Tuning is a vast and sparsely populated area. Where it borders the Beiqi grassland, there is a stretch of gentle hills. Some of the mountains are planted with mulberry trees, which are lush and green and full of vitality.
Among them, the Wen and Mei families, who had obtained approval from the county government to build textile workshops, were financially strong. They each hired a group of villagers, built silkworm rooms, planted mulberry trees, picked mulberry leaves every day to feed the silkworms, and began to try reeling silk and weaving.
The magistrate arrived, and after inspecting the government property, he stopped by to see the merchants' silkworm rooms. Upon hearing the news, Mei Tianfu and his wife hurried to the foot of Sangshan Mountain to accompany him personally.
Jiang Yushu walked into the spacious silkworm room. Amid the rustling sounds of the silkworms gnawing, she glanced at the neatly arranged bamboo shelves and praised with a smile, "Not bad. Spacious and clean, well-ventilated and well-lit. The silkworm room is very well arranged."
"I learned all this from the government," Mei's wife said, standing between the magistrate and her husband, shifting her feet fearfully. "Thank you, sir, for allowing us to learn from you. It would have been difficult to figure it out on our own."
Mei Tianfu led the way respectfully, "Sir, the silkworms in this room have shed their skins twice. Look, they've grown fat."
Jiang Yushu stopped in front of a bamboo plaque, bent down to examine it carefully, and nodded. "Hmm, good, the size is acceptable. I've looked around and your silkworms are the whitest and plumpest so far. You must be feeding them well."
"Hehehe, thank you for your praise, sir! Thank you!" Mei Tianfu laughed happily, unable to hide his pride.
Mei's wife modestly said: "We are just doing small things, and we are far inferior to the government."
Mei Tianfu casually picked up a silkworm, smiled, and then sighed, "Oh, these little creatures are really greedy. They chew all day long. The mulberry trees I have planted are only enough to feed the silkworms in two rooms. I dare not raise more for fear that they will starve to death."
"Silkworm eggs are cheap. If we raise a few batches at first, we'll have a constant supply. The problem is the mulberry leaves." Mei's wife stared fearfully at the fleshy worms between her husband's fingers, then quietly moved away, thinking, "We'll have to plant more mulberry trees next year."
"The Wen family planted a mountain of mulberry trees, and they felt much more at ease."
Jiang Yushu also picked up a silkworm, turning it over and over to examine it, silently comparing the differences between the silkworms raised by several major silkworm farmers. She reminded them, "Growing mulberry trees, raising silkworms, reeling silk and weaving cloth, selling it, etc., it's a complete process, and it's closely linked. You'd better think it over carefully before making a decision, and don't blindly plant more mulberry trees."
"Thank you very much for your guidance, sir." Seeing the magistrate also catching insects with his bare hands, Mei's wife secretly groaned. She wanted to hide, but she didn't dare to go far away. She stood by and respectfully said, "Fortunately, I have a silk shop at home. At worst, we can produce and sell it ourselves. It's an unfamiliar business, so I won't try to make money in the first two years. I'm glad I can figure out the ropes."
Jiang Yushu glanced at Mei's wife and said gently, "With such ideas and determination, you should succeed."
"I hope your words will come true, my humble wife..." Before Mei's wife could finish her words, a writhing fleshworm suddenly appeared before her eyes. She was instantly terrified and screamed, "Ah!" She angrily shouted, "Mei, Mei Tianfu, damn it, you are scaring me again, get away! Stay away from me!"
Mei Tianfu, despite being scolded, didn't flinch. Instead, he brought the silkworm close to his wife's face and said with a grin, "What kind of occasion is this? Who has the time to scare you? I just want to ask the magistrate for his opinion!"
Jiang Yushu put the silkworm back on the bamboo tray and frowned, saying, "Some people are naturally afraid of insects. Why are you trying to scare her? Put the silkworm back quickly."
"Hehehe, yes, yes." Mei Tianfu followed his instructions and released the silkworms. While trying to stop his wife from pinching him, he invited her, "It's noon now. Shopkeeper Wen and I have prepared a small banquet. I beg you to do me the honor of coming to our farm for a simple meal. How about it?"
In front of everyone, Mei's wife couldn't chase after her husband. She swallowed her breath, adjusted her clothes awkwardly, and said, "It's just a common meal. You have worked hard for a long time. Please do us a favor and give us a chance to express our gratitude."
Jiang Yushu looked at her tired-looking subordinates, pondered for a moment, and was about to speak when she suddenly saw two guards rushing into the silkworm room and happily reported:
"Madam, some herdsmen say that the army has returned victorious!"
"What?"
Jiang Yushu was surprised and delighted. She quickly approached and asked, "Really? Are you sure?"
The two guards nodded vigorously, and Zou Gui excitedly said, "A few villagers were herding sheep outside the village. The army was about to pass, so they were ordered to make way. They quickly drove the sheep back and brought back the news."
Jiang Yushu's spirits immediately lifted, her heart pounding like a drum. She turned around on the spot, slapped her forehead vigorously, and said decisively: "Where will the army pass by? Take me to see it quickly, and welcome it, welcome the triumphant army!"
"I've asked around, and they say it's just outside the village, not far from the entrance."
She couldn't wait to go out, "Lead the way!"
"Yes! Please go slower." The guards were also impatient and surrounded the magistrate and left.
The clerk and Mei Tianfu and others were stunned. Mei Tianfu came back to his senses and smiled, clapping his hands and said, "Are you back in triumph? Oh, you're finally back! I'll go too, to welcome the captain." As he spoke, he followed excitedly.
Seeing this, the others hesitated for a few breaths, then swarmed after him. "The magistrate has already gone, so there's no reason for us not to go. Let's go and see the triumphant army."
So, a large group of people, led by the county magistrate, including minor officials, guards, yamen runners, mulberry farmers and silkworm farmers, rushed to the village entrance. After walking five or six miles, they saw the army in the distance before they reached the intersection.
The army was huge, most of them were cavalry, and only a few were support infantry stationed in the rocky gully. The team was winding and there was no end in sight.
There were tens of thousands of fierce war horses from the enemy country in the team, carrying all kinds of spoils, and they returned with a full load.
Due to the heavy load and fatigue, the team moved forward slowly. When the soldiers heard the noise, they all turned their heads and looked at the path leading to the mountain village.
Jiang Yushu and his entourage rode to the intersection, and everyone was dazzled and said in unison: "Look, it really is a large army!"
"So many soldiers and horses."
"Those horses must be carrying spoils of war?"
"Of course! After a victory, how can we not bring something back home?"
"The Northern Bandits have burned, killed, and looted us countless times, but today they finally got their revenge."
"here you go!"
…
The villagers arrived one after another. Even if they had no relatives or friends who had returned from the battle, they were overjoyed and happy to have defeated the enemy. They crowded to the roadside to greet them.
The soldiers returning from the expedition were naturally happy to see the villagers welcoming them with smiles. As long as no one hindered their march, they tacitly allowed the people to watch.
Jiang Yushu was extremely anxious. She opened her eyes wide and looked for a long time, but she didn't recognize any of them. In desperation, she asked a strange soldier: "Hey, my good man, where is Guo Honglei?"
"What?" The young soldier was caught off guard and looked at the woman in official robes in surprise, stunned.
"Guo Honglei," she held her breath, her voice trembling, "I'm looking for Guo Honglei. Is he... back?"
The soldier came to his senses and said, "Oh! Captain Guo, of course you're back. Let's go back to the camp together."
The team continued to move forward, and she followed on horseback, patting her chest as if she had been pardoned. "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Where is he? Why, why didn't I see him?"
Several nearby soldiers understood and pointed forward in unison, "It's ahead. The captain and the others are ahead, they've already passed by."
"In front?" Jiang Yushu thanked him and rode her horse hurriedly to look for him. She was anxious to see him with her own eyes so that she could feel at ease. She kept asking, "Where is Guo Honglei?"
In a short while, without her having to ask, the soldiers at the edge of the team guessed his identity and took the initiative to inform him, "The captain is ahead."
"He's not here. Please look further ahead."
"Still ahead?" Jiang Yushu was anxious, but she managed to hold her temper, carefully riding her horse through the narrow path left by the soldiers, following the long procession forward to inquire. Fortunately, she was wearing her official robes, otherwise, she would have been stopped and questioned long ago.
I don’t know how much time passed in my anxiety, and I don’t know how many tired and bloodstained faces I saw, when suddenly a clear whistle sounded in my ears.
who?
Jiang Yushu subconsciously reined in her horse and turned her head to look:
In the team, surrounded by personal guards, Tong Jing, with his arm in a sling, smiled as if he had met an old acquaintance. "County Magistrate Jiang, long time no see. How have you been lately?"
Zuo Zhen was standing diagonally in front of us, also smiling, "How did you know we were coming back today? You came specially to pick us up—"
"Is it...ours?" Tong Jing deliberately drew out his words. He had been away for too long, feeling suffocated. As soon as he returned to the battlefield, he couldn't help but put on a playful smile.
Zuo Zhen glanced at his friend and said, "Hey, be serious. Be careful not to be seen by Hong Lei."
"What are you afraid of? I'm just saying hello to the magistrate. It's a courtesy!" Tong Jing said confidently.
Jiang Yushu held the reins tightly and had no time to listen to their idle chatter. She mistakenly thought her husband was nearby and looked for him intently.
The next moment, the sound of a whip suddenly came from the front.
She turned her head hastily and looked up:
"Madam, here!" Peng Changrong and several other familiar soldiers waved their hands.
Guo Honglei left the team and stopped his horse by the roadside. He was covered in dust, his uniform was tattered and bloodstained, his beard was unshaven, and his head was bandaged... He had lost a lot of weight and looked disheveled, but he was in high spirits.
"Oh, so you're here—I've been looking for you for ages!"
The two men faced each other. In an instant, Jiang Yushu smiled and trotted towards him. In a moment, she dismounted, threw away the reins and whip, and galloped towards him.
Guo Honglei also dismounted, strode with his head held high, and took her in his arms, and asked cheerfully, "Who told you we were coming back today?"
"I happened to be out of town and came to Sangshan Village to do some business. The herdsmen, the herdsmen told me that the army had returned triumphantly." She was breathless and incoherent with excitement. She put her hands on his arms and looked him up and down.
"Don't worry, I'm not seriously injured." Guo Honglei examined her for a moment, then couldn't help but raise his right hand, which was covered in blood scabs, to stroke her cheek. "You've lost a lot of weight. What's wrong? Did the harvest fail this summer? The magistrate has become so thin from starvation."
"No!"
Guo Honglei asked knowingly, "Then why did you become thinner?"
"What a bitter summer. Don't you think this summer is particularly hot?" Her eyes were filled with tears.
Guo Honglei replied seriously: "It is indeed hot."
Very good, God bless you, no limbs are missing! Jiang Yushu felt relieved, tears in her eyes, and raised her hand to touch his head. "It's wrapped like this, where is the injury? Is it serious?"
At this time, Tong Jing, Zuo Zhen and other generals passed by and replied jokingly in a loud voice: "The injury is not serious, but it is on the forehead, which has disfigured his face."
"It's disfigured."
"He said he was afraid that his wife would dislike him."
"Alas, such a handsome young man has been disfigured. How pitiful! Could the magistrate please not despise him?"
"That's right! Madam Guo, just make do with it."
…
Guo Honglei couldn't do anything about his comrades, so he said helplessly, "Don't listen to their nonsense."
Jiang Yushu's head got hot, and she told the cheering generals loudly, "How could I dislike him? No matter what he looks like, as long as he remains the same, I like him!" After she finished speaking, she couldn't help herself, and suddenly pounced on him and hugged him tightly.
The generals were dumbfounded, and then they started to boo even more, shouting, "Oh, wow, wow, wow, wow, look at this affectionate couple!"
"Well, in broad daylight, in public, that's pretty bold."
"Honglei is so lucky."
…
Guo Honglei smiled, hugged the person in his arms tightly, and whispered, "My clothes are very dirty, I look like a beggar, and you don't mind."
Jiang Yushu hid her face in his chest, weeping with joy, tears streaming down her face, and choked out, "As long as you can come back safely, even if you become a beggar, it doesn't matter!"
"Silly." He felt warm and at ease. With a strong effort, he lifted her off the ground and moved her to the side to make way for the soldiers.
"What's a disfigurement? In fact, I'm more scared. I'm really scared that you won't come back." She also tried hard, crying and laughing, rushing, hugging and pushing. The two of them hugged each other intimately, staggering steps, and were so happy that they didn't know what to do.
"Don't cry, I'm back, right?"
…
The soldiers passing by heard the general's laughter and started to cheer and laugh.
At the same time, Tuning Guard Camp
"snort!"
Commander Song Jikun threw a document to the ground with a cold expression, angrily saying, "This is ridiculous!"
The confidant hurriedly squatted down to pick it up and carefully persuaded him, "General, please calm down. Perhaps the court just wants to ask a question."
"What's there to ask? Aren't the facts obvious?" Song Jikun was furious. He pointed at the document, feeling a headache. "Speaking of such things, asking me to ask questions like this, wouldn't that just chill the hearts of my subordinates?"
The confidant consoled him, saying, "Captain Guo and the others are sensible. They can blame anyone—well, anyway, it's not the general's fault. You're merely following the court's orders to investigate."
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