eurekapd Chapter 415 You all go, you go earn military merit!
Chapter 415 You all go, you go earn military merit!
After a day of rest, Dou Zhan and Dou Weiyi left.
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi gathered all the people they had on hand.
Mengze, Wang Xiaoman, and Du Hao all gathered together.
Joining the army now, where the strong conquer cities and establish new regimes, is another path to success besides studying.
Gao Mengli told everyone that those who wanted to go out and earn military merit should follow Dou Zhan.
But no one wanted to leave; after all, these were turbulent times, and they couldn't bear to leave the two of them behind.
In the end, it was only after Gao Mengli and Lin Xi persuaded them that everyone agreed to leave.
However, when Mengze and his sister left, they left behind ten bodyguards to protect them closely.
Wang Xiaoman and Du Hao left behind one hundred people.
Firstly, the restaurant needed to operate; secondly, staying behind would allow them to cover their master and mistress's escape should any unrest occur.
The four knelt down to say goodbye.
"Master, Madam, no matter whether we can earn military merit or not, we will come back. We will always be your slaves!"
They will never forget even the smallest kindness. Even if they become great generals in the future, they will come back to guard the gate for their mistress and master, serve as secret guards, and manage the shops and fields!
Gao Mengli closed her eyes, her fingertips trembling slightly in her sleeve, and after a long while she said in a deep voice, "Get up."
Lin Xi bent down and helped Mengze, who was at the front, to his feet. "On the battlefield, swords and arrows have no eyes. You must be careful in everything you do!"
"Yes, if you get captured, don't act rashly. Staying alive is the most important thing!"
Gao Mengli quickly echoed, fearing that they might be so concerned about being "upright" and unwilling to be "captured" even at the cost of death that they would end up slitting their own throats on the battlefield.
Only as long as you are alive, there is hope.
Only by living can everything change.
After giving them their instructions, Gao Mengli handed the fire-binding wooden box to Mengze and immediately took them to the dock.
Watching the large ships sail away, Lin Xi's eyes reddened, and she waved her hand forcefully: "You must all come back alive!"
The sails gradually rose, billowing in the wind.
Carrying hundreds of people, it traveled further and further away, eventually shrinking into a few blurry black dots on the river surface.
Lin Xi was still standing on the dock, her raised hand lingering there for a long time.
The two men kept their eyes fixed on the large ship until the river wind reddened their cheeks and ruffled their hair.
Gao Mengli reached out and grasped Lin Xi's hand. "Don't worry, they are quite capable. They will definitely be able to protect themselves on the battlefield."
Lin Xi sniffed and grasped her hand in return, "They must live, they must..."
The two returned to the restaurant and continued their business.
However, he would occasionally glance outside the restaurant every day.
"Lin Xi, Gao Mengli, a letter from the front lines!"
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi sprang up from behind the counter almost simultaneously, and the two stumbled as they bumped into each other.
Ignoring the pain, she stumbled and ran toward Nan Chang'an, who was calling out from the doorway.
The dusty envelope was handed to the two of them; the paper was rough and the edges were stained with blood.
The bloodstains were dark red, stinging their eyes.
Gao Mengli took a deep breath and used her fingertips to forcefully open the envelope.
Lin Xi moved extremely close, barely daring to breathe, her gaze fixed intently on the lines of slightly messy handwriting.
The letter was written by Mengze; the handwriting was somewhat hasty, yet every word was clear.
They arrived at the military camp safely.
However, they were already skilled, and after entering the camp, Dou Zhan assigned them to the scout battalion as the vanguard of the surprise attack.
A few days ago, following Mengze's lead, we launched a surprise attack on the enemy's supply depot and even used fire to kill the enemy's strategist, achieving a great feat. As a result, all four of us were promoted to the rank of fifth-grade captain.
At the end, Mengze made a special mention of it.
While camping at night, the group kept thinking about the braised pork hock from home and craving candied fruit from their hometown.
After we win the battle, I will definitely come back to guard the restaurant, to look after the master and mistress. Only when the two of them are here can it be my home, my place of belonging.
The last line simply reads, "Don't worry, everything is fine."
"Wow, not bad, you've even become an official!"
Lin Xi took the letter and read it over and over again, her smile growing wider and wider!
Gao Mengli smiled and looked down. "It seems that putting them on the battlefield was the right thing to do!"
Men, after all, need a place to put their ambitions of achieving great things, so that they don't waste their strength and bones.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have great news! Today, everything is 20% off!"
Gao Mengli's voice was bright and clear, and her shout pierced through the noise of the restaurant.
The once noisy lobby instantly quieted down, and the guests, still flushed from drinking, all turned to look.
"What great joy has happened to the master?"
Someone made a loud joke, while the wine cup in their hand was still swaying.
Lin Xi grinned from ear to ear and called out, "These are my younger brothers who went out to serve under General Dou and made great contributions, so they've been given official positions!"
These words were met with cheers from the entire audience.
Many regular customers cheered, saying they were sharing in the joy and insisted on ordering two more jugs of good wine.
Gao Mengli smiled and waved her hand, telling the waiter to hurry up and refill her wine for free.
He then instructed Lin Xi to add a few more signature dishes to the kitchen, so that everyone could share in the joy of the occasion.
The atmosphere in the restaurant instantly became even more lively.
The sounds of drinking games, laughter, and the aroma of food and wine wafted out of the window, attracting the frequent glances of passersby.
"mother!"
Da Niu ran in through the door, carrying a box of books on his back.
"Da Niu, what brings you back!"
Gao Mengli quickly walked over, and upon hearing footsteps, looked up to see Jiang Bei and Zhou Miao, and the pageboy Zhang Zhi had also returned.
"Mom, it's snowing! The dean said we're having an early holiday so students from farther away can take a boat home for the New Year!"
Following Da Niu's words, Gao Mengli looked towards the door and saw snowflakes falling like shattered jade, quickly accumulating a thin layer of white on the bluestone slab.
She and Lin Xi had been distracted the whole time, and they hadn't even noticed the light snowfall earlier.
He took the schoolbag from his son's shoulder and then brushed the snow off Zhou Miao's hair: "Did you catch a chill on the way? Come inside and warm yourself by the fire."
Zhang Zhi followed behind, carrying several oil paper packages, and grinned, saying, "Madam, we passed by a pastry shop and specially brought you some Su Ji plum blossom pastries."
Hearing the noise, Lin Xi ran out of the kitchen and was even happier to see Da Niu and his group.
"Hey, Da Niu, you're back!"
He grabbed the ladle, ran to Da Niu's side, and tried to pick Da Niu up and spin him around.
But they found that he had his hands under the big cow's armpits and still couldn't lift him up.
The bull was only lifted up by its heels!
"father!"
Da Niu really wanted to cooperate with his father, but his body wouldn't allow it! He gained weight and grew taller during the winter, and he's almost up to his father's neck now!
Lin Xi clicked her tongue twice, then slapped her forehead in annoyance: "Da Niu, you've grown so fast! Your old dad's arms and legs can't carry you anymore!"
Youth is like pig feed, slipping away unnoticed, and his adopted son has grown up a bit too!
Everyone in the room was amused.
Gao Mengli smiled and stepped forward, leading Da Niu up. "Come upstairs and warm yourself by the fire. The snowflakes on the way have all stuck to your collar."
The private rooms upstairs all had coal-fired iron stoves burning, making them as warm and cozy as greenhouses!
That's because they came back relatively early; otherwise, the private rooms would have been full!