"Uh, Yanwa can talk?" Zhou Qiongniang was so surprised that her eyes almost popped out.
Since the child was born, I have never heard the child make a sound.
He suddenly started talking today.
Could it be that it's because of his sister-in-law's good fortune that the gods intervened?
Not only Zhou Qiongniang thought so, but almost everyone in the Lu family except Jiang Tangtang and Lu Shiyan thought so too.
Even the fact that Lu Chenyan was able to return safely this time was attributed to Jiang Tangtang by Madam Su.
If it weren't for divine intervention, how could that little child have survived falling into the water?
The more she thought about it, the more regretful she became, regretting that she had neglected her grandson who couldn't speak.
Besides the Su family, Old Man Lu and the others also looked at Jiang Tangtang with a hint of caution.
Everyone hopes that she won't have any conflicts with her family because of the child.
Jiang Tangtang was unaware of the gazes of the crowd at that moment.
She squatted down and pinched the little boy's cheek with a hint of jealousy, saying, "You only call me 'Dad,' not 'Mom'?"
Lu Chenyan looked at Jiang Tangtang with his big eyes and called out softly, "Mother."
Hearing her child's soft, sweet voice, Jiang Tangtang felt her stomach pain lessen.
She gently ruffled the tuft of hair sticking up on the child's head and asked, "Didn't I tell you not to go into the water? Why don't you listen to your mother?"
Lu Chenyan looked at Jiang Tangtang with his big eyes and said, "I listened to my mother. I didn't go into the water to play. Someone pushed me from behind."
Lu Shiyan and Jiang Tangtang's expressions changed instantly. "Who was it? Who pushed you?"
Lu Cuilan's heart leaped into her throat, her nails digging tightly into her palms, fearing that Lu Chenyan would say something detrimental to her.
Knowing that Lu Chenyan shook his head, saying that he hadn't seen the person's face clearly, Lu Cuilan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She dared not stay at the Lu family's house any longer and ran back to her own place to rest with unsteady steps.
Seeing Lu Cuilan return empty-handed, Fang Mulin was very unhappy. "I'm starving! How come you came back empty-handed?"
Lu Cuilan was in pain all over after being beaten by Su Shi. When she returned, her husband didn't ask her anything about her condition. Instead, he blamed her for not bringing anything back from her parents' home.
Lu Cuilan was furious. "If you're hungry, go hunting and digging for wild vegetables in the mountains. You're a man, and instead of thinking about feeding your wife and children, you're always relying on women. How can you be so shameless?"
Fang Mulin wasn't embarrassed at all. "I was just worried that Mingming wouldn't have the energy."
With so many people in your family, what's the point of bringing back all that good stuff for those bastards to eat? You might as well lend some to us.
Now that Mingming is back, I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I'm going hunting in the mountains tomorrow.”
“My elder brother and sister-in-law have been bewitched by that vixen and have lost their minds. Now they believe whatever that vixen says. How am I supposed to get food from my parents’ home?”
Although Lu Cuilan was angry, she completely agreed with her husband's statement, thinking that her family members were all incredibly stupid.
What's the point of using grain to feed unrelated bastards?
It would be better to give them the food.
However, since Su had just beaten her up, she was afraid that what she had done would be exposed. She also felt that the Lu family should give them food, so she didn't dare to cause trouble at the Lu family again.
Meanwhile, after carefully questioning Lu Chenyan about the situation in the valley that day, Jiang Tangtang and Lu Shiyan had a general idea of who the murderer of their son might be.
However, until evidence was found, the two remained silent for the time being. They prepared to eat first.
Lu Shiyan brought back more than thirty children at once. The Lu family's previous meals were not enough, so Zhou Qiongniang washed wild vegetables and cooked a large pot of wild vegetable porridge for the children.
The pot contained more wild vegetables than sorghum, but the children ate happily. Some children even deliberately ate less because they were worried they would be kicked out if they ate too much.
"Eat your fill." Lu Shiyan noticed and served the child another bowl. "You're eating your own food, don't be afraid."
To avoid conflict, the children did not share the wild boar meat that Liu Chengfeng and others had hunted.
They took some coarse grains from the Lu family's food supply, cooked them with wild vegetables, and gave them a meal.
Even so, Lu Shiyan still made sure to tell his family beforehand that the money was a loan for these children.
Once he brings the grain back, he will return the grain that he used today to the Lu family.
As for wild vegetables, the children will go to the mountains to pick them tomorrow and return them to the Lu family.
In this way, it means that no one in the Lu family has to take responsibility for feeding the thirty children.
"Third brother, there's really no need to calculate it so clearly," Luo Taohua said awkwardly. "Let's just consider the wild vegetables as what we're giving to the children."
Before Lu Shiyan could refuse, Xie Ziang stepped forward, bowed to Luo Taohua, and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Auntie, but we are all perfectly capable and can pick wild vegetables ourselves from the mountain. We will pick the wild vegetables we ate today and return them to you tomorrow."
Xie Ziang started, and the rest of the children echoed him, saying they could go to the mountains to collect firewood and wild vegetables on their own.
And so it was decided that these thirty-odd children would be like a family, and during their time in the valley, they would be responsible for their own food.
The eldest, Xie Zi'ang, was essentially the head of this temporary family. Of course, it was impossible for a group of children to support themselves. Lu Shiyan would have to figure out how to provide them with staple foods.
Let's set aside the matter of settling the children for now.
Just as the Lu family finished dinner, Village Chief Song came over, eagerly asking about Lu Shiyan's scouting trip that day.
Not only Village Chief Song, but Old Man Lu also looked anxiously at his son.
“If you want to escape the war, you can settle here,” Lu Shiyan told everyone about the location of the valley and the situation outside.
His investigation revealed that the valley was located within the territory of Puzhou. However, due to its unique terrain, it had not been discovered before their arrival.
Many locals have never been to this valley, let alone the Western Rong people.
As long as they are careful when they come and go and don't get discovered, they can settle here and escape the war without any problems.
After hearing Lu Shiyan's words, Village Chief Song breathed a sigh of relief. After being on the run for so long, they had finally found a way out.
But after a moment, he asked worriedly, "Has the outside completely descended into chaos? What's the road out of the valley like? Is it still possible to buy grain seeds?"
Lu Shiyan said, "When we came back, we found a cave. If we go through the cave, it's not too far to get out of the valley. However, the cave is dark and quite narrow, so we need to clear it to make it easier to get around."
This result far exceeded Village Chief Song's expectations.
He thought that for an ordinary person to get from the valley to the outside world, it would take several days and several mountains to cross. He never expected that Lu Shiyan would find a shortcut.
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