"Hmm, who are you? You're so shameless to freeload off me like this, don't you have any shame?" Tao Wanniang, with her hair down and dressed in a gray-blue cloth, walked up to her with a cold face and said.
Qian Feng was taken aback, startled by Tao Wanniang's cold demeanor. What was this woman's status? How could someone dressed in coarse linen clothes walk with such a murderous aura?
"Sister, well... I'm just a traveler, and I saw smoke coming from afar. When I got closer and smelled it, I had to swallow my pride and ask for some food." Qian Feng said, looking embarrassed. "I'm really sorry to bother you, but... there's no village or shop in sight. What do you and your family do?"
Tao Wanniang was also sizing up Qian Feng. His face was dark, his eyes were small but sharp, and his posture was upright. This man must be from the army!
"You're fleeing, heading to the capital. What about you?" Tao Wanniang asked directly.
"What a coincidence, I also came from the capital. I wanted to go to Shanhai Prefecture, but I seem to have gotten lost as I walked along," Qian Feng said shamelessly.
"They've made up their minds to freeload!" Tao Wanniang's expression softened a bit.
"It's just simple food, but if you don't mind, we'll bring an extra pair of chopsticks!"
After Tao Wanniang said this, none of the Ling family members dared to have any objections.
"Mother, is dinner ready?" Ling Dahu asked tentatively.
"Let's eat, brother. You know kung fu, don't you?" Tao Wanniang scratched her wet hair, picked up a twig, and tied her hair up.
"You noticed that too?" Qian Feng felt that Tao Wanniang was extraordinary. Upon closer inspection, Qian Feng felt that although Tao Wanniang had a dark yellow complexion, he could tell that she must have been a beauty when she was young, especially her pair of bright and lively almond-shaped eyes, which exuded a heroic spirit.
"Hongyu, go and see if Xiaoqiao and Yumei are together yet?" Tao Wanniang said to her eldest daughter-in-law.
"What's your name, brother? Judging from your appearance, you must have traveled a long way!" Although he didn't know if the man was telling the truth, he didn't sense any hostility.
"My surname is Qian, and I come from the capital. I've been searching for someone along the way, and I'd like to ask you all if you've seen a man who is extremely handsome? He's about eight feet tall and only thirty years old," Qian Feng asked tentatively.
Tao Wanniang was taken aback. The only person she knew who met this criterion was the Imperial Inspector.
"Brother Qian, are you from the capital looking for someone?" Tao Wanniang looked Qian Feng up and down, hesitating whether to speak or not.
“Yes, that’s exactly who I’m here to see.” Qian Feng sensed a chance and immediately said.
Tao Wanniang didn't answer immediately. Seeing that Wang Hongyu had returned with Bai Yumei and Xiao Qiao'er, she said, "Everyone's here, let's eat first!"
Qian Feng was drawn in by the aroma of the food. His greatest passion in life was food; he was a true gourmand. Having followed the general on his campaigns across the land, he had also tasted delicacies from all over. Today, in this forest, he smelled the delicious aroma and shamelessly came to beg for some.
"Wow, this is delicious! It's so good, ma'am! This crab is so fresh, and it's both numbing and spicy. It's perfect with rice!"
"And this meat, is it... rabbit meat?"
Qian Feng ate while praising the food, which made the Ling family members lower their guard.
"It's delicious, isn't it? We caught the rabbit ourselves. My mother's cooking skills are unmatched by most people," Ling Dahu boasted.
“My mother never showed off her talents before, but during this journey of fleeing famine, she made sure we ate plenty of meat, like roasted wolf meat, roasted locusts, snake soup, and she was also a great cook of wontons and scallion pancakes. If it weren’t for…” Ling Dapeng couldn’t be outdone and began to boast about his mother in various ways.
"Hmph, you're eating all this food, can't you shut your mouths?" Tao Wanniang interrupted.
"How did you manage to make this steamed egg custard so smooth? This is truly extraordinary!"
Qian Feng didn't even leave the steamed egg custard behind. Who can eat eggs every day and make them so smooth? He glanced at Tao Wanniang again.
"It's no big deal. Anyone can make a steamed egg custard if they know how to cook it properly," Tao Wanniang said calmly. "We've probably met the person you're looking for before."
Tao Wanniang's casual remark brought everyone to a standstill.
"When we passed through a town, the locals were talking about it, but it seems they were being chased by soldiers from the Shanhai Prefecture," Tao Wanniang said, half-truthfully.
"Really!" Qian Feng stopped eating and looked at Tao Wanniang excitedly.
"Yes, we encountered them on the main road. There were three people in a carriage. After we realized that the soldiers were chasing us, we didn't want to cause trouble and took a side road."
Tao Wanniang said calmly, "If you really want to find it, then hurry up. There are too many government officials there, and you'll be caught sooner or later."
Upon hearing this, Qian Feng immediately stood up.
"Big sister, thank you so much. I won't be polite with this rabbit leg!" Qian Feng took a big bite, said goodbye to the others, and plunged into the woods.
"Hey, you..." Ling Dahu was speechless. Even after leaving, you still took their rabbit legs.
“Sister Tao, look at this person…isn’t he particularly strange!” Bai Yumei said only after the person had left.
"It is strange, but he's not a bad person. Look, we're all fine, aren't we?" Tao Wanniang said. "However, everyone tells only three-tenths of what they know and hides seven-tenths. Whether he really found the imperial inspector or not, let's pretend we don't know anything!"
The man's genuine emotions while eating made Tao Wanniang somewhat certain that he wasn't a bad person, but as she herself said, she didn't need to reveal her entire identity.
Qian Feng returned to General Ling Yunzhou's army and reported what he had learned.
"Qian Feng, what's that smell on you? You haven't been secretly giving us special treatment, have you?" The smell of smoke on Qian Feng didn't escape his companions' noses.
"Hehe, I went there because of the smoke. I saw a family of about ten people, young and old, cooking. And I must say, the food they made was even better than what chefs in Beijing make. They caught crabs in the river and hunted rabbits in the mountains. What an interesting family."
Knowing his subordinates' character, Ling Yunzhou frowned and said, "You mean, the three young masters are still being surrounded by people from the Mountain and Sea Prefecture?"
"The signal is also in this area. I think we might have come to the wrong place. The Crown Prince is intelligent and knows that true masters hide in plain sight, rather than exposing himself in a place where there is nowhere to hide!"
"Does the general mean to search where there are many people?"
Ling Yunzhou nodded and said, "The situation is urgent. Everyone, stay alert and search the nearest villages and towns immediately!"
"Your subordinate obeys!" The group of more than ten people left the riverbank at top speed. Although night had fallen, the group was orderly and efficient, and soon arrived at the nearest village.
"General, look, there are markings here too!"
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