Chapter 778 - 778: East Hill Village
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ji Xingye sipped his soup and felt a comfortable warmth in his stomach. After finishing the entire bowl of wonton soup, he burped and sighed in satisfaction. He was so focused on the food that he forgot to be polite in front of the prince.
“That’s a dish my sister made,” Lan Ruozhu said with a smile, “l think it’s delicious, too.’
He was delighted that people thought Su Binglan’s food was delicious. One would be even happier when tasting food with others.
‘What? The princess cooked the meal?’
Ji Xingye was stunned and quickly stood up, saying, “l didn’t know Her
Majesty cooked this dish.”
Su Binglan saw him bowing nervously. She said, “Stand straight, General Xingye. There’s no reason to bow. I made these delicacies for everyone to eat. Besides, you’ve shown your appreciation by complimenting my cooking.
“I’ll get someone to bring you more wontons if you like it so much. You can cook them in a pot and eat them whenever you want.”
Su Binglan’s kindness touched Ji Xingye. He had a strong feeling that she was Lan Ruobing because she treated him just as well in the past. Still, the soup was so delicious that he did not know what else to say. “Thank you, Princess.” Lan Ruozhu added, “I’ll get someone to bring you some meat buns, too,
General Xingye. ”
“Th-thank you very much, Your Majesty!’
Lan Ruozhu then said, “It’s a delicacy my sister has been researching. You can reheat them in a pot whenever you’re hungry. It’ll be better than the food you usually eat.
He enjoyed his sister’s cooking and was willing to share it with his loyal subordinates.
Although Ji Xingye did not sleep much last night, he felt more energetic now. Thus, he followed Su Binglan to visit the soldiers’ relatives, even though he had dark circles under his eyes.
“East Hill Village is the closest one, so let’s go there and visit Lin Ershi’s house first.’
According to information Su Binglan received, Lin Ershi was only fifteen when he died in battle. If they were in the modern world, he would still be in high school.
Moreover, he had an older brother who was also a soldier. Unfortunately, he had gotten severely injured and had to retire. Su Binglan wondered how the family was doing. She sighed as she entered East Hill Village on the carriage.
It was not time for spring plowing, but the weather was getting warmer. Hence, many villagers gathered in twos and threes to chat. Although they had nothing much to do, it was not by choice.
Since most had no jobs, they liked sitting on stools and basking in the sun while chatting. Of course, they would sit on their warm, heated brick beds at home and chat if it rained or snowed. However, everyone in the village looked malnourished.
“l saw someone coming to the barren land in the north two days ago. I wonder why they came.”
“Yeah, the soil on those wastelands isn’t ideal. If they plan on planting crops there, it won’t end well. It’s a waste of effort.”
“We’re doing pretty good in Dingzhou. Prince Ruozhu has treated us well and even reduced our taxes. When it snowed heavily last year, he gave us food.”
“At least we didn’t starve or freeze to death. Still, I pity the Lin family since they’re having a harder time.”
The chatting commoners could not help but sigh when someone mentioned the Lins. The old lady raised her two sons with incredible difficulty. It was also almost time for one of her sons to get married.
The Lins did not have much savings when the eldest son decided to join the army. After all, he would get paid for joining. Afterward, he used the money to marry his wife, who was a capable woman.
When she had her child, her husband got severely injured during a battle. He had broken his leg on the battlefield, and the wounds on his body hurt even more whenever the weather became too cold.
Later, Lin Ershi joined the army to help finance his family. However, no one expected him to die in battle because he was so young. Old Madam Lin soon fell ill.
The family used their remaining silver to treat her illness and her eldest son’s leg, but it was pointless. The villagers wanted to help the family but could not.
Things would have been better if they could harvest more food.
Still, no one in the village had enough to share. During last year’s snow disaster, Lan Ruozhu arranged for his men to distribute food to the villagers to survive the winter.
“Lin Ershi joined the army without telling his family.”
“He was a kind and dutiful child.”
Soon, everyone realized the heft of the topic, so they changed it.
“l heard the Li family has already decided on a woman for their son, but the woman’s family suddenly went back on their word.”
“Although the Li family’s youngest son is handsome, the situation in this village is not ideal. That’s why the woman was hesitant.”
“Hmph, we won’t tolerate such people when our village prospers. Everyone will fight to be a part of our village then.”
While everyone chatted, someone suddenly said, “Look, a carriage.”
“But our village is in such a remote area. Why is there a carriage here?”
“That can’t be someone’s relative, right? We would know if anyone here has a wealthy relative.”
“Look beside the carriage. Isn’t that the Great General?”
“Why is General Xingye in East Hill Village?”
The commoners were still afraid of the officers and soldiers, especially a noble general like Ji Xingye. No one dared to continue their discussions and simply looked at him.
If it were not for the fact the carriage was carrying things, Su Binglan would have ridden inside it. The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Lins e house under the villagers’ watchful eyes.
Ji Xingye knocked on the door and asked, “Is Old Madam Lin Home?”
Su Binglan looked at the polite Ji Xingye and nodded. Although he had become a general, he did not think highly of himself. Su Binglan stood at the door and could smell the medicine wafting from the inside. It seemed someone inside was taking medicine.
Soon after, a seven-year-old boy came to the door and asked, “Hello, sir. Are you looking for my grandmother?”
The little boy was timid but tried his best to speak fluently. Su Binglan’s heart softened when she saw the boy before her. She squatted and asked, “We’re here to see your parents and grandmother. Are they home?”
She passed him a piece of hawthorn candy as she spoke, “Here, this is for you.”
The boy looked at the candy and felt a little envious. However, he shook his head and said, “No, thank you, miss. My grandmother and father are home, but my mother went to the mountain to gather firewood..”
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