After talking for a while, Youqing asked, and Kangxi translated, "The two children said that, back and forth, the two children became a little bolder."
Before long, Youqing had a clear understanding of this family.
The family of four lived a simple life, with distant relatives who rarely saw each other. They struggled to make ends meet, and a winter was a disaster for them.
Having learned enough, the two children smiled at the commotion outside: "Abu and Mother are back."
Although this family wasn't wealthy, it was clear they had a very good relationship, and they were overjoyed to hear that their parents were coming home.
Kangxi and Youqing also got up.
The two people who came in looked to be around thirty or forty years old. In fact, the couple was not even thirty years old, but the wind had wrinkled their faces, making them look older than their age.
The two were startled to see strangers in their home.
"Who are you?" the man who came in asked.
He could tell that the two men were either rich or powerful, and he was afraid of getting into trouble. As the head of the family, he still asked them.
Emperor Kangxi explained, "My wife and I came here for a stroll. We stopped by to ask for a cup of water and also to inquire if anyone was willing to sell a sheep."
Upon hearing this, the man suddenly paused, as if remembering something: "You're from the capital, aren't you? I heard that distinguished guests have arrived from the east, and these past few days we haven't been allowed to graze our sheep to the east."
Youqing listened to their conversation and glared at Kangxi when he said "Madam," but she didn't contradict him.
The Mongolian man's words surprised Youqing. So, their current camp was a place where herders grazed their livestock.
Kangxi: "They came from the capital."
Even Emperor Kangxi was able to set aside his pride and chat with the Mongolian man in no time. Youqing wanted to talk to the lady of the house, but she couldn't because of the language barrier.
After chatting for a while, Kangxi finally asked, "Do you sell sheep here?"
"This sheep is only half-grown now, and I want to wait until it's fully grown before selling it."
While mutton isn't exactly cheap in Mongolia, it's not as valuable as inland areas. Mongolian people raise cattle and sheep, sell some to buy daily necessities, and keep the rest for their own consumption.
The cattle and sheep are seen by Mongolians in the same way that rice and wheat are seen by ordinary people.
If you tell a farmer to sell his half-planted wheat, he'll definitely think you're crazy—why sell unripe wheat?
"I want to buy two to roast. I heard that lamb meat is more tender and suitable for roasting. The price is negotiable."
In the end, Kangxi offered a good price to buy a lamb. Because the price was so "generous," the master of the household insisted that they stay for a meal.
Unable to refuse their hospitality, the two stayed.
Because Emperor Kangxi said he wanted to eat roasted lamb, and the women in Mongolia all had their own expertise in roasting meat, the amount Kangxi gave was so much that it was enough to buy several sheep. At noon, the family slaughtered a lamb to entertain Emperor Kangxi and Youqing.
Youqing wasn't idle either; although the needs were different, she still went to help.
She had actually eaten roasted mutton here before. After arriving in Mongolia, she ate a lot of roasted meat. At the camp where she was stationed, the food was taken care of by the imperial kitchen and the chefs who served Emperor Kangxi. Even in Mongolia, she could eat food that suited her taste.
However, the Mongolian-style roasted meat eaten at the market was somewhat disappointing. It's not that the food in Mongolia is bad; on the contrary, Youqing had eaten the food of Mongolian princes, and the taste was just as good, full of flavor, and quite nice to eat once in a while.
It was just an ordinary market, and mutton naturally has a strong smell. If it wasn't prepared properly and there wasn't enough seasoning, it would inevitably have a slightly gamey taste. It wouldn't be so bad that you couldn't eat it, but it was undeniable that it didn't suit Youqing's taste.
So Youqing took out a lot of seasonings from the cloth bag she was traveling with. Of course, the things in the cloth bag were all fresh from the farm.
The Mongolian woman also recognized the seasonings, and seeing this, the two of them used the seasonings to prepare the mutton together. Youqing deserves half the credit for the lunch.
While eating roasted mutton, the younger child suddenly said, "Abu, Mother, the mutton is especially delicious today."
The child's mother said, "This girl helped me do it."
Upon hearing this, the child, Abu, smiled and said, "Thank you."
Kangxi translated for Youqing. Although the meal was "not quite expressive," Youqing undeniably felt quite comfortable.
After leaving the family, Youqing said, "This meal was the most satisfying I've had since I came to Mongolia."
"If you like, come out again when you have time."
Youqing shook her head: "No need for that. It's fine to do something like that only once in a while."
When they go out for a race, sometimes people talk about it, and it feels like a serendipitous encounter. That's quite interesting.
Kangxi smiled but didn't speak. He also felt quite comfortable today. There were no servants around them, just like an ordinary couple. Youqing couldn't understand the language, so he translated for her, listening to the everyday matters of an ordinary family...
These were things that Kangxi had never even considered, and he found them particularly special.
After returning to the encampment, Youqing got busy. Although Kangxi had intimidated the various Mongol forces, he still needed to appease them. After all, although the musket troops were good, he didn't really intend to use them against the Mongols.
The primary approach was appeasement, with deterrence as a secondary measure. Only if Emperor Kangxi felt that appeasement was sufficient, but the Mongols were still not satisfied, would deterrence be necessary.
"Princess, Lord Bandi requests an audience."
Ming Shan frowned upon hearing this: "Why is he here?"
The tone was clearly not very pleasant.
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