"He's back, my brother is back," Qin Xiaoyu was the first to shout upon seeing Qin Daniu and his sister.
Hearing Qin Xiaoyu's cry, everyone gathered again. Upon seeing the basket Qin Daniu was holding filled with lush green grass, most of the women's eyes welled up.
It had been two years, almost two years since they had seen such vibrant, dewy grass.
"Heavens, oh my heavens, quickly, kowtow, thank Buddha, thank the Earth God..." Seeing that Qin Junyao had indeed brought back green grass, Grandma Qin immediately clasped her hands together and began to pray.
The people surrounding Qin Junyao gasped again when they saw her holding the jar of clear water. It was Old Man Hou who managed to quiet them down, lest passersby take notice.
After asking Qin Junyao and learning that there was no more grass or water in the area, everyone felt a sense of reluctance.
Qin Sen, looking at the water so clear one could see the bottom of the jar, sent his second brother to the place Qin Junyao had just been.
They found nothing but a small damp pit. The place, indistinguishable from any other, did not seem like it could grow green grass.
Uncle Qin Sen muttered to himself, could it truly be the manifestation of Guanyin Bodhisattva?
He didn't know that the land watered by the spatial water remained moist for three days in the arid and hot weather. That small patch of yellow earth, with the growth and succession of plants, would turn into black, fertile soil in the days to come.
Qin Junyao paid no mind to their astonishment and suspicion. First, she had Mother Qin help her clean the wound on the back of her head. Then, while Grandma Qin was looking at the green grass, she took charge and instructed those who hadn't gone over to drink some water first.
In Qin Junyao's hands, this jar provided water to everyone in the Qin and Hou families, and no matter how much they drank, the jar never seemed to empty.
While distributing water, Qin Junyao noticed that the water level in the well within her space was decreasing. Unlike the inexhaustible spiritual springs depicted in novels she had read, it was not endless.
The grass she had pulled from her space did not grow back, and the exposed black soil told Qin Junyao that the grass in this space was finite.
"Slurp!"
"Sizzle!"
"Gulp!"
Holding her rice bowl, Qin Junyao listened uncomfortably to the sounds of various people drinking the sparse porridge of wild grass and corn, and sighed again.
As someone picky about food, she now faced a dilemma: either eat or die. She could only force the grass-heavy, rice-light porridge into her mouth.
Fortunately, the grass that Qin Xiaoyu called "top-grade duck feed" didn't taste particularly bad.
"Sister, can you take me next time you look for grass?" A little boy named Fuzi, who had appeared beside Qin Junyao at some point, asked.
Fuzi, besides being clever and quick-witted, had the ability to discern others' emotions, especially their good or ill intentions.
That's why, after escaping from his abductors, this little boy didn't run away when Grandma Qin found him; Grandma Qin bore him no ill will.
Now, he was very interested in this sister who had suddenly transformed from emanating strong malice towards him to being full of friendliness.
Fuzi firmly believed Grandma Qin's words: this sister was possessed, but by a benevolent ghost.
"No," Qin Junyao refused flatly.
"Sister, you're so stingy. Sister, can you really not conjure steamed buns? I've lost weight," Little Fuzi said, pinching the small "swimming ring" on his belly.
Qin Junyao glanced at his protruding little belly and twitched her lips, remaining silent.
"Sister, why are you like me and my brother, not talkative? Two gourds on a vine, all of them are silent gourds."
Qin Junyao slumped her shoulders. Were children in ancient times this familiar with strangers?
"Fuzi, do you chat with all strangers like this?"
"Sister, we've known each other for a day and a night and slept together; we're no longer strangers."
Little Fuzi's face clearly indicated he thought this sister was a bit silly, which left Qin Junyao speechless.
"Fuzi, what's your full name, and how old are you? Where is the brother you mentioned? Do you remember how you got separated from your family?" Su Dan Novel Network
"Also, Fuzi, knowing someone for a day doesn't make them familiar. For a child like you, everyone other than your family is a stranger. You shouldn't chat so casually."
Qin Junyao, having taught students in modern times, naturally had an educational tone when speaking to children.
Fuzi, holding his bowl, widened his eyes and tilted his head, looking at Qin Junyao strangely. "Sister, you want me to not be familiar with you, yet you want me to answer your questions. You're so silly."
"You have to answer me first before telling me we're not familiar. You're truly a silly ghost grown from a silent gourd."
After speaking, Fuzi heartily downed the soup in his bowl and then... ran off.
Qin Junyao, holding her bowl, stared at Fuzi's retreating back, utterly exasperated.
What kind of family raised this child? A ghost grown from a gourd? Like the Calabash Brothers?
After a "filling" meal, the Qin and Hou families set off on their journey. Everyone was incredibly curious about how Qin Junyao managed to find green grass and the jar of endless water. Fortunately, with Grandma Qin and Old Man Hou present, no one crowded around Qin Junyao to ask.
The priority now was to reach the nearest city.
Despite their caution, they had attracted attention. A group of six began to follow them stealthily.
.
As the Qin and Hou families departed, Suozi also set off with his men. Riding horses and driving carriages, their pace was swift, aiming to find Fuzi as quickly as possible.
"Suozi, the carriage is too fast; there are patients inside," Madam Qian called out to Suozi from outside, lifting the curtain.
"Whoa~~" Suozi reined in the horses, slowing them down to run parallel to the carriage Madam Qian and the others were in.
He glanced inside through the carriage window, then at Madam Qian, curled his lips, and drove his horse to the front. He didn't care about the people in the carriage; finding Fuzi was more important.
Madam Qian's concern for an unfamiliar person on the carriage seemed greater than for her own son, which Suozi couldn't understand. Was she interested in that old man?
Suozi's reaction caused Madam Qian to choke. She forcefully lowered the curtain. None of the people brought by Zhao Liangcai were good.
She hadn't seen the child Youcai since Zhao Liangcai took him away. This time, she had come to seek refuge with Zhao Liangcai, and only saw Fuzi when he came to pick her up. To her surprise, he wasn't affectionate towards her even upon meeting.
Zhao Liangcai must have said many bad things about her to Youcai.
"Cousin, why are we leaving Changshun Prefecture, where we were living perfectly fine, to come to this place? Look at the people outside, they're all so dirty."
"And why are we saving this old man, and having him in the same carriage with us?" Zhao Rui, annoyed by the carriage's bumping, asked.
"My dear Rui'er, this old gentleman looks truly pitiful. It's all my fault, Cousin, for making Cousin suffer."
Zhao Rui looked at her cousin Qian Duo's pitiable face. Even as a woman herself, she felt a twinge of softness. She let out a soft hum and leaned against the carriage wall, falling silent.
Madam Qian shifted into a more comfortable position and patted her daughter's arm, saying, "We came here for your marriage, after all. Duo'er, don't blame yourself. However, we'll need to buy another carriage in the next city. It's not appropriate for this person to be in the same carriage as us."
Qian Duo smiled and nodded in agreement, "Everything is as Auntie says." She then lowered her head to check on the elderly man lying down. He would be a significant help to her in the future.
As for why she had to leave the comfortable life in Changshun Prefecture, it was because she didn't want to live the life she had in her previous existence. This time, she wanted to be Zhao Liangcai's wife; she wanted to be someone of status.