Chapter 24 - 024 Harvest

Old Man looked at his granddaughter with a meaningful gaze. He was not as easy to deceive as Xinhua and the other youngsters. Although these eggs were roughly the size of wild pheasant eggs, their color was much lighter, and this place was right by the side of the road, with people coming and going. How could there be wild pheasants laying eggs here? It seemed that Ah Nan hadn't told the truth last night; she had a secret. No matter how clever Mr. Ren was, he would never imagine that there was a Space on Tian Sisi. He did think, however, that the dream about the white ape that Tian Sisi spoke of must be true. Just now, it must have been the white ape that had come by. The white ape probably didn't want to meet them, mere mortals, so it took the opportunity when Ah Nan was alone to give her these eggs. He didn't know what kind of eggs these were but figured they must be something good! Tian Sisi had no idea that in just a short while, Old Man had come up with so many stories. Although they were a bit far-fetched, it saved her a lot of trouble. Afterwards, Old Man took advantage of various pretexts to send Tian Xinhua and others to chop some firewood here, or cut some grass there, in essence, creating many opportunities for Tian Sisi, who was delighted to release a wild rabbit here and there, and a wild pheasant elsewhere. The wild rabbits and pheasants were all plump and lively. Tian Xinhua and the others were thrilled to collect the animals one by one into baskets, totaling five wild rabbits, two pheasants, and a nest of pheasant eggs. Old Man looked at his somewhat complacent granddaughter and sighed. Kids really were kids; she didn't know to hold back at all and let Lord Bai Yuan give out so many things at once. Old Man coughed loudly a few times and looked at Tian Sisi deeply as he said: "We should head back home. There's still a long life ahead of us, so don't catch all the game at once. Whatever you do, always leave a way out." Tian Sisi looked into Old Man's eyes, her heart skipped a beat. Did Grandpa discover something? She looked at Old Man, but his face seemed the same as always, just with additional joy. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Tian Sisi muttered to herself inwardly, though she became a bit more cautious, knowing that she needed to be more careful in the future. Old Man was amused to see how funny Ah Nan had been just now, like a little fox. It seemed that Ah Nan really did have a secret. He would have to have a good talk with Ah Nan tonight. If there really was something going on, he could also help conceal it. Otherwise, relying on this little girl, it would only be a matter of time before she slipped up. Humph, this little girl was still too green! Tian Qinghua weighed a rabbit in his hand, his eyes narrowing with joy, "Ah Nan, your dreams are so accurate. You found wild rabbits and pheasants. Ah Nan, have such a dream again tonight, and let's see what we can find tomorrow?" "Don't expect such good fortune every day. Today was just our lucky day; what does it have to do with Ah Nan? Don't always dream about pie falling from the sky; it's more proper to work hard and honestly." Tian Xinhua slapped his brother on the head quite hard. In fact, he also vaguely felt that today's events had something to do with Ah Nan. Although he was young, he knew that if outsiders learned about the things Tian Sisi's dreams predicted, she would definitely get into trouble. So, instinctively, he tried to dissociate Ah Nan from this matter. "Keep your mouth shut, and don't go blabbering outside. If I find out you've been talking carelessly, you won't even get to drink soup in the future." Tian Xinhua, still uneasy, frowned and intimidated his brother. Tian Qinghua felt quite aggrieved; he wouldn't go around talking nonsense. If others knew and all came to the mountain to pick up rabbits, what would happen if they took all the rabbits? Then he wouldn't have any meat to eat; he wasn't that foolish. Tian Shouhua, of course, also sensed that something was amiss and thought even more long-term. He figured these wild rabbits must have been arranged by Old Man, which explained why great-grandpa insisted on following them here today! In the eyes of the Tian Family children, Mr. Tian was a legendary figure who could do anything. So catching a few fat rabbits during the lean winter months was an easy task for him. However, such matters were best kept secret, so he took Qinghua aside and sternly warned him. Only after getting repeated assurances from Qinghua did he and Xinhua feel satisfied. The Old Man looked at his three great-nephews with contentment. Among the children of his brother Bajin's house, apart from the eldest, Jinhua, whom he did not like to watch—with not a single trait resembling the men of the Tian Family—the others were all quite good. Guanghua and Chaohua, who were in the military, were doing well for themselves, showing courage and attention to detail. They certainly had bright futures ahead of them. The younger ones were also good. Although Shouhua had a scholarly air, he wasn't the pedantic type. He understood how to interact socially and there wasn't much to worry about. Qinghua was still a bit young, and his personality and temper had not yet fully developed, but seeing how clever he was now, it was unlikely he would turn out bad. Among the grandchildren, he was most fond of Xinhua. Although Xinhua had a delicate appearance, his actions were not at all feminine. Despite his youth, he could handle any farm work handed to him. He was not bothered by trivialities and could bend or stand as needed. He also thought fast on his feet. It's just that his academic studies were a bit lacking, but as the old saying goes, "Three years of rebellion for a scholar, and still no success." This goes to show that excessive studying isn't always a good thing. What the Old Man admired most about Xinhua was his way of making friends. He had seen Xinhua and the sons of Zhong Yubai secretly interacting several times. In this era, very few dared to associate with the sons of a landlord, but the Old Man had no objections to it. He admired Zhong Yubai, who was not a cold-hearted rich man, and also valued relationships. His sons were also smart and capable lads. The Old Man held no prejudice against class background; in his heart, there were only good people and bad people. Like when he saw the Japanese invaders, who were evil—he would kill every one of them he encountered. But why must his own countrymen be pushed to such dire straits of fight to the death? Not all landlords were bad people. He had previously worked for the Zhong Family, and it was Zhong Yubai's grandfather who was in charge at the time. He was kind to the long-term workers, labored alongside them, and ate the same food. During the busy farming season, he even had the kitchen stew big pots of meat. The Old Man really felt that the landlord back then wasn't bad, having scrimped and saved little by little to develop the estate. He couldn't understand why landlords needed to be overthrown now. Unable to comprehend and unable to stand the deadly struggles of the movement, the Old Man sadly submitted his report and went back to Yuequan Village to live in retirement. Although various movements took place in Yuequan Village, because the Emperor was far away and the villagers were mostly simple folks, they weren't hell-bent on fighting to the death with someone. Hence the Old Man found this rural life very satisfactory. It was for this reason that the Old Man would never oppose Tian Xinhua's interactions with the Zhong Family boys. On the contrary, he would covertly cover for these children. In the Old Man's view, a dark cloud couldn't shroud the sky forever. This movement would eventually come to an end, and who knew whose status would be higher by then? It was better to spare others when possible, as if creating good karma. It must be said that the Old Man, who had lived through most of a century, had become thoroughly seasoned. In just four more years this tumultuous movement would end, and the spring breeze of reform and opening up would swiftly blow across the country. Sui City, a coastal city in particular, would see especially rapid economic development, and Zhong Yubai's sons would indeed become very accomplished individuals—of course, that's a story for another time. The Old Man was already calling everyone back home. Tian Xinhua had gathered several bundles of dry hay to cover the rabbits and pheasants in the basket to prevent others from seeing them. The village was full of people harboring jealousy, and the Tian Family's standard of living was so high that many people talked behind their backs. However, with the military background of the great-grandpa, these people only dared to gossip in private. "Great-grandpa, with so much meat we'll have meals for days! How wonderful! If every day were like today, we'd be able to eat meat every single day!" Qinghua thought delightedly about the good fortune. The Old Man's heart was filled with bittersweet feelings. Despite doing his best to look after his brother's family, he couldn't afford to let the children eat meat every day. He was immensely grateful for the profound blessings of Ah Nan, and at that moment, the Old Man was incredibly thankful for having decided to keep Ah Nan in the past. "Once we get home, let your Great Aunt cook braised rabbit. We'll have lunch at great-grandpa's house. We'll start with one rabbit, and in the evening, we'll invite your grandfathers and great-uncles over. Eat your fill of meat," the Old Man said with a smile, stroking the head of his little great-nephew Yuanyuan, which made Qinghua jump with joy high enough to startle a flock of sparrows in the forest into flying off in all directions. PS: Please recommend and generously smash that subscribe button!