Seeing this, Qiuyue had no choice but to nod in agreement.

"Madam, please be careful."

Jiang Yuwei waved her hand and followed Gou Dan to the front.

When Jiang Yuwei reached the door, she saw twenty or thirty middle-aged men standing outside. They looked strong and were all skilled in martial arts. She was startled and whispered in Gou Dan's ear:

"Hurry up and intercept your Uncle Tiezhu on the road, and make him bring the general here."

Upon hearing the instructions, Gou Dan quickly slipped out the back door when no one was looking.

Jiang Yuwei took a deep breath, stood inside the door and looked outside, saying:

Who are you?

One of the leading men bowed and said:

"You must be the general's wife? General Ning sent us."

Jiang Yuwei frowned. Didn't Ning Huaizhi say he would secretly bring these old subordinates in? Now a huge group of people have arrived. What should they do?

Moreover, Ning Huaizhi is not at home at the moment, and it is difficult to distinguish the authenticity of these people. We certainly cannot let them into the mansion so easily.

So Jiang Yuwei smiled and said:

"You have all come from afar and must be tired. General Ning will be back soon. Please go outside for a stroll, have some tea, and rest. All expenses will be covered by our General's Mansion."

After hearing this, everyone looked at each other, their faces showing displeasure. Finally, the leader spoke up:

"Since Madam has spoken, let's go outside for some tea and wait for General Ning to return before making a decision."

After saying that, the leader waved his hand and led the group away.

Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei quickly closed the courtyard gate and bolted it, waiting for Gou Dan to bring Ning Huaizhi here.

Jiang Yuwei thought she should keep a fierce big dog in the yard so that it could guard the house and make Aunt Zhou and the others feel more at ease.

After Ning Qiu hung bells all over the General's Mansion, she busied herself making cold arrows according to the method Jiang Yuwei had taught them. These were to be placed on the walls of the inner courtyard.

In this way, if danger is encountered, retreating to the inner courtyard can provide some protection, and then one can escape through the secret passage in the inner courtyard.

Jiang Yuwei waited for Ning Huaizhi's news in the front yard. After about half an hour, she heard a knock on the door.

"Someone, open the door. It's me, Gou Dan. The general has returned to his residence."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuwei hurriedly pushed open the door latch. Seeing Ning Huaizhi standing at the door, she immediately felt much more at ease, so she pulled him inside and said:

“Huaizhi, you mentioned earlier that your old subordinates were coming to our compound as guards. Didn’t you say you were going to have them come in batches secretly? Why are there twenty or thirty of them here today? I didn’t dare let them in because they all looked unfamiliar to me.”

Ning Huaizhi smiled and nodded, saying:

“It’s good to be vigilant. The previous group of subordinates were scattered in various places, so I asked one of my old subordinates, Cheng Yi, to help me make contact. Perhaps he had gathered all the men, which is why he brought them directly to the General’s Mansion.”

Jiang Yuwei pondered for a moment and then said:

"Well, in that case, there was a leader with a goatee. He was not very tall, but he was strong and muscular. He was dressed in all black and had thick eyebrows and big eyes."

Ning Huaizhi clapped his hands and laughed:

"Then it must be him. You said this person is Cheng Yi. He always likes to wear all black and has a goatee. Where are they now?"

Jiang Yuwei pointed to the door and smiled sheepishly:

"I couldn't tell the truth from the falsehood, so I told them to go out and have some tea. When you come back, I'll have them come back again. But as I said, the General's Mansion will pay for the tea."

Ning Huaizhi smiled helplessly.

“These roughnecks don’t know anything about tea. Here’s what I’ll do, Madam. Today, I’ll trouble you to arrange for the kitchen to prepare a big meal to reward my old subordinates. Have Ningwu drive the oxcart to buy several large jars of wine. I’ll have a good drink with them and catch up.”

Jiang Yuwei frowned upon hearing this and said:

"If they like to drink, they can't stay in the house drunk all the time, can they?"

Ning Huaizhi waved his hand and said:

"They are also from the military, where discipline is strict, and they all know their limits. I'm only drinking with them this once, so it's a chance to catch up after not seeing them for many years. In the future, I certainly can't drink excessively when I stay at your residence."

Jiang Yuwei nodded after hearing this:

"Alright, I'll go make the arrangements now. You and Gou Dan go and find all those old subordinates."

After saying that, Jiang Yuwei turned and went to the backyard.

"Ningqiu, Daya, stop busying yourself and come with me to the kitchen to cook. We're hosting a banquet for our guests today."

Ning Qiu asked, puzzled:

"Madam, didn't you say that no one else is allowed in this courtyard?"

Jiang Yuwei smiled and waved her hand, saying:

"It's not just anyone, it's the guard who will be staying in our compound and working with you from now on."

Aunt Zhou also put down her work and came over.

"Alright, whatever you say, Madam. Let's go get busy in the kitchen right away."

After Tie Zhu returned to the General's Mansion with Ning Huaizhi, he went straight to the backyard to find Daya. The way the two of them were exchanging glances was rather amusing.

"Tiezhu, stop looking at Daya. Go to the backyard and ask Ningwu to buy several large jars of strong liquor. Also, call Uncle Shangcai to come to the kitchen to help with the fire."

As soon as Jiang Yuwei finished speaking, Tie Zhu and Daya both blushed.

"Yes, Madam, I'll go right away!"

Tie Zhu responded, then took one last, reluctant look at Daya before leaving.

Jiang Yuwei thought that since it was autumn now and the weather was dry, she should stew some soup to cool them down. With that in mind, she cooked a big pot of Dendrobium and Snow Pear Soup.

Thinking that these former subordinates came from different regions, he made sure to include all the flavors on the menu: sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty. First, he asked Ning Daya to make a spicy boiled fish, and then he asked Ning Qiu to make a pounded pepper and preserved egg dish.

Jiang Yuwei made a sweet and sour carp, a braised eggplant, and a dish of stir-fried potatoes, green peppers, and eggplant.

Aunt Zhou was in charge of stir-frying vegetables, while Ning Daya was in charge of making staple food. Thinking that they were all men, they should be able to eat a lot, so she cooked two pots of rice and steamed a large pot of steamed buns.

Because there were many people, the portions of food were also very large, and Uncle Cai and Tiezhu were in charge of tending the fire.

When Ning Wu returned from buying wine, Ning Huaizhi and his group also returned to the General's Mansion with their men. Gou Dan first led them to their accommodations, and then led everyone to move tables and chairs to the front yard, where the group was divided into four tables.

After finishing their tasks at the front, Gou Dan and Ning Wu went to the kitchen to help serve the dishes. Qiu Yue stayed inside for a while and, seeing that there was nothing to do outside, also came to the kitchen to help.

Everyone was stunned when they saw the food being served.

"This food smells amazing!"

"General, from now on, our hardships will finally be over and we'll be able to enjoy the good times by following you!"

"Haha, you little rascal, all you know is how to enjoy life!"

"I'm going to eat three bowls of rice today!"