Ji Bo saw that they were just sitting there, so he sighed and went to find his young master, asking for tools if they needed to cut wood.
He also had to make sure everyone who could contribute did so, and no one was allowed to be lazy.
"Whether we can cross will depend on everyone's efforts. Work hard! I apologize for the trouble, but we'll eat meat and drink soup later!"
With Ji Bo's call, the people below started to get busy.
There was no sign of reluctance.
And hearing that they could eat meat and drink soup in the evening, everyone became energetic.
They worked with great effort.
Cheng Da Zhuang and his brother had already cleaned the wild rabbits and handed them to Ji Bo, then joined the logging team to start working.
Ji Bo felt very satisfied with these distant relatives of the Cheng family; they didn't freeload and didn't hold back their strength when it was needed.
The Xi and Cai families were still in charge of cooking. With Xiao Wu Zi and Xiao Liu Zi helping to build the stove, their children were also helping out nearby.
Ji Bo ran over to Su Miao Miao again, smiling and asking how she wanted to eat the rabbit. "I'll have someone prepare it for you later. How do you want it cooked?"
Su Miao Miao was trying to figure out how to cut wood easily and quickly. Hearing this, she naturally thought of braised rabbit and stir-fried rabbit cubes, but she understood that it wasn't practical. Not to mention the lack of seasonings, stir-frying wouldn't be enough for everyone to share. So she said, "Just stew it into soup, so everyone can have some!"
Ji Bo nodded in agreement after hearing this, "Yes, your old servant understands."
Seeing that she was busy, he didn't bother her further and immediately withdrew.
Su Miao Miao waved her hand, indicating that it was alright and that she didn't need to be so formal. She really wasn't pretentious and wouldn't throw her weight around based on her status.
Although she was the young mistress now, what did that matter?
In chaotic times.
It wasn't worth much.
On the other side.
The Xi and Cai families had already started washing the large pot and told Xiao Wu Zi and Xiao Liu Zi, who were fetching water, to be careful as the river was fast after the rain.
Since they didn't have time to gather wild vegetables earlier, there would be no wild vegetables for dinner.
Fortunately, they had salt.
The Xi and Cai families were quite happy, and they felt energized while busy.
Ji Bo saw their joy and his mood also improved. He came over and said, "Thanks to the young mistress's fortune, we got two fat rabbits today. Please stew these two fat rabbits later, turn them all into soup, so everyone can have a share. You two decide how to do it."
Cai Shi looked at the two rabbits and exclaimed, "These rabbits are really fat! Ordinary rabbits don't have much meat left after skinning. The rabbits caught by the young mistress are really much better than others."
Xi Shi's eyes almost went blind seeing the two large rabbits. She hadn't eaten much meat herself and had attended a banquet once but hadn't gotten a single bite of meat. She couldn't help but swallow her saliva and quickly agreed to take care of it.
Ji Bo was very pleased to hear someone praise his young mistress. He had intentionally mentioned her contribution so that everyone would not take it for granted. Indeed, if it weren't for his capable young mistress, where would everyone get meat? Few people in the caravan were as competent as her.
The Xi and Cai families immediately began to prepare, chopping the wild rabbits into small pieces and sending the children to fetch some firewood to get ready to cook.
"This young mistress is truly capable. Such a young girl, a pampered young lady raised in a deep boudoir, how can she know how to set traps? She set the traps last night and caught two fat rabbits today. Her skill is even greater than the hunters in our village. He can't guarantee that every trap will yield anything."
Xi Shi, squatting and making dough for dumplings, saw the slender and graceful young girl over there. Even though she wore a somewhat gaudy floral dress, she looked good. Now she was pondering something.
She couldn't help but sigh, "Even her brain works better than ours."
Cai Shi didn't like talking about people behind their backs, but hearing Xi Shi's words, she glanced at Su Miao Miao and also nodded in admiration, "Indeed, I have never seen such a good child, so intelligent and beautiful."
"As for setting traps, she probably learned it from somewhere. How can we guess the thoughts of wealthy families? Hunters rely on hunting for a living, and a young lady like her doesn't lack food."
Perhaps she found it amusing, so she learned it from somewhere.
Cai Shi said this, thinking it wasn't good to gossip, so she changed the subject and talked about rumors from other wealthy families, "When people have money, what can't they do? I heard some people even paid to learn how to make tofu."
Xi Shi's curiosity was immediately piqued, and she whispered gossip, "Could it be to learn a skill?"
Cai Shi started to rub the dough and said, "No, as I said earlier, people don't do it for a living, they do it for fun. How can we understand?"
She said that there was a family in the city that sold lamp oil, and they were moderately wealthy. His wife didn't need to work and had always been kept in the back courtyard.
Unexpectedly, one day the man announced that he was looking for someone who knew how to make tofu to teach his wife. When others asked him if he was changing professions, he just smiled and waved his hand, saying he had no such intention, his wife just wanted to learn for fun.
Xi Shi's eyes widened, finding it extremely strange, and she murmured, "Then it's really confusing. Are there people who spend money to find something to do for themselves?"
She was shocked. Cai Shi smiled, feeling a sense of accomplishment, "Then you haven't heard much. My family lives in the city, and there are all sorts of strange things happening among neighbors. Wait until I tell you slowly later."
Xi Shi was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly. She had lived a stifling life at home, unloved by her in-laws and framed by her sisters-in-law, with no one to confide in.
Now that she had met Cai Shi, she felt like she had come back to life.
The two of them chatted intimately while working, not falling behind in either task.
The weather had a large temperature difference.
It was sunny during the day, but as the sun began to set, a cold wind blew in gusts.
Cheng Hao reported the situation ahead to the Cheng family head. They were concerned upon learning that they needed to cut wood to build a simple bridge, unsure if it would be reliable.
"If we use trees that have been seasoned for sufficient years, it will definitely work, but cutting the wood will take a few days."
Cheng Feng Tai saw that they needed to cut wood, so he also got up to help.
Cheng Kai Chun, however, shamelessly stayed put, as if his buttocks were glued to the cushion.
The Cheng family head paid no mind to these matters and instead urgently asked his eldest son, "Are there really no other roads? Is it possible to delay like this?"
Although they were far from Fengcheng, the premise was to travel non-stop to feel at ease. A delay of a few days would be much more dangerous.
Cheng Hao also stated that there was no other way, as Gao Da Shan had said that the road was impassable.
The Cheng family head could only feel anxious. Blown by the wind, he felt a chill to the bone. As the sky gradually darkened, it was like his uncertain future.