Song Liyun nodded nonchalantly: "Yes! We're all women, we can't just stand by and watch her be humiliated by a man."
"And what about you? What if you were in danger for someone else?" Zhao Tingduo stared intently at her.
"I, I'm not afraid!" Song Liyun believed that she could escape safely after what had just happened.
Zhao Tingduo didn't say anything more, but gave her a deep look before changing the subject: "This time I need to buy acorn noodles again, and also some grain. Can you help me?"
"Sure! It's my pleasure to serve you!"
Now, the food workshop not only makes acorn starch noodles, but also buys some sundries to mix with dried noodles, and it is easy to collect grain.
With another large order coming in, Song Liyun was naturally delighted and playfully gave a Western-style bow with her hand on her chest.
Zhao Tingduo smiled and narrowed her eyes slightly, concealing the glint in them. This etiquette was only used between the leaders of the Di tribe, while others would simply bow and spread their hands.
The arrival of Zhao Tingduo and Abu immediately enlivened the atmosphere in Baolinju.
Abu was competing with Black Gold in skinning rabbits. The rabbits were hunted on the way here, and each one was pierced through by an arrow.
Song Liyun praised Abu's archery skills, but then lamented that the rabbit skin was ruined and couldn't be used to make anything.
Abu laughed and said, "What does Sister Song need rabbit skin for? It's summer now, and the rabbit's fur is sparse and short, so it won't look good when you make things. If you like it, I'll get you dozens of rabbits when autumn comes."
After being tanned and dyed, rabbit fur can be used to make various fur coats, hats, collars, and clothing trims. Song Liyun intends to raise rabbits artificially.
"Abu, can you catch a live rabbit? The kind with long white fur."
"Sure! Gray rabbits molt and change color in winter, turning from blackish-gray to white-gray, so they can hide in the snow and avoid being spotted by falcons," Abu said casually.
Rabbits are the most hated animals on the grassland. They not only eat the tenderest grass, but also dig holes everywhere, and a horse's hoof can easily sink in and break.
Children in the tribe must learn how to catch rabbits as they grow up, as this is how they find food when they are hungry.
Xiao An listened intently, her eyes sparkling with admiration for her brother Abu: "Brother Abu can even catch rabbits in the snow!"
Inside the room, Zhao Tingduo looked through a pile of cardboard boxes that Xiao An had pasted in the corner.
When Zhao Tingduo last came, the cardboard box factory was still under construction. He hadn't seen any white cardboard boxes yet, only a few thick, yellowish-brown cardboard boxes.
The acorn noodles and acorn flour ordered later were picked up by Abu; Zhao Tingduo did not show up.
Song Liyun didn't ask where Zhao Ashi had gone. If she did, she would say it was a mission, a military secret. She was aware of that much.
Touching the smooth cardboard box and looking at the ever-changing Suijin Town, Zhao Tingduo's heart was filled with turmoil.
The last time he returned to the tribe from Broken Gold Town was right after he moved to the summer pastures.
Leather tents are scattered across the alpine meadows, with flocks of sheep and cattle grazing around them, eagerly eating the newly sprouted grass to satisfy their parched stomachs after a long winter.
The men rode around on horseback, driving away the equally hungry pack of wolves that had followed them.
The women were collecting wool and cow hair to make felt mats.
The children, wearing dirty sheepskin vests and carrying large willow baskets on their heads, walked among the cattle, collecting dried cow dung from the ground to burn for warmth.
This was the daily life of the Di tribes for thousands of years, but it was particularly distressing to Zhao Tingduo.
He wanted these children to be able to read and write like the people of the Wu Dynasty, and he wanted to settle down there.
However, he dared not say it.
Their own Uda tribe already has a thousand people. As the number of people increases, the number of cattle and sheep they need to rely on also increases, and the required grassland area will also increase.
Fixed pastures cannot support a large number of livestock, so people need to migrate constantly, making it difficult for them to settle down.
If we abandon the pastures, what will these cattle and sheep eat? And if there are no cattle and sheep, what will people eat?
Although his last trip to Broken Gold Town was short, it wasn't in vain. He quickly received silver for the leather goods he had entrusted to Broken Gold Guard to sell, and the acorn flour and acorn noodles he bought were popular among the tribe.
My mother specifically instructed us to find more of this cheap and filling food to take back, so that the children in the tribe could eat better.
The tribe has now settled down in the summer pastures and can stay until it starts to snow before leaving, which will allow him to stay in Wuchao for a while longer.
The chaos in the market of Broken Gold Town didn't last long. Several men who took advantage of the situation were whipped and driven out of town, while the others resumed their business.
In the crowd, a man squatting on the ground buying eggs squinted, watching the movements around him.
His dark face was the same as that of the surrounding rural farmers, only the ruthlessness that flashed in his eyes added a sinister touch to his otherwise simple and unadorned face.
He just heard someone say that the woman who hit people with the wooden stick was Song Liyun.
Inside Baolinju, Yunniang was busy grinding acorn powder to make jelly, a favorite summer treat for the Song siblings.
Xiao An and Abu are busy making their spicy rabbit meat and barbecue sauce. This time, Abu brought a lot of cumin powder, so they can eat as much as they want.
Upon hearing that Zhao Ashi had arrived, Song Zhenping and Han Ming returned from the fields early to bring back the newly grown broad bean pods and pea pods to eat.
Zhao Tingduo told him that he would be staying at Baolinju for a while longer. Song Zhenping laughed and said that Xiao An was always asking when his brother Abu would come, which made him, as his own brother, jealous. He suggested that the two of them stay longer this time.
Hearing Xiao An nagging him, Abu laughed triumphantly, and Zhao Tingduo was also in a good mood.
Song Zhenping now focuses on farming, and his expression is much more relaxed and cheerful than the last time I saw him. The worry that always lingered between his brows is gone, replaced by a calm and reserved demeanor.
At the dinner table, there were dishes of roasted, grilled, cold, and hot food. Abu took a bite of spicy hot pot, drank a sip of chilled fresh peach juice, and said with trembling lips, "This feels like experiencing both fire and ice."
Brother Shi, I wish we could eat like this freely on the grasslands someday.
Zhao Tingduo swallowed the slippery and chewy acorn jelly in her mouth, glared at him, and said, "Even food can't shut you up. Hurry up and eat. Eat more, so you won't keep asking for this and that every day when we're on a mission."
Abu realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly looked at the expressions of the people around him.
Now Han Ming consciously avoids sitting at the same table with them, and Yunniang only eats in the kitchen.
The two Song brothers at the table were engrossed in their food, seemingly oblivious to everything.
Black Gold squatted on a chair in the corner of the room, grinning as he ate his fresh peaches, busy and happy.
Only Song Liyun smiled and said, "Abu, if we had milk, we'd make a milkshake right now, that would feel so good!"
I have peaches and ice at home, but no yogurt or fresh milk.
Abu opened his mouth wide: "What is a milk...shake?" He drinks milk every day, how come he's never heard of a milkshake?
Xiao An looked up, her face full of curiosity, and asked, "Second Sister, what is milk? Have I ever had it?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
