Chapter 22: Hurry

Mother Su looked at the girl and sighed, “Poor child, born into such a home.”

Su Yin also empathized with the girl. Although she was not favored by her grandparents in the Su family, Su’s mother protected her, and Su’s father also loved her and would not beat her for no reason. Compared to that girl, she was lucky.

The team resolved and continued on the road.

Su Yin was certain that the dream she had last night was indeed a precognitive dream. Whether this sudden prophetic dream was random, or whether it could be triggered after other external conditions were met, Su Yin was not sure of the rules at the moment, and would have to wait until later to slowly figure it out. Now all she could do was wait for it to come again.

Due to the appearance of the mountain tiger, their journey was delayed by half a day. They were supposed to arrive in Fushun County before evening, but now they couldn’t make it.

Before the sun set, the group descended the mountain and walked another 55 miles to reach Fushun County. After discussing it, they decided to rest one night at the foot of the mountain and set off early the next morning.

There was a puddle at the foot of the mountain. The water flowed out from the gaps in the stone wall, forming depressions. The water supply in this place would soon be cut off.

Since there was water there, Su Yin didn’t use the water in the barrel. Not only was it wasteful, but more had to be added, otherwise it wouldn’t be enough for the next drink. Everyone lined up and took turns scooping.

After the first ten people finished scooping, the water in the puddle dropped a few centimeters. When it was Su Yin’s turn, it was almost bottomed out. Su Yin was not in a hurry, squatting aside and watching, taking out a little and spooning a little.

Many people didn’t have the patience and came directly with spoons of mud and water. Su Yin carried Su Yin back to the camp. Su Baozhu had already laid out the sleeping place for the night, and Su’s mother was preparing food. Seeing Su’s mother washing rice from the bag, Su Yin hurriedly stopped her.

After eating porridge for two days, Su Yin felt like she could hear the gurgling sound of water in her stomach.

“Mom, let’s not make porridge today and just eat barbecue.”

“I’m not very good at barbecue.”

“I can.” Su Yin volunteered to take over the task.

Su Yin selected the tenderest meat from the tiger’s body. The belly meat had a higher fat content than other parts, making it perfect for barbecue. Using stones to build a suitable height for barbecuing, she cut the tiger’s meat into small pieces, gathered some wood from the woods, and skewered the meat. This process required effort but was not difficult for the capable Su Yin.

The neighbor uncle heard about her barbecue and came over to take a look, finding it intriguing. They grilled the whole piece of meat over the fire, continuously turning it, sprinkling some salt in between, adding honey if available, and grilling until the meat was cooked and ready to eat.

“It’s tedious to grill meat like this.”

“It may be tedious, but it’s worth it for the delicious flavor,” Su Yin replied as she expertly handled the meat skewers over the fire. The sizzling oil and aroma of the meat filled the air.

She crushed star anise, cinnamon, and salt together, sprinkling her secret seasoning on the meat skewers just before they were ready. A burst of fragrance filled the surroundings, carried by the wind.

Having bought star anise and cinnamon from the drugstore beforehand, Su Yin used these items as medicinal and culinary spices, a practice not common in the Yong Dynasty.

Su Yin set a new precedent with these ingredients, considering their relative expense and limited quantity. She was very careful when applying the ingredients, to avoid any wastage.

Little cousin Yang Taohua and little Yanggui were drawn in by the scent. The two little guys were still holding the meat their old father had roasted, but their eyes were fixed on the meat in Su Yin’s hand.

Little Yanggui came close to Su Yin, raised his head, looked at her with a pair of big, wet eyes, and asked in a sweet voice: “Sister, your meat is so delicious. I wonder if it is delicious?”

“Okay, let me give it a try for you, okay?”

Everyone knew what Xiao Yanggui was up to.

Su Yin was amused by his greedy appearance and handed him a skewer, “Be careful of burning your mouth.”

After the little guy got the meat skewers, he couldn’t hear her words and couldn’t wait to stuff it into his mouth. Even if it burned his mouth, he still couldn’t bring himself to spit out the meat, making a shushing sound in his mouth.

Su Yin gave Xiao Taohua a meat skewer.

The first batch of meat skewers wasn’t much, just twenty skewers. Five skewers were given to Su’s mother and five skewers to Su Baozhu. Su Yin kept five skewers for herself and gave the rest to the two greedy little guys.

When her aunt came over, she looked at the two children and felt ashamed.

“You two damn kids, don’t you have barbecue at home, and you go to your aunt’s place to eat and drink?”

Xiao Yanggui retorted with a milky voice, “Mom, sister Yinyin’s barbecue is delicious. Dad’s barbecue is unpalatable.”

Little Taohua nodded.

Her aunt was so angry and amused that she went back and brought a bunch of meat over. The piece of meat weighed at least five or six kilograms.

“Okay, let your sister Yinyin help you bake.”

The two little guys clapped their hands happily.

“If you want to eat, go and do it yourself,” Su Yin said with a smile.

Su Baozhu accepted the task and instructed the two little guys to skewer meat. Her younger aunt also came over to help.

The younger uncle who was left out was so angry that he just threw up his sleeves and came over with the remaining tiger legs.

The two families decided to barbecue together.

Su Yin’s meat was so fragrant that many people came over after catching a whiff of the smell.

Most of them were from families who received tiger meat. They came one by one to observe and learn from the experience, then went home to try roasting it themselves.

The Yang Dashu family, who originally cooked meat porridge, were enticed by the tempting smell of barbecue and the lively atmosphere. They joined in the cooking, leaving the pot of meat porridge ready to be eaten the next day.

Dazhuang’s family intentionally kept a distance from Su Yin and the others, hoping to prevent their son from causing trouble after seeing them enjoying the barbecue.

However, they were still drawn in by the enticing scent and Dazhuang started making a fuss again.

Despite wanting a skewer of barbecue, she refrained from asking this time, not wanting to create unnecessary trouble.

Su Yin’s barbecue skills were highly praised by everyone. They enjoyed their meal under the stars, feeling a sense of camaraderie. Although they lacked wine to make the evening complete, they were content.

After a satisfying meal and setting a fire to ward off wild animals, the night passed without any disturbances, and the anticipated prophetic dream did not occur.

Early the next morning, the camp was bustling with activity as many women were up making breakfast.

Su’s mother had already prepared food by the time Su Yin woke up. They had a simple morning meal of porridge with pickles that had been sent by an aunt.

After breakfast, the team set off once more towards Fushun County. As they reached the official road, they heard the sound of horse hooves behind them.

A team of carriages rushed past, followed by more carriages in a hurry, indicating an unusual situation unfolding before them.