The plump white dumplings rolled in the pot, up and down, white mist rose up, and the sweet fragrance lingered in the nose.
Mu Wanqing took a deep breath. This was the smell of everyday life.
Home is where your parents are. No matter how far you go, as long as you have a home, you will always have a place to return to.
Back to the safe place, with her loved ones around her, the tiredness from running back and forth gradually came over her, and her eyelids drooped unconsciously.
Seeing this, the people around her stopped talking and looked at her silently.
Traveling thousands of miles makes me exhausted.
What's more, your brain is constantly working and your mental energy is greatly consumed. How can you not be tired?
Mr. Mu and his wife looked at their three children and could not see enough of them, their hearts were filled with joy.
They have been worried sick these days, unable to sleep or eat, fearing that something might happen.
After an unknown amount of time, a surprised voice came from outside, "Third sister, third sister, you're back."
Madam Mu II ran out quickly, put her hand to her mouth and made a gesture to keep quiet, "Shh, keep your voice down, she just fell asleep..."
"Come in." Mu Wanqing had been woken up. She sat up straight, and the blanket wrapped around her body slipped down, but she pulled it back in time.
Mu Rongxue stood at the door, feeling embarrassed, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were asleep..."
Mu Wanqing yawned and rubbed her eyes. "It's okay. I'm hungry. It's time to eat."
Master Mu quickly picked up a bowl of glutinous rice balls and handed it to his daughter, "Eat quickly. If you want something else, Dad will make it for you."
Mu Wanqing scooped up a glutinous rice ball, took a bite, and the hot sesame seeds poured out, filling her mouth with sweetness.
"Do you have bone soup? If you do, have a bowl of noodle soup. If not, have mixed noodles."
Although it was New Year's Day, there was no good food. After all, we were all exiled prisoners, and eating a steamed bun made of 20 grams of flour every day was already a blessing.
Mr. Mu and his wife ate the same food as the officials, with rice, meat and vegetables, and occasionally a snack.
The cook appeared out of nowhere and said happily, "Miss wants to eat noodle soup, then we must have it, wait."
After a while, Mu Wanqing was eating the steaming hot pork rib noodles, which were topped with spicy meat sauce. After drinking a bowl of it, she felt warm all over and felt like she was alive again.
Mu Rongxue also got a bowl and ate it with great satisfaction, "Third sister, you are finally back. Everyone has been waiting so anxiously."
Although they knew that she would never come back, Mu Wanqing had become their backbone, and everyone felt uneasy when she was away.
Mu Wanqing smiled slightly, "Let's get together tomorrow, I'll treat everyone to a pig-killing dinner."
Mu Rongxue cheered and jumped up immediately, "I'll go inform everyone right away."
Everyone lived in scattered villagers' homes, and their food and accommodation were very makeshift. There was no other way. Under these conditions, the people in the border areas had a hard life. They didn't have enough to eat, and the houses they lived in were broken and leaky.
Mu Wanqing was full and energetic. She looked at the sky outside and saw that it was already late. "Second brother, go and invite Mr. Zeng over. I just said hello, so I guess he hasn't gone to bed yet."
"Okay."
After a while, Master Zeng came over. Looking at the girl in front of him, she looked quite like a real lady. "Miss, let's talk about it tomorrow. You should have a good rest first."
When she first came back, her face was full of fatigue, but now she looks much better.
"It's okay, just divide the money first. If you need anything, try not to leave it overnight." Mu Wanqing opened a bag and took out a bulging red envelope. "Yours."
Zeng opened it and saw a thick stack of banknotes. He counted them, and then counted them again. It was still 10,000 taels?!
He was dumbfounded, "Is this put in the wrong place?" More than he thought.
Mu Wanqing took out another stack of red envelopes, each with a name written on it. "You get 10,000 taels, and the other brothers get 8,000 taels. Just consider it a New Year's red envelope."
Although they did not participate in the whole process, they cooperated and provided great convenience, so they all got a share of the profits.
Mr. Zeng was silent for a moment. They couldn't earn so much money in their entire lives as clerks. "Thank you, Miss. You are really the God of Wealth."
Others suffered a lot in exile and lost money, but Mu Wanqing made a lot of money and brought the people around her to make money with her.
The money he earned along the way alone was several thousand taels, and with this ten thousand taels, he would never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of his life.
Mu Wanqing added, "Buy a small farm when you go back. If you are a little wealthy, you can grow some wheat and rice, some vegetables, raise some chickens and ducks, dig a pond to raise fish, and plant some lotus roots. Then you will have everything you need for your family."
This amount of money may seem like a lot, but it is nothing in Beijing. If you do business, it will be difficult without a backer. If your secret recipe is noticed by the powerful, your family can be destroyed in minutes.
It would be better to buy a small farm and live a peaceful life with your wife.
Although she didn't say it explicitly, Lord Zeng was a native of Beijing, so he understood all of this.
"I really want to thank someone. It was he who suggested this trip. I originally chose to join the exile team to the south."
Mu Wanqing was stunned, "Who is it?"
Lord Zeng's eyes were somewhat complicated. "Wu Dongming, the deputy commander of the Wuyi Guard, we were childhood playmates. He said he met a strange girl and asked me to keep an eye on her."
For him, it doesn't matter where he goes, it's just about making extra money.
Since his friend had this idea, he decided to change it. Unexpectedly, life gave him a big surprise.
"Is it surveillance?" Mu Wanqing understood immediately that Wu Dongming had been inquiring towards her from the very beginning.
Of course, she did this on purpose.
"It's also just looking after him." Mr. Zeng didn't take it seriously at the time, thinking that he had an occupational disease and was thinking too much.
What's so special about a frail thirteen-year-old who has been kept in seclusion for so many years?
Now he realized that he was very sharp, and people who worked in that field were more sharp than ordinary people.
Mu Wanqing smiled slightly, "When do you plan to hand over?"
Mr. Zeng doesn't care. Any day is fine. "It depends on your convenience."
Mu Wanqing hesitated for a moment, "Then I will rest for three days. I would also like to ask Master Zeng to send someone to go ahead and inquire about the situation. I hope to be assigned to a better place if possible."
According to the rules, exiles would be assigned to various garrisons to engage in military reclamation.
Some of the conditions were extremely harsh, and the supervisors were particularly cruel and liked to torture the exiles.
"Okay, I'll take care of it." Lord Zeng agreed immediately.
The next day, Mu Wanqing slept until the afternoon. When she got up, the door was already crowded with people.
The tribesmen were so happy to see her, as if it was Chinese New Year. "Chief, you are finally back. Without you, we couldn't have a good year. We were all so worried."
"Chief, I feel relieved to see you return safely."
When he heard that we would have a pig-slaughtering dinner in the evening, he cheered with joy.
As he was speaking, three pigs and a sheep were brought over, and the pigs and sheep were slaughtered, creating a very lively scene.
Mu Wanqing also invited all the villagers to have dinner together.
The villagers were surprised and happy. Is there such a good thing?
Mu Wanqing couldn't help but sigh when she saw the villagers looked pale and thin.
Even in modern times, eliminating poverty and ensuring that everyone has enough food to eat is an arduous task.
Never mind, she can’t even protect herself now.
All afternoon, wherever Mu Wanqing went, there was a group of people around her, like a star.
When the head of the Fang family saw her, he ran over and started chatting with her enthusiastically.
Everyone was tactful and no one asked her what she was doing outside.
However, there were some who were not very smart. The Third Young Master of the Fang Family asked curiously, "Miss Mu, you were out for so long, what were you doing?"
The head of the Fang family was unable to stop him and was so angry that his eyes were wide open. This bastard is simply brainless.
Mu Wanqing raised her eyebrows, "Have you memorized your multiplication table? There will be an exam tomorrow, and those who fail will have to run ten laps."
She said that this was definitely not corporal punishment, but rather, if grades were poor, the student should work hard to exercise and do physical work.
"Uh uh." The third young master of the Fang family turned green in the face and turned and ran. Ahhhh, poor students hate exams the most.
The boys and girls rolled their eyes at him, saying that you were so rude, and now everyone has been dragged into this trouble by you.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a good New Year?
Mu Wanqing didn't care what they thought. She had a delicious pig-killing dinner and started the exam the next day. Those who did well would get prizes, and those who did not do well would go outside for a run. There was no room for negotiation.
One family is happy, the other is sad; human sorrows and joys are not shared.
However, the children in the kindergarten were the happiest. Everyone received candies and snacks, which made the little ones jump for joy and surrounded Mu Wanqing, calling her "Auntie" non-stop.
On the third day, Lord Zeng came to see her and said, "Miss, I have asked someone to inquire about it. The assignment is random, depending on the mood of the chief officer. I have already made arrangements. You will be assigned to the Liangzhou Guard with the best conditions. It is closest to Liangcheng. The Dusi Mansion is stationed in Liangcheng."
It can be said that Liangcheng is the provincial capital, and other places are prefectures and counties.
Mu Wanqing's mind raced, "Where is the Du family army stationed?"
That was the most elite army in Xiliang, picked from thousands of miles away, a genuine army.
The Great Qi Dynasty had a military reclamation system. The soldiers in the garrisons were usually farmers and became soldiers in times of war. Under such circumstances, it was impossible for them to train every day. They were more like modern militia.
"It's in the Qishan military camp, not far from Liangcheng. The produce from the Liangzhou military farmland is exclusively for the Du family army."
Mu Wanqing nodded slightly and understood that Liangcheng was the military and political center of the Xiliang region.
"Okay, we'll set off early tomorrow morning and arrive in Liangcheng in the evening."
At her command, they set off at daybreak.
The wind was very strong, hitting the car windows, making a popping sound that was very annoying.
Mu Rongxue frowned and sighed again. Madam Mu San saw it and couldn't help asking, "Rongxue, what are you worried about?"
Mu Rongxue hesitated to speak, but Mrs. Mu San kept urging her, so she finally said, "We may not be divided with the third sister's family."
Madam Mu was shocked. "Ah? What? That's impossible."
"It is said that they will be dispersed and assigned to various places." Mu Rongxue has experienced many things and is no longer the girl she used to be. She understands a lot of things.
The purpose of breaking them up is to prevent them from forming groups.
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Mu San also became anxious. Without Mu Wanqing's protection, their family would be disabled and weak, how could they survive?
"Go talk to your third sister and ask them to keep their points together."
"Is this something she can decide?" Mu Rongxue was particularly helpless.
Madam Mu thought for a while and said, "I think she can. There is nothing she can't do."
Not only the third branch thought so, but other clan members also thought of this and started to make their own plans.
Everyone wants to share a piece with Mu Wanqing!
Mu Wanqing didn't have any thoughts about this. She was liberated once she reached the border, and they could just live their own lives from now on.
Beijing, Imperial Palace
The emperor looked coldly at the young man kneeling on the ground. The young man had been kneeling for several hours. His face was pale and his body was covered with scars.
"You said you are the son of Doctor Wei? You have a big secret to tell me? It concerns the survival of the Great Qi Dynasty?"
This was reported by the Wuyi Guards. Even under torture, they still refused to speak and insisted on telling the emperor in person.
The young man did not dare to raise his head. "Yes, I am Wei Shaohui, the fifth son of the Wei family. I was sent to the mountains to learn martial arts since I was weak. I only returned home once every few years. Outsiders did not know of my existence, so I escaped the disaster of extermination of the family. This disaster... came from the palace."
Doctor Wei retired and returned home, but was killed by bandits on the way. The emperor knew about it, but he just thought it was an accident. He frowned slightly, having a bad premonition, "Tell me, what's the secret?"
The young man took a deep breath and said, "The prince is not born weak, but... he has been poisoned, and the poison has accumulated deeply."
He suddenly dropped a bombshell, and everyone in the room changed their expressions.
The emperor's teacup fell over, and hot water spilled on him, but he didn't notice anything. He stood up in shock, "What did you say? Say it again."
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Mu Wanqing: She is just a little butterfly!
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