Cheng Xiaoxi was very grateful. Having an important position in the convoy made him feel much more secure. After all, he wasn't very old and his strength was less than that of Cheng Dali and Cheng Dazhuang, yet he ate a lot.
After all, a growing boy eats like an ox.
He was afraid of being driven away.
But he wasn't.
Ji Bo always filled his bowls to the brim and told him he could have more if it wasn't enough.
Although his two distant cousins also said that anyone with the surname Cheng was considered one of their own.
The Cheng family head wouldn't drive him away.
But Cheng Xiaoxi was still filled with anxiety every day. In the past, there had been long periods of war and unrest, and even in the last decade, discussions about such matters hadn't stopped.
He was too young to remember then, but he had heard a lot of stories growing up. They were unimaginably dark, tales of cannibalism and the sale of human flesh, which had left him with deep psychological scars.
If their own children were treated that way, what hope was there for a distant relative like him?
What if things got really bad?
Being driven away would be the least of it.
But he really didn't want to leave.
In short, he felt uneasy every day. Now that he had been assigned a task.
He had something to do.
With his contribution to the convoy, he could feel more at ease.
Cheng Xiaoxi stroked the wild rabbit in his arms, determined to raise it well!
Raising a rabbit during the journey.
He hadn't tried it before, but he had transported rabbits to a neighboring city to sell them at a slightly higher price. It had taken three to five days, and the rabbits were still fine. He figured it shouldn't be a big problem.
Near Fengcheng, there were many fishing families who lived by the river. They lived and ate on boats and even raised chickens and ducks on board, and they managed just fine.
He was sure he could do it too!
Cheng Xiaoxi happily carried the rabbit to the back of the vehicles to settle it in.
Su Miaomiao and Cheng Hao entered the forest again, continuing their foraging. Other traps showed signs of being disturbed, but they had not caught any prey.
Looking around.
They only saw a few wild chickens flapping their feathers, presumably having escaped.
Su Miaomiao set her traps based on animal tracks to determine the type of prey and then chose the appropriate trap. Rabbits were currently the easiest to catch. This forest had an abundance of wild rabbits, making them the most probable catch.
"It would be great if we could catch two more before we set off tomorrow," she said.
As she spoke, she was digging up a ginseng plant. This was a valuable herb, capable of dispersing blood stasis, promoting blood circulation, relieving pain, and stopping bleeding. It was effective for bruises, sprains, and swelling, and could be used internally or externally. In short, it was a wonderful herb.
However, she hadn't memorized many of the medicinal recipes, but she knew enough for everyday use.
She owed this knowledge to the four elders. Both pairs of grandparents had a habit of keeping various books around. They said that after the wars and conflicts of the past, in their old age, they craved a touch of scholarly refinement, hence the many miscellaneous books.
Su Miaomiao was constantly coming up with new ideas. She learned about the properties of medicinal herbs from these books. It turned out that this kind of miscellaneous knowledge could be quite useful. She planned to process some everyday medicines on the cart so that they could be dealt with when someone fell ill.
Even if there were some medicinal recipes she didn't know, as long as people knew she was involved in making medicine, she could explain any life-saving medicine she brought out from her space as something she had concocted. She wouldn't worry about her space being exposed.
The convoy was fleeing disaster.
Food, clothing, shelter, and transportation were all important, and illness and injury were common.
She needed to take precautions.
Cheng Hao praised her a couple of times, which made her extremely happy. But he also reminded her.
"Don't be too ostentatious with your abilities. Be careful not to attract unwanted attention. Choose two things to showcase, and hide the rest!"
Su Miaomiao thought about it seriously and held up three fingers. "Medicine, martial arts, and hunting? How about these three?"
They were all useful!
Actually, she was also quite good at playing sandbox games.
She knew a lot of miscellaneous things.
Cheng Hao flicked her forehead and said, "Just medicine and hunting will do."
Three things?
If necessary, she could hide her martial arts skills, which could save her life.
After all, who would have thought that this delicate young girl would know several forms of martial arts?
Su Miaomiao cooperated wholeheartedly, saying, "Okay, okay, I'll listen."
Cheng Hao praised her for being obedient.
That person became happy again.
She continued to pull him along to gather resources. Cheng Hao was alright with management, his physical strength had been good before, and he had practiced some martial arts. He had also played sandbox games with Su Miaomiao, but he truly knew nothing about herbs, incense making, and other miscellaneous things, so he followed her and helped out.
He never showed any impatience.
Now.
Su Miaomiao picked herbs in front, while he kept watch for safety.
It wasn't that he didn't want to help gather herbs. Other wild vegetables and fruits were fine, but he didn't know how to gather medicinal herbs, nor which parts could be used medicinally. So, to avoid damaging the herbs, she didn't let him touch them.
But the two of them cooperated well, and their gathering speed was not slow. They soon collected a good amount.
Gathering was also a very engaging activity. Unknowingly, it was already evening.
Cheng Hao pulled Su Miaomiao, who was still enthusiastic, and said, "Let's go back, it's getting dark."
He led her away directly.
Su Miaomiao was a bit tired after an afternoon of activity, but her spirits were good. She had bunches of herbs hanging from her, and she was carrying a bamboo rat in her hand, which she had acquired on the way back after checking the traps and repairing them.
Cheng Hao carried a large cloth bag of mountain goods, including mushrooms, wild fruits, berries, nuts, wild vegetables, and some edible roots.
In short, it contained all sorts of miscellaneous items.
Oh, right.
He also had about twenty small bird eggs tucked in his arms. In fact, about twenty were already stored in his space. The mountain goods earlier had also been half stored away.
He planned to keep them for future use. Being able to take out half of them was already good.
Cheng Hao actually disliked the feeling of taking things out of his own pockets. He preferred to hoard. Only Su Miaomiao was an exception. He could share all his possessions with her, just as she could share all her possessions with him.
Trust was always mutual.
It was impossible to achieve with only one party giving.
If there was anyone in this world he could unconditionally trust, it was Su Miaomiao.
After all, they had been together for over twenty years, a time far exceeding that spent with their four grandparents and parents. Their grandparents had their own lives and would occasionally go out to find companions to play with, but they two were always bound together, inseparable to the extreme.
Su Miaomiao was still chattering, "...This bamboo rat weighs about eight or nine pounds. We have enough meat now. The weather is unstable, sometimes hot, sometimes cold. Why don't we take it to Gao Dashan later to exchange for soy sauce?"
Lest it spoil.
She had been with Cheng Hao for a long time and habitually liked to keep things in her hands first.
Only then would she feel at ease.
Today's delicious feast was a great success, and everyone was overjoyed.
This showed how important food was.
Therefore, they couldn't let the quality of their meals drop again. It had to be maintained.
With her chattering beside him, Cheng Hao felt extremely at ease. He was in a very good mood at the moment, and his voice was exceptionally gentle. He smiled and said, "Okay, go ahead and trade it."