Chapter 19 The Old Man Only Eats Food with Spiritual Energy
"Mhm, mhm, mhm, Mother, tell me what you need." Meng Shaode leaned closer.
"From now on, all food I consume must have spiritual energy, such as thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng. As for wild game, it must be at least three hundred years old. And don't bring me any more coarse food," the old woman declared.
A Jiu, who was helping to stir the wheat in the boiling water, twitched her lips upon hearing this. She glanced outside the cave. Old Madam, dressed in tattered clothes, was sitting cross-legged, her disheveled, graying hair making her look like a discarded sack. It seemed this illness of Old Madam's wouldn't be cured without a world-renowned physician.
"What?" Meng Shaode's eyes widened, nearly making him faint on the spot. His gaze towards his mother was not much better than it had been when facing refugees and bandits the previous night. Was his mother completely mad? In this era of war and chaos, let alone thousand-year-old items, even two-day-old ones were non-existent.
"It's time to eat, Old Meng."
Over there, Cai Lihua had already served the boiled wheat. Fortunately, the group had not snatched away the discarded bowls and chopsticks. For the first time, the family sat around a large stone, eating a hearty meal with soup.
"From now on, Second Brother, you'll be in charge." Meng Shaokang, still pale from being scared senseless, felt that if his second brother hadn't bravely stepped forward then, he, Meng Shaokang, would now be bleeding on the battlefield.
"Then I'll speak my mind," Meng Shaode said without any pretense of modesty. "Last night, I called in a favor. Consider it settling the debt for saving my life. He told me we can head south along this road. Since the soldiers have already swept through here several times, they won't waste troops to come back again."
A Jiu listened while looking at Old Madam outside the cave. The bowl of rice was placed before her, but she remained motionless. This didn't look like possession by an evil spirit either; people possessed by spirits wouldn't neglect eating and drinking.
"After we finish this meal, we should set off immediately. If all goes well, we'll reach Nanming City in two days. Once there, we'll be out of Prince Chujiang's jurisdiction. If there's no rebellion in the territory governed by Prince Qiming, we can rest for a while."
"Second Brother is right. I just fear that Prince Chujiang, in his ambition to conquer more cities and prefectures, might also endanger the Nanming region," Meng Shaokang said, his temper significantly mellowed after yesterday's fright.
"Let's be content with what we have, Eldest Brother. We're fortunate to be staying in this border town. If we were in the city, we definitely wouldn't be able to escape." Meng Shaode felt this was already Heaven's way of giving them a lifeline.
At these words, everyone fell silent, unsure if they would even survive to reach Nanming City.
As Meng Shaode spoke, he nudged Cai Lihua with his elbow, signaling her. The couple moved a considerable distance away. Meng Shaode took the opportunity to pack up the hidden ox cart and began to explain the family's situation. He wanted to prevent them from being startled later.
By the cave entrance, A Jiu looked at the water skin at her waist. The little water left inside needed to be conserved. This meager amount of food wouldn't last the entire family for even three days. Moreover, even if there were no incidents on the journey from here to Nanming City, it would take at least half a month.
"Mother isn't eating, don't you have any responsibility?" Meng Shaokang roared at Luo Qiuying from the cave entrance. "Go feed her."
A Jiu was pulled back from her thoughts and looked up. Her uncle had finished speaking and immediately slapped her, startling Goudan and Shitong, who scurried into A Jiu's embrace. A Jiu comforted her two younger cousins, her brow furrowed. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, big sister is here."
Over there, Luo Xiuying dared not utter a word of complaint. Holding the bowl, she knelt before Wang Shi and brought the spoon to her lips. "Mother, please eat a few bites." She pleaded, then cautiously glanced at her own husband, afraid that if her mother-in-law didn't eat, she would be beaten again.
"Why are you looking at me? As a daughter-in-law, serving your mother-in-law is a matter of course," Meng Shaokang glared at his wife.
"You little brat, where did you pop out from?" The old woman opened her eyes and looked at Meng Shaokang.
"Huh? Where did I pop out from?" Meng Shaokang pointed at his own nose. Who else would know where he popped out from better than you, Elder Madam?