Today is the Little New Year, and Lin Dan and Du Ruyan bought a lot of things, so they hired an ox cart to bring them all back. The two of them sat on the shaft of the cart and chatted. In fact, most of the time it was Du Ruyan who was talking and Lin Dan who was listening, but the atmosphere was not stiff at all. Du Ruyan had too many things on her mind and she really needed a silent but serious listener.
"Dandan, you were so awesome just now! I always thought you were not good at speaking, but I didn't expect you to be more venomous than my brother. Look how mad you made Meng Si, and you're crying in the street. Isn't that shameful?"
"I'm not a mean person, I just like to tell the truth." Lin Dan said slowly.
Du Ruyan seemed to recall something sad and sighed, "Dandan, you know what, the truth is the most terrifying. My aunt was too true, that's why she ended up like this. If she was a little more ruthless and didn't take that man so seriously, she wouldn't be so heartbroken..." Having said that, she turned her head to look at the mountains in the distance, tears glistening in her eyes.
"Get off the car, we're home." Lin Dan interrupted her thoughts at the right time.
"Okay. Dandan, this is the gift I bought for Aunt Hui and the two concubines, don't forget to bring it. I won't buy a gift for Cuilan, she is completely obsessed with money, I will just give her a golden melon seed and see how happy she will be. I have made a lot of money this year, hahaha..." Du Ruyan's laughter stopped abruptly, because there were many carriages parked in front of her house, and several guards in tight clothes were carrying boxes of things under the carriages, and soon blocked the gate of the Du Mansion.
Sun Bo was talking to several guards with a grateful look on his face. When he saw Du Ruyan, he immediately raised his hand and shouted, "Miss, look, this is the New Year gift that the eldest prince sent to our family."
"Where is the prince?" Du Ruyan looked a little stunned. This was the first time she heard news from an old friend and the first time she received a gift from an old friend since she changed her surname and left the prosperous circle of the capital.
"His Highness is still inspecting the coastal defense. It's almost the end of the year, and the army must not relax to prevent the invasion of Japanese pirates. They have to work harder so that we can have a good new year!" Sun Bo's face was full of distress, and he was probably thinking of Du Rushong who was still on duty.
"Soldiers are the hardest-working and greatest people." Lin Dan deeply agreed with Sun Bo's words, then picked up his things and went home. There were distinguished guests at the Du residence, and she couldn't just stand outside and watch the fun.
However, just as she put down her things, Du Ruyan climbed up the wall by stepping on the tree trunk, tilted her head and smiled, "Dandan, not all people in the palace are bad. I thought that after my aunt was deposed, people in the palace would forget about her, but I didn't expect that the eldest prince still remembered her. The eldest prince's mother died very early, and he was raised by my aunt. He and my brother are very good friends, and he also takes good care of me. He could have not come to see us, or come to see us secretly, so as not to anger the emperor. But he didn't, instead he sent many New Year gifts with great fanfare, which told everyone in Lin'an Prefecture that even if my brother and I are down and out, there are people taking care of us behind the scenes. I just don't know how the emperor will blame him after the news is passed back to the capital, but this kind of thought is really rare."
“There are still many good people in the world.” Lin Dan took a lively fish out of the bucket, stun it with the back of a knife, then scraped off the scales, removed the internal organs, and cut it into thin slices.
Du Ruyan was surprised and said, "Dandan, you are so good at handling fish!"
Lin Dan said without even raising his head: "Really?"
Zhang Hui happened to come out and invited with a smile: "Dan'er is a better cook, and the dishes she makes are better than those of the chef at Fish and Rice Restaurant. Yan'er, your brother can't come back today, so why don't you come to my house to celebrate the New Year's Eve, and we can have some fun together." If Du Ruyan hadn't been very good at socializing and business, and had made up for her daughter's shortcomings, Danyan Embroidery Shop would not have been able to open so smoothly. Zhang Hui treated Du Ruyan as her own nephew. Whenever she had something delicious or fun, she would always save some for the neighbors.
Du Ruyan agreed immediately and jumped down from the wall holding up her skirt. How could she look like a rich lady at all? She originally thought that Zhang Hui's words were a bit exaggerated, but an hour later, when she tasted the stew made by Lin Dan, she was immediately conquered by the indescribable deliciousness.
"Delicious, so delicious!" She waved her chopsticks and praised: "Dandan, you can embroider, cook, make money to support the family, and you are top-notch in everything. How come you are so amazing?"
"You are good at socializing, doing business, and knowing how to resolve disputes among customers. You are very capable," Lin Dan said matter-of-factly.
Du Ruyan covered her mouth and laughed secretly, feeling extremely satisfied. In the past, she was often praised but she didn't think much of it. Now, Lin Dan just praised her casually and she was overjoyed. After all, it was because Lin Dan’s importance in her heart was different from that of others. Lin Dan was one of the most mentally strong people she had ever met, so the other party's praise seemed so rare.
Zhang Hui knocked on the edge of the bowl and reminded them, "Okay, okay, stop flattering each other and eat quickly. It's cold, and the food will get cold if you don't eat now."
Du Ruyan quickly ate a few mouthfuls of rice. She didn't know what she was thinking about, but she felt depressed. "We are eating hot meals here, but what is my brother doing? Is there enough food for him to eat? He has been getting thinner and thinner recently. Dandan, can you save some food for my brother? I'll send it to the barracks for him later."
"Leftovers are not tasty," Lin Dan put down his bowl and chopsticks and said, "I'll make a new meal for your brother."
Even though Lin Dan had never seen it with his own eyes, he could still imagine what life was like for soldiers. While they were sacrificing their lives on the front lines, ordinary people were enjoying family reunions at home. Without them, there would be no prosperous Great Zhou Kingdom, and no thriving Lin'an Prefecture.
Thinking of this, Lin Dan said, "I made some winter clothes and leather armor for your brother to keep him warm. You can take them over later."
"You can do your work after you finish your meal." Du Ruyan quickly jumped off the kang to pull her.
"It's okay. It's almost dark after dinner, and it's not safe to go back and forth. Let's deliver your brother's things first. We can have hot meals and hot dishes anytime when we get home, but your brother can't." Lin Dan waved his hand indifferently. After entering the kitchen, he rolled up his sleeves and started cooking. There was no impatience on his face.
Du Ruyan wanted to help her at first, but when she found that she was making things more troublesome, she could only squat by the stove and burn firewood in grievance. She looked at Lin Dan's busy figure, smelled the rich and tempting aroma of food, and sighed: "Dandan, why don't you marry my brother? If you marry him, you don't have to leave the Lin family. Let's tear down the wall in the middle of the courtyard and become one family. Wouldn't that be great?"
Lin Dan glanced at her, with no shame on her face: "My mother wants to find a live-in son-in-law for me, but your brother can't do it."
"A live-in son-in-law is also fine. My brother has already changed his surname once, so it won't hurt to change it again." Du Ruyan immediately sold out her brother, causing Cuilan who was passing by to cover her mouth and laugh.
…………
Du Rushong held a long spear and led a line of soldiers, walking slowly along the river bank. The howling sea breeze lifted everyone's clothes and blew the chill into their bones. One soldier's hands were frozen and he couldn't hold the heavy halberd at all. He dropped it several times but couldn't pick it up. His eyes were red on the spot. His fingers were all festering, so he couldn't hold a weapon, let alone chopsticks to eat.
"The weather is getting colder every year, but our military pay is getting less every year. The winter clothes we were given this year were only stuffed with two taels of cotton. They are so light and fluttery that they can't keep us warm at all. We are cold and hungry, but we still have to fight in the battlefield and patrol all night. This is a torture for us!"
"Okay, stop complaining. After we patrol this river area, we can go back earlier."
"Why go back? There is no charcoal fire to roast, no food to eat, only beds as hard as slabs and quilts as thin as a layer of cloth. It's not much better to go back than here! We soldiers don't have enough to eat, we don't have warm clothes, and we have to fight for our lives, but those officials withhold our military pay and eat and drink well in the rear. Sometimes when I think about it, I really don't want to, but when the Japanese pirates come, I can't help but rush forward. If we don't rush, who will protect the people in the rear? Among these people are our wives, children, fathers, and mothers!"
Several soldiers held their halberds and shed tears silently, but the hot tears turned into ice when blown by the salty sea breeze and froze on their red and cracked faces.
Du Rushong licked his equally cracked lips and waved his hand, saying, "Hold on a little longer. I'll pay for everyone's drinks when we get back."
"Thank you, Centurion." Everyone brushed off the ice beads on their faces and continued to patrol with full energy. With some strong liquor to warm me up, tonight should be a little easier. However, they had no idea that when they returned to the military camp, what were waiting for them were dozens of jars of fine wine and hundreds of roast ducks. Two women, protected by several guards, were standing at the door of the barracks, looking over here with eager expressions.
"Ms. Lin, Yan'er, why are you here?" Du Rushong couldn't help but take a few quick steps and showed a surprised smile.
"Brother, we are here to spend the New Year's Eve with you." Du Ruyan smiled and bowed to the guards: "Thank you, brothers. I have been waiting for my brother. You go back and report to the Grand Prince." After she finished speaking, she stuffed a heavy purse into the leading guard.
A few people insisted on not accepting Du Ruyan's gift, and paid a visit to the once famous son of Anding Hou, and then left the military camp. Wherever they passed, everyone looked at them sideways and did not dare to stop them. These people are the eldest prince's personal soldiers. The military uniforms they wear are obviously different from those of ordinary soldiers. Even if their ranks are not high, they are not people that these non-staff generals can afford to offend.
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