As everyone settled in different places, it continued to rain. Su Xiao changed the kids clothes and also her own before heading to the kitchen. The village Chief house had five rooms and kitchen with their bathroom and toilet located a bit farther from the main house. Every where was shrouded in dust and cobwebs making you wonder how long it had been abandoned.
Bai Ling and the two brothers took a broom they found and swept everywhere while Mu Wei and Shi Dong fixed the broken chairs and tables on the house. Each room has a kang bed which was heated up so they didn't have to worry about the cold. As they cleaned and swept everywhere, Su Xiao was already done with kitchen and begun cooking. She firstly made ginger soup to dispel the cold and everyone felt warm after drinking it.
She then proceeded to cook after firmly rejecting Bai Ling's offer to help insisting she stayed with the kids. She took out the scallion bread and pancakes and then made broth soup with some Baozi and served. After having a full meal, they retired to the now heated kang bed to rest. Su Xiao had already spread some quilt on the bed saying she found them in the wardrobe and no body doubted it. She laid down with the kids and Mu Wei.
It was still raining outside showing no signs of stopping. The warmth of the bed made her sigh in satisfaction and she soon felt drowsy. Just as she was about to sleep off she heard Mu Wei call her name.
"Are you asleep?"
Despite the urge to sleep she answered drowsily. "What happened?"
Mu Wei felt his lips curve at the woman's voice so he said nothing and urged her to sleep. Feeling like she had been granted amnesty, Su Xiao dozed off immediately. Mu Wei listened to their breathing and felt satisfied. He didn't care about revenge or status but just happiness. As long as he had them with him then he was happy and satisfied. He wondered how their life at the southern wilderness would look like, and hoped it was not miserable.
Pushing the thoughts at the back of his mind, he slept off too. The rain continued falling and the pattering sound was only what was heard as everyone slept off. The next morning, Su Xiao was awoken by the neighing of the horses and realized it was morning. The kids were still curled in the bed sleeping peacefully. She smiled and pecked their cheeks before sluggishly getting up. It was still raining but not as heavily as yesterday. She made her was to the pig pen and took out some hay straws and fed the horses along with some water.
She opened the window to observe the situation outside. Everywhere was a bit foggy and quiet and the soil wet. She remembered that there was a mountain behind the Chief's house and decided to explore. She wore the straw coat and quietly went outside heading towards the mountain path. She removed the straw sandals and wore boots then took out the detector and vanished into the mountain.
As she looked at the lush leaves she felt happy. Not long into walking into the mountain she found mushroom and picked them all putting some into the space and some into the bag she came with. She had to have an explanation for where she got the mountain goods from to avoid suspicion. She found a lot of mushrooms and different types carefully avoiding the poisonous ones. Before long, the mushrooms were finished and she continued searching. She collect herbs and even found two ginseng of hundred and five hundred years. Seven adult rabbit and three pheasant chicken. She collect their twelve eggs and continued grinning happily. As she walked she detected a smell of blood and felt the ground shake a bit.
She was first startled thinking it might be an earthquake but as she listened she head growls and figured out it was two wild boars fighting. One of them had being injured but still fighting fiercely. She climbed the nearest tree close to her swiftly and continued observing them. The seemed to be competing for something and she looked to observe what it was. Her eyes widened in surprise seeing the musk deer that that was half dead laying limp on the floor. As they fought, the male boar gained an upper hand and dealt a fatal blow to the female bowl and it howled tragically before falling dead on the ground.
The other boar trotted to the musk deer and was about to drag it along but Su Xiao shot it with a tranquilizer and it fell. Su Xiao jumped down grinning like fool. She went to the male boar and struck it ensuring it was dead. She took out a knife and skillfully skinned and dissected the musk deer and one boar and threw it into the space. The remaining wild boar would be taken down the mountain and given to Lu Dan for the other exiles to cook.
She found some tea leaves along with ginger and stored them too. There was no fruit but many dead trees probably due to the famine and flood. The presence of some of this mountain goods was because this mountain was hidden and she was the first person to stumble here. She checked the time and saw it was late. Putting the one dead wild boar in the bag and some mushrooms in the bag she carried it down. Following her foot print she made her way back to the house. By now it was only drizzling and some people had come out.
They looked curiously at her wondering what she was carrying. Su Xiao ignored the probing gazes and made her way to the place the ballifs were staying and knocked. Lu Dan opened the door and looked at Su Xiao in surprise especially after seeing her bulging bag. Su Xiao dropped the meat at his feet and greeted him.
"This is the wild boar and some mushrooms I found in the mountain this morning. Find someone to slaughter it and give me the skin intact and some meat enough for me and my people"
Lu Dan stood dumbfounded looking at her while the people around her were in uproar as they heard about the meat. Su Xiao made her way back home and faintly heard Lu Dan calling the ballifs to come slaughter the meat and prepare to cook it. Su Xiao was not being a Mary Su but understood human nature. She would be travelling with them for long and needed to offer some benefits to avoid schemes. Even if they wanted to attack her, they would think of her help first.
She was not afraid of trouble but had people to protect. With that thought she made her way to their house.