The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 712 Prodigal Son Returns or Still a Scoundrel

Now that they had won the battle, the next step was naturally to reward those who had contributed and to boost morale. Jia Huan and Duan Yong were very generous (mainly because they had the confidence to be generous), and they took out 100,000 taels of silver in one go. The bright white silver was piled up in front of the soldiers, and just looking at it was enough to invigorate them.

Ordinary soldiers who participated in the defense of the city were rewarded with two taels of silver (officers were rewarded separately according to their rank; those who captured heads were rewarded separately). Those who were wounded were given a compensation ranging from one to thirty taels of silver depending on the degree of their injury. Those who died in battle received a one-time compensation of fifty taels of silver, all of which was distributed on the spot and received in person. The deceased were given by their relatives or by a designated person from the unit to deliver the compensation to their relatives, in order to prevent officers from deducting the compensation at each level.

In addition, each soldier who participated in the surprise attack on Liucheng and Huozhou will be rewarded with ten taels of silver (the reward for heads taken will be calculated separately), and the compensation for casualties will be the same as above. Moreover, they will also receive the "Warrior" medal personally awarded by the governor.

This "Warrior" medal is made of iron, about the size of a copper coin, and is shaped like a six-pointed star. The character "勇" (brave) is engraved on both sides. This was Jia Huan's original creation and will become a distinctive symbol of the Jia family army in the future. Soldiers in the army are proud to receive the "Warrior" medal. When they go into battle, everyone is brave and fearless. So much so that the enemy will flee at the mere mention of the three words "Jia Family Army".

Getting back to the main point, after the soldiers of the three armies received their generous rewards of real gold and silver, they were naturally overjoyed, even more so than during the New Year. Their gazes toward Jia Huan were filled with admiration and heartfelt respect.

For these rough, hardened men who have lived on the edge of death, being able to follow an invincible and wise leader is undoubtedly a stroke of luck; if that leader is also generous and magnanimous, then it is an even greater blessing.

After the silver was distributed, the medal-awarding ceremony began. All the warriors who participated in the long-distance raid stepped forward proudly and, under the envious and eager gazes of their comrades, solemnly received the "Warrior" medal from the governor's hands. This was a glorious achievement and the supreme honor of a soldier.

The moment the warriors received their medals from Jia Huan, they were all thrilled and stood proudly upright. At that moment, they probably wouldn't even flinch if asked to go through fire and water.

……

In the Hami Royal Palace, in the courtyard where Xue Baochai lived, Xue Pan was boasting to Baochai and her servants about the raid on Liucheng. He was exaggerating and spitting as he spoke.

"We were walking in the desert when suddenly a gust of wind blew up sand and stones, making it impossible to see anything within ten meters. Then, darkness fell and a heavy snow began to fall..."

Ying'er laughed and said, "Grandpa is just bragging. That night it was just a bit windy, but the snow didn't fall much. It all melted away as soon as the sun came out the next day."

Xue Pan blushed, rolled his eyes, and coughed lightly, saying, "Don't interrupt. Listen to the past, don't refute it. How can you, a servant girl, have no manners?"

Ying'er stuck out her tongue and said, "Then please continue, sir, and I will not interrupt."

"That's more like it. By the way, dear sister, where was I?" Xue Pan asked, scratching his head.

Xue Baochai said with a smile, "It's snowing heavily."

"Yes, yes, it started snowing heavily, and the wind was blowing harder and harder. It was freezing cold, so we had to huddle together for warmth. Overnight, hundreds of horses and camels froze to death..."

Xiangling exclaimed, "What are we going to do? You only have five hundred riders in total. If twenty percent of them freeze to death in one night, are we going to walk to Liucheng?"

Xue Pan was speechless for a moment, and coughed awkwardly, saying, "That's just an exaggeration. In reality, only one or two horses would freeze to death."

Even Xue Baochai couldn't help but laugh this time, and Xiangling and Ying'er covered their mouths and giggled.

“Brother, just tell the truth. There’s no need to embellish it. It’s too exaggerated and makes people not believe it,” Xue Baochai said, shaking her head helplessly.

Xue Pan said awkwardly, "Big brother used to be a dissolute playboy, known as the 'Dumb Tyrant.' He did a lot of bad things, troublesome things, dirty things, and absurd things, always causing trouble for the family, making Mom worry, and making you, my sister, clean up the mess. He never did anything worth being proud of. Now that he has finally done something serious, he naturally wants to brag about it so that you, my sister, can be proud of it too."

Upon hearing this, Xue Baochai's eyes reddened slightly, and she smiled with relief, saying, "A prodigal son's return is more precious than gold. Brother, you were truly foolish and reckless before, but now you've changed your ways. I've witnessed it with my own eyes, and I'm genuinely happy and proud of you." Xue Pan's eyes lit up, "Really?"

Xue Baochai nodded and said, "Last time, it was luck that my elder brother recognized Amahei, but this time, it was courage and responsibility that he helped the army successfully make a long-distance raid on Liucheng."

Ying'er laughed and said, "That's right. I used to hate what Master did, but now I admire him. He can actually travel and work hard in such a cold place to do jade business. I would never have believed that Master could endure such hardship before."

Xue Pan beamed with pride at the praise, and became a little smug. He took off his greasy money pouch from his waist and handed it to Baochai, saying with deep feeling, "Back then, I squandered money like water, but only when I was on the run did I realize that you can't get by without money, and I felt even more ashamed of how foolish I was before."

"Sister, this is the 120 taels of silver I saved this year. Twenty taels of it was a reward from Brother Huan for my role as a guide this time. It's a pity I'm not a soldier, so I didn't receive the Warrior Medal. Please take this silver back to the capital to support Mother. As a wanted criminal, I'm afraid I'll never be able to set foot in the capital again. From now on, you'll have to take care of Mother until the end..."

At this point, Xue Pan's eyes reddened, and his voice choked with emotion. Hearing this, Xue Baochai burst into tears, shaking her head and saying, "My mother and I don't lack money. Brother, keep it for yourself, so you can settle down, start a family, and get married in the future..."

Xue Pan smiled bitterly and said, "I'm a cripple now, what's the point of me getting married? Wouldn't that be harming a young lady? From now on, the continuation of the Xue family line will depend on you, my sister."

Xue Baochai blushed, only then realizing that her elder brother Xue Pan was no longer able to have sex, and she felt even more saddened.

Xue Pan chuckled and said, "Sister, you don't need to worry about me. I've figured it out these past few years. Once I've earned enough money, I can buy a few acres of land and live a comfortable life as a modest farmer. You can take this money. I still have some savings in Chang'an, so I won't starve!"

Xue Baochai was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. She wanted to refuse, but she was afraid of hurting her elder brother's pride, so she had no choice but to accept it. She coughed lightly twice with tears in her eyes.

Just as Xue Pan was about to ask a question, he heard footsteps outside, and Jia Huan's voice rang out: "Is Sister Bao at home?"

Xue Baochai quickly turned away to wipe her tears. Xiangling stepped forward, opened the door, and said with a smile, "I'm here, Third Master!"

Jia Huan, who had changed into casual clothes, walked in as instructed. Seeing that Xue Pan was also there, he nodded and said, "Brother Pan is here too."

Xue Pan quickly stood up and said with a smile, "My good brother-in-law is here. I'll be going now. You two can chat for a while."

Xue Baochai blushed deeply and scolded, "Brother, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Xue Pan scratched his head and said, "That's true, what's wrong with saying it?"

Xue Baochai was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear, while Ying'er and Xiangling could only cover their mouths and giggle. Xue Pan said, "Alright, I won't disturb you two young lovers' private conversation any longer, I'm leaving!"

Jia Huan couldn't help but laugh and cry. Although his brother-in-law had changed a lot, his stubbornness seemed to have remained as strong as ever. He coughed lightly and said, "Brother, please sit for a moment. I have something to discuss with you."

"Look, even Brother Huan calls me 'Big Brother,' so what's wrong with me calling him 'Brother-in-law'? Brother-in-law, just tell me what you need, there's no need to discuss it!" Xue Pan said boldly, patting his chest.

Xue Baochai looked at Jia Huan with a mixture of embarrassment and curiosity.

(End of this chapter)