Old Man Wang saw that the children all liked the idea of moving to the garrison, so he said he would think about it.
Wang Dabao, however, directly went to find the commander of the guard, told him about his family's intention to move there to live, and asked if the commander could allocate a plot of land for their house.
The few families who had fled here to seek refuge from being chased by the Tatars were also terrified by them.
Although Commander Jin had just told them that all the Tatars had been annihilated by the combined forces of the garrison soldiers and the northern frontier troops, they were still deeply shaken.
Hearing Wang Dabao's words at this moment, the eyes of the families lit up. They stepped forward one after another, also applying to move there to live.
Commander Qi did not speak, but Commander Jin was delighted. If you were to ask what was most abundant at Eagle Beak Cliff, it would naturally be wasteland.
Although Commander Jin was happy, he also remembered that it was winter, so he discussed with the families and asked them to return to their original villages and come back in the spring.
However, the families thought about it, their grain had been plundered by the Tatars, and their houses had been burned down by the Tatars. What else would they have if they went back? They all shook their heads and said they didn't want to go back.
Commander Jin was a little troubled. He discussed with Qi Yuanshan, and then took them to Wujia Village, where there were still a few empty courtyards. If these families were willing to live there, they could stay.
As they passed the garrison's residential area and Mengjia Village, these families stopped as if they had agreed beforehand.
They had seen this area from afar during their temporary stay at the garrison. The small courtyards of the same size were all clean and tidy.
Seeing that they had taken a liking to the houses in this area, Commander Jin explained to them, "This is our garrison's residential area, and further ahead is Mengjia Village. These houses were newly built before the frost."
When the families heard Commander Jin say that these houses were newly built before the frost, their hearts began to stir.
An old man named Li immediately approached Commander Jin and asked ingratiatingly, "Commander Jin, when spring thaws next year, can we also build courtyards like these?"
"Of course, as I just told you at the garrison, I asked you to come and build houses in the spring."
"Heh heh, we'll make do with living here this winter, and build new houses in the spring."
Old Man Li's words expressed the feelings of the Li, Zhang, Tian, and Song families.
...
Qi He saw that his father had been in low spirits and was not resting like the others at the garrison, so he said some casual words, hoping to make his father stop frowning.
However, when his son mentioned Xinci, Qi Yuanshan stood up.
"Father, where are you going?"
"Son, accompany your father to find your Grandpa Meng."
"Okay." Qi He thought his father had come around and happily followed behind him.
Feeling stifled, Qi Yuanshan also had the idea of chatting with Uncle Meng. The father and son did not ride horses, but walked one after another towards the large courtyard of the Meng family.
On the way, they met many acquaintances, who all stepped forward to greet them. Qi Yuanshan also nodded with a faint smile.
As the father and son crossed the small river, they saw Fu Xinci standing outside the courtyard gate watching Yu'er play with a rattan ball.
Meng Qiren, carrying Bao'er, and Meng Yulin were also watching nearby. Bao'er would occasionally run over unsteadily to help Yu'er pick up the ball.
Fu Xinci saw Uncle Qi arrive first and quickly curtsied and greeted him.
The other children also paid their respects.
Fu Xinci secretly glanced over, even the little Bao'er was not lacking in etiquette.
Qi Yuanshan did not neglect them because of their young age, but treated them as adults. After nodding slightly to them, he entered the courtyard.
Yu'er saw that Brother Qi and Uncle Qi had returned together and immediately grabbed Brother Qi's hand, saying, "Brother Qi, let's play rattan ball together."
"Okay, Brother Qi will play with you."
With Qi He there, the atmosphere immediately changed. The boys of different ages instantly became like wild horses running out of control, chasing the rattan ball with excited shouts.
Fu Xinci stood by watching them run, and saw Qi He kick the rattan ball into a tree with one foot.
"Hahaha." Seeing the rattan ball stuck in the branches of the tree, Qi He was the first to laugh.
"Brother Qi, Sister, what do we do?" Yu'er, with his small stature, squatted under the tree and began to worry about the rattan ball.
"It's okay, wait for Brother Qi to get a stick to poke the rattan ball down."
"Alas, I'll wait."
In the east room of the main house, Grandpa Meng looked at the weather-beaten Qi Yuanshan and couldn't help but nag, "You've just returned, why didn't you rest properly?"
"Uncle, I have something on my mind, and if I don't tell you, I won't feel comfortable."
"You child, can't you talk about it after resting? Nothing is more important than your health."
Thinking of their days of hardship, Grandpa Meng couldn't help but continue to nag, "You must have been busy these past few days. I guess you haven't been eating or sleeping well."
"Yes, we've been on the go non-stop these past few days."
"Then why did you rush over here? Even if it was something urgent, you should have waited until you woke up from a good sleep."
"Uncle."
"I have a pillow here. Take off your outer clothes and sleep on the kang."
"Uncle."
"Look at your eyes, they're red. If you still recognize me as your uncle, then have a good sleep first."
After Grandpa Meng finished speaking, he placed the pillow he was leaning on flat without waiting for Qi Yuanshan to refuse, and patted it with his hand.
Qi Yuanshan: ...
"Lie down quickly." After Grandpa Meng finished speaking, he opened the kang cabinet, took out a quilt, and handed it to Qi Yuanshan.
"Uncle." Qi Yuanshan actually felt a little shy.
Although Grandpa Meng could not see the blush on Qi Yuanshan's face, he guessed that he was shy. He then compromised and said, "You're afraid of being seen in my room, so go to the west room."
Qi Yuanshan: ...
"You have nothing to be embarrassed about in the room where your son lives. Besides, no one usually enters that room."
"Uncle."
"Yuanshan, when did you become so hesitant?"
"Alright."
Seeing that Qi Yuanshan had agreed, Grandpa Meng did not let him off. He briskly got out of bed, put on his shoes, and personally escorted him to the west room. Only after he lay down on the kang did he retreat.
Qi Yuanshan lay on the warm kang in the west room, but he dared not take off his boots. He hadn't bathed or washed his feet for several days, and he was afraid that if he took off his boots, the room would be unbearable.
The courtyard was quiet, and from outside the main gate, a soft child's voice could occasionally be heard.
The lingering winter sun, rarely, released a hint of warmth.
Fu Xinci heard a dog bark from Wujia Village, and an idea immediately came to her mind.
"Brother Qi, do you know if anyone nearby has puppies?"
"Sister Fu, what do you want puppies for?" After Qi He asked this question, he wanted to slap himself, and in fact, he did.
Was he stupid? Of course, Sister Fu wanted puppies to raise them to guard the house.