"No, they answered Lord Ribery's call and went to join the militia reserve..." Jessica laughed happily as she brushed the white powder off her towering brother's shoulder, which was covered in flour dust from carrying sacks of flour. "I heard that Lord Alexander requires all men in the city between the ages of sixteen and fifty to undergo training, so these scoundrels won't be coming back for the time being."
"That's good." Heskey looked at his sister with doting eyes, scratching the back of his head with a proud expression, and earnestly instructed, "Those guys are no good, especially that Knight who looks like a monkey. He actually dared to make a move on my sister, he must be dreaming!"
The brother and sister hadn't seen each other for over a month, and once they started talking, they couldn't stop.
Although Jessica is similar to Angela in that indescribable aura, she is definitely much more lively Angela. She likes to giggle when she talks, and her voice is as clear and melodious as the song of a happy lark.
However, Heskey, that fool, completely forgot about the guest he had invited, leaving Sun Fei entirely unattended.
"Huh? Who are you, Emile? Is this handsome officer your comrade-in-arms?" Jessica chattered with her brother for a while before noticing a young man with a bright, sunny smile standing in her simple courtyard.
"Oh, damn it, I forgot to introduce him. This is my friend, his name is... his name is..." At this point, Heskey realized he didn't seem to know the other person's name. He chuckled sheepishly, walked over, patted Sun Fei on the shoulder, and asked loudly, "By the way, brother, what's your name again?"
Sun Fei chuckled. This Heskey was quite the character, dragging a complete stranger into his home. After a slight hesitation, His Majesty the King said with a smile, "Just call me Sun Fei."
" Sun Fei? What a strange name..." Heskey took his sister's hand and introduced her, " Jessica, this is a good friend I met yesterday, Sun Fei. He's a junior officer in Lord Alexander's [ Wolf Fang Legion ]. He's very kind to you. I ran into him on the way back and invited him to try your best honey bread."
" Sun Fei? To be friends with a fool like my brother, you must be a decent guy. Hello, my name is Jessica, Emile's sister. My brother is just that kind of muddle-headed person, please don't mind, please have a seat..." The girl was very cheerful and enthusiastic, without the slightest hint of affectation, which made Sun Fei feel very good about her. Thinking about it, it made sense. The Heskey siblings came from a poor family, and poor children mature early, so they naturally didn't have the spoiled air that usually comes with pretty girls.
Jessica was clearly a very diligent girl. She quickly brought out a wooden stool and invited Sun Fei to sit down. She then brought out a plate of slightly wilted but clean green Apple, took the pay money her brother Heskey had entrusted to her for safekeeping, and went outside to buy two jugs of ale. Only then, urged by Heskey, did she go inside to start making her specialty, honey bread.
" Emile, it looks like you have a good sister!" Sun Fei was genuinely a little envious of this big, simple-minded guy for having such a happy family.
Looking at the Apple and ale on the wooden table, Sun Fei knew that these foods, which many people would consider worthless, were actually a delicacy for the two siblings to serve guests. Perhaps the girl named Jessica had been saving them for who knows how long, even if she couldn't bear to eat them herself, waiting for everyone to enjoy them together. In such a cold desert, fruit was definitely considered a 'delicacy' in a poor family.
"Hehe, of course, my sister is known as the jewel of the Malta slums in the North City, hehe." The big, goofy guy always looked proud when talking about his sister.
" Emile, if you keep bragging, you'll scare our guests away." A girl's voice came from inside the house; she seemed to prefer calling Heskey by his first name rather than "brother."
"Haha, who around here doesn't know my sister Jessica's honey bread? It's a delicacy that even nobles can't afford." The big, simple-minded guy's obsession with honey bread left Sun Fei speechless. Perhaps in this simple-minded man's mind, anything his sister made was always the most tempting food in the world.
The two sat in the courtyard and talked for a long time.
Heskey was a man who couldn't keep a secret; he could always chatter on and on about whatever came to mind. Most of the time, Sun Fei would tease the kittens in the yard with a small stick while listening with a smile as Heskey told him stories about Twin Flag City and gossip about the nobles. Although he was rambling on and on, he felt very peaceful inside.
Before his parents passed away in his previous life, Sun Fei was a farmer in Northwest China. He spent a happy and wonderful childhood in the countryside, and therefore had a deep, soul-deep fascination with this kind of environment with its fenced courtyards and the sounds of chickens and dogs.
Time flies.
Soon the Sun had already sunk below the western city wall. It was still early, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys of many courtyards and small houses around. The sounds of children playing, chickens and dogs barking, and women scolding their children filled the air. A strong sense of a secluded paradise washed over us.
"Wow, it smells so good! I can smell delicious food!" Heskey exclaimed, sipping the last bit of ale in one gulp.
A sweet and soft aroma filled the air, wafting from the cottage. Sun Fei couldn't help but feel his mouth water; it was clear that the legendary delicacy, which even nobles couldn't enjoy—Miss Jessica's honey bread—was almost ready.
Sure enough, Jessica soon came out carrying out the freshly baked, golden-brown bread rolls.
The aroma of bread wafted through the air, attracting many neighbors to come out of their yards and look in their direction.
"Haha, I can smell Jessica's bread again!"
"Look, oh, it's Emile back! No wonder Jessica made honey bread again; it smells the best I've ever smelled in my life!"
"Hehe, Jessica, you have to teach me how to make this bread next time!"
The neighbors clearly had a good relationship with the brother and sister. Heskey loudly invited them to come and enjoy the food, showing that this big, simple-minded guy was indeed a kind and hospitable person. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dragged Sun Fei, a stranger he had only met twice, into his home. Soon, the small courtyard was full of people, more than a dozen people of all ages, who received Jessica's warm hospitality.
" Jessica, who is this handsome officer? Is he your fiancé?" A freckled little girl who looked a year or two older than Jessica teased Jessica about Sun Fei.
"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tear your little mouth apart," Jessica pinched her friend's cheek. "This is Emile's friend."
However, Jessica's denial was clearly not accepted by the well-meaning neighbors. Although the residents here were all poor people, it was still clear that the young man in front of them had an extraordinary air about him. Although his clothes were quite ordinary and not as bright as those of the aristocratic children in the wealthy East District, and his smile was very friendly, there was an air of nobility and dignity about him that was not comparable to those aristocratic children whose bodies had been ravaged by wine and women.
" Jessica is a good girl, young man, you'll be really lucky if you marry her."
"Yes, don't let Jessica's humble origins fool you. A priest from the Church said that Jessica will definitely become a great person that even noblewomen can't catch up to. Young man, I think you two are a perfect match!"
The older men and women chatted on and on about Jessica, and became unusually enthusiastic towards Sun Fei Sun Fei, clearly misunderstanding his identity.
"Hey? Now that you mention it, I've actually noticed something. Sun Fei, you really do have the qualifications to be my brother-in-law, haha." Heskey added fuel to the fire, scratching the back of his head as he looked at his sister, then at Sun Fei, seemingly finally realizing something.
Sun Fei simply smiled and remained silent.
"Ah, how lively! There are so many people here! Hmm? Does everyone know I'm getting engaged to Jessica today, so they've all come to the yard early to witness it? Thank you so much, my enthusiastic neighbors..." A loud, jarring voice came from outside the yard, shattering the harmonious atmosphere and sounding particularly jarring.
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.
Sun Fei followed the gaze of the crowd and saw five burly men in military uniforms who had come uninvited, pushing open the fence gate of the small courtyard and walking in with smiles.
The man in the lead was extremely thin, with a slightly hunched back, a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, looking just like a monkey walking upright. He had a roguish air about him and was carrying half a bloody pig leg in his hand.
"Damn monkey Knight? You bastard, weren't you supposed to be doing militia reserve training? What are you doing in my house? Get out of here right now, or I'll make you regret it." Heskey reacted the most fiercely, glaring as he stood up, blocking the five men who had suddenly barged in, pointing at the men who were guarding him and cursing them without any politeness.
"Hey Emile, your temper is still as fiery as a bull, but today I'm here to propose to Jessica. What do you think of my gift?"
With a gentle push, the skinny monkey sent Heskey, who was nearly two meters tall, stumbling back three or four steps.
Third update.