The stars were scattered across the sky when they finally arrived home.
Before they reached their courtyard gate, under the cover of darkness, they took out the things they had prepared.
Two large baskets were filled with various meats, fruits, vegetables, and fresh corn.
As Qi He picked up the burdens, Fu Xin Ci walked a few steps ahead and knocked on their gate.
Da Hu opened the door, and when Mama Yang and the others came out, they saw the two masters had brought back so much.
"Oh my, two big baskets! Young Master carried them back, he's so strong."
Before Qi He could speak, Fu Xin Ci admitted it first.
"Yes, it was quite tiring on the way. Brother Qi really worked hard."
"I'm not tired..." They had a secret, too much to say.
The servants in the house didn't know about the masters' affairs. Ji Lao San, being observant, immediately took the burdens from their masters.
Under the young mistress's direction, the baskets were taken directly into a storage room next to the kitchen for food.
Fu Xin Ci left a word, "Mama Yang, divide the items into three portions. We'll keep one, and the rest will be delivered to my mother and them tomorrow morning."
"Yes."
Mama Yang agreed and, with Bai Shi, began to portion the items. Chun Yu and Li Chun went to help the young mistress prepare hot water for washing.
Fu Xin Ci asked again, "Has the Master returned?"
"Replying to the young mistress, the Master sent word saying he wouldn't be back tonight."
Her father-in-law hadn't returned for several consecutive nights, not since they had dealt with the Japanese pirates.
This was illogical.
Qi He was also worried about his father's situation these past few days, so he discussed it briefly with his wife. He decided to go see his father before it was too late for bedtime.
"Take some food for Father," Fu Xin Ci said as she packed some fresh fruits and salted duck eggs. As she saw him off, she took out a few of the freshly boiled green corn from her space.
Qi He felt the warmth in his hand and said with a smile, "Father also enjoys this."
Fu Xin Ci smiled upon hearing this. At this time of year, no one could resist the natural taste of boiled green corn.
Fortunately, she had already put some raw ones in the baskets. Tomorrow morning, she would have someone send some back to her grandfather and parents.
At the Thousand Household's office, Qi Yuan Shan was talking with a few lieutenants when a guard came in to announce that Qi He had arrived.
The lieutenants, led by Zheng Chang Min, all grinned. Especially when they saw Qi He carrying two parcels, one of which was still steaming, and the aroma of boiled green corn wafted over.
As a brother-in-law, Zheng Chang Min never considered himself an outsider. He immediately asked, "Little He, what delicious food did you bring for the Thousand Household?"
Lieutenant Jiang also looked incredulous, "The smell of this boiled green corn is too tempting! I remember the corn we planted hasn't grown that tall yet."
Qi He knew they would ask this, so he repeated the story they had prepared.
"My wife and I visited her senior brothers and sisters. All this food was packed by them."
"Oh, look at that! Truly a disciple of an immortal. The things grown in their fields ripen earlier than ours."
The lieutenants spoke while their eyes were fixed on Qi He.
Seeing about ten boiled green corn in the opened parcel, no one was polite anymore. Without the Thousand Household needing to be modest, they each took one and started eating.
Qi He was afraid all the green corn would be snatched by these gluttons, so he quickly picked up two and handed them to his father.
He didn't even open the fruit parcel; everyone would grab one and it would be gone.
Fortunately, everyone's attention was on the green corn, so he took the opportunity to put the items in the inner room.
Lieutenant Jiang truly loved the taste and wanted to ask if there was any more.
But he saw his comrades chewing with gusto, almost eating the cob. He wisely kept silent.
He feared that if others had the same thought, and someone spoke up first, they would all swarm.
If everyone asked, and he was the first one, he might anger the Thousand Household. Then there would be no good outcomes for him later.
He couldn't be the one to start. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Qi Yuan Shan's mind was full of worries, making him want to rush out and fight someone.
Seeing his son bring him food, he took the boiled green corn and started eating.
"Mmm, this is still delicious."
Indeed, eating a few bites of food improved his mood.
Qi He was always meticulous. Seeing his father frowning even while eating, he couldn't help but ask,
"Father, what significant event has happened to make you so worried?"
"Alas, don't mention it." Qi Yuan Shan didn't want to tell his son about the infuriating matters.
But Zheng Chang Min couldn't stand it and spoke first, "It's because we've scared the Japanese pirates so badly. Every time they come, we annihilate them. As a result, those scoundrels went south by water and wreaked havoc there, causing heavy losses, it's said."
"..." Qi He hadn't expected this. Just as he was about to ask about the outcome,
He heard Lieutenant Jiang angrily curse, "The guards in the south are truly shameless. After losing themselves, they blame us. They say we didn't stop the Japanese pirates. Damn it, can we go out to sea, or go to their garrisons to stop them? They're useless themselves and still blame us. It's truly laughable."
"Exactly, they made a principled mistake and then shamelessly tried to drag us all down with them."
"Right, I wasn't there, or I would have beaten him until he couldn't find his teeth."
Qi He didn't expect that his father had been worried about this for days. "Father, what did General Liu say?"
"General Liu and General Zhang had a fight."
"General Liu won."
"How do you know?"
"I guessed. Haha, even if General Liu won, his mouth wouldn't be quiet."
"Yes. General Liu said: A weak soldier makes a weak unit, a weak general makes a weak army."
"Didn't General Zhang try to fight General Liu to the death?"
"He might have wanted to, but he was already injured, so another fight would only result in a loss."
"Serves him right."
"However, General Zhang submitted a memorial, accusing us of dereliction of duty."
"No, that..."
Qi He wanted to say that that idiot's brain was flooded, or perhaps replaced with thin gruel and then put back, otherwise, he absolutely wouldn't do something so foolish.
"From what I heard from General Liu, they also involved Xin Ci."
"Why involve my wife?"
"They said that with your wife's help, we scared the Japanese pirates into changing their course."
"If he's envious, he can also find someone like my wife. However, I can bet with him that he'll never find one, even if he tires himself to death."
"That's true. Our sister Xin Ci is unique, one of a kind." Zheng Chang Min was proud to have such a sister-in-law.
The others present also knew that without Xin Ci and her senior brothers and sisters' help, these battles wouldn't have gone so smoothly.