Chapter 433 The Unwelcome Stranger
Aunt Lin was very happy. "We were just talking about this. We haven't seen Boss Gu for a long time since the beginning of spring."
"The oats are growing very well this year. It looks like a bumper year. How can we celebrate after the harvest without Boss Gu?"
Madam Zhou laughed and said, "If you keep talking about it every day, it will attract people!"
Everyone laughed and welcomed Gu Xixi under the shade of the tree.
It was mealtime, and everyone had food and water.
When you come to this place, you don't have to worry about how to fill your stomach.
One of them broke off a piece of Guokui and stuffed it with pickles, and the other one stuffed it with an omelet.
This one gets a bite of steamed bun, that one gets a corner of sesame biscuit...
As soon as Lu Jing sat down, he was fed repeatedly and he was completely unable to cope.
In the end, she could only say repeatedly, "Enough, enough, I can't finish it if I give you more."
She finally understood why Gu Xixi brought her here to eat so confidently.
People in the northwest are good at eating staple foods, especially those who do physical work, who need to eat more solid rations.
Kind and enthusiastic women only need to give a little bit to feed her.
And we can’t do without it.
Lu Jing suddenly thought of her mother, who always stuffed this and that into her mouth for fear that she would be hungry.
Her eyes were a little moist, and she quickly lowered her head and stuffed the biscuit into her mouth desperately.
"tasty!"
Aunt Lin handed over half a bowl of water and said softly, "Eat slowly."
"This is the willow leaf tea that Boss Gu taught us to make. Drinking some can help reduce internal heat."
Lu Jing smiled gratefully, "Thank you, Aunt Lin."
As everyone ate together, Aunt Lin naturally reported on all the recent affairs of the dependents' village.
Overall, everything went well.
After the army returned, the court's rewards came soon, and the general also rewarded the soldiers according to their merits.
So the women in the dependents' village all got the money their husbands brought back, more or less.
What’s even more coincidental is that none of the women in the dependent village had lost their husbands, which was double the joy.
Life became noticeably better for each family.
Buy fabrics to make new clothes, buy the household items you've always dreamed of, and send your children to study in a nearby county town...
The wishes that the women had expressed to Gu Xixi were gradually coming true.
Now they have ushered in their own harvest.
No wonder everyone looks radiant.
Aunt Lin added, "It's the patch of Pinellia fruit trees on our slope."
"We have taken good care of the trees according to your instructions, and they have all survived. From the beginning of spring till now, the branches and leaves have grown a lot."
"But this thing is not like food, and we don't understand what it is like."
"You'll have to wait until you see it for yourself."
Gu Xixi nodded and said, "Okay, let's go after we finish harvesting the oats."
"Looking at the soil conditions in our area, maybe after we harvest the wheat, we can grow some grain."
The wastelands of the Northwest need improvement.
After the oat harvest last year, the army only purchased short-term crops such as pumpkins and radishes as instructed by Gu Xixi.
The dependents' village also received seedlings and started planting together.
But these are ultimately no match for real food crops.
The women were overjoyed when they heard Gu Xixi say that it might be possible to continue growing crops next season.
The lunch break was almost over and everyone stood up one after another.
Lu Jing saw someone slowly approaching from a distance and tugged at Gu Xixi, "Is that also from the village?"
"Why don't you come and have dinner with us?"
Gu Xixi looked in the direction they were looking and saw two completely unfamiliar women.
Both of them have dark skin and deep eye sockets. Although they are dressed like ordinary Daye women, they always look a little out of place.
The older woman had some gray on her temples and was carefully supporting the younger woman.
Gu Xixi lowered her eyes and found that the woman's belly was bulging, obviously she was an advanced pregnant woman.
Lu Jing noticed that everyone's expressions were somewhat wary, and some were even obviously unfriendly.
Seeing the two women approaching, everyone dispersed, obviously unwilling to meet them.
When Gu Xixi was wondering, Aunt Lin whispered, "They are both from Beili."
"She claimed that she went to Daye to do business, but was separated from her husband due to the war."
"Now the northern border has retreated to the other side of the Great Valley,"
"It's impossible for the two women to cross such a long no-man's land with just their heavy bodies."
Gu Xixi understood, "They were forced to stay here."
Aunt Lin nodded. "Someone from the army questioned us and said there was nothing wrong."
"Let them go."
Gu Xixi asked, "How do they live?"
Aunt Lin sighed, "There is an independent shabby house outside the west of the village."
"It was originally used to store weapons, but it has been abandoned for many years and has long been leaking."
"Fortunately, it's summer now and there's little rain here, so it's barely habitable."
As they were talking, two Beili women had already walked past the front of the field.
The young woman had a cold face and looked straight ahead, as if she didn't want to have anything to do with these Daye military families.
Lu Jing frowned, "So they are from Beili, no wonder everyone dislikes them."
Aunt Lin said, "Although we all dislike Beili people, I just feel that the woman with the baby is pitiful."
"At the beginning, half of the villagers agreed to let them stay, while the other half disagreed."
"In the end, we compromised and didn't allow them to enter the village, so they just lived there."
"As soon as the baby is born and the confinement period is over, let them leave immediately."
"So that's how it is." Gu Xixi thought thoughtfully.
Walking on the path in the village, Lu Jing said indignantly, "Although I have never been to the border, I know that Beili has always been the enemy of our cause."
"You said that pregnant woman just now, why is she still so arrogant and arrogant?"
"It was because of everyone's kindness that she was able to stay here to give birth, but she doesn't even know how to be polite when she meets people!"
Gu Xixi said, "Perhaps she comes from a good family and is not used to having to look at other people's faces."
"Now that you have fallen on hard times, you have to live in a shabby house and are ostracized by others. I'm sure you feel bad."
Lu Jing sighed, "That's right."
Northwest Army Camp.
Mu Nanzhao went straight to the central military tent, only to find that there were already guests there.
A man and a woman.
The man was about twenty years old and the woman was in her prime, and they were all dressed like Beili nobles.
Mu Nanzhao just took a look and strode in as if no one was around. He just greeted Huo Jiang and sat down.
Huo Jiang knew his style of doing things very well, so he smiled and was not in a hurry to introduce him.
The Beili man was somewhat unhappy at being ignored.
"Who is this person? He doesn't hold any military position. How could he enter General Huo's tent without permission?"
"The civil servants in Daye are so useless. Aren't there any rules?"
Huo Jiang lowered his head to drink tea with a smile on his face as if he was waiting for a good show.
After a while, Mu Nanzhao said, "Prince Aguna inherited the title when he was 20 years old."
"It was also thanks to your good brother who served the country loyally and was beheaded."
He raised his eyes and smiled fiercely, "Once upon a time, his head was placed on the table in front of you."
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