7 Novice Village (Part 2)
◎Add some water to the ground◎
The two of them, each carrying a bucket of water, walked north for half an incense stick of time. Just when Tian Nongxi was about to lose strength, they finally saw the rapeseed field again.
"Just...just go in from here..." She bent down to calm her breathing and pointed to the path in the middle of the rapeseed field.
When he looked up again, the wooden barrel beside him had disappeared without a trace.
Lin Luan was carrying a wooden bucket in one hand. It was obviously full of water, but he looked very relaxed. In a blink of an eye, he walked ten meters away.
Tian Nongxi chased after him and muttered softly, "It's so late..."
Lin Luan glanced at her indifferently, too lazy to explain.
When selecting people for the Po Ya Camp, no one who cannot lift a three-jin bronze tripod in one go will be accepted.
The land also chooses its people. Even the most kind-hearted land will reject a person who has difficulty carrying a wooden bucket and walking a few steps.
Lin Luan thought about it and helped Tian Nongxi, who had slipped, to pick up the water in the wooden barrel, which splashed mercilessly all over the ground.
"This is also the land. It's not a waste of effort." Lin Luan commented.
…
The two of them walked through a small path in the middle of a large rapeseed field, adjacent to which was the Tian family's land.
The Tian family has been farmers for generations, and their ancestors had quite a bit of land, but it was divided among several generations, and when it came to Grandpa Tian's turn, he only got one acre of land.
Now this acre of land has been divided into two, one side is full of lettuce seedlings, and the other side has already sprouted cabbage seedlings.
Tian Nongxi understood: Chinese cabbage usually sprouts two or three days after sowing, and lettuce only takes five or six days to sprout.
Counting the days, this was the last time Tian Erniang went out to bed before her death. She had a high fever for several days but no one cared. Even she herself was so indifferent that she forced herself to go out to bed, which led to her death.
There is no detailed description of this part in the original book - at least not in the first chapter. It only briefly mentions at the end that the protagonist's sister, after having a high fever for several consecutive days, ignored the advice and went to the river to wash clothes, then fell into the water and drowned.
This matter was passed over in passing. Tian Nongxi had not thought about anything wrong during the past few days until he passed by the river again just now.
There is only one river in Tianjia Village, which is a branch of Changning River. The water is not deep and the water near the shore is only up to the calf.
Because there is only this one river, every household washes clothes and picks vegetables here. Some families bring their children here to bathe in the summer to save trouble. So except after dark, there are always one or two people around this river.
According to the original book, Tian Erniang accidentally fell into the water while washing clothes.
In early spring, when the sun is not too strong, everyone will get up early to wash clothes so that the clothes can be exposed to the sun for a longer time.
Tian Erniang is gentle and honest, and must be the same as other women in Tianjia Village.
In this case, there should have been many villagers who saw her fall into the water and who would have lent a hand to help. How could they let a skinny little girl drown?
How could she have ended up in this book the day before Tian Erniang passed away?
Tian Nongxi silently sprinkled the last bucket of water, and the small cabbage seedlings dripping with dew suddenly disappeared, replaced by a cloud of black mist.
She couldn't help but grope around and softly called the name of the person next to her.
No response.
The water scoop in his hand lost control and strength, but there was no sound of falling.
For a long time, or maybe just a few seconds.
Visual recapture.
A water scoop with the smell of mud was handed to her by a pair of big hands with distinct joints. Tian Nongxi looked up, her eyes filled with mist.
It’s Linluan.
He frowned slightly and whispered something to her.
Judging from the lip movements, it's - what's wrong.
Tian Nongxi shook his head and smiled, but his heart felt like it was about to jump out and he couldn't suppress it no matter how hard he tried. The "thump thump" sound of his heartbeat was louder than that of a bird.
She raised her eyes and glanced at Lin Luan, and met his gaze which had not yet been withdrawn.
The thought was fleeting, but this time Tian Nongxi grasped it firmly.
The sun is shining brightly and the breeze is warm.
Tian Nongxi didn't dare to breathe for a moment, allowing a thin layer of sweat to suddenly appear on his back. The sweat on his forehead slid down the tip of his nose to the ground, sinking into the soil and reaching the edge of the world.
After a while, she exhaled lightly and looked at the biggest variable since she came to this world.
Lin Luan - whose real name is unknown and whose identity is unclear, is a passerby that she - Tian Nongxi took the initiative to catch.
In the original book world, this might be an insignificant NPC, or it might be a stumbling block in the protagonist's growth.
In short, it was someone she—Tian Er Niang—should not have met.
Where does the butterfly effect come from?
Will there be more variables in the future?
Or, is this still the world in that book?
Tian Nongxi felt confused when he thought of the system that appeared only once and then disappeared.
The unfamiliar new world quietly took away her remaining knowledge.
"Not feeling well"
Lin Luan, who had been paying attention to the actions of the person in front of him, spoke, and his clear and smooth voice became cold because it was slightly tense.
"It's okay." Tian Nongxi smiled and didn't want to say more.
Lin Luan withdrew his gaze and bent down to water the seedlings in front of him.
In the quiet farmland, the two were silent, with only the occasional bird calls.
The villagers not far away suddenly started singing loudly, and as soon as they finished singing, the lingering sound spread around to the fields over here.
Lin Luan suddenly spoke up while singing: "Leave anything else to me, you go back and rest." He thought for a moment and added, "You don't look well."
Tian Nongxi, with a pale face, said stubbornly, "I'm fine."
"..." Lin Luan didn't respond, a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes.
Tian Nongxi thought about it and was about to speak when he suddenly felt dizzy and stepped into the mud without paying attention.
Seeing that she was about to fall, Lin Luan reached out to support her without thinking.
The fingertips feel soft to the touch, but the heat is different from that of the scabbard and paper.
The girl has a slender waist, not even thick enough to be held in one hand.
In less than half a second, Lin Luan, with a calm expression, let go of Tian Nongxi, who had just stood firm. He coughed twice and then spoke: "What do you want to say?"
He lowered his eyes, his gaze brushed across his fingertips, and looked at Tian Nongxi, raising his eyebrows like her.
Tian Nongxi's mind was full of calculations, his face calm and his heart calm, "I was going to say, that, yes, I feel a little dizzy, you go to the county and buy two pairs of hemp shoes."
As he said this, he took out a wrinkled purse from his waist, poured out the only ten cents in it, and then poured four cents back.
"Two cents for the hemp shoes is enough. You can buy whatever you want with the rest of the money. Don't hesitate." Tian Nongxi stood on the ridge of the field, tiptoed to Lin Luan's shoulder, and patted him in a brotherly manner. "Don't worry, this doesn't count towards your wages, and it doesn't count towards your absence, uh, leave."
Lin Luan lowered his head and chuckled, then replied, "Okay." Then he took a few coins from Tian Nongxi's hand. His cold fingertips accidentally slid across her warm palm, leaving a brief numbness.
Lin Luan's figure disappeared in the fields.
Tian Nongxi put away his smile, looked up at the sun which had not yet reached the center of the sky, and then lowered his head to look for the wooden barrels and gourd ladles scattered in the fields.
She stacked two wooden barrels and threw two gourd ladles into them.
The empty wooden barrel is very light, and Tian Nongxi can lift it easily now.
She turned and went—
Farmland next door.
Tian Nongxi took a closer look and found that it was indeed three acres as stated on the land deed.
Zhuang Xueling was not modest, this piece of land was indeed a wasteland.
The weeds were overgrown and came up to the ankles.
Tian Nongxi rolled up his sleeves, squatted down and scooped up a handful of soil.
It is protected by weeds and blessed by rain. The land, which seems to have not been cultivated for a whole season, is not very dry and cracked. There is still some moisture when you squeeze it carefully.
This piece of land was abandoned, probably because it was too remote.
It was far from the river and there was no stream nearby to support the operation of the waterwheel.
Tian Nongxi stood up and thought about how to make use of it.
The soil of this land is suitable for growing rice, but rice requires a lot of water and this land is far from a water source. If you want to grow rice, you have to have several people carrying water back and forth.
She rubbed her sore hands, picked up the wooden barrel and walked north into the camphor forest.
It is spring now and the camphor trees have not yet made their appearance.
The pale yellow flowers bloom in clusters, looking very lush.
As soon as you step into the woods, you can smell a faint fragrance.
It only took Tian Nongxi half an hour to pick up two full buckets of leaves, and he walked back to the Tian family, carrying one bucket in each hand.
As soon as he got home, Tian Nongxi turned over the rice seeds that were drying in the yard, and then found a sack in the kitchen and poured out all the leaves in the wooden barrel.
There was no one at home, and Grandpa Tian and Grandma Tian had not returned yet.
Tian Nongxi found a pot of cold water that had been left overnight, drank it all in one gulp, wiped his mouth, put on the backpack containing the sickle and rake, and closed the door.
This time when she went out, she walked towards the south, a place she had never set foot on, and could only find the way based on her fragmented memory.
Fortunately, Tian Erniang's close friend lived in this area, and Tian Nongxi had a good sense of direction, so he found this land safely in a short time.
Looking at the acre of wasteland just a few meters away from the wooden sign with "Lijia Village" written on it, Tian Nongxi sighed, took out a sickle from his backpack, and bent down to weed.
After finally finishing weeding, she picked up the rake and carefully turned over the land.
When he looked up again, more than two hours had passed.
In early spring, the sun is anxious to set and will soon hide behind the mountains.
Tian Nongxi remembered the agreement, and while praying in his heart that Lin Luan would slow down, he quickly packed up his things.
Without time to rest, I hurried home along the same route I came.
After all, no one can compare to the early spring sun.
The moonlight is like water, Tian Nongxi thought so as he stood outside the closed door of the Tian family.
She calmed her breath which was rapid due to her rush, raised her hand and knocked on the door gently.
The low voices of conversation in the room paused, replaced by hurried footsteps.
The footsteps came closer and closer, and stopped at the door.
Tian Nongxi put on a smile that he had prepared in advance.
The person who came was not Lin Luan, not Grandpa Tian or Grandma Tian, nor Tian Yaozu.
She stared blankly at the person who was staring at her, searching her memory quickly in her mind.
After a while, a light laugh came from the courtyard, interrupting this endless staring contest.
Tian Nongxi was pulled back to reality and looked towards the source of the sound.
After washing up, Lin Luan changed into a brand new snow-white carved silk brocade robe, the cloud pattern of which was faintly visible in the moonlight.
He stood in the yard like a cedar, his eyes dim and unclear.
After a while, he said leisurely: "It took so long to walk such a short distance."
Tian Nongxi knew he was in the wrong, so he didn't refute and just raised his foot to go in.
The man standing by the door finally came back to his senses from her brilliant smile and quickly took a few steps to the side.
After she entered the door, the man spoke: "Sister Er Niang, long time no see."
Tian Nongxi looked back and met his smiling eyes.
"Brother Heng'an?" Tian Nongxi asked uncertainly.
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