When he arrived, Fu Chen’an saw that the gate was broken and the fences were damaged. His heart stuck in his throat as he jumped over the fence.
He thought that he would find his ho destroyed, but when he landed in the yard, he saw that his wife was tending to the crops with her back facing him.
Seeing that the person he yearned for was fine, Fu Chen’an heaved a sigh of relief. His hanging heart finally returned to its place.
"Wife," he called out hoarsely.
Hearing the familiar voice, Yao Zhi turned around and saw that her husband was staring at her with bloodshot eyes. She looked at his dirty and unkempt appearance and asked in surprise, "Husband, why did you suddenly co back?"
Before she even finished her words, she was pulled into a broad chest.
Fu Chen’an didn’t realize that his hand was shaking until he hugged his wife. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and took a deep breath.
Feeling her warmth and slling her scent, he finally said, "Fortunately, you are alright."
Yao Zhi was stunned for a mont before she regained her composure. She patted her husband’s back gently and replied softly, "Husband, I’m fine."
After a while, Fu Chen’an finally let her go and asked, "Wife, are you injured anywhere?"
Shaking her head, Yao Zhi replied, "I hid inside the house and locked the door and windows. You just repaired the wall and roof, so besides not sleeping well, I’m fine."
Holding her hands, Fu Chen’an said, "Wife, I’m sorry. You must have been frightened."
Knowing that he was feeling bad for not being there for her, Yao Zhi smiled and said, "Husband, I will never bla you, and you shouldn’t bla yourself either."
"You are protecting our country. As your wife, I will do my best to support you and protect myself so you won’t have to worry about ."
Yao Zhi wasn’t used to feeling emotional, so she quickly changed the topic. "Husband, have you eaten?"
Due to the thunderstorm, the military cooks couldn’t prepare food for the soldiers, so they could only survive on cold, hard black buns. When he heard his wife’s words, Fu Chen’an’s stomach growled loudly.
Feeling embarrassed, he said, "I only ate a stead bun this morning."
Hearing this, Yao Zhi frowned. "How could you only eat a stead bun? You will ruin your stomach sooner or later if you continue like this."
Staring at his wife’s angry face, Fu Chen’an finally felt at ease. He smiled and explained, "The military cooks can’t open the stove, so we could only eat the dry provisions."
Feeling sorry for him, Yao Zhi sighed and said, "There is a pot of hot water in the kitchen. Go wash up first. I will prepare so food for you."
As they walked to the kitchen, Fu Chen’an asked, "Wife, I brought 25 people with this ti. Can you help prepare so food for them, too?"
"Did the General send you all to help the villagers?" she asked.
"Yes, we will stay here until we finish helping the villagers rebuild their houses and clear the farmland."
"That might take at least two weeks," Yao Zhi nodded. "Where will they stay?" she asked again.
"The Village Chief will make arrangents for them. But during this period, I might have to ask you to prepare their food. After all, the villagers just suffered from a disaster, and they might not have enough food for themselves."
"We still have the money from the General’s reward. Preparing so food for them is not a problem," Yao Zhi agreed readily.
Fu Chen’an was grateful for his wife’s understanding, kindness, and generosity. He tightened his hold on her hand and said, "Thank you, Wife."
"We are husband and wife. Treating your subordinates well is what I should do."
While Fu Chen’an went to take a quick bath, Yao Zhi quickly lit the stove and took out several packs of big stead buns from her system’s storage. She used both stoves, and each stove had a five-layer bamboo stear on top of it.
The big stead buns were the size of a bowl, so one layer of the stear could only hold four stead buns. She filled the stears and stored the rest of the big stead buns back in her system’s storage.
There were a total of forty stead buns, which should be more than enough for the soldiers.
Taking advantage of the fact that her husband had not yet co back, she quickly filled two large water vats with the boiled water she had prepared before the thunderstorm. This would serve as the soldiers’ drinking water.
Recalling her husband’s haggard face, she used a brazier to make a bowl of stead eggs.
When Fu Chen’an returned, he had changed into a set of clean, old clothes. As he walked into the kitchen, he checked the building and found that the foundation was strong and there was no damage to the rooftop.
Besides so dampness near the rooftop, everything was fine. He even saw the strings of sausages hanging on the beams.
Yao Zhi noticed his gaze and said, "Husband, the sausages should be ready for consumption now. Do you want to try them? I will fry so for you to try."
Fu Chen’an was curious about the taste, so he nodded. "Okay."
Yao Zhi used a knife to cut three sections from a string of sausage and peel off the casing. Afterward, she sliced the sausage before frying it over low heat using a dry pan.
Soon after, a fragrant, savory, and smoky scent filled the air. Fu Chen’an salivated when he slled the fragrance. Yao Zhi noticed that her husband was swallowing as he stared at the sausage. She let out a chuckle but said nothing.
Fortunately, the sausage was ready in a short ti. Otherwise, her husband’s drool would pool up on the ground.
Because of the fatty at used in the sausage, there was leftover oil in the pan.
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