Farm Girl's Manor

Despite the wild fruits being quite tasty when ripe, there were simply too many to finish. Mo Yan didn’t want the hard-earned fruits to rot in the cellar, so she sorted them and washed those suitable for brewing into wine, gradually making batches of liquor, while the rest were turned into various kinds of candied fruits on sticks.

She shared some of the candied fruits with the friendly families in the village, and the majority were taken to the grain shop. Initially, she thought that selling a few would be good enough, and keeping the leftovers to eat slowly wasn’t bad either. Unexpectedly, there were quite a number of buyers, mostly customers who came to buy rice and were attracted by the good appearance and variety. They thought it looked delicious and were happy to pay for a few to give to their children as snacks.

On the night of August 24th, clusters of oppressive black clouds slowly covered the scattered stars in the sky, and before long, a torrential downpour began, accompanied by a continuous roar of thunder.

This storm had come without any warning. A clap of thunder exploded beside her ear, awakening the already fast asleep Mo Yan. She sat up in alarm, clutching her wildly beating heart, her mind in turmoil, as if something bad had happened.

Liu Tinglan, also deep in slumber, was startled awake by Mo Yan’s sudden movement. She sleepily opened her eyes, reached out to the left, and grabbed her good sister’s slightly sweaty right hand, asking with concern, "Yanyan, what’s wrong? Are you scared of the thunder?"

Mo Yan absentmindedly shook her head, her face pale with the unclear panic that made her look unwell. She massaged her head, trying to sort out the source of her restlessness, worried that it might be a bad omen like the nightmares she had experienced last year, signaling that something bad was about to happen.

In the darkness, flashes of lightning illuminated the room through the window, and Liu Tinglan could clearly see her friend’s pallor. Seeing her shake her head, she guessed that she might have had a nightmare and comforted her by patting her hand, saying, "Yanyan, don’t be afraid. Dreams are the opposite of reality, whatever you saw in the dream won’t come true."

Unable to make sense of the ominous feeling herself, Mo Yan was not in a position to explain further at the moment, so she simply nodded and went along, saying, "I had a nightmare. I’ll be fine after sitting for a while. Go back to sleep; you don’t need to worry about me."

Liu Tinglan nodded groggily, wanting to say more comforting words but couldn’t resist the overwhelming drowsiness. Her head tilted, and she fell back asleep.

Mo Yan sat against the headboard, listening to the thunderclaps outside, and found it impossible to fall back asleep. Her unease grew deeper and deeper.

Her father was recovering well; with the Spirit Spring Water and food rich in Spiritual Energy, the external wounds had healed, and he should fully recover in less than a month, not affecting the autumn examinations next month; her two younger brothers were doing well in their studies, and the school had a good academic atmosphere and strict management, so it was unlikely anything would go wrong there.

As for her household, having offended no one and with no leverage held against them for threats, nothing bad should happen... Mo Yan furrowed her brow, thinking it over, but could not foresee any misfortune that might happen. She almost doubted that the intense panic that had surged in her heart earlier was her imagination.

Drowsiness crept over her. Mo Yan yawned involuntarily, her gaze becoming foggy. Considering she had to wake up early the next day, she reluctantly pushed aside the thoughts at the back of her mind and slowly lay back down. Just as she was about to close her eyes and drift off to sleep, a sudden realization flashed through her mind, making her eyes snap open...

The downpour lasted all night long. The next day, the weather cleared, and the rising sun shone brilliantly. However, the ground had been made soggy and soft by the rain. Stepping on it, one could sink their entire shoe in, causing a great inconvenience for travelers.

Of course, this annoyance did not dampen the spirits of those hunting in Phoenix Mountain in the slightest.