Twenty-first Section Compensation for Gifts

  Qin Bing carried Yun Ye back to their camp, and Old Cheng carefully laid him on the bed.

  As soon as the body touched the bed, Yun Hao let out a loud cry, and Old Cheng hurriedly rubbed his hands. He was very clear about how much strength Cow had in his hand, forty-two kilograms of...

  The iron whip in his hand was as light as a straw, while others' whips were made of rattan, horsehair and lacquer mixed together. His whip was forged from pure steel, used to break through the enemy lines, unstoppable and unbeatable. Just now, under the intense mental turmoil, he didn't know whether it was heavy or light, but just by looking at the two dark purple handprints on Yun Ye's shoulder, he knew that he had been hurt badly. If this kid were to be left with a disability, Cheng Ya would feel guilty for the rest of his life.

  It's not that Kou Jin Da can be blamed, and his partner for many years is very clear about the shadow left by the death of his young relatives on this iron man. When he was at a loss, the military doctor rushed in with a medicine box, saw the general here, and hurriedly saluted. Cheng Yaojin waved his hand impatiently to stop him:

  "Don't be too polite, take a look at Xiao Yan's injury quickly."

  The military doctor lifted Yun Ye's collar, and with two dark purple handprints lightly pressed on him, Yun Ye suddenly let out a mournful cry, his legs kicking wildly. Cheng Yaojin glared at the military doctor, who hastily cupped his hands: "Reporting to General, Young Master Yun is not seriously injured, only some dislocation of the shoulder tendons; after acupuncture and bloodletting, he will recover in about ten days."

  Hearing the military doctor say this, Old Cheng finally put his mind at ease. As long as there were no lingering problems, this young man would recover in a few days and be back to his old self. The old ox had indeed left some energy in his hands when he captured him. The military doctor held three-edged needles and lightly pricked Cloud Ye's shoulder several times. Several streams of dark red stagnant blood flowed out from the needle holes, and Cloud Ye felt the sensation of swelling and pain slowly alleviating. He couldn't help but relax his eyebrows and nod his head in thanks to the military doctor. The military doctor wiped away the bloodstains on his body and said he was going to decoct medicine, then exited the tent.

  Lao Cheng sat in front of the bed, helping Yun Yan button up his shirt, looking at him with a mixture of concern and puzzlement. Yun Yan saw Lao Cheng's expression and made a big, exaggerated face, opening his mouth to say: "Uncle, what are you worried about? Uncle Niu has always been very kind to me, even teaching me how to ride a horse the other day. He's already in his fifties and still fighting on the battlefield, never leaving the war zone. What is he striving for? Promotion, wealth, and a happy family? I heard that his family only consists of an old wife and a disabled son, so even if he were to attain a high official position, it wouldn't be much of a temptation for him. Today, when he heard about the miraculous effects of potatoes, he suddenly became furious, showing that he had been suppressing his anger and resentment all along. It's like a flood that will eventually burst through the dam, and I don't know what he'll do next. Now that his anger has dissipated somewhat, I'm still confused - I heard that Uncle Niu also came from an official family, so how could such a tragic event of his whole family starving to death have occurred?"

  "It's not just the disaster brought by Goguryeo, 300,000 troops were buried in Goguryeo, countless families were ruined, do you think being born into an official family means you can rest easy? Don't be ridiculous, at the end of Sui dynasty, there were 72 rebellious kings, 36 factions of bandits causing chaos everywhere, is there still a peaceful place like Taoyuan in this world? Old Cow's father was a county magistrate, Goguryeo's defeated soldiers returned, plus the local bandits and rioting civilians, our family didn't even have a single grain of rice left, starving to death would be an expected outcome. Don't think too much, just focus on recovering, we still need to plant potatoes well to sell to the Emperor, this is not the time to delay, I'm still waiting to see 15 dan of grain per mu, tomorrow when Chumu returns from Chancellor Longsun's place, let him take care of you. Rest well, old man will go check on Old Cow."

  After finishing, he kicked open the account and walked out in big strides. Yun Ye ordered his personal soldier to scoop out some ice from the jar, wrapped it in an oilcloth and applied it to his shoulder, and that kind of scorching pain finally subsided. He drank a large bowl of unknown medicine and fell asleep leaning against the quilt.

  The drizzle of early autumn seemed to be telling everyone that summer had gone. Wangcai hadn't been to the river to drink water for some days, he didn't like the salty taste of well water, but the roaring river in front of him made him feel even more terrified, so he tried to open his mouth wide and let the rainwater flow into his mouth, after doing it a few times, he felt bored. The master's tent was just beside, inside that fierce old man holding a knife stuffed a piece of meat into the master's mouth, seeing the master helpless and begging for mercy, Wangcai felt very embarrassed and swung his tail back to the stable.

  Yun Ye really couldn't take it anymore. After Lao Niu woke up, he slapped himself several times and picked up a knife to find Yun Ye. He planned to cut himself in front of Yun Ye as an apology. Just as he was about to do so, Yun Ye bit down on Lao Niu's wrist, not letting him take such drastic action. With the force he used, half a pound of flesh would have been cut off if that knife had gone down.

  People in the army have always been straightforward, and Lao Niu thinks that Yun Ye biting his own wrist is a manifestation of physical weakness. Without saying a word, a whole sheep was placed in the shed for roasting, with Lao Niu personally taking charge of the knife. The golden-colored lamb meat made Yun Ye drool all over, but unfortunately, he couldn't exert any strength with both hands and was anxious. Lao Niu pressed Yun Ye onto a wooden bench, took out a small knife inlaid with gems, cut off a half-catty piece of meat, and forcibly stuffed it into Yun Ye's mouth. The lamb had been roasted to perfection, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, emitting a fragrant aroma that wafted everywhere. Cheng Chu Mo, who was sitting next to them, opened his big mouth wanting to get a share, but ended up being kicked out of the shed with one foot.

  The old cow was still bellowing: "Do you think I'll serve you? Xiao Yan is the one I injured, both arms are useless, it's not a big deal for me to lower myself to feed him, but you little brat also dare to take advantage of me."

  Cheng Chu was silently smiling with a straight face. Yun Ye had barely swallowed the meat, and tears were about to come out. In his heart, he roared at Lao Niu: "Is this how you take care of people?"

  The old cow saw him swallow the meat, casually stabbed the knife into the sheep's leg, rubbed his face with his hand and solemnly asked Yun Ye: "Young man, I have never bowed my head to anyone in my life, today is the first time. Now you've eaten the meat, I want to stab myself with a knife, you also stopped me. How about we just drop this matter of me hurting you?"

  Yun Yan looked up at Lao Niu's serious face in shock, and after a long while, he opened his mouth to say: "Uncle Niu, do you want me to die prematurely? You were momentarily blinded by past events and accidentally scratched me. This is also because my body is too weak. How can I blame you for this? I heard that you wandered outside the tent all night yesterday, and I was already feeling uneasy in my heart. I originally planned to go and pay my respects to you today, but unexpectedly, you came to see me first. I am extremely rude, and I appreciate it that you don't blame me. How dare I accept your apology? Please, Uncle, let's not mention this matter again, or else I will be too ashamed to die."

  "Hah, you little kid can't handle the old man's apology. The old man has been through thick and thin all his life, with countless lives lost under his hands. Even if he did something wrong, he wouldn't lower his head. It's nothing but a life for a life, and life and death are not even in the old man's eyes."

  At this, the old cow paused for a moment, and in an instant, hatred flashed in his eyes again. He clenched his fists tightly, his hair disheveled, and shouted loudly:

  "A person can die of old age, illness, drowning, burning, being hacked to death by a knife, or trampled to death by a horse, but they cannot die of starvation. This is the most painful way to die and the greatest punishment given by heaven to humanity. I have spent my life on the battlefield, experiencing countless near-death experiences without regret, all in the hope that the world will one day be at peace and free from starvation. You say that potatoes can thrive even in poor soil, and good land can yield as much as 15 tons? If this is true, then it's possible to achieve my wish of a world where no one dies of starvation. Why should I not kneel down for this?"