When Jiang Yue went to the peach orchard, the twins wanted to go with her, but Jiang Yue had important business to attend to and didn't take them. Since it was early in the morning and there weren't many people around, this saved her the trouble.
Jiang Yue didn't need to do much; she just needed to stay near the peach trees for a while. The radiation range wasn't large at the moment, only effective within a 10-meter radius. By 11 a.m., Jiang Yue had already walked through the peach orchard. At the current pace, she would be able to eat delicious peaches after two or three more visits.
Back home, her mother, Chen, grumbled for a while, wondering what Jiang Yue did in the peach orchard every day. Jiang Yue smiled and didn't say anything. She would say a few words if she wanted, and after lunch and a short nap, she took the two twins to play in the back mountain.
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Time flies, and two years have passed in the blink of an eye. In these two years, more and more people have come here to make a living, and it has gradually developed into a small village. The back mountain and wasteland have long been developed, and the harvest is quite good, but the few acres of peach orchards have become the most profitable place.
Because Jiang Yue visited the peach orchard frequently, some of the peach trees are now bearing exceptionally high-quality fruit, which has been snapped up by a prince's family. The Jiang family now has someone to protect them. You see, there are many envious people these days. About six months after buying the land, someone tried to forcibly buy it away. There was even an instance where someone went directly to the government office to change the land deed to their own. It was only after Bai Ze killed some fools that things improved considerably.
Even in peacetime, you might not be able to protect yourself without a powerful backer, let alone in times of war. Moreover, it seems the old emperor is about to die, and the struggle between the princes has become fierce. Every day, officials are being beheaded at the execution ground, all because they chose the wrong side. Jiang Yue has gone into the city with her father a few times, and the Ninth Prince is still quietly developing his power. There is no news of him in the entire capital.
Speaking of which, the female lead has been in this world for a year now. According to the plot, not long after the emperor died, foreign tribes invaded, and the female lead accidentally ran in the opposite direction to the Ninth Prince's territory. She was then pulled into the army to do laundry and cook. Finally, she developed a better sword and started to catch the Ninth Prince's eye, thus beginning her journey as an ancient inventor. As for now, she probably hasn't even started fleeing the famine yet.
Today was the day Jiang's father was to deliver peaches to the prince's family in the capital. Jiang's father and Bai Ze set off early in the morning with their men. The people who stayed in the village were also busy. Recently, strangers had been coming to this area from time to time. The remaining villagers were building fortifications and had also organized patrol teams to patrol the surrounding area.
During lunch, Chen told Jiang Yue not to run around: "Yue'er, your father said that things are not peaceful these days, so don't go out to play. Also, keep an eye on those two troublemakers."
"Mom, we're not troublemakers."
The twins retorted in unison, saying that six-year-olds are sensible and know what a troublemaker is. Chen started teaching them when they were five, and now that they go to school, the family doesn't feel comfortable with them, so they can only teach them at home. It has to be said that very few children have ever liked learning, and these two from the Jiang family are among the majority who don't like learning. Jiang Yue gets so angry at Chen every day that she has to procrastinate on her homework, which is only a few characters long.
Mrs. Chen rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Who are you? None of your three children are easy to deal with."
Jiang Yue was caught in the crossfire and was about to say something when Chen Shi cut her off: "What do you want to say? What girl doesn't stay at home learning embroidery and managing the household? She runs out to play every day. You're already a fourteen-year-old girl. When I was your age, I was already married to your father."
Hearing Chen bring up the topic of marriage, Jiang Yue quickly lowered her head and ate, not daring to say a word. Even if it weren't ancient times, as long as you transmigrated to a world with parents, you couldn't avoid being pressured to marry. Jiang Yue thought that if she couldn't avoid it, she'd just get a puppet to pretend to be one. As for the children, there was nothing she could do. The twins were also good at reading each other's expressions. Seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, she lowered her head and started eating again. Chen looked at the three of them eating with their heads down and said, "Wait until your father comes back and he talks to you. I can't control this anymore, hmph!"
After dinner, Jiang Yue helped Chen wash the dishes and then ran back to her room. The twin siblings also ran very fast. Seeing that Chen was in a bad mood today, they were afraid of being scolded. They were both perceptive people. Jiang Yue had just returned to her room and was about to take a nap when Lili ran in. She insisted on sleeping with her sister tonight, so Jiang Yue had no choice but to sleep with her.
While Jiang Yue was getting her pillow, Lili was secretly laughing on the bed. "I'm a very clever child. It's so cool next to my sister, even more comfortable than a room with ice." By the time Jiang Yue found her pillow and blanket, hers had already been taken. Jiang Yue got into bed and patted the little pig rolling around everywhere in annoyance: "Stop fooling around, go to sleep."
When Jiang Yue woke up, her father still hadn't returned. Chen was worried, as he should have been back long ago. When Chen saw Jiang Yue come out, she said to her, "Yue'er, you stay home and look after Xuanxuan and Lili. I'm going to the village entrance to see if your father has returned. After I leave, close the door and wait for your father and me to come back before opening it, okay?"
Jiang Yue nodded and Chen Shi left. After Jiang Yue and the others left, she closed the door and went back to her room to tutor the twins in memorizing their lessons. With the puppet around, Jiang Yue wasn't worried about her father's safety. The puppet was invincible in this world, and with Bai Ze following along, there was even less to worry about. She guessed that something had delayed him.
They waited until nightfall. Even though Jiang Yue knew nothing bad would happen, she was still a little worried. Chen Shi was already planning to organize people to go to the capital to look for them when a villager on the watchtower suddenly shouted, "Captain! Someone's coming! They look like the village chief and his men!"
"Look carefully, don't mistake one person for another. Be on guard, everyone else!"
After waiting a while and getting closer, they confirmed that it was Jiang's father, Bai Ze, and his group. Only after confirming that there were no problems did they remove the roadblocks. When the convoy entered the village, everyone was covered in dust and dirt. Chen ran over to Jiang's father to check if he was injured. Although he was covered in dust and dirt, at least he wasn't hurt. Chen patted the dust off Jiang's father and asked, "Dad, why are you only coming back today? What happened?"
"We almost couldn't get out because the capital was under martial law. We heard the emperor was critically ill. We had to take a long detour to get back. People on the road were arrested by the soldiers. It seems like something big is about to happen."
"Huh? The crown prince hasn't even been decided yet, so the emperor can't be chosen?"
"Sigh, how would we commoners know what the Emperor is thinking? By the way, where are Yue'er and Xuanxuan?"
"I left them at home, and I told Yue'er to close the gate before I left, so everything should be fine."
After talking with Chen for a while, Jiang's father sent her home. He and Bai Ze arranged matters in the village and asked the patrol team to call everyone up for a meeting. After a while, when everyone had arrived, Jiang's father told everyone about what had happened that day: "That's how it is. If the Emperor doesn't make it through, something bad will definitely happen. Before things settle down, no one should leave the village. If you need anything, borrow it from your neighbors."
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