"Didn't we agree to go shopping? Why are you rushing to the military camp?" Hou Xiangxiang said to Da Ni'er, her arms wrapped around Huo Xiaolong's waist.

The girl in red patted the hand on her stomach and shouted.

"That spy has been lurking in Pingyang for so long. He would never have come to provoke Da Ni'er for no reason if there was no movement on the grassland. The fact that he needs money most likely means he wants to start a war."

The three girls rode their horses toward the military camp. The refugees had just been settled, and they absolutely could not afford to cause any more trouble.

"Miss Huo?"

"Yes, please inform him that I am looking for my father."

The guards rushed in to report.

This time, the Huo family father and son came out together. Erhei's tall and strong figure was particularly eye-catching, and the smell of vegetables emanating from him was impossible to hide. He grinned, revealing his white teeth, and said...

"Oh dear, all three of my sisters are here. Perfect timing! The food will be ready soon. Come in and have some."

“Okay,” Huo Xiaolong replied.

The girl in red grabbed her father and brother's arms and rushed inside, followed quickly by two other girls.

When Huo Xiaolong arrived at the kitchen of the cooks, it was so crowded that there wasn't even room to step. The girl frowned and said...

"We don't need to fight for food, right?"

"I guess we'll have to fight for it, anyway, I'll join in the fighting." Long'er turned around and saw Marshal Xiao holding a bowl looking miserable as he spoke.

"Xiao Lanyi, you are a marshal, don't you have a private chef?"

The man, holding a bowl in his left hand and a helmet tucked into his right pocket, said matter-of-factly.

Yes, of course we have it.

"Why did you come if you have the chance?"

"It's not as good as your brother's."

"..."

Hou Xiangxiang and Da Ni'er were a little awkward. This was their first time in the military camp. If Long'er hadn't dragged them here, they probably would never have stepped into this place in their entire lives.

"Hey, no, Long'er, your sister and I have been married for so long, can you please start calling me brother-in-law?"

The group of people stood in a circle inside the commander's tent, holding their rice bowls. Xiao Lanyi was very dissatisfied with the way the girl in red addressed him; when there was trouble, she called him "brother-in-law," but when there was no trouble, she called him "Xiao Lanyi."

What's wrong?

Use it and then throw it away.

"After all these years, Er Ya and Chun Ying still call her 'sister,' don't they?"

Huo Shuwen was unhappy to hear Xiao Lanyi say this. It was true, my daughter can call me whatever she wants, why should I care?

"Alright, I'm here on business today." Huo Xiaolong interrupted their idle chatter and then had Da Ni'er recount the events of the day.

Except for Erhei, the food in the hands of the men suddenly lost its appeal.

The little girl, Que Hei, who runs around wildly with her daughter/sister every day, is a grassland princess...

"Anyway, that's how it is. Long'er and I think there's bound to be some military activity on the grasslands soon," Dani'er said.

"Should I send some people to Pingyang County?"

Long'er shook her head and said

“Sending troops would be useless. The refugees have just broken up their groups, and people are in a state of panic right now. Sending troops would only increase the burden. Most importantly, unless you can send 10,000 men to completely surround Pingyang County, it would be of little use. Last time, they attacked from both the front and back gates at the same time, which is why we couldn’t stop them.”

“But if you do that, you’ll be under a lot of pressure. Besides, how will the people live if the county town is completely surrounded?”

"Neither coming in nor going out, is it going to become a dead city?"

Xiao Lanyi thought for a moment and nodded.

"Long'er does have a point. So what do you think we should do now?"

General Xiao is skilled in both defense and offense, but the most important thing now is to prevent problems before they arise, the girl in red thought for a moment and said.

"Stockpile grain, whether it's here or in Pingyang County, you have to stockpile grain."

“I’ll go back and tell Uncle Wang that we should delay collecting taxes this year, until things are completely settled. We can ask the villagers to keep some grain, so that if that doesn’t work, we can buy it from them later.”

If they capture Xiao Lanyi's garrison, the next step for the Xiongnu will be to besiege Pingyang County. This siege will not be a direct attack like it was a few years ago; they can hold out for months until the county runs out of ammunition and food.

If Pingyang County is captured, Xiao Lanyi will be isolated and helpless, and will suffer the same fate.

To be fair, both places are difficult to defend, but they have no choice but to defend them.

The girls weren't in a hurry to go back, leisurely enjoying the withered grass scattered everywhere, which looked somewhat eerie under the moonlight.

"This is the first time we've stayed out this late," Hou Xiangxiang said, leaning against Huo Xiaolong's back.

The girl smelled of a brothel, that kind of womanly fragrance, and there was also a hint of fierce longing. The girl thought that perhaps the young master in the storybooks who grew up surrounded by women and became a man of great ambition and integrity was just like this.

Long'er's body is well-defined except for her stomach; her stomach is soft now because it's not taut.

The girl in red gently pinched Huo Xiaolong's lower abdomen with her slender hands. She looked down at the hands that were causing trouble on his stomach and said...

"Little sister, can you please stop pinching me? It'll turn purple soon."

“My mother left me under the same moonlight as today. I remember it clearly. The moon was very big that night, just like today. She ran away with her valuables on her back.”

The sudden sadness made the two girls a little embarrassed, as they had just been playing around.

"You saw your mother run away?" Huo Xiaolong asked.

"And then?" Hou Xiangxiang wanted to hear what happened next.

"Yes, I see it."

"And then I came."

The hardships along the way need not be described, but they are all in the past now.

Wang Dani tightened the reins, leaving red marks, but she smiled and looked at the two girls traveling with her, feeling a little excited.

She didn't believe the grasslands could invade, nor did she believe the Grand Preceptor was an old monster who could live to be over a hundred years old.

If all else fails, as long as they live, they can outlast the Imperial Advisor, and then they can fight back.

Look, the moon is still the same moon.

It's round and big, as if you could reach out and pick it.

But I am not the Ya Lanqing of the past, nor am I the princess who was at the mercy of others.

The sound of horses' hooves clattered. Da Ni'er hadn't stayed at the brothel with her girlfriends today; it was too late, and she hadn't yet returned home to let them know she was safe.

There was still an oil lamp by the door of Wang's Pancake Shop. Looking at the dim oil lamp, Da Ni'er felt a lump in her throat. She shushed the horse, quietly tied it in the stable, and went home.

"You're back? Have you eaten? Mom saved a dozen or so wontons for you, I'll cook them for you."

By the candlelight, the wrinkles on Granny Wang's face were clearly visible. Da Ni'er smiled and said...

“Okay! Long’er, Xiangxiang, and I went to the grasslands for a day, so we came back a little late. Mom, are you tired? If you are, I’ll cook for myself.”

"Mom isn't tired, you go wash up, Mom will call you when you're done."

"OK."