The people of Shan'ao Village were very grateful. Before the Cheng family's caravan started their meal, Gao Dashan specially delivered twenty jin of salt, which was collected from every household.
Ji Bo didn't refuse much and accepted it with a smile. He then invited them to try the soup from their caravan. They had stewed nearly two pots that day.
Gao Dashan naturally took it as a polite gesture and said with a smile that they had also made meals at their place.
The two sides then parted on friendly terms.
The Jin family head was also so frightened that he was uneasy all over, but upon learning that the Cheng family caravan had sent firewood, he also agreed to give them the crossbows.
And the hunter from Shan'ao Village said that the bow and arrows wouldn't be of much use in his hands, and it would be more fitting to gift them to Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao, the young couple.
After all, it was entirely thanks to the two of them protecting their village. It was only right to give them to them now.
In fact, it was also a way to curry favor.
In times of such great danger, it was definitely right to befriend the Cheng family caravan!
Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao expressed their thanks and accepted them without being coy.
By the time everyone had a good night's sleep,
it was already close to noon.
No matter how tough the wolf meat was,
simmered over a low heat, the meat had already become incredibly tender and soft.
It was fragrant.
After Su Miaomiao woke up, she went over once to let Cai Shi and Xi Shi rest. She then stealthily added some of the spices she had gotten from Cheng Hao, making the entire pot of meat smell intoxicatingly fragrant.
The people from the other two caravans were repeatedly drawn in, and some were even awakened by the aroma.
Someone curiously asked how the meat was stewed.
Xiao Wuzi and Xiao Liuzi, who had just woken up, wrapped in thick clothes, yawned and said, "We don't know either. Our caravan's meals are made by the two aunties, but our young master and young mistress are also very capable. They can not only fight wolves but also gather mountain goods, and they can also cook!"
These two boys also mentioned that even this method of stewing meat so fragrant was taught to the two aunties by their young master and young mistress.
The people from other caravans heard this and felt envious. Their food was too good.
"It smells so good! It's even better stewed than by our villagers! I've never smelled such fragrant meat!"
"Exactly. All the people in our village can't compare to the young master and young mistress who live in luxury. It's true that those with money are always more capable!"
"I thought before that it was good enough to stew meat with plain water, and it was fragrant enough. How long has it been since we last ate meat? But their meat is still more fragrant!"
Some villagers from Shan'ao Village also had seasonings, but their stewing was still inferior.
Everyone sighed endlessly.
The Jin family caravan.
They had initially thought it was good enough to have meat to eat, but compared to the Cheng family, they were still no match. Everyone was still craving the Cheng family's meat after eating!
Steward Du saw that the people under him were all extremely greedy and said, "Alright, what are you all staring at? Go do what you need to do. I'll ask the Cheng family for some leftover broth later, and we'll stew meat in it."
He estimated that the flavor might not be as rich, but it would definitely be better.
Only then did the others become happy.
They all praised Steward Du for being so good.
This made Steward Du shake his head. He was also very worried. The family head was not capable of handling things, and he had to take care of everything, which was very tiring. Looking at the Cheng family, the situation was similar, but their young master and young mistress could handle things.
Ji Bo was also a skilled manager, and there were many capable people under him.
The guards had some abilities.
Cheng Dazhuang and his brothers had great strength and worked diligently without any laziness.
Cheng Xiaoxi was good at raising things.
Cai Shi and Xi Shi and their children could cook and also gather.
The other servants worked even harder, and not a single one of them quarreled or slacked off.
Steward Du looked at the lazy servants under him, who wouldn't find work to do unless they were pushed, and he was truly tired.
But what else could he do?
Who made his fate so bitter?
He could only continue to toil.
Life had to go on.
Steward Du urged the people under him to clean up the pots and pans after the meal.
Only then could he rest.
After the people from these two caravans had eaten their fill, the Cheng family began to eat in batches.
Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao had eaten a little to fill their stomachs before going to bed. Now that they had woken up, they were still hungry and had to wait for the stewed meat for a while longer.
They were already starving.
After everyone else had finished their nap, they were also so hungry that their backs touched their stomachs.
So they quickly started eating.
When Cai Shi and Xi Shi came to get soup, they were stunned by the fragrant meat soup.
"Oh my, Miaomiao, what kind of spices did you add this time? It smells so good!"
"Yes, did you get something good again? This smell is amazing!"
Both of them exclaimed that it smelled incredibly good.
Su Miaomiao laughed heartily, scratched her cheek, and began to cajole them, "I collected these when I was picking herbs before. There wasn't much of it, and I just wanted to try it out. It turned out to smell really good. Don't worry about these, just eat. If I find any more next time, I'll teach you how to make it!"
In fact, the method was simple, just throwing a piece in to stew.
Cai Shi and Xi Shi quickly nodded in agreement, their expressions excited and curious. As they stirred the soup, the aroma drifted far and wide.
It attracted the people from the Cheng family caravan, and everyone lined up to get food.
They said to get food,
but in reality, there was no luxury like white rice. There was only mushroom and wolf meat soup and flatbread, but for everyone, this was an extremely delicious meal.
Everyone grinned happily.
Holding large bowls, they found spots to gather in small groups to eat lunch.
They chatted animatedly.
The people from the other two teams were also packing up. Seeing their good atmosphere, they were envious.
But they were not jealous.
After all, it was already very fortunate for them to be able to travel with such a strong caravan.
They dared not ask for more.
However, the three teams had experienced life and death together, and their bond had deepened.
It was also a gain.
Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao also lined up with everyone else. Although everyone let them go first, they did not want any special privileges and were very easygoing.
As long as they didn't overthink it, there was no problem eating this meat soup.
Su Miaomiao silently told herself that although she was a modern soul, her body was ancient, so it wasn't illegal. She had no psychological burden about eating it.
The taste was quite good.
Cheng Hao felt the same. As long as he didn't overthink it, survival was the most important thing.
The convenience store had only expanded its warehouse and restroom for now, with no other developments. But it was already quite good, and he understood that he should be content.
If he could trigger another expansion later, that would truly be an unexpected surprise.
If not, he wouldn't be too upset.
He would let nature take its course.
He couldn't force it.
Now, in the space, besides the items in the convenience store, there were the things collected from the Cheng family at the beginning, and a small portion collected later.
There were scattered items obtained by Su Miaomiao from practicing medicine recently, as well as items gathered from hunting before. Although they were not many, it was reassuring to have them stored.
They would only increase in the future. After this experience, the young couple realized again that although the three teams had people of all sorts of personalities, in times of crisis, no one had held them back. At most, those who were afraid of death, like the Jin family head and Cheng family head, chose to be turtles in a shell.
Everyone else had the courage to face crises, which showed that traveling with them was a good choice.