"That girl who can play the suona, you don't have to be like this."
There are a few veterans who are careful.
Although four pots of glutinous rice balls have just been boiled, the other pots are still waiting for the soldiers to bring water one after another.
But they found that as long as a pot was boiled, before the common people were about to distribute it to the soldiers, the girl who could play the suona would stand in front of each pot, scoop out four grains first, and eat the first one in front of everyone. dial.
How could they not trust the people.
Let’s not talk about the fact that the people have endured the cold all the way this time and are not at home to celebrate the holidays with their families. Come to give them food and drinks. How could only 300 people come and go to the border to poison them? Are they sick?
This is called stationing tens of thousands of troops.
It is only said that since the change of generals, each camp has specially set up a hundred commanders to supervise the army.
On the one hand, the Supervising Army Chief is concerned about their daily training thoughts and life.
For example, when some soldiers received letters from their families a few days ago, the centenarian would ask if anyone had any difficulties at home, telling them that if the brothers can't solve it, we can still go up to the higher generals to solve it.
A veteran said that he had received a letter from his hometown, saying that his sister was bullied so badly by the local bullies that she was forced to become a housewife.
I heard recently that even General Fenwu knew about this matter, and General Fenwu actually sent her personal guard Sui Feng to handle it.
How did they know this? I heard that Suifeng had asked before setting off if there was anyone living in the area who wanted to bring something with him. Otherwise, it can be said that the people under the female general are careful and practical.
Everyone also heard that although Sui Feng was a talkative and a female personal guard, she was very experienced in dealing with local yamen and handling such matters. Because General Fenwu didn't even get used to the bullying relatives in her hometown, and directly uprooted them and dealt with them to the end.
This incident made the former veterans of Zhenbei feel deeply. No wonder they had always heard that the Huo family's army was well paid, and that even ordinary soldiers were arrogant when they went out. It turned out that this was the confidence that the general came from a century-old family.
Now, except for the royal family, their Zhenbei Army dare not offend the rest, regardless of which aristocratic family is backing them. There is something fishy behind this. Their general and the generals of the Huo Family Army under his command dare to make decisions for them in everything. Then there was only one sentence after that, train well and don’t get distracted.
This incident also gave them an indescribable sense of belonging from the bottom of their hearts.
As for the military supervisors who are scattered in various barracks, on the other hand, they will help everyone understand the predecessor of Huo Jiajun.
Many critical moments were mentioned, when the common people had delivered water and firewood, administered medicine to the enemy invaders, and then rushed to report the news.
Let everyone know that many farmers who speak rural slang also have their own wisdom.
Everyone understands that the Chief of the Supervisory Army has been talking about this for half a year. He just wants them, especially some veterans, to wear the Huo Jiajun logo leopard on their armbands and your name on the chest to prevent you from running away. Then he goes out to show off his face in front of the people. If you were shameless, would other battalion sergeants also snatch food and drink from our parents in your hometown? As long as someone comes to complain, military pay will be deducted as compensation.
In short, after half a year, the former Zhenbei veterans not only integrated well with the Zhenbei new army, but also went out to compete if they didn't accept the other. And all we have to do is swear that we are not the same as before.
Besides, didn’t we just finish performing Yangko together? If the common people have to taste the food in front of them before they dare to eat it, what will happen? This is someone who came to visit based on their own intentions. Who are they trying to eliminate?
What a spoiler for the mood.
Xu Tianxin did want to try it out, but he didn't mean to poison it.
She was afraid that she would accidentally get diarrhea and cause trouble for them. You should know that she had braised thousands of ducks in three batches. The first batch was three days ago. In addition, making glutinous rice balls is made by hundreds of villagers, just in case someone has not washed their hands.
The most important thing is that she didn't eat any yellow rice on the way here. Let her try some. She's hungry.
As a result, everyone was looking at her for this sentence. It didn't matter whether Xu Tianxin was eating the rice dumpling bowl or not eating.
"It really doesn't have to be this way." More people said with a smile.
Liu Jingdong has just finished helping the students make ice sculptures. After all, he is also a scholar. He is also from Erdaohe and is now very experienced in making ice. He was standing in front of the tarpaulin shed and happened to hear these words: "...something else!"
Xu Tianxin couldn't bear it anymore. What girl and boy couldn't open her mouth and smile in front of so many soldiers, so she immediately laughed out loud while holding the bowl.
And she couldn't hold back her laughter, because Liu Jingdong was worse than her. At least she ate roasted sweet potatoes on the way, while Liu Jingdong didn't eat anything along the way.
When I asked him, he said he wanted to try it out here.
This time it was done, he was not allowed to try it, Liu Jingdong stared at him in confusion with his big eyes.
Mrs. Xu was worried. She smiled and said, "Oh my God, my granddaughter can't stop."
Accompanied by Xu Tianxin's laughter, the women who were cooking and the soldiers who were carrying charcoal pots and water into the house were laughing along with them inexplicably even though they clearly had no idea what was going on inside.
It was truly a holiday, and even the soldiers who hung red lanterns outside felt deeply that the flavor of the 15th Reunion Year came suddenly.
The previous Chinese New Year seemed a little different from today.
And with the arrival of fellow villagers today, I feel that the coldness and boredom stationed here have become much lighter.
"Come on, soldiers, the glutinous rice balls are ready, come and get the glutinous rice balls!"
Mrs. Xu stood in front of the head pot, looked at the young man in front of her and asked: "I don't think you are big, what is your name?"
"Auntie, you have come to visit us after working so hard, and you even brought food. I am sixteen, and my name is Madaha."
Mrs. Xu: "..."
This was a name given by some dishonest parent. It was even more unreliable than the black, shiny, and fragrant horses of the old Ma family in their village.
But what he said with a smile was: "What a good name. You are the first one. This is a good sign. From now on, we will start laughing from you and keep smiling. Auntie has written down your name." "
I also remember your appearance. You are only sixteen and about the same age as her.
"What's your name? I think you are an official."
"Auntie, I am Dakui."
"Emma, it's you!" Zhao Dashan asked Zhao Dashan for the New Year, and Dashan handed it to his wife, specially removing two pieces of fabric for her.
I heard that her family, Arita, served as a soldier in this camp during her lifetime, and she had a good relationship with the man in front of her and Da Shan.
Mrs. Xu quickly fished out a few glutinous rice balls in her own bowl. She saw that Dakui came empty-handed.
Then she hurriedly turned around to find someone to pick her up. When she looked back, she saw Mr. Qian standing next to her, giggling like crazy and stuffing a wooden rice spoon into his hand.
"I won't."
Why not? You don’t know how to cook or scoop? What can your uncle do for you?
Then Mrs. Xu grabbed Da Kui's arm and stood aside, wanting to say a few more words in detail.
But Dakui came here on purpose. He was about to change defenses and go to Beiling to lead a patrol.
At that time, it was precisely because of the Chinese New Year that I relaxed my vigilance on Beiling. I always felt that it was a steep and dense virgin forest, and it was a cold winter. Even large beasts could not let the enemy out of the forest. Unexpectedly, there was a beast master and he came out. , suddenly troops came to the city.
Therefore, as a junior officer, he must have many more days off than soldiers. But there must be no rest during the New Year and holidays, and you must take the lead in patrolling.
Didn't even notice that the general and several leading generals were here.
At this time, although a man would not shed tears easily, when Da Kui heard that Mrs. Xu recognized him immediately and said "Emma is you", his eyes immediately became wet with tears.
Dakui was already very emotional.
Because he had been secretly watching "the girl who can play the suona" and knew that she was the daughter of his Arita brother.
So while looking at Xu Tianxin, I murmured in my heart: "Brother Arita, your daughter is very good. Don't worry, I heard that she has many noble people now. I have finally returned to this black land. Don't worry about your daughter. If you can use me in the future, Dashan and I will always look after her..."
Mrs. Xu could tell that the man in front of her didn't want to cry in front of so many people, and was suppressing his excitement. He turned his head to the side and wiped his eyes vigorously with his palms. He couldn't hide his sobs when he spoke: "Madam, I, I just came to see you, and I will go on patrol right away."
"No matter how anxious you are, you should try my craftsmanship while it's still hot..." Mrs. Xu felt that the border defense camp was unprepared, so she said a little bit, otherwise her nose would be sore after saying this ordinary sentence. tears.
Mrs. Xu handed over her rice bowl, smiled and wiped away her tears and said:
"Look at us two, we are so happy to meet each other for the first time. What are we doing?
You don’t know, I’ve been thinking about you ever since Dashan’s wife went home to give me ingredients, and I thought I couldn’t walk back and bump into each other without even recognizing you?
I also want to tell you that your family is doing well now. "
Mrs. Xu sniffed hard, her tears completely gone this time, and she continued to say with a smile:
"Look at how much meat I can scrape together to visit the soldiers. Don't buy that for your family in the future. Then you are a heretic, ah? Da Kui.
When the time comes, Xiu Mu and Dashan will go home together. Our family also has a hot spring pool. You can have a hot bath then, and aunt will cook you some delicious food.
Auntie, I’m really not bragging to you, Emma, you’re already greedy for the mountains.
I heard Hongmei complain that Dashan usually never picks out food that is tasteless, but now he always says that what I cook is almost tasteless, and you must try it. "
Dakui scooped a glutinous rice ball into his mouth and chewed it carefully, while nodding his head with tears in his eyes and saying, "I heard Zhao Dashan show off." Suddenly I remembered something, and I speeded up my eating again. This time, I poured the soup and dumplings directly into my mouth, and swallowed it whole:
"Mom, are my brothers here? I want to see them."
"Not that many people come here. Isn't this my family's shop? The caravans have been returning one after another in the past two days. The third brother is capable and the fourth brother can cook some food. He is too busy to leave people. Only your second brother is here. Let's go. Come on, I’ll take you to meet him.”
When Xu Laoer arrived at the border defense camp, he didn't even feed the mules and cattle. He asked his uncle Li Zheng to be in charge of that stall, and he kept holding a torch to illuminate the painting for Gao Mantang, a famous painter in the village.
We country people don't have any shows. If this painting can be done well, it will definitely be outstanding.
The painting was painted on the wall where soldiers would leave from the small side door leading to the residence when changing guards.
At this time, the painting has been finished with charcoal and is being colored with the dye that Xu Tianxin asked his uncles to buy in Fucheng last time. Presumably, after the coloring is finished, the color of this large picture will be extremely bright.
When Mrs. Xu and Da Kui arrived, Mr. Xu was standing on the wooden ladder holding a torch to illuminate the scene.
Below, Liu Jingdong, who was extremely hungry, was discussing something loudly with Gao Mantang.
"Son, this is the brother your eldest brother got along with very well back then. Your name is Brother Da Kui."
Xu Laoer couldn't mention his eldest brother. If he didn't mention it, he would squat next to a tree and cry. If he mentioned it, it would be over.
Especially today, the land he is stepping on was where his eldest brother once lived.
Xu Laoer had been controlling himself not to think about it. We were here to offer condolences, not to mourn. Unexpectedly, he finally broke his guard when he saw Da Kui.
If he wasn't afraid that his mother would be sad, Xu Youliang would definitely ask Dakui at this moment:
"Can you show me which barrack my eldest brother lived in? How did he die? We don't even know whether his body was recovered or not. I just want to know this, but no one can tell us clearly. "
Zhao Dashan was questioned several times by Xu Youliang.
Dashan said that the day your eldest brother died was a fierce battle that lasted from dawn to dusk. And your eldest brother kept what he could of me and Dakui, and then he rushed out in the last wave.
It was already dark and I couldn't see very far. At that time, I could see clearly only a few miles ahead of the city tower.
And based on what I know about your eldest brother, he must be the most bloody person who rushes to the front.
In fact, Zhao Dashan had asked around after the war, but at that time the enemy troops were attacking the city gate and even built ladders to climb up, and everyone alive was busy resisting the enemy.
At that time, his leg was injured and he could not get up. He could only drag his injured leg while sitting inside the city wall, unconsciously passing arrow feathers to those who survived. He thought that by passing more arrows to his frontline brothers, he would be able to survive a little longer, until he was bleeding and fell into a coma from exhaustion. At that time, he didn't even know where Dakui was.
Later, I heard that the corpses and weapons near the city gate had not been picked up during the truce. This was the default. Only moral enemies and we would pick up their own heroes, but then reinforcements and peace talks and ministers came.
I heard that the six peace negotiators were anxious to go to the enemy's camp to pay a lot of things to others. At that time, they ordered the corpses to be quickly piled together and burned. The people who did this work were people brought by the officials later. Use Zhenbei Army.
And even finding it is difficult. Back then, the Zhenbei Army had limited military expenditures. Unlike now, the clothes were specially patched with their names and ancestral origins.
Isn't that right? At this moment, Xu Laoer looked at his mother and suppressed his thoughts with great sadness.
Then Da Kui took a few strides forward and hugged him. He said, "Second brother, your eldest brother and I are no different." He immediately shed tears.
Mrs. Xu said next to her, "Hey, what are you doing?" She seemed to be repeating this sentence today.
Xu Laoer waited for a while before smiling and muttering, "Mom, there seems to be something wrong here."
Dakui was found by his soldiers, smiled again, patted Xu Laoer on the shoulder and left in a hurry.
At the same time, Liu Jingdong was asking his husband: "Sir, how do you write Gaza for Gabaomi?"
His old teacher, Mr. Tong Sheng, was carving characters in the snow because he was freezing. When he heard this, he asked without raising his head: "Why do you want to write this character?"
"Because the painting was finished, the villagers asked me to leave a message on the painting, which is called: I'll see you again after finishing eating the corn."
"Can't you cut it?"
Ah, yes.
But Liu Jingdong turned around, walked a few steps, and then stopped: "I can't write even if I cut."
His husband: "..." You'd better continue squatting when you go back.
(End of chapter)
