At that time, Qin San Niang had completely forgotten about Qin Shi and the others.
Along the way, Liu would occasionally mention that they might even run into the Wang family. Their travel permits were incredibly detailed, clearly recording the holder's place of origin, gender, age, physical characteristics, and intended destination. Unlike current ID cards, which can be forged, these were prohibitively expensive, making them far more credible for ordinary people.
Mentioning the Wang family made Liu's heart blaze with anger! In her view, even if they didn't want to take her with them when they fled, she could understand; she could simply stay in her hometown and wait for her son to return! Qin could have simply explained the matter clearly; there was no need to resort to such despicable tactics! Her eldest daughter and grandson, without any family members, would have likely perished on the journey if not for divine intervention. If they had encountered that old hag from the Wang family, she would have definitely given her a good slap across the face first!
In the evening, Qin San Niang and her group set up camp in an open area. The refugees had been left far behind. However, a caravan stopped not far from them. The lead carriage had a flag on it that read "Changfeng Escort Agency".
She couldn't help but take a few more glances. In Qin San Niang's impression, the镖师 (bodyguards) were all martial arts masters who rode tall horses and could clear mountains and make way for bandits with a single shout!
Just as Qin San Niang had imagined, the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) of Changfeng Escort Agency were all burly men, dressed in black short-sleeved shirts or black tight-fitting outfits, riding tall horses, carrying short knives, long clubs, or spears—they were clearly not to be trifled with. This was understandable; in this chaotic world, who would dare venture into the martial world without some skill? Not to mention bandits, even starving refugees were as ferocious as wolves!
"Sister Chunhua, cook a pot of rice tonight. I'm going to the river to fetch some water." There are no more live chickens in the space, but there are still quite a few fish. She plans to use the excuse of fetching water to hopefully encounter a carp!
Wu Chunhua nodded. It was cold, and people got hungry quickly. Eating more hot food would help them walk faster.
It's so cold today. Just thinking about hot, delicious fish soup, mixed with rice and pickled vegetables, would be so comforting. Qin San Niang is craving hot pot. In this weather, a mutton hot pot would be perfect! She does have mutton in her storage space; she'll have to find a way to get it out.
"Mother, I'll go with you!" Da Wa quickly caught up with her. He was still a little worried about his mother going to the river alone.
Although the temperature was low, the river water had not yet frozen, and in one place, steam was even faintly rising!
"Big brother, come quick! This should be a hot spring!" Qin San Niang was overjoyed. She actually found a hot spring here? It was just a pity that it was only about the size of a washbasin, so taking a bath was out of the question!
While Da Wa's attention was focused on the hot spring, Qin San Niang took the opportunity to release two large carp into the stream. With so many people, one carp certainly wouldn't be enough, but two should be about right! Although hot spring water could flow into the stream, there were no fish there. Even if there were, they would have already been caught by the refugees in front.
"Big brother, look! A fish!"
Upon hearing that there were fish, the eldest child forgot all about the hot spring and quickly moved closer to his mother!
Then I saw two large carp swimming around in the river, their movements surprisingly clumsy. I thought to myself, "They're just two clumsy carp!"
"It must be because the space is too comfortable; these fish have become stupid!" Qin San Niang thought to herself.
Take down the basket, slip the stick over the handle at the top of the basket, put a few handfuls of grass inside the basket, and place it at the bend in the downstream stream, where it is narrow enough to fit.
With one hand, he gestured to Qin San Niang, who then drove the fish downstream. Soon the fish was in her basket, and Da Wa quickly tucked it away!
"Mother, it's done! These two fish are huge!"
"Big kid is awesome! We can have fish soup tonight!"
They filled their water bladders and picked some wild onions and perilla leaves from the riverbank, which they could use for seasoning. The mother and son strung the fish on straw ropes and returned home happily.
Liao Hongying never expected that Qin San Niang and her son would catch two big fish while fetching water from the river! She was so surprised that she didn't know what to say! Even though there was no shortage of water now and there were more wild vegetables than before, it was still winter, and with so many refugees, wild vegetables were in high demand, let alone fish!
He Mingzhe hadn't had fish soup in a long time, and now seeing the two big fish in his older brother Da Wa's hand, he was so hungry he was practically drooling!
In comparison, Liu and Wu Chunhua appeared much calmer.
Liu knew of the existence of immortals, so he was naturally not surprised by such a thing.
As for Wu Chunhua, she had long known that Third Sister was a lucky person, otherwise how could they have had such a smooth journey!
"Big brother, you're so capable! Go over to the woodpile and warm yourself by the fire. I'll take care of the fish." Wu Chunhua quickly took the fish, and to her surprise, it was already cleaned. She happily carried it off to make fish soup. To her, this didn't feel like fleeing a disaster at all; it was even better than what she used to eat at home!
Even her chubby daughter looks much better than before; she used to be just chubby from being overweight!
When the fish soup was served, the milky white broth was topped with emerald green scallions and served in an earthenware pot, a truly natural and delicious dish.
One sip and you'll be left with a lingering aftertaste. The fresh and delicious fish, paired with the rich clear broth, is incredibly flavorful!
Even He Yingyuan couldn't help but exclaim, "Excellent! Excellent!"
The fish were very large, weighing nearly five or six pounds each. Everyone was amazed that there were such big fish in the water! In normal years, it would be fine, but now there is endless war, and many refugees come and go. Let alone fish this big, even small fish the size of a palm would be caught and stewed for soup. Even if they have bones, they are still meat, they are carnivorous!
Because the fish was big enough, the pot wasn't big enough. We made just enough to cook two pots of fish soup, which was enough for everyone to enjoy.
The aroma of fish soup drifted through the open and cold air, eventually reaching the nostrils of the group opposite.
As Qin San Niang and the others were drinking hot fish soup, they caught a glimpse of a woman dressed in a bright green cotton coat with a matching jacket, who looked like a maid. She was lifting her skirt as she walked, and underneath, she was wearing peach-colored embroidered shoes. This was hardly a refugee situation; it looked like a picnic!
"Hey, chubby girl, stop right there! Our young lady wants to buy your fish soup, so you don't need to drink that pot of soup!" Seeing the chubby girl's spoon reaching for another untouched pot of fish soup, the maid quickly intervened, ignoring the mud on the ground. How could her young lady, so delicate, drink someone else's leftovers?! This chubby girl is truly outrageous!
Her shout really startled Fatty! Her hand trembled, and she almost dropped the spoon.
Mrs. Liu was a little unhappy. She was the one who made the fish soup, and she was the one who had just given it to Fatty. Where did this wild girl come from, interfering even with other people's meals?
The maid in green rushed forward, panting, and said, "My young lady wants to buy your fish soup, any price is fine, but please don't drink it anymore, this pot is dirty enough! It's your good fortune that my young lady doesn't mind."
Although the fish soup tasted really good, the pot was all black, but at least the people were dressed fairly neatly.
"How can you talk like that? My family can drink our fish soup however we want! It has nothing to do with you." Seeing that Fatty and Wu Chunhua were at a loss, Liao Hongying didn't know what to do, and the other men didn't know what to say either. So, the old woman, Liu, had to say a few words. Firstly, to show that the fish soup belonged to someone, and secondly, to express that her family didn't want to sell the fish soup.
In this situation, food is more important than money for many people. How can you eat money when you're starving?! Even if you have ten thousand taels of silver, it's useless!
Before fleeing the disaster, Liu might have been more patient, after all, no one isgrudges money. But now, no matter what you say, she couldn't bear to part with the food, even if it was a gift from the gods. And if that were the case, she couldn't just sell it to anyone; the gods would be displeased!
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