It was completely dark when Lin Rui and his group found a flat open space in the deep mountains. There were many thorn bushes around it. Lin Rui directed his brother-in-law and cousins including Lin Zicheng and Lin Zijun to cut a hole for people and ox carts to pass through.
As for why they didn't just cut it all open, that's silly! The ancient forests were all pristine, undeveloped jungles, where black bears, wolves, tigers, leopards, snakes, insects, rats, and ants were common. The forests were even more dangerous at night, and these thorn bushes could serve as a temporary shelter for them on the outer circle.
There happened to be a thin stream of mountain spring water passing nearby, so we untied the oxen from the carriage and loosened up the oxen so that we could travel faster tomorrow.
After walking for a whole day, everyone's legs were shaking with fatigue, and the children riding in the ox carts had their heads drooped and looked listless.
As soon as they entered the clearing, each family began to collect nearby firewood and light it with torches, making piles of fire, which served as a second wall of fire in the woods to defend against wild beasts, as wild beasts were afraid of fire and light.
Yu Lanhua sat down on the ground, pounding her waist with one hand and using the other to shoo away mosquitoes and insects around her: "Niu Qin, Niu Qin!"
"Mom, I'm here, what's wrong?"
"Hurry up and give me some dried wormwood! Damn it! The mosquitoes in the woods are sucking my blood dry!"
"well."
This served as a reminder to everyone, and they all lit some mugwort to smoke out mosquitoes nearby. Lighting mugwort in open-air places is just like lighting mosquito coils. It is impossible to kill all mosquitoes, but at best it can reduce the number of bites.
"Second sister, can you still hold on?" Lin Rui felt ashamed when he saw his pregnant sister holding onto a tree and carefully sitting on the ground. He was a grown man, but he had to be carried and supported by Sanliang all the way. He was no match for his pregnant second sister, who walked with them for the whole day without saying a word.
Lin Zao Zao was sweating profusely. She wiped her sweat with a handkerchief and shook her head at her brother's worried gaze. "It's okay. Women in our country are not that weak. Even when they are pregnant, they still go to the fields to work! This little mountain road is nothing. Don't worry, take care of yourself."
Lin left the Jiang family early and suddenly came to her senses. She couldn't rely on her husband, so she could now rely on her brother. After her brother learned well, he was like a different person, making his family feel more reliable. As the sister who needed his support, she also felt more confident.
Lin Susu and Zhao Qing stuck the wheelbarrow in the thorn bushes, took a piece of dry biscuit from the cart and fed some to their daughter first.
Lin Rui's family was eating meat, so how could they let their two sisters have porridge? They had to let them eat with them. Lin Susu and Zhao Qing couldn't refuse, so they had to bring their daughters along. They helped Feng Zhenniang to cook. They took a few pieces of freshly pickled meat, which hadn't yet been salted, and put them in the iron pot to cook together. They also cooked the corn until it was moist and chopped some pickled vegetables on top. Even during the Chinese New Year, they might not be able to eat this well.
Originally, Feng Zhenniang planned to cook a bowl of solid rice for her beloved youngest son Lin Rui, and let everyone else drink thinly porridge, even her grandson Xiaomu.
When Lin Rui discovered this, he immediately stopped her: "Mom, I prepared so much rice and flour so that my family can eat well on the way. Only when they eat well can they have the strength to travel and are less likely to get sick. You have to spend it where it counts!"
Feng Zhenniang was unhappy: "You are such a useless child. What if the rice and flour are all gone? Won't we all go hungry?"
Lin Rui was helpless: "Mom, we might encounter unexpected situations along the way. If we are chased by wolves, disturbed by bears, attacked by big insects, or targeted by groups of refugees, we won't be able to protect so much food. It's better to eat and drink well from the beginning. It's better than having your food snatched away by others while you are still here, right?"
"Why did we prepare so many supplies when we left home? Wasn't it just so we could have enough food and drink on the run? Even with so much food, we'd be barely any better off than the refugees. What was the point of preparing food? We're exhausted from the journey, and we can't even eat something good?"
After hearing this, Lin Pingmao agreed with Lin Rui's words very much: "Yes, Rui'er is right, Meihua, our family will also eat dry food tonight, cut two slices of bacon and bring it in to make the family smell good."
Chen Mei uttered an "Ah" in response, and muttered to her sister-in-law Chen Zhi, who was packing her luggage nearby, "Look at what he can do!"
Chen Zhi knew that his sister-in-law was referring to Lin Rui. Along the way, Chen Mei was the one who had the most opinions about Lin Rui.
Xiaomutou and Sanliang are of the same age, but Sanliang is a head taller than Xiaomutou. Lin Rui does not treat Sanliang as a slave, and Sanliang gradually releases his childish nature and plays well with Xiaomutou.
Niu Niu was held in Lin Susu's arms, her eyes fixed on the steaming rice that her grandmother was cooking in the pot. The aroma mixed with the smell of meat hit her face, making the relatives nearby swallow their saliva.
Feng Zhenniang had no intention of sharing it with them. Although they were blood relatives whose tendons were connected even if bones were broken, there were still differences in closeness. Rui'er, Zao Zao Susu and the little wooden Lin Changxi were all her direct blood relatives. If she got sick along the way, there would be people who would not ignore her.
As for Lin Changfa and Lin Changhe's families, she helped them a lot when Rui'er owed gambling debts earlier, and she was willing to help to the best of her ability, but now it's not that time yet, so she won't be so generous. Let each family take care of themselves first.
Cooking with oil to marinate meat was already distressing enough for Feng Zhenniang, but then that damned kid Lin Rui said, "Mom, lay four more eggs for Niuniu, Xiaomu, Sanliang, and Second Sister to supplement their nutrition."
Originally, Lin Rui wanted to give everyone an egg, but when he thought of his mother's distressed face wrinkled with expression, he gave up and decided to give some to the children and pregnant women.
After saying this, Lin Zaozao, Lin Susu, Sanliang, and Xiao Mutou all looked at Feng Zhenniang eagerly. Feng Zhenniang was so angry that she couldn't breathe. "What about you?"
For her, it doesn’t matter if others don’t eat it, but her little son, whom she holds dearest to her heart, must have it.
Lin Rui waved his hand: "Mom, I don't want it." He still has half an hour to enter his mansion today. During this half hour, there is nothing he can eat. It is enough for him to come out with a full stomach.
Feng Zhenniang continued to cook silently. She cooked four eggs as she was told, and then added another one after thinking about it. Although others did not feel sorry for her son, she felt very sorry for him.
By now everyone's meal was cooked, and the whole area was filled with the aroma of rice, making the people who had been traveling all day feel hungry. Fortunately, they were well prepared, and every family brought some pots, pans, and utensils, so they had a bowl to hold the rice, otherwise they would have had to eat rice with their hands.
The pancakes baked by Feng Zhenniang were so hard that they could break rocks, but fortunately, they could be stored for several months, and the rice on the ox cart could be eaten to leave a seat for others.
My eldest sister is about to give birth. She can walk for one day, but she can’t walk every day.
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