Cute Wife Gourmet

Chapter 29 Panic

It has been three days since Peng Wu went down the mountain, and no news has been sent back. Instead, the bodies of his brothers are being carried up from Panlong Ridge from time to time. They are all members of the team that disappeared a few days ago. The atmosphere on the mountain is becoming more and more solemn.

Ye Jiayao went to pick wild vegetables. Standing on a high place and looking into the distance, she found that there were many more sentries than before.

"Aunt Jiang, do you think the soldiers will attack from the water?" Ye Jiayao asked, pointing to the endless Yanxia Lake at the foot of the mountain.

She had studied the map she had traced from the small piece of paper under the pen holder, and had made observations on the mountain in the past few days. She had a general understanding of the terrain and the establishment of the sentry post at Black Wind Hill. However, she was a little confused. Why did the soldiers have to attack from Panlong Ridge instead of Yanxia Lake? Wouldn't it be possible to capture Black Wind Hill in one fell swoop if the warships came in in a mighty force?

Aunt Jiang smiled and said, "Didn't you see that there is a cliff facing the lake? There is only a small path leading to Yanxia Lake, which is heavily guarded. The soldiers came from the lake to encircle and suppress the rebellion two years ago, but they returned empty-handed. I don't know how many soldiers died at the bottom of the lake and became food for the fish and shrimp."

Ye Jiayao felt a chill. The fish and shrimp in Yanxia Lake were so fat. Could it be that they gained weight by eating too much dead human flesh?

Ye Jiayao had never been to the lake before. Standing on the mountain and looking, she couldn't see the specific terrain of the lake. It turned out to be a cliff. No wonder Heifenggang was so fearless.

"Besides, there are sentries along the way. As soon as the officers' and soldiers' ships approach, we will be able to spot them immediately and be prepared to fight them." Aunt Jiang said.

"Well, what if they come over to attack?"

Aunt Jiang was stunned. "It should be possible with a few people, but it may not work with more people. The problem is, what's the point of a small number of people attacking? Unless every one of them is as skilled as the Third Master, who can fight a hundred with one."

Ha! Is Chunyu that powerful? Can he fight a hundred with one?

Ye Jiayao looked at the sparkling lake and thought, it's not easy to get in, but how about escaping? According to her swimming ability, she should be able to dive out silently with a reed in her mouth. However, she didn't know how big the lake was. Her current body was obviously not as strong as in her previous life. She might run out of energy and drown in the middle of swimming.

After picking wild vegetables, Ye Jiayao cut some grass and brought it back. Dabao and Erbao became more and more hungry.

When going down the mountain, Ye Jiayao heard a hurried horn sound, and then saw many people running towards the Juyi Hall.

"What happened?" Ye Jiayao was confused.

Aunt Jiang's face changed drastically: "This is a signal that the enemy is coming."

"Ah? They started attacking the mountain stronghold?" Ye Jiayao also became nervous. Doesn't that mean Chunyu will have to fight?
Ye Jiayao hurried home. She had to prepare some dry food for Chunyu and Song Qi. If a fight broke out, they would have no time to come back for food.

While kneading the flour, Song Qi came running back.

"Sister-in-law, the Third Master has taken people to Panlong Ridge."

"Have the soldiers started the attack?" Ye Jiayao asked fearfully.

Song Qi nodded: "They have already set up camp at the foot of the mountain. The sentries ahead can see their camp. It is a huge area with tens of thousands of people at least."

"Then... won't everything be alright if we put down the Dragon Breaking Stone?"

"It may not work this time. I heard from the people who went down the mountain to get information that the government brought in artillery this time."

Uh...what's the point of fighting? A few shells will kill them all.

"Aren't the people who went down the mountain to find out the news Peng Wu and his friends? Is Peng Wu back?" Ye Jiayao suddenly thought of this question.

Song Qi seemed to find it difficult to speak and hesitated to talk.

Ye Jiayao's heart sank. Could something have happened to Peng Wu as well?
"Just tell me!" Ye Jiayao urged.

Song Qi gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and said angrily: "Don't mention it, it turns out that Peng Wu is the spy."

Ye Jiayao was shocked: "No, it's impossible! How could he be a spy? Isn't he one of the first elders of the village? The boss trusts him so much."

"You can't judge a person by his appearance. Who would have thought that? But this is the fact. Those who escaped back said that they saw him being invited by a high-ranking official of the court, and that he was invited politely."

Ye Jiayao was speechless. It turned out that there really was a spy in their small courtyard.

"Then... the boss doesn't suspect the third in command, right?" The first thing Ye Jiayao thought of was Chunyu's safety.

Song Qi shook his head and said, "That's not the case. Peng Wu was originally someone close to the big boss. The big boss sent him to the third in command. Moreover, it was the big boss who sent him down the mountain this time. What does it have to do with the third in command? It's at most a crime of negligence. However, now is the time when the mountain stronghold is in danger and we need people. The big boss will not hold the third in command responsible." Ye Jiayao stroked his chest and breathed a sigh of relief. That's good.

"By the way, the boss asked me to come back to get something. I'm leaving soon and may not be back for two days." Song Qi said and went to the main room.

Ye Jiayao thought about it, took out all the remaining buns in the pot, stuffed them with pickles, and just as she finished packing them, Song Qi came back and said, "Sister-in-law, the Third Master asked you not to go out these few days and stay at home as much as possible. Don't worry, he won't abandon you."

Ye Jiayao was in mixed feelings. She was touched that Chunyu still remembered his promise at this time.

He stuffed the bag into Song Qi's hand and said, "Take these dry food with you and eat them. If you have time tomorrow, come back and I'll make some for you."

Song Qi nodded and said, "Then I'll go, take care, sister-in-law."

Ye Jiayao said anxiously: "You should also pay attention to safety..."

Song Qi left. Ye Jiayao stood there blankly. Suddenly, her heart felt panicked and empty. She didn't expect this day to come so soon. She had been in the mountain for less than a month, but she had already developed a special feeling for this place. Chunyu, who was sometimes domineering and sometimes gentle, Song Qi, the obedient and bullied little follower, Peng Wu, who was not talkative but very careful, and Aunt Jiang, who was carefree and warm-hearted... If they died, she would be very sad.

Dabao and Erbao jumped to her feet. Ye Jiayao squatted down, picked up Dabao, rubbed Erbao, and said sadly: "Your rabbit father went to the war. Although he is sometimes fierce and unreasonable, he is also good to me sometimes. I don't want him to get into trouble. Can you pray for him with me?"

Xia Chunyu stood at the commanding height of Panlong Ridge and looked down the mountain. There were flags everywhere. Helian Xuan must have come in person. Seeing Song Qi's dagger, Helian Xuan began to surround the mountain as promised. The boss and Peng Wu would never have thought that he would pass on the message in this way. Then he would cooperate with him to perform a play to entertain Peng Wu, so that the people in the village would mistakenly believe that Peng Wu was the spy.

Although Peng Wu obeyed his orders, he always understood that the only person Peng Wu was truly loyal to was the boss. If he didn't get rid of Peng Wu, his actions would be greatly restricted.

Next, Helian Xuan will send envoys to persuade them to surrender. At that time, he will find an opportunity to send the map out. As long as he cuts off the retreat of the boss Bai Chongye, he can attack boldly.

"Third Master, this is what my sister-in-law asked me to bring to you." Song Qi came up and handed a package to Xia Chunyu. When Xia Chunyu took it, there was a piece of paper in his palm.

Xia Chunyu held the piece of paper and asked expressionlessly, "Did you pass on my words to her?"

"I've already told you, sister-in-law, please be careful." Song Qi said.

Xia Chunyu opened the bundle, inside were eight steamed buns stuffed with pickles. A different kind of emotion was rippling in Xia Chunyu's deep eyes.

These past few days, he always saw her drinking porridge and never eating anything else. Every time he asked her, she said there were still some in the pot. When he went out today, he specifically lifted the lid of the pot to see that there were only eight left in total. Together with the four that he and Song Qi had eaten in the morning, there were twelve in total. This meant that she had been living on porridge these days, leaving the steamed buns and eggs for them.

If she was really sent by the boss, I'm afraid she can't do this!

Ye Jinxuan... Xia Chunyu silently repeated this name in his heart, as if a warm current was flowing through his heart, softly and warmly.

Ye Jiayao was bored and couldn't help thinking about all sorts of things when she had free time. The more she thought, the more anxious she became, so she decided to find something to do.

She first cleaned the yard inside and out, took out the sheets and quilts to dry, and then climbed up and down to wipe the furniture. When she was wiping the study, she found that the pen holder on the desk had been moved.

She had observed that the things in Chunyu's study were always placed in fixed positions without any deviation, so... was it Song Qi who moved the pen holder? Song Qi said that Chunyu asked him to come back to get something, could it be this?
Ye Jiayao picked up the pen holder, pressed on the dragon's eyes, unscrewed the base, and sure enough, the small piece of paper was gone.

Maybe there was going to be a war and this picture was needed, so Chunyu specially asked Song Qi to come back to get it. Ye Jiayao didn't care much and put the base back.

After the house was clean inside and out, Ye Jiayao started cooking again. Although Chunyu and Song Qi were not coming back for dinner, she still had to deliver food to the second in command.

Thinking of delivering food, she couldn't help but think of Peng Wu. How did he become a spy? He was indeed very well hidden. Would he lead troops to attack the mountain stronghold? If he came in person, maybe he would let her go because she had made so many delicious meals for him.

Forget it, these are all later stories. I heard from Aunt Jiang that this is not the first or second time that the imperial court has sent troops to encircle and suppress the mountain stronghold. Each time was quite dangerous, but in the end it was safe. Maybe this time we can survive the crisis as well.

Ye Jiayao made a bowl of shredded pork noodles for the second in command. The noodles were hand-rolled and cooked until they were 70% done. They were immediately taken out of the pot and rinsed with cold water. The noodles would become more flexible and chewy due to heat expansion and cold contraction. The soup was made separately. The pork belly was sautéed, and then green vegetables, shiitake mushrooms and tomatoes were added and stir-fried. Boiling water was poured in, and a handful of pickles were added to enhance the flavor. Finally, the cold noodles were put in and rolled once before being served. Sprinkled with some chopped green onions, the aroma was fragrant.

Ye Jiayao carried the food box to the second in command's place and entered the yard. A big black dog was lying in the corner basking in the sun. When it saw someone coming in, it pricked up its ears alertly, and when it saw it was Ye Jiayao, it lazily drooped its ears again and continued to bask in the sun.

Originally, there were people guarding outside the second in command's house, but today there was no one. Presumably, everyone had gone to defend the safety of the mountain village. Ye Jiayao was about to push the door open when she heard the voice of the first in command from inside.

"Let the third brother stay here and I'll send someone to escort you out first..."

(End of this chapter)