Novel Full Travelling across Wuyang Mountain, they came to an open plain. They had a wide view from here, bringing everything into focus. This eased their tension to some degree. However, the place was dotted with an unusually large number of people. Some were taking a rest, while others were walking back.
Ye Xiaoxian wondered why they had returned to the dangerous mountain. But after all, no one would commit robberies in public. Therefore, she suggested having a rest here and filling their empty stomachs. Their hearts were still fluttering with fear after their hair-raising adventure. A rest would help to calm their nerves.
They unrolled the mats and began eating some solid food. They were now totally listless, lying or sitting on the mats and losing hope for the future of their journey. The kids who had been chattering excitedly were just like withered flowers at this moment.
Feeling their depression, Ye Xiaoxian tried to inspire them. “I know you’re tired, but this is normal for an escape. Do you know what an invaded city is like? I learned from books that corpses will be strewn everywhere. Some families will die completely and some will have only one or two members left. It’ll do us no good staying in our village. It’s our good fortune that we’re all healthy and safe. Even if we really get into trouble, we can die together. Anyway, we must unite as one and share joy and sorrow together. I’m convinced that we can overcome the difficulties through our joint efforts!”
However, her words set almost everyone off weeping. Except for Old Mr. Xiao. He had been complaining the entire way, but nobody cared about what he said. His words were as trifling as farts and as insignificant as croaks.
Ye Xiaoxian suspected that she had said something wrong. But as she understood it, a general would encourage his soldiers in just the same way. The tougher the situation was, the braver they needed to be. Otherwise, they would defeat themselves before suffering any real setbacks.
After a moment of embarrassment, she heard Wong Mudan sobbing, “You’re right. I’ve never fought so desperately. But from now on, I won’t fear bandits anymore. Win or lose, I’ll fight to the bitter end!”
Chen Ju nodded in tears.
Xiao Tieshu said, “Little Ye does much better than me in planning for our future. I…oh dear! It’s right to let her lead us all this way. Little Ye, we will follow you for the rest of the journey.”
Xiao Tongshu agreed with him. “I’ve never heard such brave words before. Well, I’ve made up my mind. I will fight with my life rather than wait to die!”
Ye Xiaoxian was amazed by their words. She hadn’t expected that her words would not only comfort but inspire them. “I say these things more often from now on,” she thought.
Their morale boosted, they recovered their appetites. Pleased to see this change, Ye Xiaoxian gave out the rest of the food for them to eat. Anyway, she could make food another time.
Suddenly, Xiao Baofeng cried, “Sister Ye, that looks to be Miss Liu and her father!”
“Really?” Ye Xiaoxian was doubtful. Liu Qianqian should have been far away by now. But then, she spotted a group of carriages.
It’s the Liu family!
However, they were going the opposite direction.
Now losing their initial vigor, they looked extremely down and had even stronger depression showing on their faces than the Xiao family did.
Seeing Ye Xiaoxian, they stopped in a tired manner.
Ye Xiaoxian asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you coming back? Why aren’t you heading to Zhengwu county? Has something happened there?”
Liu Qianqian answered with sadness, “I’m afraid that Zhengwu county has been sealed off. There were countless refugees at the entrance. Some have waited for two days, but the gate is still shut for them. We also waited for a whole day in vain. The bastards in the county are afraid that we will occupy their domain, consume their food or cause panic there.”
“What?” the Xiao family exclaimed in chorus.
Li Hongmei asked, “Then where can we go?”
Squire Liu replied from the carriage, “Anywhere else. The people in Zhengwu county won’t let us upset their peaceful life. After all, they are far away from the war.”
“Are there any other ways to get across the county?”
Squire Liu said, “Perhaps, but it is likely to be an untrodden path. It’s not worthwhile to take the risk. We might be killed by bandits or beasts before we can starve to death.”
The Xiao family’s morale dropped immediately. The steamed buns were no longer as appetizing.
Ye Xiaoxian asked, “What do you plan to do next? Return to Qinghe county? We can’t tell whether it has been invaded or not.”
Squire Liu shook his head and said, “We can’t go back there. Now we can only go northwest to Baoning city. It’s a vast expanse of open land featured with deserts, so it has no clear borders. We could set up tents there and raise cattle.”
The thought of a barren, sandy land soon discouraged everybody.
Xiao Tieshu said with bad timing, “But you may be blocked again or confront bandits or gangsters halfway.”
The air froze immediately. He realized his foolishness and returned to his seat.
However, Squire Liu looked at him with interest. “I remember you were a constable in the government office. Are you a good fighter?”
“Well, I have strength,” Xiao Tieshu replied.
Squire Liu kept asking, “Did you pass Wuyang Mountain? Did you meet any robbers?”
“Of course. Eight robbers! They rushed out suddenly, but we defeated them.”
Squire Liu was surprised. “But how?”
“We are a big family with a dozen members, so it was only a small problem for us.”
Squire Liu said, “We also confronted five or six strong robbers and were almost robbed. Fortunately, our servants tried their best to fight against them and Zhenbo also helped a lot with his martial arts.”
Liu Qianqian nodded and said, “Yes! My mom and I were scared to death at that time. But our people outnumbered the robbers and finally beat them back.”
Without hesitation, Xiao Tieshu said, “If you had waited for us, you wouldn’t have had to fight so hard. It’s always safer to go in greater numbers.”
This was exactly what Squire Liu was thinking. Smiling, this shrewd man said, “Shall we travel together from now on? This way, we can take good care of each other.”
Xiao Tieshu said, “But we can’t keep up with you.”
“What does it matter? Now that we don’t have any relatives in the northwest, what difference will it make when we get there? We can just move slowly. After all, safety is the most important thing.”
Squire Liu was such an astute man. He had shaken off the Xiao family at the beginning for some reason. They might have become a burden if his relatives in Zhengwu county wouldn’t take them in. But the situation had now changed. The danger encouraged him to form an alliance. The Xiao family was the best among their few options for allies. As an old saying went, there was strength in numbers. No one would be so rash as to attempt to rob such an overwhelming group.
To show his sincerity, Squire Liu said, “Can we join you in taking a rest? We still have plenty of rice and flour in our carriages. Why don’t we set up a pot and cook some porridge? We need energy to get us across Wuyang Mountain.”
Now that Squire Liu was generous enough to provide food, Ye Xiaoxian decided to accept his invitation to give him an out. She volunteered to cook. While cooking porridge, she also added some diced bacon and corn into the rice. The slight luxury evidently enriched the taste. Since the people hadn’t tasted meat for days, a bowl of congee was enough for them to feel great happiness and forget their tiredness.
Then, Ye Xiaoxian began making some solid food such as stuffed buns and cakes. In this situation, the storability of food was much more important than the taste. People tended to eat more if the food was delicious, so it became necessary to reduce its appeal. But solid food also needed to contain enough calories. Basic grain foods couldn’t satisfy one’s stomach or replenish one’s vigor. It was better to mix some flour with wheat, which could guarantee enough energy and carbohydrates. Less salt was used in order to avoid causing greater thirst.
While she was doing this, all the others focused their attention on her hands. To their surprise, the coarse flour turned into delicate handicrafts in her nimble fingers. From flour to paste and to snacks, she completed the whole process in one go. Her culinary skills were still remarkable under these limited cooking conditions. She used pots as hearths and lotus leaves as cutting boards, and she could bake without an oven. Her cooking skills showed great flexibility.
Now that they did not need to hurry, they watched her cooking step by step, fascinated with what they saw.
To enliven the atmosphere, Squire Liu kept praising Ye Xiaoxian. “Little Ye is not only clever but also ingenious. I know she’s an outstanding cook, but I’m still surprised by her capabilities in such a situation.”
Feeling his sincerity, the Xiao family forgave him for not helping them and turned to compliment Ye Xiaoxian.
After the meal, Ye Xiaoxian evenly distributed the solid food and they all accepted it readily. Squire Liu asked Xiao Tieshu and Xiao Tongshu to shift their things from the carts to his carriages. This way, they didn’t need to pull the carts anymore.