a completely different world from Qi Qi and Beard Brother.

Mr. Chen took a sip of chicken soup and gave a strange smile: "Young people are just not mature enough. They don't even pick out the bones when they eat fish."

Bearded Guy coughed up the thorns, turning his already grimy face a dark red: "I'll be more careful next time."

Gu Siyan sensed something was off. He was good at perceiving emotions, so it was normal for "Qi Qi" to be nervous. But what was Liu Zi so nervous about? As a veteran who had followed him for several years, why would he be nervous about a long-awaited reunion?

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