Farm Girl's Manor

Time flew by, and half a month had passed.

Mo Yan meticulously arranged her days to the brim. Apart from household chores and tending to Space, she dedicated her remaining time to teaching her younger siblings.

Xin Er, who was nine years old this year, was already of age, and couldn’t remain unskilled in the era they lived in. Upon learning that she wished to learn embroidery, Mo Yan set about teaching her with great care. Xin Er was very intelligent, and within half a month, she had mastered making a simple embroidered purse that looked quite professional. She made one for herself and declared that once her craftsmanship improved, she would make one for each family member.

Zhenzhen was now six, a time when a child’s mental faculties and memory were at their peak, and he could already recognize over two hundred characters. Mo Yan often recounted enlightenment tales from her previous life, letting him glean understanding on his own, yet both his learning and comprehension abilities left Mo Yan feeling somewhat abashed as his sister.

In addition to these activities, Mo Yan also had to deliver eggs to the grocery store on the street each day. The chickens raised in Space were larger than those outside, laid bigger eggs, and tasted more delicious.

After receiving a few deliveries and hearing customers praise the exceptional taste of these eggs, the grocery store’s owner took an interest. The next time Mo Yan came around, he set up a long-term supply contract with her.

The owner had hoped Mo Yan could deliver three hundred eggs daily. However, the thirty chicks she had bought earlier hadn’t started laying yet and Lin Yong needed one hundred fifty per day, leaving only over two thousand stored eggs. Afraid she couldn’t keep up the supply, Mo Yan agreed to only deliver one hundred fifty a day. Although the owner found this quantity insufficient, he readily agreed when Mo Yan mentioned she could deliver three hundred in half a month.

Even though they sold each egg for only a wen, selling a hundred fifty a day, Mo Yan accumulated over twenty-two taels of silver in half a month. The money came easily and, despite earning less, she didn’t have to endure the sun and rain peddling at a market stall. Plus, the quantity was stable, so she felt quite satisfied with the arrangement.

Just two days ago, twenty-two out of the thirty chickens had begun laying eggs. Now, they were delivering three hundred eggs a day to the grocery store. But even at that rate, the store still didn’t have enough to sell, and the owner wanted to increase the amount. Still, to be cautious, Mo Yan didn’t agree to it.

This tranquil life, without want or worry, was almost a dream come true for Mo Yan, but she knew such days wouldn’t last forever.

Although she no longer worried about sleeping and never waking up, with Space still linked to her accumulated virtue, she felt the need to continue her efforts. Otherwise, who knows if God would think her wasteful and, as punishment, throw a bolt of lightning to strike her dead? She could accept her own demise, but if it implicated her family from her past life and this one, wouldn’t she regret it deeply?

At this moment, Mo Yan could never have imagined that her wild speculations would actually become reality!

...

During the days of their escape, the health of the family had suffered greatly. Now that they had extra money, Mo Yan took care not to neglect herself. Almost every day, she went to the butcher to buy meat bones for soup. She even slaughtered several of the Space’s roosters for stew. After enjoying hearty broths and soups for half a month, her family’s complexion had improved markedly, no longer the pale, sallow color of the past.

That day, after selling eggs and earning three hundred wen money, Mo Yan felt particularly pleased and decided to buy two pounds of pork bones from the butcher. When she spotted some pig offal on the cutting board, her mind flooded with the thought of sautéed pig intestines, yam and pig lung soup, stir-fried pig’s heart...

She hadn’t tasted these delicacies since arriving here! Thinking of these supreme delights made her mouth water uncontrollably; she happily spent thirty wen on a complete set of pig offal and walked away in high spirits.

While crossing the bridge, Mo Yan saw the edge crowded three layers deep with people. Moving closer to get a better look through the crowd, she saw a young girl in light blue clothes kneeling on the ground, her head bowed low, her face obscured. Behind her lay a frail old man, his features hidden by the girl’s body. Although Mo Yan couldn’t see them clearly, they seemed vaguely familiar.

"Ah, what a pitiful pair. Just a couple of days ago, I saw that young girl kneeling in front of the doctor’s office, begging for medical attention, but in these times without money, who can afford to hire a doctor?"

"That girl is dutiful, wanting to sell herself to save her grandfather. But who around here has the spare money to spend twenty taels of silver for a maid?"

"I heard this grandfather and granddaughter fled from the south, hoping to seek refuge with relatives. But those relatives wouldn’t even let them through the door. They would’ve been better off going to the refugee camp on the outskirts of the city; it might not have come to this!"

Upon hearing the bystanders’ remarks, Mo Yan looked more closely and felt even more that the girl’s stature was similar to Liyan’s. When they had parted ways, wasn’t Liyan wearing that same light blue garment?

With that realization, Mo Yan couldn’t stand idly by any longer. She hastily made her way through the crowd, set down her basket, squatted in front of the young girl, and urgently asked, "Yanzi, is that you?"

Liyan, in her dazed state, heard someone calling her name. She looked up with bleary, tear-swollen eyes and, upon recognizing the person before her, threw herself at Mo Yan with a wail, clutching her like a lifeline, refusing to let go.

Mo Yan was pained by her cries, but it was not the time for sorrow. Grandfather Li was in a coma, obviously in bad condition; he had to be sent to the doctor’s office immediately. Thus, she promptenly asked the surrounding kindhearted people to help carry the old man to the medical office.

In the medical office, Lizhong lay with his eyes closed tightly, his cheeks hollowed and no sign of flesh on his emaciated form. Even his partially exposed arms were just skin and bone, looking as though they might break with the slightest pressure. The hardships the old man had endured were evident.

At the bedside, a gray-haired doctor was taking his pulse, his furrowed brow indicating the direness of the old man’s condition.