Song He'er was digging for wild vegetables far away from them. When no one was looking, she took out four or five raw eggs and buried them in the ground, then dug them up in a very serious manner.

But eggs alone weren't enough to satisfy her hunger, so Song He'er took out the shiitake mushrooms she had previously stored in her spatial storage and buried them in a hole as well.

Then, she whispered a reminder to Qin Xiaoniang, who was squatting nearby digging for wild vegetables, "Mother, do you see anything here?"

"Oh, okay." Qin Xiaoniang followed Song He'er's suggestion and dug down.

In no time, they dug out more than half a pound of shiitake mushrooms.

Qin Xiaoniang chuckled softly, "He'er, look, there are mushrooms!"

"Hide her quickly, and make sure no one finds her."

"Um!"

The mother and daughter hurriedly began packing their things, but this scene was witnessed by their aunt, who immediately came over, shaking her head and swaying...

"Oh, you can eat these dirty mushrooms? Look at the old lady's basket, she's digging out brightly colored mushrooms. What are you digging out? Even a dog wouldn't eat them!"

Second Aunt Lin Wanzhen also came from a scholarly family, but in recent years, in order to curry favor with Madam Li, she has become opportunistic, mean-spirited, and completely lost the demeanor of a well-bred lady.

Song He'er glanced at her: "You may not eat it, but people do!"

Is this a disguised way of calling her a dog?!

Lin Wanzhen, enraged, picked up a stone from the ground and was about to throw it at him. "You little brat, how dare you insult me! Don't you know your place?!"

"Come on, try it!" Song He'er picked up a large tree branch from the side and pointed it directly at her.

Lin Wanzhen immediately lost her momentum, dropped the stone, and led her two daughters toward the eldest daughter-in-law...

After everyone's efforts, everyone finally managed to find something edible.

The officers and soldiers didn't care what the prisoners ate; they simply lay down on the grass and went to sleep.

The exiled procession included a small cart, which carried food and cooking utensils and was pulled by prisoners in turns.

Song He'er stepped forward and took out a broken ceramic basin from inside.

She originally had some good pots in her storage space, but she couldn't take them out in front of the soldiers now. If they were confiscated, wouldn't that be a loss?

Now all I can do is use a broken earthenware pot to cook something to eat.

"Hey! You lot, watch out! If you break these bowls, I won't be able to buy you any more, and you'll all starve to death!" a soldier shouted.

Madam Li took the largest earthenware basin and, in an attempt to curry favor, stepped forward to show the soldiers the wild mushrooms she had dug up: "Sirs, look at these. I'll cook them and present them to you!"

"Hey, the quality looks pretty good."

"Yes, if it weren't good stuff, how could I dare to offer it to you?"

"Alright, go ahead."

"Why!"

Song He'er watched them from a short distance away, secretly chuckling to herself.

Filial piety? You can go see the King of Hell if you want filial piety!

The team only has one tinderbox, and everyone has to take turns using it.

Thus, the people cooking were divided into several groups: the eldest daughter-in-law and second aunt's family, the third aunt and her daughter, the youngest aunts from the general's mansion, and the wives and daughters of the stewards.

Song He'er moved the ceramic basin far away from them because the aroma of the eggs could be smelled.

"He'er, don't stray too far from the group, watch out for snakes," Qin Xiaoniang reminded her.

"It's alright, Mother. There are no snakes where there's fire. You and your brother can just wait there!"

Qin Xiaoniang smiled with satisfaction.

Song He'er first fetched some water from the mountain stream, put it in a container and boiled it. Then she put in five raw eggs, and soon the round little ones all floated to the surface.

Song He'er took them out, wrapped them in her clothes, poured out all the water from the earthenware basin, took out a little bit of grain oil from her spatial storage, and poured it into the hot pot.

To prevent the aroma from escaping, Song He'er fanned herself with her hand while cooking.

After the oil was heated, Song He'er put the cleaned mushrooms into the earthenware pot and stir-fried them. The team was carrying damp salt, which was dirty and smelly. For now, Song He'er could only take out some soy sauce and fine salt from her space and put them into the dish.

Instantly, the aroma of the food filled the air. Song He'er quickly covered the food in the bowl with a bamboo basket and hurried to Qin Xiaoniang's side. "Mother, this tree is blocking our way. You should eat."

Qin Xiaoniang glanced at the busy crowd not far away, breathed a sigh of relief, opened the bamboo basket, and was startled by the stir-fried mushrooms inside. "He'er, how did you cook these mushrooms?"

"Ah... I just saw some olive leaves. These things can be fried in oil, so these mushrooms are fried with them."

"Oh, then Mom will hold your little brother, you eat first."

Song He'er didn't refuse, thinking that she would eat quickly and then take her younger brother to the side for some fresh air.

After eating an egg and a small bowl of vegetables, Song He'er immediately felt full of energy.

However, Qin Xiaoniang had a small appetite and did not finish all the remaining mushrooms.

Besides, the weather is hot now, so these vegetables can't be kept for too long; the rest will spoil before evening...

Song He'er glanced at her chubby aunt standing not far away by a big tree, picking unripe dates for her daughter to eat. It seemed that she hadn't dug up much earlier.

"Mother, let's keep the rest of the eggs, but let's give these mushrooms to Aunt Pang and the others. After all, they helped us hold Huan-ge'er for a while."

Qin Xiaoniang nodded: "Okay, go ahead, but don't let the eldest mistress and the others find out..."

Song He'er smiled mischievously: "Don't worry, they don't have time to bother with us, Mom. Just wait and see, there'll be a good show soon!"

Qin Xiaoniang was completely confused, wondering when her daughter had become so preoccupied.

Song He'er walked to Aunt Pang's side, and the little maid Nianxin next to her immediately took a few raw dates and handed them over happily, "Fifth Sister, here you go, Mother picked them, they're delicious!"

Hearing the voice, Aunt Pang turned around and replied, "Oh, it's He'er. Have you and your stepmother eaten yet?"

Song He'er nodded: "We've already eaten. These are wild mushrooms we just dug up over there. We have some left over for Nian'er and Auntie."

Aunt Pang was somewhat incredulous. Then she looked at the ceramic basin in Song He'er's hand, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears: "Thank you for thinking of us, but your mother is weak and Huan-ge needs to be carried. Take this back for dinner, since there's probably less and less food to eat along the way."

Aunt Pang's considerate actions pleased Song He'er. "Nian'er is a girl; she can't eat such cold food. If she gets sick, she'll suffer later. Take it, but please don't let Madam and the others see it..."

"Ah...this...alright, He'er, please thank your mistress for me. If you encounter any difficulties along the way, just let me know, and I'll definitely help you!"

"good!"

Song He'er nodded and was about to leave when she suddenly heard the sound of porcelain shattering ahead...?