Chapter 87 – The Dinner Dilemma Resolved

Chapter 87 - The Dinner Dilemma Resolved

As the temperature within the cave rose, the women gathered around the fire to dry their clothes.

Unfortunately, with clothes on their bodies, they wouldn't dry easily.

Seeing this, Mo Jiuye decided to temporarily step out for respite.

He Zhiran, noticing his departure, hurriedly approached him and handed him two small packets of charcoal.

"Take these with you and share some with Brother Peng and the others."

Mo Jiuye gazed at the two small packets of charcoal, reluctant to part with them.

He had carried the charcoal up the mountain himself, and he knew precisely how much was left. Even without giving any away, it likely wouldn't last long.

There wasn't enough for his own family, let alone to share with others.

He Zhiran perceived Mo Jiuye's dilemma.

"Rest assured, I still have some stored away."

The memory of the vast disappearance of items in the national treasury filled Mo Jiuye with confidence once more.

"Alright, I'll deliver them right away."

After Mo Jiuye left, He Zhiran volunteered to stand guard at the entrance of the cave, allowing the women to remove their wet clothes and hasten the drying process by the fire.

Gradually, the sky darkened, but the heavy rain showed no sign of ceasing.

Fortunately, their location was elevated, and the rainwater flowed down the slope without any pooling.

Peng Wang sat by the charcoal fire, unable to help but admire Mo Jiuye and his wife.

"Brother, it's clear that you and your wife possess foresight. By now, the area downhill must be flooded."

Mo Jiuye seemed somewhat worried.

"It appears that the Village Officer didn't take your advice to heart."

Peng Wang also sighed.

"I've said what I needed to. Village Officer Liu is stubborn; he probably thinks I'm exaggerating the danger."

Mo Jiuye shook his head helplessly, at a loss for what else to do.

Seeing the two chatting, Zhang Qing joined in the conversation, eager to be part of it.

"Boss, while we might escape the flood, we can't stay on this mountain for long. A day or two might be fine, but eventually, we'll starve to death, right?"

Peng Wang had indeed considered this. Initially, he thought they would only need to hide on the mountain for one night and leave early the next morning. But with the relentless downpour, he was now uncertain.

Just then, Mo Jiuye suddenly stood up and strode towards the cave entrance.

Mo Jiuye's action was not hard to interpret; something must have happened.

The two men instinctively followed him to the entrance.

"Brother, what's the matter?"

Mo Jiuye signaled Peng Wang to be quiet with a hand gesture and then whispered, "Brother Peng, lend me your waist knife. I think I heard the sound of a wild boar."

At the mention of a wild boar, Peng Wang felt an inexplicable excitement.

If it were just a few officials like them, he might have been nervous. But standing before him was the former youngest War God of Daxun Dynasty, which immediately put his mind at ease.

Peng Wang took Zhang Qing's waist knife and handed it to Mo Jiuye. "Brother, be careful."

Seeing that Mo Jiuye had already left the cave, Peng Wang also raised his knife and followed.

"Brother, I'll help you."

At the same time, He Zhiran also heard the commotion outside.

A smile appeared on her face as she thought to herself, Dinner problem solved.

Just as she stepped out of the cave, she saw Mo Jiuye dash forward into the grass, followed by Peng Wang who was sprinting wildly but still unable to catch up with Mo Jiuye's pace.

Aware that Mo Jiuye had taken action, He Zhiran decided to return to the cave entrance.

The rain was too heavy; if not for Mo Jiuye's keen sense of danger, he might not have detected the boar's presence so promptly.

Distantly, they heard the boar's roar, which was soon drowned out by the downpour.

In no time, Mo Jiuye and Peng Wang reappeared, dragging a dark, muddy wild boar with them.

Peng Wang promptly called over several young men from the other three families, instructing them to clean the boar thoroughly.

Only then did everyone notice that Mo Jiuye had actually managed to hunt a boar in the rain.

Now, they wouldn't have to go hungry tonight.

At the same time, they deeply understood Peng Wang's rationale for bringing them up the mountain. With the heavy rain pouring for so long, it was likely that the lower regions were already submerged.

In that moment, they all felt a sense of relief. Though they had lost many possessions, their lives were secure.

Assuming that the women's clothes had been dried by now, Mo Jiuye returned to the cave where his family members were.

Upon hearing that they would have wild boar meat to eat, the smiles on everyone's faces were impossible to hide.

He Zhiran was more meticulous. Seeing Mo Jiuye's clothes drenched once again, he pulled him to sit in front of the charcoal fire and encouraged him to warm himself thoroughly.

At the same time, Mo Jiuye noticed that the pile of charcoal in the corner seemed to have increased slightly.

He gave He Zhiran a deep look, but the curiosity in his eyes was much less than before.

Perhaps he had grown accustomed to these strange occurrences and was becoming desensitized to them...

He Zhiran held up the tent as he went out to collect some branches.

There was no other option; all the cooking tools were left at Village Officer Liu's house, so they could only roast the wild boar meat.

Regardless, as long as everyone's bellies were filled, that was what mattered.

The officials were not idle either. Eager to enjoy the boar meat sooner, they each took out their daggers or sabers and, following He Zhiran's instructions, cut the meat into even pieces.

The womenfolk were responsible for skewering all the wild boar meat.

With so many people to feed, He Zhiran would likely be overwhelmed alone. Thus, all three caves' fires were put to use for self-sufficiency.

The officials and the other three families lacked seasonings, leaving them with bland wild boar meat. However, the Mo family was different.

In He Zhiran's pockets, one could find anything...

There was salt, as well as a small bottle of vegetable oil.

Not only that, but He Zhiran would also secretly sprinkle on some mild spices while roasting the meat.

It had to be said that this dinner was incredibly delectable for the Mo family.

The He family had, in fact, benefited from the heavy rain that day, enjoying equal treatment with everyone else for the first time.

The officials, not wanting to see them starve without their blackened steamed buns, especially considering the abundance of wild boar meat that was more than enough to feed the crowd, turned a blind eye and allowed them to partake.

Just as everyone had finished their meal and prepared to rest, they faintly heard commotion, accompanied by the sobs of women and children.

He Zhiran exchanged a glance with Mo Jiuye.

"Likely, it's the villagers," Mo Jiuye stated confidently.

"Mm, I suppose the situation down in the village is more severe than we thought," He Zhiran ventured, voicing her speculation.

The sobs and footsteps grew closer.

Taking advantage of the distraction, He Zhiran discreetly bought an antique-style wooden torch from Taobao and lit it, passing it to Mo Jiuye.

With the torch in hand, Mo Jiuye approached the entrance of the cave.

By the faint flame, they could discern a group of people approaching from the mountain path, heading straight for them.

Upon realizing that Mo Jiuye had also heard the commotion outside, Peng Wang hurried over.

"Brother, the village must have been flooded by now."

"Fortunately, they've taken refuge in the mountains. The casualties shouldn't be too severe," Mo Jiuye replied solemnly.