Chapter 205 Worries
The only advantage of the barbarians was their loose discipline, or rather, the lack of discipline altogether. The generals ate roasted meat, toasted each other, and spoke in loud voices.
From the conversation, Lin Yuesha learned that the group's location was not too far from Hanmen Pass. The barbarians had already set up a secret passage in the city, which led to the outside of Hanmen Pass.
They plundered grain, cloth, and other supplies from the Great Qi and transported them to the border region via secret passages to serve as military provisions for the barbarian invasion of the Great Qi.
"Little girl, these lamb skewers taste alright. There's still fresh meat in the kitchen; have Granny Wu send it over."
While dining with the generals, there weren't enough mutton skewers to go around. Yuwen Kun remembered that he had hunted a deer that morning and planned to have Lin Yuesha grill some venison.
After he gave his instructions, he saw everyone nodding in agreement.
"People in Daqi say that our Sishui City is bitterly cold, but they don't know that our people have meat to eat all year round, while in Daqi, eating beef will get you sent to prison."
A rough-looking barbarian snorted, clearly looking down on the people of Daqi.
"That's right, especially the women of Daqi. They're always putting on an act, pretending to be chaste and virtuous. That's because the men of Daqi are no good."
Another person stood up, first toasting the city lord Yuwen Kun with a cup, then repeatedly raising his cup and drinking it all in one gulp.
When the topic turned to women, the group became very interested and gathered together to chat, whispering among themselves and laughing so loudly it could have pierced the roof.
Lin Yuesha first marinated the venison. She lowered her eyes and eavesdropped on the generals' chatter.
Granny Wu and the Deep-Eyed Sisters were both servants and had limited information, which was currently quite unfavorable to her.
"Sigh, those young girls, they swear to keep their chastity until it's all over, but once I get my hands on them, they start clinging to me, hahaha!"
The barbarian general made lewd remarks and casually shared his experiences of seeking pleasure in brothels. He noted that the women of the Great Qi were indeed more alluring than the barbarian women due to their delicate and supple bodies.
Lin Yuesha really wanted to roll her eyes. These people never said a single serious word.
Currently, the Prince of Zhenbei has been assassinated, and the barbarians have not yet ascertained the truth. They are afraid of falling into the Prince of Zhenbei's trap, and therefore dare not make any rash moves.
War is imminent. If the Great Qi loses its advantage, the border city will be in grave danger.
The Lantern Festival celebrations were marred by a tragic scene, causing Lin Yuesha to feel worried about the safety of her family.
...
Night had fallen, but the town was far from peaceful. Every household had an oil lamp burning, and occasionally, shadows flickered on the Korean paper.
Mrs. Chen cooked a large pot of hot noodle soup, sighing from time to time.
Several days had passed, and only today, with the Qi soldiers stationed in the town to protect the safety of the people, did the family dare to come out of the cellar.
The streets were under martial law, and people were not allowed to go out. Anyone found doing so would be treated as a spies of the barbarians.
"Aunt, let me serve the noodles."
Chen Xiaohua entered the kitchen with a worried look in her eyes, but she smiled and said cheerfully, "I'm hungry."
That day, the family sold a lot of money from the Lantern Festival lanterns. In the process of fleeing, they couldn't care less about the tables, chairs, benches, bowls, and chopsticks. Chen Xiaohua tightly hugged the money box. The family ran to the intersection and happened to meet Chen Shi and Xiao Chenggui. They didn't have time to discuss anything and went straight back to the courtyard.
Strangely enough, after returning, the group discovered a cellar in the kitchen of the courtyard where they could hide.
Mrs. Chen was waiting for her daughter, Lin Yuesha, to come home when someone came to deliver a message telling them to hide quickly, as Lin Yuesha was currently safe.
In the past, people had come to her house to deliver messages and money, so Chen did not suspect anything and that's why she hid.
Several days have passed, and the whole family has come out of the cellar, but Lin Yuesha still hasn't returned home.
"I wonder when Yue Sha and Ting Yun will be able to come back."
Chen sighed repeatedly. If it weren't for Xiao Chenggui's composure, she would probably have fainted from crying by now.
"Aunt, that person has returned with a message, so Xiaoya and Brother Xiao must be safe."
Chen Xiaohua tried to persuade her aunt, Chen Shi, that given the current situation in the city, with martial law in place, it would be difficult for the two of them to return home; they would be arrested as spies of the barbarians.
“I understand the reasoning, but I don’t know how much hardship my little girl has suffered outside.”
As Chen carried the noodle soup into the room, the smell of medicinal soup instantly filled the air.
Chen Lin's son, Xiao Shitou, was frightened and remained in a daze. The family had some medicinal herbs that Master Xuan had sent before, but they couldn't prepare enough for the Xiao'er Ning Shen Tang (Children's Calming Soup). It was Xiao Chenggui who managed to get some tonics to strengthen the body's foundation.
There are no doctors to be found right now, and everyone is on edge.
"Is Little Stone feeling any better?"
When Chen came in, she first touched my little stone's forehead and found that it wasn't so hot anymore.
The cellar wasn't very well ventilated, and the whole family was afraid that burning too much firewood would attract the barbarians, so they endured the freezing temperatures for several nights.
The adults were fine, but the children, being of weaker constitutions, couldn't handle it and immediately fell ill.
"Much better."
Little Stone's mother, Wang, wiped away her tears with emotion. Thanks to her family for taking care of her, she really didn't know what to do otherwise.
With war breaking out in the border towns, the people were at a loss. Grain shops hadn't even opened before they were looted, and grain prices were bound to skyrocket.
We have some stockpiled at home, but it's not quite enough.
Madam Chen recalled the news her daughter had brought back from Hanmen Pass. She had planned to buy grain when the shop opened, but before she could, a great change occurred.
As the group was talking, a commotion broke out in the courtyard.
Xiao Chenggui pulled Chen Shi along, and the two hurriedly went out.
Xiao Qi stood in the courtyard, looking weathered, carrying a package in his hand.
"You're back. Where's your little sister?"
Xiao Chenggui became more concerned about Lin Yuesha and even felt some dissatisfaction with his son.
"My little sister lives in the mountains, it's very safe there."
Xiao Qi threw down the bag, which contained cleaned pheasants, rabbits, and a badger, all of which the two of them hadn't had time to eat.
“There’s plenty of food and drink on the mountain, and the city isn’t as safe as the mountain, so I didn’t bring her back.”
Xiao Qi had prepared his explanation and gave Chen the knotted cord made by Lin Yuesha to put her mind at ease.
Upon learning that her daughter was safe, Chen nodded. With so many people in the family and Xiao Shitou being sick, it was inevitable that they would all be crowded together when she returned.
"Tingyun, how did you get back? There's martial law outside, what if they arrest you..."
After asking her daughter, Mrs. Chen patted her head and said.
“Mother, the general on inspection is my classmate’s older brother, so I’ll say hello to him.”
Xiao Qi calmly lied, delivered the items, and left without lingering.
Chen opened her mouth, but only after everyone left did she remember to ask, "Who is my daughter with? Is it just the two of them, brother and sister?"
This is against the rules, but she shouldn't be saying these things at this critical juncture. After all, life is more important than those things.
After Xiao Qi left, his expression was very cold.
The elderly couple who kidnapped his younger sister had already been sent to meet the King of Hell, but that was not enough to quell his anger.
If he didn't have important business to attend to and couldn't afford to lose sight of the bigger picture, he would have rushed to the barbarians' lair, killed them all, and rescued Lin Yuesha.
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