The noisy courtyard quieted down again. If it weren't for the footprints of varying sizes covering the snow in the courtyard, it would be almost impossible to tell that someone had been there before.
Gu An'an stuffed the silver into Jiang Mingzhu's hand, "Go inside and eat, the noodles are getting cold."
The girl held the broken piece of silver in her hand, unsure of what to do with it.
That was really embarrassing.
Unfortunately, the freshly stewed chicken contained spices, which were not suitable for Jiang Mingzhu to eat. Gu An'an thought for a moment, picked up the bowl, and said, "Wait a moment, I'll go and make this noodle dish again."
Jiang Mingzhu held the silver coins, feeling somewhat at a loss.
The other two children in the family came over from the east room next door. When they saw the bruises on Jiang Mingzhu's face, Bao'er, who had been pretending to cry at Jiang Mingxu's words, suddenly burst into tears like golden beans, "Sister."
"It's okay, baby, don't cry. Have you eaten? How about your big sister feeds you?"
The little girl nodded, sobbing, her eyes red as she looked at her older sister. "Sister, does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt. Mother has already treated my sister. She'll be fine in a couple of days. It won't hurt."
The silver in her hand seemed to have warmed up from holding it. Jiang Mingzhu put the loose silver on the table, intending to wait for her mother to come back and have her put the silver away, as she didn't see any use for it.
In the kitchen, Gu An'an looked at the ruined noodles and decided to make a fried noodle pancake for Jiang Mingzhu's lunch.
The noodle soup was poured out, a small handful of flour was sprinkled on it, and then it was spread out on an oiled griddle.
Because they were made with thin noodles, frying them wasn't too difficult.
The noodles were fried until golden brown, making Jiang Mingxu's mouth water. He couldn't help but glance at his older sister.
"Sister, is it delicious?"
He had no idea that his mother could cook so many delicious dishes. He wondered why his sister's pancakes tasted better than the meat in his bowl. He really wanted to try them, even just a little bit.
Gu An'an tapped the little boy's hand with her chopsticks. "Mom will cook for you again later. Don't let your sister take your food today. Isn't the chicken delicious?"
"It's delicious." The little boy looked at Gu An'an with a grin. "Mom is so nice. Let's eat pancakes tomorrow."
Gu An'an: "..." Even a clever housewife can't cook without rice. There's only so much flour left at home, how could she possibly make noodles for them?
However, seeing the scratches on Jiang Mingzhu's face, she still had to go to the pharmacy to get some medicine.
If it hadn't snowed, Gu An'an could have gone up the mountain and maybe found some medicinal herbs.
After all, she went to work for a pharmaceutical company after graduating with a PhD in biology, and as a researcher, she had a fairly good understanding of the medicinal properties of herbs.
But now the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, and finding medicinal herbs on the mountain is like finding a needle in a haystack.
However, it would be good to go up the mountain again; it's a good time for hunting.
If we could catch some deer or roe deer, we could take them to the county town to sell for money. We can't just rely on those sausages, can we? Actually, there aren't that many, and they don't fetch much money anyway.
Oh, right, there's a dead gray wolf lying in the house, but it's quite old, so I doubt its pelt will fetch a good price.
We still need to find a way to go up the mountain again.
"I have to go up the mountain later."
Gu An'an's words drew the attention of all the children in the room. "Yi'er, come up the mountain with me. I'll invite Grandma Li to our house. Zhu'er, you take care of your younger siblings and listen to Grandma Li."
Bringing Jiang Mingyi up the mountain was a last resort, since having another person meant more protection.
Besides, she wanted to go up the mountain to catch small animals, and she couldn't manage it all by herself.
As for asking Aunt Li to come and help take care of the children, her house has a warm kang (heated brick bed), so I don't think Aunt Li would refuse.
The two older children quickly understood Gu An'an's intention in making this arrangement. Jiang Mingzhu was still a little worried, "Isn't it a bit dangerous to go up the mountain now? Actually, my wound on my face is nothing serious, and it doesn't matter if it leaves a scar."
She was afraid that the roads would be slippery due to the heavy snow, and what if she slipped and fell off a cliff?
"Actually, it's alright. I'll take care of your brother."
Jiang Mingzhu knew she couldn't persuade him, so she carefully tugged at Gu An'an's sleeve, "Then you and your brother must come back safely."
The girl's dependence comforted Gu An'an greatly. "Don't worry, when Mom comes back, I'll roast a pheasant for you. It's delicious."
...
There were a few more sets of footprints on the way up the mountain, left by Gu An'an and Jiang Mingyi. However, the north wind blew and snowflakes covered them, making the footprints appear smaller.
Jiang Mingyi followed behind, watching Gu An'an walk briskly uphill. He silently withdrew his gaze and said nothing more.
When they reached the fork in the road, Gu An'an looked around and then pointed to the right with the small wooden stick in her hand, "Let's go this way."
The path on the left was the one he took down the mountain this morning. Although he was more familiar with it, Jiang Mingyi did not object, thinking of the thing that had knocked him down and almost caused him to fall off the cliff.
Stepping onto the fresh snow, Gu An'an heard a crunching sound. Her eyes scanned the surroundings, and when she saw two shallow footprints, one on each side and the other on the front, she quickly turned around and said, "Shh."
Jiang Mingyi asked in a low voice, somewhat puzzled, "What is this?"
Roe deer.
The footprints of a deer.
I never expected there would actually be deer on this mountain.
Looking in the direction of the footprints, Gu An'an pointed and said, "Let's go over there."
Look, they must have gone around that huge rock over there.
Jiang Mingyi nodded upon hearing this and was about to take two steps forward when Gu An'an stopped him, saying, "You stay behind me and act according to the situation."
Is this an attempt to protect oneself?
Jiang Mingyi felt something was off. By the time he realized what was happening, Gu An'an had already tiptoed a short distance ahead, leaving only her footprints in the snow.
Some small feet, he carefully stepped into these footprints, his own footprints completely surrounded by Gu An'an's.
This feeling was strange, so Jiang Mingyi quickly dismissed the odd thought and followed. But unexpectedly, Gu An'an, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped.
Jiang Mingyi was in a bit of a hurry and accidentally bumped into Gu An'an. The young man instinctively grabbed her arm.
Fortunately, Gu An'an was able to maintain her balance by holding the wooden stick. Her expression was somewhat solemn as she turned to look at the young man behind her and said softly, "Can you smell blood?"
This word sent a chill down Jiang Mingyi's spine: the smell of blood?
After the heavy snow blocked the mountain pass, the animals in the mountains had nothing to eat. In previous years, there have been instances where animals would come down the mountain to the villages in search of food.
This is the first snow of the year. Could it be that they encountered wild animals hunting them?
The problem is that wild animals have exceptionally sharp noses. They can smell the blood, but can they also smell the scent of humans?
In that instant, Jiang Mingyi's face was even paler than the vast expanse of snow.
He gripped Gu An'an's sleeve tightly and mumbled a word from his throat, "Run."
He covered the rear.
However, it was too late!
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