Chapter 8

The meat buns Jiang Wei took out were not something ordinary farm families could afford; they were large soup buns with thin skin and large fillings, each as big as an adult's fist.

Jiang Xiaoxiao drank a large bowl of milk and ate such a large meat soup bun, and she was already stuffed.

Jiang Wei, on the other hand, ate the two meat buns without leaving a crumb.

After eating and drinking their fill, the mother and daughter went to the river to fetch water and cleaned the house inside and out.

The weeds in the courtyard were all cut down and piled outside the kitchen to be used for firewood after drying.

The gravel path was also washed clean with water.

The sun gradually rose, and the old trees shading the house had twisted branches, their crowns towering into the clouds, blocking the sky and sun, with shade everywhere and cool breezes blowing.

Jiang Xiaoxiao let out a comfortable breath under the tree.

It had to be said that this place was really good; it was close to the foot of the mountain, the terrain was high, and there was a bamboo grove behind the house. When the weather got hot in a while, it would still be cool here.

Having read the original book, she knew that in a while, the weather would get hot, it wouldn't rain for a long time, the fields would crack, the river water would dry up, and the nearby villages, including Yuhe Village, would almost have a total crop failure.

With poor harvests, every household would be too poor to open the pot, and when winter came, they would encounter a snow disaster, and many people in the village would die.

By the second year, they would encounter a locust plague, and the crops in the fields would be eaten clean.

Years of war caused social unrest and a deficit in the imperial treasury, the imperial court increased taxes, and local officials became increasingly unscrupulous in exploiting the people, making the lives of the already poor even worse.

By then, every household would be unable to survive and could only take their whole family to flee the famine.

The grass roots and tree bark along the way would be gnawed clean, and many refugees would die on the road to fleeing the famine.

Along the way, everything in sight would be the bones of refugees who starved to death...

Thinking of this, Jiang Xiaoxiao's mood became a bit heavy.

She didn't feel anything when reading the book, but now as a person in the book, these natural disasters and wars were all things she would have to experience in the future, so she couldn't be happy.

As a five-year-old girl, she was powerless to change anything and could only ensure that she survived in this era of famine and war.

While thinking, Jiang Wei on the side had already carried the back basket and asked: "I'm going to the mountain; are you coming?"

The mountain?!

Jiang Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up; wasn't this the place where the female lead showed her skills and became rich!

"I'm going!"

Leaving the courtyard gate and looking out, there were endless fields of crops, and in the distance, there were a few thatched cottages with smoke curling up.

The villagers were bent over working in the fields.

Jiang Xiaoxiao couldn't help but frown; it was currently the rice heading and flowering period, the time when water was most needed, but the heavens were slow to rain.

Yuhe Village was still okay; there was a river running through the village, and water could be manually lifted for irrigation.

The nearby villages were not so lucky; they were probably already starting to worry about the irrigation problem of the rice fields.

"What's wrong?" Seeing her staring blankly, Jiang Wei couldn't help but cast her gaze toward the distant fields and crops.

"Are you feeling sad because we didn't get any fields when we divided the family? But it doesn't matter, Mother will earn money in the future..."

"It's not that, Mother..." Jiang Xiaoxiao shook her head and sighed. "I just think the weather is so hot, and it hasn't rained for a long time. If those rice plants don't drink enough water, will they die..."

"Water...?" Jiang Wei was stunned upon hearing this.

She subconsciously looked up at the sky; it was clear and cloudless. According to the season, it was currently the rainy season, but there was no sign of rain at all.

Jiang Wei's expression became serious.

Jiang Xiaoxiao watched calmly, feeling a little relieved in her heart.

She knew what was about to happen in the original plot, and since she couldn't say it clearly, she could only hint to her mother through side remarks.

Now it seemed that her mother had understood her meaning; natural disasters and droughts were imminent, and they had to be prepared as early as possible.

Jiang Wei didn't speak again, but silently held Jiang Xiaoxiao's hand and went up the mountain.

Their house was at the tail of the village, right next to the foot of the mountain, so it didn't take much time to go up the mountain.

At noon, the weather became increasingly dry and hot, and the sun above was bright, making people dizzy.

Jiang Xiaoxiao didn't have the strength to walk for long.

There was no way; her body was very weak due to long-term starvation and malnutrition. Even though her diet had improved in the last two days, the long-term deficiency caused her body to be very weak.

Seeing this, Jiang Wei picked her up without a word, put her into the back basket behind her, and then stuffed something into her hand.

Jiang Xiaoxiao opened her palm and looked; it was actually a piece of chocolate!?

Jiang Xiaoxiao: "..."

She was very sensible and didn't ask anything more, silently unwrapped the packaging, and started eating the chocolate in small bites.

Chocolate was a good thing for restoring physical strength. After eating the whole piece of chocolate, the weakness Jiang Xiaoxiao had felt before was gone.

She wanted to get down and walk, but Jiang Wei didn't let her.

"You'd better stay in the back basket; if you get down and walk, you'll only slow me down."

"..." Jiang Xiaoxiao sighed deeply and helplessly: "Alright, Mother."

The mountain road was not easy to walk, but Jiang Wei walked as if on flat ground, and Jiang Xiaoxiao didn't feel a single bump on her back.

Gradually entering the deep mountains, the trees in the mountains were lush, the soil was loose and fertile, and many wild vegetables grew.

It was currently the busy farming season, so no villagers came up the mountain to pick wild vegetables.

Jiang Wei glanced a few times, thought of the endless vegetables and fruits in her space, and didn't pick them, leaving them for those who needed them in the future.

She had already taken Jiang Xiaoxiao's words to heart; the weather was dry, and this year's harvest probably wouldn't be very optimistic. By then, there would be no shortage of villagers coming into the mountain to pick wild vegetables.

The supplies in her space were enough for her to eat for several lifetimes, so there was no need to grab those few wild vegetables from the poor.

Just then, a rustling sound came from not far away.

Looking up, a shadow was vaguely revealed in the lush bushes.

The first thing that came into view was the branching deer antlers, and under the antlers were trumpet-like ears, as if they were eavesdropping on the movement around them, ready to flee at any time.

It was an adult stag!

The eyes of the mother and daughter lit up at the same time!

Deer were timid by nature and usually foraged at night or at dawn and dusk, and usually rested in bushes during the day.

Meeting a deer at this time was simply hitting the jackpot!

Jiang Wei couldn't help but be a little excited now. She hurriedly put down the back basket, signaled Jiang Xiaoxiao to wait in place, and parted the bushes to walk quietly toward the deer.

Jiang Xiaoxiao was equally excited. She swallowed nervously as she looked at the bushes in the distance, although she knew that this was the effect of the female lead's halo that allowed them to encounter such an extremely precious wild animal as a deer.

But this stag was so big, looking like it weighed three or four hundred pounds; could her mother handle it alone?

Just as she was thinking this, the stag seemed to be stimulated, stumbling out of the bushes, and charged toward Jiang Xiaoxiao's direction with the pair of antlers on its head!

(End of chapter)