The Meng family was preparing for dinner, with the men at one table and the women at another.
The men's table was in the main hall, and the women's table was in the kitchen.
The Fang family members had been nourished by chicken soup, meat broth, and seafood soup for the past few days, and their complexions had visibly changed compared to when they first arrived at the Meng household.
The biggest change in the Fang family was with the little girl, Qing Mei. Today, her aunt had made her a set of water-red dresses, made of fine cotton cloth, with two gracefully dancing butterflies embroidered on the hem.
Oh my, it was the first time the little girl had worn such a beautiful dress, and when she walked, she held the hem, afraid of dragging it on the ground and soiling it.
Tonight's meal consisted of four dishes and one soup, including steamed, stewed, deep-fried, and stir-fried dishes.
Seeing Yan Yi and Qi Yuanshan arrive together, Grandpa Meng invited them to sit down, and then asked his son to go to the kitchen to ask his wife to make two more dishes.
Madam Fang had been smiling for the past few days. Upon hearing her husband's message, she didn't feel any difficulty. With a pair of smiling eyes, she surveyed the kitchen and began to consider.
Seeing that her daughter was about to stir-fry, Mother Fang wanted to help, but Madam Tian was much quicker than Mother Fang. She gently pressed Madam Fang's arm and went to help herself.
Madam Fang and Madam Tian had worked together in the kitchen for five or six years, and their understanding of cooking had reached a point of telepathy.
As long as Madam Fang glanced in a certain direction, Madam Tian could guess what she wanted to do with about eighty to ninety percent accuracy.
Indeed, seeing their tacit cooperation, Mother Fang secretly admired them.
Madam Fang quickly prepared a dish of scallion-fried lamb and a vegetable dish of stir-fried greens. Fu Yu personally brought them to the main house on a tray.
"Sit down quickly and eat," Mother Fang, doting on her daughter, insisted on waiting for her daughter to eat together.
"Mother, let's eat together."
"Alright."
Fu Xinzi did not speak. She first put a piece of steamed, tender pork belly into her grandmother's bowl, and then put a piece into her little cousin Qing Mei's bowl.
The happy little girl kept saying, "Cousin Xinzi is the best."
Hearing her elder daughter's words, Madam He's heart was filled with mixed emotions. They were all girls of similar age, so why was there such a big difference?
However, Madam Fang did not let her overthink. She personally scooped a bowl of pork rib soup and handed it to her, "Chunxiu, drink the pork rib soup first, and then Qing Guo will have something to eat."
Madam Fang looked at her two scrawny nieces and felt uncomfortable, wishing she could fatten them up in a single day.
"Ah, thank you, Sister."
"We're all family, no need to thank each other."
After dinner, the Fang father and son returned to the west wing as if walking on cotton.
"Old man, what's wrong with you?"
"Oh, old woman, quickly close the door, I'll tell you."
As soon as Father Fang thought about dining with the Commander of the Imperial Guard, he felt his hands and feet were out of place.
"Old man?"
"Old woman, let's speak softly, don't let Master Yan hear us."
"Master Yan? What Master Yan?"
Madam Fang's voice was a little too loud, scaring Father Fang into covering her mouth.
"Mmm~"
"Old woman, don't speak, listen carefully, it's the Commander of the Imperial Guard, Master Yan."
Madam Fang: ...
"Old woman, old woman?"
"Old man, this is too scary, please don't tell me anymore, I don't want to hear it."
Madam Fang was so frightened that she didn't dare to listen further, fearing that one day she might carelessly say something she shouldn't and commit a great disrespect that could cost her her head.
"If you don't want to hear it, then I won't say it." Father Fang was also a man of courtesy. Seeing that his wife was scared, he felt uneasy himself and immediately stopped talking, not daring to say more.
The next day, Qi Yuanshan personally delivered the share of disaster relief money and supplies belonging to the Fang family to the Meng family compound.
Father and Mother Fang were immensely grateful to this thousand-household official, offering him constant words of praise.
Even when Qi Yuanshan said to them, "Uncle Fang, Aunt Fang, we are all family,"
Father and Mother Fang remained respectfully attentive to Qi Yuanshan.
Yan Yi waited until the houses for the Qingzhou refugees were completed before leaving.
The day he returned to the capital, Captain Song brought all the Qingzhou refugees to kneel before him.
Although they said nothing, their hopeful eyes were filled with supplication. Yan Yi understood that they were hoping Yan Yi would plead with the Emperor on their behalf, as they truly did not want to return to Qingzhou.
They did not want to leave, did not want to leave their Lord Meng.
Yan Yi did not disappoint them. The first thing he did upon returning to the capital was to speak to the Emperor about the Qingzhou refugees.
"Your Majesty, you should have seen the appearance of those people, it was gruesome!" He described them as having large eyes, large heads, and slender necks."
The Emperor: Is this official Yan describing people?
"I didn't dare to get too close, for fear that if they exerted a little force, their necks would snap, and their heads would fall and hit my feet. That would be my fault."
The Emperor: ...
"Your Majesty, I dare to say one thing: it would be best not to force them to migrate again. Otherwise, I fear that the passing prefectures would have to collect their corpses."
Yan Yi spoke with such genuine emotion that the Emperor was at a loss.
"Your Majesty, judging by the state of the Qingzhou refugees, they will all be gone before they even make it back to Qingzhou."
The Emperor, hearing Yan Yi's grave words, could no longer insist. He feigned a moment of contemplation before finding a way to step down.
"Whether they return or not, it shall be their own will. I do not wish to make the decision for them."
Seeing that the Emperor had finally relented, Yan Yi sent a message by carrier pigeon to his subordinates in Liaodong.
When Grandpa Meng received the message from Liu Hai, Hawk's Beak Cliff welcomed the first snow of the winter.
Captain Song and the others were good at managing their lives. Even though it was snowing, they were not idle, wanting to prepare more firewood before the snow sealed the mountains.
When Fu Yu was delivering the message from his father to everyone, he happened to see Father He returning from the mountain with his two sons, pulling a cart full of dry firewood.
The He family members, having secretly searched for the Fang family several times without success, had now come to terms with reality and were much more well-behaved than before.
Seeing Fu Yu approach at this moment, Father He took the lead in greeting him.
"Nephew, are you looking for someone?"
"Yes, I'm looking for Uncle Song, and actually, I've come to tell everyone something."
"What is it?" Captain Song happened to be returning with his son and grandson after gathering firewood.
"Uncle Song, Master Yan just sent a message."
"What did Master Yan say?"
Fu Yu looked at Captain Song and gestured upwards, saying, "Master Yan has a message for everyone. From now on, you can settle wherever you wish."
"Master Yan means we can settle anywhere?"
"Yes, anywhere."
"Then we'll stay in Liaodong and not leave."
"That's right. Lord Meng... Oh, my loose tongue, I almost misspoke. Wherever Town Chief Meng is, that's where we'll be."