Chapter 37 Hot Tea Burns Your Mouth
By the time Lin Changning finished explaining, it was past noon. Commander Qi listened attentively, and the food that had been brought to him was probably quite cold by now.
After listening, Qi Rong handed over some tea: "Have some water to soothe your throat. Thank you for your hard work."
Lin Changning waved his hand, took the teacup, and drank it all in one gulp: "I dare not, thank you for your help, Commander."
After drinking the tea, Lin Changning felt better, but was still a little thirsty. He couldn't help but look at Qi Rong's hand holding the teapot.
Qi Rong found it amusing to look at the boy's undisguised eager gaze. Although he was a bit clever, he was still a boy after all, and his thoughts were written all over his face. It was really fun to tease him occasionally.
"Someone, bring a pot of warm water and brew another pot of tea. Reheat the rice, and I'll eat with Commander Lin."
Lin Changning watched anxiously as his personal guards took everything out, his mouth growing increasingly dry.
Qi Rong shook his head and chuckled: "Don't worry, the tea was leftover from the night before. It's not good to drink cold water. Fresh tea will be brought over shortly."
Lin Changning smiled sheepishly: "Thank you, Commander. I am indeed a bit thirsty."
Qi Rong tapped the table, making a clattering sound: "Commander Lin, do you know that building a fort without authorization is a crime?"
Lin Changning was stunned by the question, and cold sweat instantly broke out. Yes, although he was thinking of reinforcing the beacon tower, it was not an exaggeration to call the beacon tower he had repaired and modified into a fortress. But Commander Qi had seen it, so this matter should be fine. But why did Commander Qi suddenly bring up the unauthorized construction of the fortress?
Building the fortress was not wrong, otherwise Zheng Baihu would have arrested people directly instead of Commander Qi coming to him privately to ask for the blueprints. So the problem was that it was done privately.
Lin Changning was instantly enlightened. She had originally intended to reinforce the fortress, so she hadn't reported it to Commander Zheng. She had rendered meritorious service in killing the enemy, and she had also contributed to the border defense. Commander Qi had probably already asked Commander Zheng, and Commander Zheng was unaware of this, which was why he had come to her. In other words, she had overstepped her bounds. If Commander Zheng held a grudge, things would likely get worse for him in the future.
How can you expect to have a good outcome if you offend your boss?
Thinking of this, Lin Changning hurriedly knelt down: "It was an oversight that I did not inform Commander Zheng before the renovation. Please punish me."
The tea had already been brought in. Qi Rong raised his hand to help Lin Changning up: "Since I've come to you about this matter, there's no problem. Get up. Perhaps you can be more thorough in your work in the future."
Lin Changning nodded and said, "Yes, Commander."
Qi Rong calmly poured another cup of tea and handed it to him: "Have some tea. Not everyone in the army is a brute. You are a smart man, and you may become a commander in the future."
He's a commander-in-chief, not a general. Lin Changning grinned: "Thank you for the promotion, Commander."
After saying that, he took the tea and drank it all in one gulp. Only after it went down his throat did he realize how hot it was. He immediately wanted to hiss, but because his superior was sitting in front of him, he couldn't lose his composure and forced himself to hold it back, his face turning bright red.
Qi Rong, sitting on the other side, was gently pressing the lid of his teacup, blowing on it as he slowly sipped his tea. Seeing Lin Changning's face turn red, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Changping? What's wrong?"
The commander did it on purpose, knowing she was thirsty and deliberately pouring her scalding hot water!
Lin Changning smiled through his tears: "The commander's assessment is excellent. I am so grateful that I could hardly contain my emotions and I am about to burst into tears!"
Qi Rong was secretly laughing so hard he almost collapsed. Looking at Lin Changning's handsome face, flushed red from the heat, he smirked, "Is that so? Very well, I'll remember that. Changping is truly a man of character!"
Lin Changning: Thank you so much!!
Qi Rong hesitated for a moment before pouring tea again: "Drink peony tea like a cow, this is the finest Junshan silver needle tea, have another taste, don't burn yourself again."
She knew he was doing it on purpose; this commander was definitely doing it on purpose!!!
Lin Changning said through gritted teeth, "Thank you for your help, Commander! I will savor it slowly!"
The two drank their tea slowly and deliberately, downing cup after cup before Lin Changning finally felt quenched. Only after she had drunk almost all of it did she realize that the commander was looking her over again.
"Have you finished drinking?"
"Burp, that's enough."
"The food will be heated up soon. Why don't you stay and eat with us? You must be hungry after talking all morning."
"Hiccup, thanks, Commander, hiccup~"
"......"
After the food was laid out, Qi Rong sat down first and handed Lin Changning chopsticks, saying, "Let's eat."
Lin Changning took the chopsticks and sat opposite Qi Rong, watching him slowly and gracefully pick up food. She couldn't help but admire him, thinking, "No wonder he's a scion of a prominent family; his demeanor is impeccable, even his meal is incredibly elegant."
Qi Rong picked up a piece of green vegetable, put it in his mouth, chewed it carefully, swallowed it, put down his chopsticks, picked up his teacup, and took a sip: "In this windy and sandy place, it feels peaceful and serene to eat a couple of meals of green vegetables occasionally."
Lin Changning was a little hungry and was so focused on eating that his movements were naturally quite graceful, but he ate quite quickly. Hearing this, he was somewhat surprised: "Isn't the Commander the Crown Prince? He must have eaten quite a lot of fine food."
Qi Rong responded, "It's just a lament that it's not easy for people on the frontier to eat. The northern frontier is bitterly cold, and many fruits and vegetables need to be transported here. Even a little bit of food is hard for ordinary people to get. Vegetable prices are high, and the Tartars come to plunder grain and straw all the time. Life is tough."
Lin Changning also sighed, "If there is no war in the future and the border is peaceful, merchants going north might have an easier time. If one day we achieve victory and defeat the Tartars so badly that they dare not show their faces again, the lives of the common people will surely be much better."
Qi Rong looked at Lin Changning probingly: "You have such ambitions?"
Lin Changning looked up, his youthful spirit suddenly meeting Qi Rong's gaze: "Of course, I joined the army to serve my country. A true man should strive for lasting peace if given the chance, and fight the Tartars so that they will never dare to show their faces again!"
At this moment, Qi Rong felt that the young man in front of him was particularly to his liking, and couldn't help but laugh heartily: "Yes, if there is a chance, we will beat the Tartars so badly that they will never dare to show their faces again."
While the two were talking and eating, a personal guard suddenly entered the tent: "Commander, their identities have been verified."
The guards entered the tent and, upon seeing Lin Changning, paused before turning to look at Qi Rong.
Qi Rong nodded: "It's alright, we're on the same side. Commander Lin and I were stabbed together yesterday, let's hear about it together."
Lin Changning was about to stand up when he heard this, so he sat down again and looked at the guards together.
The guard didn't mince words: "It has been confirmed that they are indeed the private guards of the Duke of Qi's mansion."
Lin Changning couldn't help but look at Qi Rong's expression, only to see that Commander Qi's face was calm and composed, as if he had already guessed this outcome.
"This time I dragged you into this mess. The assassin was after me; you were just an afterthought."
Lin Changning nodded: "Commander? At your home?" As soon as he said it, Lin Changning realized that his words were inappropriate and quickly took them back and stopped talking.
Qi Rong said casually, "Why aren't you asking anymore? Never mind, it's not a big deal. Many people know about it. If you want to know, I can tell you."
Lin Changning cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, thinking to himself, "If she really finds out, I've already expressed my loyalty, so I won't kill her. We're all on the same boat now."
Thinking it might not matter, he asked again, "Commander, I would like to hear more details."
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