Did they starve to death since I didn't bring them food? (Chapter 35)

The four siblings nodded listlessly.

Shen Lanxi: "Instead of wasting time here, why don't you go and check again to see if there are any hidden treasures in the bandit's den, or if there is any food or clothing needed for the road, or anything that can be exchanged for money."

Shen Yuanjing and his three siblings suddenly had a breakthrough in their thinking.

"Big...brother, you rest well, we're going to go find something!"

Shen Lanxi nodded and watched them leave!

When Chunxue and Qiushuang saw that she had woken up, they went to prepare food.

Their young master doesn't eat from the same pot!

Li's mother has exceptional cooking skills. She makes braised mutton, cold bamboo shoot salad, sausage stewed with chicken, sweet and sour pork ribs, mixed vegetables, a bowl of fish ball soup, and a small bowl of crystal-clear pearl rice.

We've been eating and sleeping in the open all along the way, and this is the best meal we've had so far!

She was indeed hungry after sleeping all day. She had just picked up her chopsticks and taken a couple of bites when she heard soft sobbing beside her.

"Young master, you've been wronged. In the past, these simple dishes wouldn't have been worthy of being served at your table!"

Shen Lanxi was torn between swallowing the rib in her mouth and not swallowing it!

Was she ever a spoiled rich kid before?

If this isn't worthy of her table, then what is? Dragon meat or phoenix meat?

Don't they even look at what kind of families they have now?

"Spring snow and autumn frost, will you eat with me, or will you eat on your own?"

Autumn Frost and Spring Snow dare not dine with the young master.

"Young master, Mama Li has left us some food!"

Shen Lanxi: "Then let's go eat. Your young master doesn't like being watched while he eats!"

"You can take the sausage stewed chicken and the braised mutton and share them with Li's family!"

"This servant wouldn't dare!"

Habits cultivated from childhood cannot be changed overnight. She didn't intend to change them either; after all, this was an era of imperial power, and this was how it operated. She returned here not to overthrow imperial power and promote equality.

"I just woke up, so I shouldn't eat anything too greasy. The lamb has too strong a smell, take it away!"

Chunxue and Qiushuang quickly took the mutton to eat.

The courtyard was secluded, and Shen Lanxi ate her meal while thinking about what to do next.

Liu Yan had just brought some food and drinks to her mother and sister, intending to check if Shen Lanxi had woken up, but unexpectedly found her eating instead!

He straightened his brocade robes, which had already been washed clean, looked down at his spotless brocade boots, and adjusted his hair ornament before respectfully walking over.

"Young master has woken up."

Shen Lanxi already knew he was coming, but she hadn't exposed him. Now, hearing the voice and looking over, she thought to herself, "What a strutting peacock!"

"Have you had dinner yet?" she asked casually.

Liu Yanhui felt a little embarrassed; he should have avoided seeing the young master eating.

If he said he'd eaten, it's not mealtime yet!

What if he says he's eaten, and the young master thinks he's a smooth talker who doesn't mean what he says?

"I didn't eat!" he answered honestly.

Shen Lanxi: "Go see if Liu Laohu is busy. If he's not, invite him over for a meal!"

Liu Yan understood and immediately took the task as a mission, accepting the order and leaving!

Soon Liu Laohu arrived, and without Shen Lanxi saying anything, Liu Yan went to ask Li Mama for bowls and chopsticks.

Seeing that she was entertaining guests, Li's mother added a large plate of scrambled eggs and two large bowls of brown rice.

There are only two bowls of fine rice. One bowl is for the young master, and the other bowl is reserved for his use.

Looking at the exquisitely presented food, Liu Laohu felt so awkward that he couldn't even use chopsticks.

Liu Yanhui had been subjected to such treatment twice before, so she was much more natural now, at least more natural than Liu Laohu.

While eating, Shen Lanxi discussed the next steps in a consultative tone.

"I suggest taking everything you can, and burning everything you can't take!"

Liu Yanhui nodded: "Now that there are so many refugees, who knows, some of them might just go into the mountains like us. We can't give them the opportunity to become bandits!"

Liu Laohu: "Hmm, that makes sense!"

Shen Lanxi twitched her lips. Fortunately, she had called Liu Laohu over to listen in, not to hear his decisions. Otherwise, she would have been choked to death by the words "it makes sense"!

"Black Wind Stronghold has enough carriages; we'd better make use of them."

Liu Yan replied, "Things outside can change in an instant. We don't know if we'll encounter refugees. I suggest we all take a carriage."

Liu Laohu nodded: "That makes sense!"

Shen Lanxi: "Rest for another night tonight. Tomorrow we'll start organizing the prisoners to boil water, load everything that needs to be packed onto the truck, and prepare three days' worth of dry rations that can be stored and won't spoil easily."

Liu Yan nodded to Liu Laohu.

They finished their meal without realizing it, and Liu Laohu and Liu Yan left one after the other!

After dark, Shen Yuanjing secretly came over.

"Big sister, Grandmother was forcing Father to ask you for food and money, but I lied to them and said you were injured, so I didn't get anything!"

Shen Lanxi smiled: "I've got it. Have you eaten?"

Shen Yuanjing immediately grinned mischievously: "I've already eaten. I ate with the constables. There was rice and meat and vegetables. The rice was unlimited!"

That's normal. The constables were afraid they wouldn't be able to take the grain with them, so they were producing as much as they could!

"Big sister, you don't know, my grandparents, uncles, aunts, and even two concubines with their children are furious. They still have the nerve to ask us to bring them food! Even if the constables don't stop us, I won't bring them any!"

Shen Yuanjing unconsciously revealed his lively nature.

Shen Lanxi: "That's how it should be. If you don't fight for it yourself, and you do, they'll still cling to you and ask you for it. Why should they? You don't owe them anything!"

Shen Yuanjing's eyes flickered: "Big sister, do you also think what I did was right?"

The fact that he can still say such things shows that life hasn't been tough enough on him!

"Did they starve to death because you didn't bring them food?" she asked.

Shen Yuanjing's eyes darkened: "They bought it with their own money!"

She continued, "Did the constables give them free steamed buns?"

"They gave it to us!" He saw with his own eyes that they had thrown the hard, dry cornbread aside.

"Yuanjing! You need to know that they can live just as well without you! If you don't worry about them, you'll live even better!"

Shen Yuanjing: "..."

"Go back and think carefully about what I said!"

Shen Yuanjing returned as if in a dream.

The next day, none of the four Shen siblings went to pay their respects to their grandparents. Their reason was quite valid: they had to work for the yamen runners and perform well so that the runners would give the Shen family preferential treatment!

No one in the Shen family could find fault with this reason!

The four siblings are working

"Brother, I feel much better now that I don't have to pay my respects to our grandparents!"

“Me too. Every time I go to pay my respects to my grandparents, I have to serve them tea and massage their shoulders and legs. Even though we've been exiled, the things I have to do when paying my respects haven't decreased; in fact, they've increased!”

"Alright, if you don't want to go anymore, then we won't go. These past few days it's just been the few of us showing filial piety; it's time for others to do their part!"