Qin Qingyu looked at the herbs that all seemed to look similar and became curious: "What are these?"
"This is Agrimonia pilosa, which can stop bleeding," Liu Xiaoyun whispered to Qin Qingyu. "This is soapberry, which can be used to wash clothes."
Mo Qianshang looked at the soapberry in Liu Xiaoyun's hand with surprise.
"This is great stuff!" With soapberries, we can take a bath.
She had just glanced at the shower gel in the system shop; it was ridiculously expensive, and she would be broke after just one shower.
Although soapberry is not as effective as shower gel, it is an excellent and affordable alternative to shower gel.
"Xiaoyun is amazing~" Mo Qianshang praised her generously. Liu Xiaoyun was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head shyly.
Mo Qianshang lit a bonfire, roasted wild boar meat, and gave one piece each to Xiao Yaoshi and Liu Xiaoyun.
Xiao Yao and Liu Xiaoyun, who hadn't had meat in a long time, were very excited and thanked Mo Qianshang repeatedly with the roasted meat.
"No need, this is what you deserve."
"Also, I need your help with something later." Mo Qianshang looked at the two people, and Xiao Yaoshi and Liu Xiaoyun quickly nodded in agreement: "Please feel free to give your instructions, Madam."
"Help me weave some thick straw mats."
After all that commotion, Mo Qianshang was covered in blood. If she didn't wash herself clean, she might attract wild beasts.
Xiao Yao was very quick and efficient. It was obvious that Mo Qianshang's willingness to help the other day had made Xiao Yao regard Mo Qianshang as her pillar of support.
After instructing the two men, Mo Qianshang and her three sons tied the straw mats to the wooden stakes, making it completely enclosed on all sides and covering the roof as well. Having prepared the bathing area, Mo Qianshang used a wooden bucket and ladle to fetch water for herself and her youngest daughter, Yu Ya, to bathe. Her three sons and Xiao Yaoshi stood guard outside, keeping a safe distance to prevent anyone from approaching.
Liu Xiaoyun was responsible for helping to fetch water.
The river water wasn't exactly clean, but it was better than nothing, so there wasn't much to worry about.
Mo Qianshang tore two ripped pieces of clothing and rubbed them to remove the mud, using a lot of soap shavings. After washing herself three or four times, Mo Qianshang finally felt like she had come back to life.
"Women are so fussy, always thinking about washing themselves." A man's lewd laughter came from outside the thatched hut.
While others fleeing the famine were covered in dust and dirt from the wind and sun, Mo Qianshang still had fair skin, a pretty face, and a pair of alluring peach blossom eyes. The thought of such a beautiful woman washing herself inside made many men outside drool, but most of them didn't go forward and were glared back by the five men outside.
Considering Mo Qianshang's fierce nature, those people were too embarrassed to approach her easily.
After taking a bath, Mo Qianshang picked up the dirty clothes on the ground, intending to go to the river to wash them, but Xiao Yaoshi came forward and said to her, "Madam, I can take care of these clothes."
Mo Qianshang shook her head: "There are still some soapberries in the thatched shed. You and Xiaoyun can go wash them too. With me here, no one will dare to come near."
Little Yao was somewhat flattered: "Me, can we do it too?"
"certainly."
Xiao Yao's eyes were slightly red.
Liu Dashan treated Mo Qianshang so well that she thought Mo Qianshang would stop favoring them because they had once been Liu Dashan's wife and daughter. But to her surprise, Mo Qianshang treated her the same as before, which moved Xiao Yaoshi and made her realize that Mo Qianshang really regarded her as one of her own.
Xiao Yao took Liu Xiaoyun to the thatched shed to bathe, fetch water, and wash their clothes.
Qin Heming, Qin Qingyu, and Qin Zixuan, three boys, went straight into the river and washed themselves and their clothes. While washing, they didn't forget to catch fish. Liu Dashan hid in a corner and watched all of this, his eyes growing increasingly gloomy.
On the mountain road, some discordant noises arose...
Because of the newly hunted wild boar meat, Mo Qianshang and her group did not need to hunt for a long time.
Qin Qingyu is very interested in practicing medicine and has been pestering Liu Xiaoyun to teach him how to identify herbs recently. Qin Zixuan, on the other hand, is eager to learn how to butcher pigs with his bare hands from Mo Qianshang.
Because of that wild boar, the quality of life for many people in the village has improved, except for Liu Dashan.
Previously, Xiao Yaoshi and Liu Xiaoyun had gone to great lengths to find food for Liu Dashan. Now that they were gone, there was no way to eat what was readily available. Liu Dashan was so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his back, and his already wretched face looked even more unsightly.
Liu Dashan struggled along the mountain path, searching for food as the sound of horses' hooves drew closer.
"Who goes there!"
Liu Dashan was startled. When he looked up, he saw a group of burly men wearing animal skins riding towards him on horseback. Realizing they were bandits, Liu Dashan instinctively tried to run, but the leader of the group knocked him to the ground with a long knife.
"Big brother, please, please don't kill me!" Liu Dashan quickly switched sides and began to beg for mercy. "I have nothing on me, killing me won't do you any good. Down there, all the people in our village are down there. I, I'll take you there. Please, please spare my life."
As Liu Dashan spoke, he kept kowtowing obsequiously.
"You little brat, you scheme against the whole village just to save your own life?"
"Isn't it because they won't give me a way out?!" Liu Dashan grew angrier the more he thought about it, cursing as he looked at the bandit leader before him, and suggested again, "There's a very beautiful young woman in our village, I guarantee you won't regret it! I'm just a worthless little life, you see..."
The bandit leader glanced at him.
Ordinary villagers are no match for bandits, so he wasn't afraid of Liu Dashan's tricks. He called to the bandits behind him and laughed, "Brothers! Let's go!"
"If you dare to lie to me, I'll skin you alive!"
"Yes, yes..."
Liu Dashan hunched his shoulders and bowed as he pointed the way.
*
On the other side of the mountain.
The white-clad man stood tall and elegant, wearing a silver mask that obscured half his face, yet still couldn't hide his handsome features. His eyes were sharp as stars, and a red mole at the corner of his right eye added a touch of eeriness to his appearance.
"I never imagined that the village where you used to live would be deserted, and even your four children are gone."
A man dressed in black stood next to the man.
The man in white frowned slightly.
Six months ago, he was forced to leave due to some business. In order to take care of his four children, he married Mo Qianshang.
Back then, when he met Mo Qianshang, he found her to be gentle and kind, a good girl who could take care of children.
But now...
Teaching human traffickers a lesson, dealing with village thugs, hunting wild boars, hunting rabbits, fishing...
In just six months, Mo Qianshang seemed to have become a completely different person.
And those things are simply not something an ordinary mountain woman could do.
"You suspect that she's not the same person as before?" The man in black beside Qin Baiyi looked at him. "If not, what is her purpose in impersonating Mo Qianshang? Is it to lure you into a trap?"
The man in black's voice held a hint of urgency: "What should we do? You still want to show yourself in this situation?"
Qin Baiyi remained silent for a long time before shaking his head: "No matter what, the four children cannot fall into the hands of outsiders. If she is looking for me, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I will try to get close to her, find out the truth, and prioritize the safety of the children if necessary."
As Qin Baiyi spoke, he leaped down into the valley.
The man in black standing to the side paused for a moment, then couldn't help but sigh.
Just then, the bandits were less than 100 meters away from the village's encampment!
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