Su Yanxi lowered her voice and whispered to the two little girls, “Xuan’er, Rui’er, eat quickly. Auntie likes you two the most. I only gave these pastries to you and grandmother—no one else got any.”
Su Yanxi had said this originally to coax the two little girls into eating the pastries and to stop them from being sad about their father’s injury. But unexpectedly, as soon as she spoke, the two little girls seemed frightened. Their small bodies trembled, and they hurriedly buried themselves in Lin Shi’s embrace, nearly dropping the pastries in their hands.
Su Yanxi couldn’t help but feel puzzled. The two little girls had been hungry for so long; logically, they should have eagerly devoured the pastries upon seeing them. Moreover, when they had gone out earlier to search for food, the two little ones had held her hand and urged her not to be eaten. So why were they now afraid when she offered them food?
Lin Shi, however, instantly understood why her granddaughters were acting this way. She hugged them tightly, her heart aching for them. “Xuan’er, Rui’er, Auntie is giving you pastries to eat, not to hit you. You can eat without worry. Your auntie now is a good auntie—there won’t be any more bad aunties hitting you.” As she spoke, Lin Shi’s face was filled with self-reproach.
Su Yanxi then realized that the pastries had triggered unpleasant memories of “Auntie” for the two little girls. And their previous auntie had been Shen Qingyan.
“Grandmother, is it really true?” The bolder Xuan’er stole a glance at Su Yanxi and asked in a childish voice.
“Really, grandmother promises!”
With Lin Shi’s assurance, the two little girls blinked their big eyes and looked at Su Yanxi, who gave them a gentle smile. Xuan’er took the lead, standing up from Lin Shi’s embrace and half-crouching to give Su Yanxi a small bow. “Thank you, Auntie.” Rui’er followed suit.
Seeing the two little girls so well-behaved and adorable, Su Yanxi felt her heart melt. She patted their little heads and told them to eat quietly, making sure no one else saw them. The two little girls nodded emphatically. “Mm-hmm, Auntie, we know. If the bad people see, they’ll snatch it away!” The two little girls then went off to a corner to eat their pastries.
Only then did Lin Shi explain to Su Yanxi. She said that once, Shen Qingyan had lured the two little girls into her courtyard with pastries, then falsely accused them of breaking a mutton-fat jade bracelet she had borrowed from a princess for admiration. She had made a scene and beaten the two little girls. By the time Lin Shi heard the news and rushed to Shen Qingyan’s courtyard, the two girls already had many bruises on their bodies. Later, it was discovered that Shen Qingyan had accidentally broken the bracelet herself and, afraid of taking responsibility, had framed the two little girls. Although Lin Shi later punished Shen Qingyan by making her kneel in the ancestral hall, the incident had still left a shadow in the hearts of the two little girls.
Su Yanxi didn’t comment much on Shen Qingyan’s past actions in the Marquis Family. After listening, she only said to Lin Shi, “Mother, you should also eat some pastries to fill your stomach first. We need to be full ourselves before we can take care of Father and Eldest Brother.”
Hearing this, Lin Shi glanced at Su Houye and Su Qinghe, her eyes reddening even more. She wondered if the Marquis and her eldest son could hold on until the next town…
Although Su Yanxi could see what Lin Shi was worried about, the guards and the people from Shen Jia were still awake, so it wasn’t convenient for her to take out her medicine.
She first placed a Ginseng Astragalus Pill into the mouths of Su Houye, Su Qinghe, and the little girl.
This medicine was also found among the boxes she had collected from the secret chamber, meant to replenish qi and sustain life.
She only instructed Lin Shi to give more water to Su Houye, Su Qinghe, and the little girl.
The water she had brought back this time was all Spirit Spring Water.
With the combination of Spirit Spring Water and the Ginseng Astragalus Pill, even if there was no curative effect, maintaining their vital signs wouldn’t be a problem.
By this time, Su Qingyu and Su Qinghuai had already started a fire.
They had also set up a makeshift stove.
However, with their shackles on, their hands were not very nimble, making it difficult to handle more delicate tasks.
Su Yanxi instructed Su Yi to find a flat stone and clean it.
She quietly took out a dagger and shaved off the skin and hair of the wild boar meat.
Then, she sliced the wild boar meat into thin pieces and marinated them with seasoning.
By the time Su Yi returned with a flat stone of just the right thickness, the meat slices were already marinated.
Su Yanxi placed the marinated meat slices one by one on the stone slab to grill.
The meat was sliced thinly, and soon it began to sizzle, releasing oil and a fragrant aroma that wafted through the air…
Su Qingyu, Su Qinghuai, and Su Yi, who were tending the fire and assisting her, were enticed by the aroma and couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.
Su Qingyu and Su Qinghuai were slightly better off.
On the way back, Su Yanxi had already given them food to fill their stomachs.
But Su Yi, who was still hungry, was practically drooling.
Su Yanxi picked up a few grilled slices and handed them to Su Yi first, saying, “Yi’er, try these.”
Su Yi took them but did not eat them himself. Instead, he brought them to Lin Shi and his two younger sisters, saying, “Grandmother, Auntie grilled this meat. You and my sisters should eat first.”
Lin Shi looked at Su Yi’s composed demeanor with relief in her eyes. “Good, good. Yi’er has grown up.”
Lin Shi wanted to give the meat to Xuan’er and Rui’er first, but Xuan’er said sensibly, “Grandmother, you should eat. You’ve worked hard taking care of Grandfather and Father.
Xuan’er will take my sister and go with Brother to Auntie’s side to eat.”
Lin Shi was delighted to see her two granddaughters willing to get closer to her daughter and nodded repeatedly. “Good, good. Yi’er, take your two sisters over there!”
By the time Su Yi led his two sisters back to the fire, Su Yanxi had already grilled another slab of meat.
Su Qingyu and Su Qinghuai let their nephews and nieces eat first.
The little ones, drooling, put the grilled meat into their mouths. The rich flavor filled their mouths, and for a moment, they felt as if they could swallow their own tongues.
Even so, the three children restrained themselves, eating slowly and elegantly rather than wolfing it down.
At this moment, the people from Shen Jia and the guards, smelling the aroma, couldn’t help but sniff the air.
“Where is that smell coming from? It’s so fragrant!”
Shen Qingyan had already pinpointed the Su Family’s campfire.
Pointing at them, she complained to the guards, “Officers, the Su Family is hiding food and eating secretly!”
Su Yanxi shot a cold, sharp glance at Shen Qingyan.
However, several guards came over upon hearing the commotion.
It wasn’t because of Shen Qingyan’s accusation, but because the wild boar meat they had was rank and foul, and even when grilled without salt, it was truly unpalatable.
They were drawn over by the aroma of Su Yanxi’s grilled meat.
Since they had already come over, Su Yanxi didn’t hold back. She picked up several freshly roasted pieces and presented them on a stone slab. “Officers, this is the wild boar meat you provided earlier. I’ve roasted it—please have a taste.”
Liu Bantou had actually grown sick of eating roasted boar meat earlier.
Had it not been for the lack of other food options, he would never have touched such foul and pungent fare.
He initially intended to refuse Su Yanxi’s offer.
But captivated by the enticing aroma, he found himself reaching out to accept it almost involuntarily.
With just one piece in his mouth, his eyes instantly lit up.
He felt as if his taste buds—numbed from days of coarse black steamed buns and the rank wild boar meat—had suddenly sprung back to life.
“Miss Su, how did you prepare this wild boar meat? Why is it so delicious?”
The other constables shared Liu Bantou’s enthusiasm after tasting it.
This time, Du Qiang was likely asleep after having his medicine applied and didn’t join them, so the atmosphere between the Su Family and the three constables, including Liu Bantou, remained quite harmonious.
Su Yanxi smiled and explained, “Although we didn’t find any food earlier when we went out, I came across some plants in the mountains that can be used as spices. They effectively mask the gamey odor of the wild boar meat.
Officer Liu, if you’d like some, I can share a portion with you.”
“That would be wonderful. Please spare us some, Miss Su,” Liu Bantou replied.
After giving them some Sichuan peppercorns and litsea cubeba, Su Yanxi seized the moment to ask, “Officer Liu, aren’t you curious about why my elder brother, who left perfectly fine, returned unconscious with such severe injuries?”