Qin Yuchuan watched Yan Yang's retreating figure, sighing helplessly.
Yan Chi and Yan Yang have been with him since childhood. Yan Chi is mature, brave, and resourceful, superior to Yan Yang in every aspect.
People around him often compared the two, and many even said that Yan Yang was foolish, but he knew better. He was just unassuming in his wisdom.
The tasks he assigned were always perfectly completed by Yan Yang. But whenever they talked about it afterward, Yan Yang would pass it off as luck. Yet, how could there be so much luck in the world?
Yan Yang was very popular in the camp, could mingle well with everyone, and also knew how to use certain means to get what he wanted. How could such a person be foolish? It was just that others failed to see it.
Na Mu, who wanted to destroy the mobile phone, would not let it go so easily. But this time, he probably wouldn't get his way.
In the Feng Family's kitchen, Feng Qingyi was busy cooking with full concentration.
"Why did you buy so many vegetables today?" Feng Qingci had walked into the kitchen at some point.
"I felt like buying more on a whim. What are you doing here?"
Feng Qingci frowned, "Why can't I be here? If you need help with anything, I'm here."
"No need, I prefer cooking alone. You'll be in the way and hinder my performance!" Feng Qingyi retorted.
"You're talking about hindering your performance. You seem to lack self-awareness. My culinary skills are much better than yours."
She used to make all sorts of excuses to avoid cooking, but recently she's been so proactive. Could she be hiding something from him?
Considering the recent disappearance of dishes and utensils at home, Feng Qingci even began to suspect that she had been cooking secretly for some young man!
But he didn't recall hearing the door open. How was she managing that?
Feng Qingci decided on the spot to stick around and see what was causing the disappearance of the dishes and utensils. Was it related to her?
Feng Qingyi was leisurely stir-frying the vegetables, "What are you doing here, supervising me?"
"I'm not disturbing you. I'm just watching."
Feng Qingyi wasn't stupid; she had noticed Feng Qingci's odd behavior, but she didn't panic.
"I'll go to my room for a bit. Can you keep an eye on the food?"
Returning to her room, Feng Qingyi took out her phone and contacted Lou Xi. Lou Xi was the woman Feng Qingci was smitten with. If she asked Lou Xi to call him, she didn't believe he would stay in the kitchen.
【Qingyi: Xi, I need a favor. Can you call my brother in about five minutes?】
【Lou Xi: ?】
【Qingyi: Emergency, help me, love you!】
【Lou Xi: Okay.】
【Qingyi: Thanks a ton, I'll treat you to a meal when we get to school.】
【Lou Xi: Okay.】
Feng Qingyi looked at her chat history with Lou Xi. Lou Xi was even more aloof than General Qin Yuchuan. She wondered when her brother would be able to win Lou Xi over.
In about five minutes, her last dish should be ready. If she was quick, she should be able to avoid being discovered. She was really going to great lengths to deliver a meal to Qin Yuchuan.
Feng Qingyi returned to the kitchen, ready to serve the boiled fish slices, when Feng Qingci's phone rang.
Seeing that it was Lou Xi calling, Feng Qingci immediately picked up the phone and left the kitchen.
Feng Qingyi quickly filled a bowl with rice and dishes, passing them to Qin Yuchuan.
Feng Qingyi's phone was still in her hand when Feng Qingci walked in, "What are you doing there?"
"Nothing much, just looking at my phone!"
Feng Qingci walked over for a closer look, finding nothing out of the ordinary, "Since the meal is ready, why not bring it to the table and eat! What are you dawdling around for?"
"You bring the dishes to the table, and I will serve the rice." Feng Qingyi said, taking a bowl to scoop the rice.
When she had served Qin Yuchuan his portion earlier, she had poked around the rice cooker, so even if Feng Qingci were to serve himself, he wouldn't notice any rice missing.
Feng Qingci studied Feng Qingyi carefully, but could detect no hint of anything unusual on her face.
However, there were only the two of them in the house, and the idea of a thief sneaking in made no sense upon reflection. Therefore, it must have been Feng Qingyi. He was just unsure what she had done with all those dishes and utensils.
The meal was somewhat silent. Feng Qingci was trying to guess what Feng Qingyi had done with the dishes, while Feng Qingyi was pondering how to dispel Feng Qingci's suspicions.
She had to admit her previous planning had been somewhat lacking, and it was only natural that Feng Qingci had noticed.
But if he were to watch her every move when she cooked in the future, it would be quite difficult to manage. She couldn't ask Lou Xi to call him every day.
She needed to find a way to put his mind at ease. She berated herself for not foreseeing this. Had she known, she would have bought identical dishes earlier and used them as replacements. She had miscalculated.
For now, she could only make another trip to the supermarket tomorrow. The dishes she had bought today were tucked away at the very back of the cupboard. Unless Feng Qingci looked specifically, he wouldn't find them.
From now on, she would use the dishes she bought today to serve Qin Yuchuan his meals. That should be enough for the time being.
Inside his tent, Qin Yuchuan looked at the meal Feng Qingyi had brought him today. It was indeed more lavish than the previous days.
The dishes and utensils were also new. Eating the food Feng Qingyi had prepared, Qin Yuchuan's previously agitated mood calmed considerably.
He was set to journey back to the capital early the next morning.
He wasn't sure whether the trip would bring fortune or disaster.
The capital was a world full of power and wealth; a place he was reluctant to return to. But thinking of his mother waiting for him at home, he steeled his resolve.
His mother was a princess of the Tianqi dynasty, the aunt of the current emperor.
But did royal families ever have real feelings? Her marriage to his father had been arranged by the royal family as a check against his father's power.
But they hadn't expected the princess to fall in love with the general. She no longer wished to be a pawn for the royal family, nor did she want to harm her beloved husband.
Despite her constant efforts to protect him, his father, the great General Qin Xu, had died young on the battlefield.
Qin Yuchuan had carefully studied that battle. His father could have survived, but he had chosen to die.
Not long after Qin Xu's sacrifice, the Tianqi Emperor passed away mysteriously, and his eldest son, Xuanyuan Sheng, ascended the throne.
The young emperor did not cease his oppression of the Qin family. Even though Qin Yuchuan was then just a boy in his teens, he remained vigilant and on his guard.
Before long, war broke out. Xuanyuan Sheng, seeing no one else in the court to be dispatched, had to push him forward, a mere boy of fifteen.
The objections from court officials were futile, and the tearful pleadings of his mother did not sway his determination. From then on, he donned his armor and entered the battlefield.
No one believed that a fifteen-year-old boy could lead an army, or that he could achieve victory. Yet, he created miracle after miracle.
His fame spread across the land after a single battle. Xuanyuan Sheng saw his potential, and given the Tianqi crisis lurking at every corner, coupled with domestic and foreign troubles, he had no choice but to grant him military power.
From then on, he campaigned for ten years, undefeated.
Over these ten years, no one knew what he had gone through, nor did anyone know what he had sacrificed behind his string of unbroken victories.
