When the eyes of the two, one big and one small, met, time seemed to stand still.
Father, this is my father.
This child looks so much like his eldest and second eldest siblings. Those two children resembled him, so naturally this one in front of him is also extremely similar to him.
They look to be around the same age. If the lady were to see them now, she would definitely lose control of her emotions and ask about the child.
Just then, the kitchen staff brought over lunch and called out "General," which brought Gong Wei back to his senses.
"Did Commandant Lü tell you to prepare food for the guests?" Gong Wei asked, remembering the question.
The cook glanced at Hong Xiaoduo and the others and replied, "Reporting to the General, the Commandant said that we also prepared their portion, but we only found out at the last minute, and there weren't any good dishes, so there's no time to go and buy more."
"It's alright, they're not here for the good food. Just make do with whatever's available, but don't just do a perfunctory job," Gong Wei instructed.
"Understood, sir," the cook quickly replied.
Commandant Lü had already instructed the head of the kitchen that this group of people were here to help fight the enemy and were honored guests, so they should not be neglected.
However, things are different now than in peacetime when there are no wars. When special guests come, the kitchen goes out to buy ingredients to entertain them.
During this extraordinary period, the general ate the same standard meals as the soldiers, so he couldn't afford to make special arrangements for the guests.
After the cook delivered the food to the general's tent, he came to Hong Xiaoduo and the others to ask if they wanted lunch delivered to them or if they should eat with the soldiers at their place.
Hong Xiaoduo said there was no need to send them off, they could just come over to eat, and then she led everyone over there.
With tens of thousands of soldiers in the camp, it's impossible to have just one kitchen. When there's no war, the camps stationed in the rear have fixed kitchens, each responsible for providing three meals a day for a fixed number of soldiers.
However, when war broke out, the mess halls stationed at the front lines were mainly responsible for the generals' three meals a day. Ordinary soldiers would be divided into groups, and the mess hall would give each group two pots and distribute the ingredients to them so that they could cook for themselves.
I learned about these things while I was in Dawuguan.
At that time, there was no fighting at Dawu Pass, and Peng Xian and his men entertained Hong Xiaoduo and others at restaurants outside the military camp.
Hong Xiaoduo and the others were fed by the kitchen staff responsible for the General and several other generals' meals, which meant they were eating with the General and his men.
Seeing Hong Xiaoduo and the others arrive, a cook quickly went into the tent and found chairs to arrange.
The group of nine, including the dozen or so generals who arrived later, made the tent feel rather crowded. The last few to arrive didn't even get a chair.
Tian Shu took the lead in standing up and handed over the chair he was sitting in.
The general, who was initially a little uncomfortable, began to feel embarrassed and decline when he saw how sensible the child was.
"It's alright, it's fine for kids to eat standing up, they can even eat more," Hong Xiaoduo said with a smile.
Seeing that the children insisted, the generals had no choice but to take the chairs and sit down.
However, this seemingly ordinary little thing brought the two sides closer, and after sitting down, he took the initiative to chat with Hong Xiaoduo and the others.
"If this weren't a war, the food would definitely not be like this," Captain Lü said somewhat embarrassedly.
After all, he had invited these people back to help, so he felt a little bad if he didn't treat them with special hospitality.
"It's alright, it's alright. Having a hot meal is already very good." Hong Xiaoduo didn't respond with any polite words.
On the long table in front of them, there weren't even any plates, just two dishes: stewed meat with radish and stir-fried cabbage. They were served in bowls, two portions for easy eating.
The staple food was a steamed dry food made from a mixture of cornmeal and wheat flour. It was obvious that the dough hadn't risen properly; it wasn't fluffy enough and was a little sticky.
Tianji took a few bites and felt better. Look, he wasn't the only idiot. Even the cook in charge of cooking couldn't do it right!
Watching Hong Xiaoduo and the others heartily eat the not-so-tasty mixed grains and dry food, one dish was a bit salty and the other a bit bland, without showing the slightest hint of disgust on their faces, everyone thought that they really didn't mind or care.
Similarly, the people in the kitchen were also observing Hong Xiaoduo and the others' reactions. They had initially been somewhat resentful, but now that nine people had suddenly arrived, they felt a little guilty.
Why didn't today's food and vegetables perform as expected? It's not as good as what you get at restaurants or high-end eateries. At least it shouldn't be this bad!
"Mother, how about I help out in the kitchen?" Tianxuan whispered to Hong Xiaoduo.
At first, he thought he should cook dinner himself, but then he thought that wouldn't be very appropriate, so he came up with this idea.
"Okay, you can ask them yourself later. After all, this is a military camp, and they might have reservations and be hesitant to agree." Hong Xiaoduo didn't object, but she gave Tianxuan a heads-up first.
I'm afraid my child will be unhappy if they are rejected.
"Yes, I understand." Tianxuan nodded in agreement, understanding what she meant.
Just as everyone finished eating and stood up, the dozen or so generals habitually got up and walked out, while Tian Shu and the others rolled up their sleeves and helped clear the dishes. The kitchen staff were taken aback at first, but then quickly realized what was going on and said, "Young masters and ladies, you mustn't do that. We'll take care of it."
"It's alright, you're just sitting around anyway. You've all been busy from one meal to the next, so take a break," Hong Xiaoduo said from the side.
Her words deeply moved the cooks.
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