Lu Cijian simply nodded.
Seeing this, Jiang Yimian didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she poured the walnuts she had picked up into a basin of clean water and began to wash them.
Lu Cijian quietly helped from the side.
The others continued to deal with the two wild boars, and for a time everyone in the small depression was busy, with no one idle.
But everyone's faces were beaming with smiles. The fear and dread had faded, and with over 400 pounds of pork suddenly added to their diet, it was hard for them not to be happy.
With two such plump wild boars, they're sure to have a good winter.
After a busy afternoon, everyone finally managed to clean out the two pigs completely, and soon every house was filled with hanging meat.
We'll make it into smoked meat in a few days, but the two families don't have enough salt to marinate it, so we can only make it smoked instead.
Dinner was also very plentiful, with pork rib and lotus root soup, stir-fried pork liver, pork blood hot pot, stir-fried pork with chili peppers, plus a few stir-fried vegetables and konjac. The table was full of dishes, and everyone ate with great satisfaction.
It was only when they learned that Lu Cijian would not be on the mountain for a while that everyone's happy mood subsided.
Wang Fengqin frowned and said, "Cijian, winter is coming soon. Even if you want to hurry home, you should wait until it's warmer next year! You can't stand the cold when it snows in winter."
Moreover, they had no idea what the conditions were like on the road.
Although many refugees have returned, without the restraint of the imperial court, the journey is bound to be fraught with danger, and the incident of refugees fighting over food continues to occur.
Leaving rashly might lead to some trouble.
The others had the same idea, assuming that Lu Cijian was planning to hurry home.
Old Liu frowned, but seeing that Lu Cijian was not persuaded, he had no choice but to say, "Alright, then let us know when you leave, and we'll make some pork jerky for you to eat on the way."
If Ci Jian hadn't driven the pigs over today, they wouldn't have had so much meat. They should each have a share. Not to mention that Ci Jian always brings some game when he comes to the small depression and helps them drive away the refugees.
We've been through so much together, and we've developed feelings for each other.
Since they couldn't stop him, they could only let him carry more food on the road so that he wouldn't go hungry.
Hearing what everyone was saying, Lu Cijian felt a little warmer inside and simply explained, "I just have some things to do, I'm not going home."
As for when he will come back, or even if he will come back, he really isn't sure.
Upon hearing this, Gou Sheng happily replied, "Brother Ci Jian, you're back after you've finished dealing with things? That's great! I'll show you my archery skills then; you'll be amazed."
Aside from the fact that he could read, he still held Lu Cijian in high esteem. She was one of only two people besides Yi Mian whom he admired.
Lu Cijian glanced at Jiang Yimian, and seeing her eating silently with her head down, he casually responded and didn't continue the topic.
The meal quickly came to an end amidst everyone's laughter and cheerful conversation.
*
For several days in a row, Lu Cijian indeed did not come to the small depression again.
Wang Fengqin, while making the clothes in her hands, said, "I don't know when Cijian will come back, so I'll make him a winter coat."
Winter in the Great Jin Dynasty is neither long nor short, and she was worried that Lu Cijian would not have any winter clothes to wear when he returned.
Moreover, she sewed winter clothes for every child in the small depression, so naturally she would prepare one for Lu Cijian as well.
Jiang Yimian simply responded and went to the lotus pond.
Lu Cijian has her own things to do, and so does she.
Although they had eaten together a few times, they were still complete strangers who had just met. Neither of them had shared their secrets or their past; they were more like dining buddies.
Jiang Yimian stopped thinking about the other person and saw Gou Sheng and Zhao Dashu digging lotus roots in the lotus pond. She felt a little cold.
Gou Sheng saw her from afar and waved to her with a grin. "Sister Yi Mian, don't worry. Grandpa just told us that I won't dig up all the lotus roots. I'll leave them in sections. Next year, I'll make sure the flowers in the lotus pond are as beautiful as they are this summer."
Zhao Dashu and the others smiled and assured her, "Sister Mian, don't worry, we've dug lotus roots before, so we know we need to save the seeds."
Their village also has a lotus pond, although it is not as big as the lotus pond in the small depression, but the lotus roots in it have grown quite a lot. In autumn and winter, they are called by the village chief to dig lotus roots.
But they were all small lotus root sections, not as big as those in the lotus pond right now.
Jiang Yimian simply nodded. Seeing that there were already quite a few lotus roots that had been simply washed on the bank, she smiled and said, "Alright, don't dig too many. This is enough for us to eat. Get up quickly, I'll take you to find something else to eat."
This is the season when chestnuts, walnuts, and hawthorns ripen, and she saw chestnut and hawthorn trees in many places during the summer.
Now is the perfect time to pick them; they'll probably be gone in a few days.
Moreover, she also needed to go and check on Wang Zhuzi and the others.
Several days have passed; those people should be better by now.
Recently, people in the small depression have been burning mugwort leaves and drinking some of the Chinese medicine she brewed from time to time, and I haven't seen anyone catch a cold. Everyone is in good spirits.
Upon hearing that he could find something else to eat, Gousheng immediately became excited, ran ashore, and said, "I'll go wash up in the stream and come right back," before disappearing in an instant.
Zhao Dashu and the others carried the lotus roots back, washed them briefly, and then followed Jiang Yimian out of the small depression with their baskets on their backs.
The group followed Jiang Yimian as they wandered through the woods and indeed spotted several chestnut and hawthorn trees.
The bright red fruit stood out against the green leaves, especially on the nearby trees whose leaves had already turned yellow, attracting everyone's attention from afar.
They all rushed over, looking at the hawthorns above their heads, feeling both happy and a little sour.
Gou Sheng swallowed hard before quickly saying, "Sister Yi Mian, should we pick hawthorns too? They're so sour. I don't know how they used to make candied hawthorns in town. They tasted sweet and sour, not bad at all."
A string of candied hawthorns costs three coins, enough to buy three large steamed buns. He had only eaten one string of candied hawthorns a very, very long time ago.
Later, when he got cravings, he would go up the mountain to pick hawthorns to eat, but they were completely different from candied hawthorns; they were so sour that his teeth felt soft.
Upon seeing the hawthorn tree, his mouth watered at the sour taste.
Zhao Dashu and the other two didn't even glance at the hawthorns, only picking up the fallen chestnuts from the ground, clearly having been overwhelmed by the sourness of the hawthorns.
The three worked together, with two knocking chestnuts off the tree and the third using a stone to crack open the prickly thorns on the chestnuts. They seemed to be working together very well.
Jiang Yimian was very satisfied and smiled at Gou Sheng, saying, "Would you like to eat candied hawthorns? Pick some today and I'll make candied hawthorns for you."
She didn't take out much sugar from her space. Wang Fengqin usually didn't use it much, only occasionally when the children craved it, so the sugar in the sugar jar was never too little.
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