He was about to angrily retort and say a few words about his sister-in-law when he saw his father shoot him a glare that pierced him through.
Seeing that his younger son had calmed down, Father He apologized to the soldiers.
"Apologies to you military lords. It's my fault for not managing my household properly, which has caused you trouble. Please do not be offended."
The soldiers had no interest in them, but they could not omit what needed to be said.
"Since you intend to stay here permanently, keep yourselves in check. Otherwise, if you annoy me, I will have you all thrown out. Whether you are then eaten by wild beasts or encountered by bandits will be of no concern to me."
As the soldiers finished speaking, even Madam Hu, who had been wailing, lowered her voice.
After dinner, Captain Song brought his son and grandson to visit the Meng family. Song Erlang was about the same age as Yu'er and was good friends with him.
At that moment, he was standing in the main hall, telling Grandpa Meng about the fight between the He family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
"The eldest daughter-in-law of the He family stared at the younger daughter-in-law with fire in her eyes. As soon as her mother-in-law gave the order, she charged like a bull calf. She used both hands, hitting and scratching, and in no time, the younger daughter-in-law of the He family was reduced to just yelping."
Captain Song, seeing his grandson speak animatedly, said disdainfully to Magistrate Meng, "See? As soon as their stomachs are full, they start causing trouble."
"Isn't it good that they can cause trouble? Which child doesn't like to cause trouble? People like you and me, we don't have the energy to cause trouble anymore."
After Grandpa Meng finished speaking, he instructed Song Erlang, "Don't listen to your grandfather. Erlang, you tell it well, and Grandpa Meng enjoys listening."
"Okay." Delighted by Grandpa Meng's praise, Song Erlang's restless curiosity found an outlet, and he continued to tell everyone.
Captain Song had not expected that a simple mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quarrel would be narrated by his grandson so dramatically, his expression rivaling that of a storyteller in a teahouse.
He realized today that his grandson had this talent.
Finally, they waited until Song Erlang had finished narrating the entire mother-in-law and daughter-in-law war.
Grandpa Meng smiled and nodded, praising continuously, "Erlang, you told it very well."
Captain Song, however, felt a headache coming on. "Is he going to be a storyteller in the future?"
"That's not necessarily true. Erlang's little mouth is good at learning. He gets straight to the point and never drags things out. Perhaps this could be a path for him in the future."
"It's only because Uncle Meng appreciates him." Everyone enjoys hearing praise, and Old Song was no exception. Especially when his most respected Uncle Meng praised his son, he was even happier to listen.
"Yes, cultivate him well. Erlang is a good child."
Captain Song was also happy to hear Magistrate Meng praise his grandson. Just as he was feeling pleased, he heard Magistrate Meng continue, "When your houses are built over there, let Erlang study in the academy. We don't expect them to achieve high positions, but at least they should be literate and have foresight."
"Thank you for your great kindness, Uncle Meng." Old Song was deeply grateful to Uncle Meng for allowing Erlang to study in the academy.
"Ah, you child." The old man sighed and didn't say much more.
Song Erlang knew that he could continue to study in the future. He first grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, and then he knelt down with a thud before Grandpa Meng and kowtowed three times.
"What are you doing, child?"
"Thank you, Grandpa Meng." Song Erlang said thank you, but tears began to well up in his eyes.
From escaping the flood to living precariously and being driven away. They had wandered, their stomachs never full, until they saw Grandpa Meng again.
Young Song Erlang had already tasted the hardships of life, leading to his current stable existence.
...
Accompanied by General Liu, Yan Yi had spent the past few days touring several nearby strongholds before returning to Eagle Beak Cliff at dusk on this day.
The first thing he said to Qi Yuanshan was, "To be honest, after looking around this area, I find your Eagle Beak Cliff to be the most pleasing."
Qi Yuanshan was about to feel pleased when he saw Yan Yi looking at the darkening sky and adding, "The weather is nice today, and I haven't eaten yet. Let's go to Uncle Meng's place for dinner together."
Qi Yuanshan watched Yan Yi spur his horse and ride away, wanting to retort, "If you're going for a meal, what does today's weather have to do with it?"
"Commander Qi, hurry up. I'm hungry."
Qi Yuanshan wanted to say again: You, a dignified commander of the Imperial Guard, are shouting in public that you are hungry. It's as if you're afraid people won't know you're going to Uncle Meng's for a meal.
However, even if they knew, they wouldn't dare say anything, just like him. He was still obediently following along.
Yan Yi ignored his inner monologue and asked casually, "Has anything happened here recently?"
Yan Yi had a feeling lately that something bad was about to happen, which was why he had been visiting nearby strongholds. As it turned out, his worries seemed to be unfounded.
Qi Yuanshan wanted to say nothing had happened, but thinking that he couldn't let Uncle Meng suffer a loss, and besides, Yan Dayen himself had asked, he mentioned the recent arrival of the Fang family and the He family.
"There's been a bit of an incident. Fifteen more refugees from Qingzhou have arrived."
Yan Yi didn't think much of it and casually replied, "Your Eagle Beak Cliff is quite attractive."
"Of course," Qi Yuanshan dared not say, "If our Eagle Beak Cliff weren't attractive, why would you, my lord, keep coming here for no reason?"
"Tomorrow morning, Commander Qi, directly distribute the disaster relief supplies to them," Yan Yi said, and then added, "Fortunately, I brought a few extra sets when I left the capital. They can be put to use now."
"Okay." Qi Yuanshan agreed readily, as long as Uncle Meng didn't have to pay.
"Let's go, hurry up."
"Okay."
Qi Yuanshan responded, but his mind was still filled with complaints. He was so engrossed in his complaints that he accidentally blurted them out.
"Look at us, galloping on our horses like this. Don't we resemble two unreliable young lads who have been out causing trouble all day, and are now rushing home at mealtime, afraid of being severely beaten by the adults at home?"
"Well, you know, you're not wrong. It does look like that."
"...?" Hearing Yan Yi's reply, Qi Yuanshan realized that what he had blurted out had been heard by Lord Yan.
Oh dear, he felt quite shy. But with Lord Yan... he'd better forget about it.
"Why aren't you talking anymore?" Yan Yi found Qi Yuanshan's description quite apt and enjoyed listening to it.
Qi Yuanshan dared not continue speaking and quickly replied, "It's nothing."
"Didn't you say it quite well before?"
"Did I?"
"Of course."