After satisfying the children’s cravings, Mian Tang entered the military camp.
As she walked in, she saw Cui Xingzhou in the distance, bare-armed and standing on a wooden platform, directing soldiers in building the encampment. Since they couldn’t recruit local civilians, the troops had to do the work themselves, with even Cui Xingzhou removing his shirt to join in.
Mian Tang was quite pleased to notice that among the group of shirtless men, her husband was the tallest and most well-built. As she looked on, she found herself slightly distracted, regretfully thinking about how long it had been since she had embraced that sturdy waist…
Just then, the young general who was attracting so much attention glanced in her direction.
She shielded her eyes from the harsh sunlight and waved at Cui Xingzhou.
Seeing her, Cui Xingzhou pushed off the platform with his left hand and leaped to the ground with a light landing. As he jumped, Mian Tang could even see the defined muscles of his abdomen contracting, causing her to swallow hard.
As he approached, Cui Xingzhou first looked at the bowl in Mian Tang’s hands and asked, “Did those children return the bowl to you?”
Mian Tang nodded and asked, “Why are you so concerned about this bowl?”
Cui Xingzhou led her to a shaded area and said, “These young children are primarily influenced by their fathers and elder brothers in their thoughts and actions. We can gauge the character and behavior of their elders through them. Your copper bowl is quite exquisite; not just children, but even adults would be tempted to keep it. You didn’t explicitly ask for its return, yet these children brought it back. This shows that while the local customs may be rough and unwelcoming to outsiders, there’s still an underlying honesty and kindness.”
Mian Tang laughed, “You’ve been working with Lord Li Guangcai for too long. You’re becoming indirect in how you assess people.”
Cui Xingzhou pointed to the dark clouds on the horizon and said, “The local guide says we’ll have heavy rains in a few days. If the camp isn’t ready by then, the soldiers will have to sleep in the rain. Those who are already suffering from stomach ailments might catch colds. We could have a significant portion of our troops incapacitated before the Wokou even attack.”
Hearing this, Mian Tang also grew anxious. “So we can only rely on local experts? I’ve noticed their houses are quite simple. Even without tiles, the thatched roofs are good for insulation and waterproofing. But their method of stacking and weaving the roof is different from other places, not something that can be quickly taught… Isn’t hiring villagers with silver working?”
Cui Xingzhou replied, “Previous supporting troops also claimed they would hire locals, but after making them work, they didn’t pay a single coin. Some villagers were even beaten, I hear. So the soldiers we sent out to recruit people all returned empty-handed.”
Mian Tang now understood Cui Xingzhou’s intentions and smiled, “Why don’t we start by hiring some children for simple tasks?”
Cui Xingzhou patted her head, “You’re so clever! But with just children, we probably can’t accomplish much. You’ll have to prepare more snacks…”
Mian Tang took the opportunity to wrap her arms around the toned waist she had been eyeing, patting it as she said, “You haven’t been back to the residence for a while, have you? I wonder if this waist is still in good working order. As long as you put in the effort and pay well, everything else can be negotiated…”
Cui Xingzhou looked at the sweet cake clinging to him and felt as if he was being teased by a female bandit. But the sticky piece of cake was indeed tempting, and remembering her tear-filled eyes when he teased her, his waist did indeed feel restless.
Unfortunately, this was a military camp. Even though they were standing in a secluded spot shaded by trees, they couldn’t act on their desires freely.
Soon, the children returned with the water jug, wiping their mouths. Mian Tang took the chance to ask if they wanted to help build shelters. The children, feeling indebted for the food and fond of this heavenly sister, quickly agreed after a brief discussion. They climbed onto the roofs like monkeys in no time.
Mian Tang hadn’t expected much from them, but to her surprise, these children were killed. They divided tasks efficiently: some carrying grass, others laying it, and some using bamboo poles to flatten and smooth it. They completed in moments what several soldiers couldn’t finish in half a day.
The saying “children of the poor grow up fast” rang true for Mian Tang as she watched these youngsters.
As they finished one house and jumped down from the roof one by one, Mian Tang handed them their pre-prepared wages, saying, “We can’t let you work for free. This is today’s pay. Tomorrow, bring more people to help sister with the work, and wages will be paid daily as usual.” The children had never seen so much money before and were amazed, with one even biting the coins to check if they were real.
Amused by their reactions, Mian Tang gave them a bag of malt candy to share before sending them home.
That night, Cui Xingzhou did return to the residence.
After all, the female bandit had promised to “pay respects,” and it would be unwise for him to ignore such an offer from the mountain chief’s favorite.
The main beam of the house had been replaced, and the roof tiles had been sent by Lord Su.
Perhaps because the troops from Zhenzhou had been there for several days without disturbing the local people or occupying his home, Lord Su had become less acerbic. He occasionally sent tiles, wood, and window screens.
When Cui Xingzhou entered his room, it had been mostly repaired and tidied. The walls were smoothed with lime, the window screens had a blue-green tint, and there was even a vase of local, vibrantly colored flowers by the bed, giving a sense of summer blossoms in full bloom. Although the furnishings were a far cry from their previous princely mansion, it was a hundred times better than the military camp.
Little Yi’er had just had a bath and been rubbed with cool, soothing lotion for heat rash. He stood naked on the bed, clinging to the bedside cabinet as he shakily tried to stand up.
Though his chubby legs were wobbling, the baby seemed immensely proud of his achievement, grinning at his father with delight.
Cui Xingzhou scooped up his son, tossing him in the air and catching him, making Yi’er giggle with joy.
Mian Tang, who was combing her hair, watched their father-son play and smiled, saying, “Stop throwing him! What if he gets addicted to it? When you’re gone, he’ll want others to throw him. I have an old injury in my hands; I can’t toss this little meatball.”
Cui Xingzhou kissed his son’s soft, tofu-like cheeks and said, “Did you hear that? When your father isn’t home, you mustn’t trouble your mother!”
Little Yi’er, uncomfortable with his father’s stubble, babbled and reached out to tug at the hair on his father’s chin, his chubby little hands surprisingly strong as he scratched and pulled.
Mian Tang laughed at the sight and called for water and a razor so she could shave Cui Xingzhou’s face.
A while back, Cui Xingzhou had considered growing a beard, as flowing whiskers were considered attractive for men at court.
But Mian Tang, who preferred clean-shaven faces, wouldn’t let him.
Cui Xingzhou complained, “I’m not an actor. How can a man in his thirties have such a smooth face?”
Mian Tang thought those young actors looked quite handsome, and she didn’t want to eat a mouthful of hair when kissing! So the princess consort bluntly said, “With a beard, you’d look somewhat like Prince Sui. When sharing a bed, it would feel like I’m with someone else…”
This impertinent remark naturally earned her a spanking from the Prince of Huaiyang, but it also made Cui Xingzhou abandon the idea of growing a beard.
After shaving clean, his jade-like, ethereal appearance emerged. Mian Tang, momentarily bewitched by his beauty, couldn’t wait to eat and hastily pulled the handsome man to bed.
That sturdy waist was indeed put to good use!
However, the weather was unbearably hot. Mian Tang wiped the sweat from her body and said listlessly, “It’s so hot, it’s killing the mood. Do you think the sparse population here is because people are too hot to get in the mood?”
Cui Xingzhou pinched her nose, not allowing her to talk nonsense, but indeed, the weather had been stuffy and hot for many days.
According to Lord Su, this was a sign of impending heavy rain.
If the camp wasn’t finished soon, his soldiers would be soaked in rainwater…
The next day, before dawn, when Cui Xingzhou returned to the camp, he saw a group of children already waiting at the main gate. Besides yesterday’s few, there were several older and stronger youths, all eagerly waiting. Seeing Cui Xingzhou, they surrounded him, saying they wanted to help continue building the grasshuts.
Cui Xingzhou led them into the camp and found an officer to arrange their work. Soon, they started working. These older children were more skilled and worked more efficiently.
They built frames, and mixed mud-cut grass, and the younger children climbed up to lay the grass. In no time, they had completed a grass hut.
In this way, they built three grass huts in one day, and their wages were naturally several times more than yesterday. The older children couldn’t stop smiling and said they would bring more people tomorrow, asking the camp to reserve work for them.
The next morning, the camp entrance was filled with people. Not just youths, but more adults and elders too, probably the entire village had come.
The officer in charge of construction led them in, agreed on wages, assigned tasks, and they started working enthusiastically.
In one day, a small cluster of grass huts rose in the camp. Lord Su, who was inspecting the camp with Cui Xingzhou, saw that nearly half the local people had come. He curiously asked the general, “How did Your Highness persuade these stubborn commoners?”
The Prince of Huaiyang gave a somewhat incoherent answer: “My beloved consort is skilled at brewing cold tea. Perhaps the aroma attracted them.”
Lord Su rolled his eyes and took a swig from his wine flask, thinking this prince who spoke such nonsense must have had too much to drink.
For several consecutive days, they finally completed all the grass huts before the heavy rain hit. Although simple, the huts meant the soldiers no longer had to sleep under the open sky. There were fewer mosquitoes inside, and with some incense burning, they weren’t constantly woken by bites.
The day after the huts were finished, a torrential rain began. Water poured from the sky as if the heavenly river had overturned, pattering loudly on the grass roofs and the ground. The world was filled with the sound of rushing water, and even the smoke from the kitchens couldn’t rise properly, dispersing in wisps.
The soldiers, listening to the rain hitting the eaves from inside their huts, were all grateful that the construction had been completed in time. Otherwise, after such a heavy downpour, many would have fallen ill.