A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Surrounded by a crowd, Gu Xixi and He Jinglan ate a meal at someone's house.

By the time we got back to the courtyard, it was already night.

Gu Xixi collapsed onto her bed, vowing in her heart that she would never say "I'm just idling around" again.

They closed their eyes and immediately drifted off to sleep.

The following day, there was no significant movement from the military camp.

Gu Xixi and He Jinglan were able to spend a leisurely day in the family village.

In the evening, they decided to cook porridge. He Jinglan was able to succeed on her eighth attempt at lighting the fire.

She said proudly, "Xixi, haven't you washed your rice yet? You need to pick out all the sand and pebbles from the lentils. Last time, the first bite was so hard it hurt my teeth."

Gu Xixi was concentrating on picking beans. "Don't rush me. The rice has already been washed. You start boiling water first. I'll be done here."

He Jinglan decided that those who are capable should do more, "Okay, I'll wash some more pickled cabbage."

"I was too full from eating roast pork for lunch, so I'll have something light for dinner."

The real reason was that the meat they cooked was too oily and salty, and it was greasy after just one bite. But they had gone to great lengths to make it, and they couldn't waste the food, plus they would be hungry if they didn't eat it. So they had no choice but to bite down and eat it.

It was already past dusk when we ate dinner.

He Jinglan took a sip of porridge and said, "I suddenly want to go home."

Holding the bowl of porridge, Gu Xixi said quietly, "You're craving the He family chef's cooking, aren't you?"

He Jinglan chuckled when she was caught out, "Weren't you also talking about how delicious Aunt Zhang's cooking is at noon?"

Both fell silent.

After eating for a while, He Jinglan said, "The sentries in the village all said that they won the battle. No one in the army died, only a few were wounded, and there were no fatal injuries such as broken arms or legs. They told everyone to rest assured."

"But I still feel uneasy."

Gu Xixi nodded. "Given Meng Chengping's personality, after winning a battle and during his rest period, he should have already danced in front of you to show off his achievements and beg for praise."

"They haven't appeared yet, that shouldn't be the case, unless..."

He Jinglan said, "Unless he is seriously injured and unable to move."

Gu Xixi quickly comforted her, "Actually, it's not necessarily over. The war isn't over yet; this is just the beginning."

"The military must be busy discussing the next tactic."

"Perhaps General Meng is burdened with important responsibilities and cannot get away?"

He Jinglan said in a muffled voice, "I understand. I don't know where he is or what he's doing right now. It's not good to have such wild thoughts."

She sighed, forcing a smile to console herself, "Yes, maybe he's happily discussing military strategy with his comrades somewhere, why should I worry about him!"

"At worst, I'll just be injured and bedridden for ten days or half a month."

There are some books in the room where He Jinglan lives, which Meng Chengping specially found for her because he was afraid she would be bored.

There are ghost stories and strange tales passed down from previous dynasties, as well as popular folk books that were popular in the past.

Gu Xixi wanted to spend more time with He Jinglan tonight so that she wouldn't be alone and worry too much, so she casually picked out a few books to read.

"I never expected that someone as refined as you would read these kinds of books?"

He Jinglan said, "It's because at home I can only read serious books, the same ones over and over again, and things like 'Women's Rules and Precepts.' Unless I need to do chores, I won't even touch them. Just thinking about it makes me so annoyed."

"Fortunately, my elder brother couldn't resist my pleas and would occasionally bring me a few miscellaneous books, instructing me to only secretly read them in my boudoir and return them to him after I was done, and never let outsiders know or let it reach the ears of the elders in the clan!"

Gu Xixi sighed, "It's really not easy being a young lady from a wealthy family."

He Jinglan held up a copy of "The Secrets of Peach Blossom Hermitage" and waved it triumphantly, "So while we're out and no one's watching, I'm going to read as much as I want and catch up on all the books I haven't read before!"

Gu Xixi nodded inwardly. It seemed that Meng Chengping had put in a lot of effort to collect these books.

The two sat facing each other reading, finding a moment of peace.

Just as Gu Xixi finished reading the first volume and was about to look for the second volume, there was a knock on the door.

He Jinglan looked up and said, "I had nothing to do these past two days, so I locked the gate to the yard in advance."

The knocking didn't sound as urgent as it had the previous times.

Gu Xixi picked up the oil lamp. "Let's go take a look."

When the door was opened, only Aunt Lin was outside.

She carried a small, round lantern in her hand and asked with a smile, "Are you all still awake?"

Gu Xixi knew that Aunt Lin must have a reason for coming, so she smiled and invited, "I haven't slept yet, why don't you come in and have a cup of hot osmanthus honey tea with me?"

Place a pinch of dried osmanthus flowers into a ceramic pot, rinse off any dust with warm water, and then pour in boiling water again.

The fragrance of osmanthus blossoms instantly filled the room, making one want to take a deep breath.

As Gu Xixi poured out osmanthus water and added honey to the cup, she said, "Aunt Lin came all this way with a lantern, she must have some interesting things to talk about with us tonight, right?"

After hesitating for a moment, Aunt Lin said, "I just saw what looked like a flash of light flying from the north into our border, but it was so far away that I couldn't see it clearly."

"I thought it was a night attack from the other side, so I waited for a long time, but I never saw it again."

Gu Xixi paused in stirring the tea.

"You suspect... an enemy night attack?"

Aunt Lin nodded, "I, a woman, shouldn't presume to know such things."

"Besides, I can't see it clearly either."

"That's why I didn't dare tell anyone, and came to you to discuss it first."

Gu Xixi placed a glass of water in front of Aunt Lin, indicating that she should not be polite.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Logically speaking, what's blocking our way is the Northwest Army camp."

"But so far there doesn't seem to be any movement from the military camp, does it?"

Aunt Lin nodded, "That's right. Perhaps I'm seeing things, or maybe I'm overthinking it?"

He Jinglan suddenly said, "What if they attacked somewhere else instead of the military camp?"

Gu Xixi suddenly realized.

The Northwest Army is displaying strong momentum this time, unwilling to retreat to the city, and determined to defend every inch of this northwestern wilderness.

Therefore, the Northwest Army's camp had advanced a distance, forming a standoff with the North Army's camp across the border.

At this point, neither side had any walls or high ground to defend.

The midpoint of the border line was used as the center line, leaving ample room for the battlefield.

This includes the fields that Huo Jiang originally considered to clear out, as well as the small hills hidden in the southernmost corner... Gu Xixi's Bodhi fruit forest.

Gu Xixi stood up and muttered to herself, "Firelight...fire..."

“The crops in these areas have all sprouted now. The weather has been dry from late winter to early spring, and there hasn’t been a proper rain yet. We’ve relied entirely on manual irrigation. If a fire breaks out…”

Aunt Lin and He Jinglan understood and were both shocked.

Aunt Lin said, "Recently, sandstorms have been blowing from the west, and the fire is spreading with the wind, becoming uncontrollable."

He Jinglan: "Those barbarians can't be that smart, can they?"

The three exchanged a glance, all conveying the same meaning.

Gu Xixi said, "It's better to believe it's true, Aunt Lin, let's go and take a look together."

"At least we'll get through tonight."