88 Famine 3

◎First impression◎

Old Mrs. Wang twisted her ankle and sat on a rock, rubbing it with her teeth.

Yan Lan didn't say anything when she saw it, but just silently took out a flashlight from her backpack, turned on the light, and went into the woods behind her.

After what happened just now, the Wang family was in shock. Although they didn't have time to speak, their eyes were always on Yan Lan.

They were surprised to find that the other party took out a magical cylinder from the backpack. This cylinder could even emit bright light. They had seen that backpack before, and it was empty. When did they find such a treasure!

Old Mrs. Wang and the two aunts from the Wang family looked at each other, and they all saw shock and confusion in each other.

There were only three young girls who showed their curiosity and envy. That thing was great. If they could have one, they wouldn't have to worry about walking at night anymore.

But before they could ask, the other party ran away without saying a word. The Wang family looked at the dark night and fell into an eerie silence.

They wanted to drive Yan Lan away, but since Yan Lan saved their lives just now, everything seemed different.

Before I could figure out why this happened, I heard a rustling sound in the woods. In the blink of an eye, Yan Lan's figure appeared in the open space ahead again.

Old Mrs. Wang closed her slightly open mouth and turned her back without looking at her.

Aunt Wang is a little introverted. Seeing that her mother-in-law didn't greet her proactively, she didn't dare to go forward. She just nodded slightly with a bit of embarrassment on her face.

Aunt Wang is more open-minded. What Yan Lan did before was wrong, but today she saved her life. These are two different things. She should hold a grudge, but she should also be grateful.

Old Mrs. Wang and Aunt Wang didn't plan to show up, so Aunt Wang walked forward with her daughter and two little nieces.

She was now truly grateful to Yan Lan. At that time, they all thought they would not survive the night, but it was Yan Lan who reached out and saved them.

So her smile was bright from the heart: "Miss Yan, thank you so much this time."

After she finished speaking, she quietly reached out and nudged the three sisters beside her. Wang Damei quickly understood her aunt's intention and bowed to Yan Lan with her two sisters to express her gratitude: "Thank you, sister."

According to the previous setting, Yan Lan tricked the two sons of the Wang family into going into exile. She thought that it didn't matter if she couldn't get their forgiveness this time, and she could help them a few more times and slowly win them over. Unexpectedly, she got an unexpected reward.

Yan Lan looked at Aunt Wang Er and the little girls in front of her and smiled warmly. It seemed that these people were a breakthrough.

"I wasn't far away. I heard your cries and rushed over. I'm glad everyone is okay."

Then she handed over a handful of herbs and looked at Old Lady Wang, who had her back turned but was listening to their conversation with her ears perked up.

He said, "I think Aunt Wang twisted her ankle. If she doesn't get it treated promptly, it might be red and swollen tomorrow."

Aunt Wang didn't think much about it and was about to take it when she heard her mother-in-law shouting.

"I don't accept your kindness. Who knows if you're hiding a knife behind your smile like before?"

She was so frightened that she shuddered immediately, withdrew her hand and looked at Yan Lan opposite her awkwardly.

Yan Lan knew that this family was frightened by what happened before. She knew that it would take some time for the Wang family to completely let down their guard, but she was not in a hurry. She just put the herbs on the ground, turned around and walked towards the big tree a few meters away.

But before leaving, she kindly reminded me: "If you don't treat your swollen feet in time, you don't know if you can still walk tomorrow. This medicine is very simple, just crush it and apply it to the wound."

The Wang family is fleeing, and it would be absolutely impossible if they couldn't move forward.

Sure enough, after hesitating for a few times, Old Lady Wang applied the medicine under the persuasion of Second Aunt Wang.

The herbs were cool, and Old Lady Wang's red and swollen ankle felt much more comfortable instantly. She quickly glanced at Yan Lan who was making a fire not far away, and there was a hint of strangeness in her eyes.

After experiencing the wolf pack, everyone was highly focused and didn't sleep much. In order to take care of Old Lady Wang and her family, Yan Lan only closed her eyes for a while to rest.

So when we woke up the next day, everyone was generally not in a good condition.

Old Mrs. Wang rubbed her old arms and legs, glanced at the cloth bag beside her again and again, and finally made up her mind.

"Daughter-in-law, let's cook some porridge. We have a long journey today, so we need some to fill our stomach and give us some strength."

Although it was meant to fill the stomach, only half a handful of rice was taken out. Even a child's appetite is more than that.

Yan Lan didn't pay much attention to the Wang family. She thought for a few seconds and then walked deep into the woods. There was only dry food in her backpack, but no meat. She happened to love meat, so she prepared to hunt some prey.

Ever since Yan Lan saved their lives from the wolves yesterday, the Wang family's little girls' opinions of her have changed greatly.

Seeing Yan Lan walking into the woods alone, he couldn't help but open his mouth, but said nothing.

It wasn't until Yan Lan's figure completely disappeared that he turned around and said anxiously, "Grandma, she's gone."

"It's just right that she left. Do you think we should keep her here?" Old Mrs. Wang was not in a good mood.

Aunt Wang doesn't talk much, but she is very thoughtful. She glanced at her mother-in-law's uncomfortable face and understood what was going on.

As if she had noticed the look in her eldest daughter-in-law's eyes, Old Lady Wang turned around to sort out her bag, but she sorted the bag again and again.

The second daughter-in-law was very skillful and quickly prepared a pot of porridge. When she was turning off the fire at the end, she added a handful of wild vegetables to make the porridge thicker so that everyone could get more.

The wild vegetables were soaked in rice porridge, and soon a fresh fragrance of green leaves was emitted.

The Wang family hadn't had enough to eat for a long time, so they cherished every meal as if they were eating delicacies from land and sea. Now they surrounded the city and stared at Aunt Wang's movements.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Aunt Wang felt a great sense of responsibility. She specially took two leaves to pad the two handles of the pottery jar and solemnly lifted it off the fire.

Just as she stretched out her hand, she heard a loud sound from behind. Her hand trembled and unexpectedly touched the hot wall of the pot. She was so scared that she immediately withdrew her hand and blew on it non-stop with her mouth.

Everyone had been together for some time and was particularly familiar with Yan Lan's voice. They turned around when they heard the noise, especially the two little girls, who could hardly contain the joy on their faces.

But what made them even happier was what Yan Lan was holding in her hand.

Oh my god! Those are pheasants! So fat! And there are two of them!

Bubbles were bubbling out of the earthenware pot containing the wild vegetable porridge, reminding everyone that it was cooked and could be taken out and enjoyed. However, everyone's attention was attracted by the pheasant in Yan Lan's hand, and they didn't notice the "delicious food" next to it at all.

"You, you... didn't leave." Old Mrs. Wang was a little stunned for a moment, but also a little excited at the same time.

"Well, I'm not leaving. I still have time to send you south. I was just going hunting," Yan Lan said, then she put down the dead pheasant in her hand and took out a few pheasant eggs from her backpack and handed them over. "Here, beat these eggs and add them to the porridge."

"Okay!"

Aunt Wang was standing behind her mother-in-law and aunt, blowing pitifully on her fingers which no longer hurt.

As soon as he heard Yan Lan's words, his eyes lit up and he quickly came out from behind. Without saying a word, he took the eggs, beat them into the porridge in no time, and stirred them with bamboo chopsticks.

Old Mrs. Wang looked at the pheasant eggs that had turned into frangipani and didn't know what to say for a moment, but when she thought of what she had fed Yan Lan's mouth before, the guilt in her heart disappeared in an instant.

The rice porridge with eggs was cooked quickly. Second Aunt Wang accepted Yan Lan's kindness and had no longer harbored any resentment. She even took the initiative to greet her.

"Miss Yan, would you like to eat something together?"

Yan Lan looked at the bubbling rice porridge, which was a mixture of white, yellow and green. Although it smelled good, she really had no appetite at the sight of it.

She took out a white flour bun from her bag, raised it and shook it: "No, I have food."

Eating pheasant early in the morning can cause indigestion, so she plans to have a light breakfast and eat pheasant for lunch or dinner.

"Oh my god, this is white flour! I saw the adults in town eating it before, and I heard it's super delicious!"

As soon as the white flour buns were taken out, the little girls couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

It's not that they are making a fuss, but Yan Lan is really curious. Yesterday she took out a thing that glows at night, and today she took out such white steamed buns. You know, ordinary people can't even see this white flour. It is a precious food that only officials have the chance to eat.

Yan Lan didn't give any more food out this time. After all, there were only two steamed buns and two pieces of black bread left in the bag. These might be her food rations for the next few days, so she had to be frugal.

The little girls of the Wang family didn't intend to eat it at first, but they couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, and Yan Lan also gave them three eggs.

Eggs! That’s meat, and they haven’t eaten meat in a long time!

Yan Lan ate steamed buns with mineral water, while the Wang family drank rice porridge mixed with eggs and wild vegetables, squinting their eyes happily.

After eating and drinking, the family set off. Aunt Wang and second aunt Wang led the way in front, eldest sister Wang supported old lady Wang and walked in the middle, followed by second sister Wang and third sister Wang. Yan Lan walked at the end of the team. She wanted to walk in front, but she didn't know the way after all.

It was a group of old, weak, women and children, and the team was moving very slowly. Yan Lan had nothing to do, so she would go into the woods from time to time and take out two bird eggs or a little turtledove.

She would give some of the prey she hunted to the two aunts or Wang Damei of the Wang family, under the pretext of asking them to help carry it, but the Wang family knew that there would definitely be a portion of food for them among them.

Aunt Wang turned her head to look at the pheasant and the rabbit stuffed in the backpack, and she felt full of energy.

This Miss Yan is really skilled. Even a professional hunter can't hunt a single prey in an hour, but she catches a chicken and a rabbit one after another, as if this forest is her home.

When she was not hunting, Yan Lan would pick some herbs on the roadside. Every time she picked herbs, Wang Damei would follow her to help. Seeing that she was interested in this, Yan Lan would teach her how to identify various herbs and their effects.

She didn't know many different kinds of herbs; they were all learned during her time with Luo Wen, in case she wasn't around for emergencies. At most, they could treat injuries, headaches, or fevers, but they were definitely enough for an average family.

Seeing that Yan Lan was willing to teach her, Wang Damei was so moved that she almost knelt down and kowtowed to her.

After all, this is a skill that can support oneself, just like the lousy doctor in the village who can support his family just by treating villagers for colds and fevers.

Wang Damei studied very seriously, and the other members of the Wang family became more respectful to Yan Lan when they saw how much she taught her younger generation.

Everything is moving in the right direction.