Everyone was nearly beside themselves with joy, clutching their ducks.
The children, led by Si Yunche, were especially ecstatic; seven or eight of them grabbed onto a single duck and raced back like madmen to hand them over to the adults. The village elders beamed from ear to ear at the sight of the ducks, but instead of slaughtering all of them at once, they kept five and stewed them with wild herbs.
That evening, smiles lit up everyone's faces. Si Jiuyue caught the cheerful mood and felt the corners of her mouth curve upward. That night, they lay on the grass, using bedding to rig up a simple shelter and their bundles as pillows.
Chapter 156