More than a hundred people from Dongshan Village followed a gray wolf and walked silently into the cave. If anyone makes a noisy sound, that big bad wolf, which is as tall as a person, will stare at you with green eyes until you are quiet. Therefore, more than a hundred people, even the immature children in their arms, walked silently in the deep and dark cave.
Soon, a ray of light came out from the top of the cave, and a bigger cave appeared in front of everyone. The cave is very big, as Xiaocao said, it is more than enough to accommodate more than 300 people. The most wonderful thing is the light from the top of the cave, like strands of bright lights, which makes people feel less dim.
The cave is very dry, and there are many dead branches and stones in it. The villagers saw that Xiaocao stopped and announced that everyone would settle down here, so they took the family as a unit, spontaneously chose a flat place, put down their luggage, and did a simple cleaning.
It was safe for the time being, and the child who was detained by the adults was full of curiosity about the surrounding caves. The older ones began to explore the cave after learning that there was no danger in the cave. The younger ones laugh and chase around their family members. The echo in the cave was loud, and the children's laughter spread layer by layer, making it extremely noisy.
Princess Jing slightly frowned, her forehead was throbbing with pain. She is a person who likes to be quiet. More than a hundred people, old and young, women and children, are all crowded in a cave, which is too noisy for her. However, she also knew that during the special period, the request should not be too much, so she sighed and endured it.
Dodging a toddler who was still walking unsteadily, Yu Xiaocao came to Princess Jing's side and said to her, "Your Majesty, there are still many sub-caves here. Sister Mei Xiang and I will go and pick one that suits you well." Those who live, we will move in when the time comes."
Princess Jing smiled when she heard the words, nodded and said, "Okay, you and Mei Xiang should be careful, let Xiao Bai and Da Hui follow. Go early and come back early!"
Yu Xiaocao glanced at Da Hui who was drinking water with his head down, and lightly touched its butt with his foot. The big gray butt moved to the side, and looked up at her, as if he was a little impatient that she interrupted his enjoyment of the spiritual water.
"Dahui, are you full? If you're full, take us to find a cave where we can live. It's best to have four or five caves facing each other. It doesn't have to be too big, it's enough to accommodate a dozen people!" Yu Xiaocao didn't care about the size. Can Hui understand? The cave is so big, one hole after another, like a maze, when can she find it
Mei Xiang chuckled: "Miss Yu, if you tell it like that, can it understand?"
"Don't underestimate animals, especially animals with spirits! Big Hui is different from ordinary wolves, it should understand what I mean, right?" Yu Xiaocao didn't have much reason to say it.
Big Hui squeezed away and Xiao Hei, who came over to grab water from it, finished licking the Lingshi water in the basin in three gulps, then licked his mouth again, turned his head and walked towards a small hole in the cave. Followed up, and turned to look at them, as if urging them.
Xiaocao understood, and pulled Mei Xiang to follow. The entrance of the cave is as tall as a person, and there is a long and narrow passage inside, which can accommodate two people side by side. After walking a distance of about fifty meters, the inside suddenly opened up. This cave is semi-enclosed, and the top of the cave is semi-circular, like a cover.
There is a gap on one side of the "cover", and several small trees with crooked necks cover the gap. One of them is a wild peach tree, with many fruits hanging on it, many of which are ripe and waiting for someone to pick them. Looking out from this gap, you can have a glimpse of the scenery in the valley. At this time, it was already dusk, and the orange sunlight shot into the cave, making it look warm and bright.
On the wall of the cave, a row of neat openings looked like portals. Xiaocao peeped in and took a look inside. These small caves should have been dug by humans. The walls are neat and tidy, and some stone beds are still left stool. Each small cave is like a single room of 70 to 80 square meters. The inside is dry and clean, and you can move in after just cleaning.
Mei Xiang visited the "single rooms" in surprise, and said in amazement: "There should be people living here. I don't know who dug these caves. We won't occupy the residences of some hermits, right?"
Yu Xiaocao looked at the thick dust on the ground, shook her head and said, "It would have been a long time ago if people lived here. The predecessors planted trees and the descendants took advantage of the shade, which is cheaper for us. There are eight 'rooms' here, enough for us to live in. Already! Sister Mei Xiang, please tidy up here, I'll go invite the princess."
By the time Yu Xiaocao brought the concubine and her relatives over, Mei Xiang had already finished tidying up one of the larger caves. At this time, she was wiping the stone bed in the cave with a wet handkerchief soaked in water!
"Huh? Sister Mei Xiang, where did you get the water?" Yu Xiaocao asked in surprise.
With a smile on Mei Xiang's face, she came out and pointed to a stone trough at the gap. The spring water gurgled out from the mountain wall, gathered into a pool in the stone trough, and the excess flowed out along the mountain wall.
"This is really a place of geomantic omen. With this stone trough, it will be much more convenient for us to use water in the future." As Wu Wan said, if there is no such mountain spring, the water will have to be drawn from the mountain wall more than ten meters high into the valley. Water, or go around to the cave just now, and then go out to find the water source, it is very inconvenient!
Lan Xiang hurriedly found a basin from the servant, and together with Mei Xiang, they quickly cleaned the cave. The stone bed is covered with a soft brocade quilt, and the square platforms carved out of the cave wall have become storage spaces. The princess's supplies are all neatly placed inside. Xiaocao put the night pearl in the cave at the highest point, and the whole room was as bright as a light bulb.
For the remaining caves, Yu’s family lives in one, Aunt Xiaocao’s family lives in one, Grandpa’s family lives in one, and the remaining four are the stewardess and girl brought by Xiaocao, as well as the girl from the other courtyard. The children were divided up. The servants and guards of the other courtyard can only make a bed in a corner of the "living room".
It was getting late. In order to escape for their lives, everyone didn't have time to eat lunch, and everyone was so hungry that their hearts were on their backs. The Wangfu Bieyuan brought a lot of food, as well as seasonings such as oil, salt, sauce and vinegar. Xiaocao's family and her relatives brought enough food for three to five days, not to mention the pheasants and hares that Xiaoheixiaobai hunted back.
I simply tidied up the cave where I live. The stone bed inside is very wide and big, like a big earthen kang, and it doesn't feel crowded for a dozen or so people to sleep on. Old Yu slept in the innermost one, followed by Yu Hai, Liu and his wife, and then Xiaocao and Xiaolian. For families with poor conditions, in order to save firewood in winter, it is common for a large family of several generations to squeeze together on a large kang.
Putting the things she brought on the stone bed, Xiaocao took Xiaolian out, and outside the cave near the opening, she set up a simple stove with stones, washed the rice, and started cooking. She looked to the other side, and the women and girls in the palace kitchen were also busy. Their stoves were divided into three, and the rice was cooked in three pots at once. The palace's servants and guards add up to thirty or forty people, and they eat a lot. Everyone is hungry, and there is not enough to eat if there is less cooking!
Yu Caifeng came over with a bag of rice, knelt down beside Xiaocao, and helped her light the fire. After thinking for a while, she said, "Why don't we fire together, so we can save some money!"
Yu Xiaocao nodded, thought for a while, and said: "Auntie, go to Grandpa's place and ask if you want to start a fire together? Our two families are one family, so if you don't invite them, don't let Grandpa feel that we don't care about it." They are relatives…”
Yu Caifeng smiled and said: "It's Xiaocao's thoughtful thinking. Okay! I'll go ask my aunt to see what their plans are."
Not long after, she came back, shook her head to Xiaocao with a smile, and said, "Uncle and the others said that they brought dry food and would not start fires at night. They also said that they have a lot of family members, so let's start fires alone. "
While talking, a figure flashed past the gap in the cave. Xiaocao took a closer look and saw that it was Chief Guard Zheng and the others, each carrying a bundle of dry firewood behind them. It turned out that the guards of the palace thought it was too far to go around, so they tied a rope to the tree, stone and stone in the gap. Anyway, it was only about ten meters away. What's up.
Chief Guard Zheng left three bundles of dry firewood for Xiaocao, enough for them to burn three or four meals. Yu Xiaocao reciprocated and gave them a pheasant that Xiao Hei had caught. Although it is not enough for so many of them, at least some meat can be added to the dish, right
The remaining hare was skinned by the grass and stewed in a large pot with potatoes. I put a bowl for the princess and grandpa respectively. When the rice is stewed, sausage and bacon left over from winter are added to it, which is very fragrant even without vegetables. In addition, Xiaocao cooked another pot of seaweed soup.
The Yu family and the Liu family were each holding a large bowl with bacon rice on the bottom and hare stewed with potatoes on the top. Maybe it was hungry, but everyone ate very sweetly. Even Liu Fangping, the youngest, ate more than half a bowl of rice and a spoonful of rabbit meat.
Seeing the little guy eating happily, Mrs. Liu suddenly put down the bowls and chopsticks in her hands, and sighed deeply. Seeing this, Yu Caifeng asked, "What's wrong?"
"When I saw Xiao Fangping, I thought of Shitou from our family. I don't know if he is safe in the town, and Yu Hang from our family. Xiaocao said that the Japanese pirates also went to the pier. Xiaosha, he will not run into Japanese pirates... "The more she thought about it, the more Liu felt as if a big stone was stuck in her heart.
Yu Caifeng comforted her and said, "Don't worry, Xiaoshitou is in the town, far away from the coast. Even if the Japanese pirates fight over, isn't there still a government office? It must be safer than our side! As for Xiaosha, you don't have to worry about it." Xiaocao's godfather, but a veteran general, and his soldiers are also powerful, how can he not be able to protect him?"
When Liu Shi heard what she said, she also reasoned, and felt relieved. But after eating half of the meal, I couldn't eat any more. Raising a child is one hundred years old, and worrying about ninety-nine years. The hearts of parents are always concerned about their children.