Approaching noon, Xu Huaiyi returned drenched in sweat, with a conspicuously large backpack basket on his back. Whether it contained anything was unknown, but it was enough to fool anyone.
Not finding his wife in the room, he slipped into the RV and saw Gu Huanxi washing pots and pans. He hurried over, snatched them from her hands, and said anxiously, "Go rest on the bed. I’m here—how could I let you do any work?"
If he hadn’t been worried about his wife missing lunch, he wouldn’t have rushed down the mountain.
Gu Huanxi showed him the gloves she was wearing. "Don’t worry, I didn’t touch cold water. Doing a bit of work is fine. I even took a walk around the yard earlier. Didn’t you always say that life lies in movement?"
"But aren’t you in your postpartum confinement?"
"Postpartum confinement doesn’t mean I’m useless. The medicine Doctor Jiao prescribed contains ginseng. I’ve taken it for two days and feel much better. And all the donkey-hide gelatin, millet, brown sugar, and eggs I’ve been eating—do you think they’re just for nothing?"
But no matter how much she tried to persuade him, Xu Huaiyi refused to let her cook. Half pushing and half carrying her, he pressed her onto the bed to lie down. Then he turned on the computer, playing her favorite TV drama, before tying on an apron and heading to the kitchen to work.
Seeing the plump, pale pig’s trotters on the cutting board, Xu Huaiyi turned back and asked, "Craving pig’s trotters? But braising them is out of the question—the flavor’s too strong. The books say it’s best not to add any seasonings during postpartum confinement…"
Gu Huanxi leaned comfortably against a cushion and casually explained, "I wasn’t thinking of braising them. Just stewing them plainly will do. When I was feeding A Li earlier, there was nothing at all. Don’t they say pig’s trotters help with lactation? I wanted to give it a try."
"Alright, then let’s add some peanuts too. That should make it even more effective."
After methodically stewing the pig’s trotters and steaming the rice, he finally went to the bathroom to take a shower. He tossed his clothes into the washing machine, came out wearing only a pair of shorts and slippers, opened a can of chilled carbonated drink, and drank half of it in one go. Letting out a relieved sigh, he finally had the leisure to complain, "Whew, I’m finally alive again. You have no idea how hot it is up on the mountain—it’s like a giant steamer. Spending half a day out there can half-cook a person…"
Gu Huanxi asked curiously, "Any luck?"
Xu Huaiyi waved his hand dismissively. "Don’t even mention it. Luck? I almost fell into a trap. There are so many traps in the mountains—it seems like everyone’s gone crazy trying to hunt. They’re digging pits everywhere, turning the place into a sieve…"
Gu Huanxi sighed helplessly. "With no harvest from the fields, the villagers have no choice but to turn their attention to hunting."
"But it’s no use. Ah, before I went up the mountain, Er Zhu—the second son of the Meng Danian family, who was closest to the original owner, practically best friends, and with a similar temperament, both honest and simple—the cart we borrowed earlier was from his family. When he saw I was heading up the mountain, he tried to dissuade me, saying that before, you could at least get lucky and catch a chicken or a rabbit, but for the past month or so, there’s been nothing. It’s just a waste of effort. Better to fetch some water from the well to irrigate the fields—saving even one plant counts."
"Then what’s in your backpack basket?"
Xu Huaiyi grumbled, "Mostly grass, just for show. I did come across a few edible wild vegetables—red hemp greens and purslane—but they were a bit old. I managed to pick some tender ones. I also found a peach tree, but the peaches were smaller than walnuts. I took a bite—sour and astringent. I couldn’t be bothered to pick any…"
He chattered on about what he'd seen and heard in the mountains, all while efficiently changing the diaper and feeding his daughter who had just woken up. After several hands-on practices last night, his movements were now quite skilled, with no trace of clumsiness.
"It's the end of the seventh lunar month now. The crops should be knee-high by this time, but I just went to check the fields. Sigh… the watered ones are barely holding on, but they don't look lively at all. The others are even more wilted. I'm afraid there's not much hope. What harvest can we expect in September? They'll all end up as firewood…"
At this point, his tone grew firm. "At the latest, we must leave by September, or it'll be too late. Once everyone realizes they need to flee, the roads will be…"
He gave her a meaningful look.
Gu Huanxi pondered and said, "With many people on the road, there are hidden dangers, but traveling with few people also has its risks. Each has its pros and cons. I think we could discuss it with the villagers. Traveling together as a village would be better."
Xu Huaiyi thought it over and nodded. "You have a point. Alright, then we should quickly prepare what we need for the journey—food, clothing, things we can openly carry, and means of self-defense. If we run into desperate people trying to rob us, we need to be able to protect ourselves. Leave all this to me. I'll handle it. You just focus on recovering from childbirth. By the way, dear, where are we fleeing the famine to? We need a destination, right?"
Without hesitation, Gu Huanxi replied, "The capital."
Xu Huaiyi let out a surprised "Ah!" and asked repeatedly, "The capital? Why? The capital is full of high-ranking officials and nobles. It's hard for common folks like us to get ahead there. Why not go to Jiangnan? Since ancient times, Jiangnan has been a land of fish and rice, never short of food. It's prosperous, with beautiful scenery and a thriving literary culture. Shouldn't you prefer going there? Maybe you could even encounter talented scholars and beauties, hahaha…"
He chuckled to himself, while Gu Huanxi gave him an exasperated look. "Jiangnan isn't as good as you think. The original host traveled with her father for ten years and has been to Jiangnan. While Qingzhou often suffers from droughts, Jiangnan frequently faces floods. Although both are natural disasters, you can flee in advance from a drought, but when a flood comes, you might not have time to escape."
Xu Huaiyi suddenly understood. "Right, floods are much more dangerous than droughts."
Seeing he grasped the point, Gu Huanxi continued, "Besides, the south is dominated by powerful families who are extremely exclusive. It would be even harder for us to establish ourselves there. It's better to go to the capital. At least it's under the Son of Heaven's feet, and relief would be more accessible if any disaster strikes."
Xu Huaiyi nodded repeatedly and asked curiously, "Have you been to the capital? I mean, the original host and her father…"
"Yes, I have. The capital is very prosperous, and…" Rummaging through her memories, Gu Huanxi's expression grew increasingly complex. "You know what? They have hotpot and barbecue in the capital…"
Xu Huaiyi blinked. "So what?"
Gu Huanxi reminded him meaningfully, "And toothbrushes and soap."
"Ah?" Xu Huaiyi widened his eyes, finally catching on. He stammered, "Y-you mean… we… we have fellow townspeople here too?"
Gu Huanxi nodded, "It should be. The toothbrush and soap were invented by the founding emperor. The people in the capital revere him as a deity. However, he passed away over thirty years ago. But since we could also come here, there might be others, so…"
Before she could finish, Xu Huaiyi eagerly chimed in, "Understood. We absolutely won’t take anything from the RV outside, and we’ll be careful with our words and actions, never revealing our identities, so we don’t get burned as monsters."
After making his promise, Xu Huaiyi wore a look of longing and urged, "What else did that transmigration predecessor do? I mean, were there any other earth-shattering feats?"
"Being the founding emperor—isn’t that earth-shattering enough?"
"Hehe, that’s true. What else?"
Gu Huanxi recalled bit by bit, "At the beginning of the nation’s founding, he established national policies: princesses would not be sent for political marriages, and princes would not be enfeoffed. He valued martial prowess, so there are many martial arts schools in the capital, as well as the Royal Military Academy. If a man isn’t good at studying, he can still enter officialdom based on his martial skills. Oh, and he also had a famous saying: 'The Son of Heaven guards the nation’s gates; the ruler dies for the state.'"
It was precisely because of this saying that she became certain this founding emperor was a transmigration predecessor.