After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 246 Shen Yi's Current Situation

After leaving the Ma residence, Su Tai first went to Dongmen Village to tell her family about the situation.

Mrs. Han was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes. "Then I'll have to prepare more things. Your father likes our pickled vegetables, cured meat, and..."

Su Tai was speechless. "Mother, there's limited space. Fifty taels can only fill half a cart. Don't bring any unnecessary things along. Besides, will Father lack pickled vegetables?"

"That's true!" Madam Han seemed a little confused. "Then what do you think I should prepare for your father?"

Su Tai shook her head helplessly, "Mother, let me prepare it. You don't need to do anything here."

"That's fine too." Madam Han readily handed over one hundred taels of silver to Su Tai. "Take this money. Your son-in-law should also prepare a portion for your father. I'll also talk to your aunt. She's not short of money, so she should prepare some things as well."

Su Tai nodded and went back.

This is the Ma residence.

Bai played with the jade in the brocade box, unable to put it down.

When Ma Xingteng returned and saw the item, he was somewhat surprised. "Where did this come from?"

Bai said excitedly, "Shen Yi's wife came to my house today to ask me something, and this is what she brought."

"Hiss!" Ma Xingteng gasped. "This is top-quality mutton-fat jade. Where did Shen Yi's wife get it?"

Even with the Ma family's wealth, they couldn't possibly possess such fine jade; even the Yue family probably doesn't have much of it.

Bai didn't care. "Who cares! Anyway, the jade is real, and it's a good piece! I only had to talk the talk, isn't that great!"

Ma Xingteng felt uneasy and pondered for a long time before going to Shenjiazhuang with his partner the next day.

Su Tai was not surprised by his arrival. She invited him to sit in the workshop and then explained her request.

Ma Xingteng's answer was even more detailed than Bai's: "Those constables don't have it easy either. They have to travel outside in the cold winter and hot summer, and accidents are easy to happen on the road. So the higher-ups allow them to earn some extra money. However, not all constables are good. I do know one person with good character, named Liu Jianzhang."

He was originally a government official, but he lost an eye during a bandit suppression operation and has been doing this kind of cleanup work ever since. People from our Moshi Town only use this road to transport corpses. Don't let his fierce appearance fool you; he's a reliable man. If you really need to send something, give it to him; with him watching over things, there won't be any problems.”

This news was extremely important to Su Tai.

She thanked them again sincerely and offered another gift.

Ma Xingteng's face turned pale with fright. "Sister-in-law, please don't send any more. I still feel uneasy about that jade you gave me yesterday!"

Su Tai paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, “Young Master Ma, don’t worry about it. Mutton fat jade is indeed precious, but it comes from the wilderness beyond the ice plains. We have relatives in the ice plains, so it’s easy for us to get some jade.”

"I see!" Ma Xingteng exclaimed in realization. "I am truly impressed by your family's connections! In that case, we will accept the jade from you and your wife, but we cannot accept anything else. Farewell!"

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Ma Xingteng walked away quickly.

Su Tai didn't continue to be polite with him.

Turning back, they began preparing things. Shen Yi's clothes would be severely damaged from fighting, so they would definitely need to make several sets of warm clothes.

There's also food; braised beef, bread, and cakes are definitely essential, and she needs to prepare some more of those wound medicines.

Once everything was almost ready, the two-week period was up.

When the news came from the county government, Su Tai immediately took her things and went there. After explaining the situation to the officials, she received a good welcome.

"So you're the one who wants to send something?" A burly man with sharp eyes led a group of people in from outside.

They exuded a strong aura of menace and the stench of sweat, making them look like men to be trifled with.

Su Tai quickly stood up and bowed, "It is indeed I, the young lady. I am looking for a constable named Liu Jianzhang."

The man to the left of the burly man looked somewhat surprised.

The big man was used to it and instructed, "Third brother, you can entertain them. I'll take them to meet the others, and we'll set off tomorrow after we've packed up."

"Yes!" Liu Jianzhang nodded respectfully.

After the group left, he squinted at Su Tai and asked, "Who recommended me to you?"

Su Tai didn't hide anything and told the whole story.

Upon hearing that it was Ma Xingteng, Liu Jianzhang became a bit more polite to Su Tai. "Ma Xingteng's brother-in-law has been kind to me. Since he introduced you, there shouldn't be any problem. Tell me, what do you want to send and to whom?"

Su Tai quickly opened the box she had brought. "Lord Liu, I've prepared some clothes, food, and medicine for wounds. Do you think it's okay to bring the medicine?"

Liu Jianzhang bent down and took out the bottles and jars.

Fearing that the other party might misunderstand, Su Tai opened the bottles one by one in front of Liu Jianzhang and took one pill each. "I've prepared some ordinary medicines for my husband. Is that alright?"

Liu Jianzhang was somewhat surprised. "There's no need for that. I was just checking what kind of medicine it was. You've already tried it yourself, so I have no reason to doubt you. After all, it's a military camp, so we should be careful."

Su Tai nodded hurriedly, "If you are at ease, you don't have to give these medicines to my husband, but you must give them to him if he gets injured."

"What's your husband's name?" Liu Jianzhang asked gently, clearly having a good impression of Su Tai.

Su Tai said, "The Shen family? Shen Yi."

"Shen Yi! You're saying Shen Yi is your husband?" Liu Jianzhang exclaimed in surprise.

Su Tai nodded, somewhat puzzled. "Is there a problem?"

Liu Jianzhang laughed, "No problem, no problem! If I had known you were Shen Baichang's wife, I wouldn't have gone to so much trouble. I would have made sure to bring your things safely."

Su Tai was completely confused. "Shen Baizhang?"

Seeing that Su Tai didn't move, Liu Jianzhang explained to her carefully, "A centurion is a centurion who commands a hundred soldiers. He is an officer in the military camp. Centurion Shen is a very good person. He doesn't act arrogantly or domineeringly just because he is a centurion. He takes good care of the soldiers under him and has a very good reputation in the military camp!"

Su Tai was more worried after learning about it, "How did he become a centurion?"

"Of course, it's about making meritorious contributions!" Liu Jianzhang said matter-of-factly, and couldn't help but sigh, "Soldiers who are lucky can train for a few months after arriving at the military camp, while those who are unlucky will be sent to the battlefield immediately."

Shen Baichang was lucky; he arrived just in time for the New Year. After resting for three months, he was strong and healthy and had some foundation. He survived three battles, and once even killed a major commander of the enemy. This achievement was something he could boast about for a lifetime. It was because of that merit that he became a centurion.

However, he lacked decisiveness and was too sentimental. As soon as he became a centurion, he gathered his fellow villagers around him. They were all elderly veterans. In my opinion, those people would only be a burden to him. His deputy also mentioned this to him, but he insisted.

He said those were his relatives and friends, and he wanted to take care of them.

Although the deputy general was disappointed in him, he also admired his loyalty and integrity, so he let him make the arrangements.