Chapter 46 Enjoying the Delicacy

During dinner.

Everyone was the happiest, each taking their large bowls to fill.

Today's meal was rabbit soup and wild vegetable filled flatbreads. The pre-made flatbreads were soft and didn't scratch the throat at all.

Cai Shi and Xi Shi were skilled cooks; their pastry was indeed very good.

Everyone finally got to eat a satisfying meal.

Each person received a large bowl of rabbit meat soup. Although it was mostly soup with little meat, it still had a meaty flavor, which was considered a very good meal for them.

As for the flatbreads, they were distributed according to allocation. Those who needed to exert physical labor received the most, such as the guards who got three flatbreads each. The servants received two, Xi Shi and Cai Shi received two, their children each received one, and the illegitimate children of the Cheng family head received the same treatment. The concubines also received two each.

The remaining flatbreads were sent to the Cheng family head, who could distribute them as he pleased, allowing anyone to eat two or three, with a maximum of three flatbreads.

Everyone ate quite happily, much better than the food from the previous two days.

However, for Su Miao Miao and Cheng Hao, it was still a bit difficult.

Although there was salt today, it still didn't taste very good. They had led the effort to gather the wild vegetables, most of which were mixed into the white flour flatbreads. The wild vegetable taste was not pleasant, either a bit strange or a bit astringent.

Su Miao Miao and Cheng Hao were afraid of getting sick if they ate too much, but it was a shame not to eat them at all. So, they only ate about six or seven tenths full, planning to have a private meal later.

They were in tacit agreement.

Although the Cheng family head also had a bitter expression, he had to force himself to swallow the food. He pondered how to divide the wild rabbits equally. If they, as the masters, ate one, the flavor would be much, much better.

Not like now.

Chewing the bland white flour and wild vegetable flatbreads, and drinking the clear, thin wild rabbit soup, it was only edible when paired together.

Although he had reservations, the Cheng family head knew he couldn't say them out loud, as it would dampen the spirits of the people in the caravan, leading to rebellion. He had figured out that to have an easy life, he could only rely on the servants.

Otherwise.

If they encountered situations like needing to chop wood, he couldn't do it himself.

The Cheng family head swallowed his opinions and said nothing more.

Cheng family mother could only eat. The living conditions were a world apart from before, but there was nothing she could do but accept it and eat in small bites.

Jiang Xi Yue had been looking for an opportunity to get close to Cheng Hao, but he seemed to be deliberately avoiding her. Every time she tried to speak to him, she couldn't even catch up to him. He would go here for a while, then over there, and she always missed him.

Now, she could only watch the young couple opposite her eating closely together.

Jiang Xi Yue couldn't help but wonder, "Is it necessary to be so close just to eat a meal?"

In her heart, she couldn't quite explain the feeling, a vague sense of sourness.

While they were quietly enjoying their dinner, the servants' area was livelier. Everyone was excited, chatting and laughing softly as they ate their flatbreads.

Xi Shi finally got to eat meat, and she was so excited she almost shed tears. She drank the meat soup in small sips, finding it to be an extremely delicious taste.

Meat, oh meat.

This was meat and meat soup!

She was so reluctant to let go that she even sucked the juice from the gaps in the bones, meticulously cleaning them clean before finally spitting out the bones.

Her three children also ate to the point of licking their fingers after grabbing meat.

Cai Shi couldn't bear to watch and shared the few pieces of meat in her bowl with them. The children were sensible and moved their bowls away, not letting her add more.

They said sweetly, "Auntie, eat, Auntie, eat meat!"

Cai Shi then picked at the gaps and put some into the children's bowls. "You eat yours. Looking at you, I truly believe you don't eat meat once a year. Why are you so pitiful? Your grandmother is truly biased..."

As she spoke, she sighed. Although her own family's life was also ordinary, they lived close to the Cheng family head's mansion and had no other relatives. Every time there was a banquet, their whole family could go, and they could eat meat to their heart's content a few times a year. Normally, they could also buy some fatty meat to render oil every few days at home. Their lives were truly not as miserable as Xi Shi's family.

Although the future was uncertain, seeing Xi Shi and her children like this, eating meat as if they wanted to chew through the bones, Cai Shi had never seen anything like it before and couldn't bear it.

Xi Shi's three children were also sensible, so she couldn't help but dote on them.

The children held the small rabbit meat pieces in their bowls but didn't dare to eat them. Instead, they looked up at their mother. Only after Xi Shi nodded with red eyes did they happily start eating, and they obediently said thank you to Auntie before burying their heads in their food.

Cai Shi's pair of children were slightly older than Xi Shi's three children. They also wanted to share the meat with the little brothers and sisters, but their mother stopped them, saying that they were also children and should eat to nourish their bodies.

Xi Shi also kept nodding and said, "Your mother is so kind, and I feel quite embarrassed. How could I possibly snatch food from you children?"

Then, would she still have the face to see people?

So, she just told Cai Shi's two children, Cheng Xiao Tian and Cheng Xiao Hua, to eat quickly.

The two children could only nod.

They ate obediently.

Cheng Xiao Tian even patted his chest, saying that he wanted to eat his fill and grow up quickly. Then, he would learn from that sister-in-law and hunt many prey for everyone!

Thus.

Everyone would be able to eat meat to their heart's content! No longer having to worry about not having meat to eat!

These childish words made them all laugh.

Xiao Wu Zi, who passed by, heard this and said with a playful grin, "Then you must grow with all your might! I'll be waiting for you to hunt game for us in the future!"

Cheng Xiao Tian patted his chest and promised it was on him, looking very determined.

Cai Shi was amused by his proud demeanor and repeatedly told Xiao Wu Zi, "Don't take it seriously. This child is a fearless newborn calf, he doesn't know how difficult hunting is. It's not that easy!"

She smiled and stroked her elder son's head, finding him incredibly endearing.

Regardless of whether he succeeded or not.

This intention was the most precious.

Xi Shi also said, "Who knows about the future? You can't say for sure!"

She said that fate was unpredictable and it was possible that he might even become a great general in the future.

Although she was illiterate, she knew the saying that heroes emerge in troubled times. The village used to sing opera about it, so it was a good thing for the child to have aspirations!

"For now, focus on growing a strong body. When you grow up, you'll hunt. When you grow even bigger, we'll go fight the enemy! We'll get our home back! If you truly have the ability then, my little Niu Niu will be promised to you as a wife!"

If nothing else.

Xi Shi's appearance was average, but her little daughter took after her father and was quite beautiful.

Hearing this, her face blushed, and she lowered her head, not daring to look around.

Cai Shi knew she was joking, but adults liked to tease children. Teasing children was so much fun, so she joined in the banter.

"Little Niu Niu, I think it's a good idea. I like her. She's so well-behaved and sensible, I like that!"