The sounds of wood being split and chicken feed being chopped in the kitchen were enough to mask the whispering between the two. Lin Shu wasn’t worried that their conversation would be overheard.
Lin Xiaopu glanced at Lin Shu from time to time, her little face flushed. Hearing her sister’s question, she nodded and explained, “Grandpa Village Chief wouldn’t allow the famine refugees from outside to enter the village; he was afraid they would get desperate from hunger and steal our grain. That group of refugees had to keep moving to go beg the County Magistrate for food, but some of them couldn’t hold on much longer. In the end, Brother Ah Ye stayed behind and asked Father to exchange a bag of coarse rice to give to those escaping the famine.”
Lin Shu tried to use the original owner’s brain to recall anything, but she couldn’t find any memories related to such a disaster. Her mind was filled with romance and drama, with no room for these major matters of livelihood.
Although it was currently a time of peace, natural and man-made disasters were unavoidable. It was only normal for a disaster to occur somewhere.
“What kind of natural disaster happened over there? Didn’t the imperial court send anyone for relief?” Lin Shu asked.
After this conversation, Lin Shu had discovered that Lin Xiaopu wasn’t a child who knew nothing; on the contrary, she was very clever and spoke with clear logic.
Lin Xiaopu replied, “Brother Ah Ye said it was a locust plague.”
Lin Shu understood. It was no wonder. Other natural disasters weren’t as hard to endure; even if it took half a year for the court to get the news and send relief, the people could survive by eating tree bark and wild grass until then. But when locusts cross the land, not a single blade of grass remains—there isn’t even wild grass or bark to eat.
In truth, back when she had asked Zhou Ye for water at the carriage, Lin Shu already knew who he was.
The original owner was a vicious female supporting character who, at the very least, didn’t go “offline” until near the end of the book. But Zhou Ye—he only ever appeared in other people’s conversations throughout the entire story. He wasn’t even considered a “cannon fodder” character because the female lead’s story began with her rebirth on the way back to the Marquisate. Zhou Ye, the “country fiancé,” at most served to make the male lead jealous for a few chapters, acting as a catalyst for the development of the leads’ relationship—a total plot device.
She hadn’t expected that the “country farmer” in other people’s mouths would look so rugged and robust.
Currently, the Dayuan Dynasty saw few wars, with only occasional incursions by foreign tribes at the border. These peaceful days made the people in the capital favor literature over martial arts. The type favored by the young ladies of the capital were mostly modest, polite, “jade-faced” scholars; even military generals had to be fair-skinned to be popular.
Someone like Zhou Ye, to use a vulgar term, was “black and brawny.” To be more elegant, he had the “strength to pull up mountains and lift tripods.” He was exactly the kind of rough man that pampered daughters of noble families would avoid at all costs.
However, Lin Shu, who came from the apocalypse, liked rough men like Zhou Ye.
Dark and sturdy was better. If a man was even a bit pale or thin, she felt he was unreliable.
But liking this type didn’t mean Lin Shu was going to go after him, especially since this man was linked to the female lead in the book.
How could chasing a man be as “fragrant” as hoarding supplies? The hoarding instinct in her body was already restless. Tomorrow, she would go wander the back mountain!
He Guixiang returned with the refined rice. She took out the small stove used for brewing medicine, grabbed a handful of refined rice, and started simmering a white rice porridge. Taking advantage of this gap, she went behind the house to pull a few handfuls of green vegetables.
Seeing her busy moving up and down, Lin Shu pulled Lin Xiaopu and ran over. “Mother, Xiaopu and I are here to help!”
He Guixiang said happily, “Just sit, just sit. It’s just making a meal; there’s no need for you to help.”
“No way, Mother must give me some work. Otherwise, I’ll feel restless sitting around doing nothing,” Lin Shu said in a spoiled tone.
He Guixiang hesitated. “Then how about you go to the field and pull a handful of wild onions for me?”
“Got it! I’ll take Xiaopu with me!”
“Ah, wait… move slowly!” He Guixiang only had time to wave her hand before the two girls had already walked away hand-in-hand.
Lin Xiaopu’s eyes were sparkling as she looked at Lin Shu. “Big Sister, you’re so amazing! Usually, Mother doesn’t let me do any work.”
“It’s just pulling a few wild onions; that hardly counts as work. Since your constitution is weak, you should move around more.”
“Really? Because the doctor said I need to rest more, so Father and Mother won’t let me do anything.”
“Not even walking around the village?”
Lin Xiaopu hung her head, her mood dropping. “That’s allowed, but the children in the village don’t like playing with me. They say I’m a ‘little medicine jar’ and that playing with me will bring bad luck.” Gradually, she had stopped wanting to go out.
Lin Shu put her hands on her hips, annoyed. “Pah! Next time I hear anyone dare to say that about you, I won’t let them off! My little sister is so cute; you’ll definitely find playmates. Even if you don’t, it doesn’t matter—I’ll be your playmate.”
Lin Xiaopu gazed at her with bright eyes and then nodded heavily.
“Big Sister, let’s go over there. There are more wild onions there!”
“Okay, I’ll listen to you.”
Lin Shu looked around. The fields were lush green, and the sunset painted the horizon in a brilliant red—it was exceptionally beautiful. From the small courtyards of other families in the distance, one could hear the sounds of chickens, ducks, and geese, along with the laughter and conversation of the owners. It was full of the scent of daily life.
Among the many villages under Jingxi Town, Tianshui Village was considered relatively flat, but it still had its share of slopes and ridges. Therefore, the households weren’t very close to each other. Each family found the flattest piece of land to build their house and then enclosed it with a bamboo fence.
Lin Dashan hadn’t had a pleasant experience during the family split, so he had specifically asked the Village Chief for this foundation plot at the end of the village. It was far from the eldest uncle’s family at the front of the village, and correspondingly, it was also far from other households.
However, Lin Shu thought this location was excellent.
The closer you got to the end of Tianshui Village, the narrower the roads became, and it added an extra leg to the journey to town. It was far from the large river where laundry was usually done and the small stream used for drawing water. But its advantage was its tranquility. Moreover, the house was extremely close to the back mountain—almost at its foot—making it incredibly convenient to chop or gather firewood. Another mountain spring flowed from the back of the house; while other villagers drank from the stream formed by the collected springs, they got to drink the mountain spring water directly from the source—it was at its sweetest.
Wild onions could be seen everywhere in the fields and at the edges of the land. The two sisters pulled two large handfuls until their hands could hold no more.
When they returned, the fragrance of food could already be smelled outside the courtyard. Lin Xiaopu sniffed and said joyfully, “Big Sister, today’s dishes have lard! I smell it! It’s so fragrant!”
Lin Shu also took a deep breath. “It really is fragrant!”
Pork was precious. He Guixiang only bought pork during festivals, and she couldn’t bear to eat the rendered lard, saving it until guests came to the house. Now that her daughter was back, it was a grand occasion, more festive than any holiday.
The green vegetables had been freshly picked from behind the house, and the dried radishes were ones He Guixiang had dried and stored recently—they were at their peak flavor. The greens were stir-fried quickly, the leaves appearing an oily, beautiful green. The radishes, after being soaked in water and cut into segments, were stir-fried with lard until fragrant; they were incredibly crunchy and delicious to bite into.
Once the sisters brought back the wild onions, He Guixiang cracked both of the eggs she had brought back from the Village Chief’s house into the pan. Golden eggs were stir-fried with the wild onions, the aroma wafting far and wide.
“Everyone, wash your hands and come eat!” He Guixiang called out, her eyes overflowing with smiles.
Zhou Ye carried a small bucket of fresh water to the courtyard. Lin Xiaopu habitually squatted down and reached out her hands, not forgetting to turn back and urge Lin Shu, “Big Sister, come wash your hands quickly.”
Zhou Ye also cast a glance at Lin Shu but quickly looked away.
Lin Shu: …
He isn’t even willing to look at me a second time. Who is he keeping himself pure for?