vstars Chapter 35 A Good Rake
Chapter 35 A Good Rake
The yamen runners were working up a great deal of activity.
Wenwen saw several soldiers walking straight towards the pond, and several others running into the woods with bows and arrows.
These people are probably craving meat; after being away for several days, who wouldn't want to eat some meat?
A moment later, cheers came from the other side of the pond.
"Wow, the fish and shrimp here are so plump!"
"Brothers, let's give it our all! We're definitely going to have a great time today."
The cheers from the pond continued.
Soon, the soldiers who had gone into the woods returned with a full haul.
Each of them held several wild rabbits or pheasants in their hands; these wild animals were all quite large and plump.
He kept shouting, "There are so many wild animals in this forest, they're easy to catch!"
"Hey, the rabbit is so stupid, it just stays still and waits for me to catch it."
The prisoners looked at the chickens and rabbits in the soldiers' hands, their deep envy turning into helplessness. Their movements were restricted, and they dared not stray far from the designated area. All they could feel was envy, jealousy, and hatred.
A series of cracking sounds drew everyone's attention.
The constable shouted, "Listen carefully, everyone! We don't have much food left, and we still have three days to walk to the next town to buy supplies. Starting from tonight's dinner, our food will be halved. Lord Zhu is considerate of everyone and allows you to find food nearby. There are wild animals around, so don't go too far, and don't even think about running away. Remember that."
The prisoners were stunned for a moment after the bailiff said those words.
The original rule was that adults would get one pancake per meal, and children would get half a pancake. Even that wasn't enough to fill them up. Now they're going to cut it in half again. They're practically starving them!
Those who reacted quickly discussed it with their families, leaving behind the elderly, children, sick and disabled, while the rest rushed into the woods, where food was limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Those exiled alone, those who only have themselves to feed and no one else to worry about, don't care about anything else, they just rush headlong into the forest, whoever grabs it first gets to keep it.
Wenwen looked around and saw that everyone was rushing into the woods, afraid that if they were late, there wouldn't be any left.
She was also getting impatient and was about to get up when Madam Ren suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Wen'er, don't rush. Let's hear what your grandfather has to say first."
Wenwen sat back down and looked up at her grandfather.
Her grandfather looked at her with a smile in his eyes, "Wen'er, you go first."
Wenwen blurted out, "Grandpa, I want to eat roasted rabbit."
"Pfft."
Wenwen's comment, "I want to eat roasted rabbit," instantly made her family laugh, and one of her sisters couldn't help but laugh again.
Grandfather suppressed his grin and asked, "With so many people in our family, how should we arrange things?"
Wenwen: ......
What does Grandfather mean by that? Why ask her that? She's just a child; she doesn't understand these things. Besides, she's all about action; she's more than capable of being a striker, a henchman, or a troublemaker, but she's definitely not suited to be a manager.
Wenwen realized that her grandfather wanted her to overstep her bounds and take charge of the household. How could she allow that? She was still hoping to be pampered by her family and live a carefree life.
Wenwen ignored her grandfather's words and frequently gave her grandmother meaningful glances.
Grandmother always favored her and couldn't resist the pleading look in her eyes.
After a moment's thought, he spoke up and extricated himself from the predicament.
"In my opinion, the third brother should take the eldest and second sons and Wen'er. The eldest and second sons and Kang Yan should stay and look after the children. Chang Hao and the third and fourth sons can stay with their sisters-in-law and maids to pick wild vegetables and gather firewood nearby. Gather lots of firewood and wait for the rabbit to come back. Wen'er, what do you think of this?"
At the end, Grandma jokingly asked Wenwen for her opinion.
Wenwen covered her mouth and laughed after hearing this, "Hehe, I think it's a good idea."
At the grandfather's command, the whole family took on their respective duties and got busy.
Wenwen ran ahead, prompting her third uncle to keep shouting, "Hey, hey, be careful, don't fall!"
Her eldest and second eldest brothers caught up immediately, walking quickly forward alongside her on either side.
Wenwen loves this feeling of going free with the wind.
They kept moving forward, catching up with the group that had just set off, and overtaking the group that had started the earliest.
Seeing that Wenwen showed no sign of stopping and was still walking forward, Wen Chengjian was puzzled and grabbed Wenwen's arm to stop her.
"Little sister, let's stay nearby. We're already far ahead of those people."
Wenwen stopped and looked around. The area was densely wooded, with lush foliage, allowing only a glimpse of the sky through the gaps in the branches. It seemed to have the feel of a deep, old forest. Besides birdsong, she could also hear the sounds of other animals.
Wenwen squinted and stared ahead. The big tree was still in front of her. She made up her mind and pointed ahead, "Big brother, let's stop under that tree."
After she finished speaking, she took off running away in a flash.
The two older brothers could only keep up, and the third uncle, not wanting to fall behind, ran close behind as well.
Wenwen was the first to run to the tree. When she looked up, wow, it was an apricot tree, full of bright yellow fruit. There was a thick layer of fallen leaves on the ground, as well as some ripe fruit that had fallen. It was clear that few people came here. This was a good opportunity for them.
Wenwen looked at the tree; it had many branches, so climbing it wouldn't be difficult.
Without waiting for her third uncle and brothers to get close, she leaped up a forked branch and, with a whoosh, climbed a long way up.
I picked a thick branch to sit down, picked one that looked good, wiped the skin off, and put it in my mouth. "Mmm, sweet, delicious."
Wenwen happily ate while waiting for her brothers.
Wen Chengjian was the first to reach the tree. Before he could even stand still, he sensed danger and quickly turned his head to the left, took a step back, and reached out to grab a fruit that fell into his palm.
"Impressive skills, brother. Have a taste."
As Wenwen spoke, she tossed down several more fruits.
She's using apricots like darts, just to have some fun.
The older brother under the tree had to dodge left and right, and jump up and down to avoid the fruit falling.
When my second brother and third uncle arrived at the tree, they were treated the same way.
After throwing apricots at each other, the group finally stopped after scolding them.
Wenwen stood high and could see far. From her treetop, she could clearly see her surroundings and mentally determine where the grass was thickest.
She didn't forget about roasting the rabbit.
Once you have a plan in mind, you'll quicken your pace.
She took out a piece of cloth and threw it under the tree, saying, "Brothers, spread this cloth out under the tree."
After they laid out the cloth, Wenwen spun and jumped on the tree, shaking it vigorously, using all her strength.
"Ping, pong, bang, thud," a series of sounds of fruit falling rang out.
The fruit piled up more and more, almost filling the entire cloth.
The three people under the tree were at a loss for words, neither laughing nor crying.
Wen Qikang looked up and shouted to the tree, "Wen'er, that's enough, stop, stop, Uncle can't carry you anymore."
Wen Chengjian looked up at the figure leaping among the branches and shouted anxiously, "Sister, come down, come down quickly, that's enough!"
Wen Chengbin looked at the branches still shaking violently overhead and shouted in various ways, "Little sister, roast rabbit! Let's go catch a rabbit, roast rabbit..."
For a moment, the last syllable of "roasted rabbit" echoed through the woods.
Wenwen heard the words "roasted rabbit" while jumping from tree to tree and finally stopped.
Looking down, they saw a pile of apricots on the ground, shaped like a small hill; it should be enough for their family to eat for several meals.
Wenwen clapped her hands, slowly climbed down, and scanned her surroundings.
About two meters above the ground, Wenwen glanced to her right and saw a pheasant family of three strolling around.
Wenwen reacted quickly, jumping down and grabbing a few fruits before throwing them out, "Bang, bang, bang."
"Cluck, cluck, oh..." came the sound of pheasants flapping their wings.
As Wenwen jumped down, her eldest and second eldest brothers grabbed pebbles and ran two steps forward along the path from which she threw the fruit, aiming their stones and throwing them fiercely.
"Swish, swish." Two sounds.
Finally, the family of three collapsed to the ground.