Once the long noodles are cooked, a steaming bowl of noodles is soon served.
The freshly cooked noodles were steaming, with braised pork as the topping and a poached egg on the side.
Military expenses are enormous, making it difficult to improve the food. Pork is already a rare commodity, let alone eggs, which are not easy to preserve.
Looking at the noodles in the bowl, Lu Qiqi felt a surge of appetite and softly thanked him.
Upon noticing that Song Yanqing had only brought a bowl of noodles to the table, he said, "Have you had dinner yet? This bowl of noodles is quite a lot, why don't we share it?"
“No need,” Song Yan said calmly. “You eat first. There’s still some in the pot. I’ll get it.”
After saying that, he turned around and went back to the pot, ladled out a bowl of noodles, and sat down opposite Lu Qiqi.
Lu Qiqi inhaled the fragrance, then laughed loudly, "Then I won't be polite!"
As he spoke, he picked up a mouthful of noodles with his chopsticks and ate it.
She puffed out her cheeks and chewed a couple of times, finding the noodles smooth, chewy, and perfectly seasoned.
Although it wasn't particularly delicious, it was the most meaningful bowl of noodles she had ever eaten since she came into this world.
Lu Qiqi, with an empty stomach, buried her head in her rice.
Song Yanqing hesitated to pick up his chopsticks, glancing at Lu Qiqi's expression. Finding nothing amiss, he finally felt relieved and began to eat his noodles.
For a moment, the only sound from the tent was the two people eating noodles. Because they ate in a good manner, the noise was extremely subtle, and those outside the tent could not hear anything coming from inside.
Lu Qiqi finished eating and put down her chopsticks, only to find that Song Yan had finished all the noodles early in the morning, leaving twice as many in her bowl as in hers.
She secretly gave Song Yanqing a thumbs up in her heart; the boy had a good appetite.
"Are you full?" Song Yanqing asked. "Would you like another bowl?"
Lu Qiqi quickly waved her hand, then suddenly realized something was amiss, fearing he might think she was disgusted by the noodle-making skills, and said, "I'm full, it tasted very good, thank you."
On her birthday, she ate noodles with poached eggs, and she treated the noodles as longevity noodles. This feeling was very subtle, an emotion she had never experienced in her previous life.
Song Yanqing scrutinized her face, making sure she wasn't trying to flatter him or compliment his cooking skills, before he felt relieved.
"Today is the Qixi Festival. Would you like to go and see how the people in the city celebrate?"
The Qiqiao Festival, also known as the Double Seventh Festival, is said to be the day when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meet.
Lu Qiqi immediately became interested, "Can we go outside the military camp to see?"
Song Yanqing shook his head, "We've just gone through a fierce battle, so leaving the military camp would be very inconvenient."
Considering that the East Gate is currently in a state of turmoil, it is understandable that Song Yanqing is unable to leave the military camp.
Lu Qiqi thought for a moment and figured that since Song Yanqing had said this, he probably wouldn't disappoint her, so she said, "I want to see."
"Come with me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Song Yanqing got up and led her out of the tent.
The two walked at a leisurely pace, occasionally attracting the attention of the patrolling soldiers.
Upon reaching the foot of the East Gate, Lu Qiqi looked up at the towering city walls and pavilions, a solemn expression rising within her.
This city gate blocked the Tatar invasion and protected the peaceful and prosperous lives of the people of the Great Jin Dynasty.
Countless soldiers shed their blood on the city walls, their spirits burning as they defended against the enemy.
Song Yanqing led her to the city gate, where all the guards bowed and made way for her.
No one other than a general is allowed to come to the city gate without permission, so as to avoid leaking military secrets.
Lu Qiqi was able to benefit from his presence this time, as she was able to overlook the scene below the city gate.
Looking down from the city gate, the torches of the military camp illuminated the white tents.
Fires blazed outside the tent, and several soldiers gathered around one of them.
Lu Qiqi seemed to see the magnificent scene of tens of thousands of people training here day and night to guard their homeland and rivers.
“That’s the border town over there,” Song Yanqing said, pointing in a direction.
“Every year on the Qixi Festival, the curfew in the city would be extended to 9 PM, and women in the border town would release Kongming lanterns to pray for blessings and make wishes.”
A girl with a heart full of love will personally make a sachet and give it to the person she admires.
Song Yanqing naturally didn't say the second half of his sentence. In his opinion, Lu Qiqi was still young, and his parents had died early, so he didn't understand matters of love and romance.
It's not too late for him to teach her when she's older.
Lu Qiqi looked in the direction he pointed. The border town was brightly lit, and even from a distance, one could tell that the town must be bustling with activity.
It's a pity she couldn't see it in person.
After gazing at the scenery for a while, Lu Qiqi turned around and walked to the other side of the city gate, overlooking the view outside the pass.
Song Yanqing watched her movements and strolled behind her, saying slowly, "Outside the pass, the sea and sky are vast. From the city tower of the main camp, you can see the boundless sea. Beyond the east gate, there are vast grasslands, and from the west gate, you can see the Yanlian Mountains."
Border towns have always been strategic locations, and also gateways for enemy forces to invade and plunder.
In the past two years, rainfall in the north has been extremely low, and the people of Dajin have suffered greatly from drought.
The Tatars repeatedly burned, killed, and looted the border towns, so the imperial court constantly conscripted strong soldiers to replenish the army.
Suddenly, Lu Qiqi remembered something and said, "Could you help me find someone?"
Song Yanqing's tone was calm, as if she had known all along, "Are you looking for your father?"
"Yes," Lu Dashan was conscripted into the army and had been out of contact for several years. She wanted to know if the original owner's father was still alive.
Song Yanqing stared at Lu Qiqi's profile with his dark eyes. After a moment, he looked away and gazed at the dark plains beyond the pass. He said, "After taking over the border city, I sent someone to inquire. According to records, your father was on duty in the camp under General Feng's command."
"A year ago, when the city gate was about to be breached, General Feng disappeared without a trace."
The generals of the army have disappeared without a trace, and the nameless soldiers under their command, having been buried under the open sky and on the ground on the plains outside the pass, are considered to be doing relatively well.
It's possible that the carcass was torn apart and eaten by wolves or leopards.
Song Yanqing couldn't bear to describe the cruelty of war to Lu Qiqi in such harsh words.
She's just a little girl; listening to this too much will give her nightmares.
Lu Qiqi was naturally aware of the cruelty of war, but she was surprised to find that Song Yanqing had inquired about it beforehand.
General Feng has disappeared without a trace, and Feng Yu'er is determined to find him. She brings her younger brother to the border town, not only because she can't bear to leave her old subordinates behind.
More than anything, they wanted to find General Feng's whereabouts. Feng Yu'er felt this way, and so did Lu Qiqi.
Although she didn't have much of an impression of the original owner's father, she wanted to find Lu Dashan's whereabouts for Lu Yao's sake.
Lu Qiqi turned to Song Yan and said calmly, "Thank you for inquiring for me. Please let me know if you have any news."
"good."
The distant firelight quickly caught Lu Qiqi's attention.
Above the border town, tiny sparks of fire rose slowly.
It's a Kongming lantern.
Clearly, Song Yanqing had also noticed this scene. The two stood on the east gate, looking up at the twinkling lights under the starry sky.
It captures the hopes and aspirations of women in border towns for their other half.
Suddenly, Lu Qiqi longed for peace in the border town, for the people to live and work in peace and contentment, and for them not to suffer the ravages of war that tore families apart.
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