Gan Huaibi happily bragged to his parents.
“Father, Mother, look! See how much Little Sister likes me? She’s even touching my face.”
To Gan Tian, it had been a ruthless slap, but to Gan Huaibi, it was a caress of love from his sister.
Gan Tian was fuming.
[Stupid brother, I’m ignoring you.]
[Stupid brother, I’m ignoring you.] A milky, childish voice suddenly rang in Gan Huaibi’s ear.
Gan Huaibi was so startled that he fell over, landing hard on his bottom.
The wind on the mountain was howling like a crying ghost. Could there be a ghost here?
Otherwise, how could he hear someone speaking?
[Hahaha, Brother is so stupid, he’s killing me! Since you can even trip on flat ground, I’ve decided to forgive you.]
Hearing the milky voice in his mind, Gan Huaibi fixed his gaze on Gan Tian.
That voice called him “Brother.”
It must be Little Sister speaking!
His sister was truly a genius; she already knew how to scold people at such a young age.
As expected of Gan Huaibi’s sister!
Gan Huaibi thought blissfully, completely ignoring how abnormal this situation was.
Was it strange for a brother to be able to hear his sister’s heart’s voice?
Not strange at all. Who told them to be kin, with blood thicker than water?
This was called telepathy!
Seeing her second son’s silly appearance, Hui Niang couldn’t help but laugh.
“With this much meat, I’m afraid we won’t be able to finish it all.”
“Use half for dumplings and make the other half into jerky.”
Hearing that there would be dumplings, Gan Huaibi swallowed hard.
“I’ll help!”
Because he had prepared in advance, Gan Fanren had brought all the necessary supplies, including a cutting board and a kitchen knife.
He minced the meat and lightly seasoned the filling. Although there weren’t many spices, the meat itself was already delicious.
As Gan Tian smelled the aroma of the dumplings, her mouth couldn’t help but water.
Waaaah.
She wanted to eat meat too.
She didn’t want to drink milk anymore.
Hui Niang, thinking she was hungry, prepared her milk.
Unable to eat the meat, Gan Tian could only stare at it to satisfy her cravings.
Listening to the rain outside while eating fragrant dumplings and drinking hot dumpling soup was simply too cozy.
Seeing that the dumplings were cooked, Gan Huaibi impatiently picked one up and shoved it into his mouth.
The dumpling was so hot it made him yelp, but he refused to let go.
“These dumplings are so good! This meat is so fragrant, better than any meat I’ve ever eaten.”
Usually, the meat bought at home was fishy and gamey, but this meat didn’t have any of that strange smell.
It was just too delicious.
He could never get enough of meat like this his entire life.
Although the others didn’t say anything, the speed at which they ate the dumplings clearly increased.
After finishing the meal, everyone’s bellies were round and full.
Even a woman as gentle and refined as Hui Niang couldn’t resist eating a large bowl.
“It would be great if the Immortal Lady could send us meat every day,” Gan Huaibi said while taking a sip of the dumpling soup.
Gan Fanren’s mood wasn’t as relaxed as Gan Huaibi’s.
“Once this rain passes, I don’t know how many people will be displaced.”
Wangjiacun was considered to be on relatively high ground compared to the surrounding villages, yet it had still been hit like this. Other villages were likely faring much worse.
[Sigh, it’s more than just that. Next, there will be a three-year drought, and countless people will freeze or starve to death.]
[Even though I have a Golden Finger, I can’t speak and I can’t lift anything. Even if I wanted to help these people, I’m somewhat powerless. I don’t even know how long I myself will live.]
Gan Tian’s mood dropped slightly.
Seeing the worried look on her beautiful mother’s face, she quickly cheered up again.
[I’ll take it one step at a time. Maybe I’ll be lucky and won’t die so early, and Mother won’t have to suffer through those things.]
Thinking this, Gan Tian became happy again, nestling in her mother’s arms and blowing bubbles.
Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention…
Gan Huaibi took a dumpling and quietly approached Gan Tian.
[Why is my second brother acting so sneaky?]
[Slinking around like he’s up to no good.]
Gan Huaibi froze, saying aggrievedly, “I didn’t mean anything by it, I just wanted to treat you to a dumpling.”
[Oh, my dear second brother, do you think I’m not eating dumplings because I don’t want to? I’ve only just been born; my stomach is very fragile. Besides, I don’t even have teeth. If I eat this dumpling, I’m afraid it will be the death of me.]
It was that serious?
If he hadn’t been able to hear his sister’s heart’s voice, wouldn’t he have accidentally killed her?
Gan Huaibi looked at the dumpling in his hand, feeling a wave of lingering fear.
Hui Niang patted his head. “Tian’er is still small and can’t eat dumplings. You and your elder brother eat first. When Tian’er grows up, she can eat with you.”
Vague sounds of chaos could be heard from outside the cave.
The sound of crying, shouting, and clamoring mixed together.
[The flood has lasted three days. Three days without food… I’m afraid things have already become chaotic, and this is just the beginning.]
Hearing the crying outside, Gan Fanren had a bad premonition.
“It seems people are coming up. You all stay hidden here and don’t go out. I’ll go lead them away.”
He grabbed a handful of soot from the bottom of the pot, smeared it on his face, and hurried out of the cave.
Outside the cave, several thin and sallow villagers were searching for food.
“This place is desolate. Can we really find anything to eat?”
“All the places where you can hunt or find food have been taken over. We can only come to the mountaintop to try our luck.”
“We’re all from the same village! Just because our surname isn’t Wang, why do they get to kick us out?”
Several villagers hiked up the mountain, cursing, and ran into Gan Fanren just as he was “descending.”
“Xiucai Gan, why are you here?”
Gan Fanren wiped the soot on his face. “Don’t even mention it. I came up thinking I could find some food, but it turns out the top is bare—nothing but rocks, not even a blade of grass. Yesterday I saw quite a few wild vegetables and fruits growing to the south, so I’m planning to go dig some up.”
Hearing Gan Fanren say there were wild vegetables to the south, the villagers were terrified they would be picked clean if they arrived late, so they hurriedly ran south.
In truth, the mountain’s resources were quite abundant; the entire village could eat for a month.
Unfortunately, several village bullies had teamed up to create a monopoly, seizing all the good spots, which left those with different surnames with nothing to eat.
As a scholar, how could Gan Fanren outrun them? He could only shout from behind, “Hey, wait for me!”
Gan Fanren shouted for a long time until he was sure no one was coming back, then he stopped and returned to the cave.
When he entered, he didn’t forget to clear away the muddy footprints on the ground.
Two days later, Gan Fanren saw from the mountaintop that the flood had receded. Seeing the villagers gradually evacuating, they also prepared to leave.
The leftover jerky could be hidden in their bundles, but what about the bedding?
It was so thick that they certainly couldn’t carry it all back, but it would be a pity to just throw it away.
Coincidentally, Gan Tian felt the same way.
Although she could take things infinitely from the Xitong, throwing these away was too wasteful.
She glanced guiltily at her parents. [Spending another tael of silver to unlock a Warehouse isn’t too much, right?]