Chapter 36: Queuing for Food

“Uncle.” Meng Changqing stepped forward with a smile. “You have labored in the military camp all day, yet you still personally brought these things to me. I truly feel unworthy of your kindness.”

“Don't be,” Wei Fangyun said, dismounting from his horse. “I should come and take a look around here as well.”

He brushed the dust off his cloak. “Come, show me around your territory.”

“This way, Uncle.”

Throughout the camp, there were either burning bonfires or people carrying torches as they worked. Although the night was deep, the firelight allowed one to see things clearly.

“Are those rows of houses all kitchens?” Wei Fangyun asked.

“Yes. Please, Uncle, come closer and see.”

As they approached, they saw eight interconnected rooms with roofs currently being laid. Soldiers were constantly moving in and out of the building carrying supplies.

“The kitchens are still missing some finishing touches.” Meng Changqing called out to Zhang Yuan, who was standing nearby. “Captain Zhang, how much longer until completion?”

Captain Zhang bowed his head and replied, “Reporting to the two lords, at most another half hour.”

Wei Fangyun asked, “If they are built today, can they be used tomorrow?”

Meng Changqing did not answer. Seeing this, Zhang Yuan hurriedly said, “They can be used immediately once construction is finished.”

“Mm.” Wei Fangyun turned his head to ask Meng Changqing, “Is Zhang Yuan doing well under your command?”

“Captain Zhang is steady in character and does not fear hardship.” Meng Changqing invited Wei Fangyun to move elsewhere. “It is crowded here; let me take you somewhere else to look around.”

Wei Fangyun looked toward the northernmost kitchen and saw a long line of commoners standing at the entrance. “What are they doing there?”

“Queuing for food,” Meng Changqing said. “Currently, only that one kitchen is operational, so the people have no choice but to wait in line.”

Wei Fangyun asked, “Why not have the laborers build the kitchens as well?”

“We have over a thousand men building seven rooms; the numbers are sufficient. Adding more would only cause chaos. Besides, the laborers have their own tasks to attend to.”

As they spoke, the two walked toward the city walls.

“Brother, look.” At the end of the line, one man nudged the person in front of him. “Who are those people?”

“Big shots, clearly. Even the soldiers aren't allowed to walk around freely here, yet those people walk as they please without anyone questioning them. They must be officials.”

The man in front turned around and noticed his third brother pointing at the group. He quickly pressed his hand down and warned, “Stop pointing! Do you still want your fingers?”

“This place is strange.” The youngest brother tucked his hands into his sleeves. “Brother, I haven't served many times and don't know much. Have you ever seen soldiers work like this before?”

“Never,” the eldest brother said. “And I've never seen people getting fed before the work even starts.”

At the mention of food, the third brother grew hungry, and his stomach let out a growl. “I wonder what we're eating?”

“What else could it be? Thin porridge, most likely.”

The third brother stretched his nose to sniff the air, but unfortunately, he couldn't smell anything from such a distance. “If only there were flatbreads and a bowl of salty soup to go with it.”

“Don't dream so big; you can't even guarantee flatbread every meal back home.” The eldest brother swallowed hard. “If we're talking about eating well, there was a year I served in Hongjia County where we had flatbreads every few days. By the time the service ended, we hadn't even finished the grain we brought from home.”

“There should be flatbreads this time,” the third brother countered. “Didn't the village head say that for this service, we don't need to bring our own grain?”

“You actually believed him?” The eldest brother considered himself a seasoned veteran. “There is too much labor this year. The officials are afraid that if they recruit more villagers, people will flee into the mountains, so they say sweet things to lure them in. They're just afraid they won't find enough people. Didn't you see them even recruiting women? Sigh, they really leave us commoners no way to live.”

The third brother was still young. “But if the higher-ups have spoken and people believed them, what happens if we really didn't bring grain?”

“Then we starve. People die every year during service.” The eldest brother lowered his voice extremely low. “It's not like the officials' families are the ones dying, so why would they care? Think about your second brother's leg—stay close to me this time, you hear?”

“I know.”

“Don't take it lightly...” The eldest brother was about to lecture him when soldiers passed by, forcing him to hold his tongue.

A soldier stopped right next to the third brother. The eldest brother stole a glance backward, cold sweat breaking out on his back, terrified that his words had been overheard.

Seeing the soldier suddenly raise his hand, the eldest brother grabbed his brother and prepared to kneel, only to hear the soldier shout, “Everyone in this group, move forward!”

A similar command echoed from the front of the line.

The eldest brother breathed a sigh of relief and moved forward with the others.

Behind them, more people carrying torches arrived with a long procession, shouting as they walked, “Stand in line! No pushing! No chatting! Do you still want to eat?!”

The soldier standing next to the third brother turned around. “Your group is too slow.”

“There are only so many tools; once they were assigned to our group, we fell behind.” A soldier carrying a torch behind them began chatting with the man in front. “Brother, have you been inside to look?”

“It's not our group's turn yet; we can't crowd in.”

The torch-bearer asked again, “Do you know what they're eating inside?”

“Why ask that? Don't we have dry rations on us? Haven't you eaten yet?”

“I was thinking if there's salty soup inside, I could soak my dry rations in it.”

“There should be salty soup.” After he spoke, he saw a comrade ahead gesturing to him. “It's our group's turn. Brother, I'll go in first and check for you.”

“Move forward! Don't crowd or make noise! Anyone who doesn't follow the rules can stay outside!”

As the people at the front of the group entered the kitchen, exclamations of wonder drifted back: “Millet rice! It's millet rice!”

Standing at the very end of the group, the third brother was excited. “Brother, they're eating millet rice here!”

“Don't rush. Wait until we get inside.”

They thought they would have to wait a while, but the people in front moved through very quickly, and soon it was the brothers' turn.

As soon as they entered the gate, they were handed large bowls.

“Move forward and line up at the stoves,” the soldier handing out bowls repeated incessantly.

The two brothers held their empty bowls and approached the stoves. In the candlelight, they saw the large iron pots filled to the brim with millet rice.

The third brother pressed his lips tight to keep the saliva from spilling out.

They saw with their own eyes that the person in front of them held out a bowl, and the soldier filled it to the very top.

Even the seasoned eldest brother had never seen such a sight.

When it was finally their turn, they cautiously extended their bowls. Without even a pause, the soldier scooped two large ladles in, giving them a massive portion. “Move forward and get your pickles.”

Following the person ahead, they saw another soldier standing by a jar, placing a small spoonful of salted radish bits into every bowl.

Holding his bowl, the third brother began to eat voraciously before he even sat down.

Back in the countryside, even during the New Year, their bowls were never filled this much.

No one present was eating anything less than urgently; even the soldiers guarding them were standing aside, holding bowls and eating.

The soldier who had entered first ate the fastest. Once finished, he approached the man serving the food. “Brother, I have a large appetite. I see there's plenty in your pot; give me another scoop.”

The server, however, put down his ladle and cupped his hands in greeting. “Brother from Hongjia County, today's meal is a gift from the County Magistrate. Ordinarily, there wouldn't be any, as you should know.”

The hungry soldier sheepishly withdrew his hand. “Fine, forget I said anything.”

“Don't be like that. Since you said you have a large appetite, I'll give you more tomorrow.” The server intentionally raised his voice. “The reason we divide into groups here is so that the groups that work more and better can eat first and eat more, until they are full. Not just the guards, but the laborers as well.”