Cheng Hao paid no mind to Madam Cheng, merely telling Cheng Xiaotian, "Go back and tell your mother to cook as she normally does."
He would shoulder any burden.
Now, everyone was not living on free handouts. Each person contributed their strength, practicing martial arts and hunting. How could they not eat well?
Although the caravan's supply depot was managed by the head of the Cheng family, Cheng Hao was well aware of the provisions. The grain he had brought out later would see them through the winter without too much difficulty, though the later period would be challenging.
When there was no snow, they would go out to train and hunt.
They could gather some resources.
This would help supplement their supplies.
So, eating well was fine. Moreover, a healthy body meant stronger security!
Look at these vigorous men; just standing in a line could be intimidating. They had trained so much these past days that their bodies were packed with muscle, firm and solid, looking sturdy and not weak at all!
With Cheng Hao's permission, Cheng Xiaotian's confidence grew. He looked up at Cheng Hao, then at the smiling Su Miaomiao, and finally felt the morning's frustration dissipate. He happily bid them farewell and ran back.
To deliver the message.
This child was quite efficient. If trained properly, he might truly achieve something!
Cheng Hao saw that their training was mostly done and signaled everyone to head back.
Su Miaomiao, on the other hand, instructed them to patrol their traps, collect any game, and improve those that yielded nothing.
Everyone readily agreed, smiling as they went about their tasks!
Before long.
They gathered again, some carrying small wild game, others empty-handed. Those who felt embarrassed carrying nothing even held bundles of branches, amusing the others, who called him cunning!
Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao watched and chuckled. The group's relationships had improved considerably lately. Training together daily had smoothed out any minor friction. Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses, and knowing each other's personalities was sufficient.
With them around.
The caravan now also prioritized respecting the elders, caring for the young, and looking after the women.
This was all "brainwashing" them unconsciously.
When the men treated their wives and children well, their wives naturally cherished their husbands. They received better care, which made them treat their families with more devotion. At the very least, overt beatings and bullying of wives and children were absent, and because of this absence, no one dared to resort to such actions.
It wouldn't look good either, would it?
Men valued their reputation.
Ultimately, thanks to the efforts of Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao, the caravan remained stable.
The only ones not under control.
Were the head of the Cheng family and Madam Cheng and their group. They stayed confined in their small rooms daily, not interacting with the servants or the people from Shan'ao Village and the Jin family. Naturally, they missed out on much, and could only be said to have fallen behind.
They felt out of sync with the people in the caravan, rarely encountering them, and thus felt particularly uncomfortable when they did.
When they returned to the Five Grains Temple.
A fragrance wafted from afar. This was meat stewed with hot pot base.
There were two large pots, one spicy and one mild.
Now, some people from Shan'ao Village were also eating with the Cheng family caravan.
Mainly because the hot pot base was too fragrant.
They sold it at a high price to the Jin family caravan, and the gold and jewelry they received in return went to Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao, who immediately stored it in their spatial artifacts.
It wasn't that they disliked having too many seasonings, but the Jin family's servants also practiced martial arts with them, and there were several promising individuals among them.
More importantly, they were very obedient to Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao, to the point of blind devotion.
They did whatever they were told.
The couple had gotten to know them well lately, and felt reluctant to completely ignore them. Therefore, they were willing to give the Jin family some face for the sake of these children, exchanging some hot pot base for gold and jewelry.
After all, they had plenty of supplies in their spatial artifacts, and they weren't as reluctant as they were initially.
After exchanging the ingredients.
The Jin family cooked their own meals.
The people of Shan'ao Village couldn't afford to buy them, and some were running out of food.
It was impossible to ignore them completely.
After all, even when on the verge of starvation, they hadn't slacked off on their duties, shoveling snow and participating in training, working very hard.
Their survival instinct was too strong.
Cheng Hao pondered for a moment and allowed them to use their own grain or other supplies to join the Cheng family for communal meals, as it wasn't entirely free food.
Those villagers who went out hunting would directly hand over their game to the Cheng family.
This way, they could join in the communal meals.
And those villagers, if they had any surplus, would take care of the orphans and widows in their village. They weren't saints, but those young and strong villagers felt that since they could go out hunting with Cheng Hao and the others and always brought back something, they wouldn't starve. So, it was fine to share a little.
Thus.
The difficulties for Shan'ao Village were largely resolved. However, they all knew that this was due to the kindness of the young master of the Cheng family. Without the young couple, they would not be living so comfortably, and many would have likely starved to death on the way.
Therefore.
Everyone held an extremely high degree of respect for Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao.
Occasionally, when the women went out foraging and found edible items, they would place some in front of Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao as they passed by.
As the couple sat, various random items suddenly appeared before them.
The scene was often quite amusing.
Su Miaomiao, however, accepted them all without any pretense. She simply said that they were like guardian deities to everyone, so what was wrong with accepting offerings from them? Wasn't it only natural?
Uncle Ji listened and chuckled. In his decades of life, he had never seen such a shrewd young girl, but he agreed with her logic. After all, without their young master and mistress, everyone's lives would not be so comfortable.
However, that was digressing.
Let's talk about the present.
Some people from Shan'ao Village were still willing to contribute their supplies to join the group.
When the Cheng family began their meal.
The villagers who had contributed supplies could also come and get their share.
Therefore.
When Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao and their group returned, they naturally dispersed.
Those who were going to eat at the Cheng family's formed one group, while those from Shan'ao Village cooking their own meals returned home. The Jin family caravan members also kept looking back, with longing eyes at the large pots of the Cheng family caravan, wishing they could join!
Steward Du, however, rudely told them to scram and eat their own food. Few people in his caravan knew how to cook. To eat well and not waste grain, he had personally taken up cooking so they could eat better.
Yet, while he toiled away cooking in the temple, they were all yearning for the Cheng family's food.
Steward Du glared at this group of disloyal individuals, scolding them, "Alright, alright! Stop those gazes! If the master sees this, do you still want to live?! You truly have no sense of restraint!"
He wore a comical half-apron and waved a large ladle, reprimanding them in a low voice.
The Jin family servants also laughed, not fearing him at all. With better food these days, they had regained some weight and spirit, no longer appearing listless and half-dead.