After discussing it among themselves, Song Xiaoyu checked the document several times before pressing her fingerprint on it.
The servant put away the documents and was about to leave when he didn't forget to tell them, "You must not cross the Su River on your own. The water in this river has been tampered with and is temporarily unusable. The fish are also not safe to eat. Be careful."
Zhang Xiu'e, ever the chatterbox, couldn't help but ask, "What exactly happened to this river? Aren't you from Nanzhao? You should have some inside information, right?"
Song Xiaoyu realized the seriousness of the situation and pulled Zhang Xiue aside, signaling her not to speak recklessly.
Song He'er was well aware that a river being blocked was not a coincidence or a natural disaster. Moreover, the river was located at the border between the two countries, and any incident would be detrimental to the relationship between the two sides.
Therefore, Song He'er was certain that the person who did this was a secret force trying to confuse the public, make huge profits, and then pin the blame on this exiled criminal from the Central Plains.
Song Heren could not stand idly by and watch this happen. She had to find out the whole story before she could solve this problem when disaster struck.
"Please take care, everyone," Song He'er replied politely.
The servant did not answer the question, but instead nodded respectfully and turned to leave.
Seeing that the people had gone far away, Song Xiaoyu immediately said to Zhang Xiue, "Don't ask them about the river. Who knows if they were involved? We're in this wilderness, so our priority should be self-preservation. The downstream water is undrinkable because it's blocked, so we can go upstream to get water..."
“I just asked casually…” Zhang Xiue said, looking somewhat dejected.
Li Qiang's wife waved her dirty hands at them, "You two, stop arguing and getting angry. This little bit of work is exhausting me. We still need to go into the woods later to see if any new wild mushrooms or vegetables have sprouted. We have nothing left to eat."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Xiu'e realized that there was still a pile of mixed mud around her that hadn't been turned into adobe bricks. She had been so engrossed in talking to the servant that she had completely forgotten about her work...
It's rare to find that Li Qiang and his wife are such hardworking people. However, because they are not very literate, they did not participate in the work here and just focused on their own tasks.
This kind of personality is actually the best, to prevent a few more people like Madam Zhou from emerging, petty and calculating, causing endless trouble...
"Mrs. Tian, you've worked hard. You should rest well tonight. Leave the cooking to us!" Qin Xiaoniang said with a smile as she stepped forward.
Li Qiang's wife was a straightforward person and didn't take this kind of work to heart at all. When she heard Qin Xiaoniang say that, she just smiled and replied, "It's nothing if I die from exhaustion. As long as the children are well, I'll be willing to work myself to death!"
Everyone smiled and then went back to their work.
Time flies, and soon the sun had already begun to set in the west.
Zhang Xiue bent over, carefully examining each and every piece of adobe she had removed, feeling quite proud of herself.
"It's a pity that it's getting late and there's no sunlight. I just hope that tomorrow will be a good day and that it won't rain!"
Qin Xiaoniang smiled and said, "The weather here is cold and dry, so it's unlikely to rain. Your worries are a bit unnecessary!"
Zhang Xiue wiped the sweat from her forehead and rolled up her sleeves. "Although the weather is cold, look at me, I'm all sweaty from working. I guess there are some benefits to doing this!"
The group chatted and laughed as they finished all the work for the day.
As evening approached, Li Qiang took a rusty axe and went up the hillside to chop firewood, while the rest of the people prepared dinner.
"It's getting late today, and the woods are probably all empty. I doubt we'll find anything to eat if we go there," Qin Xiaoniang said.
“We can’t not go, though. We have no rice or flour, and we’re just relying on these wild vegetables to survive! Just bear with it for a day or two, and once we get some work done, we can exchange it for rice to cook porridge for the children,” Zhang Xiu’e advised.
Song He'er secretly regretted it. Actually, it wouldn't have mattered if she had asked the two servants for some food beforehand; after all, they had work to do, and they certainly wouldn't eat for free...
Just as they were feeling distressed, Chundi picked up a bamboo basket and prepared to walk into the grove. The basket was one they had picked up on the way there, and it was now tattered and could not hold much.
"Fifth Aunt, are you sure you can go by yourself? I don't think those women will keep their promise. What if they don't give it to you and then bully you?" Song He'er looked at her worriedly.
What she meant was that she was thinking of going with them, so that even if there was nothing wild to eat in the forest, she could temporarily take some food from her spatial storage to tide her over.
"You can't overwork yourself, He'er. You're still in your 'development period' as a girl. You can't afford to be cold or tired. I couldn't help you much on the way here, but now that we've finally settled down, I have to do more!"
Chun Di smiled sweetly, and the next moment, she picked up her bamboo basket and started walking away into the distance.
But as soon as she took a step out, she saw a thin figure not far away, swaying as it walked towards her...
Upon closer inspection, Song He'er realized that the person had eyes that were extremely similar to her own.
It was Song Xiaoqi, the father she least wanted to acknowledge.
"He'er, what brings your father here?" Li Qiang's wife asked in surprise.
Song He'er nonchalantly shifted her gaze, "I don't know, I don't care. Maybe they're here to see someone else..."
Qin Xiaoniang overheard the conversation, but only glanced at it briefly before turning her head away and leading Huan Ge'er into the tent.
Song Xiaoqi rarely came to see the mother and daughter. Even when he did, he would only ask about the eldest daughter-in-law's situation, just like in the beginning. He didn't come to show any concern for them.
Knowing his awkward relationship with these people, Song Xiaoyu had no choice but to step forward and ask, "Brother, is there something you need?"
Song Xiaoqi, his body somewhat hunched, shakily unloaded a burlap sack from his shoulder.
"Please use this rice to tide you over."
Song Xiaoyu was somewhat surprised and remained silent for a long time.
"What? You don't believe this is for you?" Song Xiaoqi's expression was somewhat sarcastic, but his eyes revealed a hint of sadness.
"No, I just don't understand why my brother suddenly changed his mind."
Song Xiaoyu disapproved of this man's behavior from the bottom of her heart; now, it was merely a matter of mutual respect based on blood ties.
“My previous behavior was indeed undignified, but now, I also cannot bear to see you suffer and go hungry... Please accept it.”
Song He'er took in all of this from a short distance away.
Unsolicited kindness is either a lie or a theft?
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