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

The roof of Aunt Lin's east room faces the northwest border and is the highest and farthest point in the village.

Every night after she had put the children to sleep, she would climb the ladder to the roof and look out over there.

This was a habit that Aunt Lin developed after seeing her husband off to war, and it has been maintained for many years.

As long as she sees darkness and quiet on the other side, proving that the border is safe, she can go and get a good night's sleep.

Tonight, there are three people on the roof.

When He Jinglan came, she brought two of her own winter cloaks; she wore one and lent the other to Gu Xixi.

That way, you won't catch a cold even if you sleep outside.

Aunt Lin put on a thick coat and moved three small stools up there.

So the three of them sat in a row on the roof, facing northwest.

Half an hour passed, then an hour passed...

He Jinglan couldn't sit still any longer, so she moved her stool and leaned against Gu Xixi, continuing to glare at her.

Gu Xixi turned to look at He Jinglan and couldn't help but yawn.

Aunt Lin felt very apologetic. "It's been almost two hours and we haven't seen anything. You should go back to sleep first. I'll wait here until dawn."

“That won’t do!” He Jinglan immediately objected. “We agreed to keep watch together. How can we go back to sleep and leave Aunt Lin to continue alone?”

Gu Xixi nodded in agreement, but her gaze never left the front of her.

Aunt Lin said, "It's alright, the rooster will crow in two more hours at most."

He Jinglan turned her head and continued to stare ahead, "Then let's wait for the rooster to crow, wait for dawn!"

Aunt Lin smiled, both helpless and touched. "Alright then, you two keep a close eye on things here. I'll go down and get us some hot food."

After a while, He Jinglan twitched her nose and said, "It smells so good, so sweet."

Gu Xixi sniffed in the direction of the wind and said confidently, "It's roasted sweet potato, and maybe some fried rice too."

Aunt Lin was quick; after smelling the aroma from the rooftop, it didn't take long before each person was served a bowl of hot sugar water and a roasted sweet potato.

Aunt Lin first handed the small bowls to the two of them, saying, "The sweet potatoes were just dug out of the ashes, they're too hot. Drink the sugar water first, it'll warm you up and soothe your mouth."

By the light of the oil lamp at her feet, Gu Xixi could see that in the bowl of light amber sugar water, the plump, swollen rice grains either sank or floated, and the aroma of roasted grains mixed with sweetness wafted over her.

Aunt Lin said, "This is fried rice soup, a common snack in my hometown."

He Jinglan had already taken a big gulp and nodded repeatedly in delight, "Mmm, it's sweet and warm. Some of the rice grains are crisp, while others are soft and melt in your mouth, probably because they've absorbed the sugar water. The texture is quite unique."

"Is this fried rice? We could just have some hot water to drink. It's so late and you've gone to all this trouble to fry rice for us."

Aunt Lin laughed and said, "How could I be so fast? The rice was already fried beforehand."

"Fry a large batch at once, store it in a moisture-proof jar, tighten the lid, and when you want to eat it, just scoop it into a bowl and pour boiling rock sugar water over it."

He Jinglan laughed and said, "Oh, it's that simple. Maybe I can learn it too."

Aunt Lin said, "Sure, come find me if you want to learn."

Gu Xixi asked, "Is Aunt Lin from the South?"

Aunt Lin smiled and said, "Yes, but I haven't told Boss Gu yet. How did you know?"

Gu Xixi said, "Rice is widely grown in the south, and it can be harvested two or three times a year."

"Unlike the Northwest, most of the rice on the market is transported from the south, and the price is inflated by who knows how much."

"Only people from rice-producing areas would be willing to make such exquisite desserts as fried rice soup."

Aunt Lin chuckled softly, "I see."

"However, it still depends on Mr. Gu's extensive knowledge and understanding of these things."

He Jinglan wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "Indeed, people in the Northwest mainly eat millet and wheat."

"Judging from Aunt Lin's skillful way of making noodles, it's hard to imagine that she came from the South."

Gu Xixi said, "Coming from the south to the northwest, besides courage, you also have to adapt to the climate, the food, and so on. It must have been very difficult at first."

Aunt Lin gazed at the border, her smile tinged with melancholy, yet her eyes sparkled.

"Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and hear people on the street hawking wontons and fried rice soup."

"A bowl of fried rice candy with boiled water costs only one coin. Whenever I hear this late at night, I can't help but buy a bowl to drink."

"After arriving in the Northwest, I woke up several times in the middle of the night, still habitually waiting for that hawking sound."

"I waited and waited, and only when I heard the whistling wind outside did I realize that I had been moved to a different place."

He Jinglan's heart stirred slightly, and she asked, "Then do you regret it?"

"Regret?" Aunt Lin asked with a hint of slyness. "What married woman hasn't regretted it a few times?"

Gu Xixi and He Jinglan both laughed.

Aunt Lin continued, "Regret is nothing to fear, as long as you can find benefits that outweigh those regrets, the days you've lived through will always seem sweet in retrospect."

He Jinglan seemed to be deep in thought.

Gu Xixi slowly put down the empty bowl she had just finished drinking from. "Look, the fire is coming."

He Jinglan and Aunt Lin also saw it, staring in that direction and slowly nodding.

With three pairs of eyes watching, there's no chance of mistaken identity.

A cluster of firelight pierced the darkness, shooting straight into the border region.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Because then came one cluster, two clusters, three clusters...

Three pairs of eyes gradually widened.

Aunt Lin said in a trembling voice, "Now I'm sure it was the Northern Li people who launched the rocket!"

"No, we have to inform the village sentries right away."

Ancient rockets were made by soaking flammable materials such as dry grass and cotton in oil, then bundling them up and attaching them to the tip of an arrow.

After being lit, it is fired from a distance using a large, powerful bow to ignite the target; this method was primarily used on the battlefield.

"Wait, why did it stop?" He Jinglan squinted and said, "It only fired seven or eight shots before stopping. Would it be like that during a war? I saw us throwing fireballs and stones all night long that night."

Aunt Lin became uncertain, "It certainly doesn't look like a war is about to break out."

Gu Xixi had already stood up and walked to the edge of the roof to look around.

She suddenly frowned. "Look where I'm pointing, towards the south."

"Is there a faint light coming from that slightly higher spot?"

He Jinglan quickly looked over and said, "It seems like there is a tiny bit of it; it must have been set on fire by the rocket."

Aunt Lin was familiar with the terrain, and after just one glance, she exclaimed, "Boss Gu, that...that place is..."

Gu Xixi's face turned pale, and she replied, "It's our Pinpo Fruit Grove."

As expected of someone who has seen many storms, Aunt Lin quickly calmed down.

"No, we have to put out the fire!"

Gu Xixi was taken aback by Aunt Lin's bold idea and said, "It's too dangerous."

Aunt Lin resolutely replied, "The Pinpo Fruit Grove is a hard-earned livelihood for everyone, and it's located on our own land. Why should we just stand by and watch them burn it down?"