Mrs. Fang really thinks this is a bit absurd.

She never knew a person could spend money so lavishly.

Mrs. Fang was not a stingy person. She came from a wealthy family and had never lacked money since she was a child. When she married into the Fang family, she came into a treasury. Even though Old Mrs. Fang and Old Mr. Fang met with accidents one after another, the family's difficulties were only due to their mood and hard work in the business, and they had never lacked money.

As such, she never thought money was a big deal, and she didn't care at all about the luxury her children enjoyed.

But she was still shocked by Miss Jun's extravagance.

The previous expenses in the capital were for opening a store. No matter how large the investment was, it didn't matter. It was business, and Mrs. Fang was not someone who didn't understand business. The same was true for the smallpox vaccination later on. Although doctors are kind-hearted and want to save the world and the people, all of these had rewards, including rewards from the court, the reputation of Jiulingtang, smallpox vaccine with small profits but quick turnover, and high-priced medicine that everyone was vying for.

Jiulingtang has now recovered all the money it spent previously.

Mrs. Fang looked at the account book and found that the money that Deshengchang had paid had been repaid, and a large sum of money had been deposited in addition.

Of course, all the money deposited into Jiulingtang has now been spent, and large amounts of money from Deshengchang have once again flowed to the north.

Especially in recent times, the amount was so large that even Mrs. Fang was shocked.

"That's enough to buy a whole city," she said. "What on earth has she done?"

"Just some random shopping." Fang Chengyu said with a smile, "Mother, you also know that prices in the north are high now. Many things are not available. If you need them urgently, you have to spend money."

"The situation in the North is like that, what is she still doing there?" Mrs. Fang thought of another important thing.

"There is always something to do." Fang Chengyu smiled, "Don't worry, mother."

How can I not worry? This girl is really a person who never lets me rest in peace. She spends more money every time. How long will this last? She won't be like this for the rest of her life, will she? Even if the Fang family has a mountain of gold and silver, they can't afford this.

Mrs. Fang thought of the words she blurted out when she was treating Fang Chengyu.

"If Chengyu can really save his life, I am willing to give Chengyu everything he deserves."

And she did not refuse, with a smile on her face.

"Okay," she said.

Mrs. Fang smiled bitterly. Now it seemed that her curing Chengyu was not a joke, and taking away the entire Fang family by her was not a joke either.

"I just can't understand why a little girl like her would spend so much money," she sighed. "What on earth is she going to do?"

"People live to do things." Fang Chengyu said seriously, "Otherwise, you've lived in vain. Just like money is earned to be spent, otherwise it's all in vain. I think doing things and spending money are the simplest things. You don't need to think too hard about it."

Mrs. Fang sneered.

"What's the point of figuring it out? You'll just do whatever she asks you to do," she said.

Fang Chengyu reached out and held Mrs. Fang's arm.

"Mother, I have been ill for so many years and have suffered so much, so now I have figured it out." He said sincerely and seriously, "The life I want is to be happy. If she is happy, I am happy, and my mother, grandmother and sisters are happy too. I can buy happiness with money. Isn't it simple and cost-effective?"

In the past, they couldn't buy happiness even if they had money. It's really simple and cost-effective to compare like this. Mrs. Fang smiled bitterly and looked at her son's face.

"As long as you are happy," she said.

"Of course I am very happy." Fang Chengyu said with a smile, "Who wouldn't be happy to know someone like Jiu Ling?"

Mrs. Fang glared at him.

"It's a pity that you didn't get married. Otherwise, no mother-in-law would like you as a daughter-in-law," she said.

Fang Chengyu laughed.

"Mother, you underestimate Jiuling." He said, "If she wants, she can please everyone."

If she is unwilling, she can make you angry to death with just a few words, like Madam Ning.

Mrs. Fang smiled, patted Fang Chengyu on the shoulder and left.

Fang Chengyu sat down at the desk again and opened the latest letter he had received.

"All the money has been exchanged for gold and silver cash. For the Northland nowadays, only cash is the most useful. She must have spent it on the spot anytime and anywhere. She spent more money on the journey than in Zhangqing Mountain, which means that the number of people and horses is increasing, and the expenditure is continuing." He said to himself, "What kind of escort can do this? It's just that woman who is being escorted?"

…

A gust of wind blew up, scattering the snow. A group of people on the field suddenly fell to the ground. Two or three children fell to the ground, crying.

They were dressed in rags and were carrying their families with them. It was obvious that they were refugees. They were so weak that they would collapse if the wind blew. It showed how miserable their situation was.

What was even worse was not the hunger and severe cold. The ground was shaking slightly, and the sound of horses' hooves galloped could be heard. This sound made the fleeing people panic.

"Get up, get up."

"What is it? Is it the military?"

"Are the Jin people coming?"

Panic discussions echoed among the crowd, making them even more uneasy. They wanted to escape but had nowhere to run. They stood there in a daze, and soon a large group of people appeared in their sight.

In the dim sunlight, the armor was bright, the flags were fluttering, and it was easy to distinguish the Zhou soldiers by their clothing.

Not a golden man.

If they were Jin people, they would just stand there and wait to die, but when they saw that they were Zhou soldiers, the people still did not look happy or relaxed, and looked at the approaching troops with vigilance.

There have been a lot of soldiers passing through these days, saying they are officers and soldiers who have been ordered to retreat south. Not only do these soldiers ignore the refugees, they sometimes even rob them.

When the group of people saw them, they stopped at the signal of their leader.

"Where are you from? Where are you going?" the leading man shouted.

The fleeing crowd retreated in tumult.

"Don't ask, they look scared."

A female voice came.

At the same time, a black horse rode out, and on it was a woman. The woman's face was covered with a cloth, which looked very strange.

The people who were fleeing looked somewhat surprised.

Can women serve in the military?

Before I could even finish my surprise, I saw the woman waving at me.

"Come and get some hot porridge."

Hot porridge?

The fleeing people thought they were hearing voices in their sleep, and then they saw a car coming out from behind the group of people, with several women jumping out of the car.

Although they were women, they wore cotton armor and had their hair tied up in hats, dressed like officers and soldiers.

"Come here, two pots of hot porridge, come and have some." They called out in a noisy manner.

Two large pots were placed on the ground in the cold wind, emitting steam and the aroma instantly spread.

Not a dream!

The fragrance immediately made the fleeing crowd lose all their minds and rush forward.

"Don't rush, there's enough for you," the women shouted, "line up."

There was a commotion, and to the shock of the officers and soldiers, the refugees lined up and selected two people to distribute porridge.

After doing all this, the team moved forward again without saying anything extra, as if they stopped just to put down the two pots of hot porridge.

And he didn't even wait, he even gave away the pots, bowls, pans, and utensils.

Although a bowl of hot porridge may not seem like much, it is enough to support these people to reach the next town safely in this winter.

"Which group of soldiers are these benefactors? We have never seen such soldiers before." Several refugees murmured, holding their bowls and looking at the troops going away on the road.

Never before had soldiers given porridge to people while marching. Moreover, they were really marching. During the process of giving out porridge, except for the women, everyone else stood solemnly on their horses, motionless, without changing their posture at all.

Stop when ordered, move when ordered, without any casualness.

This was completely different from the soldiers they had seen in recent days, or it was because of the retreat. Regardless of whether they were defeated or retreating on orders, the retreat always made these officers and soldiers feel inexplicably panicked.

Their expressions were uneasy and their formation was chaotic.

Such officers and soldiers are completely unable to bring a sense of security to the people, but instead add to the panic.

"There are words on that flag." An old man raised his head with a trembling look, his gray beard stained with rice porridge. He pointed at the big flag still fluttering in the wind in the distance and read it word by word, "Qingshan Army."