Chapter 193 The Expedition
On the third day after the imperial decree was issued, the King of Chu ordered Qi Rong and Qin Zhong to lead their men to Baoding.
Lin Changning had to go on another mission less than two days after returning home, and his mother, feeling distressed, couldn't sleep well all night again.
I got up early in the morning, packed Lin Changning's package, put some dried meat inside, and put the newly made shoes on Lin Changning.
The two sisters-in-law also secretly wiped away their tears. Sister-in-law Wang had gone to the temple several days in advance to pray for two peace charms, both of which she gave to Lin Changning to carry.
Sister-in-law Niu learned the craft of making soft armor from the wife of the Zhou family and wove a soft armor for Lin Changning that incorporated copper wire.
Lin Changning stepped out the door, looked at her family members, big and small, who had come to see her off, mounted her horse, and waved to them.
"Mother, take your sisters-in-law back home. There's no need to see them off. I'll be back in a month or two, or at most three or four months."
Lin Erlang, supporting his mother with a furrowed brow, said, "Don't be reckless on the battlefield. We have everything we need at home now. Preserving your life is the most important thing. Your second brother is waiting for you to come home."
Lin Changning sighed, "Second brother of my province, take Mother back quickly, there's no need to see her off any further."
After saying that, she spurred her horse and galloped towards the commandery. Brother Qi had given her some time to say goodbye to her family before heading to the commandery to meet up.
When Lin Changning arrived, the group was already preparing to depart. Lin Changning rode Mo Yun and quickly approached the front of the group.
Qi Rong, dressed in an official robe, walked alongside Qin Zhong at the very front. Lin Changning rode up and followed slowly behind Qi Rong.
When she arrived, the two of them looked at her together, and Qi Rong asked, "Is everything settled at home?"
Lin Changning nodded: "Everything is settled, Commander."
Qin Zhong glanced at Lin Changning a few more times out of curiosity, but didn't say anything.
After asking one question, he turned and started chatting with Qin Zhong.
Behind Qin Zhong was a man in his thirties with a thick beard, a round face, and fierce-looking eyes.
As the two walked side by side, the bearded man glanced at her several times, seemingly disliking her.
Lin Changning couldn't help but turn his head and stare intently at the bearded man: "Sir, do you have an eye ailment?"
The bearded man didn't understand at first, but shook his head when he met Lin Changning's gaze: "No, no."
Lin Changning mimicked the bearded man's mannerisms, glancing at him sideways, again and again.
"What were you doing just now?"
The bearded man was a little embarrassed and coughed lightly to cover up his awkwardness: "I've often heard our commander talk about you, so I was a little curious. Don't be offended, young man. My name is Han Li, a commander of a thousand men under Commander Qin."
After realizing that the man meant no harm, Lin Changning cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I am Lin Changning, and I command a thousand households under my command."
Han Li, riding his horse, approached Lin Changning and asked with some curiosity, "Young brother, are you really born with superhuman strength? Our commander always praises you in front of us, saying that you are born with superhuman strength and that you are clever and intelligent, and that we should learn from you every day."
Lin Changning smiled modestly upon hearing this and said, "Commander, you flatter me. I am indeed naturally stronger than others. As for wit and intelligence, I dare not accept such praise. I can only occasionally use a little cleverness."
Lin Changning's humility suited Han Li's taste quite well. Han Li patted Lin Changning's shoulder with his big hand: "Young brother, you suit my taste quite well. You look young, but I am thirty-five this year. If you don't mind, call me Brother Han. In the future, when we are in Taiyuan, I will take you to play. I know all the good food and fun things to do in Taiyuan."
Lin Changning cupped his hands in greeting: "Brother Han, from now on I will follow you. I'm not really familiar with what good food or fun things there are in Taiyuan. I can't find any places to take my family out for fun."
Han Li chuckled twice: "That's easy. When we get back this time, I'll take you to find some good food and fun things to do. I guarantee they'll be delicious and inexpensive. The restaurants in Taiyuan have good food, but they're expensive. Actually, there are quite a few hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Taiyuan. They may be a bit small, but they serve the same good food."
As he was talking, he gave a thumbs up.
Han Li and Lin Changning chatted enthusiastically, counting on their fingers.
"There's a breakfast shop in the east alley. Their meat buns are amazing. For just three coins, you get a fist-sized meat bun. One bite and it's bursting with flavor, the meat juice dripping down your chin. There's also a pastry and fruit shop on the west street. My wife and Er Ya love their crispy cheese. In the summer, chill it with ice and it's incredibly refreshing. And then there's Wang Ji's roast chicken. Oh my, it's so fragrant! The skin is crispy and the meat inside is tender and juicy."
Lin Changning couldn't help but swallow hard; just talking about it made her hungry.
Thinking of the dried meat his mother had packed in his bag, Lin Changning took the bag off and took out two palm-sized pieces of dried meat. His mother had marinated the meat with seasonings, steamed it, and then air-dried it. It tasted salty and fragrant.
Lin Changning handed a piece of dried meat to Han Li, and swallowed hard before tearing off a piece.
"After listening to Brother Han's story, I'm getting a little hungry. This is jerky my mom made. Brother Han, you should try some."
Han Li's stomach was rumbling as he talked to himself, and he took the dried meat from Chang Ning's hand with some embarrassment.
"Then thank you very much, Brother Lin."
He took the jerky and took a bite. The jerky was very chewy and had a salty and fragrant taste.
Qi Rong, who was in front, suddenly noticed that the two people behind him had quieted down. He subconsciously looked back, and Qin Zhong followed suit.
The two turned around and saw that the two people behind them suddenly stopped talking. One of them was holding a piece of jerky the size of a palm, and his cheeks were bulging.
Qi Rong raised an eyebrow, looking at Lin Changning with a hint of mockery: "Little Six? What about mine?"
Lin Changning, like a large squirrel, mumbled indistinctly while chewing, "Pregnant."
As he spoke, he took out another piece of dried meat from his bundle and handed it to Qi Rong. Qi Rong took the dried meat, turned his head with satisfaction, and took a bite of the chewy and resilient dried meat.
Surprisingly, it smells quite good.
Seeing Qin Zhong staring at him, Lin Changning assumed that the commander also wanted to eat jerky, so he casually took out a piece of jerky from his pocket and handed it to Qin Zhong.
Han Li chewed on the jerky and looked at Qin Zhong's indescribable expression, saying, "Big Yin, do you like it? Brother Lin's jerky is very fragrant."
Qin Zhong sighed. How could the soldiers he had trained be so incompetent? They were bribed with just a piece of dried meat.
Thinking this, Qin Zhong calmly accepted the dried meat that Lin Changning handed over and said thank you: "Thank you."
Lin Changning waved his hand and swallowed the dried meat in his mouth: "Sir, you don't need to be so polite. It's homemade, it didn't take any effort at all."
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