“I heard A-Zhi mention the other day that their family does have animal skin quilts, but A-Zhi herself doesn’t have any winter clothes.” Wu recalled the clothes A-Zhi had asked her to mend, which consisted of only two fur coats. Although these were warm, the one for the child was clearly too small and probably wouldn’t fit.

However, since the fabric and cotton were bought by Third Sister, she couldn't make clothes for outsiders on her own. She did think about adding a little more fabric and loosening the edges of the fur coat a few inches so that the child could wear it.

Only when Liu asked her did she remember.

"Then let's make a winter coat for Azhi, the child is a bit weak."

Since Liu had spoken, Qin San Niang naturally had no objections.

"Mother, since we've already made one for Azhi, why not make one for Gu Qingshan too? Let's go all the way! Don't make us seem so stingy!"

In front of Liu, Qin San Niang unconsciously revealed her girlish side, probably without even realizing it herself.

Unexpectedly, Liu was teased by her eldest daughter. She raised her hand and lightly slapped her, then smiled and told Wu that she would make a couple more clothes.

“Auntie, you are all kind-hearted people. This winter coat is very valuable. It is padded with cotton. I’m not afraid to tell you that Fatty and I used to wear winter coats filled with straw. We never even got to wear coats filled with cattail fluff.”

Thinking back to the past, Wu's eyes reddened, and she still felt a pang of sorrow.

Liu knew about this, and Qin San Niang also had some impression of her. Compared to others, they were considered better off, as their clothes were filled with cattail fluff.

These reed catkins need to be harvested, dried, and stored in summer and autumn, and then stuffed into the lining of clothing in winter. They're said to be better at keeping warm than straw, and they don't make that rustling sound. But they still can't compare to the cotton clothing I have.

Liu patted Wu Chunhua's hand as a gesture of comfort.

Not needing to do anything, Qin Sanniang could only lift the carriage curtain and look out. The wind and sand were getting stronger along the way, and it even felt a bit like the desolate autumn wind.

Seeing a group of people approaching in the distance, Qin Sanniang narrowed her eyes. Although this road wasn't hers to drive, and she couldn't allow only her own group to travel on it, Qin Sanniang inexplicably felt wary of any passing caravans or groups. What couldn't happen in chaotic times?! And how many truly good people were there?!

Fortunately, as the caravan drew closer, Qin San Niang noticed four men riding tall horses at the front of the procession. They were clearly strong and powerful, and looked more like guards.

In the middle was a carriage, entirely black and made of the finest wood. There were bells on the front shafts, which rang out crisply as the carriage moved. Behind it was a squad of guards.

Just by listening to the bell, you can tell how leisurely the travelers are, unlike them who have to travel thousands of miles and endure wind and rain.

Different people, different fates!

Seeing this, Qin Sanniang breathed a sigh of relief. This person was obviously rich. It was good to be rich; at least they wouldn't covet their old cart and a few bags of coarse rice. At least they were safe.

I felt a little relieved and started to continue my journey with peace of mind.

Although this road was an official road, it was comparable to a rural path today, only allowing one carriage to pass at a time. The carriage behind seemed to be moving slowly, but it couldn't compete with the fact that the other carriage had two fine horses pulling it, each step taking as much as the other's three steps, and it was about to catch up.

Gu Qingshan rushed over and pulled the big gray dog ​​to the side of the road.

As soon as he parked the car, he saw Qin Sanniang lean out and look at him with great approval.

"Mother, Sister Chunhua, you should also come down and rest for a bit. It's almost noon." They decided to stop the car, as there was some shade by the roadside where they could cook.

The weather is clear and crisp now, and although the sun isn't as intense, it's still quite sunny around midday.

The land in the distance is no longer green, and even this patch of land is dry and cracked, like tiny spider webs stretching into the distance.

Gu Qingshan's expression was grave. "Madam Qin, the water level has been getting lower and lower along the way. I'm afraid we'll run out of water!"

Qin San Niang nodded. Actually, she wasn't afraid of water shortages; even if there were, she had ways to deal with them.

Seeing that the other woman's expression remained unchanged, Gu Qingshan was puzzled. Did Madam Qin have another brilliant plan? He decided to remain silent. Surely a tough man like him couldn't be less capable than a woman? Stay calm! Stay calm!

Take out the roe deer meat from yesterday; it'll spoil if we don't eat it soon.

Under Qin San Niang's guidance, Wu Chunhua successfully made a pot of braised roe deer meat, and the aroma was absolutely wonderful.

"Third Sister, your skills are so good you could open a restaurant." Wu Chunhua was a skilled woman, but compared to Third Sister, she couldn't make such delicious dishes.

Qin San Niang waved her hand with a smile, "Sister-in-law, you're joking. Isn't this all thanks to your skillful hands?" She said that she just added more seasonings and was more generous with the oil.

The children were already drawn over by the aroma. Although they had been eating meat for the past few days, they still couldn't resist this kind of food, probably because they had been so hungry before. Although there was a fair amount of meat, there were many people, so each person couldn't actually get much.

Little did they expect that the smell of meat would attract not only their own children, but also the wealthy family that Qin San Niang had mentioned earlier.

A man dressed as a guard rode up on horseback, and was quite polite. "Madam, my master sent me to ask if you could buy some cooked food. As for the price, we can discuss it."

Before the man could get close, the children, along with Liu, were already standing beside Qin San Niang, which made her feel very warm, even though she didn't need anyone's protection.

Seeing this, the man didn't show any unusual reaction, which was normal. However, he still unconsciously gripped the riding whip in his hand, thinking to himself that his young master was really a... food lover. It was shameful for a first-class guard to ask a village woman for food.

However, he still couldn't disobey his young master, so he had no choice but to try again, "I hope my lady can grant my request."

But this tastes really good. Is this meat? They hadn't lacked prey along the way, but the food they cooked was like dry firewood, and the taste was completely different from this.

After a moment's thought, Qin San Niang realized that this was, after all, prey that Gu Qingshan had hunted. She glanced at the guard, who frowned slightly, then nodded. The guard's skills were quite good; if it were just one person, he could fight back, but the enemy outnumbered them, and their side consisted of the elderly, women, and children—they couldn't risk it.

"Alright then, this pot of meat is something we've worked hard to get. Do you know how long it's been since my family has had meat? Look how thin this child has become from hunger! But since your distinguished guests want to eat it, we'll let them have it for now, okay, eldest child? Luckily, Mother left some, we'll cook it for you later."

The eldest child nodded in agreement, and the younger children dared not utter a sound. Children are all afraid of people riding tall horses.