Song He'er nodded, and Qin Xiaoniang then returned to her tent to rest, feeling relieved.
When she wakes up, she will take over Chun Di's job, and everyone will take turns sleeping.
Just as he had said, Wang San did not return all night, and he reappeared in front of everyone the next day at dawn.
Seeing his dejected expression, Song He'er knew that he wasn't looking for bird eggs, but despite that, he was still carrying a heavy sack on his back.
Wang San put down what he was carrying and slowly walked over.
"There were no bird eggs, but we didn't come back empty-handed either. We found some jujubes, cacti, and a few Cistanche deserticolas."
"Cistanche deserticola?" Song He'er was somewhat surprised.
She remembered that this Cistanche deserticola was used in medicine. It was very beneficial for men to eat it, but they should not eat too much, as it could easily cause internal heat.
Wang San probably knew what this thing was used for, so he was a little embarrassed to talk about it.
"Wolves roam the desert in packs. Even if bird eggs are left on the ground, they have long been eaten by the wolves. How could we possibly have a chance to pick them up?"
Song He'er nodded. "Yes, you're right. Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Wang. You've been searching all night. Please share some with your brothers first!"
Wang San shook his head, pointed to several men carrying sacks in the distance, and replied, "They still have two more sacks on them, so we'll share them. These are for you. Have Zhang Niangzi and the others woken up yet?"
"The fever subsided last night, and the children stopped crying, so they should be fine."
"That's good. I'll go over there first. You guys get on with your work, but don't forget to cook."
After saying that, Wang San was about to leave.
Song He'er nodded without saying anything. Seeing him walk further and further away, she walked to Qin Xiaoniang's side.
Qin Xiaoniang had already woken up and was playing with Huan Ge'er beside her.
"Mom, see what I told you? Uncle Wang will definitely come back safe and sound. Look, he even brought lots of food!"
Qin Xiaoniang smiled and said, "You little rascal, you're so good at ordering anyone around!"
Song He'er patted her chest dramatically and said, "As the ancients said, only by employing all the wise men in the world can we achieve a great and lasting dynasty!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a rough, hoarse sound came from inside the tent—
“Our He’er still wants to achieve great things for generations to come? I think if you were a man, you would be no less than your father on the battlefield.”
Upon hearing this, Song He'er recognized Zhang Xiu'e's voice. Although it was somewhat hoarse, it was full of energy, suggesting that she was already in good health!
"Mother! It's Third Aunt! Third Aunt is awake!"
Qin Xiaoniang nodded happily, "That's great, He'er, let's go in and take a look."
Just as Qin Xiaoniang was about to get up, Song He'er blocked her way.
"What's wrong?"
"Mother, you have to wear a veil. What if Auntie isn't fully recovered and catches it from you? I'll be exhausted!"
Qin Xiaoniang smiled and quickly took out the veil from her bosom and put it on her face. "Is this alright?"
"Um!"
The mother and daughter chatted and laughed as they entered the tent.
Nianjie was still fast asleep in the room when Zhang Xiue got up and sat up. Although her complexion was still not good, she seemed to have more energy.
"My dear mother, He'er, my illness must have exhausted you both, right?"
Qin Xiaoniang shook her head, "It's already a miracle that you woke up so quickly. We're not tired, it's just that He'er has suffered these past few days..."
Hearing Qin Xiaoniang say this, Zhang Xiue shifted her gaze to Song He'er, looking at her with great pity, "Good child, you're so young and you've already suffered with us, your third aunt is sorry for you."
Song He'er chuckled twice and replied, "If Third Aunt feels sorry for me, then why don't you cook more good food for me in the future, so that I can grow up to be as strong as you!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiu'e immediately sensed something was wrong and reached out to tap Song He'er on the head.
"You little brat, are you making fun of me for being fat again?"
"Alright, alright, Third Aunt, I was wrong, okay?"
Was I wrong?
"Wrong, wrong!"
Zhang Xiu'e then stopped, turned her head, and looked outside the tent.
"Are the other children alright? Where are Madam Zhou and Madam Tian? Are they both sick?"
Qin Xiaoniang was a little embarrassed and didn't know how to say it.
Seeing the mother and daughter's hesitant manner, Zhang Xiue immediately sensed something was wrong and pressed them for answers.
"Tell me quickly, are they sick too? And incurable? The children too... Tell me quickly!"
Seeing that she had just recovered, Song He'er couldn't bear to see her anxious, so she had no choice but to tell her the whole story.
"It was over feeding the medicine that Zhou Niangzi and Tian Niangzi got into an argument. Tian Niangzi was pouring the medicine into the child's mouth, and Zhou Niangzi was worried the child would choke, so the two argued..."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiue breathed a sigh of relief, but before long, she became angry again.
“You know how many times these two have argued on the road. And this Su Yu’s family is the same. Last time, it was because I washed Nian’er’s eyes with water. This time, it’s over this trivial matter again. I think we should just leave her in the desert and let her suffer a bit so she’ll know how hard it is for us.”
Qin Xiaoniang patted her hand, signaling her not to get angry.
"I ignored them, so you shouldn't either. Let them make a fuss on their own, and they'll be fine in a little while."
"Why......"
Qin Xiaoniang coaxed Huan Ge'er to sleep, then quietly put him in another tent, where Chun Di was sleeping.
After putting Huan Ge'er down, Qin Xiaoniang came over and called Song He'er to go and rest.
"He'er, you stayed up half the night last night, you need to sleep too. I've already slept, now I'll go cook some porridge for you. Be good, go sleep with your aunt."
Now that you mention it, Song He'er does feel sleepy.
"Alright then, Mother. Call me if you need anything. I'm going to sleep now."
"Go."
After saying that, Song He'er crawled into Chun Di's sleeping tent to rest.
Perhaps because she was really too tired, Song He'er fell into a deep sleep as soon as she lay down.
Qin Xiaoniang started a fire outside and began washing the sand dates that Wang San had brought back. These would be very nutritious if cooked with white rice.
Li Qiang's wife and Su Yu's wife remained at odds. After Hua Hua woke up, she took her two children and came over to help Qin Xiao Niang.
"Young lady, let me cook you some porridge."
Looking at her dark circles under her eyes, Qin Xiaoniang couldn't help but sigh, "Didn't you sleep?"
Li Qiang's wife replied nonchalantly, "It's nothing."
"Such a small matter, is it worth staying up all night?"
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