Chapter 1528
The Final Battle, An Unusual Reunion Dinner [2]
Chapter 1528 The Final Battle, A Different Kind of Reunion Dinner [2]
Qin Xiaomi laughed: "Of course I'll come. I can hug you kids tomorrow. But with a formidable enemy at hand, I still have to get back to work before we have our reunion dinner."
We can't just sit here and wait for that meal.
“Okay, we’ll wait for you! Sister Xiaomi, I’m not afraid. I’ve been practicing shooting and stance training. I dare to go to the battlefield!” Jiang Xiaozhu shouted, her voice growing increasingly tearful.
Qin Xiaomi was very pleased: "Well done, but you kids don't need to go to the battlefield. Take good care of yourselves and wait for news... Victory and defeat are common in war, and for a military general, being in dire straits is like a civil official going to jail. They are all good experiences. Just face them. Don't think too much. Thinking too much is just scaring yourself. Do you understand?!"
"I know!" Jiang Xiaozhu replied firmly, but her voice was that of a child several years older than herself.
Well, the Prince of Ye blamed himself again, feeling that he, Emperor Wuxing, and the court were all useless, which allowed these children to suffer such a calamity at such a young age.
Well, don't always blame yourself when things go wrong. Why don't you blame the enemy? It was the enemy's fault for invading!
"We're going back to Mushan. We'll have a reunion dinner together tomorrow!" Old Madam Guan called out, not wanting to linger any longer, as she wanted to help Qin Xiaomi finish her chores.
She couldn't help but look at Da Bao'er, who was still being lifted up and displayed, and smiled through her tears: "Our Da Bao'er has worked hard too."
This baby was born into such a terrible fate. It was born into a war of desertion, and before it was even a month old, it went with its relatives to kill Gu Chengyong. Now, before it's even a hundred days old, it has to go through this great calamity with the adults.
Don't worry, when you get down there, your great-grandmother will help you choose the best life you'll have. We'll be reborn into a good family with a smooth and prosperous life in our next life.
"See you tomorrow, elder sister!" After calling out, Madam Sun hurriedly stopped showing off Da Bao'er, wrapped the little guy up, and then wrapped him in her thick fur cloak to block out all the cold wind, so that Da Bao'er would not catch a cold.
Da Bao'er was still not happy and wanted to see the excitement outside. He thrashed around in his swaddling clothes, pulling at the fur cloak that was covering his vision.
……
The King of Ye has already left.
After picking up Grandma Qin and Aunt Qin, who were being pestered by Aunt Qin Liu, Qin Xiaomi and Grandma Guan also left by car.
Before leaving, Qin Xiaomi called out to Chai Pan and her father, who were standing not far away holding their child, "Take good care of yourselves and the female workers!"
With just this one sentence, Chai Panniang and her father were satisfied and exclaimed, "Hey, don't worry, boss. All the workers in our workshop are helping each other out... Panniang's husband, Niu Gao, didn't get the disease; he went to help out!"
Qin Xiaomi and Grandma Qin felt much relieved after hearing this... They always hoped that everyone they knew would be safe and sound.
Clang, clang, clang, the carriage sped away from Wuyuan Garden and headed towards Mushan.
Along the way, rows of stone lanterns illuminated both sides of the road, and the streets were bustling with activity. Every now and then, we would encounter groups of Wei people going home to collect supplies.
Meanwhile, people in shops and households along the street were cleaning their homes, preparing for tomorrow's family reunion dinner.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble!
Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom!
That night, the enemy's fierce attacks did not stop, and they became even more frantic because they could not break through the west gate for a long time.
Military intelligence was reported every fifteen minutes from within the city, and each time the sound of the city walls collapsing was heard, it would make the Wei people's hearts tighten.
Fortunately, thanks to the powerful gunpowder weaponry, the moat, and the worsening condition of the infected enemy soldiers, the night passed peacefully.
On the 25th day of the tenth month of the fourth year of Wuxing, the weather was perfect, a sunny day with sunshine, and even the cold wind carried a hint of warmth and joy. Dong dong qiang dong dong qiang, early in the morning, the sound of people's drums resounded throughout the five cities and sixty-four streets, as the clerks opened their respective clerks' offices and brought out the public utensils.
"Anyone who is interested can freely play drums, draw bows, sing, and make merry. The Prince of Ye and the two gatekeepers have said that this day is our New Year's Eve and Spring Festival. Let's make it as festive as possible!"
"However, anyone who dares to take advantage of the situation to bully others, especially women, shall be immediately arrested and executed by slow slicing! If there is no time for slow slicing, they shall be taken to the west gate tower, hung outside the city wall with ropes, and smashed into mincemeat by the enemy's flint and steel!"
No, are you speaking human language? This sounds like torture in the underworld.
Upon hearing this, the neighbors' joy was halved.
Seeing this, the clerk became furious: "What are you doing with your heads hanging down? Are you feeling guilty? Please, have some shame! You only have a few days left to live, hang in there, or you'll ruin your reputation and be boiled in oil in the underworld!"
Well, although superstition is unacceptable, in ancient times, such rhetoric could indeed deter evildoers.
“Zhao Fangli, what are you saying? We’ve been neighbors for so many years, don’t you know who we are? How could we possibly take advantage of this to do evil? No, no, don’t worry.”
Zhao Fangli: "I'm not entirely at ease. After all, people either do great good or great evil before they die. What if you're too kind usually, and then you decide to do something evil before you die?"
That makes sense, Zhao Fangli!
"In short, spread what I just said, let the neighbors keep an eye on each other, get through these few days peacefully and happily, die innocently, and don't ruin your reputation by stepping on the grave."
"Yes, we know, we'll keep an eye on each other!" the neighbors responded.
Dong dong qiang, dong dong qiang!
The sounds of lively drumming and singing could be heard from the next street.
"October 25th is an auspicious day. The Lin and Fang families in Maixiang Lane, Guangyuan Street, Dongcheng District, are happily married. People from all the lanes of Guangyuan Street are welcome to bring their supplies to the wedding banquet. We will treat the banquet as a family reunion dinner, celebrating the newlyweds and fulfilling our long-standing neighborly bond!"
This special joyful singing goes from one end of the street to the other, then turns into alleys and lanes, so that every household along the street can hear it.
"This? Mother, are we going to use the supplies to prepare for the wedding banquet and have a family reunion dinner together?" Liu Da, who lived on the same street but in a different alley, asked his parents.
Aunt Liu said, "Go, take the supplies you received and go to the Lin and Fang families to hold a wedding banquet together, congratulate the newlyweds, and then have a reunion dinner together!"
"Yes, son, I'll take care of it right away." Liu Da replied, then sighed, "It's rare that the Lin and Fang families are still holding a wedding at this time, so that Lin Da and Fang Si Mei won't have any regrets."
There were quite a few families celebrating weddings on this day, almost every street had some. In order to celebrate the occasion and save resources and time, the families celebrating weddings would call out to their neighbors to bring their supplies so they could cook together and have a reunion dinner together.
Upon hearing this, Si Pei was very excited and led his recording team to the wedding banquet in the West District... Why not go to other districts to do the recording?
Because Chief Steward Si also hoped that the "what if" would happen, he threatened to kill himself, saying that if Si Pei left the West District, he would die immediately.
Si Pei had known Chief Steward Si since birth, and because of their kinship, he had no choice but to obey and only go to the homes in the West District to keep records of wedding banquets.
"Wow, there are so many people! Quickly spread out and go ask the villagers, write down what they say. I'll personally go and record what the host family says!" After making the arrangements, Si Pei immediately went to record, and then called out, "Si Feng, go and record what's going on in the kitchen. This is a special wedding banquet, it's very important."
"Hey." Si Feng led the Si family's elite martial arts instructors to the open-air banquet kitchen to watch the neighbors prepare for their wedding feast.
How should I put it?
Si Feng's face turned a little green: "Fellow villagers, what you're making... this hodgepodge, is this the banquet food?"
The term "hodgepodge" is an exaggeration. To put it simply, the pigs on the Si family estate are fed a more refined diet than these pots of hodgepodge.
"Haha, young master, please don't mind. We're just in a rush, and the supplies we received are too varied to cook each dish individually. So we'll just cook it all in one pot and have a mixed stew. Eating a mixed stew on such a cold day will keep you warm."