Hong Xiaoduo sat on the throne the children had made for her with leaves: "What, do I look like a lying liar?"
"No," the children responded in unison.
"Never mind, the wild game has been caught, let's make a fire and roast it." Hong Xiaoduo didn't want to emphasize any promises again. What she was worried about now was how to prepare the wild game, which she didn't seem to know how to do.
Also, she touched her body and found no tinderbox like those in period dramas and romance novels. How was she supposed to start a fire?
However, just as she was worrying, the children around her suddenly scattered and picked up dry branches, piling them together, and soon there was a large pile.
And the eldest boy skillfully tore off several handfuls of dry grass and stuffed them under the dry branches, then took something out of a tattered cloth pouch at his waist.
A tinderbox? This child actually has one.
Thinking about the children's reactions when she mentioned starting a fire, and the boy's skillful way of lighting the fire, Hong Xiaoduo didn't feel happy; instead, she felt a little sad.
"Mom, which one do you want to roast? I'll go get it ready," the boy asked her, turning his head after lighting the fire.
"You can do this too?" Hong Xiaoduo asked in disbelief.
The boy smiled and nodded: "Yes, I can do many things, and I can even cook."
"Mom, I can wash clothes."
"Mom, I can do it too, I can do it too."
“We can all do it,” the other children chimed in, vying to speak.
Their expressions clearly told Hong Xiaoduo that they were not a burden, but capable and hardworking.
"You guys are amazing." Hong Xiaoduo felt a little sad.
She doesn't seem to know how to cook or prepare wild game; it seems like all she knows how to do is eat.
She glanced at the children and roughly estimated how many kinds of wild game she would need to roast to feed them. Then she realized that she herself probably couldn't estimate the right amount either; she had no experience.
So, they were told to first deal with three wild rabbits and five pheasants.
She prepared enough for one rabbit for two people and one pheasant for each person. If there was too much, it was fine; the leftovers could be used for dinner in the evening.
"Mom, can you eat so much?" the boy asked, puzzled.
Hong Xiaoduo was taken aback: "It's not just me eating, it's enough for all eight of us."
"Oh, we get a share too?" one of the children asked in disbelief.
"Of course, what else? Don't you eat it?" Hong Xiaoduo retorted.
One child blurted out, "Of course we'll gnaw on the bones."
Hong Xiaoduo's face immediately darkened. No wonder they were all so pale and thin; it was from hunger and chronic malnutrition.
"Everyone's eating meat today, no one's gnawing on bones." Her tone was quite unpleasant.
"Mom, we can gnaw on bones too, bones are really delicious." The older boy, sensing her annoyance, quickly said.
"How can you get full if you only gnaw on bones and not eat meat? How can you have the strength to keep going if you don't eat your fill?" She wanted to say, "If you don't have the strength to walk fast and far, aren't you afraid that bad man will catch up with you?"
But then I thought, I shouldn't scare them.
When the children heard her say that everyone could eat meat and wouldn't have to gnaw on bones, they stared at her in disbelief, thinking they had misheard.
The boy then pointed to a pool not far away and said that there was a pool there where they could wash and prepare their prey.
Hong Xiaoduo wanted to go along, even though she didn't know how, and she couldn't really let all the children do it.
The children firmly refused to let her go, saying they did it often and were very skilled, and solemnly guaranteed that the prey they prepared would be very clean. There wouldn't be any hair stuck to it, and the gall bladder wouldn't be broken and the meat would taste bitter.
Seeing that the group had walked a few steps away with their prey, Hong Xiaoduo remembered and asked, "Do you have any knives? You can use this, but be careful not to hurt yourself." She said she was about to draw the sword from her waist.
"Mom, don't worry, no need for a knife or anything, it'll be fine soon." The boy said with a smile, then called to his friends to walk towards the pond he had found.
Very quickly, the children returned carrying the prepared wild game.
The skinned rabbit, the plucked pheasant, and all its internal organs were removed. Even the tiny little bird was cleaned very thoroughly.
Watching the children chatter and get to work, poking wild game with sticks and roasting it around the fire, the older boy even took out salt and sprinkled it on top.
"Mom, don't worry, my older brother roasted them perfectly, they won't burn." The youngest girl stood next to Hong Xiaoduo and told her.
Hong Xiaoduo nodded, crossed her legs, rested her arms on her legs, and watched the children excitedly roasting wild game.
Just then, she heard the sound of horses' hooves. Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw a carriage approaching, followed by two riders.
As they got closer, the children noticed and became somewhat nervous.
"Don't worry, it's not that person," the big boy said, glancing towards the carriage.
Hearing him say that, the other children really weren't nervous anymore. They continued to stare at the roasting game, some of them already drooling. They were so happy to be able to eat meat today.
The group stopped as they approached. The rider on horseback said something to the people in the carriage, then pointed to the roasted game and the unprepared game tied up nearby, and said to Hong Xiaoduo, "Sell all of those to us."
Looking at the person high on horseback, Hong Xiaoduo didn't say anything, but when she saw the children staring longingly at the wild game that was already roasting and smelling delicious and ready to eat, they all looked at her.
It seems we probably won't be able to get our hands on that meat anymore...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
