"Uncle Fu, I'll help too," Qi He immediately ran over, found the flattest spot, and placed a mat that Mrs. Fang had prepared earlier. He then helped Fu Yu carry the food over.
Seeing that the place for eating was very close to where they were sitting, the few girls quickly got up and moved further away, hiding in the thickest part of the grass by the river.
Fu Yu, seeing that the girls were sensible and understood feminine discretion, held them in higher regard.
"Brother Qi, it's time to eat. Quickly ask all those young men to come over," Fu Yu called out again. He felt that those young men were all good fellows, working like two people when it came to labor, but when it was time to eat, they acted like shy brides, which he found somewhat unbelievable.
Qi Yuanshan looked back at the soldiers under his command and was also puzzled, "As soon as the smell of the chicken stewed with mushrooms wafted out, you were all clamoring, saying you could eat several bowls just with the aroma. Now that you're actually being asked to eat, you need three invitations?"
"Hehe, Battalion Commander, we feel more secure following behind you," Zheng Xiaoqi spoke well, his words making people feel comfortable from the heart.
Qi Yuanshan was naturally pleased and smiled, "Hurry up and come over, or you won't get any if you dawdle any longer."
"Alright." How could they not eat? They had been waiting for this meal ever since they smelled the aroma.
When Mrs. Fang lifted the lid of the pot, the aroma of the wild chicken, almost falling off the bone, mingled with the natural fragrance of the mushrooms. Everyone present couldn't help but swallow.
Qi Yuanshan: I've eaten wild chicken before, but never such fragrant wild chicken. Coupled with fresh mushrooms, this must be the exquisite delicacy the general often spoke of, right?
Zheng Xiaoqi: Add one.
Xiao Linzi: Add two.
Everyone: Let's add to the list in order. It's truly too tempting.
...
After this meal, Qi Yuanshan and all the soldiers in his garrison ate until their mouths were glistening.
"Battalion Commander, I really want to work at Uncle Meng's house every day," Xiao Linzi now felt he had endless energy.
"Forget it. I think you brat just want to eat at Brother Meng Er's house every day," Old Jin was the oldest in their garrison, forty-eight years old this year.
"Hehe, Old Jin, don't you want to?"
Old Jin didn't answer directly, only saying, "Get up and get back to work. Today, we must finish building Brother Meng Er's shelter, or we'll be unworthy of the meal we just had."
Originally, he and Zheng Xiaoqi were not here to help with the work. After assigning tasks to the Meng clan members, they were supposed to return to the garrison.
However, due to that incident with a few single men, they happened to catch the tail end of it. In their anger, they also helped out.
Afterward, Qi Yuanshan dragged them here. They couldn't help it; their garrison was too poor, only having a good meal during festivals. Normally, they rarely saw even a drop of oil.
The aroma today was too unusual. Qi Yuanshan pulled all of them, including the Xiaoqi, over. He also secretly told Meng Qingping not to worry about returning the bag of sorghum.
"How can that be?"
"Uncle Meng, we are the ones who benefited." As he said this, Qi Yuanshan himself felt a bit embarrassed.
Meng Qingping promptly eased his mind by asking if he could build a few earthen houses for the women and children of the Meng family next to their shelter.
Qi Yuanshan was also worried about the female members of the Duke's mansion. Other families, no matter what, had adult male members.
Only the men of the two main branches of the Duke's mansion were imprisoned and awaiting execution in the fall.
The village under his jurisdiction was composed of military households, and these military households were almost all composed of exiled criminals.
These exiled criminals were a mixed bag, including corrupt officials and notorious bandits.
Even if there had been some friction before, it was not a major issue. But yesterday, when the Meng family arrived, the situation was entirely different, simply because the Meng family had several beautiful young women.
Hearing Meng Qingping's words now was like solving a huge problem for him. Without a second thought, he immediately agreed, saying, "Uncle Meng, we don't need payment; just provide meals."
Meng Qingping: This is good news; it would be foolish not to agree. However, he immediately added, "They don't have much money."
"It's fine. This mud and straw don't cost money. The young men in the garrison are strong. Just let them manage the midday meal. As I said, as long as they can eat their fill, regardless of the quality."
"This can be done, and I can decide for them."
Originally, Meng Qingping had considered whether to help them buy bricks and tiles, but he felt too embarrassed to ask.
An exile, and they wanted to live in brick houses? That would be asking for trouble.
Following what his nephew Qi had said, just spending money on meals would save them so much.
The more Meng Qingping thought about it, the happier he became. When he saw their shelter being built, he was even happier, unable to close his mouth.
Old Jin's consideration was thoughtful, "These two shelters are only for living. We must also help Brother Meng Er build a kitchen."
Everyone agreed; otherwise, if it rained or the wind blew, they couldn't cook outside.
The group acted immediately, and the kitchen was built in no time.
Meng Qingping suddenly felt that this kind of life was quite good. There was no need to overthink things, just focus on living their own family's life.
Clearly, he was being too optimistic.
As soon as Qi Yuanshan led the garrison back, Meng Qinghuai arrived with Mrs. Xu and their three sons.
"Second Brother, our family will feel more at ease living next to your house," Meng Qinghuai said, glancing at Xiao He.
He had only recently learned about what happened that morning. Thinking of those evil people who were like gods of death, he was terrified. He only had one daughter and didn't want Xiao He to have any accidents.
After Meng Qinghuai, Mrs. Xu, and their three sons discussed it, their opinions were surprisingly consistent: they decided it would be safer to live next to their second brother (second uncle).
With that decided, the family rushed over without delay.
Meng Qingping: He was no longer an official, and he thought he could live out his remaining years here peacefully. Who knew that this whole family was never idle? Either this person was looking for him, or that person was, which was so annoying.
Seeing that his second brother didn't reply, Meng Qinghuai's heart became uneasy. He dared not meet his second brother's gaze directly. After a furtive glance from the corner of his eye, he gestured to his children.
Meng Qishan, receiving his father's plea, was the first to kneel before Meng Qingping, "Second Uncle." The twelve-year-old boy's eyes were full of filial devotion.
"Second Uncle, please agree," Qi Ren liked his second uncle the most. He spoke in a soft, pleading tone, his small body habitually leaning into his second uncle's embrace.
Qi Tian scratched his head before kneeling beside his elder brother.