There was nothing else to it, except that they had been eating fruit and drinking honey to fill their stomachs all the way. At first, the fruit tasted fresh, but if they ate it every day, their mouths would become sour and astringent, and even the sour taste of the fruit would linger in their teeth, which was very uncomfortable.
Therefore, when the eldest brother of the Fan family suggested picking fruit to eat, everyone felt a strong resistance, both physically and mentally, and instinctively shook their heads and said in unison:
"Let's not."
The eldest brother of the Fan family scratched the back of his head, looking rather uneasy. He was the kind of person who couldn't sit still, and he was always like that at home. Whenever he had nothing to do, he would pick up a hoe and go to the fields to weed. Seeing everyone else busy with their own tasks, he was naturally envious.
Seeing that he couldn't catch pheasants or pick wild fruits, he felt bored and was about to complain to his wife when suddenly a brilliant idea struck him, and he excitedly exclaimed:
"Why don't we go and get some wild vegetables to eat?"
Yun Shenghua didn't want to dampen this person's enthusiasm again and again, so he quickly replied:
“Okay, that works. When we were kids, we didn’t have much to eat. We just dug up wild vegetables from the mountains. Come on, brother, let’s go this way.”
"good."
With the addition of wild vegetables, the group had one more thing to eat. Moreover, these wild vegetables were stir-fried with the oil rendered from the cured pork, so they naturally absorbed the aroma of meat. With Zhang's seasoning sprinkled on top, eating them tasted just like eating meat.
So the group ate wild vegetables for three more days. After their mouths became parched, they set their sights on pheasants, quails, and partridges. With a bit of meat in their mouths and the mosquito-repelling herbs prepared by Yun Chu at night, they were able to sleep soundly. Naturally, they felt more energetic, and their feet and backs no longer ached when they walked. With a burst of energy, they finally made it to Qingcheng territory.
**
Yunling figured Qingcheng was safe for the time being, so she decided to go to the Qingcheng Inn to rest. After all, they had been traveling in the sweltering heat and hadn't washed for so many days, so everyone had a bit of an odor on them.
One person is fine, but with such a large group, the smell becomes quite strong. If it weren't for Yun Chu's mosquito-repelling herbs, the flies that usually swarm around the latrine would probably have come to visit them.
Also, they can take this opportunity to stock up on some dry food, and it would be best if they could buy a large pot so that cooking would be more convenient.
Yunling became more and more excited as she thought about it. She followed the mountain path down the mountain and was about to ask Wen Siqing for directions to Qingcheng when she could already smell the aroma of steamed buns not far away.
"Baozi, Mom, those are baozi, I want to eat them."
"Mom, I want to eat steamed buns too. Can I have a meat bun, like the kind you used to make that bursts with juice?"
The two young children of the eldest sister-in-law of the Fan family started making a fuss because of the smell of the steamed buns. Bingniang's two young children, who were not very old, also started making a fuss. The children cried because they could only smell the aroma but could not eat. Their cries were more intense than if a piece of their own flesh had been cut off.
Old Lady Yun rushed forward in a flash and said:
"Brother, ten steamed buns, please."
"Alright, five strings of cash."
Five strings of cash? Hey, are you trying to rob someone?
Before Old Lady Yun could react, Yun Ruoxia had already caught up and started cursing:
"Is there gold or silver hidden inside your bun? You used to get one for a penny, but you're asking for five hundred pennies for one. Does that make you fly?"
The man seemed completely unconcerned, as if Yun Ruoxia's words were just a passing breeze. He leisurely fanned himself, trying his best to spread the aroma of the steamed buns as far as possible.
"This is the price; take it or leave it."
The Fan family children cried even harder, each grabbing the hands of Fan's eldest sister-in-law and Bingniang, tears and snot streaming down their faces as they urged for more.
The vendor's expression grew even more smug. He even rolled his eyes at Yun Ruoxia to show his disdain, which infuriated her.
"Hey, you!"
“Aunt,” Yunling pulled Yun Ruoxia back, turned to look at the vendor, and asked softly, “Why are these buns so expensive, young master? Has something happened in Qingcheng?”
The vendor glanced at Yunling but didn't respond.
Wen Siqing then repeated Yunling's question in the local dialect, and this time the vendor responded.
"Qingcheng is now a ghost town."
"What do you mean? Does that mean those rebels have already reached Qingcheng?"
The vendor clicked his tongue twice, his five fingers naturally spread open, palm facing up, and instead of fanning the buns with his other hand, he fanned himself, emphasizing that if the money wasn't there, nothing else was up for discussion.
Wen Siqing glanced at Yun Ruoxia, who then looked at Yun Ling. Yun Ling looked ahead and said to Gangzi:
"If he can set up a stall, then there must be others doing the same. We won't be far behind, let's go."
Upon hearing this, the vendor immediately became anxious and shouted:
“There’s no one ahead. I’m the only one who’s not afraid of death and dares to set up a stall. If you keep going, you’re sure to get a cold shoulder.”
"Really? You mean you're the only one here?"
"That's not true."
The vendor arrogantly raised his chin, quite smug. If Yunling and the others continued walking forward, he would say, "Once you miss this opportunity, you won't find another one."
only……
The way things turned out deviated somewhat from his expectations.
Without saying a word, Gangzi grabbed a steamed bun, took a big bite, and then gave two more to Sister-in-law Fan and Bingniang behind him.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing! You have to pay to eat steamed buns. You can't eat steamed buns if you don't pay."
Gangzi picked out the biggest one for Yunling, and then replied:
"What are you yelling about? Didn't you say you were all alone here? Well, yelling won't do you any good. Who are you going to call to save you?"
"I...I...I..."
The vendor's heart sank when he saw a large crowd surrounding his stall. He realized he had been overestimating himself; what ability did he have to challenge such a large group of people?
One person's spit alone could drown him. Where does he get the aura to dare to open his mouth like that?
"Sir, sir, no, no, young lady, I was just being nonsensical and talking nonsense. Please be merciful and forgive me this time."
Yunling handed the steamed buns to Yunchu and Zhang Shi, and then replied:
"Brother, what are you saying? We haven't done anything wrong, why should we be so lenient?"
The vendor's heart bled as he watched the two steamer baskets go empty, but being in the middle of nowhere, he was genuinely afraid for his life and could only let them go.
"Young lady, I'm not lying to you. Qingcheng is truly a ghost town."
"uh-huh."
Yunling took a bite of the bun and then peeked at the fragrant drinks stall behind the bar.
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