Xue Zhuang went out today. Although the restaurant and casino at home were not open, several groups of people came knocking on the door, cursing and swearing, which frightened Xu Yan'er, who was home alone.
When she saw the man return, she grabbed him and cried and made a scene, demanding that Xue Zhuang promise to stay home with her from now on and stop helping others sell vegetables.
Xue Zhuang had just tasted the sweetness of making money, so he had no intention of staying home with her.
Fortunately, he was in a good mood at the moment, so he took out a bag of roasted sunflower seeds from his pocket: "Look, I bought these for you to eat while you're bored at home."
Xu Yan'er refused, hugging the roasted melon seeds and pleading, "You can stay home and eat them with me."
"Okay, I'll keep you company. Boil some water for me to soak my feet!" Xue Zhuang replied casually, plopped down on the kang (a heated brick bed), kicked off his shoes, and asked Xu Yan'er to wash his feet.
Today's journey of dozens of miles back and forth was even more tiring than his marches back then. His feet were covered in blisters, and he needed to soak them in hot water to relieve the fatigue.
Xu Yan'er has now learned her lesson. She heats up the water early and serves the man attentively when he wants to wash his feet.
It goes without saying how affectionate the two were behind closed doors.
Inside Baolinju, Han Ming relayed Xue Zhuang's earlier words about urging the delivery of vegetables to Song Liyun and Song Zhenping, who came out from the backyard: "Commander Xue said that tomorrow's vegetables should be delivered earlier and in larger quantities."
Song Liyun wiped the water off her hands and smiled at Song Zhenping: "Brother, send fifty catties tomorrow morning. If you need to increase the amount of vegetables, just tell Wang Junxiong of the garrison."
Song Zhenping hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
Actually, although we can't grow 100 jin of vegetables in the backyard every day, we can still grow 70 or 80 jin, and we can also pick green beans and peppers.
But the second sister said that they should eat at home first, and that they would have to wait a few more days for takeout, so that the side dishes could be sold first.
The next day, Xue Zhuang was annoyed to see that although Song Zhenping had delivered the vegetables early, there were only fifty catties. He said, "Your helper didn't make it clear. I wanted a hundred catties of vegetables."
Song Zhenping was not good at arguing with people, so he just said with a straight face, "Go and reserve with Wang Junxi first. I will only pay for whatever the garrison gives up."
"You, you blockhead! I'm so angry!" Xue Zhuang was furious when he saw Song Zhenping push the blame onto the garrison with a single sentence, but there was nothing he could do but mutter to himself and leave quickly.
The garrison received two taels of silver on the first day. Although it was a small amount, even a mosquito's leg is still a piece of meat, enough for several soldiers to charge into battle.
Wang Junxu's ledger finally turned a new page, marking out an unprecedented column for the income of the Suijin Guard.
On this second trip to sell vegetables, Xue Zhuang borrowed a horse-drawn carriage from the garrison and took the two men straight to Qili County.
Having animal power is great; he can sell vegetables and return home shortly after noon without delaying his business in the afternoon.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was already the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month. The firewood, rice, oil, and salt needed for the New Year had long been prepared, and even new clothes had been made.
According to local custom, ancestral worship is performed before the Lunar New Year.
This is the first time that Baolinju has held an ancestral worship ceremony. All kinds of offerings have been prepared, and the three siblings are just waiting to burn incense and worship their ancestors in the evening.
It was getting dark, and Song Zhenping was still tending to the temperature and humidity in the vegetable shed, while Song Liyun was making jiaotuan (a type of porridge) with Xiao An in the kitchen.
This is also a snack from Northwest China, and Aunt Ma taught me how to make it.
After steaming several potatoes, peel them, put them in a wooden trough, and then repeatedly pound them with a wooden mallet until they are mashed into mashed potatoes.
Black Gold's favorite food is potatoes.
Seeing the perfectly steamed potatoes turned into a muddy mess, he was so angry that he gestured wildly behind Song Liyun, his eyes practically rolling back to the back of her head.
The mashed potatoes have become sticky and chewy after being repeatedly pounded.
Song Liyun picked some fresh scallions and garlic, heated oil in a wok to make garlic oil, and then added finely chopped cilantro to make a sauce. The aroma alone was incredibly enticing.
Wearing a chrysanthemum-green jacket and with two little braids, Xiao An came closer and smacked her lips: "Smells good!"
He's now obsessed with cooking, but unfortunately, after two months of raising him, he hasn't grown taller or stronger, so he can't do many things.
Han Ming returned from town carrying a large stack of paper money with patterns shaped on it, which the elderly people at the nursing home had helped prepare.
As soon as he entered the door, Song Zhenping came out from the backyard, his face pale and his eyes red as if he had been crying.
A small table was set up in the courtyard, and Song Liyun laid out all the offerings. Under Han Ming's guidance, Song Zhenping hurriedly lit candles and incense, and then pulled Xiao An to kneel down.
The two brothers kept their heads down until the paper money turned to ashes and drifted away in the wind, at which point Xiao An burst into tears.
Song Zhenping could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down her face.
Ten years after his parents died, he had never had the chance to burn a single piece of paper money except for the day of their burial. Xiao An had never even been to their graves.
In Xiaoshi Village, he and Xiao An were treated like livestock. Livestock didn't deserve parents. Their stepmother said that graves were unlucky and they weren't allowed to go there. If she found out that the two brothers dared to mention dead people, they would be beaten, not to mention having to burn paper money to worship them.
Song Liyun, standing nearby, felt a pang of sadness. She picked up a few pieces of paper money and placed them aside to burn in another pile.
Ten years after her parents died, she never burned any paper money for them. Instead, she silently offered a bouquet of flowers in her heart on each anniversary of their deaths.
Seeing the drifting ashes and wisps of smoke, she felt as if she were seeing a channel to another world, and a magical feeling enveloped her.
She didn't know if the offerings burned in this time and space would be received in her other world.
The suffering in the human world is different, but in the silent underground world, the souls of the dead must be together!
The three siblings chattered amongst themselves, and even during dinner after the memorial service, the atmosphere was somewhat somber.
It only benefited the greedy Hei Jin, who secretly ate all the jiaotuan without Song Liyun noticing.
Because they were in a bad mood, Song Mei and the other two did not read any books and went back to their rooms to rest early.
In the darkness, the usually quiet town of Shattered Gold flickered with tiny lights, those of families offering sacrifices to the departed souls.
The brightest flames, however, were at Suijin Pass.
A campfire, half a person's height, burned red across half the valley, casting flickering shadows on the wall. Several soldiers stood behind the ramparts, peering out.
At the foot of the wall, amidst the clatter of armor, Commander Luo hurried up the wall, glanced around, and stood by the battlements, shouting, "What's the situation?"
A captain came over and reported: "Reporting to your Excellency, we have spotted wandering intruders about ten miles away. There are about seven or eight of them. We cannot see their clothes clearly. They are all on horseback."
Luo Baihu's heart skipped a beat: "Send out the patrolmen and scout again!"
Military reports have been saying that villages and towns north of Hecheng have fallen, and bandits are also harassing garrisons and villages south of Hecheng.
Although things were calm in Broken Gold Town, he still dared not relax for a moment.
In particular, the Dilu grasslands have been covered in snow for the past half month, yet tribes that should have been stationed in winter pastures have been frequently migrating despite the wind and snow, indicating that there have been changes within the Dilu people.
In this situation, Broken Gold Town also needs to be prepared.
If the Third Young Master needs to retreat from this side, there will definitely be Di tribe pursuers behind him.
Under Luo Baihu's command, ten riders stepped out of the frozen river below Suijin Pass and quickly disappeared into the vast night.
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