When Yu Wan and her group returned to the village, it was already evening. Every household had started cooking. Smoke curled up from the chimneys in the village. The heat of the villagers’ discussion had already passed, so they were naturally used to seeing the two families together.

Since they were going to smoke bacon today, Aunt Yu stayed at Ah Wan’s house for the whole day and made dinner there.

“How’s the business?” Aunt Yu asked rather nervously. This was the first time her husband had gone to town to show his face after he was crippled. She was worried that something had happened to him.

Uncle Yu smiled and placed the money bag on the table.

Aunt Yu opened it and was shocked. “Why is it so much?”

Uncle Yu said in high spirits, “It’s all sold out. Even the marinade has been sold out!”

The servant of the North Garrison General Manor set the precedent. After that, many customers who didn’t manage to buy the braised meat also followed suit. They bought some braised marinade and cooked it themselves. There wasn’t a lot of marinade, so they didn’t sell for much. However, they couldn’t stop people from fighting over it. Even when Uncle Yu was a chef in the Capital, he had never been so satisfied.

“So many… are they all sold out?” That was half a pig, along with a whole set of pig offal!” Aunt Yu asked again, “Have you sold off the pig offal as well?”

In a poor village that wasn’t sure of their next meal, pig offal was not something that could be thrown away at will. When they were extremely hungry, they could even eat grassroots and Guanyin clay. However, the people in town were different. They did not think much of pig offal!

Yu Wan sincerely praised, “Uncle’s cooking is delicious. There’s no strange taste at all. After everyone tried it, they all said that it’s even better than braised meat!”

Uncle Yu was laughing so hard that he couldn’t find his bearings. He didn’t know if he was pleased with his culinary skills or pleased with Yu Wan’s praise.

Aunt Yu suppressed her smile and glared at him. “Moron!”

After that, Yu Song talked about Chun Zhi and the constable finding fault with them. Aunt Yu listened with trepidation.

“Thanks to the eldest daughter of the General Manor, the people in the county office didn’t dare to make things difficult for us anymore,” Yu Song said from the bottom of his heart. “Her servants don’t put on airs. They’re gentle and polite. It’s obvious that she’s like that herself. She even spoke up for Third Uncle and asked those stinky constables not to bully us commoners.”

“She’s such a good person,” Aunt exclaimed.

“Not as good as my sister!” Little Bruiser straightened his back.

“Sister good.” The youngest daughter mimicked him.

Yu Wan was amused. She was just a country bumpkin. How could she compare to the daughter of a high and mighty family? Children were really silly and cute. She pinched the two little fellows’ cheeks. “I didn’t dote on you for nothing. Come, see what I brought for you?” As she spoke, she took out two tempting paper bags from the basket.

Little Bruiser’s eyes widened. “Osmanthus cake!”

“I want to eat,” said the youngest daughter.

Little Bruiser dragged his sister to eat osmanthus cake happily. Madam Jiang smiled gently at them.

“You don’t have to sell braised meat tomorrow, do you?” Aunt said. The next market would open three days later.

Yu Wan nodded. “We don’t have to sell braised meat tomorrow, but we have to go to town to buy something.”

Miss Bai’s appearance at the market today wasn’t just to help them out of trouble. Miss Bai had heard that the braised meat at the town’s entrance was even better than the braised meat at the White Jade Restaurant, so she had specially come to challenge the restaurant. Who would have thought that the other party was someone she knew? After tasting Yu Wan’s family’s braised food, she decisively changed her mind and directly ordered their braised food.

Aunt Yu was so shocked that she did not know what to do. She had heard of the White Jade Restaurant before. It was the largest restaurant in town. Ordinary people couldn’t sell their food there. Snowflake salt couldn’t be sold on the market so that was a special case. But braised meat wasn’t such a rare thing. They had a chef, so how could they not make it themselves?

Yu Wan replied, “We were also lucky. Miss Bai’s father was busy with his birthday, so the chef couldn’t handle it, so she asked us to make her father’s braised food.”

Ever since White Jade Restaurant changed to the snowflake salt, the taste of the dishes had increased by more than a level. There were so many customers that the chef could not wait to split himself into two.

It was a good thing to have business. It was even better for her depressed husband to pull himself together again. Aunt Yu did not disagree.

“After we finish this business with the White Jade Restaurant, we can have a good New Year!” Yu Song said with anticipation. Then, he looked at Yu Wan with a straight face. “I don’t want to spend it with you!”

Aunt Yu glared at him.

Yu Wan smiled. He was a child after all.

Uncle Yu was suddenly silent. He thought of his brother from the Northwest Army Camp. Their family was bustling with activity, but his brother was risking his life at the border.

“Uncle,” Yu Wan called softly.

Aunt Yu sighed. “He misses your father.”

Yu Wan paused and looked towards Madam Jiang. She saw Madam Jiang, who was originally beaming with joy, was also staring blankly at the horizon.

Mom… must be missing Father too, right? Little Bruiser hadn’t even been born when his dad left. Six years had passed in the blink of an eye, and he was already so big.

…

At noon, in the wind and snow of the Northwest Army Camp, smoke could not be seen at all. Ever since the three meals a day were canceled, the boiler in the kitchen had not been heated up at noon.

Yu Shaoqing was wearing the old armor that had just been repaired the night before. His expression was as cold as ice as he went to a newly built tent that was built overnight.

Outside the tent, there was a young soldier with a spear in his hand waiting. Seeing Yu Shaoqing walk over, he reached out to stop him. “What are you doing?”

Yu Shaoqing glanced at the wooden box in his hand and said, “This is what General Gui De hasn’t finished packing. He got someone to pass the message to me to deliver it to him. Hand it over to him.”

“Wait,” said the soldier. “It’s better if you hand such valuable items to General Gui De personally.”

Yu Shaoqing glanced at the tattered cotton wool in the box and said expressionlessly, “Okay.” As he spoke, he was about to walk in.

The soldier stopped him again. “Eh? Did I say that you can go in? General Gui De arranged the troops last night until late at night. He didn’t sleep for more than a few hours. He’s resting now. Wait for him to wake up.”

“Then I’ll come back later,” Yu Shaoqing said.

The soldier added, “What if General Gui De wakes up after you leave? You might as well wait here! General Gui De sleeps lightly. He might wake up soon.”

Yu Shaoqing waited outside the tent with an expressionless face.

The soldier glanced at him and smirked.

Yu Shaoqing waited for four hours in the snowstorm. His hands and feet were frozen to the point where he couldn’t feel anything. Heavy snow fell on his body, and his lips cracked slightly, causing blood to flow out.

“Annoying!” A sweet voice came from the tent, followed by a charming woman. The woman pulled up her shirt and gave Yu Shaoqing a meaningful look.

Yu Shaoqing didn’t even blink.

The woman swayed her soft waist as she walked past him.

The soldier fetched some hot water and entered the tent. When he came out with a basin of used hot water, Yu Shaoqing said expressionlessly, “Can I send General Gui De’s things in?”

The soldier mocked, “I’m afraid that won’t work, centurion. The General has just given the order for General Gui De to go immediately to his tent to discuss government affairs when he wakes up. Why don’t you… come back later?”

“Chiliard? That must be Big Brother Yu!”

“Yan Congming is no match for Big Brother Yu!”

“How many barbarians has Old Yu killed? His stomach has been stabbed a few times! Can that coward Yan Congming compare?”

“The chiliard is Old Yu! Yan Congming is nothing!”

Looking at Yu Shaoqing’s back that was gradually being drowned by the blizzard, the soldier scoffed. “You are the one who’s worth a fart!”