Divorced woman with child travels through time

Chapter 348 I'll just steal a little

It was late at night, and everyone was asleep.

Wang Erniu's men were all stationed in the nearby woods, and he and a few of his personal guards stayed at the inn.

A muscular figure stealthily darted out of the woods, clearly possessing exceptional agility.

"Wait for me!" A-Yue whispered from behind.

Ah Xing froze, then quickly hid behind the wall.

"What are you here for?"

"I'll do whatever you do!"

"I really!" Ah Xing was so annoyed. "I guessed they must have brought some jerky, so I came to steal some."

“Then I’ll steal some too, since you’re always so reluctant to share with us.” A-Yue glanced at him.

"Fine, fine, just don't bother me while I'm working!" I'm really fed up. Ah Xing put the mask he had just torn off back on and sniffed around the carriages like a puppy.

"Found it!" Ah Xing excitedly climbed onto a horse, gently patted a bamboo basket in the middle, picked up a knife and cut the rope on it, moved the jar on top, and found that the basket was full of small packets of oil paper.

Ah Xing picked up a package and weighed it in his hand; it was about a pound. He opened the paper package, and instantly the aroma of spicy meat wafted out.

"Oh dear!" He couldn't resist any longer. He pulled off his mask and popped a chili pepper into his mouth. He just couldn't stand it anymore. This spiciness was addictive! The smell made his mouth water uncontrollably. Heaven knows how long he had been craving this spicy flavor. He had been following the caravan for almost seven days since they set off, and his mouth was practically parched. Not to mention that their carriages even had pots and oil, so they could cook dishes right away wherever they went. The aroma of those green chilies, once cooked, could be smelled for miles around. Of course, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it really made his mouth water.

Wang Erniu and his men probably knew this wouldn't have a good impact, so on the second day after they set off, they found a village and made chili sauce from two baskets of green peppers with minced garlic and ginger. They distributed it to the army during their meals. How did A-Xing know about this? Because he stole a small jar from the mess hall, and that night Zhao Yang happened to come back and took it. A-Xing was furious, so he scooped out a spoonful—just one spoonful!

"You found it?" A-Yue also came over, happily scooped one up and popped it into her mouth. "You know what, this thing is really delicious." Then she stuffed it into her pocket.

After taking a few packets, Ah Xing realized that this wouldn't do; it was too little.

"Don't rush, just take this basket with you."

"Okay!" The two started moving things around as they ate.

The carriage was packed full and tied tightly, and the basket was rather brittle; pulling it out felt like it would break.

"Huh, what's this?" A-Yue accidentally knocked off the lid of the jar, and through the thick oil seal, she could actually smell a strange meaty aroma.

"Let me see!" Ah Xing, with his keen sense of smell, naturally couldn't miss it. He snatched the jar and broke the oil seal.

"Wow!" A-Yue couldn't help but exclaim. In the bright moonlight, she could clearly see the thick layers of pork belly piled up in the jar, glistening with oil, a deep reddish-brown color, and plump and juicy.

Ah Xing shook the jar, and the meat soaking in the oil inside trembled and moved slightly, revealing the preserved mustard greens inside, which looked very appetizing. This was a recipe that Chen Wenfang taught Aunt Hu to make, and she specially brought it to eat on the road so that it wouldn't spoil easily. Wang Erniu loves braised pork, so this jar will only last for three or four days. However, this jar can be reused to make more at the next shop, so that it will be more flavorful.

Ah Xing had eaten square-shaped Dongpo pork before, but he had never seen a piece of meat as thick as a child's palm. He picked up a huge piece of meat with his fingers and put it into his mouth.

"Mmm!" Delicious! But he couldn't swallow it in one bite. Ah Xing haphazardly caught the meat that broke off as soon as it entered his mouth with his hand and stuffed it back in.

"Is it good?" A-Yue swallowed and looked at him anxiously.

Ah Xing's mouth was full, so he didn't have time to reply and could only nod.

Ah Yue quickly pulled down her mask, scooped up a piece, and put it in her mouth.

She ate delicately, taking small bites, and used her other hand to catch any oil that accidentally dripped down.

"This meat is so delicious! Are all the people in Chenjiazhuangzi such good cooks?" A-Yue asked, her question piercing the soul.

"How about we kidnap an old woman and take her with us? What do you think?"

Ah Xing wolfed down three pieces in one big bite after another to satisfy his craving before speaking, "What are you thinking? Wouldn't that expose us? Do you still want to eat? If not, I'll wrap them up. You take this, and I'll take the basket."

"No, okay!"

Ah Xing put the oil seal back on and went to get the lid. The lid might not have been placed securely, because when Ah Xing leaned to one side, the carriage lost its balance, and the lid slid directly to the ground and fell to the ground.

"Crack!" A crisp sound of shattering awakened the darkness.

"Who goes there?" Soon, the footsteps of the guards approached.

"Ugh~" Ah Xing wiped his greasy hands on his clothes, feeling a headache coming on. "Hurry up! They're here!"

Without saying a word, A-Yue wiped her hands on A-Xing's clothes, grabbed two packets of dried meat, and ran off.

"You really are something!" Ah Xing looked at her speechlessly, holding the jar.

The two of them covered their faces and ran away as fast as they could.

"There's a thief! This shop is so unsafe!" Uncle Hu was awakened by the noise downstairs.

"Hey, go check if anything's missing. We're in the middle of nowhere, and we're short-handed, so theft is common. You'll have to keep an eye on things yourself." The shop owner overheard this and, feeling a bit annoyed, feigned concern by clasping his hands in a respectful gesture.

That seemed to make sense. Uncle Hu stopped complaining and went to check carefully. The thief had actually stolen the jar of braised pork! Damn it! Uncle Hu was about to curse. It was his favorite food! He should have moved it to his room. How could someone steal this jar of meat when it was left in the middle of the carriage? It was infuriating!

Uncle Hu counted the jerky again. Fortunately, only four packs were missing, but it was still painful. This jerky was difficult to make. Two pounds of meat only yielded seven ounces of jerky, and it might even only yield half a pound. Losing four packs meant losing eight pounds of meat.

We can't lose her again. If we lose his daughter, what will the other children eat? Uncle Hu took the basket apart with a heavy heart, took out a cloth bag, divided the dried meat into two packages, and put them in the room, right next to his hand as he slept.

"What's wrong?" Aunt Hu asked, still half asleep.

"It's alright, you can go back to sleep. It's still early. A thief came and stole some meat." Uncle Hu patted his back.

"Oh!" Aunt Hu turned over and went back to sleep.

The next morning, Uncle Hu took a portion of dried meat and had Chu Yi carry it on his back. He was quite sensible. He put the other portion directly into Chen Wenfang's carriage so that the children could eat as much as they wanted. At first, he was a little reluctant, but now he understood that the children would grow up if they ate it, and if someone stole it, there would be nothing left.