Just as the three were in a panic, a crow flew out from the dead tree behind them and above, cawing as it plunged into the night.
In the open wilderness, the shrill cawing of crows brought Jiang Zhi a sense of relief.
The presence of crows indicates the presence of a dead person nearby, since crows not only eat birds and insects, but their favorite food is carrion.
As long as the two corpses from Zhao Li's family are still there, it means that no one else has appeared here.
Even the most carefree refugees and mutinous soldiers wouldn't stay near two already rotting corpses.
After listening to the surroundings and finding no sound, Jiang Zhi and the other two mustered their courage and slowly approached...
An hour later, the three reappeared by the rope ladder on the steep slope. The withered grass cloak was long gone, and the charcoal bowl for lighting was also missing. All three were soaking wet.
They climbed up the slope by pulling themselves up with ropes, not even bothering to erase the marks, and groped their way home in the dark.
Xiaoman's grandparents were still awake. The fire inside the shed was bright. Hearing a noise outside, Xiaoman's grandfather quickly opened the wooden door: "Xiaoman, is everything done?"
“Lord Chang Geng, the matter is settled!” Jiang Zhi interjected.
The young master, who was just opening the door, froze: "Errui's mother is here too?"
His hunched back collapsed, and he thought Xiaoman had been captured by Jiang Zhi.
Jiang Zhi and the other two entered the house trembling.
Xiaoman tried to explain, "Errui's mother, um... Zhao Li and the others..."
Jiang Zhi shook her head, freezing in her wet clothes. Her face was pale as she reached out to warm her hands by the fire pit, and she said in a hoarse voice, "Uncle Chang Geng, there's no one down there. As long as it rains all night, the roads will be washed away. Don't worry!"
"That's good, that's good!" Little Man said sheepishly.
Grandma Xiaoman brought over a bowl of piping hot ginger soup, murmuring, "Errui's mother, Xiaoman and Errui, drink the ginger soup first to warm yourselves up. This is the fate ordained by Heaven; if you're destined to die, then die!"
I would feel guilty if I didn't go down the mountain for a walk. The old man has a light view of life and death. What he fears most is not death itself, but a bad death and not being able to be buried in peace.
The matter was already done, but it wasn't a good thing. Jiang Zhi and Xu Errui were pale-faced not only because they were cold from being in the rain, but also because they couldn't suppress the nausea they felt.
After drinking a few sips of ginger soup to temporarily warm their stomachs, the two immediately went home.
At home, Qiaoyun was eagerly waiting.
She knew where Errui and her mother had gone in the rain. Now that Errui was home alone, she kept the door tightly shut and only opened it when she heard her mother-in-law and husband's voices.
The room was warm and cozy; not only was the kang (a heated brick bed) heated, but ginger soup had also been brewed early in the morning.
"Mother, Errui, you drink the ginger soup. I've put the medicine you found in it and boiled it!"
Qiaoyun was unaware that the two had already had soup at Xiaoman's house. She was busy serving the soup and said that it contained old mugwort leaves that Jiangzhi had found a few days ago.
"Qiaoyun, did you boil some mugwort?"
“Yes, Mother, you said mugwort can dispel cold, so I brewed it!” Qiaoyun quickly explained.
Why!
Mugwort has the effect of relieving pain and dispelling cold, and it is also effective for colds caused by wind and cold.
However, it cannot be harvested all year round. It can only be harvested in late spring and early summer, before it blooms. Jiang Zhi saw a few dried mugwort plants the day before and picked them up.
Although the old leaves had lost all their medicinal properties, I thought that boiling them in water to wash my hair and bathe would be enough to relieve the itching. I never expected that Qiaoyun would treat them as medicine and put them in the ginger soup.
Let it simmer, it doesn't matter. Jiang Zhi and Er Rui have already had ginger soup.
Since Qiaoyun had already boiled the mugwort stalks, Jiangzhi simply added the other mugwort leaves and stalks as well, added water and boiled it again. She and Xu Errui then used the medicinal water to wipe themselves down and change their clothes, also to dispel bad luck.
March nights are still quite cold, especially rainy nights. Fortunately, the house is warm with charcoal burning inside, and the kang (heated brick bed) is also warm.
Jiang Zhi not only took a bath, but also washed her hair with soap powder, not afraid of catching a cold. She was busy until late at night but still couldn't sleep, so she leaned against the heated kang and stared blankly.
She dared not close her eyes; the moment she did, all she could see in her mind was the bloated corpse.
Although it hasn't warmed up yet, the wildfires have altered the microclimate, making it just as cold in the mornings and evenings, with midday temperatures approaching 10 degrees Celsius.
The body had been burned and, after several days of fermentation, became a giant.
Fortunately, it was too dark to see the specific situation, so the three of them simply dug a shallow pit on the spot and pried the body in to bury it, but the stench was unbearable and could not be stopped from entering their noses.
The stench of a corpse is the worst in the world, and once you've smelled it, it's like a shadow that stays with you forever; your sense of smell will be forever immersed in that terrifying stench.
Even now, after washing my hair and taking a shower, and even after my outer clothes have been thrown into the rain to wash, I can still smell a lingering odor...
vomit!
Jiang Zhi is vomiting!
What terrified Jiang Zhi even more than the stench was that she felt there was something seriously wrong with her perception.
It's been more than half a month since I came into this body. I've been hiding from wildfires, looking for food, and digging rabbit burrows, but deep down I've always been an observer.
It's like playing some kind of immersive simulation game, or a rural management game.
Even when Xu Errui protected her during the wildfire, she was only moved, but didn't truly connect with this era.
Even a few days ago, when I saw the bodies of Zhao Li's father and daughter-in-law, I was terrified and agitated.
Subconsciously, I still felt that after just one day, the two corpses would disappear after the system automatically refreshed.
But... when she saw that the body was still there after several days, the reality of it all terrified her!
vomit!
Xu Errui next door seemed to be having a contest with her, each vomiting higher and higher than the last.
Jiang Zhi lay down, covered her ears with the blanket, her stomach churning, and her mind a jumble of thoughts.
She originally intended to live a carefree life, waiting for the male lead to reach the end of the story so she could escape her predicament.
But now that I think about it, if something happens to Nie Fantian, I'll be trapped here and die.
It's not terrible that the soul is trapped in this peasant woman's body. She used to live alone, but now she has two more family members, which can be considered compensation.
What terrifies her is the thought of spending the rest of her life in such poverty, a fate worse than death.
Good heavens!
Jiang Zhi pounded her head in despair.
Modern thinking makes it impossible for her to truly integrate into this society, but in order to get through each day peacefully, she has to learn to compromise and submit.
The sound of rain hitting the stone roof pattered down like silkworms gnawing at Jiang Zhi's heart.
She knew she needed to truly integrate into this unfamiliar Great Yan Dynasty, rather than just listening to a storyteller.
The next morning, the rain hadn't stopped, and water lines were already flowing down the hillside, washing away the traces left by the group the night before.
Xu Errui looked listless. He, who usually had a huge appetite, didn't want to eat and just sat under the eaves in the wind, lost in thought.
Qiaoyun frowned, looking at him with concern: "Mother, what's wrong with Errui? He's been vomiting all night!"
Jiang Zhi was already eating.
She glanced outside and saw that Xu Errui was gagging from time to time, knowing that this was a hurdle he couldn't overcome.
Thinking about how well her anti-nausea treatment worked, she decided to let Xu Errui try it too, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
Thinking of this, Jiang Zhi pulled Qiao Yun aside and whispered in her ear.
After just a few words, Qiaoyun's eyes widened, and she stammered, "This...this is also possible?"
Jiang Zhi deliberately frowned and raised her chin, gesturing for her to come over: "If you can't get him to come, I'm going to push him into the latrine."
"Then, I'll have Errui go and give it a try!"
Qiaoyun dared not let her mother lay a hand on her; given her mother's temper, she might actually kick Errui into the latrine.
She just couldn't understand why her mother made Errui smell the stench of feces before coming back to eat.
Smelling feces, the more pungent the better... will prevent you from vomiting?
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