Chapter 140
"What did you give that soldier?"
Bai Hua glanced at Fan Xiaoxiao, who was squatting beside her with a curious expression. She took out a small porcelain bottle from her bosom and handed it to her.
"It's just itching powder; let him itch for three days and three nights."
Three days and three nights... Fan Xiaoxiao's lips twitched slightly. Good luck to that soldier.
The vast grasslands of the desert make the journey relatively easy for horse-drawn carriages. However, it requires skilled drivers, as the area is unmarked and it's easy to get lost.
Fortunately, the Ghost Doctor had been to Han Hai before, and with his guidance along the way, everything went smoothly for everyone.
Night fell quickly, and the horse was exhausted from running all the way.
Baihua and Xiaohei found a stream and stopped the carriage.
After everyone got off the carriage, they began to prepare the food by cooking. Xiao Bao pulled Xiao Yu and Xiao Hei aside to play, and the three of them were extremely excited about what they had seen.
Fan Xiaoxiao shook her head and found a ceramic pot she had recently bought in Yongzhou City. She took her water bag to the stream to wash it and discovered that quite a few wild vegetables were growing there. She hadn't eaten fresh vegetables in a long time, and just thinking about their crisp texture made her mouth water reflexively.
"Sister, what are you doing?"
Fan Xiaoxiao was brought back to her senses by Fan's call. She responded and quickly called Fan over to pick wild vegetables together.
"Wild vegetables?"
"Yes, sister! Let's cook some multigrain porridge tonight, and pickle the rest so we can eat it tomorrow or the day after."
Speaking of pickled vegetables, Mrs. Fan recalled the perilla leaves she had made last time. For those few days, they used pickled perilla leaves as a dish, and the pancakes they ate tasted even better.
Recalling that taste, Madam Fan unconsciously swallowed.
"Okay, I'll pick them with you."
The two of them got to work together and soon filled the pot.
When we returned to the carriage, everyone seemed to be gathered together, laughing and talking loudly about something.
Fan Xiaoxiao and Madam Fan exchanged a curious glance and quickly walked over.
"Look, look! This chicken is so plump!"
"That's right! But these two rabbits don't seem to be very big yet."
"What are you talking about? Chickens and rabbits?" Fan Xiaoxiao asked with a smile. When Aunt Wang turned around and saw that it was the two of them, she quickly made way for them, her face beaming with joy: "Oh my, girls, you're back! Young Hei and the others just caught two pheasants and a pair of wild rabbits!"
Chickens and rabbits!
Fan Xiaoxiao's face lit up with joy, and she quickly went over. She then discovered that in the basket everyone was gathered around were a pair of lively rabbits and two large, tied-up pheasants! The pheasants were quite plump, looking to weigh at least four or five pounds. However, the rabbits seemed rather small, barely big enough to fit in the palm of one's hand.
"Baby! I want to eat chicken tonight!"
The Ghost Doctor emerged from Gu Zhongtai's carriage at some point, and his eyes gleamed green the moment he saw the two large, fat chickens. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was a fox reincarnated.
Fan Xiaoxiao smiled helplessly: "Eat, eat, eat! We'll have wild vegetable and shredded chicken porridge for dinner!"
"Porridge?" Upon hearing that they were going to eat porridge, the Ghost Doctor pouted unhappily: "We've been eating nothing but flatbread and porridge all this way. Can't we have some meat to eat? This old man's mouth is going to go numb!"
"Hey! Old man! This is the chicken I caught! I want to eat wild vegetable and shredded chicken porridge!"
Upon hearing the old man's words, Xiao Hei immediately became unhappy. This old man didn't care about anything else when he ate, and there were eleven of them! If they just ate roasted chicken, they would never get full.
Upon hearing this, the Ghost Doctor angrily glared at Xiao Hei, then snorted and disappeared with another empty basket on his back. Fan Xiaoxiao glanced at Xiao Hei helplessly. The latter, having clearly noticed her gaze, shrugged indifferently and said, "Wife, don't worry about it. That old guy will appear after you finish! I know him too well."
That's what they say, but Xiao Hei clearly underestimated the old Ghost Doctor's determination to eat meat.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the wild vegetable and shredded chicken porridge was already cooking in the pot. She planned to mix the extra muscle into coarse flour to make some meat-flavored pancakes, which she could eat with pickled vegetables on her journey the next day.
Just as she was stirring the porridge in the pot, the Ghost Doctor, who had disappeared for a while, finally returned with his basket on his back. However, the way he walked over looked somewhat awkward.
He raised one hand to cover his face while taking small steps toward them.
"Grandpa? What's wrong with you? Why are you walking so awkwardly?"
The Ghost Doctor sheepishly lowered his hand, his face covered in several large blisters that looked like they'd been stung by something. Fan Xiaoxiao was startled and quickly stood up.
"Hey! Grandpa, what's wrong with you!"
The Ghost Doctor scratched his head, his face slightly flushed, and said, "I just encountered a swarm of bees, and I was trying to get some honey. Unfortunately, I didn't succeed, and instead got stung a few times."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hei immediately began to mercilessly mock the Ghost Doctor: "Hahaha, old man, haven't you always boasted about your unparalleled lightness skill? How come you're not even as good as some bees!"
"Wow! You little rascal! I brought back some good stuff!"
After saying that, the Ghost Doctor placed the basket on his back in front of everyone, from which came the occasional cooing of a bird.
Fan Xiaoxiao peeked out and exclaimed, "Wow! There are quite a few pigeons! And they're all pretty fat!"
"How about that! This should be enough for all of us to eat! You brat! I'm going to roast this pigeon! Kid! Roast the pigeon for me!"
"Well, Grandpa, how about we eat this tomorrow? Our porridge is ready! Tomorrow I'll go with you to that beekeeper's place again, and we'll get some honey-roasted pigeons. They'll be so fragrant and the skin will be so crispy!"
The Ghost Doctor had just mentioned that there was honey on the grasslands, which was excellent for roasting meat. And after hearing her description, the Ghost Doctor was clearly persuaded by her.
In the end, no one insisted on the roasted pigeon. Although the wild vegetable and shredded chicken porridge was a bit bland, the rice porridge was cooked until soft and tender, the wild vegetables were refreshing, and the minced meat added flavor. They enjoyed the meal quite a bit, and afterwards, Aunt Wang and the others took the pot to the stream to wash it.
With nothing to do, Fan Xiaoxiao sat by the campfire in a daze, unaware that someone had sat down next to her.
"I just heard you two arguing. What did the old man say he wanted to eat?"
Fan Xiaoxiao was startled by the voice: "Boss Gu!? You're awake!"
Since that day in the deserted village, he had been in a coma. It was only after that day that Fan Xiaoxiao learned that the poison he had been given was so potent that it had caused him to be in a coma for so long.
"The Ghost Doctor recently gave me acupuncture to suppress some of the poison."
Gu Zhongtai still seemed a little weak when he spoke, leaning against the carriage, and his appearance showed signs of fragility.
Fan Xiaoxiao stared at him for a while, then suddenly asked, "If we continue along this road, how much longer will it take to reach Tianshan?"
"About twenty days."
“More than twenty days…” Fan Xiaoxiao murmured, then turned her head and hugged her knees: “Boss Gu, please don’t die.”
Gu Zhongtai was clearly taken aback by Fan Xiaoxiao's words. He was slightly touched and remained silent for a while before asking, "Why?"
Fan Xiaoxiao laughed out loud: "What do you mean 'why'? I need your protection now, so you absolutely mustn't die! Otherwise, what will I do about the drinks I still owe you!"
"Ah, okay."
(End of this chapter)
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