Chapter 101 Happy Mid-Autumn Festival
"My lord, my lord!"
Meng Yue and Qiu Liming were covered in mud and rushed into the general's tent dripping wet.
They wiped the rain off their faces anxiously and surrounded Xiao Zhuo who was playing chess with Song Zhen.
"My lord, something terrible has happened."
The two men were truly uneasy about leaving Shen Yuexi in charge of making bows and arrows. Even if Meng Yue were to personally supervise, producing tens of thousands of arrows in three days would be impossible. Putting a mere woman in charge was simply unreliable. However, since their lord had forbidden them to ask further questions, the two men dared not disobey.
On the first day, both men were able to sit still, simply sending their soldiers to gather information. On the second day, they were so restless they couldn't even eat. On the third day, both men were on edge, planning to personally visit the workshop at the pass to inspect the progress of the bow and arrow production. If Shen Yuexi didn't make any progress—which was almost certain—then they could persuade their lord to flee immediately.
Unlike a large army of tens of thousands of people, a small army of a few hundred people can run away at any time.
However, Shen Yuexi was the lord's wife, and going there directly under the guise of checking on the progress would be too disrespectful to the lord. After a long discussion, the two decided to go privately. To avoid attracting attention, they chose to go at night and without torches to avoid being discovered.
As a result, as soon as they walked out of the tent, it suddenly rained heavily, soaking the two of them like drowned rats.
The two men were strong and battle-hardened, so they didn't mind. However, the road was muddy and slippery, with one foot deep and the other shallow, making walking difficult.
Arriving in the darkness at the workshop camp halfway up the mountain, I discovered that the vast camp was completely deserted. Only a few dozen makeshift wooden sheds had lights on.
"What's going on?" Meng Yue looked at Qiu Liming, "Old Qiu, weren't you working very hard the past two days?"
On the first day, Shen Yuexi and Yang Cong recruited workers from Xiaogang Village to mine iron and forge bows and arrows. The villagers responded enthusiastically, recruiting over a hundred people. They worked shed builders, mined the iron, pushed carts, and burned charcoal... It was a bustling scene, truly reminiscent of the real thing.
How come it suddenly died down on the third day?
Qiu Liming looked at the dark site. Dozens of iron ore trucks were parked outside the mine, dripping with water in the rain. Shovels and pickaxes were scattered across the mud. The stove in the shed was sparking, flickering.
He wiped the rain off his face with his sleeve and said, "Maybe they're all taking shelter in the warehouse?"
As he spoke, he nodded toward the largest shed in the distance. Unlike the other open-air sheds, which had only a roof, the largest shed was surrounded by wooden planks to protect it from wind and rain, effectively acting as a warehouse.
Meng Yue said, "How ridiculous! The Western Rong army will arrive tomorrow. If it were me, I would have to complete my lord's order even if I had to stay awake for three days and three nights. If it rains, we will stop working..."
Qiu Liming glanced at him and said, "Military orders are as heavy as a mountain, but Madam is an exception."
This sentence made Meng Yue roll his eyes. After hesitating for a long time, he said, "We don't have any arrows. The Xirong are coming. Old Qiu, you go first."
Qiu Liming whispered, "Don't say it's so early. Maybe everyone is still working in the warehouse. Don't wrongly accuse Madam. Let's go to the warehouse and take a look."
Braving the rain, the two men sneaked into the camp under the shadows and groped their way to the warehouse.
Before reaching the warehouse, I heard Shen Yuexi's voice from inside.
"...See? Press it down little by little until it's firm. But don't press too hard, or it'll break. Onion has figured it out, so if you have any questions, ask her."
"I know, I know." The voices of the villagers rang out one after another.
Qiu Liming nudged Meng Yue beside him with his elbow and whispered, "Did you hear that? Madam hasn't wasted any time at all. She's leading everyone to work."
"But what are they pressing?" Meng Yue asked.
"Stupid, it must be an arrowhead, what else could it be."
"But arrowheads are forged by blacksmiths, right? How can something like this be pressed out?"
As they argued, they reached the warehouse wall, separated from the interior by a single board, making the sounds even clearer. Qiu Liming looked around and found a small hole letting in light. He leaned in to take a look.
The warehouse was brightly lit, and the villagers were surrounding it in three layers. He could only see their backs and couldn't see what was happening in the middle.
Shen Yuexi's voice rang out again among the crowd: "Is everything packed?"
"It's pressed, it's pressed." Everyone shouted at once.
"Onions, take someone to grill them. But remember not to use high heat, the last batch got burnt."
"Alright," Yang Cong said excitedly, "This is the first time I've made something this exquisite. I'm really excited."
Shen Yuexi smiled and said, "The method is very simple. The main thing is that the mold is well carved. It's all thanks to Master Liu."
A man in the crowd said, "If Madam Pei hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known that a carpenter like me could do this."
mold?
Outside the wall, Meng Yue and Qiu Liming looked at each other.
Meng Yue whispered to Qiu Liming, "Old Qiu, do we need a mold to make arrowheads?"
"I don't understand. It's probably a new forging method. That's probably why the lord asked the lady to take charge. She..."
Before Qiu Liming could finish his words, the warehouse door opened and a group of villagers, led by Yang Cong, rushed out. The two of them quickly hid in the shadows and watched as everyone walked towards the nearby shed under umbrellas.
More than ten villagers were holding a plate in their hands. There seemed to be something on it, but it was hard to see clearly in the dark.
The two were curious and wanted to follow to see what was going on. Then Shen Yuexi's voice was heard again in the warehouse.
"Come on, let's make a new batch."
After hearing this, the two men didn't bother to chase the villagers, and quickly put their ears to the wooden board to listen carefully.
"Everyone, what kind of filling should we put in this time?" Shen Yuexi's smiling voice sounded.
"Red bean paste, red bean paste," a woman's voice called out, "My child loves red bean paste the most!"
Another auntie shouted, "Walnuts, put walnuts in there! Walnuts are good for your brain!"
"What are you shouting about? The batch that just came out was filled with walnuts, and this time we're adding date paste!" an old man retorted.
Qiu Liming and Meng Yue were shocked.
Red bean paste, walnuts, jujube paste... these foods have nothing to do with arrowheads. The mistress of the lord is actually leading everyone to... cook!
Meng Yue stood up and wanted to rush in, but Qiu Liming grabbed him and said, "What are you going in for?"
"They're wasting their time eating and drinking here. I'll go in and let them do some work..."
"No, no, we can't interfere in this matter. We have to find the lord."
"Yes, go find the lord quickly, go find the lord quickly!"
The two men finished their conversation with Xiao Zhuo, spitting profusely. They thought Xiao Zhuo would slam the table and fly into a rage. However, Xiao Zhuo didn't even raise an eyebrow, put down the tea bowl in his hand, and smiled at Song Zhen:
"I see. We've been marching and fighting all day, and we've actually forgotten such an important date."
Song Zhen waved his feather fan and smiled, "Not to mention the lord, even I forgot."
Meng Yue and Qiu Liming were confused and stared at Xiao Zhuo blankly: "My Lord, what are you talking about?"
"Today is Mid-Autumn Festival," Shen Yuexi's cheerful voice rang out from outside the tent, "I made mooncakes especially for everyone."
The curtain opened, and Shen Yuexi walked in, holding a plate in one hand. On it were dozens of mooncakes with intricate and exquisite patterns.
Meng Yue and Qiu Liming were both stunned.
If you calculate the time, today is the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. Their minds are so full of thoughts about the war that they have actually forgotten about the Mid-Autumn Festival.
"My left hand has walnut filling, and my right hand has red bean paste filling." Shen Yuexi put the plate on the table, picked up two mooncakes and placed them in front of Xiao Zhuo, "Which one do you like, my husband?"
"The one on the right hand." Xiao Zhuo took the mooncake from Shen Yuexi's hand with a smile on his face.
Shen Yuexi said to the others in the account, "Everyone, take it yourself."
Song Zhen took a mooncake and said with a smile, "I'll eat it first. Playing chess with the lord is too tiring. This one with walnut filling is just right."
"But...but, my lord." Meng Yue and Qiu Liming stuttered twice, then lifted the curtain and rushed out one after another.
My lord and my lady, there is no problem with making mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival, but what about the serious matter of making bows and arrows?
Let these two generals supervise the craftsmen.
Shen Yuexi took Xiao Zhuo's arm and said, "Husband, we have to admire the moon and offer sacrifices to the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival. How about we go out and admire the moon together?"
Xiao Zhuo nodded. The two of them snuggled together and slowly walked out of the tent.
The heavy rain outside had long since stopped, and the dark clouds had dispersed, revealing a full moon like a jade plate. The air was moist and carried the fragrance of earth. The night breeze blew, bringing bursts of coolness.
Meng Yue and Qiu Liming stood there like two wooden stakes, staring blankly at the endless stream of torches forming a long line to the north of the camp. Villagers and soldiers were pushing carts bringing bundles of crossbow arrows into the camp.
"Four hundred repeating crossbows, forty thousand crossbow arrows, delivered on schedule."
Shen Yuexi smiled and said to Xiao Zhuo, "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!"
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