Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 276 - 28: After a Thousand Mountains and Rivers, We Finally Meet (Part 1)

Chapter 276: Chapter 28: After a Thousand Mountains and Rivers, We Finally Meet (Part 1)

Susu thought that if there was a song to express her current mood, it would probably be "Crossing the Ocean to See You". Although the emotions it conveys are not quite aligned, some lyrics fit the scene perfectly. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"For this reunion, I’ve practiced my breathing over and over for our first meeting, and words have never been able to express even a fraction of my feelings."

Not only Susu, but even the Thirteenth Lady was not very familiar with the sons of the Ruan family, except for the Sixth Son, since they didn’t meet often throughout the year.

But being familiar with just the Sixth Son was enough, as the others bore a strong resemblance to him in their features.

And there was one more whose appearance unmistakably identified him as a member of the Ruan family, that was Ling, with eyes identical to those of Susu, the Tenth Lady, and Sister Long.

In terms of identity, he was on par with Sister Long, being the eldest legitimate son of the Princely Heir of Duke Li’s Mansion and the Pingkang County Princess. Although he was about the same age as Susu, he was actually her nephew.

Throughout the generations of Duke Li’s Mansion, there were always a few children who inherited the beautiful eyes of Lady Linlang.

In Susu’s generation, it was Susu and the Tenth Lady who had those eyes, and in the next generation, it was Sister Long and Ling.

So Susu immediately recognized that among the five kitchen soldiers, two were from the Ruan family.

One was Ling, and the other was the only child of the Fifth Uncle from a concubine, but was the only legitimate son, ranked ninth among the brothers, and was the youngest when he was exiled at less than three years old.

Now, eight years later, the Ninth Son should be ten years old, but the kitchen soldier who looked about seven or eight was indeed him.

Ling, being about the same age as Susu, even a month older, was tall but skinny like a bamboo pole, with a terribly pale face, and spoke with a weak and listless voice, seemingly not in good health.

When the five kitchen soldiers briefly introduced themselves, Susu sighed, indeed she was right.

Ling looked at Susu, with emotions in his eyes like rolling waves, crashing one after another.

Their eyes were so similar, or rather, identical, and only the Ruan family members had such eyes.

Who was this person? Ling thought carefully, eyes widening, was it the Tenth Aunt or the Thirteenth Aunt?

Susu nodded slightly, then shook her head gently, signaling Ling to calm down, and Ling wisely did so.

Looking at her nephew and brother, Susu felt her heart cry but managed to smile and said, "I see you are still handling those wild ingredients, go on ahead, let these two young ones stay and tend the fire."

Ling took a look at Susu, cupped his fists, and led the way out, followed clumsily by the other two young soldiers who saluted him before leaving.

The Ninth Son and another child named Tie Dan looked at Susu uneasily.

Susu took a few pieces of candy wrapped in glutinous rice paper from her pocket, handed some to Tie Dan, and personally popped one into the Ninth Son’s mouth, smiling, "You can call me Sister Su, don’t be afraid, there will be meat to eat soon."

Tie Dan’s father was a Fire Head Soldier. His mother died in childbirth, and last year his father also passed away. In his family of three brothers, the two older ones were already married. When their father died, their two sisters-in-law pushed his brothers to kick him out.

Before he could leave, the garrison called for someone from his family, and the sisters-in-law dragged him back, and eventually, twelve-year-old Tie Dan falsely reported his age to join the army.

Being bullied was common, but he inherited his father’s position and at least had enough to eat.

Little did anyone know that just a few days ago he was transferred to the Vanguard Camp. For heaven’s sake, a kitchen soldier like him in the Vanguard Camp was practically serving himself to the enemy on a platter! Luckily, Commander Hong was a good person!

Tie Dan was initially a bit restrained, but soon his talkative nature showed through.

Listening to him compliment Hong Sheng, Susu couldn’t help but laugh, then turned to the Ninth Son and asked, "Xiao Jiu, why aren’t you talking? Is your Commander Hong a good person?"

Ruan Jiu finished the candy, and as Susu put a piece of rose walnut egg roll into his mouth, he nodded vigorously. After swallowing, he finally spoke, "Commander Hong is a good person, how else could he have married a fairy like Sister Su!"

Seeing his demeanor and then the bits of snack and saliva combo from Tie Dan, Susu couldn’t help but sigh, truly he was from a distinguished family.

Upon hearing this, she couldn’t hide her smile, "You must have just eaten some sugar, how else could your words be so sweet?"

Susu and Aunt Lin prepared to make a dish of red braised pork, a whole lamb to make cumin lamb, the lamb bones chopped to reveal the marrow, boiled with carrots for soup.

A whole lamb was roasted, wild rabbit and potatoes were stewed together, the wild chicken was boiled in clear water and shredded, mixed with cucumber, green peppers, and fungus with sesame and chili oil.

Exactly three dishes and one soup, served with snow-white mantou for the soldiers of the Vanguard Camp.

Providing extra meals for the soldiers meant cooking in large pots. There were two big basins of red braised pork, two large pots of lamb soup, enough wild rabbit stew with potatoes for each person to get a small bowl, and enough shredded chicken salad for two chopsticks per person, with mantou unlimited in supply.

These basins weren’t ordinary washbasins but iron basins as large as cooking pots.

Fortunately, Aunt Lin and the two women on the stove were quick, with three older kitchen soldiers helping to steam the mantou, and the meal was soon ready.

Susu personally made an additional dish of pine kernel oil-braised wild chicken strips, bamboo shoots stir-fried with yellow cabbage, sesame and chili oil fried shrimp, and a bowl of lotus leaf steamed pork.

There were also two soups: one bamboo shoot mushroom soup and one with chicken skin and shrimp balls.

Aunt Lin made a dish of Dongpo Pork, stir-fried lamb with scallions, along with prepared roast duck, roast pig’s head, marinated shad, accompanied by a jar of Jinhua wine, enough for five or six people to feast.

The call for meals sounded, but it wasn’t the soldiers training on the field who came first, instead it was the loafing soldiers who had been sleeping in the barracks half the day.

Someone had tipped them off that Commander Hong’s wife was visiting today, offering an extra meal.

So as soon as the call sounded, they rushed over with their bowls.

"Tired half a day, hurry and serve us food."

"I heard there’s a feast today, lots of fish and meat?"

"Hey, heard Commander Hong’s wife is cooking herself, we’re really in for a treat."

...

A few of the leading ones spoke, attempting to push past the three kitchen soldiers at the kitchen’s entrance to break in.

But before they could get close, they were surrounded by a dozen larger soldiers coming out from inside, with Yang Xiaoshan grinning, "What, eager to see King Yan, want a brother to send you on?" Though smiling, his eyes were cold, making it difficult not to believe he was serious.

Leng Xiao sneered, "You won’t die if you don’t ask for it!"

Who gave these people the guts to try and break in knowing full well sister-in-law was inside?

Leng Xiao was immensely grateful at that moment that Boss Hong had them come early to help. Otherwise, with only the three frail kitchen boys at the door, if they had barged in and offended sister-in-law, it would have been a deadly offense.

Ruan Qilin lowered his head, hiding the blazing rage in his eyes from those foul-mouthed troublemakers.

He was almost certain the lady inside was his Thirteenth Aunt, his Sixth Uncle’s sister by the same mother.

Thinking of her, the rage in his heart quietly faded away, she had come, their family had come.