Both families were in the courtyard in front of their houses, some chopping wood, others feeding the chickens.
As soon as he saw her arrive, he quickly greeted her.
Jiang Yimian handed the items in her hands to Gou Sheng and Liu Dayong respectively before smiling and saying, "Try them. I just made some konjac. It tastes good. You can use these two pieces to stir-fry, make soup, or make a cold dish."
Gou Sheng happily accepted the plate, looked at the sliced konjac strips, and took some to put in his mouth.
The spicy flavor, combined with the chewy texture of the konjac, was so delicious that he almost swallowed his tongue. He nodded repeatedly, "It's so delicious! Grandpa Liu, you should try it, it's so fragrant!"
He had never eaten konjac before, so he readily accepted it when he saw it.
Old Liu and Liu Dayong, however, had stiff expressions and neither dared to try. They stood there frozen, holding the items, clearly still traumatized by what had happened before.
Jiang Yimian found it amusing and said, "Don't worry, this konjac is definitely not poisonous after being cooked. If you really can't stomach it, just give it all to Gousheng."
She didn't insist, after all, she had been poisoned once before and would have some lingering trauma.
Seeing that the two looked hesitant to eat it, Gou Sheng chuckled and teased, "Grandpa, Uncle Liu, you should try it. It's really delicious. Surely it's not worse than what a kid like me can eat. I dare to eat it. I'll take it to Tie Dan to try later. He'll definitely dare to eat it too."
Old Liu glared at him irritably, then glanced at the seasoned konjac in Liu Dayong's hand and unconsciously swallowed. "Your little brother is only six months old. If you give him this, your mother will beat you in a minute."
Although he had been poisoned once before, he still really wanted to eat the konjac strips that looked and smelled delicious.
Gou Sheng just laughed from the side, "My mother is very gentle, she would never hit me."
Liu Dayong: ...
This kid is laughing at him, isn't he? He just won't eat, and he won't give any to this kid either.
Thinking it over, he simply turned around and handed the thing in his hand to Old Man Liu, then coughed lightly before saying, "Father, would you like to try some?"
Old Liu remained silent for a moment, feeling that the scene was all too familiar. He abandoned his impulse to take action, picked up some konjac strips coated with seasoning, and fed them directly into his mouth.
Unlike the raw konjac which only has a few bits of residue, this konjac was chewy, refreshing, and pleasantly spicy, which surprised him.
The expected tingling and burning sensation didn't come from his tongue and throat. He just breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly, "Hmm, it tastes good, delicious."
Liu Dayong glanced at his father suspiciously. He remembered that his father had eaten a bite of raw konjac and said it was delicious. Just as he was about to try it, his father clutched his throat and lay on the ground, repeatedly saying that it hurt. It almost scared him to death.
Seeing that Liu Dayong didn't move, Old Man Liu naturally thought of what happened back then, and immediately said in an annoyed tone, "Are you asking me to help you test for poison? Take it or leave it, get lost."
After saying that, she angrily snatched the konjac and sat down to eat it.
Liu Dayong was startled and apologized repeatedly. He coaxed the old man for a long time before he finally got his wish and ate a bite of konjac, which immediately made him happy.
"Mmm, this is really good, it smells so good!"
Old Liu snorted coldly and carried the plate into the kitchen.
His daughter-in-law is more pleasing to the eye; his son is just annoying.
Jiang Yimian was amused by the way the two interacted; this father and son who were constantly sabotaging each other was really interesting.
*
Several days passed peacefully in the small depression, and there were no signs of outsiders venturing into the nearby woods. The people who had been worried for many days finally felt much relieved.
Old Liu hadn't gone to the fields to gather grass for quite some time, and he was really worried about it. Seeing that nothing had happened these past few days, he told Zhao Xing'er and then rowed his raft out of the small depression by himself.
Helpless, Zhao Xing'er told the other party to be careful and didn't say anything more.
As evening approached and he still hadn't returned, she finally grew anxious and rushed to the Jiang family's house.
Jiang Yimian was watching the two little ones playing ball with Mimi, and she was in a good mood.
Mimi has been hunting birds and eating meat in the small depression these past few days and has grown quite a bit, but she still doesn't look much like a tiger. Apart from her strange roar, she's still like a cat, which didn't arouse any suspicion from the crowd.
The two little ones have finally grown a bit taller. They run around with Mimi every day and look more energetic, unlike before when they seemed like they could be blown away by the wind.
Just as Mimi was about to bump into Zhao Xing'er, who was rushing over in a panic, Jiang Yimian quickly scolded, "Mimi!"
Mimi immediately stopped the car, rolled to the side, and let out a pitiful cry.
Jiang Yimian breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward and ruffled Mimi's fluffy head before looking at Zhao Xing'er, "Auntie, why are you in such a hurry? Is something wrong? Is Brother Dayong back?"
Don't let Mimi's small size fool you; she's incredibly strong. Just now, with that speed, she pounced on Zhao Xing'er, and both of them would have been injured.
Zhao Xing'er took a breath before shaking her head. "Da Yong is still patrolling outside. Yes, he's my father-in-law. He went to the fields this afternoon and hasn't come back yet. I'm a little worried."
It's all her fault for not stopping her. She thought pulling weeds wouldn't take long, but it's been almost two hours and she still hasn't returned. It's getting dark.
Jiang Yimian was taken aback, then said helplessly, "Grandpa must be reluctant to give up the fields outside. It's alright, that place is remote and should be fine. If he hasn't returned by now, I'll go out and check."
Zhao Xing'er calmed down and quickly said, "It's my fault for being so anxious. When Dayong comes back, I'll have him go and check on you. You're just a young girl; it'll be dangerous when it gets dark."
Jiang Yimian simply waved her hand.
A short while later, Liu Dayong returned from the cave. Seeing Zhao Xing'er at the Jiang family's house, he asked curiously, "Where's Dad? I didn't see him in the yard."
These past few days, his father has been unable to work in the fields, so he spends all his time sitting in the yard, either chopping wood or feeding the chickens and rabbits; he can't stay idle.
He couldn't help but feel a little strange not seeing anyone.
Zhao Xing'er said helplessly, "They went to the fields to pull weeds and haven't come back yet. You should go and check on them, it will get dark soon and the roads will be difficult to walk on."
Liu Dayong was taken aback, then understood and said with a smile, "My dad just can't sit still and can't bear to leave the fields."
"Don't worry, I've been keeping an eye on things around here all day and haven't seen anyone come in. Most of them are just wandering around the outer edge of the mountain. This area is too deep; those people wouldn't dare to come in easily. My dad should be fine too; he'll be back soon."
Only after hearing this did the group feel relieved.
However, as he bent down by the ditch and pulled up another blade of grass, he glanced at the sky and realized it was getting late and he had to leave.
Not far away, in a place overgrown with weeds, the three people exchanged a glance, slowly got up from the ground, and stared at the people outside.
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