Tuoba Yan was stunned, looking at the flustered A Jiu.
She carefully put the water skin back, on the verge of tears, her dirty little face flushing red to her neck:
"Do you know how precious this water is? Well, looking at your clothes and appearance, you must be from a wealthy family, so you naturally wouldn't lack such things."
"Good sister, I was wrong. Don't be angry. From now on, Little Yan Yan will listen to you. See, you look so beautiful even when you're angry."
A Jiu looked up at the tall, thin man, over a meter eighty, who was bending down with a wronged expression, clasping his hands together in a plea for forgiveness.
She found herself unable to stay angry: "You said you would listen to me."
"It's a deal. You saved my life, so it's only natural that I listen to my good sister's every command."
Little Yan Yan smiled like pear blossoms in spring.
"Then don't celebrate too early. I might agree to take you to Nanming City, but my family might not, especially since we don't have much food."
A Jiu conveniently hung the water skin on her waist, to prevent this seemingly adult but mischievous little brother from stealing it. She then sat down on a rock and continued cooking.
"Food? That's a small matter."
Tuoba Yan straightened up, full of confidence. His disheveled hair and face streaked with dried blood made his expression unclear.
"A small matter?"
Had A Jiu misheard? The land had been scorched for so long, and it was only half a year away from being completely barren. Even the water… if the spiritual spring didn't produce water soon, they’d have to collect their own urine for recycling.
"I know how to farm," Tuoba Yan said, patting his chest.
"Ah?" A Jiu was utterly bewildered. She pointed to a patch of land in the distance, where even a fart could kick up dust more than two meters high.
"Farm? Do you think anything can grow in such a dry place?"
A Jiu was completely unconvinced. She crouched down to continue cooking, her heart aching as she poured water from her mother's water skin and covered it with a wooden lid.
"I'm going to sleep for a bit. You watch the fire. Remember, no sneaking food. Wait for my family to come back before dividing it. If you dare to eat alone, I'll kick you out immediately."
A Jiu needed to project an aura of authority to make her warning effective.
"This subordinate obeys." Little Yan Yan made a gesture of surrender and sat down, muttering to himself,
"If only I could find my old subordinates."
A Jiu secretly opened her eyes and glanced at him. Finding him behaving himself, she decided to enter the spiritual spring space to check the situation.
Her eyelids drooped. Huh? Why had a green blade of grass grown on this cart basket?
A Jiu instantly lost all sleepiness. She got off the ox cart and squatted down to look.
This didn't seem like grass; it looked like a wheat seedling, growing in the gap between the rivets of the wooden cartwheel.
It had already grown over a foot tall.
Was there water on the cartwheel? Otherwise, how could this plant grow without it?
"Get lost. Still trying to trick me? Guards, search them! Take all valuables and grain!"
A Jiu's mind suddenly flashed back to what had happened at noon.
That young man surnamed Zheng had ordered people to take away the grain. Perhaps a single grain had been accidentally spilled.
Later, when she saved Little Yan Yan, her grandmother had snatched the water skin and spilled a little.
Thinking of this, A Jiu looked closely. Indeed, in that gap, there were traces of moisture that had dried in the sun.
Could it be that the spiritual spring had a growth-promoting effect on plants? Otherwise, how could it grow so long in just one afternoon?
A Jiu excitedly took out her empty water skin.
Even though it was all drunk, she could still drip a few drops from the bottom.
She stared intently as a droplet of water slowly dripped down to the base of the wheat seedling. Then, A Jiu squatted with her chin in her hand, gazing at it without blinking.
The horizon had ignited with a fiery sunset.
The wheat seedling seemed to grow with the wind, increasing in height with every sway.
By the time the wheat ear emerged, and even though it wasn't ripe yet, A Jiu was so excited she couldn't breathe. Her large eyes were wide like copper bells, and the cinnabar mole beneath her left eye gleamed red.
If it could be this magical, then they wouldn't starve, would they?
"A Jiu, look how capable your father is! He caught two groundhogs."
Cai Lihua was still halfway up the mountain but was already shouting.
A Jiu seemed not to hear. She stared fixedly at the wheat ear. The green seeds, bit by bit, plumped up, became full, yellowed, and the ear drooped, all before her eyes.
A Jiu was overjoyed. She quickly plucked it, rubbed it in her hand, blew away the outer husk, and examined each grain.
"Hmm? Granddaughter? Let this old man see what you have in your hand."