The two-month journey from the capital to Liangzhou was not an easy one. They had to clear a path and fill a bridge when they met a river. By the time they reached Liangzhou, everyone was exhausted and had lost a lot of weight. He Yan sat by the lake and looked at herself in the water. Lady He used to have fair skin, but after two months of traveling under the sun, she didn't even need to wipe the dust off her face. She was the same color as Xiao Mai.
If the real Lady He came back now, she would definitely want to strangle herself. She suddenly had this thought. She found it funny and laughed.
"Why is A He Ge laughing so happily?" Xiao Mai asked.
Hong Shan glanced at He Yan by the lake and said with understanding, "If we walk for another half a day, we'll be able to reach Liangzhou before dark. The bitter days are coming to an end, how can we not be happy?"
"That's true," Xiao Mai agreed and said to Shi Tou, "Big Brother, are you happy?"
The taciturn Shi Tou also nodded.
The two-month journey was indeed not a human task. Even though most of the people who came to join the army were poor and suffered hardships, it was still much harder than they had imagined. Some of the people with poor health had already died on the way. They didn't have time to reach Liangzhou and couldn't return to the capital.
This was a path of no return.
In the evening, the army finally reached Liangzhou. Liangzhou was located in the northwest. They thought it was desolate and barren, but when they arrived, they found that it was quite prosperous. Even though it couldn't be compared to the capital, it was still lively and rich. He Yan followed everyone forward. He thought that Xiao Jue really knew how to pick a place. Liangzhou was much better than the Mo County where she joined the army. When she went to the Mo County, there was nothing there. The people couldn't even afford to eat. The soldiers were the ones who had a really hard time.
When they arrived at Liangzhou, they first had to go to the Liangzhou Guards. The Liangzhou Guards were stationed at the foot of Mount Baiyue. There was a large open space at the foot of Mount Baiyue that could be used as a training ground. They could stay in tents at night, but now they were all staying in the Liangzhou Guards' office.
With so many people, there weren't enough rooms in the office. They could only squeeze a dozen people into a small room and sleep on a large shared bed. He Yan naturally stayed with Hong Shan and Shi Tou. They didn't have any luggage, so they found a shared bed and relaxed.
"I saw a river nearby," Xiao Mai excitedly said. "Many people are bathing in the river.... let's go... too.."
"Okay, I'm already sweating from the heat!" Hong Shan took off his coat and was about to run out.
Mai Mai looked at He Yan. "Brother He, you're not going?"
... he...............
. The first time Hong Shan invited her to bathe in the river, He Yan explained that she had once drowned when she was young. Since then, whenever she went into the water, she would feel dizzy and short of breath. Hong Shan didn't suspect her. To be honest, He Yan wasn't lying. She was really afraid of water now.
But … He Yan lay down on the shared bed. "Creak." She couldn't help but frown. For a moment, she didn't know if it was because she was too skinny or because the bed board was too hard. After a while, she could only sigh in her heart. "It's easy to go from frugal to extravagant, but difficult to go from extravagant to frugal." She had lived in the barracks for three years, but she had only been Young Mistress Xu for one year. She was already used to the soft bed and felt that the bed board made her angry.
Xiao Jue was still the best. His bed should be soft. He Yan felt that it was unfair.
She rested in the room for a while until Hong Shan and the others came back. Then, she followed them to the Guards' office to eat.
Today was the first day. For the past two months, they had been eating dry rations and clear water on the road. It was their first meal in Liangzhou, and they finally had a hot meal. Even the simple porridge and buns were piping hot. The recruits were all sitting on the ground and eating heartily. Those who didn't know better would think that they were eating some delicacies.
"The meat filling of this bun is only a little bit big." Hong Shan complained while licking his fingers. "It's not satisfying."
"It's good enough to have a hot meal." He Yan said, "It's better than dry rations."
"It's okay. I just asked around. There are many wild animals and rabbits on Mount Baiyue." Xiao Mai smiled and said, "Brother and I can go hunting. If we catch a rabbit or wild boar, we can wash it clean and string it on a branch. Or we can wrap it in a leaf and sprinkle some salt on it. Then, we can roast it. It's delicious!"
Xiao Mai was a foodie. Every sentence she said was about food. Hong Shan became hungrier after hearing her words. He finished the porridge in front of him in one gulp and slammed it on the table. "Damn it. I can't wait to go up the mountain now."
"There's a military order about not going up the mountain without permission." He Yan poured cold water on them.
"There will be a time when we go up the mountain." Hong Shan didn't agree.
After eating and drinking to their fill, everyone simply tidied up. The commander of the training had already informed them in advance that they would gather at the training field at five in the morning tomorrow. Today, they would rest early.
He Yan followed Hong Shan back to his room in the Guards' office. There were already many people in the room. Some were already asleep, while others were still chatting. They couldn't hold back their excitement.
He Yan slept in the innermost part of the bunk. One side of him was next to Xiao Mai, while the other side leaned against the wall. He heard Hong Shan say cheerfully on the other end, "Compared to the previous hurried journey, this is the life of an immortal."
They had food, water, baths, and beds to sleep in. They didn't have to be exposed to the sun and rain outside. They also didn't have to be bothered by mosquitoes at night. It indeed looked much better than before.
Xiao Mai said softly, "If we train the soldiers here, I think it's easier than hunting in the mountains. And there are so many people here. We can play together. "
He Yan: "…"
Silly child. How could anyone say that training soldiers was easier than hunting in the capital? These people were all joining the army for the first time. They only thought that their future would be as easy as tonight. But this was like a prisoner on death row who had to eat a meal before he was executed. After this meal, it would be their last meal.
Tonight would be the most relaxing night they had ever spent in Liangzhou. Starting tomorrow, the real torture would begin.
He Yan closed his eyes. He would let these silly children have their sweet dreams for a while.
Sure enough, the next morning, before the sun had even risen, the loud sound of a horn could be heard from the open space outside the Guards' office.
"Oh, it's so early. Can't you sleep a little longer?" Xiao Mai turned over and rubbed her eyes. She found that He Yan had already finished dressing and was standing in front of the bed.
"A He Ge, why are you so early?" He asked sleepily.
"You didn't answer my call, didn't show up at the appointed time, and didn't show up on time. This is called a slow soldier. You will be punished with a military rod," she said with a smile. She didn't look drowsy at all, as if she wasn't tired at all.
"If you don't want to be flogged, get up quickly."