Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 214 Assault (1)

Song Yan probably cannot be considered Gao Yang's cousin.

The real relationship should be that of cousin-in-law.

Because terms like "brother-in-law" and "brother-in-law" are too formal, many families use "younger cousin" to refer to the brother-in-law of the sister-in-law and "older cousin" to refer to the brother-in-law of the sister-in-law, to show intimacy.

In fact, Gao Yang met Song Yan a little earlier than Song Yan met her. When they first met, she thought he was a rather interesting young man. In just a few months, the once naive boy has matured quite a bit.

Even his thin shoulders seemed to broaden, as if they could bear heavy loads.

For a moment, Gao Yang seemed to be lost in thought, and Song Yan stretched out a hand and waved it in front of her eyes: "Hey, snap out of it."

Gao Yang snapped out of his daze.

A blush rose on her fair and tender face.

Perhaps she was a little shy.

That makes sense, after all, she is a princess of noble status, and the scene of her falling to the ground must have made her feel extremely ashamed.

Sure enough, after blushing, Gao Yang put on her older cousin's airs, glared at Song Yan with wide eyes, and said fiercely, "Don't tell anyone."

"Don't worry, I'll keep my mouth shut," Song Yan assured him.

Gao Yang then snorted and went back to his room.

For Song Yan, this was just a minor episode in his life after arriving in Liaodong, and he didn't take it to heart.

However, for Princess Gaoyang, the feeling was completely different. After all, Gaoyang was only twenty-three years old this year, which should be considered the most beautiful age for a girl. As for things like love, it naturally couldn't be considered; it was mostly just curiosity mixed with a little jealousy.

He locked himself in a small room, his legs wrapped around the blanket, and rolled around on the bed. He seemed to be thinking about something, and the blush on his face not only did not fade, but became even more intense.

The next day, the sun was shining brightly again.

Perhaps it's the coldest time of the year, the temperature is even lower.

The breath between my nostrils turned into a white mist.

There were a few more people on the street than before. As Song Yan walked along, he could see some people tidying up their houses. The houses were almost all in a mess, and most of the valuables had been taken by the Jurchen cavalry. Many people sighed and complained, but then they thought that at least they were still alive, and their mood improved a little.

However, those eyes were still cloudy, dull, and empty. After all, living in this world is already so difficult. If they managed to escape this time, what about next time?

People are still afraid of death.

When the butcher's knife is raised, they will still subconsciously try to escape and struggle, but this struggle is more like a survival instinct; their true spirit is mostly numb.

The county magistrate's job is very busy.

There are bandits to deal with, murder cases to investigate, natural disasters to provide relief, spring planting to be busy, autumn harvest to be overseen in winter, and even students' studies are included in the performance evaluation... In short, from foreign invasions to neighborhood squabbles, everything needs to be handled by the county magistrate.

However, the population of Xinhou County is currently less than the number of Black Armored Soldiers. In addition, they had just escaped death from the Jurchen cavalry, so they are quite well-behaved now that they have returned to the city. Song Yan has had a few rare days of peace.

Before we knew it, it was noon.

A cooing sound came from beside her. Turning her head, she saw that Kong Chan's cheeks were slightly red, as if she was a little embarrassed.

Song Yan smiled, glanced around casually, and with great difficulty found a noodle shop. He then took Kong Chan there and sat down. The owner of the noodle shop was an old man in his fifties.

In this day and age, someone in their fifties is already considered an old man.

He ordered two bowls of noodles, and while the old man was cooking them, Song Yan casually started chatting with the owner:
"Boss, why are you starting business so early?"

The "early" here does not refer to noon.

The new county had just been destroyed by the Jurchens and was in the recovery phase. The number of residents in the county was also limited, and there were hardly any customers for businesses. Most importantly, where did this old man get his food?
Therefore, this noodle shop seems quite out of place.

"Hey, I was going to cook some noodles for these kids." The noodle shop owner smiled a little憨厚ly, then looked at the black-armored soldiers who had just patrolled by: "It's a pity that these kids are all so stubborn. They insist that there is food in the military camp. Even if I bring the noodles over, they won't eat them."

"That's strange..."

"Who says otherwise? I've never met such disciplined soldiers in all my years. They insisted that the political commissar said they couldn't take even a needle or thread from the people... I'm just an old man, without a wife, where would I get needles and thread? What's a political commissar? I've never heard of one." "Have you met soldiers before, sir?"

The old man hurriedly waved his hand: "I don't deserve to be called 'Master' by such a young master, it's too much of an honor for this old man." After a pause, the old man continued: "This is the border, and I've encountered many soldiers here... In Xinhou County, the border troops are mostly quite good."

"However, I have also encountered some rogue soldiers who would eat their noodles, wipe their mouths, and leave; when the Jurchens breached a city, instead of trying to resist them, quite a few of them would rob the people like bandits."

Song Yan smiled and said, "Aren't you afraid that these black-armored soldiers are also scoundrels?"

The old man shook his head again: "No, seeing these little kids is just like seeing my own child."

How old is your son?

"Sixteen." The old man looked up at the direction of the north city wall: "He died there with General Liang Youde."

Six thousand border soldiers, armed with rusty weapons and clad in tattered armor, stood guard on the city walls.

The old man chuckled and said, "Look at my mouth, why would I tell such unlucky things to such an important person? Here, your noodles are ready."

As he spoke, the old man came over carrying a tray with two bowls of steaming noodles on it. There were also a few slices of meat on the noodles, which were much thicker than those in Lanzhou ramen.

A unique fragrance wafted into my nasal cavity.

Song Yan first tasted the soup, and the somewhat unfamiliar yet familiar taste made her eyes light up: "This noodle soup tastes good."

A smug look immediately appeared on the old man's face.

"But what seasonings were added?"

"Guess, young master?"

"There's cinnamon, star anise... um, and fennel... I can't guess the rest."

The old man then gave a thumbs up: "Young master, what a nice nose."

These days, it's quite rare to add these things as seasonings when cooking. Song Yan even wondered if the old man's surname was Wang and his given name was Shouyi.

Around noon, many families were already preparing to cook. Even if they didn't have any food at home, they could register at the county government office and receive enough rations for several days. Once they finished eating, they could continue to receive more. Liu Yisheng had arranged everything very well. The most exaggerated thing was that when distributing the food, he would specifically remind everyone that it was given to them by the county magistrate.

Song Yan knew that Liu Yisheng was trying to win over the hearts and minds of the people.

It was a bit deliberate, but this crude method was surprisingly effective.

In just a day or two, the people of Xinhou County all praised the new magistrate, calling him a great and just official who had saved them from suffering. Whenever Song Yan heard this, he would blush with embarrassment.

This was something that had no other choice. Their food supplies had been looted by the Jurchen cavalry. Without government relief, these people would not survive until next spring, even if they returned to the county town. In Liu Yisheng's words, since it was something that had to be done, why not earn some fame while doing it?

Previously, Luo Yuheng had arranged for a large amount of grain to be sent, and the envoy for the wedding also had a hundred carts of grain. Now, Xinhou County really doesn't need to worry about food.

By noon, the streets had become rather quiet.

At the end of the long street, a two-horse carriage was speeding along, seemingly heading towards the county government office. The sound of wheels and hooves filled the air, and the dilapidated buildings were quickly left behind. Even Song Yan could hear the noise, which disturbed his enjoyment of eating noodles, so he turned his head to look.

It should be noted that riding horses is not allowed within the county town.

The carriage can move, but it cannot go fast.

As soon as he turned around, Song Yan's eyelids twitched. He saw that on the carriage frame, the coachman who was driving the carriage suddenly took off into the air. Due to the inertia, he looked like a large bird swooping down towards them. His figure enlarged in mid-air, and he was holding a heavy sword with both hands, already in a posture of slashing with all his might.

The distance of tens of meters was instantly shortened.

That wasn't all; even the out-of-control carriage was hurtling straight toward their location.

Song Yan's expression suddenly changed.

Assassination?

(End of this chapter)