CHAPTER 228: CHAPTER 228: NOT LOST

Yu Xiaolian bought mostly ready-to-wear clothing made of coarse linen, which is both durable and cheap.

But even the cheapest ready-to-wear clothing, Yu Xiaolian noticed that some people didn’t want to wear them. Instead, they carefully stored them away.

Yu Xiaolian stood in the dilapidated temple, clapped her hands, and loudly said, "Everyone put on your clothes well; it’s cold at night. We don’t have many blankets, and if you don’t wear clothes, catching a cold would be terrible.

Right now, if you catch a cold, there’s no going to the doctor! Is your health more important or your clothes?"

Sun Dalin said, "My dear niece, we are sturdy enough, no need to worry about us.

As for you, can you manage to sleep in this broken temple? Don’t let yourself freeze. I think you and the Scholar should go stay at an inn, and return tomorrow morning."

"Yes, the Scholar has traveled with us, eating wind and sleeping rough, suffered hardship. If it weren’t for us, he would have ridden his horse away long ago and wouldn’t have suffered this fate," Sun Daji’s wife said.

When they first saw the Scholar, despite falling from a galloping horse, it was a splendid sight, absolutely unlike now, worn out like a ragged flower beggar.

Yu Xiaolian had long noticed that Su Jingchen’s crescent-white clothes were already dirty and had asked him why he didn’t change them.

Su Jingchen replied to Yu Xiaolian confidently, saying he was fleeing from famine, not on a picnic, worrying about food and shelter every day, how could he worry about his appearance?

Yu Xiaolian asked Su Jingchen, "Do you want to find an inn to freshen up and change your clothes?"

Su Jingchen nodded; it was indeed time to freshen up.

Beyond Weicheng should be relatively safer, with fewer refugees. Moreover, they have a carriage to help women and children, making travel faster.

Carrying his bundle, Su Jingchen said, "I’m going to the inn."

Yu Xiaolian asked Su Jingchen, "Are you coming back tonight?"

Su Jingchen didn’t pause as he walked out, "I’ll be back!"

After Su Jingchen left, Yu Xiaolian started a fire with charcoal and cooked a big pot full of eggs using an iron pot.

Old Sun watched distressed, smacking his lips, but his words were pointless as Yu Xiaolian ignored him.

Women and children sat around the iron pot, the women warming themselves by the fire, while the children waited to eat eggs.

The Sun Family brought an iron pot that’s not large enough, it can only cook over forty eggs at a time, and once they’re done, Yu Xiaolian invites everyone to eat eggs, "Everyone gets one, everyone has a share. Those who didn’t get one, wait for the next pot."

Yu Xiaolian handed an egg each to Old Sun, Fourth Uncle Sun, and Fourth Aunt Sun, but the elderly shook their heads not willing to accept them, "We’re old bones, eating enough to not starve is fine, eggs are good for the children."

Fourth Aunt Sun held the hot egg and felt her body warming up considerably. Seeing Yu Xiaolian put more raw eggs into the pot, she hurriedly said, "Child, don’t cook another pot, we won’t eat. Let these children each have one, the rest save for the journey tomorrow."

Yu Xiaolian laughed, "Raw eggs are hard to carry on the road, better to cook them all. Anyone hungry tomorrow can have one."

After Yu Xiaolian finished placing the second pot of eggs, noticing more than half of the first pot remained uneaten — besides the teenagers, the slightly older ones didn’t eat.

They said they were content having white bread buns today and insisted they wouldn’t eat the eggs.

Yu Xiaolian tried persuading them many times, yet they still wouldn’t eat. She decided not to manage others, but she had to manage Sun Mantao’s wife.

Yu Xiaolian took two eggs, peeled the shells herself, and watched Sun Mantao’s wife eat.

Yes, forcefully, the type where not eating wasn’t an option.

Sun Mantao’s wife glanced at her mother-in-law, then at her grand-mother-in-law, noticing they all urged her to eat, she hesitantly ate the two eggs in small bites.

She ended up crying while finishing the last.

Back at her natal family, her parents favored sons over daughters and didn’t like her.

Eggs were a luxury she had only seen, never eaten. After marrying into the Sun family, she only had them when first nursing her baby, just enough for the milk, three times at best.

Her mother-in-law would cook the eggs in brown sugar water, two at a time.

Of course, this was because she bore a son; the third wife’s, having two daughters, didn’t get a single egg.

At that time, she thought brown sugar eggs were sweet, tasted great, and she feels the same about these eggs now, moved that a stranger cared for her, remembered her, was kind to her.

Sun Mantao’s wife cried because of this, but Yu Xiaolian didn’t know. She thought she forced her to cry as she insisted she eat.

Could she be the only one eating? Would the other sisters-in-law hold it against her for not having any?

Or would her mother-in-law, Sun Dalin’s wife, discreetly give her trouble?

The more Yu Xiaolian thought, the further her mind wandered, increasingly complicated, she simply forced these women, young wives, to all eat.

It’s okay if men don’t eat, but each woman and child gets one.

Listen up, okay?

If you don’t listen, tomorrow I’ll throw all the disobedient ones into Weicheng!

Just like that, every woman got an egg, some ate it themselves, some gave it to their children, others held it warmly in their palms, saying they’d warm up first and eat them cold.

With the eggs boiling above, Yu Xiaolian placed potatoes and sweet potatoes in the charcoal fire below.

She didn’t eat eggs, she didn’t like eggs, she preferred roasted sweet potatoes.

The sweet potatoes from her family supermarket were creamy sweet potatoes, especially mushy, particularly sweet. While traveling to Luocheng, they often roasted sweet potatoes in the wild.

Boiling eggs didn’t emit much aroma, but roasting sweet potatoes was different.

The dilapidated temple was filled with the aroma of roasting sweet potatoes; the scent wafted into everyone’s noses.

Sun Manzhi squatted in front of Yu Xiaolian, staring at the charcoal fire roasting sweet potatoes and asking Yu Xiaolian about his dear brother Xiaohuzi, "Little... Brother Yu, does Xiaohuzi miss me? What’s he doing every day? Has he found new friends and forgotten me?"

Yu Xiaolian, seeing Sun Manzhi, suddenly remembered about Sun Manjiao. She used tree branches to fan the charcoal fire and grabbed two eggs heading to the temple corner to find Sun Erji’s wife.

Sun Erji was conscripted by the Prince Jin’s army, and the eldest daughter, Manjiao, lost. Sun Erji’s wife seemed despondent, like a walking corpse. If it weren’t for her son Sun Manzhi needing care, Sun Erji’s wife might have given up on life.

"Second Auntie, you see me being busy all day, I have something I forgot to tell you."

Sun Erji’s wife, disinterested, hugged her knees and said, "Oh, what is it?"

"Is Manjiao lost?"

As Sun Erji’s wife mentioned Sun Manjiao, her voice trembled, "Yes, you heard them say?"

"Not lost, Manjiao isn’t lost!"