Chapter 161: Dark Night Flowing Fire
Gu Xixi and He Jinglan were surrounded by a crowd, and it was unknown where they went to have dinner.
When we returned to the courtyard, it was already night.
Gu Xixi threw herself on her bed and swore to herself that she would never say "I'm just sitting there doing nothing" again.
They closed their eyes and fell asleep immediately.
The next day during the day, there was no obvious movement in the military camp.
Gu Xixi and He Jinglan were also able to spend a leisurely day in the family members' village.
They decided to cook porridge in the evening, and He Jinglan was able to succeed in lighting the fire for the eighth time.
She said proudly, "Xixi, haven't you washed the rice yet? You have to pick out all the sand and gravel in the lentils. Last time, my teeth gritted when I took my first bite."
Gu Xixi concentrated on picking beans. "Don't rush me. The rice has been washed. You can boil water first. I'll be done here soon."
He Jinglan decided that those who are capable should do more work, "Okay, OK, I'll wash some more pickled cabbage."
"I'll have some barbecue for lunch, so I'll have something light at night."
The actual reason was that the meat they cooked was too oily and salty, and they felt greasy after eating it, but they had worked hard to make it, and they couldn't waste the food, and they would be hungry if they didn't eat it. So they had no choice but to eat it.
It was time to light the lamps when we had dinner.
He Jinglan took a sip of porridge and said, "I suddenly want to go home."
Gu Xixi held the bowl of porridge and said quietly, "You miss the cooking skills of the chef in the He Mansion, right?"
He Jinglan was exposed and laughed, "Didn't you also talk about how delicious Aunt Zhang's meal was at noon?"
Both of them were silent.
After eating for a while, He Jinglan said, "The sentries in the village all said that we won the battle. No one in the army was killed. There were only a few injured, and no fatal injuries such as broken arms and legs. Let's rest assured."
"But I always feel a little uneasy."
Gu Xixi nodded, "Given Meng Chengping's personality, he should have come to you to show off his achievements and beg for praise after winning the battle and is in the rest period."
"It hasn't appeared yet, that shouldn't happen, unless..."
He Jinglan said, "Unless he is seriously injured and cannot move."
Gu Xixi hurriedly comforted her, "Not necessarily. The war is not over yet. This is just the beginning."
"The military must be busy discussing the next tactic."
"Perhaps General Meng has an important mission and cannot leave?"
He Jinglan said in a muffled voice, "I understand, but I don't know where he is or what he is doing right now. It's not good to have such wild thoughts."
She sighed and tried to smile to comfort herself, "Yes, maybe he is happily discussing military strategies with his comrades somewhere. I am worried about what he might do!"
"Anyway, the worst that can happen is that I'll be injured and have to lie down for ten days or half a month."
There were some books in the room where He Jinglan lived. Meng Chengping had found them for her because he was afraid she would be bored.
There are ghost stories handed down from previous dynasties, as well as popular reading materials that are currently popular and those that were popular in previous years.
Gu Xixi wanted to spend more time with He Jinglan tonight to prevent her from being alone with worries, so she picked up a few books to read.
"I never thought that a lady like you would read these books?"
He Jinglan said, "It's because I can only read serious books at home. I keep reading the same books over and over again, and there are also rules and regulations for women and rules for women. If I don't need to deal with errands, I won't even touch them. I'm so annoyed just thinking about it."
"Fortunately, my brother could not resist my pleading and occasionally brought me some miscellaneous books, and told me to read them secretly in my boudoir and return them to him after I was done. I must not let outsiders know about it or let the elders in the clan know about it!"
Gu Xixi sighed, "It's really not easy to be a lady from a wealthy family."
He Jinglan raised a copy of "The Secret of Peach Blossom Cottage" in her hand and shook it proudly, "So while I'm out and no one is watching, I'm going to read as much as I can and catch up on all the things I haven't read in the past!"
Gu Xixi nodded in her heart, it seemed that Meng Chengping had put a lot of effort into collecting these books.
The two of them sat opposite each other reading, enjoying a moment of peace.
When Gu Xixi finished reading the first volume and was about to look for the second volume, there was a knock on the door.
He Jinglan looked up and said, "I have nothing to do these two days. I locked the gate of the yard in advance."
The knock on the door didn't sound as urgent as the previous times.
Gu Xixi picked up the oil lamp and said, "Go and take a look."
When I opened the door, only Aunt Lin was outside.
She held a small round lantern in her hand and asked with a smile, "Are you still awake?"
Gu Xixi knew that Aunt Lin must have a reason for coming to visit, so she smiled and invited her, "It just so happens that you haven't slept yet, come in and have a cup of hot osmanthus honey tea with me."
Put a handful of dried osmanthus flowers into the pot, rinse off the dust with warm water, and then pour in boiling water again.
The fragrance of osmanthus instantly filled the house, making people want to take a deep breath.
Gu Xixi poured out the sweet-scented osmanthus water and added honey into the cup, saying, "Auntie Lin came here specially with a lantern, so she must have something interesting to talk to us about tonight, right?"
Aunt Lin hesitated for a moment before saying, "I just saw a little fire flying into our border from the north, but at that moment, the distance was very far, so I couldn't see it clearly."
"I thought it was a night attack from the opposite side, so I waited for a long time, but I didn't see it again."
Gu Xixi paused as she stirred the tea.
"You suspect... a night attack?"
Aunt Lin nodded. "As a woman, I shouldn't make assumptions."
"Besides, I can't see clearly."
"So I didn't dare tell anyone and came to discuss it with you first."
Gu Xixi placed a glass of water in front of Aunt Lin and signaled her to not be polite.
He pondered and said, "Logically speaking, it is the Northwest Army Camp that is blocking our way."
"But there seems to be no movement in the military camp so far?"
Aunt Lin nodded. "That's right. Maybe I'm dazzled and thinking too much?"
He Jinglan suddenly said, "What if they didn't attack the military camp, but somewhere else?"
Gu Xixi suddenly realized.
This time, the Northwestern Army was very strong and unwilling to retreat to the city, vowing to defend every inch of land in the Northwestern wilderness.
Therefore, the Northwest Army's camp advanced some distance forward, forming a confrontation with the Beili Army camp across the border.
At this point, neither side had any walls or high ground to defend.
The middle point of the border is used as the center line, leaving enough room for the battlefield.
These included the fields that Huo Jiang had originally considered clearing out, as well as the small hills hidden in the southernmost corner...Gu Xixi's Pinellia fruit forest.
Gu Xixi stood up and muttered to herself, "Fire...fire..."
"The crops in these places have grown now. The climate has been dry from the end of winter to the beginning of spring. There has been no heavy rain yet. We have to rely on manual irrigation. If a fire breaks out..."
Aunt Lin and He Jinglan also understood what was said and were horrified.
Aunt Lin said, "Recently there has been a sandstorm blowing from the west, and the fire has spread with the wind and is out of control."
He Jinglan: "Those barbarians can't be that smart, right?"
The three of them looked at each other, all with the same meaning.
Gu Xixi said, "It's better to believe it, Aunt Lin, let's go and take a look together."
"At least stay there tonight."
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