The couple slowed their pace, finally having the chance to chat as they walked. Chen Lan said happily, "Brother Mingxuan, we've had a great harvest today. We hunted nine wild boars, each weighing around three hundred jin.
There aren't many people in our valley yet, so one wild boar is enough for everyone to eat for a long time. I'll leave one boar for the valley and you can take the other eight back to your camp. They'll be good winter provisions for your soldiers. I think over a thousand jin of meat should be enough for the soldiers in your camp to eat for one or two months. Then you can organize more hunting trips to supplement for the rest of the winter.
Also, Brother Mingxuan, when you get back, please tell the person in charge of the kitchen that we don't need the wild boar's stomach or intestines. I'm worried they're not clean and could make people sick. The boar meat also needs to be cooked thoroughly, as I'm concerned about parasites.
Oh, and Father-in-law also gave you a big bag of medicine. It includes deworming medication. When you get back, tell Commander Zheng about it and see if he'll let the soldiers take it. You should take one pill in front of him for three consecutive days. If you have any worms, they'll be expelled.
Xu Mingxuan was also very happy to hear this, but then expressed his concern. "Lan'er, thank you and Father for thinking so considerately. I'm happy you're giving our camp eight wild boars, but I need to figure out how to get them back to camp."
Chen Lan stopped immediately when she heard him mention this and waited for Xu Mingxuan to approach. She stood on her tiptoes, reached out, and patted his uninjured shoulder.
She said heartily, "Young man, don't worry. Rest assured! This young lady will arrange everything perfectly for you, and you'll be able to return to camp with your winter provisions safely and with ease."
Xu Mingxuan chuckled at Chen Lan's playful demeanor. Laughing heartily, he went along with her words, "Alright! Lan'er, I believe you. The wild boars are in your hands."
Chen Lan dropped her playful act and said very seriously, "Brother Mingxuan, I've thought it through! Tomorrow, I'll go with Brother Xiangdong and Brother Erhu to deliver the eight wild boars and your winter provisions back to your camp."
Seeing Xu Mingxuan looking at her with confusion, Chen Lan quickly explained, "Brother Mingxuan, I'm having you leave a day earlier because Father-in-law said it's going to rain for several days starting the day after tomorrow. Not only will the mountain roads be difficult to navigate in the rain, but it's also unsafe to travel in the mountains when it's raining.
I'm bringing Brother Xiangdong and Brother Erhu with me to escort you because each of them has a crossbow just like the one you used earlier. I plan to hunt along the way while escorting you back to camp. The game we catch can be used as your winter provisions. After I escort you back to camp, I'll have companions to return with, so you can feel at ease.
The eight wild boars and the first batch of winter provisions Father-in-law prepared for you, which includes one thousand five hundred sets of cotton-padded coats, trousers, and snow boots, along with one thousand jin of wheat flour, are all temporarily with Father-in-law. He'll give them to you when we reach the mountains near your camp.
The wheat flour is for Commander Zheng's soldiers to make dumplings for the New Year.
As for the one thousand five hundred sets of clothing, I don't know if it will be enough, but we can discuss it later if it's not. Brother Xiangdong, Brother Erhu, and I will leave immediately after delivering the supplies to the mountains near your camp.
Brother Mingxuan, how you explain the origin of these supplies to your men and how you arrange for them to transport the goods is up to you. We won't be involved in that."
Xu Mingxuan said in surprise, "Lan'er, there's really one thousand jin of wheat flour?"
Chen Lan nodded and said, "Yes! One thousand jin. Not only is there one thousand jin of wheat flour, but Father-in-law has also prepared frostbite ointment, cold powder, anti-inflammatory powder, fever-reducing powder, deworming medication, bruise ointment, rheumatism ointment, and many other things for you.
We'll repack them properly when we get home later! So you can distribute them to the soldiers. Of course, there's also a large batch of medicine prepared for you."
Xu Mingxuan didn't say anything after hearing this. What was there to say? What else could be said? He was just deeply touched. He silently followed behind Chen Lan.
After calming his emotions, Xu Mingxuan spoke, "Lan'er, you need to be more careful regarding Father's affairs. It's best not to let too many people know about it."
Chen Lan thought for a moment and decided to be completely open with Xu Mingxuan to alleviate his worries.
So, she stopped, found a rock, and pulled Xu Mingxuan to sit down with her. Then, she said very seriously, "Brother Mingxuan, I understand your concerns and your thoughts, but some things aren't about whether you want people to know or not. People are naturally curious and will inquire. Everyone has curiosity.
Brother Mingxuan, here's what I think: the more you try to hide something and not let people know, the more they'll want to know and investigate.
Instead, we should turn one person's secret into a shared secret of everyone in the valley, because this secret directly affects the interests of each person in the valley. This is why I'm providing for their entire families with food, clothing, and shelter, and even paying them wages. Before the harvest, everything they eat, wear, and live in comes from our family, and we haven't charged them a single copper. They have newly built houses just like ours, and as long as they live in the valley, it's their own home.
We're essentially supporting them for free. I'm doing this simply to have companions for our family in this desolate wilderness, so that the children can live a normal life, have playmates, go to school, and learn the knowledge that children outside can learn, and even knowledge that children outside cannot learn.
My mother-in-law, my mother, Grandma Liu, and Grandma Cui all have companions to chat with, making their twilight years happy. You haven't seen how full of vitality my mother-in-law is now.
With no worries about food or clothing, and even getting paid, this is a life they could only dream of. We could even be described as their 'providers' in their hearts.
I believe they'll be even more concerned than I am about this secret being leaked. They'll supervise each other and won't let the secret spread. If someone were foolish enough to betray this secret, I believe no one in the valley, nor their families, would let them get away with it. That's the power of the masses.
But who currently has the ability to make someone betray everyone in the valley and guarantee their family's well-being? No one, absolutely no one."
Xu Mingxuan listened to Chen Lan's words and remained silent for a long time. Finally, he let out a long sigh and said, "Lan'er, what you've said makes a lot of sense. Linking individual secrets with the collective interests is the best option for now. I'm relieved!"