No one cared where they were; they just sat down wherever they could find a spot.
I could barely swallow the dry rations; I was just too tired.
Uncle Zhao and the other old men felt bad about it and stopped the women.
They personally went to collect firewood, built a simple stove, set up a small pot, and cooked millet porridge for the children.
Jiayin really wanted to take out some eggs, but there were too many people around, and she was afraid of being exposed. She was really torn.
Fortunately, Grandma Li understood her granddaughter's little gluttony.
She pulled out a salted egg from somewhere, scooped out the yolk, and gave it to her granddaughter to eat with porridge.
The remaining egg whites were given to my two grandsons.
Jiaxi and Jia'an were overjoyed, carrying the eggshell around and showing it off to everyone in the family.
My family couldn't bear to eat it; they just each tasted a little saltiness.
After going through the last round, the salted egg returned to Jiaxi and Jia'an with almost nothing missing.
The two boys sat facing each other, taking turns eating the sorghum flour pancakes.
As a guest, Doctor Zhang naturally received a salted egg as well.
Seeing the Li family like this, he grew to like them even more.
So, using the excuse that the salted eggs were too salty, he gave the rest of the salted eggs to Li Laosi and Jiayi.
They exerted the most effort along the way, so they needed to eat more salty food, otherwise they would easily become exhausted.
After finishing his meal in a few bites, Li Laosi couldn't stay still, so he went to wander around the area.
He was incredibly lucky to stumble upon a nest of rabbits.
Perhaps frightened by the commotion, the mother rabbit and four or five baby rabbits hid behind a tree, too afraid to move.
Li Laosi wiped out the whole family, and they all met their end at the hands of the King of Hell.
When they brought it back, the villagers were overjoyed to see it.
There will be meat tonight, a real treat! Although it's not easy to get a piece of meat, a little soup with rice would be nice too.
With the promise of dinner, the group sped up their climb in the afternoon, successfully descending the mountain and then climbing up to the middle of the second mountain.
Before nightfall, the group found a slightly flatter spot.
Although there are quite a few vines and thorns, the good thing is that there is a small stream washed out by a mountain spring not far away.
To prevent wild animals from coming to drink the water, the people could not build the earthen stove by the river.
But removing a few patches of turf won't stop us from setting up a stove to boil water and cook.
This time, instead of lodging on either side of the official road, they were in the dangerous mountains and forests, so men, women, and children were all much more cautious.
The boys were completely unemployed, and the men took over the job of gathering firewood in the woods.
Even the streamside was scouted to make sure there were no water snakes or anything like that before letting them play there.
The women were so busy they could barely move. With such a convenient water source, they not only cooked but also boiled extra water to wash the children.
The roads are dusty, and the autumn heat is intense; the little ones at home are practically sluggish.
Of course, Jiayin is an exception. She has been clean since she was a child. She changes her diapers immediately when they are wet and will not eat without washing her hands.
So no matter how troublesome the journey was, Tao Hongying would clean her up every night.
Tao Hongying was going to cook with the women, so the task of bathing Jiayin today was left to Old Lady Li.
Uncle Zhao, limping, helped carry the basin of water in, and Old Lady Li quickly took it from him.
"Brother Zhao, take a break. This kind of work can be done by calling him Jiaren or Jiayi."
Uncle Zhao waved his hand and responded with a wry smile.
"The kids were all tired from climbing and walking, but I'm the only one who's useless. Luckily, I can still do this little thing."
Old Mrs. Li sensed something was wrong with what he was saying and guessed that the old man felt guilty for being a burden to everyone.
She wanted to say a few words of advice, but before she could speak, Uncle Zhao went out.
She could only sigh, thinking that she would ask the village chief to persuade him more when she had some free time.
They've been brothers for years, so they're probably more comfortable talking to each other.
Jiayin obediently let her grandmother take a bath, not wanting to spill water on the ground, since the family would be staying in the shed that night.
There's nothing she can do to help; it's best if she doesn't cause any trouble.
Zhao Yuru walked to the door and whispered, "Mother, the children have no food left. Look..."
After thinking for a moment, Old Lady Li said, "It's not the same in the woods as outside. Let's make a bowl of our fine noodles and some dumpling soup. If the children are full, they'll sleep well at night and won't make a fuss. Remember to bring an extra bowl of Zhang Shenyi's noodles."
"Okay, Mother," Zhao Yuru quickly replied, then took some noodles and went to find Tao Hongying.
Tao Hongying was also happy. She washed and chopped the wild vegetables, and also tore off some of the half-cooked rabbit meat from the pot next to her and chopped it up.
Bring half a pot of water to a boil, then throw in the dough balls, wild vegetables, and rabbit meat and cook until thick and bubbling. Finally, add some salt and a few drops of sesame oil.
The hot and fragrant dumpling soup is ready.
The women in the houses all blushed when they saw this.
After all, they didn't bring anything from home, but the child ate special meals with Jiayin.
Tao Hongying called out to them, "Quickly get bowls and let them cool down before feeding the children. Don't be shy, when you're away from home, you can't let the children suffer. Make sure the children are full, and soothe them well tonight, don't let them cry or fuss, this is in the woods, we can't make too much noise."
Everyone nodded quickly, distributed the dumpling soup, and went back to take care of the children.
Soon, the adults were also able to eat.
The rabbit family was chopped into the smallest pieces, ensuring that everyone was covered in meat.
Finally, several more campfires were lit around the camp, and more people were put on night watch.
Uncle Zhao and the other two old men insisted on staying up all night because they had an easier time than others during the day, as they were sitting on sleds.
Everyone knew the old men felt bad about it, so they didn't stop them.
That night, everyone slept in fear, terrified that a large wild animal might come and cause trouble.
Fortunately, everything was alright, and dawn quietly arrived as promised.
Jiayin didn't sleep well last night either. She was thinking about something: since chickens, ducks and geese can be raised in the small courtyard, why can't people live there?
Without their mule carts and donkey carts, Uncle Zhao and the other two old men still had trouble making their way down the mountain.
If only we could send them into the space, someone could help take care of the poultry and fields, saving them the hardship of traveling thousands of miles.
Unfortunately, it's unclear whether it was due to insufficient mental strength or simply that the timing wasn't right.
Forget about getting the old men in, even she, the homeowner, can't get in!
If you don't sleep well at night, you naturally won't be able to stay awake during the day.
After a quick breakfast, Jiayin sat in the basket and fell asleep.
In their sleep, the group climbed to the top of the mountain and then descended it in one breath.
When they finally saw the not-so-smooth and wide official road again, everyone cheered excitedly.
"We've circled around! We've circled around!"
"Let those scoundrels strangle us for money, humph, we'll still make it across the mountains!"
The young and old alike wore expressions of pride, their frustration and despair from being stuck outside the city gates completely gone.
They were the first group of refugees to cross the mountains and take a detour, so the official roads were only used by horse-drawn carriages and mule carts.
Hearing the noise, many people opened their windows to look over.
Some people were curious, while others looked on with disdain.
The village chief wanted to take everyone to rest for a while, but there was a faint commotion coming from the mountain behind them.
Needless to say, the rest of the refugees who followed in their footsteps and crossed the mountains were also about to arrive.
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