Chapter 31 Protecting and Safeguarding

"Mom, what's wrong?" He Caiwei rushed over, holding her slightly burnt steamed bun.

"Daughter, do you still have the three-ingredient flour steamed buns from before?" He Yuping had seen the three-ingredient flour steamed buns in her daughter's warehouse, and this was the most suitable one to take now.

"Yes, I took it from the kitchen in the Qu family mansion. Mother, that's not very tasty. We have white steamed buns, why do we need to eat that?" He Caiwei thought it was her mother who wanted to eat it.

“It’s not for me to eat. Take a clean cloth, wrap fifty of them up, and I’ll take them to your Uncle Lin.” He Yuping didn’t bother to count how many people were on their side.

The three-ingredient steamed buns were quite large; one bun was enough to fill the mother and daughter up, while these soldiers would probably need two. Fifty buns would only be enough for one meal for them.

"Okay, I understand." He Caiwei nodded, her short legs quickly running towards the mule cart. After swiftly climbing onto the cart, she dragged a large basket out of the cart.

Inside the basket were dozens of cold, mixed-flour steamed buns that she had just taken out of her spatial storage.

She put these steamed buns away after they had cooled down, so they remained exactly as they were when she brought them in—still soft and fluffy after they had just cooled.

You should know that these three-ingredient steamed buns will become rock hard if left out for too long. They're so hard that you could kill someone if you tried to eat them.

He Yuping took the basket from her daughter and went straight to Lin Ping'an.

“Brother Ping’an, I bought some steamed buns from a fellow villager. You’re all out of food, so here are some steamed buns for you to eat first. We’ll buy more food when we get to the city.” He Yuping said as she stuffed the basket into his arms and turned to leave.

Lin Pingan quickly grabbed her wrist and returned the things: "Girl, it's just the two of you, mother and daughter, how much stuff could you possibly have? Take it back quickly. Do you think we, a bunch of grown men, can eat your food? No, no, take it back quickly, don't let Weiwei go hungry."

“Brother, I bought these from a fellow villager’s house before. But when we went to your house, Auntie made us a lot of steamed buns and flatbreads, as well as eggs, so we don’t need these. If we leave them any longer, these buns will get hard, and my daughter and I can’t eat such hard buns. I’m giving them to you so you can help us eat them.” He Yuping said this, just wanting him to accept the things.

You should know that this person has been very stubborn since childhood, and even his parents couldn't change his mind.

"Uncle, please accept this. Grandma Lin misses you so much. Before we left, she kept telling my mother that if she met you outside, she should ask you to come home and visit. My throat is still too sore, so I can't eat these mixed flour buns. Please ask the uncles to help me eat them." He Caiwei knew that these soldiers were very disciplined these days.

The saying "We cannot take even a needle or thread from the common people" seems to be ingrained in our very being.

"Alright, then Uncle will help Weiwei eat these rough steamed buns. When we get to the city, Uncle will buy you braised pork." Lin Ping'an knew that this little sister genuinely wanted to help them, so he didn't refuse and accepted the money. He would treat the girl to a meal at a restaurant when they got to the city to make up for it.

"Great! Trading steamed buns for braised pork is a win for me. Uncle, are you coming with us?" He Caiwei didn't know whether they wanted to come with us or leave first.

If we travel together, with their protection, it will definitely be safer. However, if the supplies are emergency supplies, then it's impossible to travel leisurely with them for several days.

"No, this mission is quite urgent, but I will leave a soldier to protect you. I have already spoken with Grandpa Lin, and he will lead the way for us." Lin Ping'an had already discussed with the old man that he would exchange a soldier for the old man to help lead the way.

After discussing it with his son, the old man agreed that following a soldier was much safer than following an old man like himself.

When He Caiwei heard that they couldn't go together, she was a little disappointed, but she still felt that the urgent mission was more important.

She knew, of course, why her mother didn't want to go with Uncle Lin and the others, so she didn't dwell on it. After their car had gone far away, Uncle Lin drove his mule cart to catch up.

For the rest of the journey, Brother Lin and the young soldier chatted animatedly, while the mother and daughter in the carriage sat quietly, occasionally getting up for a walk when they got tired.

Perhaps because of the deterrent presence of a soldier, the journey to Yuncheng was quite peaceful. No one dared to make a move against them. After all, with an armed soldier around, who would dare to be so bold as to approach? Wouldn't that be courting death?

When they entered the city gate, they encountered the people sent by Lin Ping'an and discovered that the six large trucks had arrived in Yuncheng three days earlier and the mission had been handed over. They were originally waiting for them here to treat them to braised pork, but they had to leave due to an urgent mission and could only send someone here to wait for them and inform them when they arrived.

Grandpa Lin had calculated when they would arrive in Yuncheng. Now that he had rested for a few days, Grandpa Lin wanted to head back immediately. No matter how He Yuping tried to persuade him, she couldn't change the old man's mind. Helpless, she paid the last fare and gave Grandpa Lin and his son some dry food before letting them leave.

"You two don't need to see us off. Tell Brother Ping An that we're leaving now, and that if he has time to come to Pengcheng, he can come to our house for a visit." He Yuping didn't want to stay any longer. Yuncheng wasn't very peaceful right now, and it hadn't been liberated yet, so the city was in a lot of chaos.

The two soldiers didn't say anything. They still had their mission, and they were short-handed. They couldn't spare anyone to escort the mother and daughter. They could only watch helplessly as the mother and daughter walked away, then turned around and continued to do their own work.

After the mother and daughter felt the gaze behind them disappear, they started running as fast as they could, and boarded a bus that led to the outskirts of Yuncheng.

The mother and daughter were dressed in tattered clothes, each carrying a basket on their backs. People on the bus kept their distance from them, which made things easier for them.

Not long after leaving the city gate, the mother and daughter found a secluded place and entered the space. Ever since they met Lin Ping'an and the others, they had not dared to go back into the space to take a bath.

It's quite hot right now, and after not showering for a few days, I'm starting to smell. He Yuping was the first to not stand it, and as soon as she was back in her space, she grabbed her clothes and went to the hot springs for a bath.

She smelled absolutely terrible, almost suffocating herself from the stench.

He Caiwei also wanted to go for a soak, but her legs were too short to reach the bottom of the pool, and she felt a little embarrassed to bathe with her mother, so she could only go back to her room to soak.

It was half an hour later when the mother and daughter met again. He Yuping's skin was slightly red from soaking in the hot spring water. She was drying her hair contentedly while thinking about what to eat later.