Qi Mingyue pondered, "Many of the veterans guarding the outpost have frostbite on their fingers and chapped skin. If we could prepare some frostbite cream, it might help."
A look of approval flashed in Yao Xiuyan's eyes: "Anything else?"
"The beacon tower offers a good view, but it's too lonely." Qi Mingyue looked back at the solitary earthen platform. "If we could raise a carrier pigeon, perhaps it would alleviate some of the loneliness."
Yao Xiuyan chuckled: "You're quite observant."
Lin Qiuyan chimed in, "Soldiers on the border aren't that delicate! Brother Xiuyan, Black Wind Stronghold is just ahead, be careful."
Black Wind Stronghold was a military settlement, home to dozens of families of soldiers. Upon seeing their commander arrive, the women and children crowded around, chattering about their hardships. They were short of food and pay, lacked warm clothing, and couldn't find a doctor for their sick children...
Yao Xiuyan listened patiently and took notes. Qi Mingyue followed quietly behind, noticing several children hiding behind others, looking at her timidly.
She crouched down and took out a few pieces of candy from her sleeve: "Want some candy?"
The children dared not approach. A woman quickly said, "Miss Qi, don't bother, these wild children don't know any manners."
Qi Mingyue put the candy on the ground and stepped back a few paces. The eldest child hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward, took the candy, and shared it with his younger siblings.
"How old are you?" Qi Mingyue asked softly.
"Ten years old," the child answered softly, "taking care of my younger brother and sister."
Qi Mingyue felt a pang of sadness. In the capital, ten-year-olds are still innocent and naive, but here, children have to shoulder the burden of supporting their families.
As she left Black Wind Stronghold, she whispered, "Brother Xiuyan, the children in the military garrison are left unattended and prone to accidents. If the school could set up a preschool, perhaps..."
Yao Xiuyan nodded: "The idea is good. But the military settlements are scattered, how can it be implemented?"
Qi Mingyue was stunned. This was indeed a difficult problem.
Lin Qiuyan scoffed: "The young lady from the capital doesn't know the actual situation on the border. Her ideas are good, but they're hard to implement."
Qi Mingyue pursed her lips and remained silent.
When they set up camp for the night, Qi Mingyue volunteered to help the cook start a fire. Having never done this before, she got her face covered in soot, but the fire still wouldn't start. The cook, seeing this, said, "Miss Qi, please rest. Don't make things worse."
Yao Xiuyan came over and naturally took the flint: "I'll teach you."
He patiently taught her how to stack firewood and start a fire. Qi studied diligently and quickly grasped the essentials.
"How does Brother Xiuyan know all this?" she asked curiously.
Yao Xiuyan added firewood: "At the border, you have to do everything yourself." The firelight illuminated his profile. "I used to think that these rough jobs were not my responsibility, but later I realized that what the soldiers can do, the commander should be even more capable of doing."
Qi Mingyue seemed to be deep in thought.
The night was windy, and Qi Mingyue's tent was cold due to insufficient charcoal. She couldn't sleep. Just as she tossed and turned, Yao Xiuyan's voice came from outside the tent: "Mingyue?"
She put on her coat and got up: "Brother Xiuyan, haven't you rested yet?"
Yao Xiuyan handed over a hand warmer: "I saw that your tent was cold, so I'm adding a heater for you." He paused, "The nights are cold at the border, unlike in the capital."
Qi Mingyue took the hand warmer, her palms immediately warmed: "Thank you, Brother Xiuyan."
Yao Xiuyan didn't leave, but sat down on the stone outside the tent: "Don't take Qiuyan's words during the day to heart."
“Miss Lin is right,” Qi Mingyue said softly. “I had oversimplified things.”
“The idea is good, but it will take time.” Yao Xiuyan looked at the starry sky. “The problems on the border have been long-standing and cannot be changed overnight.”
After a moment of silence, Qi Mingyue suddenly asked, "When Brother Xiuyan first arrived at the border, did he encounter any setbacks?"
Yao Xiuyan chuckled: "It wasn't just setbacks. The first time I led troops on a border patrol, I got lost and almost died in the desert; the first time I handled military affairs, I was so angry with the veteran generals that I smashed a cup; the first time..."
He recounted many embarrassing stories, which Qi Mingyue listened to intently. It turned out that this seemingly omnipotent prince had also experienced such humiliation.
"How did things get better?"
"Learn slowly, change slowly." Yao Xiu said calmly, "People on the border are straightforward. If you treat them sincerely, they will naturally treat you sincerely."
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar. A night patrol soldier brought over a man: "Your Highness, we've caught a spy!"
The man was dressed in rags, yet his scholarly air was undeniable. Qi Mingyue felt he looked familiar, and upon closer inspection, exclaimed, "Teaching Assistant Chen?"
It was Chen Yu from Yingchuan Academy! Upon seeing Qi Mingyue, he burst into tears: "Miss Qi! I've finally found you!"
Yao Xiuyan frowned: "What's going on?"
Chen Yu wept, saying, "I resigned from my job at the academy and came to the border to seek refuge with Miss Qi! Who knew I would be robbed on the way, and I only managed to get here with great difficulty..."
Qi Mingyue hurriedly asked, "Why did you come to the border?"
Chen Yu pulled a booklet from his pocket: "This is a policy on border livelihood that I compiled. I thought it might be of some help to Miss Qi..." He lowered his head in embarrassment, "Who knew it would turn out this way."
Yao Xiuyan examined the booklet, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "You've put a lot of effort into this."
Qi Mingyue was touched: "Let's rest for now, we'll talk about it tomorrow."
After the person left, Yao Xiuyan chuckled, "You're quite thoughtful, sir."
Watching Chen Yu's departing figure, Qi Mingyue suddenly said, "Brother Xiuyan, I have an idea..."
The next day, the team continued their patrol. Qi Mingyue no longer just observed, but diligently recorded the situation at each military settlement: how many households, how many children, what they lacked, what they needed...
Lin Qiuyan observed coldly: "Why is Miss Qi keeping these notes?"
Qi Mingyue didn't even look up: "Since we're here, we should at least get to the bottom of this."
Upon arriving at the next military settlement, she no longer hastily distributed candy, but instead first chatted with the women. She asked about the harvest, about spinning and weaving, about the children... Seeing her sincerity, the women were willing to talk more.
“It’s not that we don’t want our children to go to school,” a woman sighed, “we’re just too busy. The men are stationed on the frontier, so the women have to do all the housework and help with the children.”
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