Second Aunt Qin didn’t give the new cloth to Er Ya; she had to hide it.

As a mother, she wouldn’t use her daughter’s belongings like that.

She planned to use it when it would be truly needed.

However, she was going to make clothes for herself out of her own fabric.

Once she finished the clothes, she could show off.

Every time she saw the envious and jealous looks from the villagers, along with their sour remarks, it made her happy.

Of course, she didn’t just boast in the village; she could brag to her own family as well.

Looking at the cloth and clothing, Second Aunt Qin noticed several clay jars. “What’s this?”

If it was just a big bundle of clothes and fabric, there would have been no need for the escort’s cart to bring Second Uncle Qin to Baili Village; it could have just gone to the county town.

The escort’s cart brought Second Uncle Qin to the village because he also had several clay jars with him.

Second Uncle Qin said, “These jars contain spicy cabbage, pickled radish, rice wine, and some rice wine bones. I had them at Ah Fang’s house, and they were all delicious, so I brought them back for you to try.” He was proud to bring these back for his daughter and wife, so he didn’t feel any fatigue at all.

Second Aunt Qin was excited to hear it was food and quickly said, “Open them up and let me take a look.”

As long as it was food, even if it were the size of a fingernail, she wouldn’t complain.

Second Uncle Qin opened the lids of the four jars, and Aunt Qin Er went over to smell each one.

Whether it was the spicy cabbage or the pickled radish, they all had a wonderful aroma—one that could whet anyone’s appetite and make their mouths water.

Second Aunt Qin rushed to the kitchen for chopsticks and came back out.

She picked up a piece of spicy cabbage and took a bite: “Ah, this spicy cabbage tastes amazing, it goes perfectly with rice.”

In an era where oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were expensive, making a dish that paired well with rice wasn’t easy.

So, from the very first bite, Second Aunt Qin was smitten.

Seeing his wife like this, Second Uncle Qin felt very proud: “Is it good? I thought it was delicious, which is why I brought it back for you. You should also try this pickled radish; it tastes great too.”

Second Aunt Qin Er didn’t need Uncle Qin to tell her; she was already trying it.

After tasting it, she said, “It tastes good, but the ingredients must have cost a lot. They definitely added sugar. It’s quite generous to put sugar in cabbage and radish.”

Second Uncle Qin replied, “Isn’t that right?”

Second Aunt Qin turned to Uncle Qin and asked, “Tell me about the General’s residence.”

When it came to the General’s residence, Second Uncle Qin only said one thing: “It’s huge, bigger than our village.”

Second Aunt Qin found it hard to believe, but she knew her husband wouldn’t lie: “Is it really that big? It can accommodate many people.”

Second Uncle Qin said, “Of course. Ah Fang’s wife mentioned that it used to be the residence of a prince, and after they moved in, it was given to them to live in. However, the house is owned by the court. If Ah Fang doesn’t remain a general in the future or is reassigned to another place, this house will have to be returned to the court.”

Second Aunt Qin Er remarked, “Well, that’s not something extraordinary.”

It would eventually have to be returned, and it couldn’t compare to their own home. “What do you eat and do at the General’s residence? How’s Niu Dan doing?”

Regarding this, Second Uncle Qin took out two pieces of paper from his pocket: “Ah Fang named Niu Dan, and Ah Fang’s wife also named the daughter at home. Niu Dan is called Shouxin, just like keeping a business afloat. Er Ya is called Erya…” Uncle Qin slowly recounted what happened at the General’s residence.

Upon hearing this, Second Aunt Qin felt envious that they had been eating well and enjoying nice meals these past few days.

At the same time, she was happy that her son and daughter had names now.

However, having proper names for the children wasn’t enough; they still needed to be registered.

So the couple decided to discuss going to register them the next day.

Yunxiang County

Outside the county town, Du Ke and Shen Lixian had arrived but did not immediately enter the city.

Du Ke said to Shen Lixian, “At this time, Qin Fang should be over by Shou Mountain. Let’s go take a look.”

Shen Lixian replied, “As you wish.” He was aware of the situation at Shou Mountain and knew about the mining activities.

Moreover, his main purpose for coming out this time wasn’t just these matters but to use this opportunity to look for his nephew.

Since Du Ke and the others were newcomers and didn’t know where Shou Mountain was, they were accompanied by someone who had previously come to Yunxiang County with Manager Chi, so they knew the way.

Upon arriving at Shou Mountain, they saw the guards at the foot of the mountain.

The soldiers at the foot of the mountain noticed someone approaching and were about to step forward to question them when one of them pulled the arm of another soldier: “Brother, doesn’t that leader look like Lord Du Ke whom we met in Huanshui County?”

The other person took a closer look and said, “It really looks like him. But how did Lord Du come here?”

They had seen Lord Du when they followed General Qin, and the person in the lead indeed resembled Lord Du. “Looking at the number of people, there must be some status; could it really be Lord Du?”

The two exchanged glances, and the first one said, “Let’s go ask him.”

The other nodded, and the two approached.

Seeing two soldiers coming over, Du Ke raised an eyebrow as they blocked his path.

He then heard the soldier say, “Excuse me, sir, are you Lord Du Ke?”

Du Ke was somewhat surprised: “You know me?”

Hearing this, the two soldiers quickly knelt down, with one explaining, “I saw you when I was following General Qin in Huanshu County, but my status is humble, so I didn’t dare look too closely, which is why I’m not entirely certain now.”

“Ha ha ha…” Du Ke laughed heartily. “Get up. You have a good memory! Where is General Qin? Has he gone up the mountain?”

The soldier stood up and replied, “The general has indeed gone up the mountain.”

Du Ke looked at the mountain’s height and thought to himself that if he climbed up, it would surely be quite a hardship.

However, he did want to check out the mine, so he said, “Lead the way; I want to go up.”

The soldier hesitated, saying, “Replying to your honor, I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

Du Ke replied, “Oh? I can’t go up?” He displayed his official authority, scaring the guards into kneeling again.

The soldier hurried to explain, “Please forgive me, my lord. General Qin has given orders that no one is allowed to go up the mountain without his permission. Anyone who disobeys will face military punishment, so… we hope you can understand.”

Du Ke snorted, “What if I insist on going up? Given my relationship with your general, he surely won’t blame you.”

The soldiers remained steadfast: “Please forgive us, my lord.”

At the same time, other soldiers gathered around.

General Qin treated them very well, and their lives as soldiers were much better than farming back home.

Therefore, the soldiers were very loyal to Qin Fang, and now that someone wanted to storm Beast Mountain, they naturally fought to stop him.

Shen Lixian was somewhat surprised; Lord Du was not the type to make things difficult for others.

He quickly realized Lord Du’s intentions.

Du Ke laughed again: “You’re all quite good, showing the toughness of our Qiguo soldiers. In that case, I won’t go up. You go up and tell General Qin that I’m waiting for him down here.”

The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief: “Understood.”

One of the soldiers went to the Taoist temple on Beast Mountain to inform Qin Fang, while the others remained at their posts.

Du Ke also kept himself busy, asking the soldiers to lead the way while he strolled around the foot of Beast Mountain.

Beast Mountain Taoist Temple

Wei Ting and Qin Fang were eating roasted chicken.

Over this period of time, their relationship had improved.

Although Wei Ting was from a noble family, he wasn’t arrogant like most young nobles.

And although Qin Fang came from humble beginnings, he was no ordinary peasant; he knew how to hunt, while Wei Ting was good at grilling.

Therefore, they got along well.

Wei Ting took a sip of chilled mung bean soup and then bit into the roasted chicken, saying, “In my life, these days here are the most enjoyable. When I was in the capital, I couldn’t eat chicken like this or drink mung bean soup like this; it was all about being refined. But living life, everything has its rules; where’s the enjoyment in that?”

Qin Fang replied, “I’ve always lived quite freely, but the most enjoyable thing is marrying my wife.”

Wei Ting was speechless.

Speaking of which, he had seen his wife several times.

Every ten days or so, Qin Fang would bring some delicious food to share with them at the Taoist temple.

He had to admit that while he couldn’t say he admired her, he thought she was impressive.

Qin Fang marrying her was indeed thanks to that year’s struggle for succession.

“General… General…”

Qin Fang turned his head and asked, “What’s the matter?”

A soldier came up from the foot of the mountain, panting: “General, Lord Du Ke has arrived and is waiting for you at the foot of Beast Mountain.”

Qin Fang was initially stunned but then delighted: “Lord Du has come?”

He jumped up and then calmed down, saying, “Brother Wei, please be sure to attend the banquet at the General’s Mansion tomorrow evening.”

Wei Ting was surprised by Du Ke’s arrival; he also wanted to find out his purpose for coming, so he replied, “In that case, it would be my honor.”

Qin Fang said, “Then I’ll take my leave first.”

After climbing for an hour, the soldier finally reached the mountain top, while Qin Fang arrived at the foot of the mountain in less than an hour.

Altogether, it took about two hours, or four hours in total.

Du Ke had indeed grown tired of waiting and sat down to eat something.

The weather was hot, but the attendants by his side were clever enough to fan him. However, at the foot of the mountain, the occasional breeze still felt cool.

“My lord…” Just as Qin Fang ran down the mountain and spotted Du Ke, he couldn’t help but exclaim in a loud voice.

His urgent and enthusiastic tone was truly reminiscent of a young person seeing their beloved.

Du Ke was startled by Qin Fang’s tone but soon smiled as he saw Qin Fang running over and stood up: “It seems this mountain is quite high; I’ve waited here for two hours.”

Qin Fang reached Du Ke and said, “I greet you, my lord.”

After receiving Qin Fang’s salute, Du Ke said, “As teacher and student, you don’t need to be so formal between us in the future.”