The woman, chest heaving with anger from her words, turned and walked away, muttering, "As if anyone wants to meddle in your family affairs."
Li Liang looked heartachingly at the blackened mess on the ground. Though it wouldn't have tasted good, it could have at least staved off some hunger. Now it was all gone. How were they supposed to get by?
Li Liang's wife was also furious, but after all, it was her own daughter. Looking at the injuries on the girl's legs and feet, she felt a rare, fleeting pang of sadness.
But thinking of the broken clay pot and the ruined dinner, she hardened her heart again. A daughter was indeed born useless; in the future, she would still have to rely on her son.
The village head looked at the ugly expressions of Li Liang's family, disappointment flashing in his eyes. He turned to a man around forty and asked, "Li Jiang, do you have any medicine for burns?"
Li Jiang was the only person in the village who knew a bit of medicine, and he usually kept some common herbs he gathered himself.
"No way!" Before Li Jiang could speak, Li Bao's Grandma objected loudly.
"Our family has no money. If you want to use it on her, it has to be free. We have no money to give, so figure it out yourselves." She glared viciously at Heiya and turned her head away.
She didn't forget to mutter, "What does a little wretched girl need medicine for? A cheap life like hers will heal on its own by tomorrow. If you have that medicine, you might as well exchange it for money and give it to me."
The village head was so angry he didn't know what to say, but looking at Heiya's legs, he couldn't harden his heart. "Li Jiang, get some medicine for Heiya. Whatever the cost, put it on my tab."
Li Jiang nodded. "Alright, but her injuries are too severe. I'm afraid my herbs won't do much."
The village head sighed. "We still have to try. It's better than nothing."
Heiya lowered her head, a tear falling to the ground. Enduring the intense pain, she expressed her gratitude, "Thank you, Grandpa Village Head and Uncle Li."
The village head couldn't help but pat her head. "Good child."
Although Heiya was twelve years old, long-term malnutrition and hard labor made her look like a six or seven-year-old. The village head couldn't help but see her as a small child.
Dong Si watched the farce next door, a look of pity flashing through his eyes, though he didn't say much, earnestly roasting meat for the princess.
The princess had just brought out a lot of medicinal herbs. Who knew how she tinkered with them, but they were all ground into a powder. Sprinkling this powder on the roasted meat made it surprisingly fragrant.
He couldn't help but swallow his saliva; it just smelled too good.
The others were also silently drooling. It was their first time realizing that roasted meat could smell this incredible. Right now, they felt like they could each eat five pounds of it.
It wasn't that they lacked compassion, but there was simply too much suffering of this kind. Though they felt bad in their hearts, their sympathy wouldn't overflow. They were currently fleeing for their lives and could barely protect themselves.
Dong Si handed the first piece of cooked meat to Jiang Jin. "My Lady, please have a taste."
Jiang Jin was also roasting meat herself, but she didn't reject his good intentions. Instead, she took the meat he offered and smiled, "Alright, you roast some for yourself to eat in a bit."
With that, she took a bite. The meat was sliced very thin, fresh, tender, and chewy. The taste was surprisingly good.
However, no matter how delicious horse meat was, eating too much would make one sick of it, and it easily caused internal heat.
So, after eating until she was half full, Jiang Jin stopped eating the meat and instead had a bowl of rice porridge.
After dinner, everyone cleaned up the utensils and started making meat jerky. Under Jiang Jin's direction, the group developed a bit of tacit understanding and worked very quickly.
Firewood had been gathered beforehand, and with the mountain right behind them, collecting more was very easy.
While they were busy over here, the people opposite them were feeling even worse.
Inwardly, they were cursing wildly: What kind of family is this? They just finished eating roasted meat, and now they're making jerky? Are they trying to kill the rest of us with envy?
Zhou Sui cast a sidelong glance at the people opposite them. After a moment of thought, he stood up, drew his sword, and carved a line in the dirt between the two groups, shouting to the other side.
"This is the boundary. We will not interfere with each other. If anyone crosses this line, they will be treated as an enemy, and they will bear the consequences."
The aura forged on the battlefield was not something ordinary people could compare to. Under his sweeping gaze, no one on the opposite side dared to meet his eyes.
A few who had harbored thoughts of sneaking over at night to steal things were chilled to the bone, instantly abandoning the idea. No matter how fragrant the meat was, they needed their lives to eat it.
Making meat jerky took quite a bit of time.
Seeing that they had all gotten the hang of it, Jiang Jin gave a few instructions and returned to the carriage to rest.
The night watch was split into two shifts. She and Xie Nanxiao would take the second half of the night, while Zhou Sui and Chen Xi took the first.
At the end of the Chou hour, which was a little past 2 AM, Jiang Jin got up to change shifts, letting Zhou Sui and Chen Xi go rest.
The jerky was all finished, packed up, and stored in the hidden compartment of her carriage. A faint scent of meat still lingered in the air.
The night passed without incident.
Breakfast the next day was the horse meat specially saved from the night before, stewed until soft and flavorful, paired with light white porridge.
Regardless, Jiang Jin was very satisfied with the meal. It would have been even better if no one had come to disturb them.
As it turned out, Li Bao from the other side was causing a fuss again. Seeing them eating meat, he cried and howled incessantly. Li Bao's Grandma, driven to her wits' end by the noise, discussed it with Li Liang and then dragged Heiya over.
Perhaps Zhou Sui's warning from yesterday still had some effect; they didn't dare cross the line, only standing outside it and speaking up.
"I know you are all good people. Just take pity on my little grandson. I'll buy it from you. Can I buy some meat?"
This time, the one who refused was Jiang Jin: "Not for sale."
Li Bao's Grandma was stunned, not expecting the beautiful young woman to be the one to speak. She turned to look at Zhou Sui; she had always assumed Zhou Sui was the one in charge.
When Zhou Sui didn't even spare her a glance, she somewhat awkwardly turned back to Jiang Jin. "My Lady, I sincerely want to buy some meat from you."
"Look, this is our Heiya. She has great strength. She can chop wood, carry water, and cook. I'll sell her to you in exchange for some meat and grain."
Jiang Jin frowned. She looked at Heiya, seeing her head bowed. Her clothes were so tattered they were almost in strips, revealing the bruised and battered skin underneath and her prominent ribs.
Her pants were so short they didn't even cover her calves, exposing the red, black, and blurry mess of wounds. Some of the burned skin had already begun to get infected, red, swollen, and oozing fluid.
Although Jiang Jin's original world had been invaded by alien races, the material lives of the common people were still passable. After all, crop yields were very high back then, and technology was sufficiently advanced.
For the first time in this moment, she felt a trace of compassion for a child. She asked, "Can you make flatbread and steamed buns?"
Li Bao's Grandma was taken aback, then overjoyed. "Yes, yes! She can make anything. She does all the chores at home."
"Young Lady, if you buy her, I... I just want two bowls of meat and one stone of grain, and... and some salt."
Jiang Jin laughed. This woman was treating her like a naive fool. She said bluntly, "One bowl of meat, plus half a dou of grain."
Li Bao's Grandma furrowed her brows. This price was indeed too low. She was about to argue when Jiang Jin spoke again.
"If I'm not mistaken, she must have a fever. Just look at the wounds on her legs. If I buy her, I might not even be able to keep her alive. Besides, how old is she? No matter how capable she is, how much can she really do?"
In an ancient society lacking medicine and with backward medical care, a fever or a cold could be fatal.
Li Bao's Grandma's heart skipped a beat. It was precisely because Heiya had developed a fever last night, and the wounds on her legs looked increasingly terrifying, that she wanted to sell her for some grain before the girl died.
Although their family still had a little spare money, it had to be saved for her grandson. She couldn't bear to spend it on treating Heiya's illness.
Besides, Li Jiang had applied herbs to Heiya yesterday to no avail; this time, Heiya likely wouldn't survive it.
Li Bao's Grandma stole another glance at Jiang Jin, knowing she wouldn't increase the offer. Gritting her teeth, she agreed, "Fine, we'll do as you say."
It was better than having the girl die on her hands. At least she could exchange her for some grain, so raising her hadn't been a complete waste.
Dong Si had some experience when it came to buying people. Even though the nation had fallen, he still drew up a bill of sale and had Li Liang press his fingerprint on it, just in case Li Liang's family tried to cause trouble later.
Though he wasn't afraid of them causing trouble, it was best to avoid any unnecessary hassle.
Only then did Dong Si take the coarse burlap sack and bowl from Li Bao's Grandma, filling them with a bowl of meat and half a dou of grain.
After Li Bao's Grandma left, everyone's eyes turned in unison to Heiya, who had kept her head bowed the entire time.
As if sensing their gazes, Heiya clenched her hands at her sides but did not step back.
She felt like she was going to die. Her body felt terrible, aching all over. The kind-hearted noble who bought her had made a bad deal—that was so much grain!
And meat, too. She had never eaten meat in her entire life. It smelled so fragrant and delicious, but it was a pity that because of her, the noble would have one less bowl of meat to eat.
She really was a jinx, completely useless. Even in death, she was going to burden this noble.
"Madam Liu, check her injuries and get her a change of clothes." Her wild thoughts were interrupted when Heiya heard the voice of the woman who had bought her.
Then, someone came over, took her hand, and led her across the line.
She couldn't resist looking back one last time, only to see her grandmother holding the bowl and calling out happily, "My precious baby, Grandma bought meat back for you, come and eat!"
Her father carried the sack of grain with a brisk step, never once looking back.
In the distance, her younger brother ran happily toward their grandmother, a bright smile on his face, "Meat, meat, I get to eat meat!"
Her mother followed behind her brother, her face full of affection, "Baby, slow down, don't fall."
Heiya lowered her head, letting Liu Mi lead her away. This time, she did not look back.
