Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 273 - 25: Sister-in-Law Arrives (Part 1) (1st Update)

Chapter 273: Chapter 25: Sister-in-Law Arrives (Part 1) (1st Update)

At two in the afternoon, the sun was still blazing. On the training ground designated for the Vanguard Camp, Hong Sheng was leading the soldiers in drills.

Out of the five hundred soldiers in the Vanguard Camp, barely over a hundred came out of the barracks, but Hong Sheng continued as planned since he had made it clear from the start.

"Once you enter the Vanguard Camp, you put your head on the line. You all know how you got here—no need to count! If there’s a way out, you can leave now! If you can’t leave and want to survive, drink heartily, and eat meat lavishly, then you must listen to me!"

Those words were the truth, but these men, labeled as troublemakers by the households, were not easy to handle.

They knew they were practically exiled to this place, returning was out of the question, but they weren’t going to obey orders blindly.

Some even took silver, coming specially to cause trouble for Hong Sheng.

These soldiers rarely had family burdens, essentially, one eats enough, the whole family doesn’t starve.

Even those with family were often lone, aging mothers. Qin Dusi, out of benevolence, decreed that as long as they were military households, he would bear the expense. Every month, those over fifty received two hundred coins and a measure of premium rice as pension allowance.

So they weren’t afraid of Hong Sheng withholding their rations. If he did, it would only provide a pretext for making trouble.

Hong Sheng knew this assignment wasn’t simple, so he prepared himself for a long-term battle.

Everyone values their lives. Once on the battlefield, they’d soon learn what truly matters.

Due to Susu, Hong Sheng and Commander Liu could now exchange a few friendly words. He planned to ask Commander Liu for a chance to quell bandits soon, intending to teach these brats a lesson afterward!

Did they think Hong Sheng was a vegetarian?

Hong Sheng quietly formed plans, outwardly maintaining a stern demeanor as he organized a series of training sessions.

Even though he had been promoted to Commander, he didn’t put on airs. He still trained alongside the soldiers, as he had back in the households.

The Northwest not only had a harsh sun but also strong sandstorms. Even stationed in a mountain pass at the foot of Tianshan, it was equally challenging.

Seeing the soldiers beneath him panting like dogs in the heat, Hong Sheng quickly ordered several large ice blocks from Tianshan to be placed in water for them to drink—a single word: refreshing.

The benefits of being near Tianshan were apparent. Ice was abundant in summer, wild fruits in autumn, and throughout the year, except spring, game could be hunted in the mountains to indulge their appetites.

But the deep mountains also held dangers—snow leopards, brown bears, golden eagles; such beasts were no myth.

However, Hong Sheng was a skilled hunter, brave yet cautious, pondering on capturing two snow foxes for his wife in the winter.

Ruan Yu took a gourd to drink water. Over a hundred people, only a dozen gourds were shared among them. Having been in the Northwest for eight years, he was no longer the Sixth Young Master who preferred thirst over using others’ items.

After experiencing the hardships of exile, he no longer was the naive illegitimate son of Duke Li’s Mansion.

After drinking, Ruan Yu sat casually under a tree, where besides Ruan Family’s sons, no others ventured close. They consciously kept their distance.

Though in the same training ground, they seemed worlds apart from others.

Seeing Hong Sheng, always able to tame troublemakers, Ruan Yu sighed: In this world, although fairness never naturally existed, one shouldn’t disregard the saying "thirty years to the east of the river, thirty years to the west."

The same age as him, Hong Sheng was already a Fourth Rank Commander of the Guard. As for him, not only did he fail to accomplish anything, but he also relied on others to preserve his life.

While others were battle heroes, daring and deadly, he was merely a "Lucky Rabbit," good at playing dead to stay alive—what an irony.

The only thing he and Hong Sheng shared was their renown in the Northwest Army. His fame arose from a position anyone could step on; Hong Sheng’s fame from a skyrocketing rise in rank.

Still, Hong Sheng’s rapid climb offended many. Otherwise, not only this "unlucky man," but even all four of Ruan’s sons ended up under Hong Sheng’s Vanguard Camp command.

The rest were mostly troublemakers from various households, always causing disputes and forming factions.

Yet Ruan Yu wasn’t worried for Hong Sheng; first, Hong Sheng wasn’t a pushover, and second, he was hardly in a position to sympathize with others. He still didn’t know from where he would earn enough for Xiao Lin’s medicine this month!

His silver had almost dwindled, leaving only the lucky waist chain from his sister—the last sentiment he had. He wouldn’t touch it unless utterly desperate.

Thinking of the chain and his sister, even though Ruan Yu was now a hardened man, the thought still brought a pain that made him want to cry unrestrainedly.

But he couldn’t afford to...

Everyone on the training ground seemed to be resting during the break, each consumed in their own thoughts.

At this moment, a voice cried out, "Boss Hong, sister-in-law is here!"

The news came from the loud-mouthed Yang Xiaoshan. The man had known early on that the garrison would form a Vanguard Camp and expected to be drafted into it as an elite scout. Yi Xiaoshan intended to switch to Red Sheng’s command, but when he heard Boss Hong took on the hot potato, he rushed over joyously.

As a true elite, he needed no special training and simply requested guard duty from Hong Sheng, taking two rookies as doorkeepers while he found a cool spot at the camp entrance for a nap.

Who knew that just as he was dozing off, he heard the sound of hooves approaching, and he quickly ran to the gate post. Soon enough, he saw several carriages.

Not everyone could be an elite scout. Yang Xiaoshan, skilled as he was, recognized the opulent carriages and drivers from afar.

Familiar? They had come all the way from the Capital to Hami together.

Clapping his hands, Yang Xiaoshan laughed heartily, pulling the two rookies at the gate to meet the "sister-in-law," and ran off to tell the boss the good news.

The boss had said his wife wouldn’t follow, liar—here she was!

Yang Xiaoshan’s words were not only heard by Hong Sheng but also by the other soldiers on the training grounds, who all craned their necks in curiosity.

Unprepared for Susu’s arrival, Hong Sheng asked hurriedly, "How did she get here? Who accompanied her?"

Yang Xiaoshan stammered, "Umm..." He had only seen familiar carriages and the coachman; how would he know more? He hadn’t even seen sister-in-law yet!

Seeing Boss Hong’s increasingly sullen face, Yang Xiaoshan quickly ran back, "I’m sure it’s sister-in-law! I’ll go welcome her."

Hong Sheng wasn’t someone who couldn’t distinguish between public and private matters. They were training, and he’d barely gathered this group, so leaving to meet his wife wasn’t logical.

Watching Yang Xiaoshan scamper away guiltily, Hong Sheng internally fumed: Damn it, that’s my wife you’re running to suck up to. Yang Xiaoshan, if you don’t practice enough to sing ’Conquer’ tomorrow, I am not Hong!