CHAPTER 14: CHAPTER 11: THE SWALLOW RETURNS 11

"Is that you, Mingyue? Let me help you carry these inside. By the way, where should I put them?"

Jiang Mingyue pointed casually.

After some noise, Jiang Mingyue ended up with a pile of seeds that looked like a small hill, all tightly packed in burlap bags. She couldn’t tell what was inside.

Before leaving, the strong man handed Jiang Mingyue a slip of paper.

"Everything is recorded here. You can check it yourself. I’ll be going now. My name is Wang Tiezhu. I’ll come to the village once every three days, but only at night or early morning. If you need anything, you can wait for me."

Jiang Mingyue: "..." I have the space, so I probably won’t need it. But this bookkeeping, with clear and transparent pricing, really appealed to her. This means she just needs to pay for what she bought.

Once the man left, Jiang Mingyue closed the door and immediately swept the seeds into her space.

Jiang Mingyue tried using her spiritual power to sow the seeds, and it worked.

There were wheat, rice, upland rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, buckwheat, peanuts, sugarcane, etc. She didn’t need to soak them in water; her space gathered the essence of heaven and earth, so she wasn’t worried about them not sprouting.

After watering them, Jiang Mingyue exited her space, took a stroll around the backyard, and picked some vegetables to take to the kitchen.

During dinner time, Jiang Mingyue made a pot of steamed buns for breakfast and also made vegetable-filled dumplings, preparing some dipping sauce. She first took a portion over to Granny Shi.

After waiting for a bit, the whole family finally returned.

Her second brother excitedly asked, "Mingyue, what delicious food did you make this time? We could smell it as soon as we entered the yard!"

"You’re just greedy; hurry up and clean yourself up." Mrs. Jiang unceremoniously slapped her second son.

Jiang Zhenmei was the first to finish washing up and busied herself with setting the table.

Jiang Mingyue started bringing the dumplings to the table.

When they saw the dumplings made from refined flour again, Jiang Zhenmei and the eldest brother both seemed anxious: their little sister was too wasteful. They’d better find a way quickly, or else there might be no food left for the future.

However, Mrs. Jiang still cheerfully called to her children, "Hurry and sit down to eat. If you two don’t eat, the three of us will split it up!"

Before she even finished speaking, the two immediately sat down and dug into their bowls, not hesitating at all.

Jiang Mingyue: Mrs. Jiang knows how to handle things.

The family ate joyfully, unaware of a pair of eyes watching them. Jiang Mingyue seemed to sense it and looked over, only for the person to disappear instantly.

She was convinced it wasn’t a mistake, but the first person that came to her mind was Ning Yan.

However, tonight it really wasn’t Ning Yan.

"What’s wrong?" asked her second brother.

Jiang Mingyue knew that the sharpest person in the family was indeed her second brother.

The book said this second child was a rural troublemaker, lying and stealing, but he was nothing like that in reality.

She felt many things needed redefining.

Wait, it seemed like anyone who opposed Jiang Mingzhu in the book was completely misrepresented.

It was almost as if... the author was Jiang Zhenzhu.

Jiang Mingyue reasonably suspected that this widely circulated novel was Jiang Mingzhu’s way of rehabilitating her image after her rise to power.

Jiang Mingyue didn’t hide it. "I just felt someone was watching our house. It was quite uncomfortable. Could it be Ning Yan?"

"No, I know who it is."

Jiang Jianjun didn’t elaborate, and Jiang Mingyue didn’t press further.

After dark, her two brothers indeed took flashlights and ropes, preparing to go up the mountain.

Knowing Jiang Mingyue was determined to go along, Jiang Jianjun advised her to tuck in her pant legs and wrapped her arms in Mrs. Jiang’s sleeves for protection.

Jiang Mingyue: "..." This seemingly carefree second brother was quite attentive and warm-hearted.

Seeing that her sister was going, Jiang Zhenmei was itching to join them, "Big Brother, Second Brother, I want to go too."

"What would you do? Stay home with Mom." The second brother refused without thinking.

Mrs. Jiang just smiled: her second son favored Mingyue as a sister more than he did Zhenmei.

When Zhenzhu was here, this son never gave that sister a second glance.

"Mom doesn’t need me to keep her company. I just want to go. Mingyue also needs a company, doesn’t she?"

Those words convinced the eldest.

"Second Brother, let Zhenmei come along too."

"Let her come, but don’t let her be a burden on me."

Jiang Mingyue: "..." Second Brother is quite double-standarded.

Before leaving, Jiang Mingyue ran to Granny Shi’s place, hoping for some luck.

When she returned, she had a tiger-head flashlight, the metal kind, and a lantern that burned kerosene.

Jiang Zhenmei was stunned: her sister was truly capable. Granny Shi was reclusive and didn’t interact with people, so no one dared to borrow anything from her. But her sister not only dared but also succeeded in borrowing.

As expected by Jiang Mingyue, Jiang Jianjun and the others only held torches as they headed up the mountain. If it were windy, the torches would probably go out quickly, but luckily, there was no wind tonight, and the moon was bright.

The eldest brother automatically took the lantern, allowing Jiang Zhenmei to lead the way while Jiang Mingyue held the flashlight from behind, illuminating the path for everyone.

"Third Sister, aren’t you too tired to go hunting in the mountains after working all day?"

Jiang Zhenmei shook her head, "No, the thought of eating meat gives me strength."

Jiang Mingyue thought that people of this era were tough. Look at them: earning work points during the day and hunting at night.

"Mingyue, don’t you think it’s odd that we’re going hunting at night?"

Jiang Mingyue shook her head, "Isn’t it to avoid missing work points?"

"Yes and no. The mountain is collectively owned, and the game on it naturally belongs to the collective too. But the village is so poor that people are skin and bones, so the village head doesn’t really enforce it, turning a blind eye. As long as you can catch the game, it’s yours.

However, if the hunting becomes too successful, it will arouse jealousy, which can be troublesome. Or if someone catches a wild boar, the village head expects everyone in the village to have a share."

Jiang Mingyue: "..." Life is really tough.

Jiang Mingyue wondered what they’d do if a pig squealed later. On the mountain when it’s late at night, it would be easy to hear.

But that’s a problem they’ll deal with only if it happens.

According to Jiang Zhenmei, no one had caught a wild boar in years, so they might be extinct.

The Jiang Jian Country brothers clearly seemed experienced, and Jiang Mingyue guessed they could navigate the mountains with their eyes closed.

After scouting around, Jiang Jianjun’s hands were full. They’d caught four hares and three pheasants, much to everyone’s delight, including Jiang Mingyue.

By the latter half of the night, Jiang Mingyue was feeling both sleepy and exhausted, as if she could fall asleep while walking.

"Mingyue, Mingyue, wake up, don’t fall asleep, watch where you’re going." It was Jiang Zhenmei.

Her call made the two brothers stop and turn to look at her.

Jiang Jian Country just squatted in front of her, "Mingyue, hop on, big brother will carry you."

Jiang Mingyue quickly snapped back to alertness, "...Ahem, ahem, big brother, I’m not sleepy anymore." She was startled awake.

"That’s good, as long as you’re alert. If you’re tired, there’s a windbreak cave ahead. We’ll rest there for a while, and then head down."

Jiang Mingyue noticed that although her second brother was decisive, her elder brother’s words still carried weight.

Following this, the siblings entered the cave. Just then, they heard the sound of Jiang Jianjun sucking in his breath, and Jiang Mingyue instinctively felt something was amiss.