The soldiers cursed and swore, spitting on the ground as they did so.
"They're so good at currying favor. They started as ordinary soldiers like us, and now they're all deputy generals. They even persuaded General Guan to come here to take up a post. If it weren't for that connection, and General Guan's doting on his daughter, would he have been willing to come here?"
"Perhaps General Guan also harbors resentment."
The soldiers walked away angrily, and Qiao Lian'er asked, "Grandma, where are the troops stationed nearby?"
"What you're talking about?" Grandma Qiao stopped, turned around, and pointed in a certain direction.
"If you go along that mountain path for five miles, you will reach one of the military outposts in the south of the Great Swamp Kingdom, called the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry Outpost. I heard it has 10,000 men."
“These military outposts are different from county government offices. Apart from fighting wars and guarding against harassment from neighboring countries, they don’t care about the affairs of ordinary people like us.”
Qiao Lian'er looked in that direction and saw a small path that was not very clear, hidden in the mountains, and could not be seen if you were not paying attention.
She thought of that letter.
On August 21st, the Grain Inspection Office will send people down to collect taxes and grain together with the local county government and garrison troops.
There is a ready-made base near Datian Village.
The town was bustling with people. Because there were many things to buy, Grandma Qiao assigned tasks to everyone, with each person going to buy one or two specific items.
Qiao Lian'er was in charge of buying two pairs of roosters and hens. She knew what Old Lady Qiao meant, that she wouldn't have to pay for this part herself.
He found an alley where no one could see him, took out two roosters and two hens from his storage space, symbolically tied their claws, and put them in his basket.
"Gugu, be good, don't run around."
The four chickens squatted in the basket, silent, only turning their heads to look around.
Qiao Lian'er wasn't in a hurry to report back to Old Lady Qiao. Instead, she looked around for some good food on the street and bought a little bit of everything.
Roasted chestnuts, steamed cakes with white sugar, and glutinous rice balls were all brought home to eat. I also bought two strings of candied hawthorns for Qiao Zhizhi.
"I want this one, this one is the biggest, oh, any of these are fine, I'll take them all." A familiar voice rang in my ears.
Qiao Lian'er turned her head and saw Shi Murou, but didn't recognize her at first.
She has lost more than ten kilograms and is no longer obese, but looks well-proportioned.
Because she had lost a lot of weight, her somewhat bloated facial features had become more delicate, and with the proper use of rouge and powder, she looked five or six points better than before.
Her clothes and appearance were also very appropriate.
Qiao Lian'er was a little surprised that Shi Murou would undergo such a change.
Beside her stood a tall young man, around seventeen or eighteen years old, half a head taller than Shen Liang. He had a dignified appearance and exuded authority, yet his eyes held a gentle tenderness.
"You can eat it, one or two skewers a day, but you can't eat too much sugar, it's bad for your teeth and your health."
As the man spoke, he gestured for the vendor to take down two strings of candied hawthorns.
"Okay, I'll listen to you, but after I finish this, I want to go eat some grilled lamb skewers."
"Um."
In this back-and-forth exchange, the man's doting affection was fully revealed.
Seeing that Shi Murou had finally found a good man, Qiao Lian'er was happy for her. She didn't intend to disturb her and quietly wanted to leave.
But Mu Rou saw her and quickly walked up and grabbed her.
"Little girl, humph, you clearly saw me, but you didn't even say hello before trying to leave. You really don't care about our past relationship."
Shi Murou's tone was genuinely tinged with grievance.
Qiao Lian'er's heart softened, and she glanced at the man with a hint of teasing: "Sister Shi, I was just afraid of disturbing you."
"What do you mean by disturbing me? With him here, can't you talk to me? What kind of logic is that?"
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