Hong Xiaoduo and the others walked on the main street of Hongliu City. The city had just been captured. Even though the people in the city were dissatisfied with the guards and soldiers who had treated them so badly for many years, they were still unsure about the Gong family army of Fengliang Kingdom, which they had heard was kind to the people.
When they heard the fighting in the city after midnight, they were actually conflicted. They hoped that the Gong family army of Fengliang Kingdom would take the city, but they were also afraid that they would actually take it.
Everyone was very anxious, and they stayed awake until dawn, but no one dared to light a lamp, let alone go out to inquire.
In the dark, they quickly hid their money and food, however much or little, in a more secure location.
They moved their young female relatives and young men into the cellar.
The sounds of fighting outside had stopped, and there were sounds of soldiers running back and forth, but it was only on the streets outside; there was no disturbance to the houses.
The people in the city, especially those living near the main street, felt that this was somewhat unusual. Could it be that the Gong family army of Fengliang Kingdom had been defeated?
The sun was already high in the sky when someone finally couldn't resist peeking through the crack in their door. They saw that the soldiers coming and going on the street were not soldiers of their own country, and only then did they realize that the Fengliang Kingdom's army had already captured the city.
So far, the soldiers of Fengliang Kingdom have not yet killed or plundered the people in the city. I wonder if they are too busy to do so right now, or...
So, still no one dared to go out.
"It looks like we won't be able to find anywhere to get breakfast. How about we go back to the inn and ask them for ingredients so we can cook it ourselves?" Tianxuan said helplessly, looking at all the shops along the street that had their doors down.
When I went to the government office to find her from the inn, I had already noticed her, but I was thinking that maybe some of the bolder ones would open for business soon.
But look at what time it is now, and there isn't a single sign in sight.
"Huh? How did you manage to check into that inn?" Hong Xiaoduo asked curiously.
"That was because my older brother knocked on doors one by one to ask. He only opened the door and let us in after he asked the third house. Then he put the door back on. We came out through the side door," Yao Guang told her.
Hong Xiaoduo nodded. Oh, so that's how it is.
"Who makes steamed buns, noodles, and wontons? We want to eat breakfast. Don't be afraid, everyone. The soldiers of Fengliang Kingdom won't harm you." She asked loudly as she walked towards the shops on both sides.
Quan Jinghuai was about to tell her to stop shouting, saying it was no use, when he heard someone respond from behind the door panel beside him: "How about meat pies, wontons, or mutton soup?"
Upon hearing a response, Hong Xiaoduo and the others immediately stopped in their tracks: "Of course!"
The next moment, people in the shop started removing a door panel, then another. An old man, around sixty years old, poked his head out and looked at Hong Xiaoduo and her group, then glanced at a small group of soldiers walking past on the street.
Then, the old man removed another door panel and said softly to Hong Xiaoduo and the others, "Please come in quickly. The minced meat was prepared last night, and the broth has been simmering since last night. Just wait a moment."
Hong Xiaoduo and her group of nine immediately went inside.
Inside, there was a man and a woman who looked to be in their forties, watching Hong Xiaoduo and the others with tense expressions. Only after they entered the shop and saw the six children and three adults did their expressions ease a little.
"Old man, trust me, there's no need to close it. Just open it for normal business. The Great General of Fengliang Kingdom is strict in his military discipline. Before entering the city, he issued a military order that after taking this place, no one is allowed to harass the people. Anyone who disobeys the military order will be dealt with according to military law." Hong Xiaoduo advised the old man when she saw him trying to put the three door panels that he had just taken off back on.
She could tell that the old man wasn't a menial worker.
After listening to her words, the old man hesitated for a moment, as if he had made a great decision: "You two hurry up and start a fire, let's open for business."
Upon hearing this, the man immediately went to the stove to start a fire, while the woman invited Hong Xiaoduo and the others to sit down at the table.
"Manager, let's share a table, and we'll set it up for you after we've finished eating," Tian Shu said.
"Alright, alright, do as you please," the old man responded loudly, his hands busy removing the remaining door panels.
Sharing tables is no big deal; as long as there's business to be done, that's all that matters.
Tian Shu and his men put the two tables together and arranged the chairs.
Following everyone's preferences, Tianxuan ordered meat pies, wontons, and mutton soup.
The old man, after removing the door panel, saw that the soldiers of Fengliang Kingdom who passed by only glanced at the shop before continuing their patrols. He felt inexplicably at ease and simply removed the window panel from the stove area as well.
The aroma of the fried meat patties and the fragrance of the mutton soup quickly spread.
The soldiers were forbidden from coming to eat without permission, but the people in the shop next door were hungry, so some of them boldly came out to buy meat pies, wontons, and mutton soup.
They were all secretly watching, and more and more people were coming, following suit.
Upon entering the shop, they all curiously observed Hong Xiaoduo and the others. Perhaps because there were six children, they relaxed considerably.
Actually, there were several restaurants on both sides, but after learning that the Fengliang Kingdom's army was at the gates of the city the day before, they had no mind to prepare ingredients for the next day. Preparing them would have been a waste!
"Actually, it's not that we're simply afraid of the soldiers of Fengliang Kingdom. Yesterday, as far as I know, several restaurants and taverns in the city were ate and dashed by our own soldiers from Yunwu Kingdom."
"That sounds nice, like they're giving out IOUs, but who would dare ask for the kind of IOUs they give out?" The old man sighed as he said this.
“They’re really good at bullying us when it’s normal, but when it comes to actual fighting, they’re so useless. They’re so incompetent and still restless, always provoking Fengliang Kingdom. Now look what’s happened. If you ask me, Fengliang Kingdom should have done this a long time ago.” The man who was busy by the stove walked over with a freshly fried meat pie, put it down and said.
The woman who brought the mutton soup over quickly winked at the man, signaling him not to talk nonsense or he would get into trouble.
"What's there to be afraid of? There are countless people in this city who think like me." After saying that, the man returned to the stove to continue making pancakes.
Originally, his son and grandson were also helping out at the shop, but as soon as the war broke out, they were quickly sent to hide in a courtyard house in the back alley.
The man, who had just said he wasn't afraid, immediately tensed up when he saw the group of people entering the shop again.
I just saw them through the window. The generals of Fengliang Kingdom were very respectful to the leader. Although these men weren't wearing military armor and didn't exude the special aura of soldiers, I could tell they were from Fengliang Kingdom...
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