Chapter 214: Tianjia Village

Su Zhenzhen's feelings were complicated.

It's not necessarily true that a young woman forgets her mother once she becomes rich. Even in peaceful times, some people abandon their wives. In this chaotic world, it's not surprising that a second wife is abandoned or even tortured to death.

It's quite pitiful for this old lady, who is so eager for her daughter to be safe and sound that she subconsciously uses such a lie to deceive herself.

The cook hadn't spoken so freely in a long time; she had a great chat today, and the distance between her and Su Zhenzhen had narrowed considerably.

"Miss Su, thank you for listening to this old woman's ramblings." The cook said somewhat embarrassedly.

Su Zhenzhen smiled gently, "Thank you for telling me."

"Miss Su, you've looked very worried all day. Is something wrong?"

Su Zhenzhen's smile froze. Did she really look that distressed?

Mingming kept telling himself not to rush. How could he achieve results in a short time by himself, when no one before him had ever done it?

Listening to the cook's casual chatter was just to relax. Farmers are honest and simple; once they have enough to eat, they have nothing to worry about. Where would they get all this messy stuff?

Unexpectedly, the old lady in front of him was very perceptive and noticed the sorrow that permeated his body.

Or was the pressure from this matter simply too great? It led to an inability to properly conceal one's emotions.

“Miss Su, our village is nestled against the mountains. According to our ancestors, there is a mountain god living in the mountains. The mountain god is very efficacious. As long as you make a sincere wish, the mountain god will grant it.”

Su Zhenzhen suddenly had a thought: since ancient times, there have been many spirits and monsters in the mountains and fields, born from absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and there may be some with profound cultivation among them who know things that ordinary people do not know.

Since this path is blocked, let's try another way.

Su Zhenzhen went to the cook's village with two reasons: first, to clear her mind, as she had encountered many unpleasant things on her journey south, and things hadn't calmed down since she returned; second, if there really was a mountain god, she could ask it if it knew how to return the soul to its rightful place.

The cook's surname was Tian, ​​and she lived in a place called Tianjia Village. Most people in the village had the surname Tian, ​​but there were also a few families with other surnames.

Although the forests near Yangcheng are not as lush as those in Shanxian, they are still towering into the clouds and their dense foliage blocks out the sun.

Tianjia Village is nestled deep in this mountain valley. The houses in the village are square and neatly arranged. From a distance, they look like a giant "田" (field) character, prominently displayed amidst the lush greenery.

If it weren't for its sunny location, this secluded mountain valley would undoubtedly be an excellent place to escape the world.

Without the cook to guide her, Su Zhenzhen would have had a hard time finding this secluded mountain village on her own.

Spring is still in full bloom, but the fields are already bustling with activity.

As you enter Tianjia Village, you'll see many farmers working hard in the fields. Some are shirtless, while others are wearing coarse cloth jackets. They wipe the sweat from their foreheads with a towel around their necks.

The warm spring sun generously bathed the fields, casting a soft glow on this still turbulent world, and making people's backs burn. Although it was hard work, tending to their own fields always brought a heavy sense of hope to their hearts.

The cook returned to her homeland, her face beaming with familiarity and joy. She pointed to the furrows in the fields with practiced ease, her voice carrying the confidence of a matriarch.

"Miss Su, do you see those rows of land ahead? That's all our land!"

She straightened her back unconsciously. "When we married into this family, we were dirt poor. We worked long hours for others, trying to stretch every penny to save up a little food to exchange for our first acre of barren land with the village. Now that we have our own land, we work ourselves to the bone, and the harvest fills our own granary!"

Her eyes gleamed, “From one acre to two acres, I saved up little by little, and eventually I acquired about twenty acres!”

He changed the subject, a hint of bitterness tinged his smile, "When my daughters got married, I gritted my teeth and sold half of my land for grain to give them a decent living. The remaining ten or so acres are enough for my eldest and second sons' families to make a living. Anything more depends on their own fate."

She paused, looked into the distance, and lowered her voice, "As for the third son... if he ever comes back, there's always someone to feed him. But... if he really doesn't come back..."

She unconsciously wiped her rough hands on her clothes. "We old bones, scattered all over the country, where can we possibly find him? ...This is all we can do."

Su Zhenzhen's main profession is summoning souls, and her knowledge of divination and face reading is only superficial. She can only tell that the cook's fate is above average, and that she will experience hardship before happiness. However, she cannot clearly see the depth of her affinity with her children from her weathered face.

The youngest son, ambitious and out to make his way in the world, and Xiaocao, who ran away with the merchant… their fates remained shrouded in mystery for Su Zhenzhen. Unless she obtained their birth dates and times, she would have no way of knowing.

However, she quickly dismissed the thought. Ultimately, she would have to tell the cook anyway. If the woman was alive, all would be well; but if… if something truly happened to her, wouldn't that be like stabbing the woman in her already bleeding heart with her own hands?

Forget it. Su Zhenzhen shook her head inwardly, deciding it was best not to get involved in this mess.

"Changshan! Changlin!" Just as she was pondering, the cook's loud voice suddenly rang out. She stood on tiptoe and waved vigorously at the two figures who were working hard in the field.

Upon hearing the voice, the two young men, called Changshan and Changlin, straightened up abruptly. Seeing that it was the cook, their tanned faces instantly broke into bright smiles, and they cried out in unison, "Grandma!"

The cook beamed and turned to introduce them to Su Zhenzhen, her tone carrying the pride unique to a matriarch, "Look, these are the eldest son's two little rascals! They were so naughty when they were young, but they've finally grown up and become sensible, knowing how to help with the household chores."

Before the words were even finished, Changshan and Changlin had already thrown down their hoes with a "clatter" and were running excitedly along the ridge towards this side.

The men working in the fields nearby couldn't help but make fun of them.

"Hey! You two silly boys, you've gone the wrong way! Your grandma rarely comes back from the city, why don't you hurry home and tell your parents to kill the old hen and cook a feast to welcome her back! You blockheads, all you do is run around blindly!"

Upon hearing this, the shorter young man (most likely Changlin) abruptly stopped, responded with two "oh oh" sounds, scratched his head sheepishly, immediately turned around, and ran towards the village.

Looking at the lively yet slightly silly scene, Su Zhenzhen couldn't help but smile slightly.

The villagers clearly knew that the cook worked for a wealthy family in the city, but there was not a trace of envy or jealousy in their words. On the contrary, their warm, teasing intimacy revealed the simple and honest nature of this place.