Spring comes to the desperate place

Chapter 342 Manchu and Han Banquet

It was still the same city gate, and the same people. This time, both sides said goodbye to each other happily, and Gu Fengyue took Song Chunlin on the journey to Baita City.

Seeing that they were not far from Bai Ta City, Song Chunlin simply stopped lying in the carriage and rode on the same horse with Gu Fengyue. This time they didn't need to hurry, so they rested whenever they could on the road and went as slowly as possible. It was ten days later when they finally arrived at Bai Ta City.

Seeing the gate of Baita City from a distance, Song Chunlin was not in a very good mood. He even nodded slightly to Fang Chen who was guarding the gate as a greeting.

Seeing that Fang Chen wanted to say something, Song Chunlin pointed at Gu Fengyue, then shook his head at Fang Chen, meaning that they would not go to the vineyard tonight and he would stay in the government office with Gu Fengyue.

After receiving the message, Fang Chen left quickly. When he returned to the vineyard, Fang Siyi was already sitting at the door waiting for him. Seeing that he came back alone, he asked him if he didn't pick anyone up.

Fang Chen told him: "No, the master is staying at the government office tonight and will not be back. Don't worry, little daddy. The master must have his own things to do."

Fang Siyi felt relieved after listening to his son's explanation: "Since the master has his own ideas, we servants should not disobey. Let's go back to eat. The two little ones are still waiting."

Song Chunlin also saw Lu Jiming and Wu Ke, who had rushed over, and even a lady named Cheng.

Song Chunlin was not surprised by the appearance of Madam Cheng. What surprised him was that Huang Cuizhu was standing next to Madam Cheng. When did these two become familiar with each other?

"Sima Gu, Young Master Song." After Lu Jiming and Wu Keyong greeted each other, they followed Song Chunlin very naturally, which made the children of noble families who had just joined Gu's army feel extremely strange.

"Could this kid have really killed a barbarian?"

"Who knows? He's just a little guy, so he's just bragging."

These people only knew Song Chunlin through hearsay. Few in their families were qualified to attend the palace banquet that year, so naturally they could not see Song Chunlin's astonishing arrow. Therefore, even though the emperor personally bestowed the title of the National Defender Archer on him, because Song Chunlin did not hold any official position, they always doubted whether Song Chunlin could kill the barbarians.

These people all thought that Song Chunlin was a mascot put up by the emperor, a tiger to stabilize the morale of the army, or maybe he was just a target. It was someone else who actually shot and killed the barbarians, but the emperor did not want the military achievement to go to the person behind the scenes, so he could only push Song Chunlin out as a shield.

Moreover, many of them speculated that the sharpshooter who actually shot the barbarian was most likely Gu Fengyue himself. However, because Gu Fengyue was young at the time and Gu Fengyun had already inherited the title, the emperor did not want the Gu family to be too prominent for the time being, so he had to settle for the second best and let Gu Fengyue's fiancé, the young man Song Chunlin, take the position. Anyway, the credit would eventually belong to their family, so the Gu family would not suffer too much.

Song Chunlin didn't know that these people were talking behind his back about how unworthy he was of his position, but he didn't care anyway. Dou Duhu was not in the government office as he had gone to patrol the camp. The deputy general who stayed behind arranged for Gu Fengyue and Song Chunlin to live together in a house on the next street to the government office. The door here led directly to the government office, making commuting to and from get off work very convenient and fast.

Gu Fengyue was very satisfied with this distance, but Song Chunlin was full of incomprehension. If this happened in modern times, he would probably be scolded to death behind his back if his colleagues arranged for him to live in a room next to the office.

However, this was not considered a disadvantage in ancient times. After all, Dou Duhu lived directly in the government office for convenience, and Gu Fengyue only lived in a house on the next street, which was considered a kind person by Dou Duhu.

However, when Song Chunlin later learned that the house was originally arranged for Dou Duhu to live in, he fell completely silent.

Dou Duhu is such a ruthless man. He only cares about work and not home.

It was already evening when Dou Duhu came back. The two of them talked about official business at the dinner table, while Song Chunlin chatted with Lu Jiming and Wu Ke about things in the fields.

It was the first time for Lu Jiming and Wu Ke to eat at the same table with Dou Duhu, and they spoke a little haltingly. In contrast, Madam Cheng was much calmer. She ate and drank as she pleased, and even picked up some food for Huang Cuizhu, who was afraid to pick up her chopsticks.

"Eat, eat more. It has to be Young Master Song. With his arrival, the cooking skills of the chefs in the government office have improved a lot." Madam Cheng's mouth was full of oil. Huang Cuizhu was trembling with fear and was very careful. She didn't even dare to chew too loudly.

Dou Duhu, who was standing by, cried out in injustice when he heard this.

"Madam Cheng, what you said is unfair. We never treated you badly when you came to the government office. We always provided you with good food and wine. What you said is unfair."

Madam Cheng was not afraid of Dou Duhu at all now. She raised her chin, pointed at the bright red dishes on the table, and asked Dou Duhu a soul-searching question.

"This, this, and this, I remember never seeing them before when I came to the government office. Did you find a new cook?"

Dou Duhu laughed loudly, "Of course not. The dishes you mentioned are not made by the kitchen in my government office. These are new dishes that Young Master Song took the ingredients and taught the chefs to make. This is the first time I've eaten them, too."

Madam Cheng suddenly realized: "I was wondering why this dish didn't look like it was made by a chef, it turns out it was made by Young Master Song. I'm so sorry."

Song Chunlin and her started to flatter each other politely and toasted each other, which resulted in Song Chunlin getting a little tipsy after dinner and had to be carried back to the house next door by Gu Fengyue.

Lu Jiming and Wu Ke, two free strong laborers, stayed behind to take Madam Cheng and Huang Cuizhu back to their house in the city.

Looking at Song Chunlin being carried on Gu Fengyue's shoulders, Lu Jiming stroked his chin and thought, "Isn't Sima Gu a little too arrogant? Although they are engaged, they haven't gotten married yet. He is carrying someone around like this. Isn't he really afraid that Young Master Song's reputation will be damaged?"

Madam Cheng drank a little wine tonight and her voice became louder. She was heard loudly refuting Lu Jiming's words.

"Reputation is shit. No matter how great your reputation is, it is just a topic for people to talk about after dinner. Instead of worrying about that meaningless reputation, it is better to live your life well."

After saying this, Madam Cheng left Lu Jiming behind and walked ahead with Huang Cuizhu alone, looking as if she didn't want to pay any attention to the two men.

Huang Cuizhu was a little nervous: "Is this really okay for us? Don't we have to wait for them?"

Madam Cheng shook her head: "No, they will catch up."

Madam Cheng was right. The two men really followed them obediently and escorted the two girls back to their residence. Only after they closed the door did Lu Jiming go back to his own residence with Wu Ke.

Here, Song Chunlin had been placed on the bed by Gu Fengyue. He fetched some hot water and wiped the hands and face of the drunken boy. Song Chunlin collapsed on the bed, allowing Gu Fengyue to take off his shoes and socks for him, and soaked his feet in the warm water.

Song Chunlin enjoyed Gu Fengyue's service, then he thought of something and started to giggle.

Gu Fengyue didn't understand and asked him why he was grinning like an idiot.

Song Chunlin covered his eyes and laughed until tears came out.

"Gu Fengyue, you really look like a young wife like this, how about we switch, I'll be on top..."

Before Song Chunlin could finish his words, Gu Fengyue blocked his remaining words with her mouth.

The boy's long black hair was spread out on the quilt. The young man's big hands inserted into his hair, lifted the back of his head, and forced him to raise his head to greet the young man's passionate kiss.

As their lips and teeth intertwined, Song Chunlin could not help but let out a soft hum. His eyes were blurred by the kiss and he had no idea how erotic the sound he made was. Just like that, Gu Fengyue could not help but hug him tightly, so tightly that both of them were shaking all over. Song Chunlin was held in his arms for a long time before he gradually regained his consciousness.

Touching his slightly swollen lips, Song Chunlin hissed and cursed the other person in a low voice.

"Beast, you are born in the year of the dog."

Gu Fengyue kissed his cheek and said in a hoarse voice: "Get up and change your clothes before going to sleep. I'm going out for a while, so don't wait for me."

Song Chunlin didn't say anything. When Gu Fengyue raised his head, he saw that his eyes were already dazed and he looked like he was about to fall asleep. He just watched Song Chunlin fall asleep in front of him. After a long time, he buried his head in his neck and laughed out loud.

Song Chunlin did not sleep well that night. When he woke up in the morning, it was still dawn and the quilt beside him was still a little warm, indicating that the person had been gone for a while.

Song Chunlin got up from the bed and felt a severe headache. He didn't understand why he was so drunk since he didn't drink much last night. Was it because Dou Duhu's wine was too strong?

Song Chunlin's brain was still a little slow. He thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out. He simply shook his head and stopped thinking. After shaking his head, he felt nauseous again. He lay on the edge of the bed and dry-heaved a few times, but nothing came out.

After Song Chunlin felt a little better, he immediately took out the spiritual spring water from the space and drank a mouthful. As soon as the spiritual spring water went into his stomach, all the discomforts in his body were relieved immediately. Soon Song Chunlin's head pain went away, and his chest was no longer stuffy or nauseous. He got up from the bed refreshed. He found some hot water in the room, washed up simply, changed into new clothes and then walked out of the room.

Gu Fengyue went out to do official business early in the morning. Before he came, he declined the greeting from other officials except Dou Duhu. Dou Duhu was an old acquaintance and was naturally easier to talk to. However, compared with a few years ago, some officials from other places were transferred to Bai Ta City to fill the vacancies. Therefore, these people did not sleep well that night, for fear that Gu Fengyue would be angry and take his anger out on them if they did not go to greet him.

Gu Fengyue handled a lot of official business in the government office early in the morning. Before those officials came, all the big and small matters in Bai Ta City were left to him alone to handle. Dou Duhu was unable to handle it all by himself. He waited day and night and finally got Gu Fengyue to come. The two of them had discussed their respective responsibilities last night.

Dou Duhu was a native of the city and had a better understanding of local affairs. Therefore, all matters related to people's livelihood inside and outside Bai Ta City were left to him. Gu Fengyue focused on the management of several military camps. After several years of recuperation, Bai Ta City has not yet recovered to its previous prosperity, but the population has obviously increased in the past two years. In addition to the 30,000 Gu family troops brought by Gu Fengyue, the local troops totaled 50,000, which means that it has a certain self-protection ability.

On the first day, Gu Fengyue went to the government office to report. After he had finished handing over the official documents and seals, it was already afternoon. It was not until this moment that Gu Fengyue felt hungry. He had not eaten anything since morning.

Just when I was thinking about whether to go back to have dinner with Song Chunlin, the bailiff at the gate of the government office walked in carrying a food box.

"Great Sima, Young Master Song asked me to bring this to you. He said he would give it to you when you are not busy."

Gu Fengyue took the food box and opened it after the bailiff left. He originally thought it contained some pastries or something, but he didn't expect that it actually contained a set of instant noodles.

In addition to the standard three-piece set of instant noodles, sausage, and country-style braised eggs, there is also a braised chicken leg, a small cake, and Nutri-Express.

Looking at the Nutri-Express, the smile on Gu Fengyue's face froze for a moment. He really couldn't figure out what was so good about this sweet thing. But since Song Chunlin gave it to him, he might as well drink it. What else could he do?

There was one and a half buckets of instant noodles with spicy beef flavor. Gu Fengyue asked someone to bring hot water and started to make the noodles skillfully. He then put the ham, braised eggs, and chicken legs in one by one. It looked quite rich.

Gu Fengyue was eating a hearty meal of instant noodles here, while Song Chunlin was sitting in the vineyard, tasting the various delicacies that Fang Siyi had specially prepared for him.

"Well, these spareribs are really delicious. Uncle Fang's cooking skills are getting better and better."

Fang Siyi was so impressed by his compliment that she couldn't stop smiling, and kept picking up dishes for others with the chopsticks in her hand.

"If it tastes good, eat more. You must be exhausted from traveling all the way here. You seem to be thinner than the last time you came back."

Of course Song Chunlin did not lose weight. He was never a person who would treat himself badly. Whenever he was not riding in a carriage, he never let his mouth be empty. He kept throwing all kinds of snacks into his mouth. At mealtimes, he often cooked special meals for himself and Gu Fengyue. He traveled like he was traveling, either eating or sleeping. He secretly weighed himself and found that he seemed to have gained six pounds compared to before he set out. He was so shocked that he didn't even dare to eat the cake.

When Fang Siyi said that he was thin, it was purely because of the filter of an elder. He thought the younger generations were thin and wanted to feed them. So, a large part of the dishes on the table in front of him were prepared a few days in advance, for fear that Song Chunlin would come and have no food to eat.

In fact, how could Song Chunlin have no food to eat? If it were not inconvenient to go out with the army, he would have wanted to prepare a full banquet for himself every day.