It was probably raised by someone in the neighborhood before, and then it ended up in the mountains after the people fled.
Zhou, resting her chin on her hand, quickly found an explanation.
"We had a good haul today, let's hurry back and have Mom kill this old hen, we'll make soup with it later!"
Lin Xue happily picked up her vegetable basket and followed her two sisters-in-law back to the camp.
"Honey, look what I found!"
As soon as he returned, Liu Qing brought a large bunch of wild fruits to Lin Xue.
Where did you pick these wild apricots?
Lin Xue's mouth watered as soon as she saw the greenish-yellow apricots.
He quickly took one from Liu Qing's hand, wiped it on his hand, and took a bite.
"Honey, isn't it sour?"
Liu Qing had tried these apricots before, and they were so sour they made her teeth ache.
But why does the young wife look so calm while eating?
"It's a bit sour, but it's quite appetizing!"
Lin Xue took the whole bunch of apricots, gave one to each of her two sisters-in-law, and put the rest into her handbag.
Seeing Lin Xue eating so calmly, her two sisters-in-law also took a bite out of curiosity.
The next second.
Wang and Zhou's faces scrunched up like steamed buns; this was just too sour.
How could my third sister-in-law eat with such a blank expression?
"I must have lost my mind! We're not like my third sister-in-law; we definitely can't stand this sour smell!"
Suddenly, Wang realized that she had done something stupid.
But since she was still carrying the old hen, she didn't say anything more, put half an apricot into her bosom, and returned to Grandma Sun's side.
Where did you get this old hen?
Liu Qing glanced at the old hen in his sister-in-law's hand and assumed that she had traded it with some villager.
"I caught them in the woods. Where did you pick these apricots? Do you have any more?"
Lin Xue never expected that she would eat such sour apricots one day, but she really liked the taste.
“There are still quite a few on the trees in the woods over there. I’ll pick them all for you.”
Seeing that his wife loved to eat, Liu Qing forgot to ask about the hen again. He quickly grabbed a basket from the cart and ran towards the woods.
If we had gone too late, those little brats would probably have ruined it.
"Third son's wife, what do you think we should do with this old hen?"
Lin Xue sat obediently on the flatbed cart, pickling the apricots that Liu Qing had brought back. Grandma Sun, who had already finished processing the old hen, came over to ask her questions.
"Let's just boil it into a soup, that way everyone can have some soup to nourish their bodies!"
"Put this in and stew it together. I also have some dried hazel mushrooms here. Wash them and put them in too."
Lin Xue rummaged through the flatbed cart and took out a handful of ginseng roots and a bag of dried hazel mushrooms.
"Okay, then, Third Brother's wife, you should rest well. If there's anything you need to do, just tell Third Brother to do it!"
Grandma Sun gave her some instructions and then went back to cook.
The rich aroma of chicken soup attracted the attention of many people, but no one came over to try and steal it.
Even if they shamelessly went to their door, no one would probably pay them any attention.
We're all from the same village, so we know each other's personalities like the back of our hand.
It's just tough on parents with children. Seeing their kids drooling with envy, how can parents not feel sorry for them?
"Whose family is so ungrateful? They're on the road fleeing famine, and they're still eating meat every meal?"
"Since you have so much meat at home, why don't you share it with the villagers!"
I thought the villagers wouldn't be shameless, but I didn't expect one to actually jump out.
She was an old woman surnamed Wu from the village. Her husband had died years ago, leaving her to raise her four or five sons.
Fortunately, her two older sons are already married. Although this old woman Wu is a bit extreme, her sons are quite reasonable.
"That's Old Lady Wu. You don't need to pay attention to them. She only dares to talk."
Liu Qing sat next to Lin Xue, making a bamboo tube to hold water.
Seeing the look in his wife's eyes, he knew she was somewhat bothered.
"It seems this chicken soup is indeed quite tempting. It didn't make the children cry, but it made this old woman cry first!"
Lin Xue glanced at her husband with amusement. Was she the kind of person who would nitpick over every little thing?
"hey-hey!"
“My wife is right. Some people are so old and still have no shame. They really disgrace the Wu family.”
Hearing his wife's words, Liu Qing found it amusing.
However, what my wife said wasn't wrong; that old woman Wu was indeed quite tempted.
The Liu family ignored those who were making sarcastic remarks. After the chicken soup was cooked, each family received some.
One of the two large chicken drumsticks was given to Xiaodouding, while the other was given to Lin Xue.
The remaining meat was divided equally among everyone.
Lin Xue served a bowl of brown rice and soaked it in rich chicken soup.
Perhaps the chicken had spent a long time in the mountains and forests, making it taste exceptionally delicious. Or perhaps they ate rather rough food on their journey of fleeing famine, so the taste of such fresh chicken seemed particularly good to them.
In short, everyone in Lao Liu's family was very satisfied with the meal.
After finishing his meal, Liu Qing didn't rush to rest. Instead, he picked up his bow and arrows and went hunting in the nearby woods with his older brothers.
Their family were originally hunters, so there must be prey in such a large forest.
Everyone rested until about 2 p.m. before the village chief called for people to set off again.
We've been traveling a lot lately, and if we don't let everyone get proper rest, some of us might not be able to keep going on the road ahead.
Especially the elderly.
Not every household has an oxcart, and not all sons are filial.
There are always some elderly people who have to rely on their own two legs to keep up with the group.
Before they set off, all the men of the Liu family returned.
They all managed to catch some prey.
Liu Qing caught a rabbit and a pheasant.
Liu Qing caught two pheasants and a large hedgehog.
Liu Ping had the best catch, capturing a roe deer weighing fifty or sixty pounds.
The prey were all killed by arrows, so they were simply thrown onto the cart and left to haul away until the next rest day.
When the old village chief heard the news, he brought his own grain and traded it for a pheasant.
Several other well-off families also came over to say hello, promising to exchange grain for some roe deer meat.
They haven't even processed the game yet, and half of their catch has already been reserved.
Old Liu wouldn't let go of the rest of the meat; he needed to save some for his family to nourish themselves, especially since his third son's wife was pregnant and their little one was still very young.
Even the elderly couple need meat to replenish their energy; otherwise, if they catch a cold and get sick, wouldn't that be a burden on the family?
Although his third son's wife can treat livestock, it doesn't guarantee that she can treat people in the same way.
It's better to take preventative measures than to be caught off guard later.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
