Rooms were arranged for them; the captain and his men were assigned to the side rooms, while Yang Xinjie and the other two stayed with Fu Xinci in the small building.
Without the need for further words, everyone was tired. After washing up, they all fell asleep.
In the east room of the main house, the three were not sleeping.
Grandpa Meng sat behind the low table, writing with his brush, while Fu Yu knelt beside his elderly father, grinding ink for him.
Qi Yuanshan thought of the three young men and couldn't help but cluck his tongue. "These young people, all outstanding talents. Especially the one called Long Teng, you can tell he's got great potential just by looking at him."
"Indeed, I heard the two youths call him Captain, so he must be the leader of their group."
"Yes, he looks like a very capable individual. If he were to join the army, I reckon the Northern Frontier would be peaceful for many years."
The more Qi Yuanshan spoke, the more impressed he became, wishing he could immediately go to the side rooms and recruit the young man to join his army and protect the peace of the Northern Frontier.
The Captain and Xu Jiacan were woken up by the sound of children talking in the courtyard.
"Brother, did Sister come back last night?"
"Hush, Ning'er, speak quietly."
"Mm." Ning'er nodded.
"In the latter half of the night, I got up to go to the privy and heard Grandfather and Father talking. I knew Sister was back."
"I want to go find Sister and have Sister take me and Feifei."
After saying this, the little fellow forgot his promise to his brother to speak quietly and started to run towards the back, but his brother grabbed him.
"Brother?"
"Ning'er, you can't go to the back."
"Why?"
"Sister returned very late last night and needs to rest more." Yu'er did not tell his younger brother that his sister had to go rescue someone with her friends today and had no time to play with him.
He had gotten up so early today because he was very curious about what his sister's friends looked like. He had been drowsy last night, but he vaguely heard his grandfather and father praising them a lot.
The Captain was very fond of these two rosy-cheeked, jade-carved children, especially the one who seemed so mature for his age.
There was no need to ask, judging by their looks and age, they were Xinci's younger brothers.
Xu Jiacan, however, liked the younger one. "Look at that little fellow, he's so sharp."
As they were talking, they also lowered their voices. It was rare that Pang Dun had also woken up. "What are you guys talking about?"
"What the heck, Pang Dun, you woke up without sleeping seven hours today? That's unscientific."
"Oh, what's scientific or unscientific about it? I have something on my mind, who can sleep through that?"
"That makes sense."
After the three finished talking, they washed up.
Yu'er, who had been waiting outside, saw the elder brothers come out of the east wing and shyly stepped forward to greet them. "Brothers, please follow me. It's time for breakfast."
"Thank you, Yu'er."
"Big brother knows my name?" After being delighted, Yu'er still spoke his heart out earnestly. "I still prefer it if big brothers call me Xinyu."
"Okay." The Captain smiled and agreed.
The Meng family's breakfast today was very rich: millet porridge, pan-fried dumplings with fish filling, large steamed buns with fresh mushrooms and diced meat, accompanied by two kinds of freshly pickled refreshing side dishes. Little Ai even secretly said she had eaten until she was stuffed.
The Captain said, "I've forgotten, how long has it been since I've eaten such home-cooked food?"
"A long time, so long I can't remember exactly how long," Little Ai's reply had a slight nasal tone, but she still habitually raised a smiling face and made a small request to Fu Xinci.
"Xinci, when we come back, can Auntie make me a spicy dish? Ever since I came here to study, I haven't had authentic spicy food."
"It's no problem for my mother to cook spicy food, but I don't know if it'll be authentic."
"Auntie's cooking is delicious, it must be authentic."
"Authentic, definitely authentic, Auntie's cooking is really delicious." If they weren't in a hurry to travel, Pang Dun felt he could have eaten two more large steamed buns.
Xu Jiacan also nodded. He even leaned closer to Xinci and whispered, "Xinci, can I come to your house to freeload meals in the future?"
"Add me to that," Xu Ruyi quickly raised her hand when she heard.
"Me too, me too."
Although Yang Xinjie lowered her voice, Fang Shi still heard. She just smiled, thinking that when her daughter returned, she would quietly tell her that her friends could come over for meals often.
After breakfast, Grandpa Meng handed the group's household registration certificates and travel permits to the Captain.
Looking at the deliberately aged household registration certificates and the brand-new travel permits, the Captain decided to put them in Xinci's care.
Qi Yuanshan personally escorted them to the southern road, emphasizing that saving people was important, but their safety was equally important.
The Captain cupped his fist calmly and only said, "Uncle Qi, don't worry, we will return as soon as possible."
After speaking, the Captain signaled everyone to mount their horses.
Watching the backs of the seven people as they departed, Qi Yuanshan, a seasoned veteran, felt a little worried.
Because he had clearly seen just now that their mounting movements indicated they were novices.
"The journey is long, I don't know if their bodies can withstand it."
Fu Xinci couldn't worry about that anymore. She took the lead, urging her horse forward.
Watching Fu Xiao Nu's dashing figure ahead, Pang Dun felt like he wanted to worship her.
"Xinci, we have an agreement, don't we? When we return this time, can you let me practice riding horses more?" Pang Dun felt a little ashamed that his horsemanship was far behind Xinci's.
"The horses are yours now. You decide when to practice."
Xinci's words carried with the morning breeze, invigorating her companions.
"Hahaha, when we get back, they'll be so envious."
"Right, I'm going to ride my horse around town every day, let them envy me! Let them be jealous! Let them deeply experience what it means to lose at the starting line."
Companions: Why does that sentence sound a bit off?
However, none of them were very good at riding horses, including the all-capable Captain.
The mountain path ahead was bumpy, and everyone's focus was solely on whether their buttocks would be jolted into four pieces. As for whether Pang Dun's previous sentence was appropriate, no one paid any attention anymore.
"Ow."
"I~"
"Ouch."
"Ay, ay, ay, ay."
All morning, Fu Xinci could hear discordant sounds from behind her companions.
It was almost noon, and the scorching sun made it difficult to open her eyes. Fu Xinci had no choice but to rein in her mount under a large tree by the roadside.
"Whoa~"
Seeing that Xinci had stopped, her companions also reined in their mounts and dismounted.
"Captain, Jiacan, quickly come and give me a hand." Pang Dun had tried several times by himself but couldn't dismount. He didn't dare try again, afraid that if he wasn't careful, he'd tumble off the horse and lose face.