The two of them were severely wounded, with not a single patch of good flesh on their bodies.
Grandpa Meng voluntarily gave up his donkey cart. Qi Yuanshan then ordered the soldiers to carry the two injured individuals back to the Thousand Household Office for medical treatment by the military doctor.
The bodies of the Japanese pirates were all dealt with by Old Jin and his men. The tide was coming in, and the sound of waves continuously crashed against the shore.
Qi Yuanshan cast another glance at the vast, deep sea before giving the order to return victoriously with all his soldiers.
As the soldiers' figures gradually faded into the distance, the beach slowly returned to its former tranquility.
Grandpa Meng and his granddaughter were escorted home by Qi He and his men. Fu Yu, along with Fang Shi and their two sons, had been worried about the grandfather and granddaughter's safety.
Seeing the grandfather and granddaughter return with beaming smiles, they knew they had won the battle.
Looking at her father's somewhat tired face, Fu Yu and Fang Shi suppressed the doubts growing in their hearts and did not ask further questions.
With unspoken understanding, the couple stepped forward to help their elderly father into the house to rest.
After his son helped him take off his shoes, Grandpa Meng leaned against the kang and said, "It's good to be home. My old bones are rather fond of home. Once I'm inside, I don't want to move anymore."
Upon hearing this, the family understood. The elder was tired.
Fu Yu said no more. He silently waved his wife and children away and then efficiently helped his father remove his outer clothes and lie down.
He felt a hard object at his father's waist. Seeing that his father's eyes were already closed and he was about to fall asleep, he didn't ask any questions.
When Fu Yu carefully draped a thin quilt over his father, the elder was already emitting a faint snore.
Looking at his father's sleeping face, with the white hairs that had sprouted on his head, Fu Yu felt a surge of deep heartache.
He considered himself the pillar of the family. At thirty years old, he did not reveal too much, but quietly retreated.
Fu Xinci also took the opportunity to return to her room for a quick shower. She didn't even bother to check her space and hurried to the front of the house.
She knew her parents and brothers were waiting, wanting to hear the entire account of what happened by the sea from her.
She did not hold back her words, recounting everything that had happened after Yu'er had left, in meticulous detail.
Not only did Yu'er listen with flushed cheeks, but Fu Yu's heart was also stirred. The previous heartache vanished, and he volunteered to his daughter, "Ci'er, next time, whether you encounter Japanese pirates or Tatars, you must bring me along. I can also fight bad guys."
Fu Yu was afraid his daughter wouldn't take him and recalled the glorious moment when they fought wolves together on the road during their exile.
Fu Xinci: You old man are really trying hard.
Yu'er and Ning'er also didn't want to be forgotten by their sister. They quickly scurried forward, seeking to make their presence felt before their sister, all for the sake of fighting alongside her.
"Sister, I can not only ride horses and deliver messages, but I can also fight Japanese pirates." Yu'er, in order to convince his sister, was almost ready to demonstrate all the skills he had learned over the years.
"Our Yu'er is amazing. You did a great job delivering a message to Uncle Qi at the Thousand Household Office today."
"Sister, Ning'er is also amazing."
"Yes, Ning'er is amazing. Our whole family is amazing."
Hearing her daughter's words, Fang Shi also beamed with pride.
Grandpa Meng awoke when the lanterns were lit. He sat up and looked at the dim light outside the window, only then realizing that something was pressing against his waist.
When he reached out to touch the pistol tucked into his belt, he remembered that he hadn't returned this good item to his granddaughter yet.
With no one around, the elder repeatedly caressed the good item in his hand, sighing. He was truly reluctant to return this good item to his eldest granddaughter.
Before dinner, Grandpa Meng found an opportunity to speak with his granddaughter.
Fu Xinci thought her grandfather was going to return the pistol to her, so she told him, "Grandpa, you should keep this for self-defense."
Grandpa Meng was delighted by her words. The words he was too embarrassed to say were directly granted by his granddaughter.
Recalling today's events, Fu Xinci still felt a sense of lingering fear. If she and Yu'er hadn't arrived at the seaside first, or if those Japanese pirates had arrived earlier and landed by abandoning their ships during low tide, then ambushing in the pine forest, the consequences for their family would have been unimaginable.
The more Fu Xinci thought about it, the more uneasy she became. No, she had to discuss it properly with her grandfather. Their family had to take action.
Living in a border town meant being prepared to fight intruders at any moment.
As night fell, the weather changed, and soon, fine rain began to fall silently.
This kind of weather was perfect for sleeping. Hearing the soft breaths coming from the main hall, Fu Xinci unhesitatingly entered her space.
Looking at the endless expanse of land and the widened river, Fu Xinci's first reaction was not surprise, but an immediate calculation of what to plant.
She had no choice; the number of people she needed to support in her space was growing, and farming had become a race against time.
She first planted thirty mu of rice with her mind, followed by thirty mu of wheat, and then ten mu each of corn, sorghum, and millet.
After planting these, she finally had time to examine her space at leisure.
She used teleportation to arrive at the foot of the mountain and looked at the lush green grass and the freely blooming wildflowers on the hillside. Suddenly, an idea struck her: if this area were cleared and planted with sweet potatoes, beans, wheat, peanuts, and sunflowers, it should also be possible.
Fu Xinci completely forgot that with a mere thought, the hillside instantly transformed into a different scene.
The green grassland immediately turned into terraces.
Surprised? Not surprised.
Unexpected? Not unexpected.
She was just an ordinary person. Her top priority was to be able to supply enough grain to Longcheng.
Humming a seemingly endless medley of ancient tunes and admiring herself for a while, she remembered that she still had many things to do.
Alas! Since she was already here, she might as well go to the mountaintop to take a look.
As she thought this, she began to ascend the mountain. The first thing that caught her eye was a fruit orchard.
"Wow!" This time, it was a real surprise. She hadn't expected to see so many fruit trees that typically grew in the south as a person from the north.
Heh, although she didn't recognize all the trees, she recognized most of the fruits growing on them.
She even took the opportunity to use her wood elemental ability to ripen a mangosteen and a lychee. Of course, northern specialties like cherries and blueberries were also present.
Heh, she giggled all the way. These were all her favorite fruits. She had to remember to share them with her companions later.
She had to taste them first. If they didn't taste good, she couldn't give them to her companions.
The cherry, the size of a one-yuan coin, was a vibrant red, the most eye-catching among the fruits.