“The main road is still a mountain path, it’s better to be careful.”
As she spoke, Qu Xi had already wiped the sweat from her husband’s face.
At the same time, she clearly saw his expression. Coupled with the smoke in the sky gradually dissipating, she knew the mountain fire should no longer be an issue.
Still, she could not help but ask with concern,
“And… did you arrive in time and put out the fire?”
Hearing this, Liu Hu shook his head with a troubled expression.
The sight made Qu Xi’s heart tighten, and she could not help but ask again,
“Did something happen?”
“The fire we saw was actually caused by three children. Two of them looked even younger than our Tingting.”
“What!” Qu Xi cried out in shock.
The sudden surge of emotion caused her to cough uncontrollably.
“Cough, cough, cough!”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. Let’s go back inside and sit down first, I’ll explain everything in a moment.”
Seeing this, Liu Hu quickly supported his wife and guided her toward the inner room.
Compared to what he had just seen, his wife’s well-being was far more important.
As soon as they entered, he had her sit down, poured tea, and brought the cup to her lips.
Only after Qu Xi slowly drank the tea and suppressed the discomfort rising in her throat did Liu Hu finally feel at ease.
At this moment, Qu Xi was still thinking about what her husband had just said, and she hurriedly urged,
“Quick, continue what you were saying.”
Seeing her emotional state, Liu Hu quickly reassured her.
“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you. The oldest child, I estimate, has just come of age. She’s thin, but very observant. I suspect she noticed me the moment I arrived.”
“The oldest has just come of age… they really are just children. How are they supposed to survive in the deep mountains? Hu-ge, why don’t we help them? After all, they’re just children, about the same age as our Tingting.”
“Children? About the same age as me?”
Just as the couple was speaking, a lively voice suddenly interrupted.
Without even looking, both of them knew it was their mischievous daughter, Liu Tingting.
Back then, Liu Hu had carefully chosen the name “Tingting” for his daughter, hoping she would grow up to be as gentle and understanding as her mother.
But unexpectedly, as she grew older, Liu Tingting became more and more lively and unruly.
If Liu Hu had not kept her in check, she would probably have been running all over the rivers and mountains.
At this moment, hearing his daughter’s voice, Liu Hu knew he could not hide it from her and explained,
“Just now, your mother and I noticed signs of a mountain fire. When I went closer, I found that it was caused by three newly arrived children while clearing land. The three of them live in the valley beyond two mountains, where there’s a large lotus pond.”
“So it’s that place!”
As soon as she heard this, Liu Tingting immediately knew the location her father was referring to.
Because her mother liked such things, she had once accompanied her father to that valley to pick lotus flowers and lotus pods.
Now, someone had actually moved in, and they were three people about her age.
Her interest was instantly piqued. Her eyes shone with excitement, and she could not wait to go and make friends with them.
After all, since birth, Liu Tingting had lived in the deep mountains and had never stepped outside even once.
As a result, she had only ever seen her parents. Upon hearing that strangers had arrived, she was eager to go meet them immediately.
Thus, she did not notice the unusual look in her father’s eyes and said excitedly,
“Father! I want to go find them and play.”
“No.” Liu Hu refused his daughter’s request, something he rarely did.
“Why?”
Liu Tingting was stunned. Being forbidden from going outside was one thing, but why was she not even allowed to make friends within the mountains?
In an instant, tears filled her eyes, making Qu Xi’s heart ache.
She quickly stood up, wrapped an arm around her daughter’s shoulders to comfort her, and looked at her husband.
“Tingting doesn’t have any friends her age. It’s fine for them to play together.”
Faced with his wife and daughter’s request, Liu Hu’s resolve wavered, but there was something more important at hand. There would be time for friendships later.
Thus, he shifted his gaze, trying not to look at their expressions, and explained,
“It’s not that I won’t let Tingting make friends, it’s that the timing isn’t right. For three children to suddenly appear in the deep mountains, something must have happened outside. For them, there’s something out there even more terrifying than struggling to survive in the mountains.”
“War…”
Qu Xi murmured instinctively, her entire being filled with sorrow.
Because aside from that, she could think of no other reason that would drive people into the deep mountains.
Hearing this, Liu Hu nodded and replied,
“That’s my guess as well. But to be certain, I plan to go outside and take a look. Xi-niang, you don’t have much medicine left. This is a good opportunity to take care of both matters. So, Tingting, you need to stay home and take care of your mother.”
Hearing this, both mother and daughter showed worried expressions.
Every time Liu Hu went out, it was a period of anxiety for them, and this time, with the added risk of potential war, it was even more dangerous.
Qu Xi anxiously tried to stop him.
“My illness has been the same for years, there’s no need for you to buy medicine. If fighting really breaks out and something happens to you, what will my daughter and I do?”
Liu Hu knew that was a possibility, but his wife’s medicine was indeed running low, and they were also nearly out of salt and sugar. It had reached a point where replenishment was necessary.
Facing their worry, he could only speak in a steady tone,
“This isn’t my first time going out, there won’t be any problem. Even if fighting really breaks out, I’ll be on a boat, they won’t be able to reach me. Xi-niang, don’t worry.”
Without waiting for his wife’s response, he quickly looked at his daughter and instructed,
“Tingting, I’m entrusting your mother to you. Remember the times for preparing and taking her medicine every day, don’t let her forget. And don’t go into the mountains. I’ll prepare enough food for you. You and your mother stay inside the house and wait for me to return.”
“Okay, Father.”
Liu Tingting knew she could not change her father’s decision, so she nodded in agreement.
She no longer mentioned making friends. After all, nothing was more important than her family.
While the Liu family settled things on their side, the three members of the Li family had already begun preparing dinner.
Li Mai had to admit that the recipes she had picked up were excellent. As long as they followed the methods written, every dish turned out delicious.
Especially today’s braised pork ribs with potatoes.
The ribs were tender and fell off the bone, coated in a rich savory sauce. Beneath faint caramelized notes, there was also a subtle smoky aroma lingering.
As for the potatoes, there was no need to say much. They were fully infused with the rich flavor of the meat, soft, fragrant, and slightly sweet, hardly inferior to the meat itself.
So, after finishing another bite of potato, Li Mai could not help but say to Li Qiao,
“Tomorrow, make braised pork ribs with potatoes again.”
“Eldest Sister, that might not work. I plan to keep the remaining potatoes as seeds to plant in winter.”
Hearing that she would not be able to eat her favorite dish tomorrow, Li Mai unconsciously sped up her eating, thinking to herself, farming was truly troublesome.