Chapter 50

Xun Yi's journey to demand justice ultimately came to nothing.

Others may not trust the villagers, but he cannot.

He grew up safely thanks to the help of the entire village, and he understands better than anyone how kind the villagers of Wupai Village are.

After that impulsive impulse subsided, upon careful consideration, it became clear that Shu Wanxiu's use of a hoe to till the land was not due to isolation, but rather a lack of farm tools.

He knew exactly how many plows and harrows the village had, and he also understood the pace of cultivation each year.

Since the land has just been cultivated, there are certainly no spare plows or harrows that can be lent to the Shu family.

Xun Yi let out a long breath.

This is easy for him.

He glanced at the less than two-tenths of an acre that Shu Wanxiu had turned over, and immediately went inside.

Like a sundial, when Chen Sanhe came to the fields at noon to deliver lunch, Shu Wanxiu knew it was time to take Shu Shouyi home to cook.

It's not good to keep asking someone to urge you. Today, Shu Wanxiu straightened up to catch her breath and happened to see Chen Sanhe. After their eyes met from a distance, she waved and walked onto the ridge of the field.

After a morning of work, her feet were covered in mud. She picked up her shoes and walked barefoot to the stream before washing them in.

The calm surface of the water was broken, and the little fish that were playing leisurely inside were startled and darted wildly to the sides of the stream.

To earn money, she caught small fish again and again. After a long time, the small fish still did not disappear. Shu Wanxiu felt gratified and realized even more deeply the preciousness of this stream.

The cool stream water refreshed her, and she dragged her slightly tired body slowly up the slope to the top of the mountain.

This should have been an ordinary day, except for the need for a lot of work.

But some unexpected things happened without Shu Wanxiu's knowledge or awareness.

She and Shu Shouyi saw the two large items piled up on the flat ground in front of the house.

Shu Shouyi was filled with confusion: "Auntie, what is this?" Shu Wanxiu turned her head to look around, her expression one of utter disbelief.

Why would anyone put a plow and harrow here?

Moreover, it's a brand new one.

Forget it, I'm too busy with my own affairs to pry into other people's business.

In a short moment, Shu Wanxiu's thoughts turned several times.

After looking around and seeing no one, she stopped speculating and asked loudly, "Whose things are these?"

"Who mistakenly left a plow here?"

There was no human voice to answer her, only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

"Don't touch other people's things," Shu Wanxiu said to Shu Shouyi, and then walked around the plow and harrow into the kitchen.

The two started a fire, cooked porridge, ate porridge, and rested for a while. When they were about to go out to continue tilling the land, they found that the plow and harrow were still sitting there steadily.

Apart from being a little warmed by the midday sun, there was no trace of it moving at all.

Shu Wanxiu frowned and pondered for a moment. Finally, a tiny clue, which could hardly be called a clue, popped into her rusty mind.

"Shouyi! Go back inside and get the lock."

Needless to say, Shu Shouyi was happy to run errands for his aunt, and soon he came running over with a still gleaming padlock in his hand.

This plow...

Shu Wanxiu was not sure where they came from; she only had some guesses in her mind. It wouldn't be good to bring them directly into the house.

It's the busy farming season, and few people go into the mountains to cut firewood, so leaving it in front of the house shouldn't be a problem.

Eager to confirm her suspicions as soon as possible, she hurried down the mountain, running until she was drenched in sweat.

But when he arrived at the Xun family's gate, breathless, and saw that the gate, which had been tightly closed just two days ago, was now wide open, his initial suspicions grew from two or three points to seven or eight points.

She tried to calm herself down, taking two deep breaths to steady her breathing.

"Brother Xun?"

After waiting a moment without any response, she called out again and took another step closer to Xun Yi's blacksmith shop.

After three calls, Xun Yi came out from behind the house.

Shu Wanxiu and Xun Yi locked eyes.

Although there were three people present, little Shu Shouyi was completely invisible at that moment.

After a moment of silence, Shu Shouyi spoke up, announcing his presence to the two of them.

“Uncle Xun!” he called out in a clear voice.

A single sentence broke the ice.

Xun Yi took two steps closer to them, then squatted down and took out many items from his bosom.

"The twelve zodiac animals!" Shu Shouyi exclaimed, rushing forward recklessly like a young calf.

Xun Yi nodded slightly, "I didn't have time to write it for you last time."

Don't even mention it. Shu Shouyi didn't have many toys, but he loved the five little trinkets that Xun Yi made for him at Li Langzhong's place that day, and he still keeps them at home to this day.

And I usually don't want to play with it, I only play with it for a while before going to bed each night.

Seeing the remaining zodiac animals today brought me more joy than during the last Lunar New Year.

Shu Shouyi was the person Shu Wanxiu cherished most in this world. Whoever was good to Shu Shouyi, Shu Wanxiu would sincerely thank them.

Her gaze towards Xun Yi softened, and after Xun Yi gave all the straw toys to Shu Shouyi, Shu Wanxiu's momentum weakened even more.

Even the cold iron lock in your hand will warm up with body heat after being held for a long time, let alone the human heart.

"Let him play for a while."

Xun Yi pointed to Shu Shouyi, who was holding the 'Twelve Zodiac Animals' and couldn't put it down, and said.

"I'll bring a stool."

The fields are all muddy. If you take these and play on the ridges for an afternoon, you'll definitely get covered in mud, and you might even accidentally fall into the fields.

Shu Wanxiu nodded in agreement.

The weather was perfect, so Xun Yi carried two stools and placed them in a spot where they could get some sun but not so much that they would be uncomfortable from the intense heat.

Shu Shouyi looked at this and touched that, having a great time.

Seeing that he had no time to care about anything else, Shu Wanxiu finally felt relieved and started talking to Xun Yi about serious matters.

However... his tone was more or less gentle, and his words were carefully chosen, trying to be indirect rather than aggressive.

"Did you go up the mountain today?" she asked.

To avoid suspicion, Xun Yi stood a zhang away from Shu Wanxiu, leaning against a cassia tree.

Xun Yi did hesitate between telling the truth and lying, but ultimately chose to be honest.

"I've gone."

Her heart skipped a beat, and Shu Wanxiu quickly followed up with the question: "The plow and harrow in front of our house..."

"I took it."

Since the decision has been made to admit it, there's no need to let her ask each question one by one.

Xun Yi spoke his mind thoroughly, like spilling beans.

“I came back last night and saw you turning the soil today… I happen to have a farm tool at home that has been sitting unsold for a long time.”

Between the two words 'give' and 'borrow', Xun Yi chose the one that he thought Shu Wanxiu would find more acceptable.

This did make Shu Wanxiu feel a little better, but she still had another matter to confirm with Xun Yi.

She opened her hand, revealing the padlock she had been clutching all the way.

"Brother Xun, did you give me the door knocker and this?"

"Yes." It happened a few months ago; if Shu Wanxiu hadn't brought it up, Xun Yi would have forgotten about it.

“You’re in business,” Shu Wanxiu stood up and looked at him seriously. “I’ll accept your kindness once or twice, but I can’t keep taking advantage of you.”