The oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar on the boat had all been sitting for a long time, so Qin Xiaoniang had no choice but to make do with what she had and cook the dishes.

The cabbage was a bit old, but with more water, it can still be made into soup.

Stir-fry green beans and potatoes together, and stew them until they are very soft; then even children can eat them.

Cornmeal needs to be mixed with water, shaped into small buns, and then steamed in a pot.

In this way, a meal took an hour to prepare.

The children clamored for food, and before the cornbread was even cooked, they had devoured the entire pot of stew.

"We haven't had any green vegetables in a long time, and the kids are craving them. Alright, we adults will just have some vegetable soup and a bite of cornbread," Zhang Xiu'e said as she ladled soup into bowls.

Although Song He'er really wanted to eat the snacks in the space, the space was too small, so she couldn't take things out to eat at will and could only make do with some vegetable soup.

Although Qin Xiaoniang had never cooked much at the General's Mansion, the soup she made today tasted excellent, with a thick broth and just the right amount of saltiness.

Song He'er took a sip and smiled, "Mother's cooking skills are truly superb; the soup is so delicious!"

"Really? If you like it, have more!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiue immediately interrupted the mother and daughter's conversation, "He'er, you eat my cooking every day, why don't you ever praise me?"

Song He'er fawned over her, rubbing against her from left to right, "Third Aunt's cooking is delicious, I like it too!"

"Hmph, that's more like it!"

Song He'er looked at the thick broth in the pot and couldn't help but ask, "Mother, did you add cornstarch?"

"Silly child, where did your mother get the starch?"

"Then why is this soup so thick?"

Qin Xiaoniang smiled and said, "I just put cornmeal in it."

"Oh...I see!"

Everyone smiled and buried their heads in their own bowls of soup.

After the children finished eating, they fell asleep in the cabin. Perhaps they were too tired these days and it was a rare opportunity to have a peaceful place to get a good night's sleep.

The boat slowly sailed on the river. It would take five hours to reach the next dock, and it would probably be the middle of the night by the time it arrived.

They had a lot of luggage, their children were still young, and the candles they carried were only three inches tall. It would be extremely difficult for everyone to travel by relying on such a small amount of light.

The best course of action now is to sleep on this ship for the night and continue our journey at dawn.

Thinking of this, Qin Xiaoniang walked to the bow of the boat and said very gently to the boatman, "Boatman, I have a favor to ask of you..."

The boatman looked up. "What is it?"

"We'd like to stay the night on your ship, would that be convenient for you? It's still a long way to the next dock, and I estimate it will be late by then. We have a lot of children in our group, and if we rush on the way then, I'm worried the children might catch a cold..."

After thinking for a while, and seeing that Qin Xiaoniang's words were earnest and her attitude gentle, the boatman nodded in agreement.

"Fortunately, my boat has docked. It's too late for me to rush back. You can sleep if you want, but I must warn you, my cabin isn't very warm, and the wind on the river is quite strong, so you'd better make sure you're covered up with blankets!"

"thank you!"

After exchanging a few polite words, Qin Xiaoniang hurriedly returned to her cabin.

Song He'er and Huan Ge'er slept together. In order to resolve the conflict between Su Yu's wife and Li Qiang's wife, Zhang Xiu'e arranged for the two families to rest next to each other.

But Su Yu's wife seemed to have something on her mind, and she was listless all day long, not saying a word from beginning to end.

Song He'er was closest to her, so she quietly asked, "Madam Zhou, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Su Yu's wife raised her head, still expressionless. "Thank you for your concern, Fifth Miss. I'm fine."

This cold attitude made Song He'er feel embarrassed instantly, so she didn't ask any further questions.

Qin Xiaoniang patted Song He'er on the shoulder, "You should rest now, we still have to travel when it gets light!"

"Mother, I understand."

After saying that, Song He'er lay down and prepared to close her eyes and rest.

The boat continued sailing for a while, but after a short while, it suddenly stopped as if it had hit something.

The loud tremor woke everyone. Zhang Xiu'e got up and looked outside. "What's going on? Are there robbers again?"

"ah-"

Suddenly, the boatman's shouts came from outside.

Zhang Xiue wanted to go outside to see what was going on, but Qin Xiaoniang stopped her, saying, "Let's not go out yet, let's observe a little longer!"

“No, if we don’t go out, it’s the same as waiting to die. Besides, the boatman is still outside. Can we just stand by and watch him die? He’s been kind to us.”

Qin Xiaoniang thought what she said made sense, but the children were all sleeping now. If they went out now, who would take care of them?

Chun Di took a stick and stood guard at the cabin door.

"Young ladies, you may go out and take a look. Chunrao, Madam Zhou, Madam Tian, ​​and I will stay here."

Zhang Xiue nodded and walked outside without hesitation.

Song He'er followed closely behind Qin Xiaoniang, "Mother, I want to go with you!"

"You silly child, hurry up and go wait in the cabin!"

"No, I want to go with Mother!"

Seeing the two arguing, Zhang Xiue had no choice but to advise, "Let her go with us. He'er isn't a child without sense. You two shouldn't argue."

Having no other choice, Qin Xiaoniang had to take Song He'er out of the cabin with her.

It was pitch black outside, with only a faint oil lamp hanging at the bow of the boat.

The boatman was already seasick on the deck. Song He'er looked around and saw that there was no one around. The river was still empty. Where did the robbers come from?

Just then, Song He'er walked over to the boatman and shook him. "Uncle, wake up! What happened?"

"ah--"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhang Xiue behind him let out another scream.

Qin Xiaoniang was so frightened that she fell to the ground.

"What happened?"

Song He'er helped her up and walked to Zhang Xiu'e's side, calmly asking, "Third Aunt, speak properly, don't scare yourself. What's wrong?"

Unexpectedly, Zhang Xiu'e immediately covered Song He'er's eyes with her hand and pushed her backward.

"Children, don't look! Don't look! Go back to the cabin!"

"What exactly happened?" Qin Xiaoniang asked again.

Zhang Xiue breathed a sigh of relief, her face ashen, and replied, word by word, "There's a dead body in the river..."

"ah?"

"The body was highly decomposed and lying across the bottom of the boat, trapping us."

Although Qin Xiaoniang was afraid, under these circumstances, she could only set an example for her child.

"Don't make a fuss, otherwise if they find out, there will only be a few more people who are worried and scared."

Zhang Xiue nodded and looked at the unconscious boatman. "Let's wake him up first, and then we'll all think of a solution together."

Qin Xiaoniang tried to push Song He'er into the cabin...