"She ran away?" Cai Lihua frowned, utterly incredulous.
An old woman, running away under such chaotic circumstances? Wasn't she afraid of dying out there?
"Don't worry, Mother, she'll be back," A Jiu said confidently. She was in deep thought at the moment, her voice calm.
Given her grandmother's stubborn nature and her constant preoccupation with the spirit spring and its energy, A Jiu knew she'd return eventually, no matter what. It was a non-issue.
At this point, A Jiu had made up her mind. To truly be free, either Steward Li had to die, or that contract had to be returned.
"Then let's rest here and wait for your grandmother. After all, she contributed so much money today, it's as if she's had a change of heart," Cai Lihua quickly brushed the matter aside, her disposition rather carefree.
After all, there was no slavery in that era, and Cai Lihua felt the contract was useless, perhaps only serving the purpose she'd overheard—to get registered.
She then sat down cross-legged, mimicking her grandmother, and opened the silk kerchief that Old Meng had given her.
There was even a small piece of gold inside. She weighed it in her hand. "Oh my goodness, this piece alone is worth at least two taels of gold."
"Daughter, when we reach Nanming City, Mother will buy you delicious food and cook it herself."
"We're still a long way off," A Jiu got up to meet Xiao Yanyan.
Tuoba Yan handed over the water skin, filled with water, and said with a grin,
"I'm clumsy and not as meticulous as Sister A Jiu. Some mud might have gotten in."
A Jiu took it and shook it, squeezing it with her hand. "It's not just a little bit, there's a lot."
"I, I couldn't help it. The muddy water rose so suddenly, I couldn't fill it properly."
Little Yanyan scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
Well, this water skin could be set aside in the basket to settle, and the water would still be drinkable.
"The muddy water rose suddenly? You didn't stir it up?" A Jiu asked, retorting.
"Yes, if you don't believe me, go and see. There's no clear water left now."
Tuoba Yan desperately wanted to prove he wasn't lying.
A Jiu's eyes lit up. "Let's go take a look."
A Jiu quickly ran a few steps and squatted by the puddle. Wow, there was something to be found.
She rolled up her sleeves and plunged her hands into the mud.
Tuoba Yan's eyes widened like ox-eyes. "Sister A Jiu, what are you doing?"
"There are loaches," A Jiu's mouth watered with a smile.
"Ni Qiu? What are you?"
A Jiu dug in. Good heavens, the water source was gone, and all the loaches trying to survive had gathered beneath the muddy sediment.
Now, with A Jiu's movements, they were wriggling out.
Seeing this scene, the opening of the water container, which was not very large, was almost entirely filled with loaches. A Jiu's eyes gleamed.
Tuoba Yan was so scared he sat down on the ground with a thump and then scrambled backward.
"What kind of creatures are these?"
"Loaches. They're delicious. Go and get the basket,"
A Jiu said without looking back.
It wasn't until Tuoba Yan brought the basket and tossed it to her from a distance that A Jiu noticed something was wrong. She turned around and saw Tuoba Yan's eyes filled with fear.
"Are you scared?"
He wasn't afraid of that dangerous situation earlier, so why was he afraid of loaches?
"This... what exactly are these things?" Tuoba Yan's voice had changed.
"These are called loaches. Are you even human? You don't even know this."
A Jiu muttered in disgust, "Later, when you taste them, you'll know how delicious they are."
Heaven, these loaches were so plump. Perhaps in these drought years, only the strong survived, and the weak perished. The smallest loaches here were as thick as a thumb.
And there were so many of them.
The back basket could hold at least a hundred catties of grain, and in a short time, it was half full.
Oh no, A Jiu's head started to ache.
She'd only thought about eating them. Cleaning them required water. A Jiu's brow furrowed with worry.