Zhou Ri’s face was flushed crimson, but seeing Song Qingchao’s expression, he didn't seem to be lying.
However, he couldn't swallow his pride.
“Hmph, it’s just cleaning toilets. If you make a bet, you lose!”
Zhou Ri directly returned the crescent-shaped blades to Aunt Fang and scurried away, his neck stiff.
Song Qingchao watched his retreating back and smiled dotingly.
What a mischievous child.
However, she no longer had the energy to walk back to her cave dwelling.
Song Qingchao coughed lightly, “Zhou Yi, take these few and help Elder Yu process this pile of prey.”
Zhou Yi responded with an “Understood,” but he was still worried about Song Qingchao.
“I’m fine. You all need to work faster. If it freezes over time, it will be difficult to process.”
Song Qingchao coughed a few more times, her back hunched. “Aunt Fang, help me back.”
“Alright, alright.” Aunt Fang carefully took Song Qingchao’s arm.
But as Song Qingchao leaned on her, she felt her body go weak, followed by the world spinning. Her vision went completely black.
Countless panicked cries erupted around her.
Song Qingchao wanted to say she was fine.
But her throat felt as if it were clogged with blood, and she couldn't make a sound.
She only felt herself being lifted,
A moment of panic made her instinctively want to grab something, but a familiar scent drifted into her nostrils.
This scent suddenly made her feel at peace.
Gradually, she relaxed.
When she opened her eyes again, she stared blankly at the protruding rock ceiling of the cave for a moment.
Aunt Fang, who was taking care of her, reacted first.
Aunt Fang’s somewhat drooping eyes shed small pearls.
“You’re finally awake.”
Song Qingchao wanted to raise her hand to wipe away her tears, but found her hands completely immobile. Only her right hand could move slightly, but it was still sore.
“Don’t move,” Aunt Fang quickly pressed her hand down. “You truly walked back from the gates of hell this time.”
While wiping her tears, she brought over a bowl of dark medicine. “Quick, drink it while it’s hot.”
Song Qingchao smelled the aroma and turned her face away.
But in the end, she couldn’t refuse Aunt Fang and let her feed her spoonful by spoonful.
However, this medicine…
She had a strange sense of familiarity with it.
After she finished drinking it, she saw Aunt Fang take out a packet of preserved fruits.
Song Qingchao’s feelings settled.
Bai You’an had been here.
She put the preserved fruit into her mouth and leaned back slightly against the fur-lined rock wall.
“Aunt Fang, how many days have I been asleep?”
Aunt Fang tucked the blanket around her. “Three days. You’ve worried me to death. I haven’t even started repaying your kindness yet.”
As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears again.
“Fortunately, Mr. Bai arrived in time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.”
Song Qingchao nodded. “Did he say anything?”
Aunt Fang wiped her tears, her voice growing weaker. “He told me to keep a close eye on you, my lady.”
Song Qingchao sighed.
Without even thinking, she could imagine the expression on that person’s face. But why had he appeared so suddenly…
“Has anything happened recently?”
Aunt Fang immediately regained her capable demeanor. “The prey has all been processed, but the amount was truly too much, so Elder Yu took it upon himself to dig a cellar in the courtyard to store the meat. We could also cure or smoke it to preserve it longer, but considering it’s winter and the meat can be stored outdoors without issue, we wanted to wait for you to wake up to make the decision.”
“How was the fur of the prey handled?” Song Qingchao moved her hand, which was outside the blanket, still feeling a bit cold.
She needed to find a hot water bottle.
“The usable large pieces were all skinned and prepared to be made into blankets for warmth. But there were too many, and only two relatively complete wolf skins have been processed so far.”
Song Qingchao nodded. It seemed that the one she was wearing and the one nailed to the wall were newly made.
She picked it up curiously and examined it. “How did you make it without saltpeter?”
“The environment is not very good right now, so we can only use some traditional methods,” Aunt Fang explained. “But don’t worry, my lady. These methods just take more effort, but the results are still usable.”
Song Qingchao didn’t say anything.
She had directly used her three-layered search engine.
She understood what Aunt Fang meant by traditional methods. She didn’t care about the process, as long as the result was good.
“Divide the meat into four portions. Cure one, smoke one, keep one for winter. For the remaining portion, take it and find some helpers.”
Aunt Fang looked uncertain. “Helpers? Do you mean those refugees outside?”
“Yes,” Song Qingchao was getting tired and rubbed her forehead. “With just a few of us, we might not finish these tasks all winter. Let them help first, and give them some meat in exchange. As for how to do it and how to divide the meat, it’s all up to you.”
“Yes, my lady.”
During the famine in Jianghuai, people first began to collect bark and leaves, pounding them into powder, or boiling earth to eat;
When all resources were exhausted, they began to eat each other.
She also hoped that by doing this, she could save some children and women.
After all, no one was distributing food anymore, and there were no plants in winter. Hunting was extremely difficult, and one could easily encounter wolf packs like she did that day.
When people had no food and were starving, who knew what they might do.
But another purpose of her doing this was to cultivate these people’s habits.
When people became accustomed to working for her, she could advance her plans further.
At the same time, she needed to expand her manpower.
Four days had passed, and in three days, people would start working. With little food and much labor, their minds would work slower.
This was also why the refugees were not given ample food. If people were too smart, they would be harder to control.
But she was different. She needed capable subordinates and intelligent followers.
She had many things to do. If she only had the Zhou brothers around, she would probably work herself to death.
So, when Aunt Fang said she wanted to repay her kindness, Song Qingchao did not explicitly refuse.
Aunt Fang noticed she was tired and rearranged the bedding, intending to help Song Qingchao lie down.
“Be careful, my lady.”
Song Qingchao softly murmured “Mm” and then lay down as she was helped.
Judging from Aunt Fang’s reported state and her ability to serve, it was clear she had experience in serving others and was very intelligent, knowing what to ask and what not to ask.
She even had her own ideas on minor matters.
Only on the point of loyalty did Song Qingchao need further confirmation.
Because…
“You rest first, I’ll go arrange things.”
As Aunt Fang was about to leave, Song Qingchao reached out and grabbed her hand. Aunt Fang turned back with a smile, “What is it, my lady?”
Song Qingchao looked at the dark cave ceiling, completely calm.
“Aunt Fang, you are from Beiman. Why are you following me?”