The village chief dared not let the villagers continue speaking, fearing it would weaken their morale, so he shouted.
"Stop guessing. There's always a way out. As long as we don't get lost, we'll reach the Jinsha River once we get out of the mountains. We'll be safe once we cross the river. No matter how powerful the barbarians are, do you think they'll specifically target just a few of us? We don't have any money, so don't overestimate yourselves!"
The crowd, far from being angry after being yelled at, actually felt relieved.
That makes sense. They're not some noble or wealthy people, so the barbarians have no reason to keep targeting them. As long as they're careful, there shouldn't be any major problems.
So, people quickly turned their worries into anger.
Of course, it's also because... the pork stew is ready!
The hot pork stew with dried vegetables and mushrooms was served, and everyone grabbed a big bowl, drinking the soup and eating the meat. It was a bit chilly in the wind, but everyone was sweating profusely as they ate.
They would occasionally exchange a few jokes, making a great commotion in the mountains.
The women specially prepared a special stove for the little children, chopping up cooked pork and soaked mushrooms, adding only a small handful of rice, and cooking it until it was soft, sticky, and fragrant.
The little ones ate so much they could barely lift their heads, but Jiayin disliked the wild boar meat because of its gamey smell and only ate most of a bowl.
Tao Hongying took a break to knead a small piece of dough, then took some meat soup and other things to the small cave to quickly roll out noodles and make a special meal for Madam Cui.
Jiayin was wearing a red jacket and trousers, and a rabbit fur hat. Unlike the dirty and messy children from ordinary farms, she was fair-skinned, chubby, clean, and exceptionally cute.
She ran to the bedside, blinked her big eyes at Madam Cui, and neither spoke nor acted naughtily.
Madam Cui's cough lessened, but she was still uncomfortable. When she opened her eyes and saw such a chubby baby, she couldn't help but laugh.
"Whose child are you?"
Jiayin pointed to Tao Hongying, who was busy at the door, and softly replied, "She's from my mother's family."
This adorable, childlike appearance instantly melted Madam Cui's heart.
She habitually wanted to give a gift when they met, but when she tried, she realized she had nothing around her.
So, a hint of sadness appeared on her face, and she touched Jiayin's cheek and whispered.
"Little girl, you are so cute. Grow up well and become a beautiful young lady."
Jiayin could see the tenderness and loneliness in her eyes, and felt a little sorry for her, so she reached out her little hand and gave her a small thing.
Tao Hongying looked up and saw her daughter run inside. Afraid that she would be naughty, she quickly called out.
"Fu Niu, come here quickly, don't disturb Madam's rest."
Seeing Jiayin running out, she gave instructions to Sister-in-law Qiong.
"In another cup of tea's time, the noodles will be cooked, and you can serve them to your wife. She can only take her medicine after eating the noodles, as Doctor Zhang said that the medicine is a bit harsh on the spleen and stomach and cannot be taken on an empty stomach."
Sister-in-law Qiong quickly nodded her thanks, and Tao Hongying waved her hand with a smile, "I'll have my son bring you food in a bit, you take care of Madam first."
As she spoke, she carried Jiayin down the stairs.
Everyone was happy after the pork meal. With food and oil in their bellies, they were in good spirits and no longer worried about barbarians or chaotic times.
The men gossiped, while the women hurriedly ate their meals and then tidied up and washed.
After they finished their work, it was completely dark, and the wind and snow were getting stronger, so everyone hurried back to the cave.
Mr. Wen climbed up the small cave and saw Mrs. Cui sitting in a daze, so he asked her a question.
"Junior sister, are you feeling unwell again?"
Madam Cui looked up and, unusually, smiled as she replied.
"No, I'm sorry to have worried you, senior brother. I just ate some noodles and took my medicine, and I'm feeling much better now."
Mr. Wen was delighted to hear this and felt extremely grateful to the Li family.
"Although we were given silver, in this situation, grain is more valuable than silver. We've had two meals here, one with meat porridge and the other with meat soup noodles. The Li family is really too generous."
Madam Cui nodded, waved the small piece of oiled paper in her hand, and said with a smile, "Just now, the chubby girl from the Li family gave me a piece of candy, it was especially sweet."
"The youngest child?" Mr. Wen was quite surprised and praised, "Family traditions are really important; even a little child is so loyal and generous."
After thinking for a moment, Madam Cui said, "Senior brother, shall we stay here until spring and travel with these people? For now, we have nothing to offer in return, but when the time is right, senior brother, please say a few words to the village chief and the Li family. Once we reach Jiangnan, we will surely repay you handsomely."
Mr. Wen nodded, "That's what I think too, but this winter, we'll have to trouble the Li family even more."
The usually taciturn Sister Qiong suddenly interjected, "I can go hunting and trade with the villagers for grain."
“That’s one way, but it’s still not quite enough.” Mr. Wen pondered for a moment, then comforted Madam Cui, “Junior sister, don’t worry. Just focus on getting better and leave the rest to me.”
Madam Cui could only nod; her health really couldn't offer any help, or rather, it was already good enough if she didn't cause any trouble.
After descending from the cave, Mr. Wen and his entourage went to the village chief's cave to stay overnight.
Unbeknownst to him, the Li family in the neighboring cave were already planning to find him a job.
“Mother, Mr. Wen is reasonable and wise; he should be a good teacher,” Li Laosi said first.
Li Lao Er also chimed in with a smile, "Yes, I also spoke a few words with Mr. Wen. It's rare to find someone with such a mild temper. Although he didn't say it explicitly, he must have some official rank."
Jiaren overheard this and, with a vague guess in mind, his eyes lit up.
Grandma Li felt sorry for her grandson and patted him on the shoulder, "Don't worry about it. The family thinks this is a rare opportunity and wants Mr. Wen to teach you. Otherwise, with such a long winter, it wouldn't be good to waste it."
Jiaren, suppressing his excitement, nodded repeatedly, "Thank you, Grandma. I will definitely study hard."
"I wish you weren't studying properly. You're such a good child, yet you act like an old man all day. You should play too, you know?"
"Okay, Grandma."
Jiayin lay in her grandmother's arms, listening to her family members talking, yawned, and quickly fell asleep.
The fire in the stove flickered, its orange-red light illuminating the cave with exceptional warmth.
The mountain wind outside the cave tried hard to rush in without being arrogant, but it failed even after hitting its head.
The stone wall at the entrance of the cave, which was mostly built, was covered with a thick layer of mud. Even the door that allowed the whole family to move around was covered with two layers of straw curtains and an additional layer of tar paper.
Outside the cave lies a cold, icy wasteland, the clamor of a chaotic world, and perhaps countless moments of despair and confusion.
But at this moment, the family is together, and it seems like they are not afraid of anything.
In particular, Li Lao Er, Li Lao San, and Li Lao Si, the three brothers, discussed that tomorrow they would clear away the snow stained with blood from today's pig slaughter and push it into the river to prevent wild animals from smelling it and coming back.
The lesson learned from the previous wolf pack incident was too profound; we must never repeat the same mistake.
Li Laosan also wants to cut down two more trees to build a table and benches for the small cave.
In this freezing weather, it's unlikely that Mr. Wen and his three servants can leave.
If I stay here for a few months, I need to buy everything I need.
After a few casual words, the family carefully found their way to the bed and went to sleep fully clothed.
It's too cold to get up early, so everyone eats breakfast in their own caves, waiting for the sun to warm them up before going down to play.
Unexpectedly, just as the Li family put breakfast on the table, they heard someone shouting from below the cave.
"Sister-in-law, it's Hongying!"
Tao Hongying quickly hid her daughter's egg custard bowl before peering down into the hole.
"Third Aunt, you've had breakfast? Come up and sit for a while, have a bite?"
It turned out that Aunt Wu was downstairs, and her husband was next to her. Both of them looked anxious and were waving their hands frantically, asking questions.
"Hongying, come quick, is my dog Shengzi sleeping with Jiaxi and Jia'an?"
Tao Hongying quickly turned around, only to find Jiaxi and Jia'an sitting at the table eating sweet potatoes, with no sign of Gousheng.
She replied, "Auntie, Gousheng didn't come. He's not sleeping at my house!"
"It's all over!" Aunt Wu San sat down on the ground and burst into tears.
"Gousheng is lost! Gousheng is lost!"
Bonus chapter for 400 book reviews! As usual, I'm bringing you four chapters today! Ahem, I've been posting four chapters in a row these past few days and it's getting a bit too much, so I'm adjusting the bonus chapter rules: one extra chapter for every 100 new comments! The next four chapters will be at 500 book reviews! Please, my darlings, give me a five-star review!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com