"Here," Ah Jiu happily lifted the dried melon vines.
Revealing a basket full of gourds and fruits beneath.
Madam Wang's face was a picture of displeasure. She crouched down, hefted the large bamboo basket onto her back, and strode ahead with surprising ease.
Ah Jiu quickly caught up, "Grandma, you were so convincing just now."
"Go away, go back and sleep." Madam Wang was still fuming. Her two lifetimes of wisdom had been utterly ruined.
"Okay Grandma, I'll definitely sleep well tonight." Ah Jiu followed behind, sighing as she looked up at the sky. There was no moon tonight, making the stars appear even more brilliant and twinkling, a beautiful sight.
With a *thump*, Madam Wang entered the courtyard and, following Ah Jiu's directions, placed the basket under the straw pile in the kitchen.
"No, let's change the spot." Ah Jiu emerged from the kitchen and glanced at the dry fodder under the empty cattle shed. "Grandma, hide it under there."
Madam Wang huffed and, picking up the heavy basket again, went into the cattle shed.
She covered it with the dry grass, making it look seamless. "Is that enough?" Madam Wang's face still held her anger.
"It's enough, it's enough. Grandma, you covered it really well." Ah Jiu whispered.
Madam Wang snorted and went out on her own, sitting like a guardian deity on a stone stool outside the gate to meditate.
Ah Jiu covered her mouth and chuckled, tiptoeing back into her room and lying down.
For a moment, Ah Jiu turned on her side and grinned. The more embarrassed her Grandma looked today, the more amusing she found it.
She recalled Madam Wang's face, stretched longer than the sole of a shoe.
"Hehe!"
"Mommy!~"
Ah Jiu quickly stopped herself, suppressing her laughter so as not to wake Tiechui and Tiedan.
As dawn broke, Ah Jiu was startled awake by a knock on the door. She hadn't slept for long.
Ah Jiu got up to open the door. The village elder, who had been up all night, was outside.
"Grandpa thought for most of the night and decided to remove Zhang Da from the selected group and add you instead." The village elder didn't step inside, getting straight to the point.
"Me?" Ah Jiu pointed to her nose. "Although I'm registered here, but..."
"It's precisely because you're the only one registered here that I've decided to take you along. If things don't work out with the grain distribution later, at least you'll have some idea."
Hearing this, Ah Jiu found herself unable to refute.
"We're leaving now?"
"Of course. By the time we reach the South City Gate, the sun will be blazing." That's why the village elder had come to find Ah Jiu in the dark.
"Then Grandpa village elder, please wait. I'll go and tell my parents."
Ah Jiu turned and went back into the house. Seeing no movement from her parents' room, she directly told Auntie Li about it.
"You're leaving already."
Mao Junlan was naturally surprised.
"This isn't the most important thing. The most important thing is, when Zhao Kun wakes up, tell him to find a way to contact Tuoba Yan. Take that basket of gourds and fruits from under the cattle shed and exchange it for some grain, just in case."
"Understood, Ah Jiu." Auntie Li said with worry.
"Don't forget to tell my mother. I'll be right back." Ah Jiu said this as she was already heading out the door.
Quietly closing the courtyard gate, she asked, "Grandpa village elder, how are we traveling?"
"The village has managed to gather three ox carts. It's enough for us ten or so people." The village elder lengthened his strides as much as possible, holding his long robe.
Seeing his urgency, Ah Jiu didn't ask any further questions and followed him to the village entrance.
Indeed, all the villagers had gathered at the entrance, surrounding three ox carts, and discussions were rife.
"You must talk to them properly. It's finally raining, and we civilians need to farm."
"That's right, we must talk properly. Our King of Nanming loves his people like his own children; he will surely understand our plight."
"Don't gather here anymore. We're leaving now. We'll notify everyone when we return with news."
The village elder, seeing the villagers' sentiment, felt a pang of melancholy. He turned and helped Ah Jiu onto the driver's seat of the cart.
"Miss Ah Jiu, times are tough. Auntie has a wild vegetable窩窩頭 (wo wo tou) for you."
As the ox cart slowly started, a somewhat familiar old aunt ran up and pressed a dark, lumpy object into Ah Jiu's hand.
It was as dark as the seaweed cake her mother had made last night.
"You must fight for seeds for us," the old aunt said, running alongside and wiping her eyes.
"Girl, you haven't eaten breakfast yet, have you? I have two coins here. Please don't mind them, girl. Buy a couple of steamed buns in the city to fill your stomach."
Suddenly, two copper coins were placed in Ah Jiu's hand, leaving her completely bewildered.