Seeing that there was no way to take advantage of the situation, the woman had no choice but to soften her tone again, saying, "At worst, I'll give you that forest from now on, but... I just hope that you experts will have pity on us small families with children and give us some food to fill our stomachs. Don't let it be like that day, when you picked everything clean and left us with nowhere to go!"
Song He'er was furious just thinking about what happened that day. Although it was true that the mysterious man beat them up, if it weren't for their group of food-loving dogs who only thought about filling their own stomachs, why would things have turned out like this?
Thinking about it carefully, there must have been a reason why those who died on the road ahead died.
It wasn't entirely because the officers and soldiers turned a blind eye, but rather because these people were so infuriating. They guarded the forest day and night without rest, and anyone who dared to take food would most likely be beaten to death!
"Madam, you don't need to beg anymore. If it's yours, no one can take it away. If it's not yours, you can't get it by begging. The wild mushrooms in the forest weren't cultivated by us, and we haven't deprived you of your right to enjoy them. From today onwards, they're open to everyone. Whoever gets them keeps them, but no one can keep them for themselves. Everyone just needs to follow the rules!"
Zhang Xiue was clearly dissatisfied and was about to say something to add when Song He'er pushed her back down.
"What are you saying, you little brat!"
"Third Aunt, please be quiet for a moment!"
The woman received a satisfactory answer, and a smile immediately appeared on her face.
"Alright then, let's live peacefully together from now on!"
Just as the woman was about to leave, Song He'er called out to her from behind.
"Wait! I still have something to make clear!"
"What did you say?"
"I have conditions. Since we have already let bygones be bygones and taken a step back, there are some things that need to be clarified on this occasion."
The woman paused, slightly taken aback, and asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
"From now on, you are not allowed to come and cause trouble. We have the right to use all the land here. But don't worry, we will not cause a scene on your territory. We will just live our own lives. In addition, although wild mushrooms are wild, it is possible that they can be cultivated. Therefore, we will grow vegetables and live on our own land from now on. Please do not use this as an excuse to bother us."
"Growing vegetables?" The woman was clearly incredulous.
Zhang Xiu'e secretly gave Song He'er a thumbs up in her heart. This tactic of retreating to advance was truly brilliant! If she were a man, she would definitely be proficient in Sun Tzu's Art of War and follow the general on the battlefield!
"Yes, you can plant them yourselves. As long as it doesn't bother us, we'll all be fine."
The woman gazed thoughtfully at Song He'er for a long time before finally nodding, turning around, and leaving.
Once she was completely out of sight, Song Xiaoyu walked up to Zhang Xiue and scolded her, "You, you've lived all these years in vain, and you're not even as eloquent as a child. It's utterly shameful!"
"Hello, hello! If you could just say why you were acting like a coward just now, how dare you laugh at me!"
"I was just observing the situation. Do you think I, a grown man, would act like you, throwing punches at the drop of a hat? That would be an insult to civility!"
"Disgraceful? What is civility? Can civility feed you or be used as money?"
Watching her parents argue, Nianjie felt extremely bored and could only walk between them and throw herself into Song Xiaoyu's arms.
"Daddy, stop bothering Mommy! You've made her so angry that her belly is so big, she'll burst if she gets any angrier!"
Song Xiaoyu picked up Nianjie'er and placed a doting kiss on her forehead.
"Silly girl, your mother's belly isn't swollen from angering me, it's flesh! Silly child! It's flesh!"
Upon hearing this, Song He'er spat out all the water she had just drunk, nearly choking to death.
Hahahaha!
Zhang Xiu'e blushed with shame, picked up the water-carrying stick from the ground, and chased after Song Xiaoyu, beating him. Qin Xiaoniang lifted the curtain, looked at the scene outside, and shook her head helplessly.
"Chun Di, is the water ready?"
Chun Di stayed by the pot, diligently adding firewood and boiling water, unaware of what was happening. Even if she did hear something, it was only bits and pieces, and she didn't know the whole story.
When she looked up again, she saw Zhang Xiue with her mouth wide open, holding a wooden stick, chasing after Song Xiaoyu like a hungry wolf pouncing on its cubs...
"What...what happened, young lady...?"
Qin Xiaoniang was speechless for a moment, then replied, "It's nothing, it's normal for couples to bicker. Chun Di, bring the water in when it's ready, I need to bathe the children!"
"Okay!"
After saying that, Chun Di took the pot and went into the tent.
The basin that Song He'er brought was just the right size, big enough for two small children to sit in.
Qin Xiaoniang put Huan Ge'er and Wang San's child in a basin to bathe them, muttering to herself as she did so.
"You said your father abandoned you here and went somewhere else? I wonder if they've even reached Xinzhou yet..."
Song He'er nudged Qin Xiaoniang, "Mother, the child is already obedient, don't say things you shouldn't."
“I know, what can I say? Would I say bad things about his father? He helped us a lot on the way, I wouldn’t repay kindness with enmity.”
Song He'er smiled and said nothing more.
But then again, it makes sense. Wang San clearly took a detour and didn't linger in the Western Continent like they did. He should have arrived before them, so why haven't we seen a trace of him yet?
It's really strange...
As Song He'er thought about it, she felt tired. After cleaning up the children with Qin Xiaoniang, she thought about lying down to rest.
But as soon as he lay down, he fell into a deep sleep, and when he woke up again, the moon was already hanging in the treetops.
Qin Xiaoniang and the others lit torches, and a group of people gathered outside, warming themselves by the fire and eating.
"He'er, you're awake? You've been sleeping for half a day. Your mother and I didn't want to wake you. You must be too tired. How are you? Do you want something to eat?" Zhang Xiu'e asked.
Song He'er shook her head. "Third Aunt, I'm not hungry yet. I need to use the restroom."
Qin Xiaoniang pointed to a large rock behind the tent and said, "Go over there, it's very quiet. Do you want me to come with you?"
Song He'er is most uncomfortable with someone following her when she needs to relieve herself. This is a habit she has developed over the years. If there is any noise around her, she would rather die than relieve herself.
"No...I'll go myself!"
After saying that, Song He'er turned and walked towards the large rock...
Perhaps the light was too dim, for Song He'er's vision was blurry. In a daze, she suddenly saw a dark shadow flash by...
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