He Xiong watched from the side and couldn't help but laugh as he said, "No wonder Yong'an looks forward to having guests over. He always has good things from him. Even I, as his uncle, get to enjoy some of his goodies."
Tai Jiye said politely, "It's not a good thing, but what's rare is that my family prepared it personally, so it must be more attentive than others. I hope Brother He doesn't mind it!"
"No problem, no problem!" He Xiong waved his hand and replied, "You know, the border troops are very poor right now. Luckily you brought your own things, otherwise I'm really afraid I wouldn't be able to entertain you. Today, I'll cook some dumplings for you. I also hid a jar of strong liquor. Let's not go home until we're drunk tonight."
"Great, dumplings and wine, the more the merrier!" Tai Jiye chimed in, and asked casually, "Do you want to send some dumplings to the general as well?"
As the commander of the frontier army, the general held a distinguished position and was busy with military affairs. Tai Jiye hadn't considered drinking with the general, but his family had sent him food, and the general had always taken good care of Yong'an, so he should still be polite.
He Xiong hesitated for a moment and replied, "Let me ask someone."
After saying that, he walked outside the tent, called out to a smart personal soldier, and gave him a few instructions.
After a while, the guard came back and reported, "The general has gone to inspect the camp. I don't know if he can come back tonight."
He Xiong spread his hands and laughed, "Don't blame me for eating alone, it's really because the general doesn't have this good fortune!"
No one else dared to say this except him, who grew up with the general.
So Tai Jiye and Chen Zhao just smiled and let it go.
On this side, He Xiong arranged people to cook dumplings, stir-fry dishes, and prepare a banquet. On the other side, in Tai Yongan's tent, a group of soldiers had already started eating!
Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue always thought that they were very "generous" when they ate by themselves, but they didn't expect to see their brother's soldiers today, which was really eye-opening!
Because they knew that the dumplings would be sent to the military camp, the women and men in the village made very large dumplings, each one as big as a naughty boy's fist, and they were stuffed full of stuffing.
But these soldiers threw down their chopsticks, picked up a dumpling, put it in their mouths, chewed it twice, and swallowed it. Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue were choking for them and hurriedly helped to pour the dumpling soup, worried that their big brother's team would not be killed by the enemy, but would be lost in a basket of dumplings...
Chen Ruiyang just watched with a smile. He had been rich since childhood and had never suffered any hardship. However, he had seen a lot of suffering in the world when he went south to find his father and then returned to Tai'an, so he was not surprised.
Tai Yongan was used to it. Although he would have to have another meal with his uncles and brothers soon, he did not hesitate to fill his stomach in advance.
He also grabbed the chopsticks and handed them to his younger brothers, then joined the team grabbing dumplings.
"Eat slowly, there's more, there's more!"
Although he said so, his men were not slow at all, and he even pulled his younger brothers forward anxiously.
Tai Yonglu, Tai Yongyue and Chen Ruiyang were all stunned and started eating without thinking.
Unexpectedly, these dumplings were so popular that they actually tasted even better!
In the end, all the dumplings were eaten up, not even a drop of the dumpling soup was left. Everyone held their stomachs and chatted while digesting the food.
One soldier couldn't help but sigh, "It's so comfortable! The dumplings are so delicious! It's worth it even if I have to go to see the King of Hell right now!"
Another veteran quickly forced him to spit to the side, "Pooh! Pooh! Pooh! The bad ones don't work, but the good ones do!"
Then he bowed to the top of the tent and said, "God, don't take it personally! You didn't hear anything!"
Everyone couldn't help laughing, especially Tai Yongyue and the others. This old soldier looked exactly like the aunties and ladies in the village.
One soldier struck up a new conversation, asking, "Brothers, your family is having such a good time! You're always sending Yong'an meat sauce and dumplings. It's so enviable! When we're discharged, we'll follow Yong'an to your village and settle down, right?"
"Okay," Tai Yonglu responded, "Our village already has retired veterans, and now the patrols in the village are all in the charge of the veterans.
"However, our family is not rich. The reason why we sent so much food to my eldest brother is because we love him and the elders are worried that he will not have enough to eat or wear warm clothes here.
"Also, it's good luck that we were able to send so many dumplings this time. A few days ago, we went hunting in the mountains and killed three wild boars. Before we set off, my second aunt and all the aunts and sisters in the village made dumplings overnight. Otherwise, my brother and you wouldn't have been able to eat them."
The soldiers' eyes lit up as they heard this. They asked, "Wow, you guys are amazing! Wild boars are more ferocious than bears, and you actually hunted three?"
"Haha, of course! It was very dangerous at that time..." Yonglu was never stage-frightened. He danced and reenacted his bravery of that day with everyone else. Occasionally, Yongyue and Chen Ruiyang would help to add to his remarks.
In reality, every single one of the border troops was incredibly brave, seasoned in countless battles. They'd chopped off human heads, not to mention hunting wild animals. They weren't exactly surprised or impressed by three boys killing wild boars; they simply saw a reflection of their younger selves in them.
Think about it, they did the same thing back home. Occasionally setting a trap to catch a rabbit was enough to brag about for a whole year!
Just as they were talking excitedly, He Xiong sent someone to look for the boys. It turned out that the banquet was ready.
Tai Yongan gave a few instructions and took his younger brothers out.
He Xiong, Chen Zhao and Tai Jiye have all sat down. The hot dumplings, plump and juicy, lying on the plates are extremely tempting.
Seeing the boys coming over, the guards at the door hurried to help open the curtain. It was not that they were flattering, but they had just eaten Tai's dumplings.
He Xiong called out to the boys, "Where have you been? I've been waiting for you to eat. If you don't come over, my saliva will flow like a river."
The boys smiled and hurried over.
Tai Yongan picked up the wine jar and filled it for the elders while saying, "Just now, I took my brothers and my soldiers to grab some dumplings to eat. Unfortunately, we didn't win over them, so we only ate half full! Uncle He is really good, waiting for us to eat together!"
He Xiong laughed heartily and said to Tai Jiye, "Is this kid always so smooth-talking at home? He speaks so eloquently. I'm afraid he'll have no shortage of wives in the future. He's such a good flatterer!"
Tai Jiye was also close to him and joked, "You weren't like this at home. Who knows why you've changed so much now?"
He Xiong came to his senses and glared, "Oh, you mean he learned it from me!"
Everyone laughed, and the tent was bustling with activity.
Seeing how close He Xiong was to the Tai family, Chen Zhao relaxed and took off his cloak to toast He Xiong.
Tai Jiye was afraid they'd drunk too much, so he quickly urged them to eat their dumplings first. It wouldn't be too late to drink later once they were mostly full.
Soon, almost all the dumplings on the table were eaten. As everyone chatted, He Xiong asked, "It's snowy and windy on the grassland at this time of year. It's too risky for you to go. Besides, I heard that the grassland royal court is not peaceful and is in chaos!"
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