Their three corpses were all dug out and then wrapped in straw mats and taken away. Ah Jiu's little heart pounded wildly.
Even more worrying for Ah Jiu was that Tuoba Yan actually lent a hand in carrying them.
What was this guy thinking, was his head full of crap or urine, how could he not be scared at all?
Thinking this, Ah Jiu watched as Tuoba Yan left with them. As he passed the alley entrance, he even winked back at her.
Ah Jiu finally regained her senses.
The officials and Tuoba Yan quickly rode away on horseback.
"Daughter, stop looking, go back inside and wait for your mother to cook something delicious for you. Leave the murder to the officials. Anyway, the soldiers in Nanming City are much better than those in our Menghua City."
When Ah Jiu turned around, she saw her father.
"Dad, you heard about it too?"
"The whole village knows about such a big thing. Dad saw it as soon as he came down the mountain."
Meng Shaode had seen far more dead people than Ah Jiu, so this incident clearly didn't faze him:
"Ah Jiu, go inside. With your dad here, no demons or ghosts can scare you.
Lihua, I've caught a fox, hurry and cook it for our daughter."
As soon as he said this, Cai Lihua, while washing the stone moss, muttered, "Fox meat smells gamey, and we don't have any ginger. How do you expect me to prepare it? You might as well have brought back a bird instead of a fox."
"At worst, I'll wash it a few more times. I'll wash it, that's fine."
Meng Shaode carried a fox into the courtyard. He would wash it then.
"Can you do it? You need to remove the tendons that cause the smell. You should go play somewhere else, I'll do it."
Ah Jiu looked at the villagers outside who were still muttering amongst themselves, then turned back to the kitchen to start boiling water.
She cherished the salt as she put it into the water, then quickly scooped a bowl for her mother.
"Mom, there's salt in here, it'll help you recover."
"What? Salt?" Cai Lihua shook the water off her hands and stared at her daughter, then quickly took the bowl and sipped it. Her face lit up with joy:
"It really is! Daughter, where did you get this salt? You know, don't underestimate this salt. Without it, any dish lacks its soul."
Seeing her mother so happy, Ah Jiu also felt relieved: "Xiao Yan brought it back. Here, there's also a bag of wheat."
"Whoa!" Meng Shaode and Uncle Tong's eyes both lit up.
"Where? Let me see." Aunt Li quickly wiped her hands on her clothes and went to the direction Ah Jiu pointed, then quickly untied the bag.
"Sister-in-law, come quickly and look, this wheat is growing so well."
Instantly, Meng Shaode, Cai Lihua, and Uncle Tong huddled together, looking into the bag.
Tie Chui and Tie Dan also squeezed in, "Mom, what is this?"
"Silly children, this is wheat, the wheat that is ground into flour to make steamed buns." Cai Lihua was so happy she couldn't stop smiling.
"Our daughter really did what she said. Look, we can still plant another season in this weather. Come next winter, and by next June or July, we'll have a harvest."
Meng Shaode happily lifted the bag and slung it over his shoulder, entering the kitchen:
"Tomorrow, we'll plant it tomorrow."
"Okay." Cai Lihua immediately felt invigorated: "With this rain, we can definitely plant it."
As Cai Lihua spoke, she tucked the bag of salt into her embrace, keeping it close. This stuff was more precious than money.
That evening, a pot of rich soup was ready. Accompanied by barley porridge, ground from wheat by Ah Jiu using Grandpa Niu's stone mill, the aroma filled the air.
The family of several people gathered around a broken square table, eating heartily.
"Mom, this is so delicious." Tie Chui had food all over his mouth.
"It's delicious, isn't it? All thanks to this salt. Daughter, have another bowl. We've found a place to settle now." Cai Lihua poured a third bowl for her daughter.
Ah Jiu let out a satisfied burp, soup dripping from the corner of her mouth. She was completely full, especially the stir-fried stone moss, which was flavored with just a little salt and was incredibly delicious.
"Knock, knock, knock!" a voice sounded from outside: "Is anyone home? We are from the yamen, here to investigate today's strange case. Open the door quickly."
The family exchanged startled glances, and Ah Jiu's heart leaped into her throat.