The autumn geese fly obliquely across the sky, the osmanthus trees are fragrant, the heat of summer has finally faded, leaving behind the cool frost and dew of late autumn.

Early in the morning, when He Yan got up, Xiao Mai handed her a pear: "I picked it from the woods next to the martial arts arena. I've already washed it. Try it."

After He Yanfang washed up, she took a bite and almost lost her teeth. Seeing her squint her eyes due to the sour taste, Xiao Mai embarrassedly shook his head and said, "The ones in the wild forest are not very ripe yet. They should be sweeter after a while. But now it is autumn and there are many wild fruits in the forest. We can secretly pick a few after training every day. This kind of sour pear can be pickled with sugar and made into rock sugar snow pears. It is delicious!"

This child thinks about eating all the time. He Yan said, "There is no candy here."

Xiao Mai was stunned for a moment, and then seemed to react, and said with some disappointment: "That's right."

"Not necessarily," Hong Shan, who was glancing at them talking, interrupted, "Today we are going to discuss merits, Ah He, you and Shitou won first place in the flag-fighting competition last time, so your reward today might include candy. There might even be other delicious treats, like rock sugar and snow pears!"

When Xiao Mai mentioned this, he suddenly became excited and said, "Not bad, Brother He, we're going to discuss merits tonight, have you decided what you want?"

"It's not like I can get whatever I want," He Yan said with a smile, "The guardhouse is not the capital, so supplies are scarce."

"Hey, he just wants to join the vanguard camp." Hong Shan also took a bite of the pear and said vaguely: "As for this request, it can definitely be met."

He Yan smiled. Although she had been very calm these days, she was actually quite excited. Once she entered the Nine Flags Camp, it would mean that she would be one step closer to Xiao Jue, and she would be able to start work on the He family affairs openly. She thought that she would be able to fulfill her wish tonight. So far, her military career had been quite smooth.

After all, a Feihong general would be sought after wherever he went, and He Yan felt a little pleased.

During the day, they still went to the martial arts arena for training as usual. But at night, everyone watched the moon together in the open space near the foot of the mountain outside the martial arts arena. Liangzhou is not like the capital, so naturally, it is not like the rich families in the past, either in their own courtyards or in restaurants and pleasure boats to hold banquets, invite colleagues and friends, and fill the table with delicious food. Watching the moon in Liangzhou is nothing more than lighting a bonfire, and the new soldiers sitting around a circle, eating some good food, and maybe some rice wine. The companions chatted, talked about family matters, drank wine, ate meat, and watched the moon together, and that was it.

After the martial arts training in the afternoon, He Yan went back to his room and changed into clean clothes without telling anyone. The new recruits in Liangzhou Guards had uniforms for spring, summer, autumn and winter. They could wear clothes for both spring and autumn. There were two sets in total, one red and one black. The styles were simple and durable. He Yan changed into the red one and went to find Cheng Lisu first.

Cheng Lisu had come to the martial arts arena in the morning and asked He Yan to go to his room in the evening to find him. He Yan guessed that Cheng Lisu was going to give her food, and sure enough, when she met Cheng Lisu, the young boy handed her a mahogany basket.

The basket is very delicately made, with a pattern of Chang'e flying to the moon carved on it. When you open it, you will see a neat row of moon cakes. They are fragrant, beautifully made, and seem to be delicious.

"Brother He, this is for you," Cheng Lisu whispered, "The moon balls issued by Liangzhou Weifa are too rough, so I'm giving you this one that someone gave me."

He Yan said, "Thank you." She wasn't particularly interested in cakes or anything like that, but if she gave this basket of moon cakes to Xiao Mai, the child would probably jump for joy.

"You've never eaten this before, have you?" Cheng Lisu's eyes flashed with sympathy, and a little pride, "This is not the best. The cakes and pastries of Zuiyulou in Shuojing City are unique in the world. When we return to Beijing together in the future, I will invite you to Zuiyulou for dinner. I'll tell you in secret," Cheng Lisu said as if presenting a treasure, "My uncle also likes the food of Zuiyulou."

He Yan thought that Cheng Lisu, like He Yunsheng, admired Xiao Jue unconditionally and mindlessly, as if anything that Xiao Jue approved of would definitely not be bad.

But well, to be honest, Xiao Jue is really not bad.

After thanking Cheng Lisu for the autumn gift, the sky gradually darkened, and He Yan went out with the basket of snacks. At this moment, a bonfire had been lit in the field at the foot of the mountain. The bonfire was bright, and many new recruits had arrived and sat on the ground near the bonfire. It was said that each new recruit could receive meat cakes and oranges. There were also wooden branches set up near the bonfire, with rabbits and fish strung on them, which were obviously hunted on Baiyue Mountain.

It looks like there will be meat to eat today.

He Yan was in a very good mood, even swinging the basket back and forth. The aroma of roasted game lingered nearby, making her feel hungry. She also saw that there was a large wine jar next to each bonfire. The wine was probably not good, and the taste was a bit pungent. However, at this time, only strong liquor could make her feel comfortable.

She arrived a little late and went to look for Xiao Mai and the others first. When she passed by other recruits, they all looked at her with strange expressions.

Probably trying to guess what good things she could get today.

He Yan walked forward happily, and when he reached a place near the foot of the mountain, he saw Xiaomai and his friends. Xiaomai and his friends were gathered around a campfire, and He Yan waved to him from a distance and called out, "Xiaomai!"

The young man heard the voice and looked over, but he didn't respond to her as enthusiastically as usual, and seemed a little hesitant. He Yan walked closer and saw that in addition to Hong Shan and Shitou, Jiang Jiao, Wang Ba and Huang Xiong were also there. The three of them gathered together, and He Yan put down the snack basket in his hand, then sat down with his legs crossed, opened the lid of the basket, and said with a smile: "Look what good things I brought you? No need to thank me too much."

She picked up a delicate moon ball and handed it to Xiaomai. The child was always greedy, so she said, "Here!"

Xiao Mai was stunned for a moment, then slowly reached out to take it, pursed his lips, and wanted to say something but didn't. He Yan said to the others, "Take what you want to eat."

No one responded to her.

He Yan raised her head, and everyone was staring at her, looking at her with strange eyes. Even the carefree Hong Shan was silent. He Yan asked in confusion: "What's wrong? Why do you look like you've seen a ghost? What happened?"

Hong Shan turned his head away, and a hint of sympathy flashed in Jiang Jiao's eyes. He said, "He Yan, don't be sad."

"Why am I sad?" He Yan was confused.

The atmosphere was once again filled with suffocating silence. He Yan looked at Huang Xiong, who looked away, stroking the Buddhist beads on his chest, as if the world had nothing to do with him. But Wang Ba couldn't help it and said, "...Well, even if you didn't make it to the vanguard camp, don't be too sad. Everything depends on human effort."

He Yan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I thought it was something. How could I not have entered the Vanguard Camp? I..." She stopped talking suddenly and looked at everyone. Everyone looked reluctant. She moved her lips and heard her own voice, as if it was floating in the air. "Really didn't enter?"

"When you were away, Coach Shen went there, and Lei Hou joined the vanguard camp. He didn't... didn't mention you." Xiao Mai chose his words carefully.

"Did you miss it?" He Yan still had a hint of luck in his heart, "Maybe it's because I didn't come just now."

"I asked the head coach for you," Shitou said softly, "None of us made it to the vanguard camp during this flag race. Among the others, only Lei Hou was lucky enough to make it."

He Yan fell silent.

Everyone stared at her nervously. Everyone could see how much He Yan wanted to join the Vanguard. When he first came to Liangzhou, he could barely carry a heavy load while running. At that time, this young man carried it all just to join the Vanguard. He was so skilled and won first place in the flag competition. Not only did he not understand, but the people around him also found it incomprehensible.

"It's okay, don't be angry," Hong Shan comforted her, "Isn't it just a vanguard battalion? We don't care, let's go to other battalions, infantry battalions, cavalry battalions? As long as you have the ability, why worry about no one appreciating you? A talented person like Ah He needs a good person to appreciate him. They don't want you, they have no vision!"

"Not bad." Jiang Jiao also felt sorry for her. Having someone like He Yan as an opponent was far more impressive than having Lei Hou as an opponent. "You are so amazing. True gold will be revealed in the fierce fire. People will know about it in the future."

Everyone tried to comfort him, but the young man, who always had a cheerful face, lowered his head and said nothing for the first time. He looked weak and depressed, and gradually calmed down.

Hong Shan poked Xiao Mai's arm, motioning for Xiao Mai to say a few words. Xiao Mai was racking his brains and was about to speak when He Yan suddenly stood up and walked out without saying a word.

"Hey, hey, hey, where are you going?" Huang Xiong grabbed her.

The young man said bitterly: "I will go to Xiao Jue to ask him why he chose Lei Hou and not me? What exactly is it that makes me inferior to Lei Hou? There is no name for me in the vanguard camp!"

Hong Shan was shocked. He didn't expect He Yan to be so angry that he called the governor by his name. He quickly stopped He Yan's action and said, "You can't be so impulsive! If you go to see Governor Xiao now, he will only displease him. You will not be able to go to the Vanguard Camp in the future."

"Yes, yes," Xiao Mai clumsily persuaded, "Brother Ah He, Commander Xiao might have kept you here on purpose, wanting you to do something else, such as go to another camp. You are so amazing, there is no reason not to choose you!"

"I'm already very powerful," He Yan said with anger, his face turning blue. "Let Xiao Jue stand in front of me and we fight. I don't think he can beat me!"

Jiang Jiao quickly covered He Yan's mouth. He was so angry after saying this.

Everyone was afraid that she would go to trouble Xiao Jue in anger, so they hurriedly pulled her back to her seat. Huang Xiong said, "Young man, don't be so impatient. As long as you are alive, you will never worry about lack of firewood. He is now the governor, and you are a new soldier. How can you talk to him on an equal footing? Wait until you are promoted to an official position and become a general in the future, and then you can see what happens to him!"

"I'll have to wait another ten or eight years," Wang Ba muttered, "I may not even be able to get the title."

Jiang Jiao also said: "This Commander Xiao is really something. It is obvious that we are the first, and Lei Hou is still a defeated general under He Yan. Why would he abandon He Yan and choose Lei Hou?"

"I heard," Wang Ba thought for a moment, "that Lei Hou seems to have some relationship with a coach here. He might be a relative. Maybe he got in through the back door. I think these nobles, who have power and influence, don't care about the lower class."

Xiao Mai couldn't help but speak up: "Commander Xiao is not that kind of person! There must be some misunderstanding!"

Wang Ba rolled his eyes at him and asked, "Who are you from?"

Little Mino was speechless.

"Everyone," He Yan said while holding back his anger, "I have a terrible headache, can you please let me be quiet for a while?"

Everyone fell silent immediately.

The bonfire was dancing in front of him, and the flames turned the night into red. He Yan couldn't figure out why Xiao Jue would light a mine and enter the vanguard camp.

She thought she had been blind for some time, but compared to Xiao Jue's blindness, it was far worse. Didn't she perform badly during the Liangzhou Guard? She couldn't have performed better. Didn't she fight for the flag? She didn't leave any extra points for others. She even broke the formation that ordinary recruits could hardly solve. How could Xiao Jue not be tempted by such a talent?

She wants to take back what she said about Xiao Jue being pretty good!

He Yan felt so angry that his liver ached, but he never thought that this was not the end of his anger. After a while, Coach Shen came over.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he had someone carry a small box over and said to them, "You are all here. It just so happens that you won first place in the flag-fighting competition. Tonight is also the Mid-Autumn Festival. This is your prize."

Xiao Mai went over and opened the box, only to find a small jar of wine and a few silver ingots inside.

"This is the Eighteen Immortals. This small pot is worth a hundred taels," said Master Shen with satisfaction, "You can drink tonight, but don't be greedy."

"Eighteen Immortals," Wang Ba smacked his lips, "I didn't expect to be able to drink Eighteen Immortals here. My life is worth it!"

He instantly forgot who was cursing the "powerful nobles" just now.

Huang Xiong also swallowed his saliva. They were all nobles and loved wine, especially precious wine. Even someone as young as Xiaomai who didn't like wine, took a piece of silver and took a bite.

This prize was not big, but it was definitely not small. Amidst the joy, He Yan stood out.

She just glanced at the box, sneered, and said, "It seems that our governor is not living well."

Shen Han was stunned.

"So poor." The young man didn't even look at him. He used a branch to fiddle with the firewood in the firewood bush, lowered his head and talked to himself. Everyone could hear the weird tone in his words.

Hong Shan covered her mouth with his hand and said to Shen Han with a sneer, "This brother is drunk, drunk... he is talking nonsense. Head coach, please don't bother with a child."

Shen Han left inexplicably.

After Shen Han left, He Yan looked at the box on the ground and couldn't help but sneer: "These are just a few things, you can only give them to beggars."

"Brother, this is good." Huang Xiong said patiently, "You are just being angry."

He Yan was holding back his anger and didn't want to talk.

Huang Xiong sat down beside her, put his arm around her shoulders, looked at the dancing flames in front of him, and said in a deep voice: "Young man, don't be discouraged, it's just a setback. Look at me," he pointed at himself, "you just lost the chance to join the vanguard battalion, but I lost everything back then."

He was reluctant to touch the altar of Eighteen Immortals, so he just took the altar of rice wine next to it and poured two large bowls, one for He Yan and one for himself. He took a sip and said, "What a strong wine!"

Seeing that He Yan didn't say anything, he pointed to the Buddhist beads around his neck and said, "This belongs to my mother."

The beads were dark and shone with a warm light, which was very inconsistent with his sturdy physique, but Huang Xiong had never taken them away. He pointed to the knife beside him and said, "This knife has killed nineteen people."

These words were a bit scary, and for a moment, even Wang Ba and the others looked at him. He Yan's eyes moved slightly and he looked at her.

Seeing that she finally responded, Huang Xiong said in a low voice: "When I was as old as you, my family had a sword manual, passed down from our ancestors. After someone found out about it, they came to buy it, but my father refused to sell it."

"I was out with my friends to cool off. When we came back, everyone in our house was murdered. All the valuables in the house were there, but the sword manual was missing."

Xiao Mai exclaimed in surprise: "This is..."

"Someone killed my entire Huang family for the sword manual." Huang Xiong was very calm when he said this. It was unknown whether it was because too much time had passed or because of something else. He said, "I reported it to the authorities, but the local officials could not do anything about it. So I investigated it myself, spent all my family property, and traveled thousands of miles alone with a sword in hand, looking for the thieves. It took me three years to find where they were."

"I'm afraid that I won't be able to seek revenge, and I'll lose my life instead. I'm not afraid of death, but I don't want to die in vain. I'm the only one left in the Huang family. If I die, no one will seek justice for them."

"So I pretended to be a laborer and entered the family's house. During the day, I observed the terrain and their daily habits, and at night I practiced swordsmanship. After a year and a half, I found an opportunity and avenged our Huang family one night."

This story was thrilling, but he told it with a nonchalant manner. The danger in it could be imagined. However, the bald man had only calm eyes. He looked at He Yan and said, "It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge. If I had risked my life to seek justice from them, in the end, both sides would have died. But look at me now. My enemy is dead, and I am still alive. I can still drink and eat meat with you here. Who do you think won?"

He wanted to use his own experience to tell He Yan not to act on impulse.

He Yan smiled and was about to speak, but he saw Jiang Jiao reaching out and pouring him a bowl of rice wine. He tilted his head back and took a big gulp. He was not as good at drinking as Huang Xiong, and his face turned red from the spiciness. He reached out to wipe the wine stain from his lips and blurted out, "That's right, everyone has sad times. What's wrong with you? Look at me, the young master of a martial arts gym. It sounds good. I also have a fiancée. I was supposed to marry her this year, but she died."

Xiao Mai opened his eyes wide and was about to ask a question, but was hit by a stone and finally calmed down.

"Do you know how she died?" Jiang Jiao's eyes were red, and he said in a muffled voice: "She died for love. She liked someone else and refused to marry me, so she died for love with that scholar! Tell me, compared to you and me, am I more miserable?"

No wonder Jiang Jiao, with such good looks and skills, chose to join the army. Perhaps after this incident, he became disheartened and decided to stay away from his hometown, hoping to avoid seeing any more.

Everyone looked at Wang Ba, who was puzzled. He then said angrily, "Why are you all looking at me? I don't have much of a story! Are you all sick? Why are you saying this bullshit? Who are you trying to see who is worse?"

——Digression——

Wang Ba: I am a male classmate without a story.

The ten thousand update benefit is over. I will resume updating once a day starting tomorrow. Haha, I really don’t have a drop left. . . .