Men, listen, grab the top of the mountain and stand in the center position

The disagreement between mother and son was no secret. She intended to marry her niece, but her son remained unmoved by the engagement with the sickly woman. What was even more infuriating was that she used sweet words and gifts to lower her pride and work in the name of the Crown Prince's wife, but after taking ninety-nine steps, he refused to take even a single step.

In a fit of anger, she repeatedly refused his requests to see her, and it had been almost a year. She had decided to ignore him, thinking that the child was tough and sensible, so she never had to worry.

"He was promoted to centurion for his meritorious service on the battlefield. He won first place in the Centurion Tournament today and will participate in the Cavalry Commander Competition after the Mid-Autumn Festival. If he places in the top fifteen, he will be eligible for promotion to Cavalry Commander."

General Qin slid his thumb across the concubine's still smooth cheek, and thought of something, "You'd better take care of yourself and let the doctor take another look at you. I hope you can give me a son."

He has four adult sons, several daughters and underage sons. If he had another son with such talent, it would be icing on the cake.

Men, of course the more sons the better!

Aunt Wang was shocked. She was a widow and of a certain age, so men often paid attention to her. Although she had been favored in recent years, she had never gotten pregnant. Now she was thirty-five, and it was not the time for her to give birth to a pearl...

General Qin, who could see through people's minds, pushed the man towards the bed, threw everything in the way out, and refused to accept his request. "So, take care of yourself. Have a child soon, or you'll have a child."

"I am already thirty-five years old..." Aunt Wang's hands were pinched by a big hand. She was confused. How could she still have a child at this age!

"You are not one of those delicate Han ladies who can't lift anything with their hands or shoulders!" Even if she is only half foreign blood, she is still stronger than the women of the Daliang Dynasty. What nonsense!

The capable General Qin remained as majestic as ever, and with a clear goal in mind, he stayed in Mingzhu Garden until the Mid-Autumn Festival night.

The Ji family's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was unprecedentedly grand. Wangshu didn't do the usual Mid-Autumn Festival moon worship, nor did she prepare any incense tables or fruits. She simply took great pains to prepare two tables, one large and one small, filled with food on one side of the courtyard.

The large table was filled with plates of all kinds. There were five flavors of mooncakes: fruit, five-nut filling, bacon filling, jujube paste filling, and salted egg yolk and brown sugar filling. There was also the usual vinegar-drenched cold braised pork, leek and chicken dumplings, salt-baked shredded chicken, beef meatballs and bean sprout soup, autumn mushroom, pork and cabbage dumplings, and spicy and sour bok choy. Fruits included apricots, peaches, plums, and so on.

Wangshu changed into a clean and breathable green gauze pleated skirt and went to see that the small table was also full, but the dishes were arranged in a messy manner and the food was piled up without beauty. It was like the same ingredients, but one table had a big pot of stew, while the other table had distinct samples, with complicated and exquisite bowls and plates.

"Shushu, come and eat!" Mother Ji held out her hand, waiting for her daughter. This year, Father Ji had invited Qin Xiuyuan, his master and his servant, to celebrate the festival together. The small table was occupied by Uncle Tang, Li Xiaoxiao, Xia Xiaoxiao's mother and daughter, and Ji Shou. At the large table, Father Ji had already poured osmanthus wine for himself and Qin Xiuyuan. The two chatted intermittently, but their daughter hadn't sat down, and neither of them had touched their chopsticks.

The sweet fragrance of osmanthus fills the air in the neighbor's yard, and a full moon hangs high in the treetops, its bright light illuminating the joyful reunion, chatting, laughing and drinking together.

Wangshu waved to Wangcai, who was returning to her mother's house with a wooden bowl in her mouth and was rewarded with a bowl of pig skulls. Wangcai sat down at the head of the table. Wangcai rubbed his head against her skirt, showing great intimacy.

She always ate slowly. The original owner had a weak stomach and intestines, so everything she ate was tasteless and she couldn't digest it. She chewed slowly, didn't drink alcohol or tea, and boiled a pot of red dates and wolfberry soup, which she and Ji's mother drank as tea.

She raised her glass to the bright moon, and when others toasted her, she drank sugar water, feeling contented.

"My dear daughter, how did you come up with this little bun recipe?"

Oh, you don't understand. Even if I tell you, you still won't understand. You might even be so scared that you can't sleep in the middle of the night, because this is a spell cast by a foodie from thousands of years in the future...

Autumn wood ear mushroom, fresh meat and cabbage dumplings, Wangshu sucked up the juice, which was fresh and sweet, with a mouth full of meaty aroma. The combination of meat and vegetables is so good that you will never get tired of eating it.

"Dad, this isn't difficult. Just give me some money, and I'll go to the street and point out where I can buy whatever I see. When I get home, I'll chop up whatever I like and start cooking."

"The ones that weren't tasty during the trial, Aiai and Shushu ate them first. My husband, these were all prepared after many attempts. It's not easy."

Mother Ji scooped a bowl of pork slice and bean sprout soup for her daughter and then praised her, "Ahhh and Ji Shou were busy preparing and delivering goods today, and they kept my daughter and Taotao very busy."

She was afraid of fire and never dared to visit the Kitchen God easily. She had even offered her dowry to buy Xia Aiai and her daughter. But she was very observant and saw and understood her daughter's every effort. Even in the scorching heat, she toiled for food.

"Come, Shushu, daddy will toast my good daughter." Father Ji stood up and raised his glass to his daughter. Wangshu walked towards her father with red date syrup and clinked glasses.

Pulling her daughter over to sit next to her, Ji's mother quickly handed her daughter's bowl and chopsticks over, "My daughter is drinking tea, and you pulled her over to drink with her. It will affect you and Xiuyuan's drinking!"

Qin Xiuyuan waved his hand to indicate that it had no impact.

"Haha, my wife, my dear daughter, Xiuyuan has good news to tell everyone." With this preview, he encouraged his future son-in-law to reveal the mystery of the good news. He had been enduring for several days for this moment.

...Three faces glanced at him, some encouraging, some curious. He cleared his throat and said, "Xiuyuan luckily won a military competition recently. In three days, he will be eligible to participate in the second competition."

It was ordinary, not exciting at all. Wangshu took a sip of his soup and looked at his father. Sure enough, what his father had said was quite thrilling. Three hundred centurions fought each other in a round-robin battle. Some fell off their horses and broke their legs, others were accidentally injured and couldn't dodge, their arms covered in blood, and some won by a narrow margin...

"...The red tasseled spear wielded with mighty power, Xiuyuan, a gentleman as pure as jade, defeated Centurion Zhao in a single blow, maintaining his composure and self-possession. General Qin, who was present at the scene, cheered and applauded. Three days later, Xiuyuan took to the field again, and many of his fellow soldiers secretly bet on him to finish in the top fifteen and be promoted to Cavalry Commander."

Ji's mother cut a mooncake with five-nut filling and handed a piece to each of them. She was pleased with her future son-in-law's promising future. "Xiuyuan has always been sensible and promising. But in a competition, swords and spears are blind, so be careful."

The competition in Yaocheng is all done with real swords and guns. People fight to the point and sometimes even lose control of their strength.

"Don't worry, Auntie. The guns have been removed. Xiuyuan will be careful."

Wangshu broke off a small piece of mooncake and tasted it, then handed the rest to Ji's father. He was very excited about making mooncakes and only ate a few of them.

Father Ji opened his mouth and ate it. It was sweet and fragrant. It was very delicious. "My dear daughter, don't you say a few words?"

...Wangshu: ...Dad, you really don't shy away from suspicion! "Dad, what do you want your daughter to say? Haven't you always wanted your daughter to admit that Dad is the most handsome, the most elegant, the best at riding, the most sparse mustache on his face, the most masculine, and the best at hiding his private money? In your daughter's heart, he will always be the best. Qin Xiuyuan and his ilk are only worthy of second place, and they have to follow you and starve!"

After saying that, he immediately ran back to his seat.

Ji’s father: …I was so embarrassed that I wanted to find a hole in the ground to hide my face.

Ji's mother burst into laughter, and Qin Xiuyuan couldn't help laughing too. It was really a bit naughty. Ji's father was indeed quite narcissistic in front of his daughter. I didn't expect him to go so far as to ask his daughter to admit that she could only starve in the back...

"Nannan, how did you find out where daddy hides his secret money?" Ji's mother was extremely curious. Her daughter had exposed Ji's father's secret money many times.

Father Ji's face turned red with embarrassment after drinking a little wine. He was scratching his head and couldn't figure out the answer to this problem. He even became more and more courageous. He often emptied his private money and began to look for an inconspicuous corner to start over, but his daughter would take over his old nest in a few days.

"Mother, this secret cannot be revealed. My daughter will rely on this to make a fortune in the future." She looked at Qin Xiuyuan, who was listening with great interest in the answer. "Little guy, you are not allowed to learn from me," she said. "Especially, you must not let Qin Xiuyuan know. My daughter will rely on this to make a fortune in the future."

Both sides took the men's private rooms.

Father Ji: ...I don't believe it. A cunning rabbit has three burrows. Next time he must learn from his mistakes and hide more secretly...

Qin Xiuyuan: ...He does have some private money...Could it be that once he starts working, she will rummage through all the drawers and cabinets in the house?

Mother Ji hugged her daughter, smiling from ear to ear, "Okay, okay, your father is afraid of you! His thoughts are not as good as yours. Xiuyuan is smart. Mother wants to see who will be defeated in the future..."

"Every profession has its specialties, mother! He won the martial arts test, so he doesn't need to be too smart in other areas."

...Qin Xiuyuan: ...

Ji’s father: …Every profession has its own expertise, how can it be used in this way?

Ji's mother smiled brightly again. "Do you think he can win in three days?"

"can."

Such confident words? "Why? A Cavalry Commander isn't like a Centurion. He doesn't get promoted simply by seniority, even if he's worked hard. Besides, we'll be challenged by four young masters along the way. All four have practiced martial arts since childhood, have deep skills, and are young and strong."

Most of the cavalry commanders were listed in the military merit books and had military achievements. They were in their prime and were all good fighters who fought bravely on the battlefield.

"Daddy, don't let others' prestige ruin your own ambition. No matter how powerful others are, it has nothing to do with us. After all, my daughter is the most beautiful, my mother is the most gentle, my father is the most handsome, and Qin Xiuyuan is the most brave. Anyway, at this critical moment, there is no danger to our lives, so just charge forward!"