"Luo Luo, you are too kind. From now on, Xiao Rong Ge and I will leave our safety to you," Yue Qingxin said, hugging Luo Luo tighter.
Sima Han looked at Yue Qingxin helplessly. Why entrust their safety to a cat?
"Xinxin, can't your husband protect you and Rong'er's safety?"
"No, it's just that I want Luo Luo to protect us. Luo Luo is so powerful, he will definitely protect us, right, Luo Luo?"
"Since you trust this cat so much, this cat will naturally protect you and Xiao Rong Ge well," Luo Luo said proudly.
"Thank you, Luo Luo." Yue Qingxin's smile widened upon receiving Luo Luo's response.
"There's something else," Shen Xiaoyan said, seeing everyone happy.
"What else is there?" Sima Han was surprised. This was already a very significant matter, and there was still something unsaid.
Yue Qingxin was playing with Luo Luo, but her peripheral vision caught sight of Baibai.
"Could it be that Baibai can talk too?"
Yue Qingxin's eyes lit up as she spoke.
Shen Xiaoyan felt as if she could see little pink bubbles popping out of Yue Qingxin's eyes.
"No, it's not," Shen Xiaoyan said helplessly.
"Oh, it's not?" Yue Qingxin was a little disappointed. But then she thought, just having Luo Luo was enough to be content. So, she asked, "Then what is it?"
"Hua Diandian can talk. He couldn't before, but he can since he returned last time. I asked him what happened, and he said he ate a blue flower deep in Baiyun Peak, and that's why he can talk."
Shen Xiaoyan finished speaking in one breath and then looked at Yue Qingxin and the other two.
"Where is Hua Diandian?" Shen Xiaoming asked first.
"Hiding somewhere sleeping," Luo Luo replied lazily.
"I'll go find him," Shen Xiaoming said, then rushed out of the room like the wind, disappearing in an instant.
"I heard Xiaoming say that you also brought Luo Luo back from Baiyun Peak, is it..."
"No, this cat could talk from birth."
Sima Han was interrupted by Luo Luo before he could even finish speaking. He then realized he had been mistaken.
A flower that could make animals talk after eating it must be incredibly rare; it's not something one would just stumble upon.
As the people in the room fell into silence, Huo Fen's voice was heard from outside.
"Madam, Uncle Huo is back."
Shen Xiaoyan's eyes brightened. She called Huo Fen in and asked in detail. It turned out that Huo Si had already bought brown rice and coarse grains, and in considerable quantities—a full ten carts.
Although the quantity was large, the prices of these two types of grains were very cheap, so it didn't cost much. Shen Xiaoyan certainly didn't feel the pinch.
"Tell them to start cooking. Keep it simple. Just boil the brown rice until cooked. As for the coarse grains, you can do whatever you see fit. Oh, right, are they ground into flour?"
"Yes, Madam. Uncle Huo said that buying the grains would be cheaper, but grinding them ourselves would take too much time and effort. It's better to buy the coarse grain flour from the county directly."
"Mm, you may go. Tell me when it's ready."
Huo Fen agreed and withdrew.
"Sister, are these for them to eat?" Yue Qingxin asked.
"Of course. They are working for us for free, we can't let them starve," Shen Xiaoyan said with a smile.
She imagined that Princess Zande must have been fed with fine clothes and delicious food since birth and would never have eaten such things.
And Baili Ziyun, that one was even more pampered. Although not a princess, she was more cherished than a princess. There would be a good show to watch at mealtime.
A while later, Huo Fen came to report that it was ready.
Shen Xiaoyan excitedly stood up and prepared to take people and food to the orchard. Zheng Wei wouldn't let her go alone, so he also joined her.
As for Sima Han, he went to play with the four children.
And Yue Qingxin, her novelty hadn't worn off yet, and she was still playing with Luo Luo.
Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei led people to the orchard and saw that the construction site was still bustling with activity, with no one slacking off.
Even Princess Zande and Baili Ziyun were slightly slower in their movements, but they were still working continuously.
Shen Xiaoyan gestured with her eyes for Huo Fen to beat the copper gong to call everyone for a meal.
When the guards heard the gong, they indeed put down their iron balls and walked over in an orderly fashion.
Lunch was very simple, just as Shen Xiaoyan had instructed: brown rice porridge and steamed coarse grain buns.
The buns were steamed very hard, clearly made from unleavened dough, making them unappetizing.
However, these guards didn't complain. Each person took a bowl of brown rice porridge and two coarse grain buns, and started eating standing up on the spot.
They ate very quickly. After finishing, they put their bowls aside and returned to digging.
Baili Ziyun and Princess Zande supported each other and walked at the end of the line. Their pace was slow, so by the time all the guards had finished and returned to work, the two of them had just reached Shen Xiaoyan.
"You are really quite slow," Shen Xiaoyan said disdainfully. Then she sighed, "Fortunately, I am generous and made extra food, otherwise, you would likely be working on empty stomachs this afternoon."
Baili Ziyun was already starving, her stomach pressed against her back. But when she saw the brown rice porridge in the bucket and the dark, hard buns, she felt as if she were already full.
Although she felt full, she had no appetite. Her stomach, however, was extremely hungry.
Hearing Baili Ziyun's stomach rumbling, Shen Xiaoyan let out a soft laugh. "Hungry? Then hurry up and eat, or it will get cold."
"I won't eat. What is this food? It's not fit for dogs, and you dare to give it to us."
Baili Ziyun said this and reached out to tip over the bucket.
"If you dare to tip it over, I will make you go hungry for three days, and of course, you will still have to work," Shen Xiaoyan said coolly.
One of the things she could not tolerate was waste of food.
"I'll eat," Princess Zande said expressionlessly.
She served herself a bowl of rice porridge, took a mouthful, swallowed it without even frowning, and then picked up a coarse grain bun and took a bite.
A considerable amount of time had passed. The buns were already a bit cold. Biting into them felt like eating dregs, but Princess Zande was still eating them bite by bite.
"Mother, how can you eat this stuff?" Baili Ziyun exclaimed.
Princess Zande swallowed the bun in her mouth, ate another mouthful of porridge, and then said, "If you don't want to eat it, then go hungry."
After speaking, she ignored Baili Ziyun and continued eating herself.
Only after eating two buns and a large bowl of rice porridge did Princess Zande wipe her mouth and look at Shen Xiaoyan, saying, "Can I go feed him something?"
"Of course," Shen Xiaoyan shrugged indifferently.
If Princess Zande had still considered asking Shen Xiaoyan to cook separately for Baili Hao earlier, she no longer had such thoughts now.
Because she knew Shen Xiaoyan would not agree; what she wanted was to wear them down.
Seeing them suffer, seeing them go through hardship, made Shen Xiaoyan happy.
She knew she couldn't kill them, so she chose another way to get revenge, to avenge Baili Ziyun's desecration of Zhen's tomb.
As the old saying goes, a father's debt is paid by the son.
Now Princess Zande understood another saying: a son's debt is paid by the father.
She, a dignified princess, had now been reduced to digging ditches herself and could only eat coarse grains. Why was that?