Seeing a faint hint of hesitation on the chief's face, the cold - faced Hu man who had spoken earlier said in a sarcastic tone, "Back then, the second brother lost the village's children and clearly said he would imprison himself for life. Now, he has broken his promise and come out without any explanation. What's going on?"
He paused slightly, sized up A Man from head to toe, then raised his eyelids and asked slowly and indifferently, "In our Xikang Hu tribe, as soon as a baby is born, there will be a totem printed on the back of its neck. This girl doesn't have the tribal pattern on her body. Clearly, she's an imposter!"
Hearing this, Li Ying's mind stirred.
On the day she rescued A Man from the human traffickers, A Man was extremely thin and covered in wounds. Her neck was even rubbed raw and bloody by the rough hemp rope.
It was Li Ying who asked Du Zhong for some excellent wound - healing medicine and applied it to A Man every day. Only after a long time did the scar fade a little.
A Man once told her that there used to be a family crest of her tribe on the back of her neck. Now that the mark was gone, it seemed even more hopeless for her to return home.
If what this Hu man said was true, then A Man had actually accidentally returned to her hometown.
"I used to have a totem! It was rubbed off when I got injured in the hands of the human traffickers!" A Man said firmly. But the Hu man sneered and said, "Who knows if it was really rubbed off or just a pretense to deceive others?"
"Maybe the second brother saw that the chief is getting older and has no successor, so he deliberately found a girl to impersonate, actually... just wanting to raise a puppet for himself!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the group of Hu people present began to whisper to each other. Some even secretly speculated whether the horse bandits who had kidnapped the village's children back then and Li Ying's group of Han people were actually in the same league.
A Man just wanted to find her relatives, but she was unjustly slandered. She was really indignant and blushed as she shouted, "You're spitting blood!"
But Li Ying was calm. She just smiled slightly, stopped A Man, and said gently, "This senior is wrong."
"If we were really villains plotting for the chief's position, why didn't we show up earlier? Why would we waste so much time?"
Her words left the Hu man speechless. But he was not willing to give up just like that. He stubbornly insisted, "Who knows what you're scheming? If you really want us to be convinced and recognize this girl of unknown origin, you have to show some evidence!"
Li Ying looked at A Man and asked softly, "A Man, do you still remember any other childhood trivia?"
A Man frowned tightly and thought hard. After a long time, she finally shook her head helplessly.
"Sister, I can't remember..."
Hearing this, the Hu man became even more energetic and shouted persistently, "Humph, you don't remember? I think you just don't know!"
He said arrogantly, "Come on, arrest these thieves and interrogate them properly!"
Before the group of Hu people could rush forward, Lu Xunguang flashed in front of Li Ying.
"As a vassal state, Xikang should also follow the laws of our dynasty. How dare you set up a private torture chamber without distinguishing right from wrong?"
The Hu guide also knelt in front of the chief and said, "Brother, the third brother and I have never gotten along. It's a small matter if he tries to punish me on some pretext. But if it really delays little A Man from recognizing her ancestors and returning to her clan, it's a big deal! Please think twice, brother!"
Both sides stuck to their own opinions and were at a stalemate. The chief pondered for a moment and finally made up his mind. He temporarily imprisoned the group in the felt tent and said that they would discuss the matter after finding out the truth.
Even after entering the felt tent, A Man still had a pouty face, looking as if she was an angry little puffer fish.
"Sister! These Xikang Hu people are so unreasonable! Let's stop arguing with them! Let's find out where the spiritual spring for making glue is and then leave!"
Li Ying couldn't help laughing. She gently patted A Man's face and said softly, "A Man, don't say such angry words. They are your family. Once bitten by a snake, one is afraid of the well - rope for ten years. It's reasonable for them to be cautious."
After A Man calmed down a bit, she asked, "Think carefully again. Are you really sure you don't have any childhood memories?"
A Man wracked her brains. After a long time, she finally replied with a bitter face, "Sister... Since I was abducted to the Central Plains, I either had to defend myself against the harassment of the master's family or was beaten and scolded by the human traffickers. I was always on tenterhooks and only thought about running away... How could I remember the good days of playing when I was a child..."
Li Ying felt a bit heart - ache. This girl usually looked carefree and rarely mentioned the hardships she had suffered before. She didn't know that she had endured so much.
Li Ying and Granny Sun showed looks of pity. Little Mianmian even raised her chubby face and gave A Man a big kiss on the face. Even Mao Mao obediently jumped onto A Man's lap and let her stroke its fur.
"Sister! I remember! When the human traffickers didn't give me food, what I missed the most was the buns steamed by my mother!"
According to A Man's description, these buns were sweet. The filling was made of ham traded with the Han people in the Central Plains. The bun skin was soft and fluffy, with layers upon layers, looking like a multi - layered pastry. Although they were not very delicate in appearance, the taste was a perfect combination of sweet and salty, making them unforgettable after just one try.
After hearing her description, Li Ying already had some guesses in her mind. Confidently, she pulled A Man to the kitchen, washed their hands, and began to prepare.
She took a piece of old fermented dough stored in the space and kneaded it into the flour. Adding a little sugar could make the dough rise more softly.
Then she prepared a piece of oil - pastry dough made of pork, wrapped it into the outer dough, rolled it into a long tongue - shaped strip, and then loosely rolled it up, just like making flaky pastries.
For the filling, she took a piece of boiled streaky pork, carefully diced it, and then mixed in some small pieces of steamed ham. She poured in some sesame oil and brown sugar, making the filling well - separated, oily, and fragrant.
When the bun skin had risen until it was as soft and fluffy as an earlobe, she wrapped in the sugar - ham filling and a little scallion. She simply gathered the opening without caring whether the pleats were delicate or not, and then put the buns into the steamer.
The steamed sugar - ham flaky buns all had "smiling openings", and one could easily see the maroon - colored filling at a glance. When one broke open a bun, the bun skin was in layers, soft and delicious. When chewing carefully, there was still a faint sweet wheat aroma.
A Man stared at Li Ying in disbelief. After taking just one bite of the flaky bun, tears welled up in her eyes uncontrollably.
"Sister... How... How do you know how to make my mother's buns!"
Li Ying smiled slightly. The stone hanging in her heart finally dropped.
She had just made a guess based on her experience, but by sheer luck, she had guessed right.
"Good A Man, quickly take the remaining buns to the chief. Since this is your mother's unique recipe, it will surely prove your identity."
The aroma of the sugar - ham flaky buns had already spread out. Li Ying thought that it wouldn't be long before the tribal chief got the news. She put the remaining buns into a food box and gave it to A Man, then immediately sent her out.