The First Military God of the Border

After a long day, everyone goes to bed early when they get home.

The next morning, Ling Ziyi and Shui Feiyuan were busy making breakfast, while Lin Hui was tidying up the yard.

Suddenly, a carriage stopped outside.

Lin Hui was very surprised. Who would be here so early?

Until he saw Miss Xiaowan get off the carriage.

"Miss Xiao Wan, why are you up so early?"

Behind Xiao Wan was a middle-aged man with a resolute face, wearing an old cotton robe, who was looking around Lin Hui's courtyard.

In addition, there were two young men standing at the gate of the courtyard. They were dressed as apprentices, and each of them had a basket on his back filled with things.

"Brother Liu, this is Master Jia. He's incredibly skilled. As long as you have the materials, there's no house he can't repair."

"Brother Liu, let me tell you, it's very difficult to invite Master Jia. If it weren't for the landlady personally intervening, Master Jia wouldn't have come to such a remote place as Sigou Village."

Jia Hua laughed heartily: "If he's Boss Song's friend, then he's my friend too."

"Brother Lin, Miss Xiao Wan has already said that you want to repair the house. Please feel free to tell me your requirements."

Lin Hui nodded and led Master Jia on a tour of the entire courtyard, pointing out the houses and sharing his thoughts as they went.

Lin Hui's idea was simple: he wasn't in a hurry to build a big house, but it would still be much better than what he had now. More importantly, he felt that there were too few rooms now, and he wanted to build a few more new rooms.

Then there's the courtyard wall. Not only should it be completely demolished and rebuilt, but it should also be made higher, with more crenellations added so that people can climb up it, and the wall should have basic defensive capabilities.

After listening, Jia Hua looked at Lin Hui seriously and said, "I understand your idea. If we build it according to your idea, it will definitely be the largest house in Sigou Village."

"Repairing it isn't a problem, but the timing..."

"What happened to the time?"

"It will take at least three months to complete."

Upon hearing about the construction progress, Lin Hui immediately frowned. This was too slow. Three months! By the time it was finished, it would be spring. He didn't have that much time to waste.

If there were no sturdy, defensible walls, how would we and our families resist if the Northern Wilderness invaded?

"Okay, Master Jia, don't worry about the money, I can give you more. Can you speed up the process?"

Jia Hua said helplessly, "Money is easy to come by, but I don't have that many people."

Lin Hui laughed and said, "The people are easy to handle. We may not have skilled craftsmen, but I can find you thirty workers without any problem."

Jia Hua nodded. "With so many people, things will be much easier."

Lin Hui immediately shouted into the house, "Feiyuan, take a bag of rice and go find the village chief. Tell him I need to repair my house and I need thirty people to work."

"My lord, I understand. I'll go now."

Shui Feiyuan packed a bag of rice and was about to leave when Lin Hui said again, "Feiyuan, tell the village chief that as long as you come to work, not only will your wages be the same as in the county town, but I will also provide meals until you are full."

"Husband, don't worry, I know what to do."

Lin Hui was discussing the details of repairing the house with Jia Hua when, about half an hour later, Shui Feiyuan returned. Not only did he return, but he was also followed by a group of people, a total of twenty or thirty.

Led by village chief Li Hairong, they carried farm tools. Li Hairong came in and said with a smile, "Lin Hui, you're here now. Look, I've brought you the people."

"Wages and such are secondary; we all remember how kind you are to everyone."

Lin Hui shook his head, then suddenly raised his voice and said, "Thank you everyone. Don't worry, I said the wages are the same as in the city. If you don't want silver, just take grain. I won't go back on my word."

Hearing Lin Hui say this, the villagers became even more enthusiastic.

"Lin Hui, just let me know if there's anything you need to do."

"Yes, we can do anything, we'll do all the dirty and hard work."

"Yes, just tell us what you need us to do."

When Jia Hua saw that Lin Hui had gathered so many people in such a short time, he was surprised. He did not expect that this young man had such influence in the village.

With so many people around, the work efficiency is indeed improved a lot.

After discussing it, the two decided to start work today.

Jia Hua beckoned to his two apprentices and began assigning tasks, instantly making Lin Hui's courtyard lively.

Seeing that everything was in order, Xiao Wan went to the carriage and took down two boxes.

"Brother Lin, these are dried fruits and some candied fruits that the proprietress specially sent to bring for the two ladies to try."

As he spoke, he dragged the box into the house.

When Shui Feiyuan saw that it was Xiao Wan entering the house, she quickly went forward to greet her.

"You must be Brother Lin's first wife, right? I am the personal maid of the owner of Shiweitian Restaurant."

"Our boss said that the two ladies have worked hard taking care of Brother Lin at home, so he asked me to bring some snacks for them to enjoy."

Shui Feiyuan knew that Lin Hui was now doing business with Shiweitian, and the boss was a woman named Song Qingyan.

Looking at the exquisite gift box, he was somewhat flattered: "Please thank Miss Song for me, she's too kind."

Xiao Wan nodded, glanced around the room, and then took her leave.

Shui Feiyuan smiled and urged her to stay, "Miss Xiao Wan, please finish your meal before you leave, don't rush."

Xiao Wan shook her head: "No, I'll definitely have dinner next time and chat with the two ladies. I've already brought the craftsmen; I still need to go back and report to my boss."

After saying that, he left, greeted Lin Hui at the door, and then drove away in his carriage.

Inside the room, Ling Ziyi, who had a chivalrous air about her, was already eating a piece of candied fruit. After taking a bite, she said, "Sister Feiyuan, how could you be so silly as to keep someone else here for dinner?"

"What does that mean?"

Water Kite also picked up a piece, eating it while asking questions.

Ling Ziyi looked at him with a disappointed expression: "My dear sister, why don't you think about why Song Qingyan is so nice to him? Why did she send the maid to bring him snacks?"

"They were clearly here to gather information. Now that they know the situation and have finished their business, they naturally want to leave quickly."

Water Kite was even more confused: "We don't have any enemies, so what's there to investigate?"

Ling Ziyi glared at Shui Feiyuan, her expression one of utter disappointment: "Who is the enemy? It's you, it's me."

Water Kite was stunned. How did she become an enemy? She still couldn't understand.

Ling Ziyi decided to stop hiding it and bluntly told Shui Feiyuan, "That Boss Song, her real intention is not what she seems. Her goal is your man."

Upon hearing this, Water Flying Kite understood.

However, contrary to Ling Ziyi's expectations, Shui Feiyuan showed no surprise at all, but instead nodded calmly.

"Sister Feiyuan, someone is trying to steal your man, aren't you angry?"

Instead of answering directly, Shui Feiyuan asked in return, "Little sister in purple, what do you think of that Boss Song?"

Ling Ziyi recalled Song Qingyan, whom she had met yesterday, and said in detail, "She's a very nice person, and very beautiful. This place is also very big."

"And she's the kind of strong woman who's very shrewd and capable."

"Besides, he's definitely not an ordinary person to be able to run such a large restaurant all by himself."

Shui Feiyuan smiled gently: "That's amazing. It's a good thing that such a wonderful person likes her husband. Why would I be angry?"

"But he'll try to take it from you."

Shui Feiyuan said calmly, "My husband is destined for great things. More women will like him in the future. If I get angry, I'll be furious."

"Besides, apart from taking care of the household, I can't help my husband with anything important. The fact that such a capable woman likes my husband shows that I didn't marry the wrong person, and it also shows that my husband is amazing."

Ling Ziyi fell silent upon hearing this.

After a moment of silence, she asked the question that concerned her most: "If... if someone wanted to marry into the Lin family, would you agree?"

Upon hearing this, Shui Feiyuan was taken aback at first, but then she understood and smiled even more brightly.

"Sister in purple, you're already a member of the Lin family, what harm is there in having a few more? My husband is like an ox, and I'm looking for more women to share the burden."

Ling Ziyi blushed with embarrassment.

Shui Feiyuan teased, "Little sister in purple, how about this, you and your husband consummate your marriage soon, okay?"

Ling Ziyi's face immediately turned as red as if it were about to bleed, and she quickly shook her head: "Sister Feiyuan, what are you saying?"

Shui Feiyuan, however, got excited and, disregarding Ling Ziyi's shyness, said again, "Are you scared? Scared that your husband is too powerful and you can't handle him?"

"You...stop talking."

Ling Ziyi hurriedly covered Shui Feiyuan's mouth, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

She heard the noises behind the stove clearly that night, and the thought of those sounds, along with Lin Hui's terrifying stamina, made her so ashamed she didn't know what to do.

The two women were whispering when Lin Hui, having finished arranging things outside, came inside.

"Feiyuan, Ziyi, there are a lot of people today, so you need to prepare extra lunch for thirty people."

"If you're too busy, just find someone to help you, and you'll still get paid."

When Ling Ziyi saw Lin Hui, she became even more embarrassed and lowered her head. Her heart was pounding wildly, as if it was about to jump out of her chest.

Water Flying Kite, on the other hand, just stood there grinning foolishly.

Seeing their actions, Lin Hui asked, puzzled, "Is Ziyi feeling unwell?"

Water Kite smiled and shook her head: "You're the one who's not feeling well. If you don't know, don't ask."

Then I went to tidy up the kitchen.

Lin Hui pressed, "What exactly happened? What shady things did you two do?"

Shui Feiyuan turned around, chuckled, and gave Lin Hui a look: "Husband, don't ask, there's a surprise tonight."

at the same time.

Hu Ning was woken up from his concubine's bed by his subordinates.

"Master, the three Zhou brothers have failed."

"What?"

Hu Ning cursed loudly, "Damn it, I refuse to believe we can't bring down Shiweitian."

"That little wench Song Qingyan thinks she can have a backer just by finding a pretty boy. I'll make her kneel down in front of me and beg to sleep with her."

"Master, sleep a little longer."

The concubine, still half-asleep, reached out and pulled Hu Ning.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep, you go to sleep by yourself."

Just as Hu Ning sat down in the hall, a subordinate rushed in to report: "Master, Mr. Ghost has arrived."

Mr. Ghost is Hu Ning's accountant and also his trusted subordinate.

After Mr. Gui sat down, he briefly explained the revenue situation of Shuangji Restaurant over the past two weeks.

"That's all the money you have? Damn it."

Enraged, Hu Ning suddenly slammed his hand on the table.

"Sir, if this continues, we'll have absolutely no business left. Do you have any good ideas?"

"Sir, in my opinion, General Cheng can't control us now, so we have to think of other ways."

"What was your initial opinion?"

"County government office, Qiu Mingyuan."

Hu Ning slapped his forehead: "Look at my brain, how could I forget about him?"

"Someone, prepare generous gifts."

Hu Ning immediately went to visit Qiu Mingyuan.

Upon seeing Qiu Mingyuan, he immediately placed the silver on the table and went straight to the point: "Lord Qiu, I can't live anymore, please give me a way out."

Qiu Mingyuan hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What's the matter that made Boss Hu come in person?"

"Lord Qiu, you don't know this, but Shiweitian recently got some kind of wine from somewhere, and it's completely ruined Shuangji's business. I know you can help, so please think of a solution."

Qiu Mingyuan glanced at the silver and slowly said, "The matter can be handled, but this..."

Having been in business for many years, Hu Ning was well aware of Qiu Mingyuan's meaning and immediately took out another hundred-tael silver note and laid it on top of the silver.

Qiu Mingyuan stroked his mustache and smiled: "In that case, Boss Hu, don't worry. Come with me to Shiweitian Restaurant another day, and I guarantee I'll make it go bankrupt."

Upon hearing this, Hu Ning laughed heartily: "Thank you, sir, thank you, sir. If we can bring down Shiweitian, I, Hu Ning, will certainly reward you handsomely with your money."

Hu Ning emerged from behind Qiu Ming, a smile on his face: "Song Qingyan, just you wait, let's see how many more days you can keep this up."