The Slender Waist-Chapter 20 - 16 Meiling’s Troops

Feng Yun rarely got to sleep in, finally rising when the sun was already three poles high. When she stepped out after washing up, she unexpectedly found Ao Qi was not waiting outside.

Normally, Ao Qi guarded her like guarding against a thief, following her wherever she went. Not seeing him today, Feng Yun found it a bit strange, but she didn’t ask any further questions.

Teenage boys always had many odd habits, and she didn’t have the extra energy to pay attention to them.

"Peipei, bring the lady her meal from the stove."

Granny Han doted on her as if she were the apple of her eye and cheerfully ordered the maid to bring Feng Yun her meal.

A plate of dried pork, which Feng Yun had stockpiled three days before surrendering, a bowl of millet porridge clear enough to see one’s reflection in, and a piece of hard-baked, inedible flatbread.

But this was already an excellent meal.

To Feng Yun’s surprise, Peipei brought a bowl of honey-braised pan-fried fish. Soaked in vinegar, honey, and salt, the fish was pan-fried with stored orange peel, finely sliced, very fragrant, and quite unique.

It had been a long time since Feng Yun had tasted such a delicacy.

Saliva was secreted faster than she had imagined.

"Where did the fish come from?"

Granny Han’s eyes crinkled with a smile, "For the sake of catching the fish, Ao Qi nearly turned our backyard pond upside down."

The Imperial Governor’s Office had a small pond in the backyard because Feng Jingteng loved fishing. The water was dug deep, harboring fish raised before, but without the tools, it wasn’t easy to catch them...

Granny Han sighed, "The governor burned down the granaries, but at least he left behind a fish pond..."

A bowl of honey-braised pan-fried fish was a rare delicacy in Andu County now.

Feng Yun smiled and said, "If there’s any left, add a dish for everyone else."

Granny Han laughed along, "Ao Qi splashed around in the water for quite some time and only caught three fish. One for you to eat, and the other two are kept in a jar. How could we dare to give them to the servants? Even the ones in the pond, Ao Qi has ordered not to be touched, saying they are to be used when it’s a matter of life and death. He called it... don’t remember, ’watch the fish to prevent hunger’."

Watch the fish to prevent hunger?

When Feng Yun thought of Ao Qi saying those words, she tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"You don’t need to listen to him in everything. Later, think of a way to catch the big ones, and we’ll keep the fry. That small pond can’t sustain too many fish; it’s a case of fish eating fish..."

A handsome young man naturally had certain advantages. Granny Han was so in favor of Ao Qi, praising him effusively in front of Feng Yun.

Finally, seeing Feng Yun’s brows slightly knitted, she changed the subject.

"You can’t blame Ao Qi for being anxious. I heard that more than half of the households in the city have run out of food. The bark of the trees in Liuzao Alley has nearly been scraped bare. This morning, there was heart-wrenching wailing at the East Corner Gate. I sent someone to inquire; it turned out that the little daughter of Meiling’s family starved to death... This Andu is truly a dead city now. If things continue like this, more people will starve..."

Feng Yun silently picked up her bowl and drank her porridge.

She didn’t eat much, stopping when she was about seven-tenths full, leaving the rest for them to share.

Xiaoman ate contentedly, "It would be good if we could have fish and meat every day."

Granny Han scolded her, "The fish and meat stalls have long closed, and you can’t even hear pigs squealing. Where would meat come from? Stop daydreaming, you greedy servant."

Feng Yun smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

There were definitely people in the city who had hoarded a large quantity of food.

Not only grain and noodle shops had stock, but the households of rich merchants and powerful families had even deeper reserves. In the face of the war, how could they not prepare? Not everyone was like Feng Jingteng, who left nothing but a fire behind.

Feng Yun had some plans in mind.

"Xiaoman, tell everyone in the estate to gather at Qingshan Hall in half an hour to take orders."

—

Feng Yun was the master of those people in the mansion, but the mansion was not hers.

A lady of frail stature taking charge could inevitably prompt contempt among the servants, even if she was their savior. If the mistress was too lenient, the servants might slack off.

Feng Yun was acutely aware of this.

"I’ve gathered everyone in Qingshan Hall to discuss our current state of peril. In these tumultuous times, peace is rare, and we are but ants in the grand scheme. How should we survive?"

The servants were daydreaming, staring blankly at her.

Without hearing a response, Feng Yun asked Xiaoman to bring the chopstick holder.

"Watch closely."

There was a buzz of speculation from below, curious as to what the eccentric lady intended to do this time.

Feng Yun lowered her gaze and pulled out a single chopstick from the bamboo holder and snapped it effortlessly.

The chopstick broke.

Qingshan Hall stared in confusion.

Feng Yun remained silent and then took out a handful of chopsticks, about a dozen, holding them tightly in her palm.

"One chopstick breaks easily. But what about a bundle of chopsticks? When countless chopsticks stand united, who can break them easily?"

"They can’t be broken, they can’t be broken."

"Have you realized any principles from this?"

Servants weren’t inclined to ponder deeply, accustomed as they were to following their master’s orders. Yet Shi’er Niang’s words were thought-provoking, and as if enlightened, someone loudly said:

"Alone we perish, together we survive."

"One chopstick may be snapped, but a bundle will not yield..."

"When we exert our strength together and cooperate with a united heart, we can accomplish great things!"

The desire to survive was a natural instinct, and discussions in Qingshan Hall bustled lively. Feng Yun looked on with satisfaction until everyone had had their say, then she stood up from behind the desk and said loudly:

"If you all want to be chopsticks that stick together, you must abide by the rules of chopsticks. Not the rules of the Feng Family of Xuzhou, but my rules, Feng Yun of Andu."

"If you work diligently with me, I won’t promise riches, but having enough food and warmth is not a problem. I, Feng Yun, swear here that from now on, I will lead us all to better days and ensure that we never go hungry again."

Feng Yun rescued a group of individuals from the dungeon, including maids, servants, and officials from the Prefectural Governor’s Office, totaling about fifty people.

In these war-torn times, it was hard to protect oneself without a private army, and inconvenient when in need of people. Feng Yun took the roster and checked it; among them, there were twenty-nine young and strong men under the age of thirty-five.

With a sweep of her pen, she named this private army "Meiling."

Then, she handed them over to Xing Bing, a former Military Officer from the Prefectural Governor’s Office, for training.

Xing Bing came from a military family. When Feng Jingteng was alive, he had been in charge of patrols and security at the Governor’s Office. Because he had married and started a family in Andu County, he did not flee south with Feng Jingteng.

Feng Yun believed that a husband who didn’t abandon his wife and children to flee for his life at a moment of life and death was a man of responsibility.

She felt very reassured entrusting them to Xing Bing.

However, Xing Bing was utterly astonished, "The young lady trusts me?"

Feng Yun saw no reason not to trust him.

But she knew that these people might not necessarily trust her, Feng Yun.

"You just make sure everyone is well-fed and physically fit, obey the commands, and don’t worry about the rest. Leave them to me."

As the meeting in Qingshan Hall concluded, everyone left sluggishly.

"Being well-fed, who wouldn’t want that? But where is the food? What will we eat?"

"With so many mouths in the house, how long will those two carts of grain last?"

"Shi’er Niang is young and inexperienced, and I’m afraid her good intentions won’t suffice. She bragged in front of everyone, but if she can’t deliver, she’s going to be ridiculed..."

"Every family is short on grain, staying here means starvation. Wouldn’t it be better if we just took the young lady and ran away? Since the young lady saved our lives, as long as we have a bite to eat, we won’t let her starve..."

"Shut your mouths, all of you!" Xing Bing, brandishing his large saber, walked over with an impressive presence.

Standing tall and strong and coming from an official background, he had a much higher status than the servants and soldiers.

The group feared him and promptly fell back into line, grudgingly.

"Stand properly!" Xing Bing glared with the fierce look of a tiger, "Straighten your backs and lift your heads!"

Xing Bing held two wooden plaques, bearing the unique imprint of plum blossoms, clearly done by Feng Yun’s hand.

They contained the rules set for the Meiling troops, detailing the times for wake-up, rest, drill, wages, and days off.

Xing Bing didn’t understand why Shi’er Niang bothered to write these.

Most of these people were household servants, registered under the main family’s household. Serving the master was part of their inherited duties as servants of the Feng family of Xuzhou.

But Shi’er Niang insisted on cutting ties with the Feng family of Xuzhou, changing the threshold, and establishing new rules.

Although current wages could not buy much, and Shi’er Niang’s promised prospects were intangible and indigestible, Xing Bing felt an unusual sentiment...

The young lady had courage; she was quite exceptional.

"All troops, fall in for drill and preparation!"

Underneath the parasol tree, Feng Yun held the young alligator and watched for a while, then turned and headed back to Changmen Academy.

She not only calculated wages and promised days off for the Meiling troops but also set a set of rules for the other servants.

Different responsibilities, different efforts, different rewards.

Work for food, that was the rule of Feng Yun of Andu.

"Young alligator!" Ao Qi emerged from behind the parasol tree, startling Feng Yun, who was deep in thought.

The young alligator’s fur bristled, and with a hiss, it glared at him ferociously.

"Calm down, we’re family. What’s the rush?" Ao Qi reached out to touch the young alligator’s head, but it recoiled quickly, pounced onto his shoulder, and was about to scratch him.

"Young alligator!" Feng Yun called out sternly, stopping it.

The young alligator reluctantly jumped down and quickly scampered up the tree, staring down Ao Qi with wary eyes.

Ao Qi grunted and moved his hand from behind to the front, "Ungrateful creature."

It was a fat, live loach tied with straw, "For you."

When the loach was thrown in front of the young alligator, Feng Yun said, "Eat," and it only then hopped down from the tree, grabbed it, and ran to the corner behind the flower platform, gobbling it down hungrily.

Feng Yun noticed the mud on Ao Qi’s pant leg and gave him a slight bow.

"Thank you, Guard Ao, for catching fish and loaches. But... the young alligator was hurt as a baby and is very afraid of people. Don’t try to touch it again; be careful not to get hurt..."

Hurt as a baby...

Ao Qi had heard that she, too, had been hurt.

He glanced at her, but instead of speaking his mind, he snorted with his usual stubbornness,

"Who cares about touching it?"

Feng Yun’s expression didn’t change, and she just smiled, choosing not to engage.

Ao Qi’s Adam’s apple moved, and he found an excuse to step back, "About the food in the residence... is it running out? I can send people to ask Tan Dajin..."

"No need." Feng Yun was well aware of the situation with the Beiyong Army.

She thanked Ao Qi again and said softly, "I have my plans for the house, and I won’t let Guard Ao go hungry."

For two whole days, the doors of Changmen Academy remained tightly closed.

Feng Yun called Ying Rong and gathered all the maids and servant wives who could do needlework, busying themselves with something inside.

On the third night, Xing Bing’s Meiling troops received their first assignment.

"Change into night clothes, leave the residence discreetly."