"Oh, Brother Qingshan, you're being too kind! But this pickled cabbage is really delicious. I had it once last time and I haven't been able to forget it since! Just like the scholars say, it's something like 'the sound lingers for three days,' haha..." Huang Dali held a jar of pickled cabbage, and although he spoke politely, he didn't show any intention of refusing it.
Their escort agency also had cooks, but their skills were all part-time! They were lucky if they could cook some coarse grain porridge and make some flatbread for everyone; the pickled vegetables his wife made were long gone! They could forage for wild vegetables, but don't expect these rough men to pickle them well; they just mixed them with salt, enough to get the flatbread down their throats!
Radishes and cabbages are common winter vegetables, but they are hard to buy in this war-torn era. They had already eaten what they had bought before, and besides, they were all boiled, which made their mouths taste bland!
This pickled cabbage is different. Stir-fry it with some lard, and it becomes oily, tangy, and delicious. Put it in a flatbread, and it's incredibly fragrant! If you're lucky enough to hunt some wild game, you can make a stew of pickled cabbage and meat, so delicious you'll want to swallow your tongue!
The chef at the escort agency studied it for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what secret recipe Madam Qin had used to make ordinary cabbage and radishes so delicious. With this skill, she wouldn't have to worry about not being able to make a living in Jiangzhou City!
"Not at all, it's all thanks to Chief Huang's righteousness in showing us the way. Madam Qin said that once we're settled, we'll definitely thank you properly!" Gu Qingshan said, cupping his hands in thanks.
This is a common greeting among people in the martial arts world. He comes from a military background and has an inherent aura of menace. Although he tries to conceal it, he is still not to be underestimated.
Fortunately, Chief Escort Huang already knew that none of them were simple people, so he didn't investigate further! He said things like, "No need to be so polite, it's all what we should do, they're just people we're destined to meet..."
The bodyguards were all extremely envious when they saw that their leader had received a jar of pickled vegetables. One of the tall, thin young men stepped forward obsequiously and said, "Head镖师 (bodyguard), how about we have this for lunch today? Wang Er rendered out all the chicken fat from that fat chicken the other day, and it's just the right amount to use for stir-frying!"
Wang Er is the cook at the security escort agency!
Huang Dali laughed and gave him all the pickled cabbage. Although he was a little reluctant, he wasn't good at cooking, and these brothers were his life-or-death friends. How could he really be reluctant to part with a meal?
Besides, they'll be arriving in Jiangzhou City soon, where they'll have plenty of hot food. It's just that the pickled cabbage has a unique flavor, and it's not sold in Jiangzhou City! However, thinking that if Qin Sanniang and the others settled down in his brother-in-law's village, he wouldn't want any other gifts; a few jars of pickled cabbage would suffice!
After Qin San Niang and the others finished their meal quickly, Liu Shi and several other women worked together to make more than a hundred cakes.
"Auntie, I'm afraid there won't be enough flatbreads. I'll make some fried rice later." Even with so much, it probably still won't be enough, but there's not enough time, so we'll just have to make something to tide us over! Wu Chunhua wiped her hands, put the cooled flatbreads into her bundle, and then put the bundle into her basket.
"Alright, we'll dry them slowly on the cart later!" Liu put away the basket. As the head of the family, she had to protect the food supplies! Having spent most of her life in hunger and cold, no one knew the importance of food better than her!
There were more than ten people in their group. The adults needed to eat two flatbreads for lunch, and one for breakfast and one for dinner. The little kids could eat half a portion, but for kids like Fatty and Big Kid, they had to be counted as adults! These flatbreads would only last for two or three days.
Fortunately, they didn't eat this every meal. If they weren't in a rush, they would secretly cook some rice to eat, and occasionally Gu Qingshan would hunt a pheasant or rabbit to treat everyone. However, on these occasions, they would need even more rice and flour, otherwise it wouldn't be worthy of such good food!
In addition, Qin San Niang would occasionally take out steamed buns and pastries from her spatial storage. To avoid arousing suspicion, she would take out the steamed buns and pastries the night before, let them cool completely overnight, and the steamed buns would become dry and hard, not looking as good as when they were freshly baked. She would then claim that she had bought them in the city.
No one suspected anything. It was really cold, and the steamed buns wouldn't spoil. As for complaining? Absolutely not! These were white flour steamed buns!! Even if you ate them dry, they would be more fragrant than those coarse grain flatbreads that were as hard as rocks!
In the afternoon, the group set off from outside Lin'an City and headed towards Jiangzhou City.
Unlike Huang Biaotou and his group, who were eager to return home, Liu and her companions were both expectant and apprehensive.
Six days later, they arrived at Jiangzhou City!
"Mother, Grandma, this city wall is so high!" The waiter jumped up, eagerly lifting the curtain to look out from afar. The city wall of Jiangzhou rose abruptly from the ground, and the distant mountains stretched out in undulating waves. If it weren't for winter, it would surely be a lush green landscape!
"You little rascal, come in here right now! Don't catch a chill and start coughing!" Liu hurriedly pulled the curtain down, leaving only a crack for the children to peek out.
"Grandma Liu, this city wall is really high! It's higher than all the cities we've been to before!" Fatty said excitedly.
Joy was beaming on everyone's faces. How could they not be excited? It was like a ship that had been adrift at sea finally being able to reach the shore! It meant they would have houses to live in and earthen beds to sleep on! They would no longer have to sleep in the wilderness and constantly worry about their lives!
As they approached the city gate, Huang Dali spurred his horse closer and said, "Sister, our escort agency needs to go to the city to hand over all the goods. It will probably take about a day! My brother-in-law's family lives in Shiligou Village, about ten miles away. If you can't wait, you can go there first. He will take good care of you."
He handed her a wooden dart, saying, "This is mine; he recognizes it."
After thinking it over, Qin San Niang realized there was nothing much to do in the city, so it was better to settle down first and then buy things! She discussed it with everyone, and they all agreed. Liu Shi felt that being able to visit her family's new land sooner would give her peace of mind.
"Third Aunt, let's go to Shiligou! I'm so happy about this. I'll feel at ease if we buy land and build a house sooner!" Wu Chunhua said with a smile, unable to hide her joy!
Liao Hongying nodded, presumably because He Xiucai also agreed.
Actually, the reason He Yingyuan didn't care about going to the city was simply because he found Jiangzhou City uninteresting. In his previous life, he had lived there for many years. He worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk, striving to earn money for his journey, even studying late into the night, witnessing the coldness and indifference of human nature. As for Jiangzhou City, did he have any particularly warm memories? There really weren't any! Perhaps he was just a cold-hearted person to begin with!
Gu Qingshan and Azhi had no objections; it was a good thing to be able to build houses and settle down as soon as possible. "Madam Qin, my daughter and I will go with you too."
Seeing that everyone was in such a hurry, they all agreed to go to Shiligou. Qin Sanniang nodded and drove the carriage toward Shiligou in the direction indicated by Huang Biaotou.
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