Chapter 55: Chapter 55: This Little Girl Is Up to Something Again

Mrs. Qi carefully covered her daughters-in-law and grandchildren with blankets before heading to the bonfire with her sewing basket.

The light by the fire wasn’t very bright, and the village elderly women sat nearby, either shedding tears or stitching shoe soles.

Mrs. Qi thought about how much traveling they still had ahead, realizing that shoes for the adults and kids would wear out quickly, so she aimed to make more shoe soles.

Everyone nodded in agreement, afraid of waking the sleeping people.

In the following two days, nearly all the men in the village went out to hunt for food.

The children gathered firewood nearby, while the women stayed outside the cave preparing food supplies.

The uncertainty of the journey’s length and the safety of the road made everyone want to store as much long-preserving, easily accessible food as possible.

Originally, they only had flatbread, but now with meat, they could make a wider variety of dishes.

Yi Meng was the best cook in the Qi Family, so she was responsible for the food preparation, with her sisters-in-law assisting.

Whether wild pheasants, rabbits, roe deer, or wild deer, they stripped the meat and cut it into strips half a foot long and two fingers wide.

After cleaning a large wooden basin, they placed the meat strips into it, adding salt, Cornelian Cherry powder, star anise, fennel, and other spices, starting to rub and knead.

After evenly mixing the spices, they threaded a rope through one end of the meat strips and hung them on a makeshift rack to air dry.

From morning till night, the open space around the Qi Family area was filled with hanging strips of marinated meat.

The meat strips, having been air-dried for over half a day, were then taken down, a thin layer of oil brushed on the surface, and roasted over the fire.

By this time, the sun was setting, and the children all came back, so the task of roasting meat was handed over to them.

The air was filled with the aroma of roasted and stir-fried meat, making the children salivate as they turned the meat strips, with no trace of the fear and anxiety they felt when fleeing or surrounded by wolves, now excitedly eyeing the meat.

Some children couldn’t resist the temptation and sneaked a bite of the meat strips. When caught by adults, they were met with a quick switch from kindness to a scolding with bamboo rods.

The loud cries did not dampen the mood; instead, they brought a sense of ease.

The mingling of laughter and tears was a reflection of life itself.

After three busy days, the Qi Family prepared nearly a hundred pounds of jerky, with other families also roasting a substantial amount.

Given their original stock of grain, if everything went as planned, they could eat three decent meals a day for two to three months.

But no family dared to dream of eating three full meals a day.

In the past, this would have been the annual provision for the whole family; finishing it in two or three months would have been considered reckless.

On the fourth morning, just after sunrise, the more than two hundred residents of Yongping Village set off eastward.

There was a route in this direction, determined by Qi Quanjin and others after three days of exploration.

Following the edge of the area burned by a large fire, traveling east, with swift steps, they could exit the mountains in about three hours.

However, with such a large group, including livestock, carts, and elderly and children, their pace was doomed to be slow.

Qi Quanjin led the way, clearing a space on the road.

They cleared the branches off the ground, laying thick leaves down.

On top of the leaves, they spread oil paper, and over the oil paper, they laid bedding, to keep out dampness and cold.

By the time the crowd reached this clearing, the sun was already setting.

They’d been walking for about five hours, with less than two short rest breaks.

At this point, everyone was physically and mentally exhausted.

Along the way, they saw lush greenery on their left and a charred, barren landscape on their right.

It felt as though they were walking between paradise and hell, the stark visual contrast weighing heavily on their spirits.

The resting spot was on the barren side, but everyone faced the green side, as if that might improve their mood.

A few clueless children whimpered about being tired and hungry, quickly silenced by their families.

The elders sat in small groups, rubbing their legs, remaining silent.

Many had red, swollen eyes.

Having cried almost all day, they were nearing the point of tears.

The oppressive atmosphere lingered until the following evening.

After two days of traveling, they finally emerged from the forest, standing again on flat ground.

Seated for two days in a pushcart, Qi Manman clapped her hands excitedly upon seeing the unobstructed flat land: “Uncle, Manbao wants to walk by herself!”

At this moment, Qi Manman was sitting in a cart pushed by Qi Dafu.

Also on the cart were Qi Shilang and Mrs. Qi.

After nearly slipping due to a misstep, the elderly lady was arranged to ride the cart by her family for most of the afternoon.

Because of the additional adults and children, Qi Ercai and Qi Sangui transferred most of Qi Dafu’s load onto their own carts.

Hearing her precious granddaughter’s words, Mrs. Qi hastily replied, “Manbao, dear, let’s wait until we find a place to rest before you get down.”

“But Grandma, please let Manbao walk, okay? Manbao really wants to go for a walk!”

Qi Manman blinked her big, round eyes expectantly at her grandmother.

Her expression suggested that not allowing her would be akin to committing a great wrongdoing.

The words of consent were at the tip of Mrs. Qi’s tongue, yet she held them back.

Little children have delicate bones, and overexertion could affect them for life.

Seeing her grandma’s refusal, Qi Manman turned her gaze to her mother for support.

“Mom…”

Yi Meng knew what her little girl wanted just by hearing her call.

Glimpsing at her mother-in-law, she noticed the latter shaking her head, prompting her to intercept before the little girl could proceed with her plea: “Isn’t Manbao the most obedient child?”

“Uh-huh, Manbao is the best!”

Qi Manman nodded vigorously.

She was indeed the most well-behaved child; even Brother Shi was not as obedient as she was!

Yi Meng continued, “Good children listen to adults. Is Manbao planning not to be the best child now?”

“I-I am the best!”

Qi Manman pouted angrily: “Nobody is better behaved than Manbao! Not even Brother Shi!”

The little girl was only four, but she already had a strong sense of competition.

Yi Meng nearly laughed: “Manbao, listen to Grandma. Wait until we find a place to rest before you play on the ground.”

“But, but…”

Qi Manman’s face was full of conflict.

Yi Meng’s heart skipped a beat, sensing the little girl was about to cause a scene.

“Manbao, if you really want to stretch your legs, Mommy can accompany you, but you can’t walk too far, no more than ten steps, okay?”

Yi Meng knew the little girl would definitely cause mischief after getting off the cart, and they might miss something without allowing her to get down.

In any case, she definitely needed to get off the cart, but with prior agreement that she couldn’t just run wild, that was critical.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep