The bonfire was lit, and the children gathered around it, laughing and jumping happily.
Because almost all of them participated in the entire process of catching fish and collecting wild duck eggs today, and enjoyed the joy of success.
After cleaning the fish, they were all skewered onto tree branches and placed around the campfire.
Li Lanzhen listened as Shanxing said that they hadn't eaten any food for the past few years and felt sorry for these children.
So they brought out a lot of wild vegetable cakes and dark flour cakes.
They also set up two large iron pots, with cornmeal and dark flour paste simmering inside.
Wild vegetable pancakes and dark flour pancakes were also skewered on tree branches by the children and roasted over the campfire until they were soft and fragrant.
Li Lanzhen took out a small packet of seasoning, spread it on the grilled fish, and grilled it over a fire. The unique aroma permeated the valley.
The older children could still hold back, but they kept swallowing their saliva.
The children smacked their lips and drooled incessantly.
Li Lanzhen felt both sorry for her and amused by what she saw.
Xue Bao wrapped the wild duck eggs in lotus leaves, covered them with mud, and buried them all in the fire.
Li Lanzhen took one look and realized that this was how beggar's chicken was prepared.
Should this be called a beggar's wild duck egg?
She chuckled to herself, thinking to herself, "This kid really knows how to eat."
When the food was cooked, the children brushed the dust off their bodies, washed their hands and faces, and sat obediently by the fire, holding their bowls, waiting to be given food.
After Shanxing and the others came to live here, they brought some pots, pans, and bedding with them.
So it's very convenient for so many people to eat together.
Li Lanzhen first served each child a full bowl of a porridge made from a mixture of black flour and cornmeal.
On several large lotus leaves were soft and fragrant baked wild vegetable pancakes and dark flour pancakes.
Xue Bao told them, "The grilled fish are stuck by the fire. Anyone who wants to eat one can just take one."
It got cold and didn't taste good if left aside.
The children puffed out their cheeks and answered in unison.
They held their bowls carefully, slurping slowly, one mouthful at a time. Because the porridge was too hot, they kept turning the bowls around in their hands, their mouths resting on the porridge as they slowly sucked.
The children in Lishu Village, in particular, haven't eaten grain for several years. Now, when they are given a bowl of gruel, they cherish it and eat it very carefully.
It felt like if I finished eating quickly, I would never be able to eat anymore.
Li Lanzhen said to them, "Eat up, there's still some left in the pot. Each person can have two bowls, but don't stuff your little bellies."
His joke made the older children feel embarrassed, while the younger ones touched their bellies and giggled.
The clear, cheerful laughter echoed through the empty valley.
Shanxing's eyes reddened!
I haven't heard laughter for years!
The 11 children have lived like this day after day, without a smile or laughter.
She turned her head and looked at Li Lanzhen.
At this moment, Douhua and Datou were sitting on either side of Li Lanzhen.
Li Lanzhen was so kind, smiling, holding a grilled fish in her hand, tearing off pieces of meat to feed her two children.
He kept reminding them, "Eat slowly, watch out for the thorns!"
This scene brought tears to Shanxing's eyes.
She missed her grandfather and the villagers of Lishu Village.
After eating and washing up, the children were all settled down and put to sleep.
Xue Bao noticed that Shan Xing had not yet rested.
"Shanxing, go to sleep. I'll keep watch."
Li Lanzhen also said, "Yes, you go and rest. Xue Bao and I will take turns, one of us will be on duty for the first half of the night, and the other will be on duty for the second half."
Although Shanxing said the valley was safe, they still had to keep watch at night, especially the campfire, which couldn't be extinguished. People couldn't get in, but that didn't mean wild animals couldn't get in.
So, caution is paramount, and safety is the top priority. There are 20 children of all ages here.
The snow leopard sat beside the campfire, keeping watch for the first half of the night.
Li Lanzhen lay on the grass nearby, looking at the starry sky, lost in thought.
How should she bring it up with Shanxing? She should mention that she wants to live here.
Li Lianzhen took a liking to the land here.
The land on both sides of the reed marshes is just right for growing rice.
On higher ground, one side can be used to grow grains such as wheat, corn, and sweet potatoes.
She discovered that because the valley was surrounded by high cliffs, the temperature inside was warmer.
If you want to live here, you need to get Shanxing's consent, because this valley was discovered by Shanxing's grandfather.
The second question is, how should we talk to the old village chief and the others when we return to Forget-Worry Valley?
It wouldn't be a bad idea if they all moved here.
After thinking it over and over but still not coming up with a good solution, Li Lanzhen simply gave up on thinking about it, believing that there would always be a way out.
Let's check the surrounding area tomorrow and discuss it with Shanxing.
As for how to tell the people in the Valley of Forgetfulness.
We'll have to wait and see what happens after we get back with the children.
At worst, we can just move the whole village here.
When Li Lanzhen woke up, it was already past midnight.
Looking at Xue Bao, he was still wandering around the valley with great energy.
He must be afraid of falling asleep sitting there.
"Xue Bao, you should go to sleep. Your aunt woke up late, and you won't be able to sleep for much longer either."
Xue Bao chuckled and said, "It's alright, Auntie, you can get some more sleep."
I'll be fine after sleeping for an hour or two.
Li Lanzhen watched Xue Bao fall asleep, but instead of sitting by the campfire, she pulled out a few thick wooden sticks and threw them into the fire.
She walked slowly back and forth along the valley.
He walked along, lost in thought.
Suddenly, she thought of the man in black in the space.
The black man's face was covered with burn scars.
I wonder what kind of misfortune he suffered.
Once we reach the Valley of Forgetfulness, let's release him and see how he is.
I wonder how badly his injuries are doing?
In the rush that day, I applied anti-inflammatory powder and bandaged him up; he shouldn't bleed.
In fact, logically speaking, a living person would fall asleep once they enter the space.
So, the wounds on a person's body shouldn't get worse, right?
Also, I wonder what's going on with that imperial brother-in-law in Youzhou City.
Whether he is dead or alive, whether the emperor has sent the prefect to the government office to take over the case.
The soldiers in the mountains can't find anyone in Lishu Village. Should they expand the search area? Or call in more reinforcements to search the mountains?
These things remain unknown.
We'll have to wait until we get out of the mountains to talk about it.
As dawn approached, Li Lanzhen added water to the pot, preparing to cook a porridge.
Continue eating wild vegetable pancakes. Today, we can add a few wild duck eggs to the porridge to nourish the children.
Just as she was preparing these things, Pear Blossom woke up, washed her face, and came to help her make breakfast.
The children woke up one after another, washed up, and then each found something to do.
Gathering firewood, digging for wild vegetables, and washing wild vegetables.
Looking at the fresh and tender wild vegetables, Li Lanzhen thought, "I'll make a cold wild vegetable salad for the children."
So breakfast was still plentiful.
A few wild duck eggs were cracked into the black cornmeal porridge. Li Lanzhen was afraid of the strong fishy smell, so she secretly sprinkled some pepper powder on it.
A large bowl of cold wild vegetable salad and wild vegetable pancakes.
The children ate happily, their little bellies round and full.
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