A Jiu stood in the courtyard, staring intently at the main hall.
Counting on her fingers, it had been three or four days. Grandpa Niu was still driving the carriage. If his granddaughter didn't agree to recognize him, Grandpa Niu wouldn't have returned so quickly.
"Sister A Jiu? Don't worry, I'll talk less from now on, okay?"
Tuoba Yan thought Sister A Jiu was unhappy because she was still angry with him.
"You'd better talk less." A Jiu entered the east room.
"Sister Jiu'er, Sister Jiu'er." The two little followers squeezed into the room behind her, each hugging A Jiu's leg and refusing to let go.
A Jiu instantly brightened up and quickly took out two pomegranates from her embrace: "One for each of you, no grabbing."
"Wow, Sister A Jiu, is this a pomegranate?"
Tie Chui smiled, his dark eyes like obsidian. He took the pomegranate, hugged it, and ran out: "Mom, Mom, look, Sister A Jiu gave it to me."
Tie Dan, being younger and seeing his brother's actions, scratched his butt with a simpleminded grin and followed him, also running: "Mom, Sister A Jiu also gave me one, look, mine is bigger than brother's."
"Mine is bigger than yours."
"Mine is bigger..."
"Alright, alright, stop squabbling. It's rare for it to rain today, so Mom will take you out for a walk." For the past few days, the two children had made it a habit to wait for A Jiu and the others at the village entrance three times a day.
Suddenly not going out made even Mao Junlan, their mother, feel unaccustomed.
"Okay, okay." Tie Dan followed his mother out, hopping with excitement.
A Jiu knew that Xiao Yan Yan had entered, but she didn't want to talk. She was thinking about what to do.
Lingnan had good weather, but she couldn't leave. Grandma hadn't returned, and Grandpa Niu hadn't returned either.
Being indebted to others, even if Aunt Li and the others had cleaned thoroughly, she still had to figure out how to stay and thank them in person before repaying them.
"Sister A Jiu, actually, we can farm."
Xiao Yan Yan carefully spoke up at this moment.
"I don't only know how to kill people, I also know how to farm," Tuoba Yan added.
The first time A Jiu saw him, she heard him say that he didn't know much else, but he knew how to farm.
"Your idea is good, but... do the ghosts in your underworld also farm?"
Saying that, A Jiu covered her mouth and chuckled uncontrollably.
Seeing A Jiu laugh, Tuoba Yan scratched his head and said with a grin,
"Sister A Jiu, don't disbelieve me, I really do. If you don't believe me, give me seeds and I'll plant them."
Tuoba Yan earnestly reached out for the seeds.
"Alright, let's go, let's go out and find a piece of land." A Jiu got up energetically and went out.
Meng Shaode was helping Cai Lihua out of the outhouse.
"It was so uncomfortable, but finally, it all came out." Cai Lihua was still in the mood for a joke.
"Stop talking, it's good enough that you could get it out." Meng Shaode finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Dad, Mom, this room is also empty at Grandpa Niu's. Aunt Li has cleaned it up. You should rest first, I'll go out for a bit."
Actually, Xiao Yan Yan's suggestion was good. Since there was land, and Grandma had prayed for rain, they could indeed grow crops here.
After all, they were fleeing famine, and whether they ate as they went or stayed put was all part of fleeing famine. It was better to take things as they came.
Although the weather after the rain was scorching hot, with the rainwater on the ground rising like steam, the soil in Heba Village was finally moistened.
In the formerly dry riverbed, there were puddles here and there.
Many villagers had grateful expressions on their faces, searching everywhere for puddles to collect water, trying to store as much as possible. Even if only the last drop remained along with half a bucket of mud, they would still collect it in their wooden buckets. After leaving it overnight, a lot of clean water could be precipitated.
What A Jiu had her eye on was the land that grew nothing.
"This is good, we can plant crops now," villagers in small groups carrying pots and pans walked and discussed.
"Where will we get seeds to plant?"
"Exactly, the seeds have all been eaten, what do we have to plant with?"
"Why don't we go find the village chief and ask if the court will issue seeds?"