Chapter 326 - 326: Tired?
The soldier originally thought that he would persuade her to leave when it was about time. The reasons were all ready-made. The journey was tiring, she was a guest, she was still young, and so on. However, his plan was disrupted by the increasingly rich fragrance.
When he came back to his senses, the fragrant pot of vegetables and meat porridge had already been made. The fragrance of the meat mixed with the fragrance of the rice. The soldier did not dare to open his mouth to speak, afraid that he would make a fool of himself by swallowing his saliva.
At this point, he could only find other ways. For example, when this girl left later, he would secretly add some water to the pot and make dinner.
Heh, he was really too smart!
However, Xiaoxiao only glanced at him before she moved a small stool over and sat down. Then, she widened her eyes and waited for everyone to start eating.
The soldier was at his wits’ end. Helpless, he could only run to ask the Third Prince.
Ever since Rong Yan led the troops, the soldier had only used a short month to change from unfamiliarity to admiration for him. He really did not expect him to say, “Let her do it.”
He could not hide the smile in his indifferent tone. “It’s still her sincerity to everyone.”
The soldier was stunned and his expression was conflicted.
Rong Yan did not want others to misunderstand Xiaoxiao, so he softened his attitude and explained patiently.
“We’ve been starved of food for a long time. The Xiongnu is ambitious and has probably sensed it long ago. If they wait for the right time to take advantage of us when our soldiers are starving, how should we deal with them?”
“Besides, Xiao… Since Miss Ning said that the food she brought is enough for three to five days, it will definitely be enough.”
The soldier could not help but ask again, “What about three to five days later?”
Rong Yan’s gentle face was a little cold. “His Highness the Crown Prince is too useless if the food isn’t delivered in three to five days.”
The soldier immediately went deaf and mute. However, after thinking about it carefully, he couldn’t agree more.
To think that something as important as transporting food could be delayed until now. The Crown Prince… Tsk.
It would be the greatest joke in the world if he was not careful and starved to death instead of dying in the hands of the Xiongnu!
The soldier left angrily. Of course, this anger was not directed at Rong Yan and Xiaoxiao, but at the incompetent Crown Prince. As a nameless soldier, he did not dare to speak ill of the Prince, but he could mutter in his heart—if he let a person like the Crown Prince sit on the throne in the future, would he take them, who were far away at the border, to heart?
The soldier thought about the national affairs that seemed to be thousands of miles away from him. He took his porridge and took a sip. He felt comfortable and his stomach was especially warm.
After eating and drinking his fill, he felt that his attitude towards the young lady just now was not good enough, so he decided to see if there was anything he could help with. Just as he walked out of the kitchen, he heard a few familiar voices—they seemed to be the few people beside the Third Prince?
“Miss Ning, you’re really a female Bodhisattva who saves people from trouble. You don’t know how hard it has been for His Highness these past few days. His Highness didn’t eat much of the dried vegetables you brought for him and distributed them to the soldiers!”
“Actually, one person can’t eat much of that when it is mixed in a big pot of rice, but His Highness insists on sharing joys and sorrows with everyone. Look at his face, he’s so thin!”
“It’s not just his face. His Highness grew a little fatter after eating the meals that you cooked every day in Fortune Village. He’s completely thin now! Now, the bones in his chest can play the pipa!”
Xiaoxiao was amused by them. She added a spoonful of meat porridge for each of them before saying, “You can’t add any more after eating this. It’s not that I’m petty and don’t give you special treatment, but you’re too hungry. You can’t eat too much at once, or it’ll hurt your stomach.”
“I made porridge for everyone today to let your stomachs adapt first. I put a lot of dried vegetables in the porridge and added some herbs that don’t affect the taste and can nourish the stomach according to Doctor Gongsun’s prescription. Eat two meals of porridge first and I’ll cook meat and rice for you tomorrow.”
“I brought enough food for everyone to eat at ease. You’re all heroes who fought for Great Xia with your lives. You shouldn’t starve.”
This simple sentence made the eyes of the soldier outside the door turn red.
He joined the army because his family was poor and he could not find any other way out. Initially, he felt that he was quite useless and ordinary. Why did Miss Ning say that he was quite powerful?
The soldiers vaguely felt that it had been a long time since they last ate their fill. They drank this big bowl of porridge in satisfaction and restraint. The veterans knew the consequences of gluttony under such circumstances. The recruits also stopped themselves from going to the big pot again under the explanation of their seniors. It was night. Their stomachs, which had been burning for a few days, felt much better and they slept much better.
In the dead of night, a petite shadow tiptoed into a small courtyard. This courtyard was clearly heavily guarded, but she entered it as if there was no one around. A new guard was about to step forward to stop her when he was stopped by the Third Prince’s men. He even winked at him. “You don’t have to stop her.”
Xiaoxiao held the plate with one hand and prepared to exert strength with the other hand after her qi settled in her dantian. However, just as she pressed on the door frame, she hurriedly restrained her strength.
What if Little Big Brother was taking a nap and she scared him or interrupted his hard-earned rest? The gains would not make up for the losses. It was better to play with surprises after it was peaceful.
With this thought in mind, she changed the direction of her palm and knocked on the door frame. However, before the first sound could ring, the door was opened and Xiaoxiao saw a face that she only had time to catch a glimpse of during the day.
He had indeed lost weight and looked haggard. The shadow under his eyes looked like he had not slept for a few days and nights. However, when he looked at her, his eyes were like water, hiding his fatigue.
“You’re here? Are you tired?”
It was not that he did not miss her, nor did he not want to see her. It was just that he could not let go of the heavy burden on his shoulders for a moment.
But occasionally, he would worry that she would blame him.
When he saw the supper in her hand, he knew that his worries were unnecessary. There was a soft biscuit stuffed into his mouth. He heard Xiaoxiao say faintly, “Should I ask you this? Are you tired?”
Rong Yan forgot to chew. He asked himself, “Are you tired?”
How could he not be tired? He had to worry about the Xiongnu b*stards playing dirty. He also had to worry about the trivial matters in the military camp. He had a splitting headache every day. However, as the commander-in-chief, he could not reveal his physical and mental fatigue in front of others. He could not give the enemy a chance or shake his morale… Hence, whenever someone else asked this question, he would say that he was not tired.
However, the person in front of her was none other than Xiaoxiao.
So he said, “A little, yes.”
Xiaoxiao scanned the room and handed the tray to Rong Yan. Then, she placed one hand on the door frame and pulled Rong Yan’s sleeve with the other, making a gesture to cross the threshold. At the same time, she said to the space in her mind: [Baby, time to work. Copy the space.]
Taking a step forward, the world changed, but no one noticed it. Xiaoxiao added: [Adjust time to 20 times slower.]
Then, she said to Rong Yan, “Do you want to eat or drink anything?”