[Xiao Mei, can these griddle cakes be uploaded for exchange?]
[Host, yes. To be honest, the ones you made today smell much better than before.]
Xiao Mei couldn’t quite describe the fragrance—it was simply the pure, wholesome aroma of grain.
One side of the griddle cake was toasted golden brown by the iron pan, the scent of wheat roasted at high heat being a fragrance few could resist.
The moment the lid was lifted just now, even Mei Qian couldn’t help but show a look of delight at the smell.
The other side of the cake, sprinkled with water, remained soft and chewy. With one bite, it was crispy at first, then soft, with a satisfying, springy texture.
If conditions allowed, Mei Qian thought, spreading some beef sauce on it would be absolutely delightful!
Mei Qian made two batches in total: one with whole wheat, from which she took one cake to upload, and another mixed with Compressed Biscuit Powder, without added salt or wild vegetables, specifically meant to fill the family’s stomachs.
The two batches had different flavors, which Mei Qian attributed entirely to the wild vegetables and salt.
#The ultimate interplay of crispy, fragrant crunch and soft, chewy texture—double-sided wheat cakes, two ways to enjoy in one piece.#
Thanks to Mei Qian’s advertising pitch, before dinner was even over, Xiao Mei notified her that her food had been exchanged.
This time, it was indeed a new Exchanger.
[Host, this time it’s a player from a primitive Beastman Plane. They exchanged eight milk fruits.]
[What on earth?]
Mei Qian was stunned.
What did the other party exchange just now?
[As the name suggests, it’s a fruit that tastes and nourishes like milk.]
[What is this? A fruit that tastes like milk, and it’s not something that should exist in this world! How am I supposed to take it out?]
Hearing this, Mei Qian was furious. How could she produce a fruit that didn’t belong to this era?
This wasn’t like Nutrient Solution or Compressed Biscuits, which could be disguised and passed off.
[Just treat it as a wild fruit?]
Xiao Mei’s suggestion wasn’t very practical.
[Then why can their Plane upload raw food like fruit? If I’d known, I would’ve uploaded freshly dug wild vegetables too!]
Mei Qian was shocked. Previously, her wild vegetables had to be cooked before they could be uploaded.
[No, Host, your wild vegetables don’t meet the standard. The reason milk fruits can be uploaded is, first, because the conditions there allow it—raw food is very common. Second, because milk fruits are delicious.]
Although Xiao Mei’s explanation was thorough, sensing Mei Qian’s dissatisfaction, she added: [Milk fruits are highly favored by newborn beastmen in the Beastman Plane. They’re a sacred item for strengthening the body and providing nourishment.]
Xiao Mei then proceeded to educate Mei Qian about the effects of milk fruits.
As she listened, Mei Qian’s gaze involuntarily fell on Madam Jiang’s belly.
If this fruit could be given to her unborn younger brother or sister in the future, that would indeed be wonderful.
But its appearance now seemed somewhat ill-timed.
Xiao Mei continued: [Given the difference in physical constitution between beastmen and ordinary humans, the energy and nutrition contained in these fruits are comparable to the Nutrient Solution from the previous interstellar exchange~]
[Ah? Why didn’t you say so earlier?]
Hearing Xiao Mei’s explanation, Mei Qian was immediately comforted.
If it was as filling as the Nutrient Solution, even if it was a fruit from another world that no one had seen before, Mei Qian felt it was still worth the risk to figure out how to produce it someday.
In this vast world, it wouldn’t be strange for some strange things to grow, right?
Just as Mei Qian was lost in thought, trying to devise an origin story for the milk fruit.
The campfire crackled, and across from her, Mei Shitou, noticing this, picked up a wooden stick to poke the fire, only to see the small stones on the ground trembling slightly.
“This…”
Mei Shitou froze at the sight. Grandma Mei, noticing her grandson’s stunned expression, followed his gaze.
Suddenly, Grandma Mei gasped sharply and shouted, “Quick! Get up, everyone!”
As the crowd was just roused by Grandma Mei’s cry, someone from the outskirts yelled—
“The Xirong dogs are coming!”
“What?!”
“Run for your lives!”
“Hurry, the Xirong soldiers on a wild hunt are here!”
The entire refugee column instantly descended into chaos.
“Let’s go.”
Grandma Mei grabbed Mei Qian and pulled her up, then kicked over the cooking stove.
Without minding the searing heat, she snatched up the pot and held it as a shield for herself and Mei Qian.
Mei Qian, having just snapped back to reality, was stunned by the sudden turn of events, her mind going blank. The chaotic screams around her felt even more terrifying in the darkness of the night.
“Take this!”
Grandma Mei thrust a thick, long wooden pole into Mei Qian’s hands. Mei Qian gripped the pole with one hand while using the other to help her grandmother hold the pot.
Soon after, her mother, Madam Jiang, came up behind Mei Qian and, like her, grabbed the pole, followed by Han Shi doing the same.
Mei Erhu and Mei Shitou positioned themselves at the front and back, one wielding a machete and the other an axe, shielding the women of the family in the middle.
Madam Jiang used her other hand to protect her belly, while Han Shi held the donkey’s reins with hers.
The six members of the family huddled closely together as they moved, like a small boat tossed about on turbulent waves amidst the chaotic crowd, swaying and stumbling.
It felt as though they could capsize at any moment.
“Hold on tight, and head toward the convoy of the wealthy families!”
Grandma Mei said in a low, firm voice. In the darkness, Mei Qian could already see the clusters of torches raised by several wealthy households.
As those torches flared to life, they seemed like targets for the oncoming Xirong soldiers, yet also as if they were prepared to illuminate the enemies lurking in the darkness, ready to capture them all in one sweep!
“Alright!”
Mei Erhu responded in a low voice and began clearing a path ahead.
At that moment, the Xirong soldiers on their wild hunt grew even more excited upon seeing the torches in the distance.
The thundering of hooves filled the air, and amidst the howling wind, Mei Qian’s ears were filled with cries for help, pleas for mercy, and the guttural, incomprehensible chatter of the Xirong language.
Though she couldn’t understand the words, she could sense the excitement in their tone, mingled with cruel, sinister laughter that sent shivers down her spine.
By the faint glow of the torches, she glanced back and saw the Xirong soldiers on horseback in the distance, along with the panicked, terrified faces of the refugees fleeing before their horses.
The curved blades of the Xirong soldiers gleamed coldly under the moonlight, and in the next moment, rows of refugees fell lifelessly beneath the soldiers’ horses, their eyes wide with horror.
Witnessing this scene, Mei Qian’s steps faltered slightly, but she managed to stay upright, steadied by the wooden pole in her hands.
The solid presence of the pole helped her regain her focus, and she looked at her family gathered around her, finding a sense of calm.
In this chaotic world, she was not alone. She had her family, supporting and standing by one another.
As most people fled toward the wealthy families’ convoy, Mei Qian noticed that, in contrast to her own family, many others were scattering into the darkness, running away from the wealthy households.
For a moment, Mei Qian wondered if her grandmother’s decision had been wrong.
“Release arrows—”
Just then, a sharp male voice rang out.
Mei Qian looked toward the sound and saw it came from the convoy of wealthy households.
Immediately after, a rain of arrows flew over her head, shooting toward the group of Xirong cavalry behind them.
“Ah!”
“Ah!”
Screams, the whinnies of horses, and the sounds of bodies falling and being trampled once again reached Mei Qian’s ears clearly.
Hearing these noises, Mei Qian instinctively turned her head and saw that among those fallen in the hail of arrows were not only the Xirong soldiers charging at the front but also those refugees who, out of fear, had been running around like headless flies.
“Don’t look.” Madam Jiang gently covered Mei Qian’s eyes with one hand and said softly, “Hurry, let’s go.”