Chapter 374: Verification

Such a warrior!

The Heir to Prince Ying had been practicing martial arts since childhood, granting him a keen eye.

These Qi Family Brothers were among the few naturally strong individuals in the world!

If they had practiced martial arts from a young age and honed their physiques, what a striking presence they would have had!

What a pity!

“Are these the warriors who have killed the most enemies?” inquired the Heir to Prince Ying.

Yan Yu shook her head.

“Not exactly, my Uncle Hu and Second Uncle Hu have better aim.”

“Hu Da? Hu Er? Marksmen?”

“Later, I’ll have Uncle Hu and Second Uncle Hu demonstrate for you. They’re really accurate! The Hu Family’s eldest brother says that Uncle Hu and Second Uncle Hu are excellent with slingshots, hitting wherever they aim.”

The Heir to Prince Ying nodded.

Yan Yu chimed in, “Brother, since you’re at my house, why not come in for a cup of tea?”

The group entered the courtyard of the Yan Family.

Instead of entering the main house, the Heir found himself strolling into the backyard.

The pigpen was immaculately clean, devoid of anything.

A woman was using hot water to scald the hair off a row of dead piglets.

Noticing their approach, she paused her work, curtsied, set down her tasks, and headed to the kitchen.

Yan Yu quickly explained, “That’s Madam Rong, who helps around the house. She’s unable to speak, so please don’t take offense, Brother.”

Ah, that explained it.

The Heir to Prince Ying pointed to the row of piglets and asked, “Were they unable to survive or what happened?”

Yan Yu looked downcast and replied softly, “The Northern Rong invaded my yard and killed all the piglets. They spared the sheep, but they were so frightened they stopped producing milk…”

The grand plan of raising pigs was abruptly cut short, rendering their winter-summer balanced pigpen useless.

Fortunately, the chickens and ducks were unharmed. Although clipped, preventing them from flying high, they roamed freely in the yard and were too agile to be caught at night.

Granny Rong quickly returned with a kettle, several cups, and a few bowls.

Yan Yu apologized, “Sorry, we don’t have enough cups. The guards can use the bowls instead.”

The guards found this quite novel.

Accompanying the Heir on visits to other homes, it was their first time being served with bowls.

It was rather endearing.

Country families often faced such situations when hosting many guests, making borrowing of tables, chairs, plates, bowls, and chopsticks necessary.

Soon, they witnessed a familiar scene.

The woman who couldn’t speak came back with a basketful of borrowed bowls, plates, and dishes, followed by a few boys carrying stools.

Yan Yu directed them to carry bricks over from the courtyard wall and set them in the yard.

With the autumn sky high and bright, approaching noon, it was a perfect time of neither warmth nor chill.

Finally, Qi Wu arrived with a large round wooden board, setting it atop to form a table.

Yan Yu looked puzzled at the round board and asked, “Qi Wu Uncle, what’s this for?”

At Qi Wu’s place, everything was square; a round object was a rare sight.

“For your family to use as a tabletop,” Qi Wu explained.

Yan Yu realized, it must have been made after the last village feast.

No wonder she hadn’t seen it before.

“Thank you, Uncle Qi Wu!”

Qi Wu waved it off, and soon the sound of wood being planed returned from next door.

Yan Yu turned to see the guards scrutinizing their stools, embarrassedly explaining, “We make these ourselves, they might not be very regular, please bear with it.”

“Not at all, it’s us who are imposing,” the Heir replied courteously.

Yan Yu took the opportunity to pull Granny Rong aside while boiling water in the kitchen and whispered, “For lunch later, keep it simple but make sure they feel we are making an effort to host. Granny Rong, do you understand?”

Granny Rong nodded firmly.

Before long, the dishes were served.

Yan Yu silently applauded Granny Rong.

The main course was pancakes.

Yes, just like the kind commonly eaten by the people of Eastern Lu^[1].

Flour mixed with water into a thin batter, one small spoonful, spreads into a large sheet.

Folded at the edges into a rectangle, filled with vegetables, rolled up, it made for a fine pancake.

Their household’s classic braised dishes were on display once more.

Cold dishes, freshly washed vegetables tossed with sauce…

Granny Rong took one of the piglets away.

Shortly after, various stir-fried greens and meats appeared on the table…

Four salted duck eggs were halved, arranged in a neat circle, their yolks glistening with oil.

The last dish was a fish soup.

Simmered from dried fish, it had little fish meat, just enough to savor the broth…

The Heir to Prince Ying maintained a calm demeanor, cleaned his hands, and mimicked Yan Yu’s method of rolling pancakes.

First-time pancake eaters found the texture unusual.

The Heir ate slowly.

Yan Yu was a foodie; there wasn’t a dish she didn’t love.

She made herself a pancake with braised innards, then another with stir-fried greens and cold dishes wrapped together, eating with great relish.

The vegetables dipped in sauce glistened enticingly. First, a few radish sticks, followed by some cabbage leaves, dipped in sauce again and again.

While eating, they warmly entertained everyone: “Our marinated soup comes from old stock, continuously simmered, it’s truly authentic.

Don’t be deterred by using pig offal, just clean it properly. It’s absolutely delicious.

And these sauce-dipped vegetables are freshly picked from the field recently, so fresh!

Oh, and these dried fish were caught from the river by the village. With clear river water, the fish tastes great too.”

The table was full of dishes, showing the Yan Family’s hospitality.

Most of it comprised green vegetables.

If you don’t eat pancakes, just the vegetables, it’s quite nice.

Even the simplest mixed vegetables were crisp and refreshing, with a delightful taste, showing the effort put into the meal.

The tastiest was the marinated offal…

The guards, being from farming backgrounds, found everything palatable.

The only one struggling was the Heir Apparent, who probably had never eaten such humble fare since birth…

Who would have thought that the Yan Family lived such a modest life?

But come to think of it, if they truly had wealth, why would they flee from hardships? If they were affluent, they wouldn’t have been deterred by the ten tael entry fee per person and chosen Crouching Tiger over Yongning.

Finally, the fish soup relieved everyone, with pancakes soaked in the soup, soft and easy to swallow, roughly filling the stomach.

After lunch, two guards voluntarily helped tidy up.

Pengshu returned to report.

They not only counted the number of Northern Rong casualties but also examined the corpses to confirm the causes of death.

The Heir Apparent suggested taking a walk around the village to digest.

Yan Yu realized that this Heir Apparent still hadn’t completely dispelled his doubts.

The Young Scouts happened to be switching shifts at the village center and Arrow Tower.

It was time to showcase their true strength!

Yan Yu called for a gathering.

All the children started moving, scattering in all directions of the village.

Voices calling out were heard one after another.

The Heir Apparent then saw many children running from all directions, both boys and girls, forming tidy rows by height.

Each one was full of vigor, their eyes sparkling, staring at a person.

Not the Heir Apparent, but that Yan Family child beside him.

“Those who shot and killed the Northern Rong last night, step forward!”

At Yan Yu’s command, several children stepped forward.

So many of them!

“Can all of you use a bow?”

Yan Yu nodded: “All of them can.”

“Pengshu, bring the bow.”

Pengshu took the longbow from a guard and respectfully handed it to the Heir Apparent.

(The end of chapter)