After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 595 - 589: Heartbeat

Huang An and Zuo Du escorted the families to the Xiliang Army camp. Not far from the camp, rows of brick houses had been built—all constructed by the Xiliang soldiers themselves over the past two months.

Especially after the news returned from Xiliang that Governor Zhang agreed to allow the military families to move in, they arranged the place with greater care, as it would soon be their family home.

Zhao Hanzhang was quite generous, providing them with bricks from the brick kiln and buying a considerable amount of wood to build houses, but unfortunately, there wasn’t much more beyond that.

They would have to figure out the furnishings and other items themselves.

So, when the families entered the houses and saw the inside so empty with only a few scattered pieces of furniture.

But they were still happy; after all, the family was reunited, and they could add more furnishings gradually.

Beigong Chun stayed beside his mother. Having not returned home for many years, he felt deeply ashamed. Seeing his mother’s hair now all white, he couldn’t help but kneel and shed tears.

The old lady quickly supported him and urged him to see his wife, "These years, it’s been thanks to Hui Niang taking care of everything. You must thank her."

Beigong Chun turned around and respectfully greeted his wife, "Thank you, Hui Niang..."

Hui Niang took a half step back and repeatedly returned the courtesy, "This is what I should do, General, no need to be this formal..."

"General, Lord Zhao sent someone with gifts... Oh dear," Huang An saw the two of them bowing and was about to leave when the Old Lady Beigong, smiling, stopped him and asked, "Lord Zhao sent gifts, shouldn’t we pay a visit to express our thanks?"

Huang An quickly said, "It’s Sister Ting He from Lord Zhao’s side who came. She said the ladies have been exhausted recently and should settle first; tomorrow, Lord Zhao will invite everyone to a banquet."

The old lady sighed in relief, stood up, and said, "Well, let’s go quickly to receive Lord Zhao’s gifts together."

Ting He handed the sheep to Beigong Chun’s trusted aide and then, with the help of her servants, carried two bolts of cloth to meet the Old Lady Beigong.

These two bolts of cloth were specifically chosen by Mrs. Wang for Zhao Hanzhang, naturally of top quality. Since it’s summer, the silk is light and the colors vibrant, making them very eye-catching.

Old Lady Beigong had never seen such fabric in Xiliang, and upon seeing it, she was both surprised and delighted, turning to Mrs. Beigong to say, "Hui Niang, hurry and take it. Make some clothes from it; they will suit you perfectly."

With that, her gaze moved between her and Beigong Chun, smiling so broadly her eyes narrowed.

Hui Niang’s face turned slightly red as she lowered her head in agreement.

Even Beigong Chun felt a bit embarrassed, slightly turning his head, yet unable to stop his gaze from falling on Hui Niang.

Ting He observed everything and gave Hui Niang quite a few compliments, also discussing with her about the latest fashion styles in Luoyang.

After seeing Ting He off, the Old Lady Beigong said to Beigong Chun, "This Zhao Envoy is considerate and values you highly."

Beigong Chun nodded, saying, "Lord Zhao not only recognized my talents but also saved my life."

While staying in Xiliang, the Old Lady Beigong eagerly awaited the return of her son; upon inquiries, she naturally learned why her son was trapped in the Central State and unable to come back. She held his hand to comfort him, "You must also sympathize with Lord Zhang; don’t blame him. He’s had a hard time these past two years. He’s been ill, there’s turmoil in Xiliang, the people are anxious, all fearing the replacement of the inspector."

"Mother, I understand. My body is in the Central Plains, but my heart desperately wants to return to Xiliang to assist my lord. How could I blame him?"

The Old Lady Beigong sighed with relief and patted his hand, "That’s good, that’s good. But since you’ve chosen to follow Lord Zhao, it’s best not to be indecisive anymore. You must wholeheartedly plan for her, and for Lord Zhang, if there’s an opportunity in the future, repay his kindness."

Beigong Chun wanted to say he wasn’t changing allegiance, just temporarily working for Zhao Hanzhang, but seeing his mother’s reassuring smile, he swallowed back the words.

Never mind, he thought, as long as he knows in his heart, saying it now would only worry his mother.

Beigong Chun nodded, helped the old lady sit down, and turned to Huang An saying, "Slaughter both sheep given by Lord Zhao, and pick five more fat sheep. Kill them and make a feast for the soldiers. Tonight, as the family reunites, the entire army will eat well."

Huang An agreed happily and hurried off. Soon, Zuo Du came running over, with eyes red but bright, still excited from recently seeing his family. Upon entering the room, he stared at Beigong Chun, "General, about the military affairs, the military affairs..."

The Old Lady Beigong quickly said, "Then you hurry and take care of things. My daughter-in-law and I will tidy up the items."

Beigong Chun responded quickly, "Mother, this is my tent; you cannot stay here. Tonight is an exception, but tomorrow I’ll take you into the city, so there’s no need to unpack these things."

"Ah, you won’t live with us?"

Beigong Chun smiled, "The military camp isn’t far from Luoyang City; I can return home daily, rest assured."

He said, "Lord Zhao has awarded me a residence in the city. Oh, and Huang An and Zuo Du’s residences are also in the city, so you won’t lack familiar faces."

The Old Lady Beigong finally sighed in relief, nodded, and said, "Alright, we understand. You go quickly and take care of business."

Zuo Du pulled Beigong Chun outside the tent and said, "General, currently in the camp, there are only twelve sheep left. Slaughtering five leaves not many. We need to buy more, right?"

Beigong Chun frowned, "This month’s military pay hasn’t been dispersed yet."

"Are you still waiting for Lord Zhao’s military pay? I heard Lord Zhao has been eating vegetarian for three consecutive days, and Zhao Family Army on the other side is currently boiling tofu daily with only a meat soup and minced meat dish every ten days, worse than us."

"Without waiting for Lord Zhao to issue payment, where else can I get military pay for you? Look at the fields outside," he pointed, "the harvest isn’t collected yet."

"Besides, look at the land your men are cultivating, sparse and scattered. Then look at Zhao Family Army’s, who are even worse than you at farming. Honestly, what use are you?"

Beigong Chun said, "You may laugh now, but once the harvest comes, the Zhao Family Army will be the ones eating luxuriously, and you’ll see if you can still laugh."

Zuo Du said, "We’ve never been as good as them at farming, General. We’ve been fighting alongside you since we were fourteen, while they’ve been farming until these recent two years when they started fighting."

"But we do have our strengths."

Beigong Chun asked, "Can you make money with those strengths?"

Zuo Du’s spirit lifted, "General, what I mean is indeed about making money."

He said, "Today we encountered a merchant caravan on the way back that had been robbed at Hai’er Ridge. We heard there’s a group of mountain bandits hiding there, frequently raiding passing merchants."

The words ’frequently’ caught attention, and Beigong Chun’s heart was stirred, "There must be a lot of money in that bandit den?"

"Indeed, General. The families have arrived, and it’s necessary to buy some things for the home, but everyone’s short on money. So..."

These past years, everyone has barely been able to eat, naturally unable to save any money, not even Zuo Du, the Assistant General, could spare much of anything, let alone others.

Beigong Chun lowered his gaze in thought, "Hai’er Ridge, isn’t part of it in Xin’an territory? There aren’t soldiers stationed there, meaning it’s under General Zhao Er’s jurisdiction."

"That foolish General Zhao Erlang is currently dealing with scattered bandits and training troops, how could he manage Hai’er Ridge? Otherwise, should we rid him of this trouble?"