Shen Xiaoyan sat down on a wooden chair and suddenly recalled a line from a sitcom she had watched in her previous life. She couldn't help but say, "It's true, you never know the value of bread until you're hungry, or the warmth of clothes until you're cold."
Although Shen Xiaoyan's voice was not loud, no one in the room was speaking at the moment, so everyone heard her words. Yue Qingxin even agreed, saying, "What my sister said is absolutely true."
Shen Xiaoyan hadn't expected herself to actually say that line, nor that Yue Qingxin would praise her for it.
"Big sister, you flatter me. I didn't come up with this myself. I forgot where I read it," Shen Xiaoyan explained.
Upon hearing Shen Xiaoyan's words, Yue Qingxin's expression turned serious, and she said earnestly, "Little sister, there's no need to be humble. I've also read many books, and there are plenty that expound on various grand principles. However, to find something so simple, direct, yet profoundly accurate is rare. This indeed shows your erudition."
Shen Xiaoyan agreed wholeheartedly with Yue Qingxin's earlier statement.
Many books only talk about grand principles, but when it comes to practical application, they turn out to be nothing but empty words.
However, when Yue Qingxin later praised her for being erudite, Shen Xiaoyan couldn't help but laugh, "Big sister, please don't say that. I've only been learning to read for a few years. Am I erudite? Then, are those who have been studying since childhood saints?"
"Mimi... be careful with your words."
As soon as Shen Xiaoyan finished speaking, she heard Zheng Wei's helpless voice in her ear.
Shen Xiaoyan looked at him with some surprise and saw Zheng Wei looking at her with a face full of helplessness.
What was going on? Had she done something wrong?
"Sister-in-law, how can one casually speak of saints? It's fine among us, but if you're with outsiders in the future, it would be best to be more careful. Although we don't fear trouble, casually speaking of saints can indeed cause us some issues," Lu Taobao said with rare seriousness, his tone solemn.
Shen Xiaoyan's lips parted silently. She scanned the faces of everyone present, and seeing their solemn expressions, she understood that it was indeed her.
"Alright, I understand. I will be mindful in the future," Shen Xiaoyan promised.
"Big sister, you don't need to be so tense, as if facing a great enemy. We just won't talk about them," Shen Xiaoming said with a smile to comfort her.
Shen Xiaoyan smiled gently at Shen Xiaoming upon hearing this, but said nothing.
She had accepted this: the lack of freedom of speech and the constraints on actions.
However, it was also due to her own limited resources and her low position.
One day, when she reached the highest point in this world, no one would dare to criticize her for whatever she said.
It wasn't that she couldn't bear the restrictions; it was just that a certain degree of freedom of speech was necessary.
Otherwise, every time she spoke, she would have to think several times in her mind whether it was permissible to say it. Such a life would be truly tragic.
Zheng Wei and the others merely saw Shen Xiaoyan fall silent, her face expressionless, and assumed she hadn't taken the previous incident to heart.
If they had known that this trivial matter had made Shen Xiaoyan resolute to achieve something great in the future, they might have coughed up blood.
"Our village's issue is resolved. Should we do the same for other places? Will it be difficult then?" Lu Taobao suddenly asked.
"What do you mean?" Yi Zhiye's eyes widened slightly, looking at Lu Taobao in surprise, not understanding why he would say that.
Lu Taobao adjusted his posture and took a moment to organize his thoughts before speaking, "I just see that even here in our village, everything requires discussion with the village head to be accomplished. If we go to other villages, what if their village heads disagree?"
Hearing this, Zheng Wei and the others nodded in unison. This was indeed a problem.
Although they were acting with good intentions and helping every village, not everyone might appreciate it.
Strangers might suspect them of having ulterior motives.
After all, there's a saying: "Unsolicited favors often hide a sinister intent."
Even if they truly had no such intentions, such circumstances would make people doubt their motives.
Furthermore, what if the authorities found out and, in the name of the court, demanded they donate their grain and supplies? How would they handle that when they were trying to help with disaster relief?
For a moment, everyone fell into deep thought because of Lu Taobao's question.
Lu Taobao, who had been waiting for an answer for a long time, felt a sense of unease when he saw everyone looking so preoccupied.
"Why is no one speaking? Did I say something wrong?" Lu Taobao asked anxiously.
Shen Xiaoyan raised her eyes and looked at him as if he were an idiot, saying, "We are all thinking about the problem you just raised."
Lu Taobao looked at Shen Xiaoyan's face. Although she was answering his question seriously, why did he feel like she was implying, "Are you stupid?"
Even if he felt that way, he couldn't ask Shen Xiaoyan if that's what she was thinking.
Otherwise, wouldn't he truly be the fool?
"Then, you all think slowly. I'll go to the kitchen first," Lu Taobao said, standing up and heading outside.
"What are you going to the kitchen for?" Namu Zhong asked Lu Taobao, confused.
Lu Taobao cast a disdainful glance at Namu Zhong, which then shifted to pity.
Namu Zhong, under his gaze, became utterly confused by the change in his expression.
"What's with that look?"
Lu Taobao sighed, shook his head, and said, "I pity you. As a foodie, you're so hungry you've gone numb, you don't even realize you're hungry. Shouldn't I pity you?"
Namu Zhong's mouth fell open in surprise at his words. After a moment, she slowly turned her head towards Yi Zhiye beside her and asked, "What time is it? Is it time for lunch?"
Yi Zhiye leaned forward, approached Namu Zhong, and gently patted her on the head. "Muzhong, it'll be dinner time soon."
"What?" Namu Zhong exclaimed.
Seeing the disbelief on Namu Zhong's face, Shen Xiaoyan and the others couldn't help but feel amused and helpless.
"I didn't even have lunch. How is that possible?" Namu Zhong said, standing up and walking over to Lu Taobao. "Let's go! What are you dawdling for? I don't even know what you're so busy with, and I missed lunch. It's such a loss. How could I treat my stomach like this..."
Namu Zhong's words seemed to linger in the air, but she had already walked out with Lu Taobao.
Listening to Namu Zhong's nagging and Lu Taobao's low chuckles fading into the distance, the people in the room simultaneously revealed a helpless smile.
Meanwhile, Yi Zhiye's expression was the most embarrassed.
He had thought that with all the recent events, Namu Zhong would no longer be the same foodie she was before.
However, the incident just now made him face reality.
No matter what happened, it was impossible to change the fact that Namu Zhong was a foodie.
It made sense, really. A hundred years ago, after a major event, Namu Zhong's temperament hadn't changed much. How could a small incident like this possibly change her nature?
"Regarding the matter just now, what are your thoughts?" Zheng Wei asked, looking at everyone.