Chang Kuo stroked his frizzy beard with one hand and smiled without saying a word.
Wu Jue vaguely felt that the clothes in his hand did not look new, so he picked it up and took a closer look...it turned out to be an apron for cooking!
Well, he had just survived a near-death experience and just as he entered the house, I tied an apron on him... The old greedy ghost is not much more merciful than the King of Hell!
Wu Jue was holding the apron and accusing Chang Kuo when he heard Meng Lie say, "I have something to give you, too."
Wu Jue turned his head to look over - was it a freshly skinned sheep that was brought up to him? Meng Lie, who did not care much about his own appetite, did not worry about Chang Kuo's greed, and he asked his confidant to bring a box.
Wu Jue put the apron on his shoulders, freed his hands to take the box, and when he opened it, he was suddenly frightened by what was in the box and almost threw the box away - at first glance, he thought it was someone's head!
Fortunately, the weight I felt in my hand was very light, and I knew rationally that I was worrying too much.
Wu Jue took the thing out and saw that it was a wig.
I touched it and it felt very realistic, and I thought it must be made of real hair.
After Meng Lie's confidant brought the box, he left. There were only four people in the tent, so they spoke without too much scruples, but their voices were still low enough -
"Since you will often be by His Majesty's side, you should not show yourself as a monk. You can't grow a lot of hair on your own. Wearing this in front of others will save you from a lot of trouble."
After hearing what Meng Lie said, Wu Jue could only nod his head. This wig was very well made, but he just didn't understand one thing: "...Since it's already been made, why not make a completely black one?"
The one in his hand was gray, if it was changed to full black, he would have a thick black bun, and he couldn't imagine how handsome he would be!
Meng Lie said calmly: "The gray hair color suits you better and makes you look more calm."
"Who said that? I clearly..." Wu Jue stopped talking halfway when his eyes caught sight of Meng Lie's graying hair. His voice suddenly paused... Oh, he understood. This was a disguised way of asking him to pay for his hair!
So she's waiting for him here!
He said he didn't blame him, but he was taking revenge on him... What a sinister and vicious intention!
Wu Jue was indignant, but he knew he was in the wrong, so he could only smile and suggest, "Lao Meng, why don't you get one too? We can both wear a full black hat...it'll look so energetic!"
Meng Lie's voice became even weaker: "No need, I look more than ten years older now, which makes it easier to hide my original identity."
Wu Jue: "..." Who are you trying to hurt here? I have to grow old with him anyway!
Wu Jue looked at the wig in his hand carefully again, and then at Meng Lie's hair, and found that the color and depth were exactly the same... This old Meng must have counted the number of his own white hairs and asked someone to imitate it one to one!
Wu Jue endured it for the moment and put on the wig unwillingly.
After Lao Meng returns to Beijing, he will ask His Highness to make him a completely black one!
Wu Jue, wearing a gray wig, came to the workstation that Chang Kuo most wanted him to come to that day, tied an apron on, and boiled several large pots of mutton soup.
That night, Lu Xiucai's abacus was almost broken.
Today, the lady ordered the army to kill a lot of sheep, saying that the Qiqiao Festival was approaching and they were rewards for the soldiers. She also said that all of them should be put into her personal account... This is a considerable expense.
Although the governor's private treasury has more than three million strings of cash, it is not worth spending like this.
But this mutton soup is so delicious!
Lu Xiucai picked up the hot soup brought by the soldiers, took a sip, and was almost about to recite a poem in praise of it.
But he still had to talk to his parents about it. Marching and fighting were the same as living at home. It was understandable to be extravagant occasionally, but he couldn't always spend money like that.
The court has not yet allocated the autumn military pay.
This bowl of fragrant mutton soup was cooked by Wu Jue himself on a small stove for an hour. After it came out of the pot, it was sprinkled with green garlic leaves and pepper, which perfectly removed the fishy smell and added a fresh and spicy taste. After drinking half a bowl, it seemed as if even the top of my head was clear.
Chang Kuo drank three full bowls of this mutton soup before he was satisfied. For the last bowl, he even tore up a piece of naan bread and soaked it in the soup, swallowing it all down in one gulp - today he finally got to drink the mutton soup he had been craving for day and night!
After a rain a few days ago, the air began to feel a little cooler.
The weather was clear and cool in autumn, and the mutton soup was delicious. It was a rare moment for the soldiers to relax. Those who were not on patrol gathered in groups of three or four to chat and laugh, or to wrestle shirtless.
After Tang Xing drank a bowl of mutton soup, he demonstrated his sword skills, which made Xiao Duan and Xiao Wu cheer in amazement and they kept asking to become his disciples.
Upon hearing this, Adian said loudly that he could also be a master. Tang Xing smiled and suggested that they should have a sparring match, so Adian rushed forward with a biscuit in his mouth.
Not far away, Jiaozi looked at the soldiers coming and going, the swords on their waists and the spears in their hands. He looked alert and frightened, like a rabbit that accidentally walked into a group of tigers and wished it could shrink into a hole.
Just at this moment, someone suddenly patted his head from behind: "Hey! Where's the new kid?"
Jiaozi turned around in panic, and was caught off guard by a ferocious-looking face with a scar. She was so scared that she almost cried - this man looked like he would eat children!
"Our general went out for a while, and he found another baby!" He Wuhu usually liked to tease children, and asked with a smile: "Why don't you go play with Xiaoduan and the others?"
Jiaozi was so scared that she couldn't speak. In her nervousness, she shouted behind He Wuhu, "Mom!"
He Wuhu's eyebrows moved. The general not only picked up the child, but also brought back the child's mother? He turned around and saw that it was Shepherd's Purse who was walking over.
When She Cai saw He Wuhu, she looked him up and down and said, "Captain He is able to walk out of the tent now. It seems that his injuries have healed."
He Wuhu grinned: "I have thick skin and flesh, and I have already recovered a lot!"
Then, he pointed at the dumplings and asked tentatively: "Sister She Cai, what is this doll..."
"My son!" Shepherd's Purse said to his son, "Jiaozi, say hello to Captain He!"
Jiaozi half hid behind Shepherd's Purse, revealing half of his head: "Hello, Captain He..."
"The child is young and has never seen the world. Please be patient!" Shepherd's Purse said to He Wuhu, then took her son and walked away.
He Wuhu stood there, rolling his big eyes.
"Brother, what are you looking at?" Liu Hu came over and asked curiously, holding a half-eaten sheep bone in his hand.
"...Is that kid really the son of Commander Shepherd's Purse?" He Wuhu pointed ahead and asked thoughtfully, "Biological son?"
"Dear one!" Liu Hu said as he ate the mutton: "Today I heard Xiao Wu talk about it! His name is... Ji Jiaozi!"
"Season dumplings... dumplings with shepherd's purse flavor?" He Wuhu smacked his lips and said, "They sound like they're my own..."
"But why did you bring her to the military camp?" He Wuhu asked in a low voice, "Where is her husband? Is he dead?"
Liu Hu: "Not dead, still alive!"
"Not dead..." He Wuhu felt a very immoral feeling of false joy in his heart.
"But it's almost the same as being dead!" Liu Hu had obviously heard a lot of gossip, and now he lowered his voice and exaggerated the matter of She Cai and Li.
The more He Wuhu listened, the more annoyed he became: "...If my butt wasn't injured and I couldn't follow the general to Hezhou, I would have smashed his head!"
How could Sister Shecai, such a good person, marry such a ungrateful person? Moreover, he saw that Sister Shecai was a smart person, so why did she marry such a thing? Shecai was a child bride raised by Ji Heimian's family, and few people in the army knew about this.
The shepherd's purse was picked up from the vegetable garden by Ji Heilian's mother.
It was the coldest time of the year, and the baby, who was just a few days old, was wrapped in a tattered cotton-padded jacket and crying loudly. Ji Heilian's mother walked closer and took a look. Although it was a girl, she looked pretty kind, so she felt kind and took the baby home to raise her.
Because it was picked up in a vegetable garden, it was initially named Ji Cai after the Ji family's surname.
But after a few years of raising him, Ji Heilian's father fell ill and died. The Ji family suddenly became poor. It seemed that Ji Heilian did not have any future, and it would be difficult for him to find a wife in the future. Ji Heilian's mother looked at the diligent girl feeding the chickens in the yard, and suddenly an idea came to her.
It is said that a child's character can be seen at the age of three. This girl must be able to take care of the family! To avoid gossip, Ji Cai was changed to Shepherd's Purse. From then on, she only had a name but no surname, and became the child bride of the old Ji family.
Ji Heilian had known about this since he was a child. He was both disgusted and dissatisfied with She Cai, his child bride, but he did not have the courage to resist.
Ji Heilian's mother did not treat Shepherd's Purse harshly. She allowed Shepherd's Purse to develop a tough character just so that she could suppress her good-for-nothing son so that she could live a good life.
Shepherd's Purse is very hardworking, even more hardworking than her son. She is straightforward and quick in doing things. Whether she is working in the fields, feeding pigs, chopping wood, or doing housework at home, she is good at it.
And she also gave birth to two boys for her old family, Ji.
Before Ji Heilian's mother decided to let She Cai be her child bride, she privately consulted a fortune teller. The fortune teller said that She Cai would bring good luck to the family, and if this girl could take charge of the family, good fortune would be in store for the Ji family.
After hearing this, Ji Heilian's mother's face was about to break with laughter, that's why when she was alive she was willing to let Shepherd's Purse suppress her son and let Shepherd's Purse be the boss.
During those years, shepherd's purse was not only the head of the family, but also took care of everything inside and outside the family. To use what shepherd's purse said to Zeng Huan in the inn that day, that is: "I am grateful to Jiaozi's grandmother for taking me home, so over the years, I have worked like a slave for the old Ji family without a single complaint. I also risked my life twice and gave birth to two sons for the Ji family. Now I have one son left for Ji Heimian, so this debt has been paid off anyway. 】
Now that he had paid off the debt, Shepherd's Purse thought back to the more than thirty years he had spent paying off the debt, and suddenly wanted to have a surname that truly belonged to him.
She brought the dumplings to find Chang Suining, and Zeng Huan accompanied her.
Chang Suining was chatting with Wu Jue outside the tent. When she heard the purpose of She Cai's visit, she realized that this matter was of great significance. However, her ability in naming was mediocre, so she simply let Wu Jue come out alone.
Shepherd's Purse smiled and said, "Master, please give me a better meaning!"
"It has a good meaning..." Wu Jue, who was wearing a wig, pinched his fingers calmly, and after a moment, gave a surname.
“…Hao?” Shepherd’s Purse was stunned for a moment. She said she wanted a name with a good meaning, so I really gave her the surname “Hao”.
The most sophisticated metaphysics and the simplest homophony collided at this moment to create a strange spark.
"Isn't it good?" Wu Jue asked with a smile. Standing next to Chang Suining, he seemed to have become a bit like a Buddha.
"Okay!" She Cai smiled cheerfully and said to Chang Suining, "Sir, from now on, my surname will be Hao!"
Chang Suining smiled and nodded to her: "Yes, Commander Hao."
Shepherd's Purse patted her son's shoulder and said, "From now on, you will take your mother's last name and be called Hao Jiaozi!"
You know what, this surname is really versatile. It's like praising someone. Whoever has this surname is good!
The more I think about shepherd's purse, the more it tastes good.
Even Zeng Huan was tempted: "...Commander, can I have your last name like Jiaozi?"
On the way, she explained the situation at home and her decision to the adults, and the adults agreed to help her send a message of her death back home.
Since people are dead and reborn, they should change their surnames.
"Sure, why not!" She Cai was so happy that she couldn't wait to say, "Then when we settle down in Jiangdu, I will register our household registration, and the three of us will be on the same account! It's a bit unfair for you to call me mother, so just treat me as your sister! In the future, the two of us sisters will follow the adults in the army and make a name for our Hao family!"
Zeng Huan, no, Hao Huan nodded with red eyes, first bowed to She Cai, and then bowed silently to Chang Suining.
Bright stars twinkle above the night sky.
The group of people returned to the camp in the night. As soon as they entered the camp, they smelled the aroma of mutton soup.
The leader was Yuan Xiang, who had been watching the training at the beach for the past few days and had just returned to the camp.
Yuan Xiang did not go looking for mutton soup as other soldiers did when he got off his horse, but asked first whether the commander had returned.
Upon hearing that today's mutton soup was the coach's personal reward, Yuan Xiang's eyes lit up and he immediately went to ask for a meeting with Chang Suining.
The day after tomorrow is the Qiqiao Festival. He was originally worried that Madam Chang would not be able to return before the festival.
Yuanxiang had this little worry because he was carrying a letter from the north in his arms.
After meeting Chang Suining, Yuanxiang reported his official business first before handing over the letter.
When Chang Suining saw the familiar and pleasing handwriting on the envelope, he knew who it was from.
But why didn’t Cui Jing send the letter to her governor’s mansion, but instead gave it to her through Yuan Xiang?
Little did they know that this was exactly what Yuan Xiang had privately proposed to his own Grand Commander.
"You've worked hard recently. There's some warm mutton soup in the kitchen. Go and have two bowls while it's hot." Chang Suining said, then turned to Xier and told her to take Yuanxiang over.
Yuan Xiang grinned and clasped his fists: "Thank you, coach!"
Hey, how did it come about? He didn't have to fight with those people for the mutton soup. He knew that Madam Chang must have left some for him alone.
Yuanxiang happily followed Xier out of Chang Suining's military tent. Not long after they walked away, they met Meng Lie who was returning to his tent.
Xier bowed to Meng Lie, and when Meng Lie nodded, he met Shang Yuanxiang's curious and puzzled eyes.
"I wonder if you know Mr. Meng from Dengtai Tower?" Yuan Xiang couldn't help asking.
Thanks to book friend Zoe Xiaoxiong for the 10,000-yuan reward! Thanks to 滺萇假休, 春卷不好吃嘛, and book friend 33021204301270 for the reward. Thank you all for your monthly tickets~ (If there are no accidents in the next few days, the update should be fixed at 10:30 pm. Good night) (End of this chapter)
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