roccoschili Chapter 433 The Unwelcome Stranger
Chapter 433 The Unwelcome Stranger
Aunt Lin beamed with joy, "We were just talking about it. We haven't seen Boss Gu for a long time since the beginning of spring."
"The oats are growing exceptionally well this year, and it looks like it's going to be a bumper harvest. How can we celebrate after the harvest without Mr. Gu?"
Madam Zhou laughed and said, "I kept talking about it every day, and that's how I brought him here!"
The crowd laughed and welcomed Gu Xixi to the shade of a tree.
It was mealtime, and everyone had food and water.
When you come to this place, you don't need to worry about how to fill your stomach.
One person breaks off a piece of flatbread and stuffs it with pickled vegetables, while another stuffs a rolled-up egg pancake inside.
This person gets a bite of steamed bun, that person gets a piece of sesame shortbread...
As soon as Lü Jing sat down, she was bombarded with food, which she couldn't handle at all.
In the end, she could only say repeatedly, "That's enough, that's enough, we really can't finish it all."
She finally understood why Gu Xixi had so confidently brought her here to eat.
People in Northwest China are good at eating staple foods, especially those who do physical labor, who need to eat substantial meals.
Kind and warm-hearted women only need to give her a tiny bit each to feed her.
And we can't do without it.
Lu Jing suddenly remembered her mother, who always fed her this and that, afraid that she would go hungry.
Her eyes were a little moist, and she quickly lowered her head, stuffing the biscuit into her mouth.
"good to eat!"
Aunt Lin handed over half a bowl of water and said softly, "Eat slowly."
"This is willow leaf tea that Boss Gu taught us to make. Drinking some can help reduce internal heat."
Lu Jing smiled gratefully, "Thank you very much, Aunt Lin."
While everyone was eating together, Aunt Lin naturally began to report on the recent affairs of the dependents' village.
Overall, everything went smoothly.
After the army returned, the imperial court's rewards came down not long after, and the general also distributed rewards for his merits in the army.
Therefore, the women in the dependents' village all received money brought back by their husbands, more or less.
Even more coincidentally, none of the women in the village had lost their husbands, making it a double celebration.
Everyone's life has become noticeably more comfortable.
Buying fabric to make new clothes, furnishing the home with long-desired items, sending the children to study in the nearby county town...
The wishes that the women had told Gu Xixi were gradually coming true.
Now they are reaping their own harvest.
No wonder everyone looks radiant.
Aunt Lin added, "It's the patch of Bodhi fruit trees we planted on the ground."
“We have taken good care of the trees according to the method you left us, and they have all survived. Since the beginning of spring, they have grown a lot of branches and leaves.”
"But this stuff is not like grain, and we can't really understand what it is."
"You'll have to see it for yourself."
Gu Xixi nodded, "Okay, we'll go after we finish harvesting the oats."
"Judging from the soil conditions in this area, perhaps after harvesting wheat, we can plant more grains."
The wasteland in the Northwest needs improvement.
After last year's oat harvest, the military, following Gu Xixi's instructions, only purchased short-maturing crops such as pumpkins and radishes.
The dependents' village also received seedlings and planted them together.
But these can't compare to real food crops.
The women were overjoyed to hear from Gu Xixi that they might be able to continue growing grain next season.
The lunch break was almost over, and everyone stood up one after another.
Seeing someone slowly walking over from a distance, Lü Jing tugged at Gu Xixi, "Are they also from the village?"
Why don't you come and eat with everyone?
Gu Xixi looked in that direction and saw two completely unfamiliar women.
The two women had slightly dark skin and deep-set eyes. Although they were dressed as ordinary women from Daye, they still looked somewhat out of place.
The older woman, with some gray in her hair, carefully helped the younger woman.
Gu Xixi lowered her gaze and noticed that the woman's abdomen was protruding high, clearly indicating that she was a late-term pregnant woman.
Lu Jing noticed that everyone's expressions were somewhat wary, and some were even clearly unfriendly.
As the two women approached, the crowd dispersed, clearly unwilling to come face to face with them.
Just as Gu Xixi was wondering, Aunt Lin whispered, "They are both from Beili."
She claimed to have gone out to trade in Daye, but was separated from her husband due to the war.
"Now the northern border has retreated to the other side of the great valley,"
"With just the two of them, and their bodies being so heavy, there's no way they could cross such a long, uninhabited area."
Gu Xixi understood, "They were forced to stay here."
Aunt Lin nodded. "Someone from the army came and questioned me, but said there was no problem."
"So they were left to their own devices."
Gu Xixi asked, "How do they live?"
Aunt Lin sighed, "There's a dilapidated house standing alone outside on the west side of the village."
"It was originally used to store weapons, but it has been abandoned for many years and is now exposed to the elements."
"Fortunately, it is summer and this place receives little rain, so it is barely habitable."
As they were talking, two women from the north had already walked past the field.
The young woman kept a cold expression and looked straight ahead, as if she had no desire to have anything to do with these families of Daye soldiers.
Lu Jing frowned. "So they're from Beili. No wonder everyone dislikes them."
Aunt Lin said, "Although I don't like the people from Beili, I still feel sorry for that woman who is pregnant."
"At the time, when it came to whether or not to let them stay, half of the villagers agreed and the other half disagreed."
"In the end, a compromise was reached: they were not allowed to enter the village, but were allowed to stay there."
"Once they give birth and finish their postpartum confinement period, make them leave immediately."
"I see." Gu Xixi said thoughtfully.
Walking along the village path, Lü Jing said indignantly, "Although I have never been to the border, I know that Bei Li has always been an enemy of our Great Cause."
"You know, that pregnant woman from earlier, how come she was so arrogant and haughty?"
"She was only able to stay and give birth because of everyone's kindness, and she doesn't even know how to be polite to people!"
Gu Xixi said, "Perhaps she comes from a good family and is not used to having to read other people's faces."
"Now that he has fallen on hard times and has to live in a dilapidated house, and is being ostracized, he must be feeling terrible."
Lü Jing sighed, "That's true."
Northwest Army Camp.
When Mu Nanzhao arrived at the central command tent, he found that there were already guests there.
One male and one female.
The man was about twenty years old, and the woman was in her prime; both were dressed as nobles from the Northern Li Kingdom.
Mu Nanzhao glanced at Huo Jiang, then strode in as if no one else was there. He merely greeted Huo Jiang and then sat down.
Huo Jiang knew his mannerisms well, so he smiled and didn't rush to introduce him.
The Northern Man, feeling ignored, was somewhat displeased.
"Who is this person? He has no military rank. How can he trespass into General Huo's camp?"
"Are all the civil officials in the Great Ye Dynasty so useless and have no manners at all?"
Huo Jiang lowered his head and drank his tea, a smile on his face as he waited to see a good show.
After a moment, Mu Nanzhao said, "Prince Aguna inherited his title at the age of twenty."
"It is also thanks to your good brother who was loyal to the country and died a violent death."
He raised his eyes, a chilling smile playing on his lips. "His head once sat right on this table in front of you."