Chapter 116 Master Kang, give them something good to eat!
Under the blazing sun, the dust on the training ground was scorching hot.
A group of young rebel soldiers had been training all morning, their coarse clothes soaked with sweat, leaving large, dark stains on their backs. Suddenly, someone's stomach growled first, followed by a chorus of rumbling stomachs that spread through the ranks.
They had been starving for too long, and even though following Zhang Baichuan meant they could eat their fill, their stomachs were already giving them trouble.
They couldn't stand the hunger.
Huo Qubing stood by the drill ground, watching the young men with chapped lips still wielding their swords, and his brow furrowed involuntarily. He turned and strode towards the county government office.
Huo Qubing strode in, his steps steady. His gaze swept across the table before finally settling on Jiang Ge's face. He hesitated for a moment, as if considering his words, before speaking: "Magistrate Jiang, I would like to receive an advance on this month's salary."
Jiang Ge was taken aback, then smiled and said, "Is there something you urgently need...?"
"Replace them all with instant noodles," Huo Qubing added, his tone calm yet revealing an unwavering resolve.
"Instant noodles?" Jiang Ge didn't react for a moment, blinked, "What do you need so many instant noodles for?" You know, these historical figures in Songyang County are already tired of eating instant noodles, probably even Li Shimin doesn't like them anymore.
Why do I suddenly want instant noodles again?
Huo Qubing lowered his gaze slightly, his voice deepening: "The soldiers in the camp have been training all morning and haven't even had a hot meal."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ge's heart skipped a beat. He hesitated and said, "Instant noodles are convenient, but they're not a long-term solution. Perhaps..."
Instant noodles are convenient, but they cost money. Huo Qubing's salary could only last for a week at most, not even counting the 10,000 troops that Zhang Baichuan was about to bring.
Huo Qubing shook his head, his gaze resolute: "I want them to eat something good."
The midday sun hung overhead like a red-hot iron disc, and the dust on the training ground was scorching hot; stepping on it, you could feel the heat radiating through your straw sandals and burning your soles.
Wang Erdan licked his chapped lips, feeling as if he had a handful of sand stuck in his throat. He had lost count of how many times he had heard his stomach protesting; the sound was so loud that even Xiao Shuanzi next to him turned to look at him.
"Brother Erdan, just bear with it a little longer," Xiao Shuanzi said in a low voice, but he didn't dare to relax his grip on the knife in the slightest. "I heard that General Huo has gone to think of a solution."
Erdan didn't say anything, but tightened the straw rope around his waist one notch. He had learned this trick on his journey of fleeing famine—when he was starving, tightening his belt would make him think less about food. His gaze swept over his companions around him, who were also drenched in sweat. Most of these young faces, like his, were refugees who had fled famine from the north.
Their stomachs were rumbling.
The taste of hunger made them feel as if they had returned to that time, when the floodwaters were raging and countless people were walking on the land hungry, but there was no place for them to go.
At the edge of the training ground, several younger soldiers could barely stand, yet they stubbornly maintained their sword-wielding stances. Erdan recognized one of them, a thin boy with prominent cheekbones, named Shuisheng. He was only fourteen years old and had been pulled from the river after it breached its banks. Shuisheng's parents had been swept away, and he had clung to a piece of driftwood for three days.
"stand at attention!"
With a command given, the morning training finally ended. Erdan breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. He grabbed Xiaoshuanzi's shoulder to keep from falling, and images flashed before his eyes of those who had collapsed on the roadside during the famine, never to rise again.
He knew all too well what it felt like to starve to death—first, his vision would go black, then his whole body would grow cold, and finally, he wouldn't even feel the pain anymore...
"Look! General Huo is back!"
Someone shouted, and Erdan reluctantly looked up. There, at the entrance to the training ground, stood Huo Qubing's tall figure striding forward, followed by several creaking wooden carts. Even more surprising, the carts were piled high with colorful boxes, gleaming strangely in the sunlight.
"All assemble!" Huo Qubing's voice resounded across the training ground like a booming bell.
The soldiers, dragging their weary bodies, quickly lined up. Erdan, standing at the front, could clearly see the rare smile on General Huo's face. What surprised him even more was the strange patterns and characters printed on the boxes, like some kind of exotic script, yet exquisitely beautiful beyond compare.
"today,"
Huo Qubing patted the wooden box beside him, "I brought some fresh food for everyone."
At his command, several constables began unpacking the boxes. When the first paper bowl was brought out, a collective gasp of surprise rippled through the ranks. The bowl was pure white, adorned with red patterns, and its rim was sealed with a shimmering paper membrane—even more exquisite than the porcelain from the county magistrate's household.
This was Huo Qubing's special request. Although the bagged version was cheaper, the bowl version was more hygienic and convenient.
"This is instant noodles." Huo Qubing picked up a bowl and skillfully tore open the packaging. "Watch carefully, open it like this, then pour in the seasoning..."
Erdan stared wide-eyed as General Huo pulled several small bags from the bowl, tore them open, and sprinkled out some powder and dried vegetables. Most amazingly, there was also a small silver bag that, when opened, emitted a rich aroma of meat, causing everyone around to involuntarily swallow hard.
"Add water, and it will be ready to eat in three minutes," Huo Qubing said, and several large buckets of boiling water were brought over.
As hot water was poured into the bowl, an unprecedented aroma immediately burst forth in the air.
Erdan felt that he had never smelled such a fragrant aroma before—it was a mixture of wheat, meat and an indescribable savory fragrance, ten times more fragrant than the meat stewed by the richest family in the village during the Spring Festival in his memory.
"This...this must be something that gods eat, right?" Shui Sheng asked timidly from behind Er Dan, his eyes fixed on the bowl that was performing magic—the shiny paper membrane had actually bulged up on its own!
Huo Qubing smiled and lifted the lid: "It's ready to eat."
The first person to try the instant noodles was Zhao Tiezhu. This usually stern man carefully picked up a mouthful of noodles with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, then froze on the spot. Erdan saw his eyes widen instantly, and then tears welled up in them.
"How is it?" Huo Qubing asked.
Zhao Tiezhu didn't say anything, but took another big gulp, making a loud gulping sound as he drank the soup.
There was no need to ask anymore; the soldiers rushed forward, vying to get their own bowls.
Erdan held his portion of instant noodles, his fingers trembling. This bowl was more exquisite than any utensil he had ever used before. The warm temperature seeped through the bowl to his palm, reminding him of his mother's hands. He tore open the seasoning packet like General Huo had done. When the grease cube inside fell into the bowl, golden oil immediately bloomed in the hot water, and the aroma hit him right in the head.
"Brother Erdan, what does it say on this?" Xiao Shuanzi asked, pointing to a line of small characters on the side of the bowl.
Erdan shook his head. He couldn't read a single word, but there were pictures of vegetables and meat next to the text, so it must be describing what was in the noodles.
He took a deep breath and, imitating others, used chopsticks made from twigs to pick up the noodles.
The moment Erdan took his first bite, he felt his scalp tingle. The noodles were chewy and springy, coated in a rich broth, and an unprecedented umami flavor exploded on his tongue. It wasn't just salty, nor was it just fragrant; it was a complex, layered taste that made his taste buds feel like they were awakening for the first time.
"Ugh...!"
Erdan couldn't help but make a sound, and quickly shoveled down a large mouthful. The hot soup slid down his esophagus into his stomach, and the warmth immediately spread to his limbs. He suddenly remembered a sentence the old scholar had said when he and the villagers fled to a dilapidated temple and huddled together for warmth: "When you're full and warm, you think of lust."
He didn't understand what it meant at the time, but now he suddenly understands—when the body is no longer tormented by hunger and cold, people really do think about other things.
Just like now.
"Brother Erdan...this soup...this soup..." Xiao Shuanzi suddenly choked up, tears falling in large drops into the bowl, "Doesn't it look like the chicken soup my mother makes for Chinese New Year?"
Before the flood, although they were poor, they would still generously slaughter a chicken for the New Year so that the whole family could gather around to taste it and wish for a better year to come.
This is their wish.
Erdan didn't say anything, but simply reached out and ruffled Xiaoshuanzi's hair. He knew that Xiaoshuanzi's mother had starved to death in the first month of their escape from famine, and before she died, she had given her son the last half of a bran cake. The taste of this bowl of instant noodles probably stirred up Xiaoshuanzi's most precious and painful memory.
A cacophony of gasps and sobs filled the training ground. Some ate too hastily, their breaths rising from the scalding heat; others savored each bite, afraid of finishing too quickly; still others licked the bottom of their bowls clean after finishing every last drop. Shui Sheng crouched in a corner, holding his bowl, pausing after each bite to check how much was left, as if afraid the delicious food might suddenly vanish.
Even if there were arsenic in it, he would drink it all.
"Eat slowly, don't choke." Huo Qubing surveyed the crowd, occasionally stopping to teach a few illiterate soldiers how to tear open the seasoning packets. Seeing the young men wolfing down their food, his stern face softened slightly.
When Erdan was halfway through his meal, he suddenly noticed a few small, orange-red granules at the bottom of the bowl. Curious, he picked them up and tasted them. Instantly, an unprecedented umami flavor exploded in his mouth, ten times richer than the soup he had eaten before. He stared in astonishment, the taste as if the essence of an entire pig had been concentrated into these few tiny things.
“Those are chunks of beef,” Huo Qubing said, having appeared beside him unnoticed. “They’re just a bit small.”
Erdan stared wide-eyed as he carefully finished the last few sips of soup, even licking off the last specks of oil that clung to the rim of the bowl with his fingers.
After everyone had finished eating, the drill ground was unusually quiet. The soldiers held their empty bowls, their faces showing a dazed yet satisfied expression, as if they had just experienced a beautiful dream and were afraid that speaking loudly would wake them up.
"General Huo..." Zhao Tiezhu walked up to Huo Qubing and suddenly knelt on one knee. "On behalf of my brothers, I thank you, General!"
Immediately, all the soldiers on the drill ground knelt down in unison. Erdan knelt on the ground, looking at the empty bowl in his hand, and suddenly felt something burning in his chest. This was not just a favor of a meal, but the fact that they had tasted something good.
General Huo allowed them to eat such good food.
Huo Qubing raised his hand to signal everyone to stand up: "Get up, everyone. Follow me, Huo Qubing, and I will never let you go to war on an empty stomach."
These words were like a spark, igniting hope in everyone's hearts. Erdan saw Shuisheng's thin frame standing straight, his eyes shining; Xiaoshuanzi clutched the empty bowl tightly in his arms as if it were the most precious treasure; even the usually composed Zhao Tiezhu had red eyes and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
As the empty carts were being pushed away, Erdan overheard General Huo introducing the product as Master Kong instant noodles. Perhaps one day, when peace reigns, he'll be able to eat Master Kong noodles again...
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Author's note: [I'm speechless][I'm speechless] Unless Bai Qi treats me to braised pork, I've really lost.
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