The carriage traveled slowly on the hidden path, and Yu Wen Haoxuan rode in front, trying to keep the speed of the carriage as low as possible to prevent the interior of the carriage from being too bumpy.
The sun was slowly setting in the west, and the visibility in the already dark woods was getting lower and lower. After a full day of jolting in the carriage, Xi Qian felt that her bones were about to fall apart. Xue Chun beside her was not much better, holding on to Gulu and screaming.
Their stomachs looked gloomy. They only ate some dry pastries at noon today and then stopped eating.
Finally, the carriage stopped at a gentle terrain. She jumped off the carriage and Xi Qian adjusted for a while before she managed to stand firm. During this time, Liu Maolin had already returned with two pheasants and a fat hare.
Xuechun excitedly ran forward, picked up the pheasant and hare, and exclaimed, "Where did you find these? I thought I could only eat those dry snacks tonight!"
Liu Maolin answered while picking up dead branches on the ground, "There is nothing else in this forest, but there are a lot of game. Those cakes are good for entertainment, but if you really want to fill your stomach, you have to eat something solid."
"Maolin is right." Yuwen Haoxuan took out the flint, lit the branches, and skillfully controlled the fire, "Although rich people are well fed and well clothed, their bodies are not necessarily stronger than ordinary people, just because
Eating these nutritious things all day long will not make sense in the long run."
Xiqian also leaned over and picked up the branches. At this moment, she felt that they were all ordinary people, with no dignity or restraint, and could chat with each other openly.
"I said why my body is always not as good as others. It turns out that I eat too much of these things, and I often skip dinner after eating pastries in the middle of the afternoon."
Seeing that the flames were stable, Yuwen Haoxuan stood up and looked at her, "Then you must take this time to correct these problems, otherwise you will forget about the delicious food when you go back."
Xi Xian smiled and stopped what she was doing, "Yes, Master!"
It was rare to see her with such a naughty expression, and Yu Wen Haoxuan couldn't help but look at her for a while, until she lowered her head shyly, and then reluctantly withdrew his gaze.
When Liu Maolin saw this scene, he just smiled meaningfully without interrupting. He quickly skinned and washed several game animals and threaded them onto sharpened tree branches.
Yuwen Haoxuan had already set up the rack for the barbecue, and after putting the dressed game on it, everyone sat down around the fire.
"This is my first time grilling food in the open air like this!" Xue Chun stared at the sizzling and oily game with bright eyes, his joy was beyond words.
"Where did this go?" Liu Maolin said while flipping the fire with branches, "In a few days, I hope you will experience more for the first time than you have in your life."
"Really?" Xuechun looked at him in disbelief, his eyes full of longing.
Liu Maolin couldn't help laughing when he saw her like this, "That's not true. You've never tried roasting fruits before eating them. It's a different taste! I just picked a lot of wild fruits. You can try them."
Xuechun took the fruit thrown by Liu Maolin and carefully inserted it on the small tree fork in his hand, but left a few words, "Bake these first. If they don't taste good, don't waste them all."
Seeing how cautious she was, Liu Maolin laughed loudly and said, "Go ahead and bake it. There are not many wild fruits in these barren mountains and ridges."
As soon as Liu Maolin finished speaking, Yuwen Haoxuan turned to Xi Qian and said, "But please don't eat at will. There are many things in this mountain that appear to be edible but are actually poisonous. If you eat them accidentally, you may be poisoned and die."
Xiqian nodded in an educated manner, "But how to tell the difference? I have heard that the brighter and more beautiful the mushrooms are, the more poisonous they are. Is this the same with wild fruits?"
"That's not the case." Yu Wen Haoxuan put down the tree branch in his hand and said in detail, "In the south there is a pure white mushroom, the Toadstool, which looks ordinary but is extremely poisonous, and another kind of very bright orange-covered mushroom.
Goose is a delicacy in the world, so these cannot be generalized."
"Then how do you know which ones are edible and which ones are not?" Xi Qian looked at him with admiration.
Yuwen Hao
Xuechun sighed and said regretfully, "What a pity. What if those fruits were so delicious, wouldn't I have missed them?"
Seeing her greedy look, Liu Maolin jokingly said, "You also said that it was just in case. It would be a pity if you really lost your life!"
"I'm just talking about it, it's not really delicious." "That's not true. How about I pick one for you now?" The two of them started to bicker with each other, completely lost.
Under the constraints of the middle and upper levels, Xi Qian looked on and couldn't help but envy Xuechun. He was so heartless but it was easier to be happy. She hoped that Xuechun could always be happy and not be contaminated by the filth of the world. At this moment
Her determination to protect this happiness became even stronger.
"Stop arguing, the meat is almost burnt." Yuwen Haoxuan finally stopped him, otherwise I don't know if the two of them would have been arguing until midnight.
"Humph!" Xue Chun snorted and turned away, like a child quarreling and having a tantrum.
Liu Maolin smiled helplessly and continued to turn the fragrant barbecue on the tree branch.
After a while, he moved the grill aside, took out a knife and cut off the meat piece by piece, divided it into four plates and distributed it to everyone, "It's ready to eat!"
Xuechun couldn't wait to take his portion and wolfed it down, but Xiqian winked at her at this moment. Xuechun realized that Yuwen Haoxuan hadn't spoken yet. Although he was not in the palace, he was still there after all.
Your Majesty, Xuechun seems a little proud and forgets his form.
Yuwen Haoxuan smiled kindly when he saw this, "It doesn't matter. Eat quickly. Filling your stomach is the most important thing."
Secretly sticking out her tongue at Xi Qian, Xue Chun continued to swallow. The unhappiness of the quarrel just now was already forgotten by her.
After drinking and eating, Xuechun and Liu Maolin cleaned up the mess on the ground together. Xi Qian picked up some dry branches and put them aside for later use. Yuwen Haoxuan walked around the edge of the open space and made sure there was no danger before giving the order.
Set up camp.
After settling down Xidian, Xuechun dove into his bed and snored sweetly after a while. Liu Maolin kept patrolling around, sometimes looking at the treetops with vigilance, sometimes listening carefully to the movements in the forest.
, Yuwen Haoxuan was sitting by the fire with his eyes closed, wondering what he was thinking about, or not thinking about anything at all.
Xi Qian raised her head and looked at the starry night sky, as if she had returned to the Ningguo Palace where she spent countless sleepless nights.
I wonder if my old father is still as old as before, surrounded by fine wine all day long, and whether he will think of his long-dead mother and her in a foreign country during his occasional leisure time?