Border Cook

Chapter 676: Departure (The Sky Collapses)

When Lu Qiyan was still a member of the Wen family, in order for him to develop smoothly in the Western Frontier Army, the Wen family sent him a lot of capable people.

Among these people, Lu Qiyan selected some who were easy to use and loyal, and kept them by his side.

Lu Qiyan treats people with loyalty and kindness, and those people's loyalty shifted from the Wen family to Lu Qiyan personally. With the demise of the Wen family, they completely became Lu Qiyan's personal guards.

Lu Qiyan has been through life and death with these people and has a deep relationship with them, so he feels quite at ease with them.

Moreover, these people are extremely skilled and can protect Xia Mingyue's safety.

Xia Mingyue shook her head and said, "No need. You are in need of people right now. You should bring all these people with you in case of emergency. I will bring more servants with me when the time comes."

"Besides, if I go back to Jinqiu County, Madam Fan will probably follow me, so there will be no shortage of people. Doctor Yin and Mao Sanli will definitely be traveling with us. There will be so many people along the way, so don't worry."

Fan Jinglan has a very good relationship with Xia Mingyue, and now she is engaged to Xia Yunji. I think if Xia Mingyue returns to Jinqiu County, she will definitely go with him.

As Xia Mingyue said, there is indeed no shortage of manpower.

"Yeah." Lu Qiyan responded.

Lu Qiyan and Xia Yunji were going to set off two days later, and Xia Mingyue started packing for the two of them early the next morning.

Clothes, shoes and socks to wear in that season, as well as some medicines that Doctor Yin had given her for bruises, headaches and fevers.

The most important thing is to bring some food for the two of them for the journey.

Unlike the last time when they escorted the delegation to the capital, they had to show off the style of the Great Zhou Kingdom and the hospitality of the host, and everything was arranged properly. This time, they all had to ride at full speed, travel day and night, and would inevitably have to sleep in the open air on the way.

The dry food that needs to be carried on the road becomes very important.

It can be stored for a long time and eaten whenever you want, or even stewed temporarily. The pork tenderloin jerky is very flavorful and dried to the right degree.

Very authentic multi-grain pancakes, soft and thin, folded into squares one by one, easy to carry, and can be eaten hot or cold.

The pickled mustard greens we made last autumn were dried to 70% dry. No juice would seep out when we carried them with us, making them convenient to eat on the road and providing some vitamin supplements.

The fried instant noodles are compacted and have enough salt and other seasonings added when kneading. Whether you eat them directly, boil them, or even soak them in hot water, you can use them to satisfy your hunger...

Finally, Xia Mingyue fried some fried noodles.

The fried white flour can be eaten dry, mixed with some water to make a soft dough, or made into a bowl of hot soup with hot water. It tastes great.

Xia Mingyue had made this kind of fried flour for Lu Qiyan many times before, and Lu Qiyan liked it very much.

Moreover, Xia Mingyue always inexplicably thought that Lu Qiyan had been through many battles in the past, but he was always safe and sound. Maybe it had something to do with the fried flour she made.

It can be said that making fried flour is more of an expectation and a psychological sustenance.

Xia Mingyue pursed her lips and packed everything.

Each item individually was not much, but when all were put together, they piled up like a small mountain.

"It seems..." Xia Mingyue frowned slightly, "A bit too much?"

"My lady's kindness is not too much." Lu Qiyan put all the things on the horse's back with a smile.

Xia Yunji also echoed, "Yes, yes, it was just a little rushed this time. If I go to the battlefield next time, I can actually prepare more!"

"Nonsense." Xia Mingyue tapped Xia Yunji's forehead lightly with her fist. "There won't be a next time!"

This time we successfully assisted Li Juncheng to ascend the throne of the Jinwei Kingdom. From now on, the two countries will be in harmony and the world will be at peace.

So, there will be no next time.

Definitely not.

This kind of thing is much more dangerous than a war between two armies, and it is enough to happen once.

"Yes, yes, yes." Xia Yunji realized this and slapped his forehead vigorously. "No next time, no next time."

This time, they will definitely do it smoothly and successfully.

for sure!
"That's right." Xia Mingyue raised her chin and smiled unconsciously, but after a moment she let out a breath, "Be careful on your way there, and take care of yourself."

"Don't worry, my lady." Lu Qiyan held Xia Mingyue's hand, stroking it for a long time, and finally gently squeezed Xia Mingyue's palm.

The situation is difficult to predict and the outcome is uncertain when we go to Jinweiguo. We can only say that we will do our best and hope for the best outcome.

Lu Qiyan also felt a little complicated and melancholy, and he had a thousand words to say to Xia Mingyue.

In order to reassure her that she wouldn't have to worry about him and Xia Yunji, the two of them would be extremely careful, pay attention to safety, and avoid taking risks as much as possible.

I wanted to tell her to take good care of herself, not to overwork, eat well every day and go to bed early.

I wanted to tell her that she could stay in the capital for a while longer to avoid a major war on the border which would cause unrest. If she felt bored, she could go to the Fan family or Old Lady He's house to sit for a while.

He wanted to hug her again, kiss her, and let her know that although he had ambitions, his heart was also filled with her.

I want to tell her that after this matter is settled, I will definitely accompany her, cook for her every day, go to the farm to grow vegetables, fish and pick fruits...

But there were too many words, tangled together in his mind, making him not know where to start.

Lu Qiyan's throat rolled, and she could only pinch Xia Mingyue's palm to convey her firm belief at the moment.

And all the words at this moment were just one sentence, "Take care, my lady."

When Lu Qiyan said this, the light in his eyes was soft and deep, as if to completely envelope Xia Mingyue.

Xia Mingyue felt this sincere gaze, and her nose couldn't help but feel sore, but in order not to make Lu Qiyan worry, she took a deep breath, suppressed the mist in her eyes, and nodded vigorously, "Yeah."

Then he looked at Xia Yunji, "Yunji, take care of yourself."

"Don't worry, sister." Xia Yunji patted his chest loudly.

Time was urgent, and the three of them didn't say anything more. Lu Qiyan and Xia Yunji loaded all their luggage onto their horses and set off for the post station.

Xia Mingyue sent the two people out the door and watched them run away.

At this time, the morning light was dim, and the golden sunlight was tinged with fiery red, as if both of them were coated with a layer of golden light.

Beautiful, but hazy.

The mist in Xia Mingyue's eyes grew rapidly and uncontrollably, making her vision very blurry.

Taking a deep breath, Xia Mingyue forced back all the tears.

The more times like this, the stronger she has to be. Only when she is safe and sound can Lu Qiyan and Xia Yunji feel at ease and focus on their work.

Taking another deep breath, Xia Mingyue grinned, and gave a big smile to the rising sun. She turned to Yin Qiao and said, "Come with me to the warm room."

When she went to see it two days ago, the cotton seeds had already sprouted and grown into tender seedlings. The weather has been warm in the past few days, and the temperature has risen, which makes the greenhouse more suitable, allowing the cotton seedlings to grow more vigorously.

When the cotton seedlings have grown well, we can invite Lord Fan Hongyu to take a look and give him some cotton seedlings, so that he can take them back to the Ministry of Revenue for cultivation and observation.

The other vegetables planted in the greenhouse have also grown out, each of them is lush and green. Even the garlic cloves planted casually in the corner have grown tall and look very pleasing to the eye.

What we need to do now is to water the various vegetables in the greenhouse and add some wood ash to help them grow more vigorously.

In addition, as the weather gets warmer, you can turn a small piece of vacant land in the yard into a garden and plant seasonal vegetables.

Although the flowers in the flower beds are growing luxuriantly under the care of the gardeners, the varieties of flowers are somewhat monotonous. You can go to the flower market outside to have a look and pick out some flowers and plants that suit your eyes.

And, I have to go to the He family's residence. This way, I can spend more time with old lady He and make her happy. Secondly, I can also ask Mr. He about the conditions of Doctor Yin and Mao Sanli...

In short, she has a lot to do.

She is very busy!

Xia Mingyue was thinking about everything, and her originally dark eyes gradually became bright. She even took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and encouraged herself.

Xia Mingyue, you have to work harder!
Here, Lu Qiyan and Xia Yunji rode their horses to the posthouse.

The people at the post station were basically ready. After counting the number of people again and confirming that they were correct, and exchanging greetings with the officials sent by the emperor to see them off, Lu Qiyan and Xia Yunji led everyone on their journey.

After leaving the inn, Xia Yunji saw a pretty figure in red clothes.

A smile immediately spread across his face. Xia Yunji was extremely delighted. He quickly jumped off his horse and walked over to him in two steps. "You're here."

"Yes, I'll give it to you." Fan Jinglan said with a smile, and handed over a gourd in her hand, "This is for you."

The gourd is very big, almost one foot high, with a polished surface and a braided red rope tied in the middle, which looks very beautiful.

But this gourd was also very heavy, and it made Xia Yunji's hands feel heavy. When he shook the gourd, there was an obvious rustling sound inside.

"what is this?"

"Osmanthus wine." Fan Jinglan smiled brightly, "It's made from the osmanthus flowers from the osmanthus tree in my yard. I only got a small jar last year. My mother knew that I liked the scent of osmanthus, so she kept it for me. I'm giving it to you today. You can drink it on the way."

The journey is long and inevitably boring. A few sips of drink can not only relieve your fatigue but also help you sleep more soundly.

The most important thing is that every time I drink it, I can remember that it was a gift from her.

She hoped Xia Yunji would think of her often.

"Then I'll accept it." Xia Yunji held the gourd in his arms like a treasure, smiling innocently, "Mrs. Fan, thank you."

"If you really want to thank me, then finish these things as soon as possible and go rabbit hunting with me." Fan Jinglan tilted her head, "But let's make a deal first. Next time you go rabbit hunting, you are not allowed to hunt the same rabbit as me. We have to decide who is better between the two of us."

"Okay, no problem!" Xia Yunji agreed readily, nodding his head like a chick pecking at rice, "I will definitely come back early."

"It's a deal." Fan Jinglan stretched out her hand, "Let's pinky promise!"

"Hook!"

The two hands were hooked together and swayed again and again, and they didn't want to separate until the last words "Whoever changes is a fool" had been spoken long ago.

When their eyes met, they were filled with reluctance.

It was not until the soldiers around them walked out one after another, the "swish" sound of footsteps and the "clang" sound of weapons shaking, that the two men came to their senses and withdrew their hands.

Xia Yunji stretched out his hand and scratched his ear, "I have to go, take good care of yourself..."

"wait me back."

"Yes!" Fan Jinglan nodded, "You... take care!"

"Don't worry." Xia Yunji smiled at Fan Jinglan, hugged the gourd given by Fan Jinglan, jumped on the horse, and walked forward.

Don't dare to look back.

Fan Jinglan also got on the horse immediately, flicked the whip in her hand, and galloped away.

Go to Xia Mingyue.

Xia Mingyue must be very worried at this time as her husband and brother are both going to the war.

Xia Mingyue is Xia Yunji's sister, and even more so Fan Jinglan's sister. She wants to make her sister feel at ease and happy!

After Xia Yunji walked away, he heard the sound of horse hooves behind him and then he dared to look back to see Fan Jinglan's heroic figure.

I couldn't bear to blink.

Not until Fan Jinglan's figure completely disappeared from his sight did Xia Yunji reluctantly withdrew his gaze and tightly held the gourd in his hand.

The aroma of osmanthus wine wafted out from the mouth of the gourd. It was slightly sweet and the taste was very light, but Xia Yunji sniffed the taste greedily and was intoxicated by it.

Seeing this, Lu Qiyan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Xia Yunji knew that Lu Qiyan was making fun of him, so he didn't get angry as usual. Instead, he raised his chin and moved closer to Li Juncheng. "Second Prince, do you want to hear a story? How about I tell you one?"

"General Shenhu, please speak." Li Juncheng was very interested.

From the moment he set foot on the territory of the Great Zhou Kingdom, he felt that the Great Zhou Kingdom was full of talented people.

In addition to the skills and martial arts that Jinwei valued, the capable people of Da Zhou also possessed wisdom and strategy that Jinwei people did not often possess.

And these wisdoms are reflected in all aspects, and can be seen from the vernacular scripts, folk customs and even some catchphrases in the streets of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Li Juncheng liked these very much and couldn't wait to hear Xia Yunji's story at this time.

Xia Yunji cleared his throat and said, "This is a story about grapes. A man saw that the grapes planted by his neighbor next door were growing well and bearing many fruits. The grapes were round and plump, and the man was drooling at the sight. However, the man told everyone that the grapes from his neighbor's house were sour and looked unpalatable. Your Highness, do you know why?"

why?
Li Juncheng thought about it for a long time, but couldn't figure out the key, so he had to ask Xia Yunji, "Why?"

"Because this man couldn't eat the grapes from his neighbor's house, he naturally said that the grapes were sour and not tasty, because he couldn't eat them and said the grapes were sour!"

The sky is falling...

I finished typing and published a chapter, then turned off the computer, but after midnight I discovered that the chapter had failed to be published, ah ah ah ah ah, my perfect attendance award is in danger!!!