Oh my goodness, what a brilliant idea! How could he be so clever?
Old Wu was secretly congratulating himself on his clever plan. He quickly got down to business and told his brothers to start cooking. "Everyone, be quick about it. Make plenty for lunch today, we're having a good meal." He didn't say it out loud, but he intended to treat the officials to a meal.
Hearing Old Wu talk about cooking, Fang Xiaoyun reluctantly let go of the two children and said, "Ci'er, Yu'er, you two be good. Mommy needs to cook now."
"Mommy, I'll help you cook." Fu Xinci wanted to cook those big potatoes. For her, it was more reliable to just eat such things. Otherwise, being constantly coveted was a hassle.
Since her mother had just said she was going to cook, she took the opportunity to offer her help.
"Mommy, Yu'er can help too." Seeing his sister wanting to help, Yu'er also wanted to help. He didn't want to be separated from his mother, not even for a moment.
"Okay, our Yu'er can help Mommy with chores too. What a good boy." Fang Xiaoyun certainly didn't want to be separated from her children either.
"Mhm, mhm." Yu'er nodded with a smile, happily following his mother, never leaving her side.
Fu Yu also actively came to help. He adjusted his straw hat and quickly ran out, nimbly pulling a sack of flour from under the oilcloth on their donkey cart. He then ran back quickly, stepping through the puddles.
Seeing Old Wu looking at him thoughtfully, Fu Yu quickly leaned in and whispered to Old Wu, "Brother Wu, let's have noodle dumplings for our meal today."
Fu Yu had his reasons. His father had just introduced him to Qi He, several younger cousins, and two children from the clan.
He wasn't heartless. If his own family was eating, he couldn't let the other children just watch. However, the grain left on their donkey cart was not much. They could only make do for these two meals. He would buy more grain when they reached a place with more people.
Old Wu, however, thought the exact opposite. He was planning to make a good meal today to bribe the officials. He wanted to ensure that after the sky cleared up tomorrow, they could legitimately follow the convoy and travel together.
However, at this moment, he hadn't expected Brother Fu and his wife to be making noodle dumplings.
But he wasn't stupid. Glancing at the several half-grown boys, he immediately understood Brother Fu's situation.
They say that growing boys can bankrupt their fathers. Looking at the boys' hungry stares at the sack of flour in Brother Fu's hands, he couldn't help but swallow, secretly worrying for Brother Fu. He wondered if the grain they had planned would be enough for these boys to eat a second meal.
But his worry was fleeting, as he still had to plan for himself and his companions. So, he grabbed Brother Fu's arm, leaned close to his ear, and whispered his plan for them to hear.
"Brother Wu..." Fu Yu inwardly agreed with Old Wu's words. The reason was simple. They had traveled together before, and whether it was luck or something else, they hadn't encountered bandits or robbers.
But as they traveled further north, the population became sparser. His wife and he were fortunate to have found his father and two children. They would definitely travel with the exiled group.
But what about Brother Wu and his men...
Thinking of how Brother Wu had taken care of him and his wife along the way, he was one hundred percent in favor of Brother Wu and his men traveling with the exiled group, as it would be much safer.
However, he reminded Old Wu of one thing: "Brother Wu, traveling with this escort team will slow down our journey compared to usual. But compared to safety, it's worth it."
"Brother Fu, I understand that. The goods we are selling this time are all durable daily necessities, so it doesn't matter if we are delayed a bit on the road."
"That's good then."
Old Wu and Fu Yu reached a consensus. With light steps, they put on their straw hats and hurried out.
"Brother, where are you going?" Old Wu Er saw his brother going out in the rain and couldn't help but ask worriedly.
"We're making a good meal today," Old Wu said as he ran to the mule cart. He carefully untied a corner of the oilcloth covering the cart, reached in a few times, and then happily pulled out a two-foot-long oil paper package.
"Uh..." Old Wu Er knew that this oil paper package contained a piece of streaky bacon. Their eldest sister-in-law had packed it for them when they left home, fearing they would be reluctant to eat anything oily on the road.
He was just a bit puzzled why his brother would be willing to take out this piece of bacon today.
Old Wu hadn't finished yet. He reached under the oilcloth again and felt around. Finally, he pulled out a small wine pot.
"Uh." Old Wu Er muttered to himself, "My brother is really going all out this time. He's even taking out the old wine that he himself is reluctant to drink. I wonder what he's up to."
Although Old Wu Er had many doubts, he had one advantage: he trusted that whatever his brother did was for the good of the family.
Jiang Tou'er didn't expect that Old Wu would return with a small wine pot in his hand, having left empty-handed.
"..." The greedy gaze was too focused, making it impossible to ignore.
As for what Old Wu was holding in his other hand, he had no mind to look.
Old Wu: This was exactly the effect he wanted.
The dark-faced man: He wanted to lower his head and pretend not to know that embarrassing old man.
Jiang Tou'er seemed to have grown an extra eye. The moment the dark-faced man lowered his head and acted subservient, he glanced over. He snorted inwardly, "If it weren't for you brats, would I have tolerated this until today? You really are ungrateful."
The dark-faced man: He felt like someone was looking at him with ill intentions. When he looked up and around, he saw nothing.
Old Wu had already made up his mind. The staple food for this meal would be two-layer flour pancakes. As for the bacon, he still hadn't figured out what to stir-fry it with to make it taste better.
They had dried vegetables on their mule cart, but it was too late to rehydrate them now. As for fresh vegetables, they were nowhere to be found in this desolate area.
There were some wild vegetables by the roadside, but they had grown too old by this season. They would be tough and unpalatable. He didn't want to ruin this piece of fine bacon.
However, without any side dishes, this piece of bacon wouldn't even be enough to whet their appetites.
"Oh, this is so frustrating."
Seeing Old Wu pacing back and forth, clearly very anxious, Fu Xinci secretly gave her grandfather a look and pointed to the large potatoes placed on the ground.
"Would potato stir-fried with bacon work?" Meng Qingping was still a little unsure. After all, the bacon belonged to someone else and was a precious item. If he made a mess of it, even if they didn't blame him, he would still feel uneasy.