Stockpiling for an Exiled General Through My Store's Back Door

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Instantly Grasping the Main Point

After their lunch break, Ling Qianjun and his group continued their forced march through the afternoon. They pushed forward relentlessly, aiming to reach the next village early so they could rest. The government officers had run out of rations and needed to resupply. All day long, they had been pushing empty carts and hadn’t distributed any food to the exiles. The crowd had no choice but to go hungry, or try to catch fish from the river during their break. Those who couldn’t catch anything ventured into the nearby woods to forage for wild fruit or hunt small game.

Ling Qianjun was quite lucky. The moment he stepped out of the supermarket, he spotted a pheasant flapping its wings. He chased after it without a second thought. As it turned out, this pheasant was out on a rendezvous with another. Just like that, he caught both of them in one fell swoop.

(The pheasants: ”We did not ask to be born on the same day, but we ask only to die on the same day.”)

During the lunch break, they roasted one of the pheasants. They gave half to the government officers as a gesture of goodwill, and the four of them shared the remaining half. In return, the government officers even shared a little salt for them to rub on the meat. They planned to roast the remaining pheasant that evening and bring it to Hua Buwan. The Ling family members were all deeply grateful for the fire extinguishers the Demon had given them. Naturally, Ling Qianjun had no objections to this plan.

Later that evening, they arrived at a large village. The government officers moved into the village chief’s home, while the exiles were left to rest on an empty patch of land near the mountain, far from any residents. None of the villagers were willing to let these exiled criminals stay in their homes. Besides, there were so many of them that the village didn’t have enough spare room anyway. However, since they had reached a settlement, they were finally able to drink hot water and eat warm steamed cornbread.

Once Ling Qianjun finished roasting the second pheasant, he hurried over to deliver it to Hua Buwan. It would taste best while it was still hot.

To his surprise, the moment he walked in, he heard Hua Buwan’s stomach growling loudly. He stepped forward, lifted the branch acting as a skewer, and offered the roasted meat to her. ”Here.”

”Huh? For me?” Hua Buwan set down her bag. ”Have you guys eaten?” Faced with such a large wild pheasant, she didn’t know where to start.

”Yes, we ate,” Ling Qianjun replied.

He watched as Hua Buwan quickly hurried to the side, pulled out a large disposable plate, and placed it on the front counter. Getting the hint, Ling Qianjun placed the roasted bird on the plate.

”I can’t finish something this big all by myself. Why don’t you sit down and eat with me?” Hua Buwan said excitedly. It was her first time tasting an ancient wild pheasant, and she was eager to see how it tasted.

Ling Qianjun nodded, took the initiative to grab a red plastic stool nearby, and sat down.

Hua Buwan had just fetched some disposable gloves when she noticed something seemed off about Ling Qianjun. Why did he look like he was in such a bad mood? Was he just physically and mentally exhausted from the fire at the inn? With that in mind, she figured she should talk about something novel to distract him and cheer him up. Today’s auction was a great topic to share.

”Qianjun, guess where I went today!” Hua Buwan said with a grin, completely oblivious to the way his eyes dimmed once again.

”I don’t know,” Ling Qianjun murmured, lowering his head and pressing his lips together as he stared at the roast chicken.

In reality, he was constantly reflecting inwardly, repeatedly lecturing himself, ”What am I thinking? I still have the Ling family to take care of. I need to restore the Ling family’s honor and overturn our case! I have to find the people who framed the Ling family and gather the evidence! I must survive and reach Lingnan! I cannot afford to get distracted by such things! Besides, she is someone from a thousand years in the future! A thousand years from now, I will have long since turned to dust.”

As Hua Buwan put on the gloves, she smiled and said, ”I went to an auction with Grandma Wen. Do you know how shocked those people looked when they saw the items you gave me? They all absolutely love Dongxuan Country antiques. Dongxuan Country...”

”Grandma Wen?” Ling Qianjun immediately caught the key detail. He suddenly looked up, his eyes bright and intense as he stared at Hua Buwan.