Border Cook

The wind and snow have not stopped yet, and it looks like it will continue to snow for a long time. If the snow is thick by evening and the road conditions are bad tomorrow, horses and vehicles will be unable to move on the road.

The so-called temporary stay may increase from one night to multiple nights.

It never goes wrong to bring a few extra essentials.

"Yes." Xia Yunji instructed his men to prepare heating supplies and food, and then, under Tao Kanglai's repeated urging, he led everyone to set off.

Many people were naturally unhappy about having to travel in the wind and snow, but they obeyed the orders from their superiors completely and had no complaints. They only blamed Tao Kanglai for it.

After all, if he hadn't insisted on traveling, no one would have to brave the cold, the wind and the snow and suffer this pain.

As for Jin Weiguo, although Tao Kanglai's proposal was compromised by Lu Qiyan and others, which made them feel that they had saved a little face, but to rush on the road under such circumstances was indeed a bit like killing one thousand enemies and losing eight hundred of their own, which was not very wise.

Therefore, Jin Weiguo did not have any good feelings towards Tao Kanglai. On the contrary, after they set out, they stayed in the severe cold for longer and longer periods of time. As the warmth in their bodies gradually dissipated, they began to feel dissatisfied.

The wind and snow never stopped. Fearing that the snow would get heavier, they could not even reach Magistrate Li's villa. They did not stop for much at noon. They just boiled some hot water, ate some dry food, and then hurried on their way.

By the afternoon, the wind had died down a lot, but the snow had gotten heavier.

Snow began to accumulate on the road, and the horses' hooves and the wheels of the carriage showed signs of slipping, so the pace of travel slowed down a lot.

As a result, by the time they arrived at Magistrate Li's villa, it was already completely dark.

County Magistrate Li personally welcomed them and arranged for them to stay. His face was full of apologies. "Commander Lu, Commander Xia, after receiving the letter, I ordered my subordinates to clean up overnight. Unfortunately, this courtyard has been idle for a long time, so the things are inevitably incomplete. Moreover, Congyu County where I live is also quite poor, so I really can't afford to give you more things to entertain you..."

"If there are any imperfections, I hope Commander Lu and Commander Xia will forgive me."

As Magistrate Li spoke, his back was bent deeply.

"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Li." Lu Qiyan said with a smile, "This happened suddenly. It is not easy for Lord Li to do this. Please don't be so polite."

"But Lord Li is the magistrate of a county and the parent official of Yu County. It snows heavily in winter and every place needs to be checked and guarded. There can be no mistakes. It is very busy. It is better for Lord Li to go back to the county government to deal with the important matters in the county first, and we can do as we please here."

Is this a subtle way of asking him to leave?

Although Magistrate Li had been an official for many years, his path to promotion was not smooth due to his lack of sophistication, but he was not stupid. He hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you, Commander Lu, for your sympathy. There are indeed many things that need to be dealt with in the county government. I need to rush back to the county government as soon as possible. I have arranged for two reliable stewards. If Commander Lu needs anything, just tell these two stewards."

"Thank you, Lord Li." Lu Qiyan bowed to express his gratitude.

After the matter was settled, County Magistrate Li did not stay for too long, but before leaving, he told the two managers to follow all arrangements made by Lu Qiyan and others.

The two managers were both servants of Magistrate Li. They had followed the Li family for many years and were loyal to him. After seeing Magistrate Li off, they came to see Lu Qiyan.

Lu Qiyan also directly explained some precautions to the two people.

The villa is old and inevitably has some houses in disrepair. These houses must be arranged for the people of Jin Weiguo to live in.

Dinner does not have to be too complicated, just simply cook it, and because of different eating habits, you can prepare it separately.

The charcoal used for heating in various places must also be supplied by the soldiers of the Great Zhou Kingdom. However, it must not be publicized and can be done quietly.

The two managers immediately understood the key to this matter. Without saying much, they just followed Lu Qiyan's instructions and told their subordinates to do the work.

People on both sides settled down quickly and started to have dinner.

The food was delivered to various places. When people in Jin Weiguo saw what was on the plates and in the bowls, they gasped.

There were several plates on each table, and several dishes were freshly cooked, but the dishes were vinegar-fried cabbage, stir-fried shredded white radish, garlic-fried baby spinach, and hot and sour shredded potatoes...

The only meat dish was stir-fried carrots with meat...

Moreover, the amount of minced meat was very small. If all the minced meat on the whole plate were gathered together, there would be less than the amount of meat on a finger.

The staple food looked black, and according to the servants, it was a steamed cornbread made by mixing sweet potato flour and white flour together.

As for the soup, it is rice porridge with pieces of dried sweet potato in it. It is said to be both delicious and filling.

Faced with such food, Jin Weiguo had no appetite, but he was extremely hungry, so he had to eat it.

On the other hand, in the Great Zhou Kingdom, the food is also similar, but the carrots are not served with minced meat, but large slices of meat, and there is more meat and less carrots.

The staple food is also made in the shape of a steamed bread, with a huge hole at the bottom, which is stuffed full of braised pork cubes.

In private, each person stuffed two boiled eggs into the bowl and ate them with soft and glutinous dried sweet potato and rice porridge. It was sweet and delicious.

The soldiers of the Great Zhou Kingdom burped repeatedly after eating so much that they felt very comfortable.

The two sides were unaware of the difference in the meals, and after a day's journey in the wind and snow, they were both extremely tired and went to bed early.

At night, the snow fell heavier and heavier, and it did not stop until the next morning. By then, a thick layer of snow had accumulated on the ground, more than half a foot deep.

Even after the snow stopped, the sky was still gloomy and cold.

In such cold weather, everyone is looking forward to a hot and hearty breakfast.

The Great Zhou Kingdom stewed a large pot of mutton soup. Although the amount of mutton in each bowl was limited, it was a good idea to scoop up a bowl of the hot stew and eat it with a pancake...

Delicious, hot and comfortable!

Jin Weiguo also had mutton soup with pancakes, but the soup was stewed with mutton bones and contained a lot of radishes and cabbages, making it very difficult to find the minced meat.

Only in the bowls of Li Juncheng and Tao Kanglai could you see small pieces of mutton, but the portions were quite small and not enough to satisfy your hunger.

At noon, the people of Da Zhou were served with delicious meat buns and tofu meatball soup, while the food sent by Jin Wei was simple carrot and cabbage soup and solid steamed buns...

When Tao Kanglai realized something was wrong, he immediately found Lu Qiyan and asked, "Why do the food we eat in Jinwei and your Great Zhou is different? Commander Lu treats us differently. Is it revenge?" (End of this chapter)