Lin Siya sat on a stool by the doorway and cast a brief glance at him before withdrawing her gaze and looking toward the patch of land mixed with spirit soil. In just a short time, the vegetables there had already turned a lush green.
Because of the spirit soil, these vegetables would become spiritual vegetables by the time they were harvested. They were not as potent as the produce from her grotto space, but for ordinary people, they could strengthen the body and prolong life.
After sitting for a while, Lin Siya returned to her room.
On the Zhaojia Village side.
Zhao Meiyun returned home and found no one there. She knew her parents had gone to work, and her brother, who favored Lin Siya, had surely gone to find her.
She was unwilling to go to Linjia Village herself. Fuming, she could only stew in her anger for the time being. Her parents were eager to hold a grandson. If they learned that Lin Siya could not bear children, they would definitely force her brother to divorce Lin Siya. When that happened, Lin Siya would become an abandoned woman. She wanted to see whether Educated Youth Zhang would still look highly upon her then.
At the thought of Lin Siya’s downfall, a smile appeared on her face. She lay down on the bed and gradually fell asleep.
“Xiao Ya, I have finished tidying up the land. Is there anything else that needs doing?” Zhao Tianlei’s voice came from outside the window.
Lin Siya frowned instinctively. Was he trying to take credit?
“If you really have nothing to do, you can go up the mountain and catch some wild game,” she said casually.
There were people around the private plots, and she did not want to become fodder for gossip, so she did not plan to go out with Zhao Tianlei.
“All right then, Xiao Ya. Rest well at home,” he replied.
She watched Zhao Tianlei leave her house and close the gate behind him.
After walking for more than ten minutes, Zhao Tianlei headed up the mountain. Back then, he had followed people from the team into the mountains to hunt, and he had also hunted during his time in the army. He was not worried about coming back empty handed.
When Father Lin and Mother Lin got off work, they returned home and prepared to tend to their private plot. These past few days, because they had been worried about their daughter’s illness, they had not gone to work much.
“Xiao Ya, Xiao Ya, let’s go into the mountains,” Lin Jianshe called loudly as soon as he got back.
Lin Siya was already ready. She wore a patched cotton jacket, yet did not feel cold despite the lingering chill in the weather.
“Xiao Ya, aren’t you cold? Go back and put on more clothes,” Lin Jianshe said, seeing that she was dressed lightly.
“I am not cold. Let’s go,” she replied.
With no other choice, Lin Jianshe took the basket onto his back, and the two siblings went into the mountains together.
Lin Siya thought about Zhao Tianlei, who had already gone into the mountains. Nearly two hours had passed. Why had he not returned yet?
He was a soldier. He should not run into trouble.
She did not want to waste her spiritual energy over an outsider, so she did not expend any.
“By the way, Brother, not long after you left for work, Zhao Tianlei came by,” she said.
Hearing this, Lin Jianshe grew displeased. “What did he come for?”
“I do not know. Maybe his mother and sister do not want to apologize to me,” Lin Siya replied.
Lin Jianshe’s heart sank. He did not know whether Zhao Tianlei had told his family that because of the medicine, Xiao Ya might have difficulty bearing children. If he had, the Zhao family might push for a divorce even more strongly. Would Xiao Ya be able to endure that?
“Brother, why are you staring at me? Your sister is naturally beautiful,” Lin Siya teased.
Lin Jianshe smiled as well.
Along the way, they ran into people they knew. The siblings greeted them with cheerful smiles.
Before they even reached the mountains, gossip had already begun in Linjia Village.
“Did you see the Lin family girl? After not seeing her for a while, she looks even prettier.”
“She looks much fairer than before.”
“A few days ago, she nearly died. I heard she looks pale and translucent now. She must have walked through the gates of death. Doctor Lin’s medical skills are really impressive, to bring back someone who had only one breath left.”
There was not a single household in Linjia Village that had not been treated by the Lin family. Father Lin’s medical skills were inherited through generations, and his standing in the village was second only to the village head.
Lin Siya did not know that she had once again become a topic of village chatter.
“He went into the mountains to hunt?” Lin Jianshe asked when he learned that Zhao Tianlei had also gone into the mountains and had not returned after several hours. He felt a trace of concern.
“Yes. He should be fine, right?”
Lin Jianshe waved his hand. “He will be fine. He will be fine. It is spring, the breeding season for animals. Hunting is prohibited.”
Lin Siya’s heart, which had been lifted in worry, finally settled.
It seemed the previous owner of this body truly liked Zhao Tianlei.
“Xiao Ya, those are wild vegetables. You stay here and pick them. Your brother will go dig out some bird eggs for you,” Lin Jianshe said.
Lin Siya nodded obediently like a well behaved girl. “Go ahead, Brother. I will stay here and pick wild vegetables.”
Seeing her so compliant, Lin Jianshe went off with ease of mind.
The obedient girl then looked at the mountain and curled her lips into a smile.
With a light flick of her finger, the wild vegetables moved into the basket on their own. In no time, the basket was half full. Carrying it, she headed deeper inside.
She spread her spiritual sense and quickly spotted Lin Jianshe climbing a tree. His agile movements showed that he did this often.
She also saw Zhao Tianlei approaching them, carrying a wild rabbit and a wild chicken.
He had some ability after all.
Lin Siya deliberately avoided him and took another path.
The previous owner of this body had some knowledge of medicinal herbs. Lin Siya planned to gather some herbs and plant them in her grotto space. She would also collect some wild fruit trees, so that when she brought them out later, no one would be suspicious.
She used light steps as if riding the wind and went to harvest herbs.
When Lin Jianshe dug out more than ten bird eggs and returned to the place where they had been picking wild vegetables, he only saw signs of harvesting, but not Lin Siya herself. Alarmed, he called out, “Xiao Ya, Xiao Ya.”
Zhao Tianlei, who was near the foot of the mountain, heard the voice and froze for a moment. He then realized that he had probably returned late, causing Xiao Ya to come into the mountains to look for him. Hearing her brother’s voice, he quickly raised his own.
“Big Brother.”
“Have you seen Xiao Ya?” Lin Jianshe asked.
Zhao Tianlei shook his head. “I have not.”
Lin Siya heard them calling and responded. Her voice reached their ears and sounded close, but because of their worry, they walked for quite a while without noticing the distance.
“Brother, Brother Tianlei.”
“Let’s head back,” she said.
The three of them returned to the Lin household with their harvest.
On the Zhao family side, however, the atmosphere turned heavy.
Father Zhao and Mother Zhao had just returned from work when their daughter hurried over and said, “Father, Mother, do you know? Because Lin Siya drank medicine, she cannot bear children anymore.”
Mother Zhao had been about to tidy up and go apologize to the Lin family. Hearing this, she froze on the spot.
Lin Siya could not have children?
Then what about her grandson?