Chapter 149: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 

 Chapter 149: 

 

After satisfying the children with the treats, Mian Tang walked into the military camp.

As she entered, she spotted Cui Xingzhou from afar, standing shirtless on a wooden scaffold, directing the soldiers as they constructed the barracks.

Since there were no local villagers willing to assist, the men had to build everything themselves, and even Cui Xingzhou had joined in, stripped of his upper garments, working alongside them.

Mian Tang couldn’t help but notice, with a sense of pride, that among all the bare-chested men, her husband stood out as the tallest and most well-built.

Lingering a moment to admire the sight, Mian Tang regretfully thought to herself that it had been a while since she had held that strong waist in her arms...

Just then, the young and enviably handsome general glanced her way.

Shielding her eyes from the harsh sunlight, Mian Tang waved at Cui Xingzhou.

Seeing her, Cui Xingzhou pushed off the scaffold with his left hand and leaped gracefully to the ground. As he jumped, Mian Tang could clearly see the defined muscles in his abdomen flexing, causing her to swallow involuntarily.

When he approached, the first thing Cui Xingzhou noticed was the basin in her hands. He asked, "Did those children return the basin?"

Mian Tang nodded and asked, "Why are you so concerned about this basin?"

Cui Xingzhou led her to a shaded area and said, "Those children are still young, and their thoughts and actions are mostly influenced by their fathers and elder brothers. You can tell a lot about a person and their character by observing their children. That copper basin is quite valuable—it's not just children, even adults might want to keep it for themselves. You did not mention that it needed to be returned, yet these children brought it back. It shows that although the local people are fierce and wary of outsiders, they are also honest and good-natured."

Mian Tang laughed. "You've been working with Lord Li Guangcai for too long, now you see everything in such a roundabout way."

Cui Xingzhou pointed to the dark clouds gathering on the horizon. "The local guide says there will be heavy rain in a few days. If the camp isn’t built by then, the soldiers will be sleeping in the rain. Those who already have stomach ailments will likely catch colds as well. If that happens, we won’t need to worry about the Japanese pirates—we’ll be knocked down by illness before they even arrive."

Hearing this, Mian Tang started to feel anxious. "Then we really need to find experienced locals to help. I’ve seen that their houses, while simple, have thatched roofs that are good for both insulation and keeping out the rain. Their method of constructing these roofs is different from other places though, and it's hard to teach people quickly... Would offering silver to hire villagers not work either?"

Cui Xingzhou said, "The support troops we had before also tried to hire locals, but after making them work, they didn't pay them a dime. I've heard that some villagers were even beaten, so the soldiers sent out to recruit ended up coming back empty-handed."

At this point, Mian Tang began to understand Cui Xingzhou's intentions and smiled as she suggested, "Why don't we hire some children for simple tasks?"

Cui Xingzhou gently patted her on the head. "You're clever! But hiring just a few kids likely won’t accomplish much. You’ll have to prepare more snacks for them..."

Taking the opportunity, Mian Tang wrapped her arms around his long-awaited waist and patted it playfully. "It’s been a long time since you’ve been back to the manor, hasn’t it? I wonder how well this waist of yours is holding up. If you put in the effort and pay them well, everything else will be easy..."

Cui Xingzhou glanced at the sugar cake hanging at his waist, feeling as though he was being teased by a mountain bandit. However, that sticky treat was indeed tempting, and he remembered her tearful face when he had bullied her. His waist felt alive with anticipation.

Unfortunately, they were in a military camp, and although they stood in the shade of a tree, there were still eyes around them that could observe their actions.

Before long, the group of children returned, wiping their mouths after finishing the last of the tea. Seizing the opportunity, Mian Tang asked if they wanted to help build the houses. The children, being mindful of their meal tickets and fond of this "fairy sister," quickly huddled together and agreed, climbing onto the roof like little monkeys in no time.

Mian Tang hadn’t expected much from the children, but to her surprise, they worked with impressive skill. They carried grass, laid it down, and used bamboo poles to flatten it, each performing their tasks with remarkable coordination. While the soldiers struggled for half a day to complete just a portion, the children finished an entire room in no time.

Mian Tang realized the truth of the saying that poor children grow up fast.

After they completed the roofing, as the children jumped down one by one, Mian Tang handed each of them their pre-prepared wages, saying, “You can’t work for free; this is your pay for today. Tomorrow, bring more friends to help sister, and I’ll pay you all daily.”

The children had never seen so much money before, and their eyes widened in astonishment. One child even put the coins in his mouth and bit down hard to check if they were real.

Mian Tang couldn’t help but laugh at their antics. She then took out a bag of candied sweets and distributed them, urging the children to hurry home.

That evening, Cui Xingzhou made a trip back to their manor. After all, the bandits from the mountain had expressed their intent to pay their respects, and it would be too tactless of him not to return, potentially risking the favor of the mountain king.

The beams of the house had all been replaced, and the roof tiles were delivered by Lord Su's men. 

Perhaps it was due to the arrival of the troops from Zhenzhou, who had been there for a few days without disturbing the local villagers or seizing Lord Su's residence; he had become somewhat less sharp-tongued. From time to time, he sent over tiles and wooden window frames, among other items.

When Cui Xingzhou entered his room, it was already tidied up and almost ready. The walls were smoothed with lime, the window screens had a bluish-green tint, and there was a vase on the bedside filled with local, brightly colored flowers of unknown variety, exuding the vibrant essence of summer blossoms. Although the furnishings were worlds apart from the former royal residence, they were still a hundred times better than the conditions in the military camp.

Little Yi'er had just taken a bath and was applying anti-itch powder, standing proudly on the bed with his chubby little buttocks bare. 

Although his short legs were wobbling unsteadily, the child beamed with delight as if he had accomplished something remarkable, giggling at his father. 

Cui Xingzhou picked up his son, tossing him into the air before catching him again, eliciting peals of laughter from Little Yi'er.

Mian Tang was combing her hair and smiled at the playful father-son duo, saying, “Stop tossing him around! What if he gets addicted to it? When you’re gone, he’ll just whine for someone to throw him. I have an old injury; I can’t toss this little meatball.”

Cui Xingzhou kissed his son's tender face and said, “Did you hear that? Your father isn’t home, so you can’t make trouble for your mother!”

Little Yi'er, irritated by the stubble on his father's face, began tugging at his chin hair with his tiny hands, playfully scratching and pulling with surprising strength.

Mian Tang laughed and called for someone to bring water and a razor so she could clean up Cui Xingzhou’s face. 

A while back, Cui Xingzhou had thought about growing a beard, as men in the court were admired for their flowing mustaches. 

However, Mian Tang, who preferred a clean-shaven look, wouldn’t let him keep it. 

Cui Xingzhou frowned and said, “I’m not an actor; what’s the point of having a perfectly smooth face at my age?”

Mian Tang thought those young actors were quite handsome, and she certainly didn’t want to be kissing someone with a mouth full of hair! So, the princess bluntly said, “If you grow a beard, you’ll look somewhat like Prince Sui. When we’re lying together, it’ll feel like I’m with someone else…”

This silly remark naturally earned her a playful smack on the bottom from Cui Xingzhou, but it also made him rethink his decision to grow a beard.

After he had been shaved clean, the aura of a jade-faced immortal surrounded him, and Mian Tang, momentarily enchanted by his looks, forgot about her meal and hurriedly pulled the handsome man onto the bed.

That sturdy waist was simply irresistible!

However, the heat was unbearable. Mian Tang wiped the sweat from her body and said languidly, “It’s so hot; it’s really a mood killer. Do you think the locals are feeling lethargic because of the heat?”

Cui Xingzhou pinched her nose, not allowing her to speak nonsense, but he had to admit that the weather had indeed been stifling for several days.

According to Lord Su, this was a sign of impending heavy rain.

If the barracks weren’t finished soon, his soldiers would be soaked in the rain…

The next day, before dawn, when Cui Xingzhou returned to the military camp, he found a group of children waiting at the main gate. Besides the few from yesterday, there were several taller and sturdier youths, all eagerly gathering around him, saying they wanted to help with the construction of the straw huts.

Cui Xingzhou led them into the camp and found an officer to assign them tasks. Before long, they started working. The older children were more capable and worked more efficiently.

They built the framework, mixed the plaster, and cut the grass, while the younger children climbed up to lay the grass. In no time, they had completed a straw hut.

In just one day, they managed to build three huts. Naturally, the pay they received was several times more than the previous day, and the older children left with smiles so wide that their mouths nearly couldn’t close. Before departing, they promised to bring more people the next day, asking the camp to reserve more work for them.

The following morning, the camp was filled with people. Not only were there the young boys, but also many strong men and elders, suggesting that nearly the entire village had come.

The officer in charge of the construction welcomed them in, explained the wages, and assigned tasks. They worked energetically and enthusiastically.

By the end of the day, a small cluster of straw huts had sprung up in the camp. Lord Su was accompanying Cui Xingzhou on a tour of the camp when he noticed that more than half of the local villagers had shown up. He glanced at the general beside him and curiously asked, “How did you manage to persuade these stubborn villagers to come?”

Prince Huaiyang replied somewhat awkwardly, “My beloved consort is skilled at brewing cool tea; perhaps the fragrance attracted them.”

Lord Su rolled his eyes, took a sip from his wine jug, and thought that this nonsensical prince must have had too much to drink.

After several days of hard work, they finally completed all the straw huts just before the heavy rain arrived. Though simple, the huts meant that the soldiers no longer had to sleep outdoors under the sky. The mosquitoes were reduced significantly, and after lighting some insect-repellent herbs inside, they no longer woke up periodically from bites.

On the second day after the huts were finished, a torrential downpour began. The rain poured from the sky like a flood, drumming against the straw roofs and the ground. The only sound was the relentless patter of rain, drowning out everything else. Even the smoke from the kitchen couldn’t rise above the rain, falling apart in scattered wisps.

Inside the huts, the soldiers listened to the rain beating against the eaves, grateful that the huts had been built just in time. Otherwise, such a heavy downpour would have left many suffering from illness.

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