Chapter 75 Tied Up Like a Small Rice Dumpling and a Hairy Crab
The old woman also turned her head to look over, her eyes faintly shining, as if she had seen a lifeline.
Xie Mianmian shifted nervously, "Seventh Prince, Mianmian is scared..."
"Hmm? Father Emperor governs this land very well, and most villages are inhabited by simple and honest people. Don't be afraid, I'm here."
The seventh prince also gave his wild fruit to the child.
The old woman then went inside, probably to find the village head, and came out a short while later.
The old woman walked unsteadily to them, somewhat awkwardly, her face taut with wrinkles, but her tone was even more kind.
"The village head said it's getting late and it's not safe to leave the village, so he told you to stay in the village tonight and leave tomorrow. Are you hungry? Come to my house for dinner first."
Left with no other option, the two children had to go with the old woman.
Looking at the hunched old woman in front of her, and recalling her tearful appearance, yet just now she was smiling at them as if nothing had happened, Xie Mianmian shuddered.
They arrived at the old woman's house, which was also built of yellow mud bricks, and it was still light out.
The old woman moved the dilapidated little wooden table behind the door to let in the natural light, so that she wouldn't need to light candles.
She went to the kitchen to make dinner, and the two children sat on the same long bench, facing the hazy sky outside the door.
After some time, the old woman brought up two bowls of noodles. "Come and try these! These are noodles I made myself, they're so chewy!"
Xie Mianmian looked into the bowl through the steaming water vapor, and the first thing she smelled was a faint aroma of eggs.
Inside, there are round noodles of medium thickness, topped with fluffy white and pale yellow egg flowers, accompanied by small, fine oil rings, and the soup is also garnished with bright green wild vegetables.
Xie Mianmian felt hungry as soon as she smelled the warm aroma of the food. She couldn't wait to pick up her chopsticks and start eating in small bites.
The recipe is simple, but it's surprisingly delicious.
With noodles stuffed in his mouth, the child could still chatter, "Delicious! This is the ultimate taste of life—simple pleasures!"
The seventh prince, who was eating noodles, chuckled upon hearing this, "You're quite poetic."
"Second sister taught Mianmian." She knew so much, puffing out her little chest, feeling incredibly proud of herself.
Just then, a little girl quietly walked in. She was about the same age as Xie Mianmian, very thin, like a stick of firewood, her face was so thin that she looked unrecognizable, with only her big eyes standing out.
The little girl walked like a cat, without making a sound.
Xie Mianmian was eating noodles when suddenly a pair of bright eyes appeared on the table, staring intently at her... bowl.
The child was so startled that he dropped his chopsticks on the bowl, making a crisp sound.
The little girl licked her dry lips and said timidly, "I really want to eat it."
Hearing the noise inside, the old woman came in. She was startled when she saw the little girl, then tugged at the little girl's ear, "Hurry up and get to work! Don't disturb the guests while they're eating noodles!"
The little girl kept struggling, "I'm so hungry." These were the only two eggs left in the house, why couldn't she eat them?
"If you're hungry, go eat some cornbread. Now get out of here!"
"No, I want to eat eggs too!"
The old woman twisted the little girl's ear harder, and the little girl couldn't help but scream.
"What are you eating! Do you even want to live?!"
Realizing she had let something slip, she picked up the little girl and was about to leave, but before going out, she said to the two children kindly, "Eat slowly, there's more in the pot if you're not full."
Xie Mianmian was a little upset that a small bowl of noodles had led to a little girl being beaten. She could have shared half of the noodles with the little girl.
The child lowered her head and ate, picking up a piece of wild vegetables with her chopsticks and stuffing it into her mouth. She chewed it, her face contorted in pain.
This wild vegetable has a sweet taste with a slightly bitter aftertaste, and leaves a cool feeling in the mouth after eating it. Xie Mianmian doesn't like to eat it.
But it's not good to leave any leftovers, since the little girl has nothing to eat and she's being picky.
Noticing Xie Mianmian's unusual quietness, the Seventh Prince glanced at her and asked, "What's wrong?"
The child covered his mouth and whispered, "This dish tastes bitter."
The seventh prince deftly picked up his chopsticks and transferred all the wild vegetables from the child's bowl to his own, saying, "Pretentious."
Xie Mianmian immediately felt relieved and drank all the soup, eating until she was very full.
After a while, Xie Mianmian felt her eyelids getting heavy and her head feeling dizzy, as if an irresistible force was forcing her to close her eyes.
Before falling into a deep sleep, through her narrow, hazy eyelids, Xie Mianmian saw the old woman approaching. She couldn't see the woman's face clearly, but her long, withered hands reached out.
As darkness fell completely, pale moonlight shone through the dilapidated window into the small, cramped woodshed.
Feeling the bright light shining on her eyes, Xie Mianmian groggily opened them and looked in the direction of the light, only to find a bright moon.
It's so late, and I'm still out and about!
Xie Mianmian was startled awake from her previous daze. She tried to get up, but found that her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were also tightly bound.
Ah, so you were kidnapped. Oh, that's alright then... something's wrong!
Knowing that her family must be very worried about her disappearance, and not wanting her sister-in-law and second sister to cry for her, Xie Mianmian struggled desperately, like a helpless rice dumpling.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Seventh Prince sleeping soundly with his head down. Oh dear, she almost forgot he was there.
Afraid that the people outside would know she was awake, Xie Mianmian could only whisper, "Seventh Prince! Wake up!"
But the small, bound like a crab, seventh prince remained unmoved.
Why is the Seventh Prince even more sleepy than me? They clearly ate the same things. Could it be those wild vegetables?
They were quite far apart, so Xie Mianmian could only lie on her back and stretch her feet towards the Seventh Prince. Soon, her feet touched the Seventh Prince.
Xie Mianmian bit her lower lip, "I'm sorry, Seventh Prince, Mianmian didn't mean it."
After saying that, his bound feet arched up like a shrimp, and then he kicked hard.
The seventh prince fell to the ground with his back to the child, letting out a muffled groan.
"Seventh Prince, are you awake?"
Xie Mianmian didn't hear his response, but she saw him make a gesture with his bound hands, indicating that he was awake.
The child let out a long sigh of relief.
The Seventh Prince felt a burning sensation in his thighs and could only secretly admire Xie Mianmian's strong legs.
He struggled to free his wrists, but the rope remained firmly in place.
Suddenly, the seventh prince thought of something. He twisted his right hand to reach for the left sleeve, rummaging around until he finally managed to pull out something—the butterfly hairpin.
Xie Mianmian, lying on her side on the ground, watched in surprise as the Seventh Prince magically produced a golden light.
The hand holding the butterfly hairpin slowly groped around, and somehow activated some hidden mechanism. The outermost shell of the hairpin fell off, revealing sharp thorns inside.
Fortunately, they were tied with straw ropes, which made cutting them quick.
Xie Mianmian watched as he carried out his actions methodically, and then the straw rope was cut.
Very good!
The seventh prince's hands were finally free. He propped himself up and untied the ropes binding his feet.
He immediately ran towards Xie Mianmian, waving the spiked barb in his hand a few times to rescue the little rice dumpling on the ground.
Xie Mianmian watched as the Seventh Prince put away the butterfly hairpin and asked curiously, "Such an amazing hairpin, why didn't Your Highness tell Mianmian about it?"
"I forgot."
And is now the time to talk about this?
They should start running for their lives.
There's something wrong with this village.
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