"Benevolent, can your old Fengjun be used to this kind of wild vegetable soup?" Ni Xiucai was a little worried.
"There is no more food now, so I can only eat this." Qin Yining's small face was not as thin as a grown man's palm, but his almond eyes were bigger and brighter.
Ni Xiucai glanced at Miss Eight and Qin Huining, who were sitting not far behind them, silently weeping, and couldn't help sighing.
They are also the daughters of the Qin family, but Miss Eight and Qin Huining can't bear hardships. They can't go out to dig wild vegetables with a pair of three-inch golden lotuses, let alone hunt them. They are asked to do some washing and cooking work, but they look helpless. They are simply two eldest ladies with no fingers.
These days, the servants that the Qin family brought up the mountain have already taken care of themselves. Most of the work fell on the men such as the second master, the third master, Qin Yu and Qin Han, followed by Qin Yining and the three loyal maids by her side who could endure hardship the most.
At first, there was still food on the mountain, and shopkeeper Zhong Da prepared a lot before going up the mountain. But no matter how much food there is, it will not be able to handle the high consumption of people, and there will be no supply for a long time.
I found that now, let alone ten taels of rice per pound, even if I bought one hundred taels of silver per pound, I'm afraid I won't be able to buy it.
With the number of victims increasing day by day, hunting and digging wild vegetables is not an easy task.
They occupied the mountain and it was better. The people in the city dug up all the grass roots and ate up the bark. At first, people often died of poisoning by eating poisonous weeds by mistake. Now, more and more people have died. , you can't tell how people died.
In every famine, the elderly and children are the first to die.
Who doesn't bring a family and a family on the mountain? Who doesn't want their old father, old mother or their children to live
The food was bought with Qin Yining's money, and she had absolute right to speak.
Some people have bad thoughts in private, but most of the people around are grateful to Qin Yining. If they don't want to be accused by thousands of people, they can only suppress it.
But to their surprise, Qin Yining did not leave all the food to the Qin family, nor did he give up the elderly and children. After the food storage was running out, healthy adults began to eat mainly wild vegetables and prey.
With so many people in the Qin family, except the old lady, everyone learned how to work, and the rest of the food was given to the old lady and the pregnant Han Er.
Twenty days ago, when Qin Yining wanted to take a sip with a bowl of porridge that could reveal a human figure, he looked at Li Gouzu, who looked like a hungry skinny monkey next to him, and looked at the child's wide, watery black eyes. , Seeing that these children no longer had the energy to pick wild flowers to give her, she couldn't swallow the porridge.
Since that day, Qin Yining has never eaten a bite of food.
Bingtang watched anxiously, and told Jiu Girl, Lu Dehan, Ni Xiucai and others about Qin Yining's injury just now.
"The Qin Mansion suffered a disaster a few days ago, and a large number of people were lost, everyone knows it. Our girl was seriously injured, and we managed to save a life, but because of excessive blood loss, we really lost the foundation, and we haven't waited for a good solution. I just came up the mountain, I can give her medicine, but if you just take the medicine, you will not be able to starve like this, and the lost qi and blood will not be replenished, I am afraid it will not benefit her longevity."
Don't look at Bingtang's young age, but she has excellent medical skills and is a descendant of the Tang family. Which one on this mountain has a headache and a fever that doesn't pass through her hand? Therefore, everyone on the mountain respects rock candy.
Hearing what Bingtang said, they were also anxious. If they hunted some wild animals or picked some sweet wild fruits, they would distribute them to Qin Yining first.
Ni Xiucai is seventy-two years old this year. Before today, he was able to get a piece of miscellaneous noodle cake every day. He also gave half of the cake to Qin Yining. Qin Yining refused to use it. Ni Xiucai gave the half of the cake to other children.
From today onwards, the elderly and children are also without food. The game on the mountain is almost caught. In dry days, it has not rained for a long time, and the growth of wild vegetables is also slow. In the next step, they should really peel the bark and eat it.
Seeing that the soup was almost ready, Qin Yining gave Ni Xiucai a bowl first.
I gave Miss Eight and Qin Huining a bowl each.
Miss Eight smiled gratefully at Qin Yining.
Qin Huining lowered her head and expressionless, thinking that she was too hungry to laugh.
Qin Yining didn't care, and called Bingtang, Jiyun, and Qiulu to help, and sent the wild vegetable soup upstairs.
Unexpectedly, in the days when autumn tigers are rampant, the corridor door that is not closed on weekdays is closed today, and people are locked inside.
Bingtang knocked on the door, and after a while, he saw that the door was opened a crack, and the person who opened the door was Mother Qin.
"Four girls." Mother Qin's face was a little embarrassed.
Qin Yining said with a smile: "The vegetable soup is ready. The people who went out hunting haven't come back yet, so let's eat some soup to cushion the stomach first."
Mother Qin smiled and nodded, but she didn't mean to let Qin Yining come in, she reached out to pick up the pottery bowl in her hand.
Qin Yining looked at her suspiciously, and then saw the blood stains and white fluff left in her fingernails, her heart skipped a beat. As soon as he pushed open the door, his breath was immediately filled with the aroma of stewed meat.
"Mother Qin, the hunters haven't come back yet, why are you still hiding meat in the house?"
Mother Qin bowed her head and said nothing.
Bingtang, Jiyun, and Qiulu also entered the door, and Mother Qin closed the door anxiously.
Qin Yining walked inside quickly, and found that the windows were all closed along the way, and couldn't help sneering: "It's a hot day, and you're not too hot."
He came to the door of the old lady's room and pushed it open.
"Bangdang" sounded, which startled the old lady and the second grandmother in the house.
At this time, the two were holding a small rabbit leg and chewing happily. In front of them was a casserole, and the soup inside was bubbling.
There were bloodstains scattered by the Gong bucket in the corner. The snow-white rabbit fur was ripped off and thrown on the ground. The plum blossom-shaped network that Pang Xiao had tied around Erbai's neck with his own hands was now soaked in blood.
Qin Yining's head buzzed, "You guys, you ate my Erbai?"
The old lady took a sip of the soup, smacking her lips and saying, "Come on, I was going to call you here. Look at how thin you are, and drink some soup to make up your body."
Grandma Han Er hasn't shown her pregnancy yet, but she no longer has morning sickness. Just when she can eat, she drank the soup without raising her head.
Mother Qin said embarrassedly: "Fourth Miss, the old lady and the second grandma both need supplements. This morning, the old lady only ate a bowl of vegetable soup. She was really hungry. Say, just say..."
Facing Qin Yining's upturned eyebrows and apricot-eyed anger, the words that Qin Ma explained could not be uttered.
"When did I stop giving you meat? When the whole family was eating vegetable soup, I left the best for you. My little rabbit is not as big as a woman's slap. It has shed its skin and lost its bones. There are two or two meat? How hard-hearted you are, you will not let such a small rabbit! The hunters will be back soon, and you can't wait for a moment!"
The old lady couldn't care about the embarrassment anymore, threw the spoon in the bowl, and sneered: "This is your filial piety to your grandmother? Now that there is a famine, you are the only one who can keep this food as a pet! Is Erliang meat not meat? Two liang meat can make up your second sister-in-law's body, and she can also give birth to a son for your second cousin!"
While drinking the soup, Grandma Han Er said inarticulately: "Sister Yi, later, my sister-in-law will pay you a hundred rabbits, don't be angry, come, come and drink the soup, the broth boiled in the cauldron even The meat is gone, come and taste it."
Qin Yining's tears flowed down.
She was starving herself, and she never thought of killing Erbai, because it was given to her by Pang Xiao himself. He said that it was a token between them, and it was also a token of the peace talks between Da Zhou and Dayan. The plum blossom on the jade pendant was untied and tied around Erbai's neck.
They were so close at that time that she still seemed to be able to remember the unique breath of Pang Xiao.
She understands everything, and understands that under the war, each has his own abilities.
But she watched the people starve to death on the street one by one, and the numb and empty eyes of the people who ate the food with her own eyes. When she was the most hungry, she thought about the bowl of cold noodles that Pang Xiao personally cooked for her. She hoped that Pang Xiao would suddenly appear and save them all from the sea of misery.
No matter how hungry she is, she doesn't want to eat Erbai. She hides Erbai in her room, takes care of it carefully, and puts her arms around it to sleep at night.
Because without it, there seems to be nothing to prove the oath between them.
But now Erbai has been eaten...
Qin Yining felt that the tense nerves that had been supporting him were suddenly broken, and the tears could no longer hold back.
Seeing Qin Yining like this, the old lady also felt a little guilty, and said sternly: "Isn't it a beast? As for you? Don't think I don't know where your rabbit came from! After the peace talks in Xihuacheng, you will bring the beast back with you. Later, the surnamed Pang came to our country to show off his power. Let me tell you, the surnamed Pang made us like this. I only ate the rabbit he gave you, and I haven't taught you a lesson! You have a close relationship with him, don't you think? Still want to rebel?"
Desperate to give her a hat
Qin Yining waved his hand, not wanting to say a word to someone like the old lady, she picked up the plum blossom net from the blood-stained rabbit fur, turned around and left the old lady's room.
"Girl." Bingtang and Qiulu hurriedly chased out, supporting Qin Yining from left to right.
Ji Yun sneered: "It's really insightful! There is still an ungrateful and shameless old woman like you in the world! Qin Taishi is such a beautiful person, how can there be a mother like you! It's really evil. Good bamboo shoots! Or where did you steal your children to raise them? Dirty! I bah!"
"You, it's the other way around! Come on!"
"Someone? You are the biggest burden now. You need someone to serve you all day long. Do you still think you are in the house?"
Ji Yun glared at the old lady with contempt, then turned around and chased out, she was afraid that Qin Yining would have something to do.
Ji Yun found Qin Yining, Bingtang and Qiulu by a small stream outside Ningyuan.
Qin Yining squatted by the stream, rubbed the blood on the net with her hands, and was no longer crying.
But seeing her squatting on the ground, the butterfly bone behind her seemed to pierce the thin back of her clothes, Ji Yun's nose was sour, and she almost cried.
Lord, when are you coming? If you don't come, the future princess will be tortured to death, not only starved, but also tortured in the heart!
Ji Yun wanted to persuade, opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Just then, there was a sudden sound of footsteps.
A slightly hoarse male voice, suppressing surprise, said out of breath, "Yi'er, yes, is that you?"
Qin Yining looked up and saw Yuchi Yan, with her thin cheeks sunken and wearing a half-old gown, came up the mountain under the service of several guards and palace servants.