e should be alive. Make way, let the wind in! And bring some warm water!"The crowd dispersed in a flurry, but they didn't dare leave. They all stood two paces away, watching Zhang Shenshi busy himself...The village head was afraid the villagers' words would sap their morale, so he shouted to stop them.
"Stop guessing. There's always a way when you get to the mountain. We just need to avoid going the wrong way. Once we leave the mountains, it's the Golden Sand River. Then crossing the river will be safe. How could even the Man barbarians focus on chasing us few people We have no silver; don't think of yourselves as so important!"
When people were yelled at a few times, they not only didn't get angry but felt relieved instead.
It's the same reasoning. They aren't some kind of noble or wealthy person, so there's no reason for barbarians to keep targeting them. As long as they are careful, there shouldn't be any major problems.
Then, very soon everyone put that worry out of their minds.
Of course, it's also because...the pork is cooked well!
The steaming pork stew with dried greens and mushrooms, each person holding a large bowl, slurping soup and eating meat. Even though it was cold outside, everyone ate until they were sweating.
Occasionally cracking a few jokes, they caused a commotion that shook the mountains and valleys.
The women had specially made a small stove for the little children, chopping up the cooked pork and soaked mushrooms into small pieces. They only added a small handful of rice grains, simmering it until it was soft, glutinous, and fragrant.
The little ones couldn't even lift their heads from their bowls, but Jiayin found the wild boar meat too gamey and only ate half a bowl.
Tao Hongying took a break to knead a small piece of dough, brought some meat soup and other dishes, then went back to the cave, quickly rolled out noodles and cooked congee for Mrs. Cui.
Jiayin was wearing a red tunic and pants, with a rabbit fur hat. Unlike ordinary peasant children who were dirty and messy, she was plump and clean, exceptionally cute.
She ran to the bedside, her eyes wide and fixed on Mrs. Cui, silent and well-behaved.
Mrs. Cui coughed lightly, but it wasn't comfortable yet. When she opened her eyes and saw such a chubby baby, she couldn't help but smile.
"Who are you, child"
Jia Yin pointed to Tao Hongying, who was busy at the door, and replied softly, "My mother's family."
This milky and tender appearance instantly softened Cui's wife's heart.
She habitually wanted to give a meeting gift, but when she reached out her hand, she realized there was nothing around her.
Then, a touch of melancholy appeared on her face. She only touched Jiayin's cheek and whispered softly.
"Little girl, you are so cute. Grow up well and become a beautiful young lady."
Jia Yin could see the warmth and melancholy in her eyes. She felt a pang of sympathy and reached out to give her a small object.
Tao Hongying looked up and saw her daughter run to the side. Afraid she would be naughty, she quickly shouted.
"Fu Niu, come here quickly, don't disturb Madam resting."
Seeing Jia Yin run out, she instructed Qiao's sister.
"In another cup of tea's time, the noodles will be cooked. Once they are plated, you can serve them to your wife. After eating the noodles, she can take the medicine. Doctor Zhang said this medicine is harsh on the spleen and stomach and should not be taken on an empty stomach."
Qiong's daughter immediately nodded and thanked her. Tao Hongying smiled and waved her hand, "I'll have my son bring you some food later, you take care of your wife first."
As she spoke, she carried Jia Yin down.
Everyone was delighted after the meal of pork, their bellies full and their spirits high. They didn't worry about bandits or chaos in the world anymore.
The men chatted idly, while the women ate hurriedly and busied themselves with washing up.
When their work was finished, the sky had darkened completely, and the wind and snow grew stronger. Everyone hurried back to the cave.
Mr. Wen climbed up to the small cave and saw Mrs. Cui sitting there in a daze. He asked her, "What's wrong"
"Junior sister, are you still feeling uncomfortable"
Mrs. Cui raised her head and smiled, replying with a rare grace.
"No, I didn't cause my brother any worry. I just ate some noodles and drank some medicine, and I'm already feeling much better."
Mr. Wen was delighted and deeply grateful to the Li family.
"Although we were given silver, this situation means food is more valuable than silver. We've eaten two meals here: congee with meat and noodles in meat broth. The Li family is truly generous."
Mrs. Cui also nodded and waved the small piece of oiled paper in her hand, smiling, “Just now, the plump girl from the Li family gave me a piece of candy, it was especially sweet.”
"That smallest doll" Mr. Wen was quite surprised and praised, "The family style is truly important, even a little doll is so righteous and generous."
After some thought, Madam Cui said, "Master Brother, why don't we stay here until spring and travel with these people For now, we have nothing to offer in return. But at the right time, Master Brother can speak a few words to the village head and the Li family. When we reach Jiangnan, we will surely repay them handsomely."
Mr. Wen nodded, "I think the same way, but this winter, we'll have to trouble the Li family more."
The taciturn Qiong's wife suddenly chimed in, "I can go hunting and exchange food with villagers."
"That's a good idea, but it's still not enough." Mr. Wen pondered for a moment and then comforted Mrs. Cui, "Don't worry, sister, just take your time to recover. Leave the rest to me."
Mrs. Cui could only nod. Her body was truly no help, or perhaps it was already good enough that she wasn't adding to the trouble.
Mr. Wen went down the mountain cave and, with his attendants, stayed at the village chief's cave for the night.
He didn't know that the Li family in the neighboring cave was already brainstorming jobs for him.
"Mother, Mr. Wen is intelligent and wise, he should be a good husband." Li Lao Si spoke first.
Li Lao'er also laughed in agreement, “Yes, I also chatted with Mr. Wen for a while, and it’s rare that he didn’t have any strange temperaments. Although he didn’t say it explicitly, he should have some official achievements.”
Jia Ren listened, and a glimmer of suspicion sparked in his ears. His eyes lit up.
Old Li felt sorry for her grandson and patted his shoulder. "Don't overthink it. At home, we think this is a rare opportunity. We want Mr. Wen to teach you how to read. Otherwise, this long winter would be wasted in vain."
Jia Ren, suppressing his excitement, nodded repeatedly. "Thank you, Grandma. I will definitely study hard."
"I actually hope you don't study hard. A good kid shouldn't be like an old man all day, playing when it's time to play, you know"
"Okay, Grandma."
Jia Yin lay in grandma's arms, listening to the people at home talking. She yawned and soon fell asleep.
The flames danced, casting an orange glow that made the cave unusually warm.
The wind outside the cave tried its best to push in, but it couldn't make a big fuss about it. Sadly, it didn't succeed even after bumping its head against the entrance.
A half-mountain cave entrance was walled with stone and plastered thick with mud. Even the door used by the whole family to walk through was blocked by two layers of grass curtains, plus a layer of oilcloth.
Outside the cave lay a frigid world of ice and snow, the clamour of chaos, perhaps even countless shades of despair and confusion.
But at this moment, the family gathered together, as if they were afraid of nothing.
Especially Li Lao'er, Li Lao-san, and Li Lao-si, the three brothers discussed pushing the snow stained with blood from slaughtering the pig today into the river tomorrow. This would prevent wild animals from smelling it and coming to find them.
The previous lesson from the wolf pack was too profound to be repeated. We absolutely cannot fall into the same trap again.
Li Laosan still needs to cut down two more trees and make a table and benches for the small cave.
Mr. Wen and his four servants, in this freezing, snowy weather, were probably unable to make it out either.
This way, they lived for several months, preparing everything that needed to be prepared.
After some casual chat, the family carefully made their way to the bed and got into their pajamas before falling asleep.
It was too cold to get up early, so everyone ate breakfast in their own caves, waiting for the sun to warm things up before going out.
"No," as Li Jiagang placed the breakfast on the table, he heard someone shouting from below the cave.
"Old Sister-in-law, Hongying!"
Tao Hongying quickly hid her daughter's egg custard bowl and then leaned down to look into the hole.
"Third aunt, have you had breakfast Come up and sit for a while, have a bite"
Originally, there was Wu Sanniang at the bottom, and next to her was her husband. Both of them had anxious expressions and waved their hands desperately asking questions.
"Hongying, come take a look quickly, didn't my dog Gourengzi sleep with An and Xi from the Jia family"
Tao Hongying quickly turned back. Jiaxi and Jiayan were sitting at the table gnawing on sweet potatoes, there was no sign of Gou Sheng.
She replied, "Auntie, Gou Sheng didn't come. He didn't sleep at my place!"
"It's over!" Wu Sanniang collapsed onto the ground, sobbing loudly.
"Gǒu rèr diū le, gǒu rèr diū le!" Let me know if you'd like to translate anything else!
Book review 400's update is here, today's HuaHua still delivers four updates on time! *cough cough*, these days HuaHua keeps updating four times in a row which is a bit draining, now adjusting the update rules, add one more for every 100 new comments~ The next time HuaHua updates four chapters will be at book review 500~ Please trouble our little treasures to give HuaHua five-star praise~several times, and finally Li Laosan came back. Li Lao then called him to meet the dean.Lady Li, a high-ranking noblewoman, was more than enough to handle the situation. Adding Princess Jia Yin to the...